Goodbye Kurt Vonnegut

R.I.P.

Terry Gilliam's old collaged animations will always remind me of Kurt Vonnegut. In the way that Picasso's image of Gertrude Stein became what Gertrude Stein looked like in my mind, Kurt Vonnegut is Terry Gilliam's Twainian Birdman.

What a collaboration it could have been! Why didn't Terry Gilliam adapt Deadeye Dick? He still can and should!
I grew up with a lot of Vonnegut on the bookshelves. In some ways I think he secretly influenced me, in the sense that my household was one of freethinking and semi-atheist (dad-brothers). I didn't read any until high school (Slaughter House Five) and then more in college.
I'm going to reread as much Vonnegut I guess, as I can. And then see if I still feel the same away about whether I was influenced simply by his books being on the shelves. Then I'll write to Terry Gilliam.
Which makes me think:
My Male childhood influences simply by their mere existence include:
1.My father 2. My two older brothers 3. Walter Matthau 4. Terry Gilliam 5. Kurt Vonnegut
What are yours?

Thanks d*s

Thanks design*sponge for the visual mention!
It really made my day to see these on the site. Found it passing through silk felt soil's (I love this blog) link to this pinkety pink eames style chair found by paperpony.
My parents actually owned these chairs. They still have one--they use it as a desk chair in the basement office--although it's kind of a dirty white-not blush pink. Their house is full of stuff I covet.

New Spring Assemblages around the House

We blew the yolks out of eggs last fall and then splattered them with gold paint
for a Spring photo shoot. I love empty eggs.

Bought that lacquered windowbox at that cool Chinese antique store on Mott Street in Chinatown
in Manhattan about 5 years ago. I'll try to get the name. See that little thing hanging from the cactus on he left side of the photo? It's an old papoose doll , that says The Grand Canyon" found a t a yard sale in Flagstaff, AZ. The sandstone Buddha was given to me by Alex from Loveshine. Little Japanese porcelain "peach" pot, from an antique store near Fort Dodge, Iowa.

Got these tiny glass cups at ABC Carpet and Home in February before I went to Paris. I used them in the show for my Fall Mercury/Bonnie and Clyde theme. They have kind of a raw mercury splattered feeling that I liked.

Love our Salvor Squirrel pillow. Behind that, the pillow is from Ikea. Below the shelf: a panoramic photocollage (mine) of my favorite city in the world and where I stayed for 10 months, Benares taken from a boat ride on the Ganges river; my painting; a photograph of an child bought in Mysore, South India in 1994, Above the shelf: Old photo of some kind of Accordian Players Club, bought for $5 at an estate sale in San Francisco.

Left to right: Fertlity doll bought near Ephesus in Turkey on our honeymoon, Jim's grandfather's ceramic piggy bank (it's actually scotch-taped together!) postcards from Seville, Water Buffalo horns found trekking in Harki-doon in the Indian Himalayas in 1997, Assorted shells, coral, rocks and bones from other trips.

Most favored object award goes to my Ann Wood bird, (given for xmas by my lovely friend Sarah of Plunket and Pivet handbags) with a puffy pod I found outside along with another strange thing from a teee I found in Arizona in a ceramic bowl bought by my mom at Simon Pearce Studios in Quechee Vermont (we went there on holiday with my folks and my mom bought it for me because it has a little bird on the bottom of the bowl-sweet!)

Pewter tray, bought at a second hand shop on third avenue; whale rattle from the Yucatan given to me by Jen, a wooden "bear family" box commorating our camping trip in Yosemite National Park where we saw a bear family, eiffel tower construction souvenir coasters bought along the Seine on a trip to Paris; those gold-printed cocktail napkins under the candles were my mothers from the early 70's; Beach rocks from Portugal trip in March.

Glass containers including blown bird vases from Golden Calf on N. 6th and Wythe in Williamsburg, porcupine quills and saguaro wood from Tombstone and Tucson, Arizona; wax flowers used at my wedding bought at French General, now since moved to LA; and I have finally bit the bullet and lumped my rocks and shells together in one place--I can only kind of remember where everything is from.

Birds for Bonbon

I found these portraits of budgies from photographer Luke Stephenson's website while doing a search for bird pictures. I love his style. And the budgies are phenomenal.
I actually found his site through a wonderful new (for me) blog discovery called Dear Ada.
I love her aesthetic and I'm totally inspired by her choices. I could stumble through her links FOREVER.

Brides, Weddings and Bonbons

Hair Ornament for Andrea, married 9-11-06.
The chain is actually a bracelet that can be removed and worn after all is said and done!

Vintage Linen Flower hairtuck for bridesmaids!

I love brides and I'm just starting to get my first consultations for the late Spring, Summer and Fall wedding seasons!
When I got married in 2000, I don't think there were coolio websites like Wedding Bee and Indie Bride to get me figuring out what I should do. Just magazines like Martha Stewart Weddings and The Knot website I think. Maybe there was more. I was too busy trying to figure out what to do to look around to see what to do.

Birthday Hangover and Some Pics

K-Town and Chris

I was so busy last week having my birthday that I didn't get the chance to write anything!
Jim threw me the most wonderful semi-surprise party I've ever had on Saturday afternoon.
He finally came back and picked me up around 2 pm and took me over to SUPERIZE!! Spuyten Duyvil where all of my fantastic friends and all of my fantastic family were waiting! It was an amazing afternoon party, with kids and sliced meats and cheese and beer and champagne and still warm birthday cake. It was a lot of down-home fun. There were beautiful red tulips from Ada and Heather and packages of candy that the girls put together and Kaelea made special stickers for. Jen got pretty as can-be decorations and bought me a sexy birthday cake hat. My mom and Joie and Craig and Sandy brought cookies and trays of fruit. Jim Monahan brought champagne. Old friends I hadn't seen for awhile came. Everyone got to meet my family. It was really great.
Afterwards, anyone left-over crossed the street with us and ate bbq at Fetten Sow--a new joint opened by Spuyten Duyvil's owners. It was also really fun, delicious and really down home.
After that we karaoked the night away. More pictures as they come.

A Bonbon Birthday

My birthday was last Wednesday, April 4th. A lot happened (which I will fill in this blank later) but now I am waiting for Jim to come home and get me, Saturday afternoon, for what I believe is supposed to be my surprise, sort of, party.
He's been gone a while so maybe the surprise is, I get to stay home and watch reruns of The Office on DVD?
YESSSSSS!

Bonbon Spring Sale!

In celebration of Spring, enjoy 15% (!) off everything*** PLUS free USPS Priority Shiping on all orders on Bonbon Oiseau!
Take my advice: Shop early for Mother's Day and you'll have the luxury of an entire month to decide whether you should keep it for yourself while still leaving yourself enough time to buy mom ANOTHER present!

***(except custom orders and bridal-sorry!)

The Mighty Rooster: Symbol of Strength

Next up: Partridges.