Mirka

I love rings. They are the one type of accessories I consistently love. I remember one of the first ones that I had bought when I was a teen. It was a chunky rose carved out of silver and soldered onto a half-round silver band. It looked huge on my then-scrawny fingers, and in fact, my cousin made fun of it :-) She wondered out loud if I wore it for self-defence purposes, hah! But no matter, I loved it and wore it every chance I got (which wasn't very many since national schools forbade ornamental adornment of any kind. And yes, even barrettes count as ornamental, can you imagine?)

All these reminiscing just to show you what caught my eye, Mirta's rings. For some inexplicable reason, I've always had an easier time finding chunkier-sized rings that look good on my fingers rather than the thin, wispy ones, which is what I love about the rings above. They look like they can be worn in polite society and yet have just enough idiosyncrasy to make them charming.

I also ❤ ❤ ❤ these pieces below, especially the necklace. She's got a lot of other lovelies at her etsy store.

Ogling

I'm not one to accessorize much, which I sometimes feel is a shame because there are so many little pieces that I see and admire and would indeed love, scratch that, yearn to have. Shingo Matsushita's pieces are an example of that. I love the fact that he uses crochet as a design element but instead of the result looking dowdy, the combination of materials (threads, pearl, leather) and color choices makes his pieces infinitely edgier (oh how I hate that word but you get the drift ;-p)

Two links I've been meaning to share: The Makers -- a photography project by Jennifer Causey that's glued me to the computer screen for the past couple of hours. I love sneak peeks into artiste's work places!

This next link has been on my to-share list for a while, but because I've remained conflicted about it, I never got around to it. Anyway, I've decided it's definitely worth posting about because, for what it's worth, I think it's thought-provoking :-) So here it is: New York City Garbage, its Flickr collection is worth a look at too.

Wow, can't believe it's been so long. Anyway, I'm just stopping in to note a couple of things I'm liking.

Whitelines Notebooks and

Dainippon Wooden Type Toy.

And yes, the lameness of recent posts is duly noted :-) Am in the midst of mental re-organizational activity and it's becoming increasingly difficult to find space in my head for this little ol' blog o' mine. Hope you'll pardon the sparse postings in the meanwhile....

Fiona Paxton Necklaces

These necklaces are so amazing. Seriously, aren't they fabulous? I love how they would totally jazz up my wardrobe (of tees and boy-beaters exclusively ;-p ) 

Made of silver chains and glass/silver beads by textile-designer, Fiona Paxton, these works of art cost a pretty penny, though. So that rules out buying options for me, unfortch :-( What else is new, sigh.

I'm showing the ones I fancy here, there are some colorful patterned ones in her collection.

Images from Nina & Lola.

Fabulous find via Jessica Stites.

Happy socks, anyone?

I used to be a colorful sock fiend. I bet you didn't know that about me ;-p I even showed up at work in bright orange socks with attached fluffy cotton balls a couple of times. Alright, that was a bald-faced lie. It was a lot of times.

Anyhoo, I don't wear socks anymore (suck it up with the collective eww, peeps. It's hot here in tropical-country land, ok?) but these colorful ones still managed to turn my head, so to speak. 

By, appropriately enough, Happy Socks. They really are quite cheery, aren't they.

via journal.byhiroshi.com.

"Living Low" by ii-ne-kore

I've always wanted to do away with bed frames in the bedroom, and if tatami weren't so expensive, I would be all over it ;-)  If you're of the same mindset, you'd definitely love this post at ii-ne-kore. It's a collection of images showing lifestyles that don't revolve around furniture, a way of living that I've always thought reduces clutter and encourages smaller and quieter movements, très zen, non? 

Superkül's Laneway House

Loving this. Looks unassuming on the outside, and yet surprisingly cosy on the inside. And how can you top that deck with the sky view? 

via where-else-but-designboom.

Eco on my mind

I've been on the lookout for on-the-go hashi for ages and I think I'm finally closing in on my ideal pair -- Eco-Pocke-My-Hashi by Yuento. Anyone in Japan willing to help a poor gal out with the purchase?

 

Also, am hyper-ventilating over the re-useable shopping bags by Baggu, the colors alone won me over! (Yah, me a sucker for colors!)

Machado Handmade

Loving this so much it hurts. Found it here.

Marc Monzo

At first glance, Marc Monzo's site seems to be that of a game designer's (I felt like I was playing some version of the memory game when I was there), but I was pleasantly surprised once I started clicking around -- the most delectable pieces of contemporary jewelry hiding behind 3D-rendering-looking images. Ooh la la! Pictured below is a taste of what you'll find at his site.

via dear ada.

Zalez of Spain

There's some serious loveliness going on at Nuria Gonzalez's site. Their collection of bags using all kinds of gorgeous fabrics leave me wanting more, and there's certainly more to eye at their blog. I have my sight on the green one pictured, isn't it pretty?

Michelle Adams' Apartment

Have you ever played that game where you imagined yourself to be in another form? For instance, if you could be a dog, what kind of dog would you be? That was a prosaic version of the game. Now, to get interesting, if you were to be a type of cocktail, what sort of glassware will we need to be putting you in? ;-p

Well, believe it or not, I've NEVER played that game, 'cos I never found what-ifs to be that intriguing of a game. Or maybe I'm just not adventurous that way. Strangest thing, though, (and these always come unexpectedly, doesn't it?) happened when I saw this apartment on Design*Sponge. The thought just came to me, instantaneously, that if I were an apartment, I would be that apartment. 

So tell me, is it time to check in with a therapist when one identifies oneself with an apartment? Or am I just *special*? Please, don't be honest.

S. Stein workbags

Hubba hubba!

My old bag looked like this Project Bag by Sherry Stein except mine was more reminiscent of a garden-tools bag than it did a high-end carry-all like the one pictured above. ;-)

For the most part, I'm a one-bag kinda gal, since I love to bring even the kitchen sink when I'm out and about. I had to finally get rid of that old bag because it was rending into too many unrepairable pieces, but I sure as heck miss it. The S.Stein Project Bag would be right up my alley, although, I'll probably have to talk myself into the suede part. I did, however, notice that they do special orders, so perhaps it's a matter of replacing the suede pockets with canvas? Below is a different bag, but I'm liking the color better.

via Oh Joy!

Prairie Underground Logo Shopper

Loving this bag by Prairie Underground. Apparently it's made of scrap cotton material. Nice. 

image via Beklina.

The unfortunately-named dress

The minute I saw this dress on Lena Corwin's blog (big fan!), I loved it. It's by Vena Cava, apparently a beloved label to those in the loop. I'm not usually a dress kinda gal because I hate having to be all lady-like in skirts. I'm more of a bounding, leaping and sometimes even squatting (!) kinda gal, but that does not mean I don't like dresses, there's a time and place for it, is all.

I have a hard time figuring out why it's called a "Typhoid Dress" though, but power to them for being able to make something disturbing-sounding so desirable. :-)

Later, I came across a photo of the actress Kirsten Dunst wearing a version of it and realized that the lightness of the dress makes it a hard thing to pull off. So now, I'm not as hot for it anymore. Still, it's a pretty little number to look at, don't cha think?

image of dress via oaknyc.

Anne Maa Jewelry

There are quite a number of pieces on Anne Maa's site that I heart, certainly more than I can display on my own ten fingers and the one neck (hmm, noticing that I never seem to pay attention to the ears, so why did I get them pierced?) but I'm going to do the polite thing and show just a few here. I'm thinking it's rude to rob all the attention from her, see?

What's surprising is that I'm really liking this necklace here, which isn't normally what I go for at all.

I've noticed of late that I like vintage or vintage-looking pieces. I'm never one to believe in regrets, but I've had trouble battling that lately thinking of all the clothes from the 70's that belonged to my mom that I told her to give away. It didn't cross my mind that I might one day want them for myself. I remember the moment clearly too, we were emptying the closet in the spare bedroom and she said that once the clothes are donated, there's no getting them back, and she warned me to be very sure of my decision. I hesitated for a second, a mere second, and practicality (oh, always the troublemaker, you practicality) won out. "I would have no space for them anyway", went the argument in my head. 

Hindsight, it's an ugly, ugly beast.

via A Cup of Jo.

I. Ronni Kappos

While at Beklina's (see previous post), I also spied these beautiful necklace by I. Ronni Kappos. Accessories are tough for me, since I have a hard time pulling them off. But this feels understated yet bold at the same time, think I can just about manage it, wink.

It also reminds me of one of the few fashion accessories I lust over, a hand-embroidered corded necklace from Mia Zia, a label by Valerie Barkowski who works with natives of Marrakesh to hand produce the pieces. Sadly, I can't find an image of the necklace I saw in her store in Soho a few years ago, and her website isn't very helpful either. Wish I kept that booklet from her store. :-( Oh well, it shall live on in my memory…

Mociun Bauhaus T-shirt

My heart died a little knowing I can't afford this, and that no matter how hard I skimp, I won't be able to justify the purchase. No consolation at all can be found from the fact that I'm living a monk-like life of perpetual contemplation by choice (well, almost!), N-O-N-E. Flags are gonna be raised at half-mast around here, people. 

I can't bring myself to post where you can purchase this online, so you're just gonna have to google it yourself. Tough.

Alright, alright, I hate it when I'm being unkind. Beklina's the place to go. 

P/S: Again, I can't remember where I came across this. I even tried to retrace my steps but with no success. Owing more people karma, eeee...

It's not always easy shopping for yourself…

…especially when you are on a tight budget, and loving things a little out of your reach. But a girl's allowed to online-window shop :-) Look, a tunic that has my name written all over it! Check out the rest of her store, Snoozer Loser.

via Oh Joy!

stainless-steel-and-powder-coated beauty

I have a hard time finding accessories that I like, rings being the only exception. So my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when I saw these brooches by Iris Saar Isaacs and Jane Barwick of in sync design, a contemporary jewelry design studio based in Australia. I can totally pull these off. *snap snap*

via Radici, a worthy visit in itself.