WANTING 5 For the Road Seattle

Well, we’re on the road again! This last time, the band did a long, zig-zaggy swing along the west coast starting in Seattle. In a lot of ways, Seattle reminds me of my hometown of Providence—there’s the tech brainiac element, the ever-present afterglow of grunge, lots of coffee and it’s a city that refuses to take a sunny days for granted. I was there on such a sunny day and I think I’m fairly certain I saw all the citizens of Seattle on the street. Seattletown!

Previously: Austin. 

From the top: Gran Green Pillow; Sky Bra; Minimalist Sandals; Cup and Saucer; Hepcat Shades.

HOME Geometric Mobiles from Haley Ann Robinson

If your walls could use a little razz-a-matazz, have I got something for you! Geobils (geo + mobile) from Portland/Los Angeles-based designer Haley Ann Robinson. They’re a little bit 70s wall hanging and a little bit body jewelry—they’re wall jewelry, really. And I’m totally into it.

Keep an eye on Haley Ann’s shop and Totokaelo to get your hands on a Geobil of your very own.

STYLE Everyday in a Bathing Suit

In most cases—coffee milk, Red Sox, rocky beaches—the island I come from, Rhode Island, does me just fine. But there is something about real island girls—you know, from places surrounded by a body of water on all sides —that’s pretty damn special. During my stint features-editing this fine publication, one thing really sticks out, which most every surfer girl we interviewed would echo: that they’d spent every day under the age of 10, and most days after that, in nothing other than a bathing suit.

Pouring over other people’s awesome lives on the best site on the internet (I mean, really.), I found this incredible post featuring German artist Pia Dehne. Sure, Düsseldorf is a long way from the North Shore, but Dehne’s got it down anyway: the casual, functional, and straight up cool ease of an all-day, everyday bathing suit.

Happy memorial day—wear a bathing suit!

Photos by Debora Mittelstaedt via Freunde von Freunden

STYLE Lightning Round with Family Affairs

Mixed prints, ladylike turbands, and even some candy-colored “fur”—Family Affair‘s latest collection, My Mama Said, may be slated for Fall 2013, but I’m totally ready for exactly these looks right now. Just maybe with a little air conditioning or an ample supply of ice to counteract, you know, the fur.

What’s more?! The mother-daughter (!) design team, London-based Kaya Egli and New York-based Nina Egli indulged me in a quickie, lightning round interview about the collection and their inspiration. Nina takes it away after the jump!

HELLO AGAIN Martha’s Early Days

Easing back into this whole “blog” thing, like an old lady into the ocean or any person into an extremely hot bath. And on the theme of ‘you’ve got to start somewhere,’ let’s look at some photos of our (by which I mean “my”) patron saint/spirit animal/what-have-you—little Martha Stewart. Maybe she didn’t really even care about hosting the most elaborately perfect Easter luncheon yet. I like to imagine that her clothes were balled up on the floor of her closet. Still figuring it out.

WANTING Dark Matter

As is customary, this lovely little post on Goethe’s half-baked, but still pretty absorbing theories of color psychology had me somewhat mesmerized today. I especially liked his ideas about black—not as the usual lack of all other color (“science,” whatever!), but as a more active and actual force itself. In honor of the OG new black—here’s some dark matter I wouldn’t mind actively forcing myself upon.

HOME Be A Better Plant Mom Start with Succulents

Succulents are insane, weird, dinosaur desert aliens—and if you have ever had or currently still have a black thumb, almost everyone who knows a lick about plants will tell you that they’re a good place to develop those plant mothering skills.

FOOD Don’t Harsh My Mallow

Those lucky Londoners have some very pretty and—I’m assuming, here—very delicious treats at their fingertips with The Marshmallowists. Started by two enterprising ladies who evidently woke up one day dead set on starting what seems like the most fun business idea ever, Marshmallowists offers flavors we can all really get behind, like pear and elderflower. And blueberry-gin. Plus, these au natural mallows are damn pretty (a feat with no artificial coloring!).