cheers to a fabulous new year's eve, darling!  your hair looks fantastic!

see you in 2009.

xoxo,
tula

WHORANGE would like to wish everyone much success with their love spells for 2009.

this plaster heart with glitter dart and lovely bag of wishbones are perfect elements for your love altar.  all crafted by the fabulous shauna & stephen of something's hiding in here.

add some candles, sea salt, flower petals, and strands of hair from your beloved and you're good to go.  happy manifesting, darlings!

although my new year's eve plans are still pending, i am hoping to find myself posed and inked up like one of these gals come january 1st.

calligrapher, collagist, and painter rebecca trawick of bluebird studios crafted these luscious ladies from actual vintage pin up pix and applied her steady hand to illustrate tats ranging from anchors and palm trees to laundry lists of boyfriends past and present.

your body is your temple, darlings.  worship it.  stamp it with something special this new year.  may i suggest something in the shade of whorange?

to view more of rebecca's inky eye candy, visit her bluebird studios website.

christmas in the house of eames, circa 1946.  this is my gift to you, darlings!

and, one super special, groovy gift goes under the tree for the fabulous paul anater who was crowned the winner of last week's matte stephens "bavarian bear monster" print giveaway from velocity art & design!  congratulations, paul.  you are fabulous!

okay, poodles, time for me to sign off for the twinkling festivities.

stay warm, keep the hair fantastic, and i'll see you after the holiday!

xoxo,
tula

{images of the eames house and of charles eames in front of a christmas tree constructed from bent plywood chair legs via the library of congress.}

if you're still combing the shops for holiday gifts, take a tip from my lovely gal pal, angel, and make a quick beeline for a much overlooked treasure trove -- your parents attic, basement, or garage.  most likely your fab folks have a box of unwanted goods that just may prove to be a cornucopia of craveable keepsakes for your friends.

for example, angel excavated two exquisite cookbooks from 1963:  "better homes & gardens: lunches and brunches" and "better homes and gardens: best buffets."  and, yes...i was the lucky recipient!  

published in the age of tv dinners and screaming technicolor, these cookbooks are jam packed with delicious photography and recipes that are simply to die for.  shredded sharp processed cheese and condensed cream of celery soup, anyone?

in addition to the fab cookbooks, angel found vintage playboys for her bachelor pals and mod mags from the 60s for her photog femmes.  and the best thing was -- it was all fo' free and miss angel's mum was more than happy to clear up space in her storage!

so, in a recession slathered economy, why not relieve a little clutter from your parents' long forgotten archives, or agree to exchange books with your friends from your personal at-home libraries, or have a clothes swap?  these are all gifting activities that my friends and i have practiced year after year, and the recycling tradition shows no signs of stopping.

it's fun, it's frugal, and it's fashionable.  and, remember...one person's trash just may be another person's whorange. 

happy hanukkah, darlings!  xoxo

(via fabulon.  available here.)

to kick off your friday frolic, i leave you with photographer ingrid boberg's 2004 "loving you loving me" series.  otherwise known as visual prozac.

have a wonderful weekend, darlings!

congratulations to miss oona b. who was crowded the winner of last week's matte stephens "bird diggity" print giveaway!  miss b. (comment #75) was randomly chosen via an online random number generator from 134 entries.  see the results here.

now, darlings, if you didn't win last week's giveaway, don't fret!  you have a chance to win ANOTHER signed and limited edition print courtesy of the fabulous velocity art & design!

TODAY'S GIVEAWAY:  a matte stephens "bavarian bear monster" print.

TO WIN:  in the spirit of giving, i recently honored WHORANGE heroes john waters and amy sedaris with gift guides.  now, tell me who your heroes are!  simply leave a comment and tell me who your hero is and what you would give them for the holidays.  it can be anybody past, present, or future.

you may enter up to three times and you can pick more than one hero, but you must leave a different gift each time, and at least one of the gifts has to be from velocity.  this will increase your chances of winning, poodles, so hop to it!

i will pick one winner at random on tuesday, december 23rd at 11:59pm PST.  and remember, there is one more giveaway coming up, so be on the lookout!

happy holidays and happy whoranging.  thanks, velocity! xoxo

Dear [your name here],

Whether you live in a basement with the income of a ten-year-old girl or on a saffron farm in the south of Spain, the spirit of hospitality is the same. It's the giving of yourself, a present of you to them from me for us....I go bananas for entertaining! Sometimes though, I feel entertaining is a dying art. My goal is to encourage you, [your name here], to entertain in your home, your style. Having a party is one of the most creative and generous activities that every person can enjoy and indulge in, if you're on the list. Remember, by inviting someone into your home, you're saying "I like you".

Cordialliest,
Amy Sedaris (excerpt from "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence")

************************************

domestic goddess amy sedaris is a true WHORANGE hero.  perhaps it's her love of rabbits and plastic food, or maybe it's her ability to tumble in a mermaid green, sequined leotard with stephen colbert. 

(images from "i like you" by amy serdaris.)

one day, i hope to be invited to amy's home for supper.  i'll come bearing gifts, the way my mama taught me to.  and, should i receive said invitation tomorrow, i have a fine selection of wares to choose from, because miss amy is the inspiration for today's $100 or less WHORANGE holiday gift guide:

{above:  1. dorothy apron (39.95); 2. kitchen gloves (22.00); 3. weapon charm necklace (74.00); 4. dumpling dynasty baking kit (16.00); 5. uppers container (95.00), prozac container (80.00), dolls container (28.00); 6. inflatable fruitcake (6.95); 7. music for tv dinners (14.98); 8. picnica bunny reusable tote (55.00);  9. flat pets rabbit (15.25); 10. electronic toys: retrospective of 70'S easy listening cd (30.19); 11. roller stop doorstop (95.00); 12. barfly chip and dip set (45.00); 13. kiss and tell teacup duo (55.00); 14. plastic frosted donut (12.99), strawberry cupcake with sprinkles (9.99)}

although i am barely a carnivore, i spiritually feasted on a fine selection of plushy sweet meats at UNIQUE los angeles over the weekend.  these fabulous fleece and felt meats are lusciously life sized and cuddly as can be.

sweet meats will even custom craft your very own dream meat -- from prime ribs to ham hocks...the menu of possibilities are endless.  they recently produced a large plushy intestine with detachable transverse colon, so don't be shy when you place your order.

giving the gift of meat?  just let sweet meats know and they will wrap your gift deli-style -- free of charge.

after consuming your sweet meats, your loyal organs are fast at work keeping you strong and pretty.  i heart guts not only honors your internals with a craveable cast of cute characters ranging from lovable livers to a huggable uterus, but they make them in plush toy, sticker, and clothing form.  it's all guts, all the time.

and yes...i heart them.