derby hats.

last weekend i went to the one & only kentucky derby. my mini vacay was full of friends, parties, bets & hats!

be optimistic.

i adore these parings of fashion & art. miss x moss is simply fabulous.

...yesterday during my thrift & garage sale excursions, i found this old belle & sebastian cd in a pile of ribbon! its unbelievable how catchy this song is - i've been singing all day (& now you will be too!).

*i just returned from the grocery store & subconsciously bought 5 things that have wasabi flavoring... is that bad?

tandem t.

this tandem t-shirt is great. *thank you, a cup of joe.

eye candy.

caitlin mcgauley can turn anything into a bright & beautiful masterpiece. she's a watercolor painter from nyc who works for one of my favorite websites, daily candy (you should subscribe). watch a video of her profile here & read more about this talented lady here.

fahrradtaschen für frauen.

how great is this po campo bicycle bag?

*thank you, stilsucht.

garage sale, anyone?

this online art garage sale is marvelous. you can find various pieces of art from all different mediums: jewelry, pottery, home decor, paintings, printmaking, fashion & more. i've found some very unique pieces at great prices. check out the site & support these talented, independent artists.

& i do my little turn on the catwalk.

i'd like to briefly recap the event, which occurred right before my ugly swine flu diagnosis. anthea, a fantastic fashion journalist & great friend, had a VIP press pass to this seasons' japan fashion week & invited me to tag along. it was my first fashion show experience & let me tell you, it was unbelievable. we went to several shows, all of which were equally impressive & inspiring. we even got to party with the models at the kick off event! it was so much fun & i want to go again!

i can't help but post this song (which i can't stop singing). oh, right said fred--thank you for writing such an inspiring song...ha!

i'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts.
& i'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan...

i'm a model you know what I mean & i do my little turn on the catwalk.
yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah i do my little turn on the catwalk....

decor8 this.

today i feel like painting my apartment walls. i want to shop for secondhand frames & old hardware. i would love to go to papersource* & find a great box to cover. but...i can't. instead, i've been endlessly reading my favorite design blog, design*sponge. this blog is based out of brooklyn, ny & features do it yourself projects, creative interior spaces & home tours. one section of their blog is my absolute favorite: sneak peeks. its basically an inside peek of amazing home interiors all over the world! today, i made an imaginary house & picked out my favorite rooms.

the colors in this living room are my favorite. check out the chair covers!

i love a wall covered in frames...

i'm swooning over the

organization of this office.

the open shelves are my favorite.

if it were my space, i'd paint the walls

the olive color of the desk.

can you picture it?

my dream kitchen=brick wall. no cabinets & completely open ceiling.

usually, pink bedroom walls wouldn't be

my top choice. but, i'm loving this space!

a claw foot bath tub is a MUST for my future

bathroom. i'm also loving these white washed

walls. i want it!

...now, back to reality. i'm in my small apartment in fuji, japan.

saving money for my future apartment in texas...

i can't wait!!

my new nook

i stumbled upon this cafe with my dear friend, anthea. we were walking to the numazu train station, about to embark on another adventure, when i saw the cafe's advertisement on a small chalk board stand at the base of an ascending stairway. i wanted to go in immediately, but anthea (who always keeps me on track) suggested we continue with our former plan, & if time allowed, visit the cafe after our weekend excursion. so, after an exhausting weekend of doing my best to fully embrace this amazing country, i finally walked up those stairs & opened those doors....& came face to face with inspiration. 

cambridge cafe, http://www.cambridge-no-mori.com/fsdl.html , a library cafe, is without a doubt, one of my favorite places on this earth. its theme, "old iz new" is a perfect explanation of the cafe's interior design flow. the antique door knobs & tables, refinished wood flooring, recycled chairs & crackle painted walls immediately lifted my spirits. the walls are lined with simple book shelves, on which, universal art & design books rest. the small table, where we sat, had a rough surface, but was warm & inviting.  we were served tea (by a woman who is now our friend!) in our own personal kettles with adorable tea cups & bamboo place mats. the cafe is simply amazing, for it is an experience in itself! 

the tea: rejuvenating. the food: unbelievable. the atmosphere: stimulating. cambridge cafe-no-mori: the best. i've found my new hiatus.