What's Twitter?

The switched.com crew took to the streets to find out if people really know what Twitter is. The answers are very funny...


I love people. Happy Monday everyone...

Five For Friday

Hello everyone. I wanted to start something new here on the English Muse: A Friday round-up of some of my favorite posts from around the web. So here goes:

Girls on a train...Bleubird Vintage.

The ultimate thrift store find: A vintage hand-knitted dress -- for $5...Making Chicken Salad.

A lovely living room -- complete with botanical prints and the Virgin of Guadalupe...Daydream Lily.

Mismatched teacups...The Rockstar Diaries.

And Maggie Gyllenhaal as a 1940s siren...via Nellie Loves Vintage.

What do you have planned this weekend? I'm going to have brunch with my friend Elaine at Barneys in Beverly Hills before she heads back to Paris. (We both always end up ordering the scrambled eggs and salmon ... and champagne.) I'm also hoping to open a little boutique on Ebay this weekend to sell some of my own vintage finds! Will keep you posted if you'd like to visit...

xoxo

The Secret Postcard Sale...

At this time every year, the UK's Royal College of Art unveils its annual secret postcard exhibition, which gives visitors the chance to buy a small work by a famous artist for just £40.

This year, more than 700 artists — including Julian Opie, Grayson Perry and Anish Kapoor — have donated 2,700 postcard-sized paintings and drawings to the college, which will sell the works at a giant sale in London on Saturday.

But there's the catch: Buyers do not know who painted which image until after the sale. (They also have to be there in person to collect their tiny masterpieces.)

Anyone in London going to this!? Imagine getting a Hockney for less than $100!

(Photos above from last year's sale.)

Karl's World

These cheeky illustrations by aleXsandro Palombo depict Karl Lagerfeld in all his fabulosity jetting around Paris.

I found them to be quite amusing.

Let's see if we can create a short story about them.

I'll start:

Karl was in agony because he was forced to take the metro because all of the cab drivers in Paris were abducted by aliens.

Now, you!

From the Gourmet Traveller:
Karl is bemused that it takes three poorly dressed workmen to do one man's work, poorly. Sneering, he mutters, 'The background poster is not even hung correctly. Who hired these simpletons?' ... (who wants to write the next part?)

Posted by Lisi at The Beauty File blog

Photos via Fabric Magazine

Paris by Polaroid

I love Emilie79's dreamy Polaroid world...

I always look forward to her new posts on Flickr. Her photos are always unique yet share a common trait: the colors of vanilla and bleu.

Happy Monday, by the way! What are you doing this week?

English Muse: Week in Review

I think Los Angeles is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, which explains why I hated being stuck at my desk in the office...I always wanted to be out, meeting people and exploring. Now with my freedom and iPhone camera, I'm like a tourist of life.
So here's my little photo review of last week: Driving along Wilshire Blvd. through MacArthur Park...

...the next day over to Hollywood and then to West Hollywood, for a meeting with the lovely Willow Bay...

...In Beverly Hills for lunch with Colin Firth. Wait, I just want to say that again: Lunch with Colin Firth!!! yipeee!!..(sorry)...regaining my composure...

...Over to Century City, to the Avenue of the Stars...

...Then back in the San Gabriel Valley (stopping in San Marino for a cupcake...)

...Of course I believe cupcakes are the perfect food...

...One of my former bosses at the paper used to tell me: There's no news in the newsroom. It's out there in the city...

Where you can feel the sun on your face...

(PS: I'm doing a profile of Colin for the LA Times. It's set to run in a couple weeks.)

Automatism Atelier

I love Lori Langille's clever art, especially her new holiday cards (above). They're stocked in her Etsy store. She recently did the butterfly lady for my profile box....and....she's working on my new header...I CAN'T WAIT! She has a wonderful blog too, Automatism.

Hope you're having a very nice weekend...

The Palisades on a Friday...

While driving through the Pacific Palisades today, I ended up lost on a curving road high above the Pacific Coast Highway...

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since my layoff. I'm finally starting to catch my breath. I think I'll try tackling my laundry and putting away the stuff I hauled home from my old desk...Maybe I'll even wash the dishes. Funny how life's little chores get put aside amid the major upheavals...I've tried to be very cheerful about it, but the truth is my layoff from the newspaper has been one of the most traumatizing events of my life. One minute I'm up, the next I'm down and feeling lost -- much like life on this road in the Palisades.

Have a lovely weekend...(And I promise to finally get my blogroll up next week.)

Costume Designer Extraordinaire: Colleen Atwood

I'm interviewing Colleen Atwood this morning for a story on film costume design. Atwood, who has won two Academy awards for her creations, is quite amazing -- designing for such movies as Sweeney Todd, Memoirs of a Geisha and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.

I was doing a little internet research about her and found this Threadbanger video, complete with tips on how to do your own costumes. I thought you might like to see it:



Have a wonderful Friday! See you a little later!

The most fabulous party dress...

The flickr caption on this photo (of a very stylish Isaac Mizrahi dress) made me laugh: If it were pink, it would be the world's most perfect dress. (Posted here!)

I wish I had this dress -- in any color. One of my dear friends invited me to attend a black-tie awards ceremony tonight in Beverly Hills. And I have nothing to wear, really...Sometimes I think men have it so easy: They can always wear a tux!

Will let you know how it goes...

Intimate Pictures of Marilyn and JFK?

It's just a fantasy created by photographer Alison Jackson, using look-alikes...Yet what if?

A description of her work from the M+B artist site: "Her photos demonstrate that while seeing is believing, the truth is another story entirely. In her work, Jackson says, 'Likeness becomes real and fantasy touches on the believable. The viewer is suspended in disbelief. I try to highlight the psychological relationship between what we see and what we imagine. This is bound up in our need to look—our voyeurism—and our need to believe.'"

"Indeed, by showing “celebrities” ostensibly caught unawares, Jackson’s pictures show us what we imagine might go on behind closed doors. Her work has caused controversy, not least because it treads in a very gray area between parody and realism by seeming to break down the carefully fortified private lives of public figures."

More of her photos are {here}, but beware some of them are quite shocking!

A new life for Life Without Zoe?

When Life Without Zoe, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and written by a very young Sofia, was released as part of the anthology film New York Stories in 1989, it was largely panned by movie critics, who called it silly.

But 20 years later, the film is enjoying a new life among fashionistas.  Nylon magazine this month featured the 12-year-old Zoe -- who lives in a luxurious hotel like Eloise -- as a cinematic icon, complete with her oversized Chanel wardrobe.

Here's a 10 minute clip of the film from YouTube. You can decide:  charming or indulgent?

Hello, Monday

I was happy to discover that We Heart It is working again. I almost gave up completely on the site, which was slower than a dial-up in the 90s. (Above are some of my recent saves.) But all the problems seem to be fixed. Do you have a favorite bookmarking site? I was on vi.sualize for awhile, but always liked We Heart It best.

What are you doing this week? I'm working on a writing project today and meeting with one of the editors at a major blog (name TBA!).

I'm very hopeful. Just keeping on...Have a lovely day.

xoxo

Day of the Dead

I love this post-Halloween holiday, especially the Mexican sugar skulls and the macabre music, like "Secret" by the Pierces.

A flip-book video of the sisters' song -- with its pipe organ riffs -- is charming, although a little overloaded with gun imagery. So goes the holiday. I can't wait to hear more from this talented duo...



What do you think?

Tagged.

This tag comes from my dear Liss at Daydream Lily. I haven't done one of these in ages....So here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone: Within reach at all times.
2. Your hair: blonde. Usually tousled and pinned up with a pencil.
3. Your favorite food: Candy, especially Hot Tamales in the boxes that you get at the movie theater.
4. Your dream from last night: I only remember the dreams I have about finding hidden rooms in houses. It's a recurring theme. Maybe I'm longing for a bigger house.
5. Your favorite drink: Chai.
6. Your dream/goal: to work for myself.
7. What room are you in: the living room, in my favorite chair.
8. What are your hobbies: blogging, reading, collecting vintage treasures, taking Polaroids.
9. What is your fear: I used to be afraid of being laid off. Now that that's happened, I'm fearless.
10. Where do you want to be in 6 years: exactly where I am now. Happy and free.
11. Where were you last night: Home, on the Internet.
12. Something you are not: shy.
13. Muffins: Yes, please.
14. Wish list items: A book deal and a little extra pin money.
15. Where did you grow up: Albuquerque, N.M.
16. Last thing you did: Opened the window to feel the evening breeze.
17. What are you wearing: a little blue and white cotton dress.
18. Your TV: It's always on, but I'm usually not the one watching it.
19. Your pets: two black cats and an old dog who smacks his gums.
20. Your friends: all of them creative, funny and interesting. I love people from all walks of life.
21. Your favorite store: thrift stores, book stores, drug stores.
22. Your favorite color: Pink, of course.

I'm passing this on to anyone who wants to do the post...
xo