The one where it's already mid February

 

I went to Alameda on Sunday, and found some fabulous things, which you can see here.  Monday I went to the SF gift show, where I was stoked to find a new perfume line.  I'm a sucker for good packaging, a good story and most importantly a great scent.  Should be arriving shortly, so excited!

Oh the photos...Maurice Connolly, who I seem to write about a lot, has been prolific lately with his recycled wine cask spheres, a well as his photographs of them.  I'll say again it in case you don't know, that I am proud to HAVE THESE FOR SALE IN MY SHOP.  They just have such soul, and are so beautiful and throw beautiful light so artfully.  If you buy one I think you also need to meet him so you can see the passion that he puts into them and you will really appreciate it ever so much more.  They do not need to be lit, they can just sit around, inside or out.  Take the case of the Santa Cruz NEXTies, where I hooked up Maurice with Timerie Gordon, who was in charge of taking an empty wherehouse (the old Wrigley factory) and making it uber fabulous with no budget and using all recycled materials.  The spheres and pendants were hung from old pulleys, lit in many ways, and also had them lying around.  It was amazing, Timerie and her husband Christian Nielson, as well as a host of unpaid helpers, making art for the sake of making art.  I will let the pictures tell the story, and I want to thank everyone involved, I had a fabulous time at the party of the year!

Back to the ruggedly handsome Maurice, he has been fanatically taking photos of his art in various locations.  I think the photos are a work of art on their own.  My favorites are at the beach, but also of course they are beautiful inside, last week Dee at Harley Farms was nice enough to let him hang and photograph them in their amazing barn.  I love them with a lone bulb, so the light can make great patterns, but I think they would also be fabulous with a crystal chandelier in the right setting.

Can you believe it's February 12th?  I've kept to my resolutions pretty good so far, except for the one where I become an amazing photographer with a fancy-shmancy camera.  I just don't have time or focus to learn, the books are beyond me, and I am not good with extraneous gadgets that need more gadgets and parts and all of these parts are something I need to worry about.  I am ok with my old decent digital camera, and ok with hiring a professional if I really need one, so I've sold said camera.  To Maurice :-)