go out for dinner tonight!

over at journal of a_____, i just read about this awesome program.  go out to eat at a participating restaurant and 25% goes to an AIDS related charity.  my favorite restaurant is on the list in los angeles, is your city represented?  go out to eat!!

thanks for the heads up, journal!!

{photo from here, via journal of a___}

amazing women on wednesday {belles of the black diamond field}

my dear friend, sarah sophie flicker and her directing partner, maximilla lukacs, together form the belles of the black diamond field.  they base their filmmaking on the vulnerability manifesto, championing femininity and softness, while deriving power from those qualities. sarah and i used to live in san francisco together and she's indirectly responsible for introducing me to patty years and years ago.  she now lives in new york and since moving there has launched some fabulous projects.  i love to follow her work and see what's next...i thought i'd put her on your radar too.  sarah is also a founding member of the citizens band {remember the knee-highs?}

"lay down lean" is based on an edna st. vincent millay poem and "god ain't gonna put it in your lap" is a look at revolutionary women 1900 to the present.  i love their film philosophy...and the cinematography and vintage stylings are gorgeous.  have a look at some of their work and be inspired...

{photo by alia penner}

sign the petition {harvey milk day}

more info here.  sign the petition here.

we shot a psa...

we just finished shooting a psa for marriage equality.  very surreal experience being in front of the camera...i'm so used to being behind the camera.  the psa was a collaboration between f.a.i.r. (freedom action inclusion rights) and foundation, who produced the psa above.  this psa made it to tv, but we don't know if our psa will see any air time...most likely it will make the rounds on you tube and blogs....but i'll keep you posted when it comes out!

djuna seems to be adjusting well...

...to her new life with us.  more photos from our weekend at the pool with the pups here.

honeymoon in iowa, anyone?

hooray...they have started to issue marriage licenses in iowa today.  let's hope they don't get shut down, too.

{photo credit here}

new fiction blog {antonia crane}

my dear friend antonia, member of the bridal brigade, has launched her fiction rant blog.  a talented writer, we asked her to do one of the readings in our ceremony.  her writing is brash, funny, no-holds-barred, sharp and sweet.  for some flights of fantastic fiction, check out her blog here.  she's one to watch out for...

my friend's ex-husband's plea to overturn prop 8...

my friend just sent this to me...it's a video she made with her ex-husband about prop 8.  pretty freakin' funny...never thought of that consequence of gays not being able to marry, did ya?

plant in the earth, well, ok some pots...

in honor of earth day, i made a seeds purchase for my burgeoning veggie garden.  i found some great organic seeds through the cosa verde blog, which highlights eco and green merchants on etsy.  {another fave green blog i should have added to my list...}

i got the butter crunch lettuce {my favorite} from etsy seller fluffn flowers and okra {yum} from seven acre woods.  i want to plant these in some more pots on the patio, or maybe some cool recycled wine crates...

{photos from here and here.}

happy earth day!!

i'm not posting anything specifically green, since i try to be 'green' everyday.  but here are some of my favorite green blogs:

fig + sage:  great great deals and products featured daily

homegrown evolution: sustainable living and gardening in the city

green LA girl:  great green tips for los angeles living

ecofabulous: fab green finds & check out their earth day guide

ideal bite: not a blog, but you can sign up for great quick green tips

happy earth day!

{photo from space today}

hot knee highs & vintage inspiration {the citizens band}

ok, with all this talk of knee highs, i had to post about my friends sarah sophie flicker & jorjee douglass...they are the founding members of the citizens band, a fantastic cabaret troupe with a political bent.  their latest show, performed last october in new york, called 'the panic is on'
is described this way:

The Citizens Band's sixth original show, finds the troupe trapped in makeshift bomb shelter where they're forced to find common ground and hope in a terror filled world . Performing a spirited mix of classic songs and original compositions they ponder such issues as fear mongering, war, immigration, xenophobia, poverty and their own dreams for political change.

full of song, dance, trapeze acts, acrobats {who can ask for anything more?}, the citizen's band shows are truly a spectacular event.  part protest, part entertainment, their shows are amazing, full of fantastic talent, including, to name a few:  Chelsea Bacon, Ian Buchanan, Michael Cavadias, Turner Cody, Aaron Conte, Adam Crystal, Jorjee Douglass, Karen Elson, Jesse Gelber, Sarah Sophie Flicker, Rachelle Garniez, Jesse Gelber Mike Jackson, Mark McAdam, Angela McCluskey, Amy Miles, Jon Natchez, Jedediah Parish, Nina Persson, Rain Pheonix, Ronin and Craig Wedren

politics and protest aside, check out the amazing vintage fashions, including--yep, you guessed it--knee-socks and thigh-highs. {just for you, esb.}

they haven't been to los angeles in ages, and their last show in new york {home base} was last october, but keep your ears open...you won't want to miss it the next time the come a protesting... 

{photo 1: gaetano salvadore; photos 2,3: via the citizens band; photos 4-7: richard bush

for dazed and confused via gluda finds lulu}

rip shawn mortensen

last week, we lost an amazingly talented photographer.  if you are a music fan, you've seen his work.   from supertouch:

A kinetic force of optimism and seemingly limitless positive energy, Shawn’s hearty career as a photojournalist and artist took him around the world several times over, unselfishly spreading his endless supply of good vibes as he went. Particularly renowned for his portraits of musicians, artists, and entertainers, Shawn photographed a stunning array of pop culture demigods in his 20+ year career including Keith Haring, Tupac, Henry Rollins, James Brown, The Notorious BIG, Bjork, Jun Takahashi, Leo Fitzpatrick, Christopher Wool, Mark Gonzales, Ed Ruscha, Vivienne Westwood, The Bad Brains, Dash Snow, Grandmaster Flash, Neil Young, MIA, John Lee Hooker, Nigo, Sofia Coppola, Agnes B., Sonic Youth, The Beastie Boys, Keith Richards, Chloe Sevigny, The Foo Fighters, Everlast, Kraftwerk, Wu Tang Clan, and The Sex Pistols, to name but a few.

some favorites below and great tributes here and here.  rest in peace.

yes, i'm bragging and i don't care...

i know it's a secret, but i'm so excited i can't contain myself.  we're going to see my bloody valentine tonight.  i've seen them many times in the eighties and early nineties.  since they reunited, we've seen them a couple of times-- on our mini-moon and again in santa monica last year.  this is what i was talking about.  am i bragging?  yes.  do i care?  no.   deb just invited us to this show...it's their secret, warm up show before coachella.  f* coachella.

{yes, esb, that last line was in your honor.}

living terrariums {kat geiger}

i may not be able to drive up to the bay area for mothers day, so i was thinking about something to get my mom other than cut flowers.  so predictable & they don't last...then i stumbled upon kat geiger's living terrariums.  aren't these amazing?  she is in the bay area and only does local orders {unfortunately for me she doesn't ship!}, so if you are in the bay area, check her out.  

i think these would also make amazing centerpieces...so dramatic, too.  something living and beautiful that you could give away after the ceremony to your bridal brigade or friends and family!

if you are in oakland, she's having a trunk show this saturday april 18 at a store called urban indigo.  

check out her etsy store and her blog.

{photos from koko studios on flickr}

taxation without representation

i have to be honest, here.  i totally forgot today was tax day, i filed so long ago.  but today is the day us second class citizens really get hit with the "taxation without representation" thing.  i still pay the same amount of taxes as anyone else, but i don't have the full rights of a citizen.

it's up to us to fight for our rights & make a difference.  here's an example of how we can do it, one person at a time.  check out her story here.  way to go.  thanks for leading the way.

{photo from brenda's banter via journal of a ___}

wedding invites {leigh from milkfed press}

i know my blog hasn't been very wedding-y lately...but i *had* to repost these when i stumbled across them on design*sponge.  this fabulous invite suite is a collaboration from victoria at milkfed press and artist leigh wells.  not only are the colors fab and fun, but you can choose the icons that suit you:  boy/girl, boy/boy, or girl/girl.  genius. way to go and include every couple!  i love it.  more information here, scroll down to leigh.

{images from milkfed press via design*sponge}

sometimes i feel really old...

i laughed out loud when i saw this poster.  sometimes i feel really old when i talk about a band i've seen {since they have re-united and are playing shows again.  hooray!} to someone only to find out they weren't even born yet {in  my case, it's PA's not interns.}...damn...

{poster from publicis mojo via oh so beautiful paper}

music mondays {madm}

i'm loving this three song ep from patty's old band mate, melissa auf der maur (madm).  the key is my favorite song...i love it heavy though and this is right up my alley {i haven't really confessed my love for heavy metal here yet, either.  another post...}.  the songs are part of a larger multimedia package, including a film called 'out of our minds.'  she's only offering the music as digital or vinyl and she's completely self-distributing.  go check it out and support talented women who go out on their own...

{photo of patty & melissa by me, from our mini-moon}

shoe fetish...

ok, i have a shoe fetish.  it's pretty bad.   i have never posted about it at all.  ever.  plus buying new shoes is so against my reduce, reuse, green, vintage lifestyle that i try to adhere to...so i try to resist the consumerism of it all.  but posting about great shoes doesn't equal buying them.  so i'm indulging.  

loving these shoes...they would be fabulous wedding shoes...or great for a outdoor party.  i have to go to an outdoor wedding in may...hmm...

{photo from tracy porter}

new family member: {djuna belle}

we had a really great weekend...we welcomed a new family member:  djuna belle.  we named her djuna after my favorite writer, djuna barnes.  we actually rescued her last weekend, but this past weekend we were really able to get to know her and see her personality emerge.  she was very shy and withdrawn the first few days.  i don't blame the poor girl:  she was rescued from the kill list at the downey shelter by a rescue group called hearts for hounds.  hfh cleaned her up, fixed her and brought her to their adoption event, which is where we met her!  we brough our other dog, vinnie with us to the event, and they immediately hit it off, so we thought she was meant to come home with us!  she's really sweet and very calm.  i've already taken her to work with me and she's of course a big hit there.  this photo is of her in her bed at work.   yes, she has a pink nose.  yes, she has pink ears.  yes, she looks more like a little lamb.  yes, she's super cute.

is it a bit soon to get another dog after oona?  sure, but after both ruby and oona died, a good friend of ours told us, "maybe the universe is just making room for more dogs that need you."  of course i still miss oona terribly, but it sure is nice to have another sweet dog around.  

the flowers are from some friends we met on friday...aren't they sweet?  we put them in our bedroom, so this was what we woke up to all weekend.

how was your weekend?

{photos by me}

other folks weddings: {aeleise and joy}

over at so you're engayged, they have a great real weddings feature, which of course thrills me.  i love seeing those "real" same sex weddings out there...see aeleise's description of the beautiful and meaningful day here.

three adjectives she used to describe the day:  surreal, blessed, ordained.  what a lovely description for a really lovely couple...more photos here.

{photos by kelsie kliner via so you're engayged}