it seems everywhere i look...

i see classical sculpture.
have you seen anthropologie's
october catalog?

and this twinkle by wenlan dress?

when i saw the winged figure,
it reminded me of the
victory of samothrace
i wrote about a little
while ago.

i've attempted working with
marble, and have great respect
for those who create something
like this. i once took a class in
marble sculpture through the
smithsonian when we lived in
washington, d.c.

my unfinished project is still at
my in-laws. it's too heavy to
ship, and each time we visit,
i forget to bring it back with me.

i also still have the chisels and rasps,
and though i'll never use
them again, i don't think i'll part
with them. too many great memories...
like meeting g. for indonesian food
and slipping into the national gallery
for some inspiration.

images credits: anthropologie

make a wish

i tend to put off opening the mail...and emptying the dishwasher, but last night, i received a padded envelope that didn't look like a bill or credit card offer. this was inside. 

the candle has a generously long wick that forms a necklace, and the pinhole cupcake reminded me of the covetable work of this lovely girl.

here is what i wish for...

clockwise  from top: 

i've had my eye on this book for a long time.

an icy green votive scented with neroli - a fragrance that holds many memories for me.

a crewel rug.

 espadrilles dressed in suede, silky ribbon, and raffia. i might just wear them to bed.

sign up here so you too can get surprises like this in the mail once a year.

favorites {bamboo}

i won't even try to make this humble little blog into a quest for unique finds culled from internet searches, for gratefully there are numerous blogs, who do this so well. instead i'll have different features that i hope to post on a regular-ish, self-imposed schedule…like this series where i'll cover some of my favorite people, places and things.

today's favorite is bamboo in all its many beautiful forms. there are many reasons i love this plant. it's often seen in chinoiserie – another love of mine. it's also a symbol of endurance and longevity.

i admire it too for its usefulness as a building material and source of food, and its resemblance to grille motifs in paintings by gaughin, klimt, monet, and vuillard. 

gustav klimt, the beech wood, c. 1902

if nothing more, what i admire are the bolt-upright shafts and closely spaced trunks of a bamboo grove. to hear the wind pass through the leaves and between the creaking woody stems would be sweet music to my ears. 

"land of the lost" sans dinosaurs

whenever i see it used for interiors, like furniture, wallpaper and fabric, i find myself instantly drawn to it.

examples of carved, turned and faux painted furniture made to resemble bamboo

some splendid variations of bamboo finishes

a sensational bamboo desk

florence broadhurst wallpaper and fabric

robsjohn-gibbings high back chairs with original ceruse finish on the faux bamboo frames

fabrics by china seas – martinique

the iconic chinese chippendale chair

billy baldwin for scalamandre

bamboo spindle-backed chair by josef frank

a farrow and ball wallpaper

bamboo wallpaper in a roomset featuring a kim parker rug for the rug company

stenciled floor for a chinoiserie bedroom

 

zega & dams' architectural alphabet

and this...this about took my breath away.

***

i could go on, but i better stop here (and catch my breath).

{image 1: vintage printables; image 2: japonisme by siegfried wichmann; image 3: kyoto official travel guide; image 4: anthropologie march 2010 catalog; images 5, 6 : art of the painted finish by isabel o'neil; image 7: british homes & gardens april 2000; images 8, 9: woodson and rummerfield house of design; image 10: quadrille fabrics; image 11: house beautiful; image 12: beach bungalow 8; image 13: bonluxat; image 14: farrow and ball; image 15: the rug company; image 16: the stencil library; image 17: an architectural alphabet by zega and dams; image 18: de gournay}