MIdsommer and the sun don't set

I went to Sweden, thanks to my dear friend Brian, to celebrate Midsommer with some Swedes and old friends. Brian's got a cool island called Danmark's Holme outside of Stockholm, so everyone stayed in old houses from the 60's. The old inhabitants of the island left everything in their homes - pictures, posters, beds, blankets, furniture, kitchen ware, etc, so we stepped back in time. There was no electricity or running water, which meant wandering around with oil lanterns, bathing in the cold sea, and using the dreaded outhouses.

The sun never sets in Stockholm, and the nights never end. We cooked and cozied up by bonfires, sat in the hot tub then plunged into the freezing sea, ate herring, drank Swedish Schnapps, sang Midsommer songs, had a dance party until 7 a.m., collected sea glass, and took the boat out and around the Swedish isles.

Sweden was magical, and I have to go back. On my last night, Brian woke me up at 3:30 a.m. and told me that I had to come see the fog that had set over the island. It was so thick that we could barely see ten feet in front of us. We went to the bon fire, near the beach, and watched swans bobbing serenely around this enchanting little island which seemed to be enveloped by a cloud. Ash was blowing up and swirling around the glowing orange fire, and white bits rained down on our shoulders. The fog gently and slowly lifted, revealing the surrounding green hilly islands. It was one of the most mystical and beautiful moments of my many travels.


The man who made it all possible, my fellow wanderlust-er, Brian.



Sweden in the 60's.


Where we had our Midsommer's meal.


The sun rose at 3, even though it had never fully set. Oceanna called me out to see the blazing orange sky, and I couldn't grab my camera in time to catch it. I got this bit, though.


The island.



Boating at 6.



Stockholm on my last night.

Back on my mountain again

I have lots to tell and I've been a terrible blogger... It's hot and sticky in Paris, and I've been verrrry busy with some biiiiig changes. My mind has been all over the place, but now I'm going to focus it for a big on some updates.

My headdresses, earrings, and body jewelry have finally found a home at a great boutique here in Paris called Chine Machine. It's a vintage/ young designers boutique located at 100 rue des Martyrs in Montmartre, if anyone is in Paris able to check it out! Their MySpace is myspace.com/ChineMachine.

Here are some pics of my new creations in action:








And some new sources of creative inspiration:

Afterglow

Inspirations and the finished product...

Death doves and love angels

I was in Spain a few weeks ago for 10 days of sun, sand, the Mediterranean, sangria, old friends, ethnic shops, mountain hikes, and laughs that made me feel like my old self.

I spent the first two days in Málaga, which is far from a picturesque Spanish city. It had a sort of grungy and industrial thing going on, but I dug it. The beach was chill, and I finished Junot Diaz's latest book and listened to Mayor Hawthorne, B. Alone, and Lee Fields & The Expressions.







Then it was off to Barcelona where I stumbled upon some very cool Indian and Turkish clothing and jewelry. This somehow set me off into the most intense whirl of ethnic inspirations.

Right now, for me, it's all about India, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. I'm drawn to dark smoky eyes, oriental florals, silver and gold bangles, head wraps, huge chunky rings, drop-crotched pants, tissue-like scarves, and gladiator sandals.

Chains and bling and all that glitters

Vintage Chanel chains, found objects, feathers, fox tails, and collected vintage charms, all to be whipped into headdresses, body jewelry, belts and bracelets...


My favorite pendants and vintage necklaces, especially the Cancer astrology pendant.


Headwraps and earrings and, concert stubs and pics dangling over my desk.


Skinny scarves and sunglasses, my summer staples.

What you decide to swear by

Reunited with my Libanaise lover at the Beirut concert at Bataclan. It was fabulous, and everyone should download their new album, March of the Zapotec and Realpeople - Holland. It's verrrrrrry good and my fave is "My Night With the Prostitute From Marseilles".




Some more songs I'm lurving right now,
"Good 'Ol Fashioned Nightmare" by Matt & Kim
"The Band Marches On" by Ghostland Observatory
"Painter in Your Pocket" by Destroyer
"Northern Whale" by The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

On a somewhat unrelated note, check out Fleetwood Mac back in the day. I love these hairy boys and the denim and the velvet and the ocean... Give it to me. Give it to me. I want.

You're a seasonal beast

My trip back to Texas was marvelous and wonderful and I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bummed to be back in Paris. It's always hard for me to get back into the swing of things and to readjust to new (well sort of old) routines. So to keep myself from feelin' low, I'm focusing on making some awesome new body jewelry, complete with headpieces and anklets. I'll put some pictures up soon! I've also been rifling through some of the goodies that I thrifted while in Texas. What treasures! I stumbled upon some store in Houston that was selling all blazers for a dollar!! Whaaaa?? I'll post pics of those finds soon.

Anyway, Texas was a lot like I imagined it. I spent the first few days by the pool,

Brought along my bronzing spray, "Sonnets to Orpheus" by Rainer-Maria, "L'Étranger" by Albert Camus, my trusty iPod, my Tom Ford wayfarers, a Calypso top, and my floppy hat...

The rest of the trip was spent driving from city-to-city, seeing all of my dear friends and family, remembering strange things that I love about Texas (like being called "Darlin'"). I know that I'm biased, but I have to say that Texas can be so charming, and that Austin is a badass city! It's got a great energy and is full of so many special people and places... There's no place like it. To all of my Texas (and American) babies, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH and thank you for a fabulous visit. You're missed already!!

MUAH