Dream Daze.

I had all sorts of crazy dreams last night which made it almost impossible to drag myself out of bed this morning. But then, driving over the bridge, everything was so foggy and hazy that I almost felt like I was still dreaming.



My dreamy mood and the haze lasted all day. My drive home this evening pulled me right back into the clouds.



And on the topic of dreamworlds, here's a behind-the-scenes look at the plans for Jonsi's tour, which looks nothing less than magical and otherworldly. It breaks my heart that this isn't coming anywhere near me.

The making of Jónsi's live show: Part 1 from Jónsi on Vimeo.

Dreaming.

I wish I could spend my days in eternal summer...in a country house tucked into the woods, with early morning walks alone with my musings before the summer's heat fills the day. And when it gets hot, I could retreat to the shade with piles of books about the Mitford sisters and Bloomsbury. And in the evenings, without the temptation of TV reruns, I could stay up late doing projects or sitting in a cool bath, navel-gazing. I would ride the horse in the next field over and buy my food at the market. I would pick the raspberries that grow on the garden gate and snip rosemary with scissors. I would lay on white sheets, bleached by the sun and dream the dreams of a person with no regrets, or fears, or hopes--besides waking up with another day of the same as the day before.

When I Grow Up...

I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that. ~Lloyd Dobler (played by John Cusack) in Say Anything


Someone brought up this quote yesterday and it made me think.

Instead of thinking of all the things I don't want to do, my mind has been filled with all the things I dream of doing. My ideas are as vague as Lloyd's, but I'm trying to hone them.

I know some people cringe and reach for the hand sanitizer at the thought of spending hours at Goodwill, but nothing thrills me more than digging through other peoples' junk and finding buried treasure. Maybe, as-is, the item is no charmer, but with a fresh coat of paint, some new fabric and a staple gun, the item could come straight from an Anthropologie catalog.

One of my favorite shows on HGTV is FreeStyle. The designs on the show are hit-or-miss, but the concept speaks to me. When you live among your own things for so long, you start seeing them in only one way (this happens all the time to me in my own house). But bring in fresh eyes, and your whole room/house could be entirely reimagined just by mixing up what you already have.

This concept is also true in fashion. You buy a top and you love it. It looks great with your favorite jeans, so that's how you wear it. You loan the top to a friend who wears it an entirely different way...suddenly you realize all the possibilites the top has and it took your friend's fresh take on the item for you to realize it. There is a company called White-Starr Aesthetic Counseling, and they are basically closet organizers times infinity. They have you try on all your clothes and they help you evaluate everything. Haven't worn those pants in 10 years? See ya! The color and fit of that dress are fantastic but it's a bit too long for your height--so get it hemmed three inches! After they've helped you wade through your wardrobe to find all its potential, they take you shopping to help you find classic pieces that you can wear for years. They're like your own personal Clinton & Stacy, without all the TLC cheesiness. (Caveat emptor:Their time and the clothing they pick out is not cheap...not ideal for the average twenty-something.)

What I love to do is a hybrid of all these things. I love facing the challenge of a limited budget and exploring all the possibilities that are so often overlooked. Maybe digging through the thrift store rubble is my way of compensating for never becoming my childhood dream--an archaeologist. And maybe stretching a budget is my way of compensating for my parents' dream for me--being good at math. Either way, just thinking about these things thrills me to the bones, and I'd love to tumble all these things into a career.


Eeep...this was like a really long, rambling cover letter to apply for a job that doesn't exist.

Does anyone else have ramshackle dreams that you've woven or want to weave into a creative career? Does it happen? Can it happen? Can it happen without having to pay to go to design school? Sigh...

Ohmygoodness.

I know I've already posted today, but I stumbled across a home that literally leaves me breathless...the ornate surroundings contrasted by the owners modern furniture make this a perfect blend of design. Not only that, but the owner's name is Sabrina (Bignami). The home is called "Casa Orlandi" is an 18th century palazzo near Florence, Italy and has a guest house you can rent (yes please!).





Images from Yatzer.

For more images of this stunning home, go here.

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Fashion Designer

I usually love American Express commercials anyway (kudos to their Marketing Dept.), and when I saw this one, I was absolutely in love. Having her as the guest judge on Project Runway last night was awesome, because they played this commercial on every break and I still didn't get tired of it.



I love how they take away the corporate feel that seems to be so tightly bound to fashion these days...they make it seem more like the dreamy, inspired ideal that you dream about when you're little.

Who wants to buy me the gorgeous black and white gown the model wears around the end of the ad?

Edit: The dress is pictured below.



What do you want to be when YOU grow up?

I have this same dream.

My Dream
by Ogden Nash

Here is a dream.
It is my dream—
My own dream—
I dreamt it.
I dreamt that my hair was kempt,
Then I dreamt that my true love
unkempt it.