iris apfel: the documentary.

TWO WORLDS COLLIDE: iris apfel (style icon) as captured by albert maysles (documentary icon, see GREY GARDENS). re-posted with a full-on ZOMG from if the lampshade fits (raina always has the hot tip on this shit).

stockholm syndrome.

i'm having a super swedish moment, having just read the dragon tattoo series over thanksgiving and then seeing the david fincher film version of the first book this weekend (RAPEY). plus i've always loved teddybears (and ABBA, but i will save that for another day).

the day after cyber monday.

it's internet hangover tuesday, y'all! or at least that's what i'm calling it. in an effort to get on board with cyber monday, i pretty much live-tweeted the second half of sister act 2: back in the habit... and aaaaaaaaalllll i got was internet crickets. this has prompted me to wonder what is wrong with all of you? where is your holiday cheer? they were singing songs about JESUS, people, so don't act like you didn't see and love that movie, okay? i also want to point out that if you are one of those people who doesn't "do twitter," you are missing out on a real tweeting goldmine, such as this (and you have to go to the bottom and read up, that's how twitter works):

PS-it's totally not too late to get on board and follow me on twitter, just like BabySignLanguage, who started following me last night circa that tweet about lauryn hill and sign language, so they OBVIOUSLY understand that my tweets are not only super awesome, but integral to the education of your baby or small child. le duh. (BabySignLanguage, if you followed me in a hurry like wes anderson did, and then rapidly unfollow me, also just like wes anderson did, i am going to be super disappointed. as for you, wes anderson, you are still not forgiven.)

and just in case you took too much nyquil or had a broken tv set or something last night and missed this cinematic masterpiece ON ACCIDENT, i'll cut to the big climax scene:

jack be nimble, jack be quick.

thank god for chevy chase and lindsey buckingham, right? and christie brinkley. she is just lovely. probably the best dancing with a beverage i've seen in awhile.

put a bird on it.

are you watching portlandia? i am going to have to start, because this video that carolyn brought to my attentions is up an' hilarious. put a bird on it should be the solution to all things in life, but unfortunately, many of our interior design clients are terrified of birds.
a partial excerpt from the show's website: The 6-part IFC Original short-based comedy series PORTLANDIA, created, written by and starring Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (vocalist/guitarist, WILD FLAG, Sleater-Kinney), premiered on IFC Friday, January 21, 2011. Each episode's character-based shorts draw viewers into "Portlandia," the creators' dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon.

"I love Portlandia. It really represents so much of what I love culturally, musically and in so many other ways," said Fred Armisen. "This started as just a fun summer activity for Carrie and me. We'd be hanging out in Portland and shooting whatever made us laugh, and that evolved into Portlandia."

PORTLANDIA's inhabitants include but are not limited to: the owners of a feminist book store; a militant bike messenger; an artsy couple who attach cut-outs of birds to everything ("put a bird on it!"); an organic farmer who turns out to be a cult leader; an adult hide and seek league; and a punk rock couple negotiating a "safe word" to help govern their love life. The first episode depicts Armisen and Brownstein meeting with the Mayor of Portland (Kyle MacLachlan) who solicits the duo to write a new theme song for the city. This segment features a cameo from the real mayor of Portland (Sam Adams) playing the assistant to MacLachlan's "mayor." Much of the series' original music is written and performed by Armisen and Brownstein.

chemistry.

i believe this is from 1971, which would have been three years after johnny and june were married (1968 for you mathletes). it's pretty magical to watch two people so in love with one another. i feel like this is a good time to mention that i have read (devoured, really) johnny cash's autobiography and found it to be riveting. johnny cash may very well be the most complex and conflicted person i can think of, and he and was pretty damn lucky to have met a precious angel like june carter. i also massively heart walk the line, and i watched every single one of the dvd extras. the ones where joaquin and reese discuss getting to know johnny and june are FASCINATING. did y'all know that johnny passed away just 4 months after june? i like to think they were like those pups in where the red fern grows. also a great book.

{via bestest song ever.}

nerd alert: harry potter rap battle.

in kansas, we try to go see at least one movie as a family. it's tough to find one movie that 18 people can agree upon that is both interesting and not rated R*.... which is why we're seeing harry potter (aka HPATDH: P1) tonight. sidenote--sweaty pants, i totally promise that i will see this again when you get here from singapore. maybe we can even see it twice.--end sidenote. but for now, i'm geeking out to this wizard rap battle... slow to start, but ver. hilar. also, you can read the lyrics in the info section of this youtube video, but i totally cutted and pasted them below, because i can do what i want.*because sitting in the 2nd row between my parents while we suffer through gratuitous coitus scenes from cold mountain is not anything any of us want to ever do again. ever.

ps-if you are like, a HUGE NERD (and trust me, there is no judgement here) you can download the mp3 for frees right here.

ps again-if you are as big a nerd as i am, you probably heard of these guys a long time ago, but in case you hadn't, you should check out harry and the potters.

Lyrics:
Voldemort #1:
I'm the darkest dark wizard in all of history,
I'll slay your ass out like Cedric Diggory.
With a wave of my finger Ill put you on the floor
You's a punk ass little kid without Dumbeldore,
I'm the best wizard rapper you ever will see,
you're a peewee witch midget with a dead mommy.
I've got multiple souls and can raise the dead
If you think you can win then you've been sorely misled

Harry #1
You's a big bald fairy, you think I'm scared of you
I smoked basilisk and I'll smoke you too.
I got witches in class I got witches in the halls
If you look under my cloak, you'll see my Hagrid size balls.
I win at wizard duels, I win at wizard chess,
Got platinum coated DUBS on my Hogwart's Express
You can't touch me son, I drive magic cars
I dish out big hurt you just pass out little scars!

Voldemort #2
Poor little Harry, you're such darling lad.
Do you miss you uncle? Your Mom? Your Dad?
Oh that's right I killed em, you're little owl too.
All your friends are next, I'll cut right through your crew.
You look like Marcy from Peanuts and your wand is tiny
Is that why you couldn't close the deal with Hermoine?
My boyz are called death eaters, they're black magic studs
They'll make you disappear, they don't care for mudbloods
You can never find me, it's like trying to catch smoke
You hide from me with your punk ass cloak.
You think your invisible, but I can see through that!
I'll run up with my wand and go RATA TAT TAT

Harry #2
Say it don't spray it your breath smells like a grave
Your teeth look like tombstones and your nose is concave
Your head looks like a golf ball your face looks like a lizard
Here's the toll free number for the hair club for wizards
The toughest gang around is Gryffindor crew,
wizards drive by's is what we do
When dementors try to ice me I step right up and own em
I crack a butter beer and say "Expecto Patronum"!

Song written by Mark Douglas & Erik Beck

anne kyyrö quinn.

we ordered some anne kyyrö quinn pillows for a client recently, and i've been obsessing over her textiles ever since. AKQ's three-dimensional transformation of felt is impressive, to say the least. i totally need some tulip wall panels and at least one of her lola ottomans. you know, for the cats to ruin.(and while i'm at it, bradshaw, i wouldn't mind a few rolls of that kate ridder oiseau wallpaper. LE YUM. )
{anne kyrrö quinn available to the trade through scott + cooner.}

cape town.

brrrr. it up an' got a bit cold in space city, so that, plus emma thompson's coat in pirate radio (which b-rad, of all people, showed me this weekend), plus this insanity has caused me to jump off the deep end on a project that i will likely start and not finish: SEWING MY OWN WOOL CAPE. after all, i have a serger, which is proof that i am extremely serious, if somewhat inefficient, at sewing my own clothes. i've also made no effort to hide my deep and abiding love for all things cape (plz refer to exhibits A and B and C). so i bought a cape pattern today. do note that it is of the Very Easy variety. fortunately, i was gifted with many yards of delicious winter-white wool, and i've never really known what to do with it (thanks again, michelle hanny's mom via my sister brandie). hear that, b-rad? that shit was FREE, so don't serve me up a poop sandwich by asking how much it cost. i should clarify that to date, i have successfully sewn not one, but three capes: one made of magic gold sequins (for a friend attending a phish concert), one that was RED AND MAROON SILK CHEVRONS (for thomas turner of the hot electronica band ghostland observatory) and one of beautiful, mustard-colored silk, ownership of which is still tbd. granted, these were all mainly costume and-slash-or joke capes. the good news is that i have some local seamstresses (seamstri?) in my back pocket that i can turn to in the event (and by event, i mean 'complete likelihood') that i decide to bail early. my swingin' pattern, emma T and a general cape round-up are featured below. stay tuned for future cape updates (capedates), but let's not hold our breath, mkay? wish me luck.ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: ANTHROPOLOGIE:PAUL AND JOE SISTER:JCREW:

reason #9,032 why i can NEVER quit my job, OR, the movie of my life.

my boss and her hubs totally read this blog (BUSTED), and thus make up approximately 13% of my readership. with my high hopes that this here B-L-O-G will someday be turned into a julie-and-julia-esque movie, i can't really afford to lose my loyal fan base. plus, it just so happens that i really enjoy my job.

speaking of that movie, though... the lovely and talented chloë sevigny would clearly play yours truly. she is the proper mix of odd and brooding to really wrap her acting chops around the story of my life. naturally, zoey deschanel would play the part of audrey, aka the peas to my carrots. brad originally requested that taylor lautner play him (seriously), but that kid is like, 18, so no. we've settled on the funny-yet-tough, relatively hairy jason bateman for now. it's just so tough to find someone manly enough for the role. i would love to pick people to play the rest of my gang, but it's a very personal decision, and folks tend to get offended. like, oddly offended. one time i suggested drew barrymore for someone's part, and that person was mad at me for weeks. which is stupid. have you even SEEN how amazing d. b-more is looking these days? so i'm open to suggestions. let me know who we need to get booked for your part.
{images via my pinterest}

cycle nation takes paris, parts one and two.

remember that time i said i was going to london and paris? i have really blown the pooch with my photo and memory sharing via this blog, but please watch and enjoy the videos below as a small consolation. mad cinematography props to mizz audrey moore-johnson, international maven of style and bicycle-riding.

water for elephants.

one of my favorite reads as an adult, if not my VERY favorite book, is water for elephants by sara gruen. it's hard to describe a story that i love so much without sounding like a literary crackhead, but here goes. set in the great depression, water for elephants is a historical novel about an educated fella who, in the midst of some serious personal turmoil, joins a traveling circus. he finds himself, finds love, gets his life on track, et all while being witness to some pretty freaky circus stuff. easily the most descriptive, detailed book i've ever read, i felt as if i were there, in the sun and on the train, and i simply hated for the story to end. did i already mention that IT. IS. AMAZING. i love historical fiction, especially a book researched as well as this one, and i love stories about love overcoming impossible odds, and i have never read ANYTHING about the circus, which was fascinating. also, i learned a lot about prohibition and the terrible things that alcoholics resorted to doing. there is simply nothing else like this book, so seriously, quit fucking around and go read this book already (and thus concludes my literary crackhead review). as if that weren't enough, i have known for awhile (because i am a crazy water for elephants stalker)(not a rob pattinson stalker) that the book is currently being made into a movie, starring reese witherspoon, rob pattinson and christoph waltz, who just won an oscar. the movie comes out sometime next year, and i couldn't be more excited. OBVIOUSLY. making matters worse, filming just began a few days ago and us weekly ran images of the new and improved rpattz hairstyle... so i am officially a huge nerd and will probably wear a water for elephants t-shirt if i can find one.

despite my inability to reel it in a tad, i hope you will read the book. you can buy it here but please let me know if you'd like to borrow my copy. additionally, please look forward to some complete WFE nerding out on this here blog. xo-kw

i wish i knew how to quit you, angela kohler.

SERIOUSLY. either i'm in a rut or on to something or angela kohler is blowing up right now. i have watched this about 150 times. best styled video/photo shoot EVER IN LIFE. i want one of everything. and ps to audrey-we're doing this as soon as possible, aka asap. i wonder if the walmart portrait studio will be on board.

I Am A Girl - The Girls With Glasses Theme Song from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.

Brooke White (singer/songwriter and American Idol Alum) and Summer Bellessa (model and editor of ELIZA Magazine) join forces for The Girls With Glasses Show.

Directed by Angela Kohler and Ithyle Griffiths
Makeup: Rachel Rose DeSimone
Hair: Nikki Providence
Stylists: Sarah and Sunshine
Special Thanks to: Fashion by Robert Black, Kerry Bellessa, Devin Colvin and Famous the dog.

AS A SIDENOTE, the girls with glasses seem amazing. not sure what they do yet, but i'll work on it. learn more about the girls with glasses here.

angela kohler

apparently, angela kohler is behind those stop motion amazon/kindle videos i love so much. so here's one more, starring the chick from a fine frenzy. her hair is divine.

stop motion.

I LOVE THIS. the song is great, and apparently the girl in the commercial is also the singer. adorable.
and in case you missed this one, here's commercial numero uno. i will take one of every outfit m'lady wears, thank you.

say it ain't so....

rest in peace, corey haim. for the record, i loved you in LUCAS.
(for cullen)

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dead man's bones.

while i'm at it, i want to let you know that ryan gosling's band, dead man's bones, is REALLY GOOD. and weird, but they are good enough for B-Rad (self-proclaimed indie music snob) to have already purchased the album. there are some parts of the self-titled album that are downright odd. but you should totally buy it anyway, because let's face it: you loved the notebook and lars and the real girl. here's a small sampling:

wes anderson's spiderman.

a spoof based on the rumor that wes anderson is possibly going to direct spiderman eleven (or six, or whatever number sequel it's at these days).

{via guardian.}

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munchausen by proxy & and zooey deschanel.

i've hinted before of my undying love for zooey deschanel, but my girl crush just intensified... aside from being stylish and adorable, homegirl also has some pipes and has managed to get completely immersed in all things music. first of all, zooey teamed up with musician m. ward under the band name she & him. last year, she married one of the best musicians of our TIME (ben gibbard of death cab for cutie, the postal service and about ten other bands). confused yet? good.today i found out about a fake band she's a part of, called munchausen by proxy, which is/was a collaboration with a band called von iva for zooey's movie YES MAN (sidenote: no one actually saw that movie, right? and who the hell is picking these movies for zooey, anyway? except for 500 days of summer, they all BLOW. end sidenote). anyway, MBProxy recorded some songs (i think five total, if you count the star-spangled banner), and you can thank your lucky stars that all of them are on youtube. the outfits alone make it worth watching the videos and i'm DEFFO going to need the flamingo and big bird outfit come halloween. audrey-want to do another halloween as feathered friends?

sweet ballad:


yes man:


keystar:


star-spangled banner:

an evening with elizabeth gilbert, or, if you know the outcome in advance, it isn't an adventure.

monday night, i had the pleasure of attending a benefit reading by ELIZABETH GILBERT, acclaimed author of eat, pray, love and more recently, committed: a skeptic makes peace with marriage.i've never been to a book reading or met a famous author before, and i must admit that i felt ladylike, educated and quite sophisticated (which is a real first for me). it was refreshing to learn that aside from being a terrific writer, elizabeth gilbert is also a completely unaffected, extremely normal person. she's also a fantastic public speaker and tremendously funny, as in, stand up comedy funny. since the new book (committed) is a follow-up to eat, pray, love, EG spoke about both books, explaining how one adventure led into the next. i'm really excited to crack into committed: ASMPWM, especially since we received a copy of the book and even more so since LIZ signed it for me (fancy!). stay tuned for my glowing book review, and in the meantime, do yourself a favor and locate a copy of eat, pray, love and READ IT. i won't stumble around trying to review E,P,L, other than to say there are over five million copies in print, so it's kind of a big deal. if you're not a big reader, you can wait until august and go see the movie, starring julia roberts and javier bardem.

thanks to my sad, middle-aged friends for joining me!