Lions, Tigers, and Jellyfish; Oh My!

D's friend was here this weekend, so on Friday they went to see the elephant seals.


And then we all went down to the (expensive!) Monterey Bay Aquarium, where the camera promptly decided to run out of batteries, hence the blurred nature of the photos. The jellies were by far my favorite. Part of my FIDM application involves designing evening gowns, and I am going to use the jellies as my inspiration for one.




See if you can guess what the below photos are of.


River otters (three) and an angry octopus.

Some meticulously detailed dresses from French designer Heimstone.



Love the asymettry, pockets, and large scallops on the hem.


Lovely lace jewelry evocative of branches and coral from Cursive Design perfect for pairing with the above dresses! (Via Oh Joy!)

And as promised, part 2 of Infinity: origami shoes.


Found these deliciously patterned babies at Studio Lo via one of my favorite blogs, Neon Polish.


Catherine Meuter designed these very clever high heel origami shoes.


These aren't origami shoes, per se, but they are made from recycled kimonos by UK designer Hetty Rose, so I figured I'd work them in. :)

Shoes: Part 1 of INFINITY

I have so many ideas for shoe posts: architectural shoes (you wouldn't believe how many); origami shoes (same here); colorful shoes...today I'm posting on shoes I LOVE. Much of the credit goes to popgloss, a fun little site with sweet taste in shoes. I'm so excited about all the new brands I've found!


I really wanted this little number from Irregular Choice (what a gorgeous color) but alas - not available in my size (darn it! how am I ever going to spend my stimulus payment if this keeps happening?!? :) ) The color reminded me of an iridescent bird, like a peacock or a hummer, but upon further research I decided the color best matched a New Zealand bird, the Tui (grabbed the image here).



The Tui bird gets its name from the Maori language and produces unusual and complex vocalizations due to the presence of two voice boxes, apparently.


Now, normally, I'm not a fan of patent leather (does it remind anyone else of lipgloss or is it just moi?) but these shoes are such a gorgeous color and the brand (Coclico) deserves a mention, so feast your eyes on the melty buttery liquidy goldness of the shoe that is aptly named:


Fish. (image from here).
BTW, goldfish have feelings, too. Seriously. And memory.

OMG. These next two pairs I am so head over heels for, friends and neighbors. As far as I'm concerned Gaspard Yurkievich is a genius. He hails from Paris (what a surprise) and his shoes remind me of dark, controversial, yet sexy things. These for instance:


Are you picking up that sexy banana heel, the short pointy toe, the shiny black and gold? These remind me of:


(image above from here and below from here.)
Yes.



Now look at these:


The juxtapostion of the gold and green snakeskin makes me SHIVER. I immediately thought of a cobra upon seeing the green snakeskin and the fanned ornament on the toe, but the gold seemed out of place - too bright. And then I was blinded by inspiration:


(Image via here)
The gold is the courage in the heart of the mongoose attacking this cobra. This shoe is Jungle Book and Heart of Darkness all in one. ZING.

It's hard to follow that act, but these boots (Georgina Goodman) do a pretty good job. These are leather, yes. I love the galosh shape and the BUTTON.



These are SO zebrawood, although I think cello, not electric guitar - actually, maybe even hurdy-gurdy as they have a slightly peasant-ish feel to them:


(image from here)



I've been craving these lovelies from Rachel Comey since I first saw them on Anthropologie. There's just something calling to me in that gentle color and curve of the heel. I see the shape of:


a soft grey dove. (image via here).



What gorgeous clogs by Asa Westlund! How CUTE would these look with dark jeans and a red top?? Check out the website - they come in all kinds of colors!
Of course these remind me of:


(image via here.)

Kind of a long post today. Last ones! These final shoes are by a brand I love (Kenzie) because of the shape of their wedge heels:



I'm thinking of getting the below Kenzie shoes because of their versatility, SALE price and cool heel. Take a look. What do you think?





Or not? Are they a little too

, perhaps? Advise, please.

***Update*** Just purchased these babies from shoes.com (decided to go for the grey snakeskin):

Why Granica Monotremata?

Today's post is LONG overdue. The name of my blog has remained an enigma until today's exclusive!


Let's tackle the latter word first: monotremata. This is the latin name of an order of animals that contains only two species, the platypus and the echidna, both endemic to Australia, my continent of fascination (to see why, you should read Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson). The platypus has long been my favorite animal and more recently the favorite animal of my better half, so this word is first and foremost included for D. Our official mutual fascination commenced when we happened to find this book at a bookstore, and since then our sometimes nicknames have become Echidna and Platypus.


Now, I quote verbatim, "There is nothing quite as enigmatic as a platypus," says Richard Gibbs, an expert. This bizarre creature is a wild cacophony of duck bill, egg-born-milk-nursing young, fur, beaver tail, venomous leg spur, electroreceptors, mammal, reptile, bird. In short, when it was first discovered by British explorers in Australia, they examined it for seams and "duct tape," convinced that someone was playing a (funny) joke.


There are many things about the platypus that simply defy reality (which is a sub- theme of this post: defying reality.) It has characteristics of mammmals and reptiles and sex chromosomes that are similar to a bird's. It lays eggs but suckles its young with milk "patches," (Aside: Echidna babies are called "puggles." Two words: KEE-YUTE!). It has venomous spurs on its hind legs for fending predators off like some cool lizard. It has electro-receptors in its snout for detecting the tiny electric fields its prey produce when they contract their muscles (it is the only mammal with this ability). In short, the platypus (and the echidna - which has tiny spines on its TONGUE!) are a marvel and an oddity and a curiosity and incredibly cute, all characteristics I would like this blog to have.


I have to, against my better judgement, mention this, so scroll down if you are squeamish, as I am going to discuss the sex lives of echidnas and platypuses:

It has been discovered that the playpus has 10 sex chromosomes (compared with two for other animals) and the female platypus has two ovaries but only the left is functional. Furthermore, the platypus lacks the mammalian sex-determining gene, so we have no idea how sex determination occurs!

Now the echidna also has some bizarre sexual characteristics so if you are curious, please visit this Wiki article for the scoop. Last I heard, the mating rituals of echidnas had only been observed ONCE in the wild, but involve up to 10 males following a single female around, all jostling for a piece of the pie. These animals are very secretive! Unlike me. No secretive person has a blog. :)


Do we even have enough energy to explore the first word: granica? It means "frontier" in Polish and is meant to allude to three things.

First, my hometown of Albuquerque in the enchanting state of New Mexico and the great restaurant across from UNM that sustained me through college, the Frontier (see above sweet roll).


Second: pushing boundaries and exploring. To put it another way, to always be pushing the boundaries that define and limit me, to constantly be growing and accumulating new ideas and experiences and territory. In a metaphorical way, obviously, not in a take over the world kind of way.

And finally, a representation of my Polish culture, roots and sensibilities.

What's in a name? Now you know.

More Clothes.

I recently got introduced to Missoni by a dear friend who was reminded of them by my humble little shirt. How flattering! I love Missoni's two-tone elbow length gloves, sculptural scarves and color combos, not to mention the pleasantly surprising wearability of their Fall 2008 line. Yes, Fall. Already. To say that time is flying would be a gross understatement.






Also, as you know, I am looking for a job and planning to go to art school and am not immune from the anxiety and stress that tends to accompany these "outside the comfort zone" activities. So how nice did it feel to read these words on Alabama Chanin's blog?

“We should all do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry.”
E. B. White (1899-1985)

A comforting thought.

Grapes


(image from Arria Belli : a vineyard in Catalonia in the winter at sunset)

Laundry

(image from Alabama Studio Style)

My Shirt is Done.

So my shirt is finally done. See? Here's a picture of it:



You may be wondering why I am not more excited. You may also be wondering, if you are the type, why one side of the collar is wrinkly. This is why:



No, your eyes are not deceiving you. There is a stain. Let me back up now, and share some background on how UNFAIR this is.

This part of the post is entitled: The Horror.

I finished this shirt last night at a late, late hour. I may have even finished it this morning. I have been working on it for some time now. It is beautifully finished. French seams, facings, hand-embroidered top stitching, decorative box pleats; a lot of thought, effort, love and hard work went into this shirt.

This morning I went to cut a thread on that creamy PALE linen collar with scissors that, unbeknownst to me, were covered with ink from an exploded pen.

I spent half an hour scrubbing my shirt, hence the wrinkles, and there is still a mark. Even you glass-half-full people have to admit that this is SO UNFAIR.

But no use crying over spilled milk. It is a lovely shirt, and the mark is barely noticeable.

I promised pictures of my cute pony Moony, and here he is. He knows the word "cookie" -- that's how I got him to prick his ears.




And this is my stable, La Jolla. It is pretty fancy. Those are, indeed, lion statues, and that is, indeed, a tree-lined drive-way.






My next project will be a skirt, (looking on the bright side, thinking positive, letting go...so UNFAIR) and D and I are in the process of reupholstering a stool in this gorgeous camel/gray wool plaid. And I still have to make Mink's new harness (szeleczka) out of oilcloth!

Weekend Glory

Image via the Daily Orange.

It has been suggested that this blog is getting a little too girly for some of the general readership. Too many clothes (*sigh* I can't help it!) So today to kick our weekend off, we have some poems. From Maya Angelou and Emily Dickinson who, though they are women, are anything but girly.

Weekend Glory

Some clichty folks
don't know the facts,
posin' and preenin'
and puttin' on acts,
stretchin' their backs.

They move into condos
up over the ranks,
pawn their souls
to the local banks.
Buying big cars
they can't afford,
ridin' around town
actin' bored.

If they want to learn how to live life right
they ought to study me on Saturday night.

My job at the plant
ain't the biggest bet,
but I pay my bills
and stay out of debt.
I get my hair done
for my own self's sake,
so I don't have to pick
and I don't have to rake.

Take the church money out
and head cross town
to my friend girl's house
where we plan our round.
We meet our men and go to a joint
where the music is blue
and to the point.

Folks write about me.
They just can't see
how I work all week
at the factory.
Then get spruced up
and laugh and dance
And turn away from worry
with sassy glance.

They accuse me of livin'
from day to day,
but who are they kiddin'?
So are they.

My life ain't heaven
but it sure ain't hell.
I'm not on top
but I call it swell
if I'm able to work
and get paid right
and have the luck to be Black
on a Saturday night.

Well, I can't say that I'm Black, but I can definitely relate. Definitely. Thank you, Maya Angelou, for your sass and glory.

And speaking of weekend glory, this sounds pretty glorious to me: Porch. Cappuccino. And most importantly: 11AM.


(via Latte Art.)

Ever the eternal optimist, Emily Dickinson rounds this post off with:

I dwell in Possibility--
A fairer House than Prose--
More numerous of Windows--
Superior--for Doors--

Of Chambers as the Cedars--
Impregnable of Eye--
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky--

Of Visitors--the fairest--
For Occupation--This--
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise--

I love those last two lines...

Speaking of Paradise, this is mine:


Ghost Ranch, specifically Kitchen Mesa. (thanks Jason Clay!)