Urban Cholita

December 13, 2012 · 11:25 pm

All I Want For Christmas . . .

Every year my parents ask me for a Christmas list. That’s right. I’m in my mid-thirties and I still make a Christmas list. Sometimes it feels like cheating. I mean, if they really knew me, would they even need a list?? But then I remember that I am very picky. And that lists are helpful. And that my parents are busy, and worried about disappointing me. And I relent.

Here are a few things from this year’s wish list:

1. Southwest Brass Earrings ($60) 2. Feathers of Fancy Earrings ($17.99) 3. Sky Earrings in Green Agate ($55) 4. Brass Tubes with Black Leather ($35) 5. Neon Dagger Studs ($16) 6. Point Me Toward the Shore Earrings ($17.99) 7. Gold Arrow Hoops ($28) Continue reading →

1 Comment

Filed under design, fashion, Uncategorized

Tagged as Christmas list, earrings, gadgets, gifts, kitchen, running, shopping

November 15, 2012 · 12:10 pm

Foxy Lady

Alyson Fox’s pillow has a new home . . . on my couch. The pattern is a tad more pink than I anticipated, but Soren let me keep it anyway. (Actually I’m the one who doesn’t like pink, but somehow it works with these other colors). Here’s a more detailed view of the front and back.

This pillow and many other gorgeous home decor items are the offspring of a collaboration between Fox, an artist and designer in Austin, TX, and West Elm. Check out the rest of the collection here!

This post isn’t sponsored. None of my posts are. I just happen to really love these pillows.

The Coolest Thing We Own

When my husband Soren was in his early twenties, he and his hooligan buddy Jay used to cruise the country in Jay’s Oldsmobile Eighty Eight — just two Montana boys, one enormous car, and the open road. They smoked, of course. Jay had mounted a bronze globe cigarette holder on the dashboard of the car for easy access. He’s smooth like that.

Soren eventually inherited the globe. But by the time I met him it was mysteriously broken. Too many tobacco-stained fingers yanking at the orb’s northern hemisphere had finally taken a toll. Soren tried to show me how it had once worked, but it just wasn’t the same. The explanation ruined it.

I generally don’t approve of hooliganism or smoking, but Soren loved that globe. So I found a shiny functional one on ebay, and I bought it. He was ecstatic. And we both agree it’s the coolest thing we own.

–

The top image isn’t Jay’s old car. His was two different shades of rust.

2 Comments

Filed under design

Tagged as bronze, cigarette holder, cigarettes, decor, globe, Montana, smoking

October 24, 2012 · 11:18 am

Apartment Therapy’s Room for Color Contest

I entered my green dining room in Apartment Therapy’s Room for Color contest in the “cool” category. (Cool as in color). I’m not gunning to win or anything — my room is not the cutest contestant. But it has been so gratifying to read the nice comments. If you’d like to vote for me, go here.

PS. I totally agree with commenter kwhit9tl. This room is crying for a rug.

PSS. People have some mad talent for using color. This room makes my heart melt. And how fun is this one? I freaking adore that mustard bench. And Natasha’s porch has me green with envy.

Recipe: Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

One of my favorite parts of fall is the food. Now that the weather has turned chilly, I’ve been on a soup bender. This one will warm your toes quite nicely. Enjoy it in front of a crackling fire. If, like me, you don’t have a fireplace, now is the time to pop in your fake fire DVD. Continue reading →

Pantry Updates

Welcome to the most boring room in the house — the pantry. But now consider this. I live in an apartment in New York and I have a pantry. And that pantry includes a washer and dryer. Jealous?

No? You own a sprawling house with a pantry, AND a basement, AND tons of closet space, AND a guest room, AND a kitchen floor that DOESN’T make you want to weep with shame? What’s that?! You have a fireplace too? You bastard! (Just kidding, I still love you).

As grateful as I am to have a pantry, I’ve struggled to figure out how to arrange things. Junk tends to accumulate in the bare spaces. So I made a few updates. Can you spot the changes? Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under design, DIY, Uncategorized

Tagged as organization, pantry, pot rack, shelf, white paint

September 28, 2012 · 12:23 pm

The Green Room

When we moved into our apartment, the dining room had just been painted light green. A few months later, I recovered the dining room chairs with green fabric. I didn’t go looking for green, it was just serendipity. But it sparked a trend. I moved a green chair into the corner of the room. Then I sewed a green curtain to hide the litter box and our bikes. And then I bought some green lamps and rewired them. The dining room has officially become the green room.