Been feeling this weird need to own more rugs (that are not cowhides) and have stalked a few via Craigslist and eBay without much success for the last few months.

Apparently, rugs are hard?

Well, they can be incredibly costly when considering larger sizes like 9′x12′, so you better be pretty into investing some cash into rugs. Sadly, most the rugs I find tend to be either totally trashed or oddly sized or just u – to the – gly on all levels. When I saw this rug listed about three months ago on Craigslist (fairly close to my house) I immediately liked the worn-in threadbare quality and semi-persian / semi-kelim / semi-whatever vibe it had going for it. Plus, it was super HUGE.

Per usual. Emailed. Spoke a bit to the seller. Seller then vanished.

These things happen a lot.

About a month later I saw this thing pop up again at three times the original price and was surprised, but not shocked – since these things also happen a lot. Of course, it languished on the ‘list and over the following months would occasionally pop up and I would stalk it and send a random email here and there and offer the original price we had originally agreed on. Of course I continued to be shot down.

But I am tenacious animal.

After like the seventh relist or something crazy like that, the rug was listed again at a reasonable price and I tenaciously sent my little email again – and finally – arranged to pick it up.

Viewing it in person? Not as awesomely handwoven and perfectly vintage as I hoped or believed it was going to be from those tiny Craigslist thumbnail pics.

These things? They also happen a lot.

We did the negotiating dance and got the price down and I gave into rug ownership.

Now that I’ve gotten this puppy home and fulfilled my whole ‘maybe I should get a rug’ impulse, I’m finding myself totally on the fence about this whole getting a rug thing. I love seeing and using awesome rugs in other peoples homes and enjoy the layered texture and great bit of pattern they bring, but perhaps somewhere in this minimalist heart there’s no room for a solid patch of antiquity. Then again, I kind of love the way it changes the space and plan to pair it with my marble knoll coffee table and a freshly white fireplace. With those additions considered into the grand scheme, I can fully imagine it would be moderened up while still adding the right amount of texture to the space. For now though, I won’t commit to lugging that 1000 pound beast of a marble table in here until I feel good and sure about things.

I’m waffling. I’m a rug waffler.

The rug remains an undecided living room visitor or possible option for the den. Everyday I sleep on it in hopes of finalizing a decision and everyday my mind swings back and forth from rug! to NO rug!

These are the hardest most soul searching questions one must face at some point. Duh.

Even though this may be a tad late and folks may be a tad overwhelmed by the glut of Alt recaps floating around, too bad, gotta do it. Every fiber in my blogging being demands it.

Being my first ‘blogging’ type conference I was a little bit unaware and slightly nervous about what to expect in Salt Lake. There is a reason I like the anonymity and isolation of the internet, you know, because of the anonymity and no pictures of me thing. Just casually considering the physical fact of being surrounded by a zillion sparkling smiles in cute outfits with blogging savvy, proper business cards and lots of snapping cameras made my cold little cynical heart shrink up in fear.

Hey, it’s the awesome Victoria from sfgirlbybay and some of me with a proper badge and everything. Also, according to all photo evidence, my phone is never out of my hand. Such a sad realization to find out I’m that phone person – and don’t worry – I despise me too.

I shacked up with the attractive and talented Jason Hudson of These Roving Eyes and the equally attractive and talented Laure Joliet (of all the things I do with Laure all the time) in a larger than expected hotel room that the 1960′s forgot. It was gloriously fun and boozy and the best of summer camp and art school combined into one.

But yeah, attractive people, just stop it. You can’t be good looking and charming and talented and all around kindly great people. Leave some for the rest of us.

Obviously this thing was fancy.

There were giant chandeliers everywhere like it was no big deal.

It was fantastic to hang out with some internet friends in the real life, like Emily, Lisa Congdon, Rena Tom, Victoria and hey there is me touching my boobs or something on the end. That probably was the best thing about Alt, not my boobs, but spending time with people who are creatively focused, whip smart and incredibly entertaining. Like Haily and Julie, who were a blast and somehow not blasted into pictures.

Let’s not leave out the boys, really though, this was a heavily estrogen laden event. It was a treat to spend some time with the equally entertaining and thoughtful Maxwell from Apartment Therapy, whose openness and great insights made the trip worth it.

The big reason for coming out of internet hiding was to speak on a panel with Kristen Grove, Jenny Komenda and Emily Henderson about interior design blogging. Check out that far away dark blob of me at a podium and here is me looking at my phone and sticking my hand in my mouth while everyone else is smiling and being charming.

(Kristen Grove, Jenny Komenda and Emily Henderson)

COME ON.

These girls are adorable and stylish and wear lipstick and I had my hand in my mouth. Ugh.

It was a great panel nevertheless, I had a tons of fun chatting with these ladies and all the folks who came to check it out. I ‘heard’ it was funny and super informative. You know, just saying, since there were great tips on social media, running an interior business and blog, styling tricks and fixes for interior photos.

Jason and the crowd of ladies demanded to be entertained and THEY WERE.

At some point I decided to be a girl and wear a dress.

So that happened and despite Laure telling me to stop making weird faces in every single picture, I could never stop. Never ever.

Overall there was a lot of booze and parties and food and late nights followed by early mornings, so I needed lots of Diet Coke to get me through the long days and ignored the vast disapproval from my roommates who prefer coffee and being classy.

I don’t care. I drink diet coke for caffeine. I’m kinda trashy. I live in Hemet. I feel no shame.

Everything was fancy throughout the four day conference and on the last day Laure and I sat in on Jason and Ryan’s fancy workshop on studio lighting before heading out with a motley crew of the girls for a little bit of local vintage shopping at The Green Ant that included Laure, Jordan of Oh Happy Day, Maggie Mason, Emily Henderson, Lisa Congdon, Jess from Sunset, and Victoria.

Sorry about the bad iphone photo, but shopping may have been a bad idea since somehow a simple little trinket to remember the trip wasn’t enough and instead I opted to buy a sofa. Mmmhmmm, I bought an Arne Norell leather sofa from the 1970′s in Utah knowing that I was flying home to California on a plane.

I live dangerously.

No worries though, it’s all going to be fine. Emily bought the matching set of chairs and we are getting that stuff shipped.

I don’t care. I have no shame. I love sofas.

Well, even with my poorly distributed DIY stamped chipboard cards and crippling social anxiety, Alt was wonderfully amazing. I had more than a great time with an incredible group of like-minded people all engaged and thoughtful about this whole weird internet endeavor. It was exhausting but very motivating and much more inspiring than that sad little darkly sarcastic part of my psyche would believe it could be.

2012 seems to be the year of blogging? Yes? Plans and redesign and new launches and big projects in the chute (like FINALLY adding stuff like my twitter here)? Yup.

Thanks for putting up with me.

**Special thanks to Laure for all the photos she is letting me use here and being my roomie and flying buddy.

Just got back from Alt Summit, where weather and snow are apparently allowed to happen. Not cool, Utah. Not cool.

I’ll spare you any girly bloggy wrap-ups for now, but just you wait. If I had taken more pictures besides a slew of ‘hold on, wait? is this fucking snow? Is it SNOWING? What?! Why don’t I have a scarf’ shots, there would be so much more blogging happening.

But it snowed.

I was offended.

How dare you, weather.

Nothing was so brutal in Utah as this bit of brutalist wall sculpture waiting for me back home in the desert.

Not even frozen rain.

Even Bowie was offended when I relayed the sudden brutal conditions that I suffered through by relaxing in a hot tub and drinking a glass of whiskey. Life is brutal. Well, brutal in Utah where girls must wander to the state run liquor store and cleverly disguise whiskey at the hotel pool.

Fooled you, Salt Lake.

And yes, I still need to address fixing up the fireplace with a wood mantel and new coat of white paint and plant life and so on, but I am exhausted. There was a lot of meeting of folks and great roommates and talking on panels and parties and other amazing things that went down that now my little introverted heart needs sleep.

Glad to come home to this one thing solved. Feels good to finally find something like art for above the mantel.

BOOM.

Two things.

ALT SUMMIT is going down this week.

&

PHOTO / CAMP is coming.

???

It’s all crazytown around here.

Did you notice how I tried to casually slip this by?

Hello, daybed.

This hunk of comfy recently arrived from Alex and I’ve been fiddling with the living room to accommodate it. Too bad I haven’t had time to make all the changes and or finish up the manic futzing that must be done. Hopefully soon, but just not quite yet.

*Try and ignore that badass brutalist wall sculpture, BTW.

And on another note.

Here’s a little preview announcement of something Laure and I have been working on that we’ve christened Photo / CAMP. The first workshop, FIELD GUIDE, shall go down on March 23 in Los Angeles. It will be incredible.

OK, so FIELD GUIDE is an introductory workshop that breaks down digital photo editing in a hands on, no BS way. Bring your photos, bring your computer and bring your questions – no matter what level of experience you bring to the table. We’ll walk you through the process of making any sad photo look amazing.

Full launch and more details to come.

Let’s take it slow and ease into things.

I thought to mention it before being all up in Alt. If folks are curious and also going to be there, I always enjoy a good nerding out on photo stuff.

Oh jeez, so I will shortly be heading out to Salt Lake to speak on the Interior Design Blogging panel with Emily Henderson, Jenny Komenda and Kirsten Grove. It should be a hoot? Yes! So, come and ask naughty questions.

Wait, are you guys going to Alt? This is my first time and I’m not sure what happens. Fight club, probably?

If so, please say hello or give me a high five or something. I’ll be the nervous one actively avoiding being in pictures while also avoiding wearing white whilst also saying wildly inappropriate things at all the most awkward moments.

HIGH FIVES.

One of the big design type projects Laure and I have been working on so diligently is a very stylish (come on, obviously) salon in Laguna Beach that’s just recently opened up called Morrison Hair. Located in an older Spanish style bungalow, Rachel and James wanted the space to remain cozy, comfy and inviting like a great house, but still be stylish and modern for getting your hair did.

A particularly important and big need furniture-wise for the waiting area was a pair of chairs that were unusual, comfortable and made you desperately want to sit in them. So of course my first thought was these slingy bad bays that I have always wanted to reupholster.

Yup.

THOSE slingy cantilever bad boys. Pictured above in the BEFORE situation of upholstery hell.

For sure these were living in Ugly Town, USA and must have seemed like a complete stretch, so trust that it took a lot of convincing and begging to get anyone to believe they could be comfortable and stylish and awesome and not just a hot mess of browntown disgusting.

BOOM.

Reupholstered and reimagined.

I always knew they had a kind of Max Gottschalk or Paulistano type vibe buried deep inside their tubular chrome frames.

For the new slings, I decided to go with a bit of an unusual material. Any guesses? Hmmmm?

Screw that nonsense since I can’t shut up about it and am way too impatient. So, these slings are actually made with vintage wildfire tarp! I know. What?!

These tarps are used by my local Park Rangers and Firefighters in the San Jacinto mountains – located just a few miles from this Brick House. When the forest catches on fire, these giant heavy duty waxed canvas tarps are used to move burning brush and burnt up timbers or whatever else is on fire and needing moving. Eventually they get beat up and decommissioned and end up in retirement with this local canvas fabricator type guy I found.

I loved that the material already had this amazing patina and color and was this super heavy duty weight that I couldn’t find with newer fabrics. Plus, who has wildfire tarp chairs? Who?! No one.

Well wait, I guess Morrison Hair does now, BUT come on, don’t you just want to sit in them?! They turned out super sexy and are shockingly comfy to boot. Like a big hug from a firefighter.

Oh man, I can’t wait to show off the rest of the salon. Sorry about these few quick snaps I tried to grab.

We have a few finishing touches and a photo shoot to do, but I’m desperate to post the rest of the space. It turned out pretty much spectacular with a few custom features that are killer and was an overall great project to work on with some truly outstanding folks.

MMMmmmmmmm. Slingy time. Sneaky sling peek. Sleaking.

Now I totally want some slings for my house again. That is not how this works, right? I can’t be jealous.

Dang.

More soon.

Apparently this is Hazel’s house? Or maybe Hazel is a bit of a camera hog? Is it possible that this kitty likes to work it for the camera? Hmmm.

I have no excuse and will not apologize. I cannot resist photographing pets.

Anyway.

I had been crashing on Laure’s couch while we worked on the home makeover portions of Extreme Clutter this past summer. Production hours can be nuts and after a full day of creating pure magic and transforming cluttered homesteads into places that were both organized and stylish, we would stumble into Laure’s pad and pretty much pass out. So, when the second season wrapped up, it definitely felt like time to tackle Laure’s 450 sq.ft apartment – which might have suffered it’s own touch of the neglect style clutter. You know, seeing as Laure was working all day, every day for months on end and I was making myself at home in her living room.

Check out some of this BEFORE action for reference.

Now scroll back up to those afters. I’ll wait.

See? That was amazingly fun.

Over the course of a day or so I helped tackle (what my terrible with names brain is calling) a No-Cost Makeover of Laure’s living room and bedroom. We reused the furniture and things she already had in the apartment, pulled a couple things out of her storage and then fairly quickly the whole apartment functioned better and felt way more cohesive with just that basic rethinking of the floor-plan and restyling of her accessories. So, in total, we spent about $40 at Home Depot for a smattering of plants and a couple light bulbs. Cheap, quick and good-looking to boot. In the end everything came together so well that I’ve been testing out this makeover idea and love how quickly a space can transform with a couple layout tweaks and careful editing. Sometimes it takes someone with a fresh pair of eyes, ruthless ability to edit down all your crap (with fantastic taste, obviously) and style it all up to pull that space together.

The No-Cost Makeover : One room. One day. Solving those big design problems with the things you already own.

Sound like fun? Maybe something you might need at your house? I think this could be kind of amazing, but need to figure out the having time issues. I’ve been super slammed and now my house is suffering the neglect clutter. To the EXTREME.

Maybe if I can get past the shame of it all, I might share my dirty secret. The clutter. All that clutter!

Blah blah…been super busy. Blah blah awesome projects…blah blah…I can’t wait to share. Blah blah…been neglecting the house. Blah blah…traveling and stuff. Blah blah…hey look, some more dog photos. Blah.

I’m a bit of a brooding black cloud of awful during this, the merriest of all seasons, so these two fur beasts playing with some sparkly stuff is about as festive as things can get.

Bring on the spring!
Bring on the sun!
Burn the holiday music compilations!

Can we meet back here next year? I need to go and moodily sulk around nice people filled with joyous cheer and wonder.

Happy holidays or whatever!

The Ace Hotel recently collaborated with the Comex Group and Arkitip on a project that introduced different color combinations into a small block of rooms at the hotel’s Palm Springs location. I headed out with a small group of participating designy type folks to spend a few nights in these experimental color spaces. After staying in a few different rooms we discussed how each color shift changed the space and our mood.

Yes, I totally ended up interviewing on camera. Pretty much my ultimate sweaty awkward nightmare.

Besides the filmed voyage into my uncomfortable zone, I stayed in three of the five rooms : the indigo and pink, cerulean and navy and the mushroom and turquoise. Even though I didn’t stay in every color combo, all the participants got to see every room and feel sad about the ones we missed (with a fireplace). I also attempted to hectically photograph them all before checking out on Sunday. Thinking I did pretty awesome after about four days with about zero hours of sleep.

So, above is the pink and indigo room.

This was my first room and the only one I violently hated. Well, only initially violently hated. When I first arrived it was dark and super late and maybe I was exhausted and somehow this space seemed like some kind of massage parlor of ill repute. When the sun rose though, it was actually kind of awesome and my feelings warmed up.

I shockingly enjoy some neon pink accents – especially the way these are photographing, but for some reason, how this looked in real life didn’t wow me as much. I liked it much better in daylight than I did the night before, but I think it almost needed a bit more florescent hotness (not comfortable with that phrase usually).

My second night was spent in the cerulean and navy room.

This combo ended up feeling pretty cohesive with the hotels original furniture and accessories, like it appeared to be the most seamless and unobtrusive or possibly the most calming color shift of the bunch. I almost wanted the lighter blue to be a bit more brightly florescent after spending time in the hot pink room. Florescent = fun? What is happening to me.

Weirdly, this combo didn’t photograph as well as I assumed it would.

My last night was spent in the turquoise and mushroom room.

Not a huge fan of this one.

Maybe this felt a bit too South Beach for the desert light and dusty colors I love and know so well? So, mainly not loving this particular combo, but was definitely enjoying how these big injections of color started totally changing how the rooms felt overall and gave the usually all white slats some architectural dimension.

Abby stayed in the yellow room.

This was a whole lot of yellow.

I can’t handle tons of yellow, but the gray accent was amazing and I kind of wish the two colors had been flipped. I can get behind some bright yellow as an accent with a more neutral gray backdrop, especially when nursing a brutal hangover from too many roadrunners the night before.

ALL yellow = eyes imploding into aching brain.

Yup. Still love a simple black porcelain socket with a big clear bulb.

A super simple and affordable combo that just might be appearing in a great project I’ve been working on with Laure. Can’t wait to share.

The color slats do make the Robert Lewis Love Lights stand out way more than ever before and look somehow less cheap? I hate thinking that but I was never a Love Light fan until this trip.

Now I’m digging these things, especially the soft light they give off. Super sexy time. Paired with a great wall color behind? Yes please.

The green room.

Didn’t stay in here but kind of dig it when paired with the patio and plants outside. Although I somehow weirdly want my desert rooms to feel sparse and dry and golden and neutral…so maybe the green is too lush? Too dark?

Mmmmhhmmmm.

Acapalco chair. I love you.

Notice the black paint inside the white planters that hide all the ugly dirt? GREAT trick.

Yellow room with yellow chairs?

Give it.

Anyone notice that all the kilim rugs are now cowhides? I wonder why? Maybe it’s just these rooms…

I’ve long been a fan of the cowhide as rug since they can take a ton of abuse and still look good. It’s possibly the perfect rug for spaces with high amounts of foot traffic or very careless carpet owners. Maybe the kilims were too delicate and got thrashed? Who knows…

Many thank again to Arkitip and The Comex Group for inviting everyone to come out and participate in this color experiment and  super big thanks to Alex and The Ace Hotel for putting up with us and being so generous.

I had a great time with my ladies and my boy and all the new folks we got to chat up, eat, drink, and swim with – even loved meeting the naked grandma who taught us the simple truths and ways of the sauna. Everyone was super cute and well dressed and made me very nervous, but despite my tendency to always feel a tad dumpy chubby country mouse in this type of situation, it was a great experience and super fun little getaway. Also, must note that I was especially glad to finally meet Miranda Jones in the real life. You lady, you are the funnest.

A few weeks ago I grabbed this handwoven vintage basket from a junky consignment shop that seemed more lunatic swap meet than viable retail store. Even though the basket was mostly hidden by a pile of fast food toys, the little visible bits of lumpy weaving and sweet triangle pattern had me sold as well as making plans to shove a large cactus inside it.

Well, eventually shove.

Neglect and certain death are about the only things a house plant can expect around here.

Despite that, I’m fairly committed to using a few chunky handwoven baskets as planters around the house and accept that many plants will be murdered in the process.

Otherwise, I’m very enthusiastic about Bowie and his bedroom eyes

Rawrrr. Gratuitous.

Just wanted to quickly mention that my Guest List interview is up on West Elm’s Blog – Front & Main.

Yes, that West Elm! The place with all the nice stuff.

Check it out if you have the the time or inclination, just remember that I love you. Now you kind of have to read it (because of the guilt).

Thanks to Aaron and West Elm for putting up with me – loving the new blog!