WESTWEEK @ PDC Los Angeles 2008

Wednesday I spent my whold day at the PDC. Here are some pictures from the WESTWEEK event, take a look.

My bedroom make-over

For the last few years I have been in a gray phase when it comes to the interior of my bedroom, but something happened this year where it became all about the whites and the cloudy soft look. I wanted my bedroom to look like heaven on earth. I choose to leave 3 of my walls the gray color i had before and paint the one behind the bed in a grayish blue, which symbolizes the sky.It took me a long time to find the right shade, and still I feel it's a little too bright. I recovered my headboard in a very soft furry fabric, It's almost like a big rectangular teddy bear that comforts you at night. The nightstands are dressers from IKEA that i put casters on, and attached my own choice of handles (also IKEA). Before I found these drawer units it was almost impossible to find something long with drawers in the right hight. The lamps are my favorite thing of the make-over. With the big round glass base and the little hat on the shade + dimmer included they give just the right amount of light at any time. A dimmer is crucial in a bedroom setting! I love the little hat on top of the shade which prevents you from being blinded by the light bulb. These lamps are brand new to IKEA and a little bit on the pricey side ($80 each) but very well worth it. My other favorite thing in the room is the crocheted throw on the bed that I found at a thrift store, It reminds me of my grandma who did crochet as a form of relaxation or meditation. The three little owls that sit on one of the night stands, I got for my birthday. They are meant to be used as tea cups, but I thought they were so adorable that I thought it was a shame to have them hidden in a kitchen cabinet. Owls are usually awake at night, so I figured if I put them in by bedroom they would watch over me. :)
I don't know if i'm imagining or if i'm actually sleeping better in my new heavenly bedroom, but I wake up every morning feeling like a new person.


Below is how my old bedroom used to look like. For my last birthday I made a tribute to my closest friends by having their faces printed on canvas and stretched on frames and hung over my bed. The thought was to be reminded every morning and every night about what great friends I have and how much they all mean to me. Not having any family here in the US my friends are like my family away from home.

Abbot Kinney

Over the weekend I took my scooter and drove down to my favorite street to walk around and get inspiration from. Abbot Kinney have the best stores and a no chain store policy. Here are some pictures of some interesting "stuff" that I found and wanted to share.


I'm usually not a fan of glass and that's mainly because I'm very clumsy and I would most likely end up braking it, but this store had some amazing hand blown glass vases. http://neptina.net/




This store is called Altered Space Gallery and you can see more of their design, art and craft if you get on their website: www.alteredspacegallery.com



This painting is from my friend's Vanessas furniture store www.turquoiseLA.com


Further down on my blog i'm talking about a splash of yellow and here at http://www.plantationla.com/ is an example of it.

A Splash of YELLOW!

Yellow is one of those colors that makes us feel happy. I bought a yellow scooter last year and people always smile when they see me on it. When trying to incorporate yellow into your decor only do one item, don't try to spread the color out everywhere. Think of it as the sun that brightens up the universe or in this case "your home".

Branches

Bling Bling

When living in Tokyo I was amazed by the city's modern architecture. One building that I fell in love with was the striking PRADA glass crystal. The reason they call it a crystal is because at sun down when the sky is pink and the sun reflects it's rays on the buildings diamond shaped glass panels, which vary between flat, concave and convex bubbles this building looks like a giant piece of expensive jewelry.

Birtday Celebration

Today March 8th is my birthday! When you reach a certain age birthday's are not as exiting as they used to be....but where ever there is a birthday there is a party! In this post I want to give some ideas on how to throw a birthday party. Balloons are always fun, but limit it to one or two colors. It would be nice to use real plates and silverware, but who wants to spend the next morning doing dishes?! Target has a nice "Delux Party Kit" in different colors to chose from.
When serving drinks, wine or beer it's a good idea to have drink tags, this way you will not have any orphant drinks sitting around. Here are some fun examples of those:


Another good idea is to make a fruit punch that you can serve as a welcome drink. Make sure to keep a bucket of ice near by, having the punch sitting on the bar or the counter it will get warm pretty quickly.
Last but not least there is the birthday cake! My favorite food blog is: http://www.acatinthekitchen.com/, here you can find some good recipes if you like to make your own. Don't these cakes look yummy! :)