a little something

After I posted my previous entry, whining about how I couldn't get my act together yesterday, I decided to just give up and do something mindless. For several weeks I had been stewing over doing a minimalist grouping of wall-hangings for over my bed. My first idea was to use canvases and paint word on them (typography!), but that proved a little more involved than I wanted to be right now. A few nights ago in a fit of extreme late night inspiration, I conjured up the idea to use some foam board, linen and red perl cotton. After a couple hours of work yesterday evening, this is what I finished with:

I rather like it. Very modern, informal and "me" (as my sister pointed out when I showed her; the swirly lines are one of my "signature" motifs that show up again and again in my artwork). Besides, I've been trying to push my room's decor in a more modern, artsy direction than it currently is. I'm a compulsive old "stuff" collector, so my room has a tendency to begin to look a bit like an antique store... lol. Paired with the nautical blue walls, it can look a little stuffy in there. The antique 1860s fashion prints have come down and are now replaced with Toulouse-Lautrec prints (framed in clear glass), now the white metal headboard is gone from over the bed. Soon I hope to have a new comforter covered with a Laurie Smith mid-century inspired print. Its all about bringing some more interesting colors into the space. I've despaired of ever getting the room repainted, so in the famous words of Tim Gunn, I'm going to "make it work". ;)

I went to get my hair cut this afternoon--the perm is basically gone (or rather, it was starting to go and I just helped it along...), and my hair was looking blah. I got that done and then spent the afternoon in the masses of humanity that are out Christmas shopping. Stopped in a few stores to look at clothes, including my favorite boutique: Cusp. Cusp is Neiman Marcus's "little sister" store focused on carrying trendy lines targeted toward the 20-something hip and moneyed crowd (which I don't fit into, but a girl can dream, right? ;). I always love seeing the Diane von Furstenburg dresses and Catharine Malandrino sweaters. *sigh* Talk about serious clothing lust. I found the cutest little coat dress today in there! It was made from heavy cotton jersey, like the kind they make yoga pants out of. It was basically a large rectangle with a scoop neck and peter-pan collar. The sleeves were large and boxy, but gathered at the end (which was about elbow length) to create a very femenine balloon sleeve. I just loved the simplicity of the dress! I wish I could remember the designer--I should have wrote down who it was, because it was a familiar name to me. :p I hate when I have forgetful moments like this! I also saw the famed Marc Jacobs shoes that I've seen in all the fall editorials and I thought were positively ugly. They do not improve upon closer inspection. Sorry, but the heels just look like they're going to snap right off...

Today was one of those days I desperately wished that I was in Manhattan rather than DC. I was dressed very NYC: black turtleneck, wide-leg jeans (courtesy Gap--finally found a pair of jeans I can live with), leopard print flats, minimal jewelry and my favorite 1960s vintage black and white plaid coat. I didn't help I was listening to the Devil Wears Prada soundtrack during my drive. Plus, my friend K. has been telling me her plans of going to NYC over Christmas break with her boyfriend. Gosh, I'm sooooo jealous!! hehe. Maybe one day I'll make it back up to New York... one day. :D