And here I am playing with my new 50 mm lens. Do you have any good chocolate cake recipes you'd like to share? Please!!

Better late than never.  My mom, daughter, and I finally went to see the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit this weekend at the Dallas Museum of Art.  It was amazing.  We had so much fun.  Little A, my four year-old daughter, thought it was fabulous.  She could not stop staring at the mannequins and trying to decipher the outrageous outfits ("Mommy, is that a monster?" referring to the houndstooth outfit below.)  Every piece was admirable.  We did; however,  have to rush through some of the bondage ensembles.

Here are some photos of outfits that were in the exhibit.  All images by Patrice Stable/Jean Paul Gaultier found in this article  here.

Happy Monday!
Here is a little cheer for your Monday...

"If only I could do over my aunt's drawing-room, I know I should be a better woman."
So said Lily Bart, tragic heroine of Edith Wharton's 1905 novel The House of Mirth.

I am always drawn to dark walls. There is something so chic about them.
(It doesn't hurt that I am a color junky.)

Can you tell? Does the raven just give it away!? So, I have been rereading some of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories which are so good and scary! So intense! The last one I read was the Fall of the House of Usher. As I was reading, my mind's eye was picturing all this fabulous dark and masculine furniture. So I constructed this little room above. Doesn't that black chesterfield look yummy?! with the gold plated bronze feet. I think this type of golden feet is the inspiration behind the chairs/stools/tables with the gold dipped legs seen everywhere lately (like here). Anyway, isn't the skull cool? its actually an antique clock. The eyes rotate to tell the time. Freaky! Roderick Usher would definitely have one of those in his library, I think. But what I cannot live without is that lamb stool.

Oh, and if I were invited to an event at the Usher mansion, well, that is the dress I would wear. And I bet the cocktails served would be the dark and stormy.

Sources:

I am so down with the whole green wall movement. Do you know about it? Planting up the sides of buildings. Very cool. The first one I remember seeing was several years ago when my husband and I stayed at the Pershing in Paris.

The movement has taken hold. Here are just a few of the ultra stud things out there.

That's what I call a greenhouse!

Take care of luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.

Do you know about Bonobos yet? If not, you will. Suddenly they are everywhere. Every time I go to a new web page, there they are. Bonobos are mens' clothes for the conservative guy who wants a little edge added to the ho hum chino. They aren't those huge baggy khakis American men have been sporting for years, but they aren't so funky that you have to live in Amsterdam in an artists loft shooting photos of heroin skinny chicks to pull off.

I discovered them when our darling friend Emmy Brown started working with them. Together we outfitted Stefan (my betrothed) with them. He is a tough customer. Very snobby when it comes to his kit. They were a hit. Aside from the ones pictured above, here are other ones I love:

As you get to know us you will start to understand our aesthetic. To give you an idea of where I am right now I made this little collage for you. I'm all about COLOR. Anyone that knows me and knows my home can vouch for that.

You are invited to read our blog!! Welcome, welcome. Join us! If you are reading this you are AWESOME. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us. We are so excited to start sharing with you ideas, finds, tips and everything and anything we think you might like. Here is the official invitation from Julie and me: