Back in the day...

Bing Crosby with Phil Harris and Bob Littler listening to record player, Seattle, 1956
This lovely vintage chesterfield sofa is a piece of Seattle history. Littler's was an upscale clothier from 1931-1996. This is where you would sit to admire you gentlemen or lady friend as they tried on some of the finest attire Seattle had to offer. As the picture above clearly implies, it's entirely possible that Bing Crosby actually sat on this couch! What? You say that's a quite a stretch? Aah, what do you know.

It's such a shame that cigarettes are out of fashion, doesn't this lovely lounger make you want to relax in your silk peignior while sipping a manhattan and smoking a, why maybe, a Chesterfield?

(not that I condone smoking, bad dirty habit...)

Suburban Outfitters

So I follow Revival Home and Garden on twitter. (See how technologically advanced I have become? (twitter is new to me)) Anyhow, last night Leah, the owner, tweeted that she wondered about Urban Outfitters home, or rather apartment, decor items. As I have been a fan of finding the cheapest possible furniture available for quite some time, I do have a few of their peices in my house. I can't speak to the quality of their case pieces (probably crap), but the stuff I have, I really like.

The headboard, lamp and lampshade are from Urban. They are in my little Leah's bedroom.This is in Abigail and Leah's bathroom. I suck at taking pictures, but the mirror is Urban as well as the light fixture. Actually the light itself is some halogen junk from Ikea, but the "crystal" fixture around it is from Urban.By the way, Leah, if you didn't get my comment response to your comment on my blog, I am super flattered and thrilled that you have even seen my blog, let alone like my stuff. I love your store and can't wait till you get settled into your new location, where ever that may be. I am the dork that voted for Bellevue.

The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, this magazine and the chair.

and that's all I need.

I'm trying desperately to clean my house. Can't you tell how much cleaning I am able to get done while typing! It's such an overwhelming task. Until this month, I felt a compulsive need to keep EVERYTHING, in case I might need it one day, you know.

Well, one of my other personalities has decided to push it's way to the front after decades of being suffocated in the back by all the crap I surround myself with. Ooh, I'll have to come up with a name for this new personality... more on that later. Anyhow, now, for the first time ever I am purging. I mean seriously purging. If I came home and everything was gone, I wouldn't be upset. Well, except for my china. My china and my Fifi Soufois painting. My china and my Fifi Soufoiux painting and Jimmy Choos. My china and my Fifi Soufois painting and my Jimmy Choos and this chair...

This dude looks just like my dad in the late 70's, in case you were wondering

Which, of course, you obviously were.
So I have become completely obsessed with Pandora while trying to clean my f*&#% house. I love all the new music I am being exposed to. Stuff I never would have heard before.

This is how I roll (now).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZK7YKO/?tag=savagebeast-20



One day when I am less of an idiot, I will figure out the right way to put songs in the blog. That day has not yet come.

I have spoken, and someone listened...

Just as I was lamenting the lack of "designed" computers, I find this. Maybe a ming vase doesn't jive with your decor, but just imagine the possibilities! What if your Jonathan Adleresque gourd lamp was also your CPU! Maybe your monitor can be a white lacquered rococo plasma panel mounted on the wall next to it that display digital art when not in use. The days of unsightly grey plastic junk littering the landscape of our lives are numbered. I can't wait till my technology doesn't dominate my aesthetic surroundings. There is still the matter of all the other garbage and mess that I surround myself with. Which brings me full circle back to lamenting the lack of housekeeper. Check out the specs on engadget

getting back on track

I feel that I have strayed a bit recently from the true and pure intent of this blog. I feel the need to refocus. To that end, I will now proceed to bitch about the stuff I want, and don't have.

(in order of importance)

1. housekeeper (seriously, before something starts growing in my bathroom)

2. a 15' x 15' Flor area rug in my living room, Shaggy Sheep in Gotland Grey (this is not actually Gotland Grey, but I liked this picture better)

3. much larger monitor, obsessive compulsive internet life demands it

4. new dishes ~ Paola Navone for Reichenbacher

5. a vivien tam laptop clutch.

pretty, but why is this the only "designed" laptop out there. I want a laptop designed by Kelly Wearstler, and I would like it to look like this, if you please... please?

6. Speaking of Kelly Wearstler, last on the list for tonight is Hue 2009. Not yet realeased book about... I'll let you guess. It's not going to be released until November 1st. It's a whopping (and totally ridiculous) $100. And I must have it.

I feel better, more spoiled complaining later. g'night.

Getting a Brazilian....

mocha, that is. Why, what did you think I was talking about?

I have developed a very bad habit with a dear friend of mine. We have started having extremely decadent coffee and pastries in the morning. It is a lovely moment of liesure in an otherwise sticky and frantic sort of day.

We used to go to Cafe Oriel, in Kirkland (R.I.P., sniff, sniff, wiping away a tear) That was even more dangerous, because not only did it involve rich and creamy lattes, but also mimosas (hold the orange juice, right Sarah). Hooray for putting kids in preschool!

Another new favorite is Belle Pastry, chocolate coissant and a non-fat vanilla cappuccino sitting outside in the glorious, previously unheard of, Bellevue sunshine! Pure bliss.

But the best coffee of the week was from Kitanda Brazilian Espresso & Bakery in Redmond, of all places. Our Brazilian Mocha, which is made with sweetened condensed milk, instead of chocolate, was a complete work of art. Creating these works of art was a lovely gentlemen by the name of Thiago. How perfect is that! Somehow, it wouldn't have been as good if it was served up by a Bill or Kevin, right?

I highly recommend taking the time to visit with Thiago at Kitanda. You will not be dissapointed. The only negative, is that like everything else on the Eastside, it's in a strip mall. Thiago makes up for it though.

It has come to my attention...

that my spelling is atrocious. (Thank you very much, Sarah) Ok, so I admit my internal spell check is non-existent. I do believe that the subtle refinement that has been stripped from our society is the cause of many of today's woes. Handwriting, manners, spelling. etc... So I do make an admittedly small effort to check spelling on words that I am not quite certain about. However, I may now be willing to admit that http://www.urbandictionary.com/ may not be as reliable a source as Miriam Webster. I'm not saying for sure, but it is possible that just because a dictionary is self proclaimed as "the shiznit" does not mean that it really is, in fact, "the shiznit". So despite what http://www.urbandictionary.com/ says, luddite is actually with 2 d's, not one.