earlier this month, the los angeles times and dwell on design held a contest for designers to create items to be displayed in dwell's reclaimed design booth.  the catch -- all materials need to be harvested from the los angeles times classifieds.

the designers' objects were exhibited this past weekend alongside vintage items from attic in studio city.  the esoteric and inspirational booth encouraged people to take a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to design.

from skateboards to submarine parts to scrap metal -- all items on display were refurbished or reimagined.  just goes to show you -- one person's trash is another gal's whorange.

but wait, that's not all...the sellers of the classified-found objects were entered into a drawing.  one lucky seller won a 1000.00 cash prize.

i was hoping the winner would be the seller of these feet, but alas, it was not.

over the weekend, i hustled on down to the los angeles convention center to get myself a tasty injection of dwell on design.

i must admit, however...i'm not a fan of the convention center.  the fluorescent lighting, trade show carpet, and black partition drapery set a drab stage for all of the delicious wares on display.  kind of like making love to elevator music -- it's tonally off.  the exhibitors deserve something much more sexy.

however, this year, something made the lackluster venue much more inviting -- greenery, and lots of it!  thanks to monrovia gardens and the tantalizing woolly pocket gardening company, the so-so center was a little more sassy.

and to make matters more marvelous, the floral designer for our wedding, holly flora, arranged many of the woolly pocket displays.

i actually think this ram attended my reception.  at least i hope he did...

it seemed like everywhere i looked, a woolly was watching over me.  and, judging by the whisperings around campus, the innovative planting pockets were quite popular.

to learn more about the woollies, visit their website.

judging by these fabulous watercolors and screenprints by steven weismann, i think tiny joe & junior are more athletic than i am.  i actually purchased a screenprint of them fishing at felt club last year, and it's probably the closest i'll ever come to catching a fish.

to see more tiny joe & junior and to meet steven's entire cast of characters, visit his blog.  and to purchase one of his fabulous prints, click here.

much like water and air...i need this book.

penned in 1971 by italian socialite princess luciana pignatelli, "the beautiful people's beauty book" provides invaluable tips on fashion, fitness, face lifts, and how to be forever fabulous.  for example, on bathing:

Hot vs. Cold
"Hot baths should never contain water higher than pelvic level. Above all, the bosom must never soak in the tub. Hot water only drags it down, and no woman wants that. After a warm bath, aim a good blast of cold water on the bosom and thighs. They need it."

and skincare:

The Homosexual Facial
"The rage a few years ago with the chic Paris homosexuals is this: Take the white of one egg, a teaspoon of the best olive oil, beat, and apply for 20 minutes. Remove with hot face towel, lace trim optional."

princess luciana rubbed elbows with the rich and famous, received her first nose job at the age of eighteen, married a prince, annulled the marriage.

the book also provides astrology of the beautiful people:

Aries: must have frequent dental check-ups.
Taurus:  should marry a man of means.
Gemini: often the face is too long or the nose is too long or big.
Cancer:  tends to be lazy about beauty and should be encouraged to make the effort.
Leo:  if ambitions are not fulfilled, can have difficult menopause.
Virgo:  remains surprisingly youthful despite hypochondriac tendency.
Libra:  rarely gets fat.
Sagittarius:  torn between bright, amusing men who are good talkers and her desire for a solid social position.
Scorpio:  hypersexual and often attracted to men who are her inferiors.
Capricorn:  always well turned-out and insists on quality in clothes.
Aquarius: often slightly neurotic and with fragile health.
Pisces:  feet are the weak point and pedicures essential.

whoever said beauty starts from within was wrong.  it begins with this book.

{via cup of jo and pipeline.} {images via starworks and charm & poise.}

as easy as A, B, C...

airsides' limited edition, lovely lady letters for wallpaper* are available here.

also available in bunnies!

humble's gorgeously graphic goods are organic, made in the USA, hand printed with water-based inks, and luscious to the touch.  (yep, i've fondled them personally, people.)

but get this...not only are designer kristen thinnes's patterns hypnotically hot, but they also help to support our coral reefs!  turns out, miss kristen's fondness for sea creatures inspires her to donate 1.00 from each humble sale to the coral reef alliance, which helps keep coral around the world protected.

whoranging has never felt so humble.

pillow covers, kitchen towels, and MORE are available at humble's website and etsy shoppe.

cleopatra...the gal with the million dollar face and the nile at her doorstep.  she took the pink pills.

{photography by ellen von unwerth.}

two block parties i really, really want to attend.

thomas wold available at design public.

a few years ago i attended an uh-mazing banksy exhibition in downtown los angeles and have been eagerly awaiting the elusive graffiti artist's return.  alas, mr. bansky choose instead to set up his latest wares in new york and bristol.

on june 13th, banksy's largest exhibition entitled "banksy versus bristol museum" was unveiled at the bristol city museum.  it features more than 100 of banksy's works mixed amongst the museum's permanent collection (including a mouse with a backpack tucked inside of a natural history case.  someone, please send me a picture! check out the mouse here.  thanks, matt, more the picture!).

on opening day, a line of eager fans snaked around the corner, waiting more than an hour for admission.

for once, banksy's art was celebrated and not berated by a museum.  in fact, banksy said, "this is the first show i've ever done where taxpayers' money is being used to hang my pictures up rather than scrape them off."  pretty funny considering that bristol-raised bansky was once sought out for vandalism by his hometown police.

and finally, a picasso banksy WHORANGE philosophy...

{images via art of the state, nikolaasB, and the guardian uk.}

UPDATE!  more banksy vs. bristol images here, including a bong in the china cabinet!  check it out, poodles.

...and your hair looks marvelous today.

{image via l'esprit.}