28 May 2012

One Bouquet, Four Rooms

For the most part I don't like grocery store bouquets. But in trying to break away from my purist if somewhat bland choices, I purchased Trader Joe's $5.99 "Designer Mix" and broke it up into four different arrangements for four rooms in the apartment. The arrangement above, on the kitchen table, is the largest of the four and my favorite. The glass cylinder, from Vons, doesn't distract the eye. Evocative of an English garden, the small, languid bouquet has an effortless appeal. If the flowers were hair they would be the messy ponytail.In the bathroom I've placed a small bunch of daisies in a small cup that until today has been collecting dust for years. I think it's a Seletti cup, the ceramic or porcelain cup that looks crumpled, but it was a gift so I'm not sure. In the bedroom, I've placed a couple of lilies that have yet to bloom in a square glass vase. And in the living room, a couple of unidentified violet flowers in a sake bottle add a touch of color to the white coffee table.



02 May 2012

An Introduction

Later this month I'm moving to Costa Mesa, within walking distance from the "SoBECA District." "SoBECA" is an acronym for "South on Bristol Entertainment, Culture and Arts," which doesn't really make sense. But moving on.

SoBECA's two big features are The LAB ("Little American Business") and The CAMP, which are located across from each other along South Bristol and anchor this Orange County anomaly. And I can't figure out what I think of them.

A self-proclaimed "antimall," The LAB is out to combat retail monotony, but with an Urban Outfitters. The CAMP is out to bliss you out, as evidenced by the white painted messages in every parking space, which are a bit too...cutesy.

And unfortunately for these two landmarks, The LAB's website design smells of my sister's old Sassy magazines, and The CAMP's could be a website for Fair Trade coffee circa 2002.