hello, cute!

Sometimes, you just got to.

ready, steady, love.

owl ring. marc jacobs

miss marc wrist watch. marc by marc jacobs

moscot originals. "hyman" (named after the brand's patriarch) in tortoise

dear santa,

make it happen;)

xo,

mega

some racing, some stopping.

This is a snow-cone-on-a-hot-day of an album, even though Pitchfork gave it a less enthusiastic review.  I get it Pitchfork, it's an easy listen, it sounds familiar in a sea of other sunny indie projects. But whatevs, I still think it's really bubbly and quite pretty.  Headlights, "let your haters be your motivators."

fennec fox.

A nice outfit: a red heart cape and a sleeping fennec fox.

Print available here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/marisolspoon

best. friends. forever. for. real.

Nothing says friendship like forever.  And if you are a real gangsta, you use the same needle.  Just kidding, that's gross!  To my R.L.S. partner-in-crime and my lil' owl sister, I love you both.  Seal that friendship with a tattoo;)

Honorable Mention ladies done by Miss Marina.  http://www.ourtrespasses.com/ 

Lil' owls by Custom Claire.  http://www.myspace.com/5655990

Gun Salutes: MOS DEF

Introducing, "Gun Salutes." A gun salute is like a shout out. Get into it.

A 2006 jam, but still, kind of getting a lot of play in my rotation as of late.  
I can't.  Really.  And the live performance, stop it.  I die.

U R THE ONE...http://www.youtube.com

On some ol' "Biggie gimme one more chance" shit

a guide to recognizing your saints

When you decide to move to San Francisco in 2006, you sort of live in a bubble of survival/adventure and miss one of the most amazing movies based on real life of all time. It's not until three years later when you are living in Brooklyn and you Netflix it one night thinking, "This looks good." And it's better than good, it's unforgettable. Then you text your best friend that they have to see it. And they text back: "I could've told you that in 2006. In the theater. But I didn't. Oh snap. 2006 called, it wants its Robert Downey Jr. comeback performance back." Then you feel embarrassed because you are in fact, three years late. But it doesn't matter, because you just saw one of the best movies of all time. The end.

P.S. If you are three years late too, don't sleep!

make room for the emptiness

If you like secret puzzles, folk art, plants, and hexes, you should probably check out Jim Houser's solid gold hit now on view at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in Chelsea. This was my first Jim Houser experience, and I couldn't be more impressed!  I've always been an admirer of his unwavering color pallete: rich terra cotta reds, sea glass blues and greens, and warm browns.  "Totally captivating" comes to mind.  He traditionally carries his drawings into the exhibition space, but I was happy to find new objects incorporated.  I love love love the electric speakers, which he handpainted to fit his color story.  Nearby the speakers, there is a small scale version of the same idea, kind of like a still life! 

The twine paintings he crafted, weaving colored string around canvas, create super tactile grids of hues that are hard to look away from.  The best thing about Houser's work is that you feel like little secrets are being shared.  You have to connect the objects to the drawings to the words and back again.  It's like a puzzle that you know you will never solve and that's okay, because the attempt is so entertaining!  The shelf installations were so quiet, like little museum diaramas.  One held a painting of a severed hand, whith the word "HEXES" spelled out at the ends of each fingertip.  A jar of small pebbles sat next to it along with a larger rock person sleeping.  Your brain makes thoughtful yet incomplete connections, but in the best way.  Like watching a dream playout. These are the little magical stories of Jim Houser.

One of his great talents is building a playful library of words and phrases in his drawings.  One of my favorite groups of words were "force field, swords, gardens, machines."  It's way better than looking at a scrabble board at the end of a long game!  When you see these words alone or groups, they are taken out of there usual context, and it's just nice to see things like "GONERS," "orbits," "MYTH," "mmmmmiracles," or "rumor" just standing as words. 
There is a wonderful blend going on for sure,  and you barely notice the overcast of gloom beacause the drawings and installations are so beautiful.  His characters face some tough breaks...severed heads, drowning, and being shot with arrows.  Truly a stellar show, "Make Room for the Emptiness" is currently on view through November 21st.  Also on view at the Jonathan Levine Gallery is an amazing show called "TRUE SELF," curated by Gary Baseman.
http://www.jonathanlevinegallery.com/

cold season=1, mega=0

A sincere sorry for the lapse of posts recently due to a terrible cold I had.  Being sick is the worst, especially when you have to take care of yourself.  My friend frenemy forever drew this awesome Get Well Never card for me once upon a time, and I couldn't help but remember it during this past knock out fight between the worst cold in the world and myself. Sometimes it really does feel like you will get well never.  Soon enough though, you are always bound to get back into fighting shape!

maritime pride

(Squid & Whale Tattoo 181 Congress St., Portland, ME)

(Tattoo Flash and Tattoos by Kapten Hanna)

Portland, Maine is one of the most quaint and adorable port towns around. Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting Squid and Whale Tattoo, home of Kapten Hanna and Cyndi Lou. The shop is a total stunner, filled with beautiful art, reference books, antiques, and trinkets galore! I had the best time discovering amusing objects such as a harpoon, Russian dolls, and ceramic sea captains. It's definitely one of my favorite shops, completely original in it's decor. The tin ceilings are so lovely, embossed with Victorian bows and filigree. And I love the light blue painted walls, a much more serene and calming choice than found in most shops these days. It has a homey girl vibe for sure!

Not only is the shop itself a great interior design success, but the rad ladies who work there do incredible art too! Kapten Hanna does noteworthy traditional work, with super clean and delicate lines. Her personal art is full if totally fun themes: the circus , maritime pride, dogs, horses, and pretty botanics. I love her flash page illustrating a round of the popular decision-making game Rock, Paper, Scissors. The accompanying banner simply reads "I WIN." So cute!!! You do win, Kapten Hanna!