boom boom pow...

my immediate thought when i see this building is BOOM BOOM POW (sorry black eyed peas)! this is another great photo taken by mr. hubby during a recent trip to tokyo. this squigglicious contortion is the debeers building in the ginza district, designed by jun mitsui. i must be an architect if i consider a building super sexy!

lacroix

let's face it...christian lacroix's design sensibility is everything that i am not: theatrical, unconventional and completely over-the-top. despite this, he is still one of my very favorite fashion designers. i have been following his work since the 80's. as a young girl, i would cover my bedroom walls with images of supermodels dressed in lacroix's opulent and fantastic creations, corsets fabricated out of experimental fabrics and patterns, and of course his signature 'le pouf' gowns. i am still completely in love with his work.

here are a few of lacroix's own sketches of his costumes which are part of a current exhibition at the national museum of singapore.

these sketches are forms of art in their own right. i would have loved to wallpaper my pre-teen bedroom walls with these sketches instead of the supermodels i opted for.

when talking about his art, this is what lacroix says, "my costume sketches dress as much the part's character as the actor's spirit and body. drawing for dance or for theatre allows me to breathe. fashion does influence the performing arts, which in turn feed fashion."

christian lacroix...you will always be my fashion icon!

color licious

right now we all need a dose of color in our lives. being an architect, i always joke that my color palette tends to be white, black, and shades of grays.

this weekend, i definitely got my color prescription filled by going to a local amusement park. how can anyone not 'snap out of their blues'...by getting a shot of blue...or pink, or red, or yellow? thought i'd share my colorlicious snapshots with you and hopefully it may inspire something colorful.

design{ation} proclamation

1. cure your case of seriousitis and chrome atize. some would say this banana bowl is the ugliest thing ever...i happen to find it yummy!

2. stash away your drab and go bold!

3. pick a tchotchke (chachkey) and stick to it. it's not clutter when it's a collection.

4. Find objects which are meaningful to you and surround yourself with them. Pictured here is my favorite painting...painted by my mother.

5. stop being so appropriate...let your sizzle loose.

6. your home is your prozac. it should be your getaway from life's dramas.

7. muse: a source of inspiration; a guiding spirit. find it and see where it takes you.

8. paint everything white...and then add splashes of color. the color becomes the star of the space.

9. maximalize minimalism. sleek is not bleak.

10. when all else fails study the quirky, stylish, eccentric, funny, enchanting, spontaneous, provocative and carefree, holly golightly from breakfast at tiffany's. how can you not be fascinated by someone who names their cat 'cat'?

arbor licious

this fabulous photo was taken by my hubby. it reminds me of a quote by the amazing scottish novelist and poet:

it is not so much for its beauty

that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts,

as for that subtle something,

that quality of air that emanates from old trees,

that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.

- robert louis stevenson

arbor day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. this year it will be celebrated on april 24th.

and then he kissed me...

it was love at first sight. he walked through the door and my heart skipped a beat. i hadn't seen such beauty, such mathematical perfection with exact proportions and detail of form. the precision of the movement when i accidentally touched this manifestation of beauty was one which i believe only the gods could create. i wanted to complete this masterpiece...and to view the whole...only to pull the interlocking pieces and complete it once again.

he walked through the door with a box full of miguel ortiz berrocal's puzzle pieces. all i could think of was my very own berrocal!!! and then he kissed me and told me it wasn't ours. what a complete let-down!!!

born near malaga in 1933 miguel ortiz berrocal was formally educated in mathematics, chemistry, and the exact sciences. Later he studied architecture.

in berrocal's pieces, every aspect of the form is important—the choice of the material, the look of the surface, the way the sculpture is assembled.

so hubby and i spent the evening doing a favor for a very puzzliciously challenged friend... piecing together, detail by detail, the various components of this sculpture that would eventually become the expressive result of berrocal's efforts to create a masterpiece which he called romeo e giulietta.

and voila'...the star-crossed lovers once again unite. but sadly, awakening out of a dream and into reality...we had to part.

goodnight, goodnight! parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.

the great wall of....books

me: hubby, I have the best idea for a partition in our office.

hubby: what's 'the best' idea?

me: check it out....

hubby: that's your idea? i thought you were just doing some spring cleaning.

me: why would i want to get rid of these wonderful additions to our home...a testimony to the power of knowledge and our schooling...the millions and millions of powerful words which are housed and bounded in these beautifully encased artifacts? no, i am not spring cleaning...this is my idea. now we can each have our own individual work spaces, separated by this very fine work of art. and...if we have some kind of designer's block...our reference is easily accessible. we can look anything up from abstract expressionism to zoroastrianism...and from pritzker prize winners to our thesis dissertations. isn't it beautiful????

hubby: i appreciate your effort, but it looks like we're getting ready for a rummage sale. how are we going to make this structurally sound? we're going to have to excavate a footing, then we need to have 1/2" re-bar running horizontally in the footing and vertically through each book. we need to set the re-bar with mortar and we need mortar between each book. then we need to blah blah blah blah....(there goes hubby again giving me a reality check, this is when i need to tune him out). why don't you just take a photo of it and print it up at a large scale...you can use it as a backdrop or wallpaper.

me: ingenious!! i'll call it enlightenlicious...

it's a new day

what a special day...the day I actually 'launched' my new blog site by telling my husband about it. yes, it is a big deal that i have one very loyal reader (that would be myself)...but at least the hubby is a follower. maybe in a few days when i tell my brothers and parents about the site, they may visit every now and then. I hope to have some comments soon after from my [next to no] audience.

regardless of who is reading this post, i know i will get great pleasure from developing this blog. I wanted to create a site which brings together all things that give me the greatest pleasure in life: family, design, style, trends.

i'd love to hear back from anyone who has any ideas...as this is a work in progress if there ever was one.

chanel icious

and the color of the season is.....white

i think karl wanted the chanel fashion show lineup to match his hair

(or is it the opposite)...

anyway, still gotta find it lovelicious

flickr licious

this has to be one of my favorite flickr photos posted by marcbuilder. His subtitle reads:

the decay of the US Dollar as we know it. the decay of the US Economy. the decay of the US . . .

provoca licious

this controversial chair says it all...the designer fabio novembre has captured the essence of his HIM & HER CHAIR by quoting from none other than the Book of Genesis:

“The Lord God crafted man from the earth and blew into him the breath of life and man was alive. And then the Lord God took a rib that he had taken from the man and from it crafted a woman and lead the woman unto the man. Now both the man and his wife were naked, and they felt no shame.”

who knew we can find such provacative subject matter in the Bible??

these curvacious silhouettes depict the alluring and sensuous curves of adam and eve crafted from molded polyethylene.

divalicious

ok...for all the ladies who only have a second to get themselves ready and out of the house...I have one word for you....MASCARA!!!

mascara is your secret weapon...forget brushing your teeth and combing your hair...

here's my pick for the best mascara you will ever want, need, or die for:

SUPERNOVA by fresh.

with meadowfoam seed oil and linden bud extract as ingredients to condition, fortify and create a smooth texture...can you say divalicious???

stylaments

check out these amazing ornaments (or even gift toppers or place card holders) made by my favorite potter in the world.

I use these as ornaments on my xmas tree during the holidays...and as a place card holder for a style icious lunch with the girls in the spring. Who wouldn't love to receive one of these precious little hand made art pieces as a gift? just 12 bucks each....

style icious

What do you do when you are going crazy trying to entertain your child?

Take out your box o buttons and have her glue them onto a sheet of paper.

The monotony will calm her down...and you can always call it a birthday card for daddy.

Not to mention...it is kinda styleicious.