Having Your Cake and a Tea Towel, Too

My super-talented friend Christina Weber just launched her fabulous new line of tea towels and aprons at Studiopatró. I've been eagerly awaiting their debut and am so excited they've arrived in time for (forgive me) the holidays!
































I love that there's a whole page dedicated to alternative ideas on how to employ these beautiful pieces of handmade, utilitarian art -- other than the obvious, that is. And you're invited and encouraged to share any other clever ideas you dream up through the Studiopatró blog.


Not only are the aprons smart and tea towels gorgeous and versatile, you can know that they are made by a local team of designer, screeners and sewers who share a passion for creating stylish, high-quality, durable products. I can't wait to get some!

**I pilfered all these gorgeous photos from the Studiopatró site, taken by the awesome, always energetic and über-talented Wendi Nordeck. All rights reserved © nordeck photography

Royal Par/T

This past weekend, I was down in LA celebrating a slew of friends' birthdays. One afternoon included venturing to a Culver City I'd not known before: design stores, art galleries, good eats and French Maid-clad waitresses. Yep, that's right. Apparently, French Maid cafes are a trend in parts of Tokyo. So in the spirit of the Japanese-inspired cafe/gallery/shop Royal/T, owner & art collector, Sue Hancock, provides kawaii and pop eye-candy all around.


From a gallery space that is home to a noodle-skirted, dumpling-winged sushi chicken


and eyeball bedecked tea accoutrements...



to a shop filled with all kinds of novelty items, including food coloring books (had to get one) and heart-shaped egg molds...


to the cafe space where the plants on the back wall of the cafe are grown in felt pouches made from recycled plastic bottles by Woolly Pocket Garden Company...


to the super-delicious Kobe beef sliders on brioche buns, topped three ways: bleu with caramelized onion, quail egg up & tomato chutney. The menu offers a nice selection and the tempting cupcakes were very popular at tables all around us.

Loved everything about Royal/T. It's just the kind of place I'd want to throw a royal party.