a party ain't a party until you got kitties on a stick.

join the fabulous feline fete at oh happy joy.

esther stewart's "makin' plans" enamel paintings are the perfect prescription for my pretty color and simple shapes addiction.

also, they're an effective cure for a chaotic day. meditate on two of 'em and call me in the morning.

{see more of esther stewart's art here.} {via the design files.}

when you can butterfly them?

have a fluttery weekend, darlings!

{image via dear creatures.}

i confess, i have not quite mastered bar soap. it always dissolves in a little puddle of water in my shower or crumbles into bits in my bathtub.

however, i love the stuff. especially when it comes wrapped up in a dashing package. two cats riding tandem on a bike? sign me up! big foot walking a raccoon? give me a dozen! sure, the soap will soon be sacrificed in my shower and consumed by a loofah, but until then, it can live a happy life on my display shelf. 

meow mewo tweet bar soap available here and at rare device.

{top to bottom: beer shampoo bar soap; rosemary lime bar soap; grapefruit mint bar soap; citronella fir bar soap.}

whether your palette craves tasty logs or smoked ham, i hope you have a tasty day!

{happy beaver print and glazed ham painting by the one and only matte stephens.}

this 1962 william cody palm springs pad was recently restored and re-loved by an owner who yearned to bring it back to its original and swell '60s style.

with the talents of architect thomas morbitzer and designer darren brown, the mid-century home was made pretty as a picture down to the pedro friedeberg hand chair, sputnik pendant lamps, and brass cube lav sets.

all that's missing is a cocktail cart, me, and you.

{via dpages.}

hand me a bat and i will unabashedly take a swift swing at a piñata for a bucket of candy.

however, if the piñata looks like a sparkling diamond, i may opt for hanging it from my office ceiling (until my cravings for candy gets too maddening, of course).

{see more piñata designs at prospect goods' etsy shoppe.} {via srslyliz.}

pick your paradise, darlings!

{more beth hoeckel goodness at bethhoeckel.com.}

growing up in los angeles, summers always looked like a '70s album cover -- only with a thick layer of smog.

nonetheless, when it starts heating up in land-locked hollywood, it's impossible to not want to lace up your roller skates and do a little california dreaming down the venice strip or cruise along PCH in a convertible blasting your high school make out song.

of course, if you don't have time for any of this, there is always pinterest. that's where i found these images.

now, pour me a cocktail and surf some pinterest boards.

{from top to bottom: palm tree and a pink sky; ice machine in the sun; twin palms; beach bonfire.}

kittens, i've been waiting FOR-EV-ER for the premiere of behind the candelabra.

my former boss, howard cummings, is the uber-talented production designer behind this glittery spectacle and i guarantee that your mind will be blown to rhinestone bits. a handful of my friends also worked on this film (from set designers to coordinators) and i couldn't be more happy for them. 

to top it off, behind the candelabra is an incredible screenplay about a complex man and his complicated and closeted relationship.

sex, drugs, music, sparkles, plastic surgery, feathers, and love - who can ask for anything more?

liberace...that's who!

for a special behind-the-scenes peek with howard, set decorator barbara munch, and costume designer ellen mirojnick click here. 

polish your ivories and diamonds this sunday, darlings! and i'll meet you poolside.

{behind the candelabra directed by steven soderbergh. screenplay by richard lagravenese based on a book by scott thorson. starring michael douglas as liberace and matt damon as scott thorson. production design by howard cummings.} {images via hbo.}