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Crafting With orMOMdo: Felt Ornaments

Dear My Mother, Some of my favorite memories of you come from the holiday season, when you turn from a normal mom to Martha-Stewart-On-Crack-Mom. I don’t think there’s been a holiday in my life where you haven’t stayed up until after midnight night after night ferociously writing Christmas cards, dipping centerpieces in gold, making wreathes out of branches you cut from the back yard, and wrapping presents in repurposed papers and fancy ribbon. This year, you’ve chosen to make these adorable little felt ornaments as gifts and I have to say I just love them. I’ve never met a penguin…

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Me And My Drum

Dear Cute Little Drum Emily and I Bought for a Client, We bought you for Rachna (one of our most delightful clients) but I had to bring you inside to keep you warm until we deliver you because you are SO adorable. I’ll miss you, Drum, but I know Rachna will give you a good home. And if she doesn’t just call me, and I’ll come pick you up. I’ll always be there for you. Love, Orlando

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My So-Called Christmas Tree

Dear Diary, You know, Christmastime is my very favorite time of the year. This year, however, Christmas has lasted approximately six months and it’s starting to feel less like Christmas, more like Crackmas. I’m totally OD’ing. First, it was the holiday episode of Secrets From A Stylist, which was filmed in Los Angeles in August. Needless to say I was sweating my face off in my festive sweaters. Then, it was the Holiday Guide, something Emily and our team put together to tell people what to buy for their friends (and us). And now finally it’s the actual holiday season….

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Purple Rain on Brooklyn

Dear New York, I’ve been visiting you for the past two weeks and I’m writing this as I hurtle through the air on wireless internet equipped plane. Whilst in New York, I stay briefly with my friends Matt and Brandon who live in Brooklyn Heights in the most adorable and amazing apartment in Brooklyn. They’ve done some decorating around the house recently, so I wanted to share their progress. Firstly, how cute are they?!? This is the original color of their entire apartment. I don’t understand why all landlords seem to think everyone wants to live in dingy “Swiss Coffee”…

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Art: David Benjamin Sherry

Dear Santa, Thanks for bringing Christmas early this year. You brought Emily and I the raddest clients ever and then one of those clients brought my attention to an amazing artist I didn’t know about. His name is David Benjamin Sherry and he makes photographs that represent the world as I see it (where everything is a highly saturated candy color, nature is king, and glamour is everywhere). The moment I knew I loved our new New York clients was when we walked into their living room and saw this: I grew up in Yosemite, so I love seeing images…

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Hi, High Line!

Dear Travel Journal, I’ve been swept away to world-famous New York City, where Emily and I are doing a totally glamorous lake house remodel. It’s been a busy trip, with less time for lollygagging and friend hugging than I expected, but I did find time to slip away and ogle the High Line. I used to live a block away from this glorious park so I’ve seen it a million times. But I hadn’t seen it since they added the section north of 21st Street, which is arguably even more stunning than the original section. Please enjoy these photographs I…

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Homme Video: Patrick Wolf ‘Together’

Dear Patrick Wolf, I love your new video for ‘Together.’ It’s my favorite song off your latest album “Lupercalia.’ This video is rural neon 90z awesomeness, complete with a crazy taxidermy wolf-scarf and pretty nature scenes. Me likey! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZLJIRhWEHlE#!] Love, Orlando

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Hair: What to ‘Do???

Dear My Hair, Why do you bore me so? The haircut I have now is one I’ve had on and off since I was 16 years old. It’s totally fine. My friends and I like to call it the “Funboy” haircut. It’s the type of haircut you have when you have, like, no imagination. Thus, I’ve been pondering the following five haircuts, wondering which I could pull off. This one is awesome. If I had this haircut everyone would be scared of me and how cool I was. Which is pretty much my goal in life. I like this haircut,…

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The Worst Flea Market Experience in the History of Time!

Dear Emily, Remember last weekend when we went to the Long Beach Antique Market and it was, like, the worst experience of our whole lives? Well, it was raining, which was a bad sign, but we went anyway. As we were arriving (later than normal due to both of us oversleeping), all the vendors were rushing to put their stuff away, running away from us in terror like we were zombies coming for their flesh. For those of you who don’t live in Southern California, it should be noted that people here respond to rain as if it were the…

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Hollywood Diary: Katy Perry

Dear Diary, One time, my friend Johnny took me to see a Katy Perry concert. This is what Johnny looks like. Yes, he’s hot. Duh. Johnny is Katy Perry’s stylist. Which means he dresses her for events and often custom designs her wardrobe for music videos and public appearances. He also does a ton of other celebs like Nikki Minaj, Zooey Deschanel, and Rachel Bilson. And pretty much every other big name out there. He’s a huge deal, he’s super talented, and he’s super sweet. Johnny and I were talking about mustaches the other night and I’m digging this picture…

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Whut Glamour: New Painting for the Dining Room!

Dear The Painting I Just Made, My friend and fellow designer Matthew Lanphier commissioned me to make you for one of his clients recently, and here are the results. I have been painting waves since graduate school, but none have had this crazy sense of movement and noise. Here is a view of the painting hanging in my dining room. I have to admit, I kind of you want to keep you in my apartment, Painting, and never let you go. I’ll miss you, but I am comforted that you will be loved in your new home in Chicago… Love,…

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Hey Look I’m in the ‘Design Sponge’ Book!

Dear Design Sponge, A few years ago, you wrote a post about a project I did in my first LA apartment. The other day, Emily and I were leafing through your new book and were delighted to discover my project made it in. It’s a beautiful book, and a lot of fun to look at. Well done and thanks for including me! (Click here to see the whole project on Design Sponge). Love, Orlando

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Whut Glamour: Hedi Slimane Exhibit

Dear Hedi Slimane, I tried to see your exhibit California Song on its opening night, but it was so swamped with glamourmodels and celebs like Kirsten Dunst that I couldn’t even get in the building. Thus, I’ve been dying to feast my eyes on it since I heard it was coming to MOCA PDC. I visited the exhibit Saturday and I must say it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen in my whole stupid life. Here is the banner on the outside of MOCA PDC (sidenote: am I the only one who thinks the Pacific Design Center is the most…

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Drawingtimez: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Dear Movie Lovers, I forced a friend to go see Martha Marcy May Marlene recently. It was probably the most despicable act I’ve ever committed in my life. Every review I saw for the film was positive. However, this is actually what the film did to my friend and me: If you’re interested in viewing the trailer, here you go! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_k3wCsOgqk] In conclusion, I must acknowledge that Martha Marcy May Marlene is a great movie. It is completely well-made and gorgeous and haunting (Sidenote: awesome production design and cinematography). I just wish that I’d never, ever seen it because it…

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Fun With Bedside Tables, Succulents, and a Piggy!

Dear Bedside Tables, You know, it’s funny, because I don’t find myself  thinking about you that often, but I just noticed you’re one of the most accessorized parts of my apartment. Yesterday, I got a ceramic piggy speaker from West Elm and it kind of added the perfect spice (and function) to my bedside table. One of my favorite things about my apartment is that there are tons of palm trees outside, so I like to sleep on the side of the bed next to the window so the palms are the first thing I see when I wake up….

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Fleamarkettimez: Rose Bowl

Dear Stormy Weather, Where were you Sunday for the Rose Bowl Flea Market? I thought it was going to be all rainy and gross, but instead it was sunny and glorious. And hot. I showed up early with Bonnie, one of the new members of Team Emily and we scoured the Bowl for fun finds. I’m going to be honest, it wasn’t the best week for Rose Bowl. Firstly, Emily was in Orlando (Florida, no relation) and so that was sad. Second, we didn’t find everything we needed for our interior design clients (mainly, a ton of benches and a…

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Experimenting With Art Walls

Dear Diary, I have a gallery wall in my living room. The other day I looked at it and got bored so I decided to play around with it. I’m actually not sure I like the changes I made but I’m going to share them with you anyway, Diary, because you’re always there for me and you never let me down. Anyhoo, here are some before pictures: Sidenote: How rad is my Lands’ End tote? I just got it and I’m kind of obsessed. To stir things up, I nixed the mid century architectural drawing and added an ugly painting…

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The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me In My Whole Life

Dear Diary, Have you ever been so excited about something that you thought your little hummingbird heart might explode? Well, I think I probably drank too much coffee this morning because I feel like I’m going to spontaneously combust with excitement about the Hedi Slimane exhibit that is opening tomorrow at the MOCA annex at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Slimane is hands-down my favorite photographer in the history of time. I just love the world he represents, where everyone is a crazy 90z heroin addict musician, everyone is skeleton thin, and they live in lush beautiful environments…

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Martha! Martha! Martha!

Dear Martha Lovers, One time, in kindergarten, our teacher asked us to draw a picture of what we would look like when we were 40. I basically drew a picture of my father (who has black hair and a mustache) with wrinkles and worms crawling out of his face. My perception was that as soon as I turned 30 I would immediately start decomposing and turn into a zombie. I hope that premonition wasn’t true… In other news, do you ever find yourself looking at Martha Stewart, saying to yourself HOMEGIRL LOOKS GOOD! I mean, the woman is 70 years…

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Pictures From Where I Was From

Dear Diary, Until last week it was still summer in Los Angeles. For the entirety of the endless Halloweekend 2011, it was 80 degrees and gorgeous. Thus, I have been itching for some fall weather. Some trees with yellowing leaves. Some fall rain, wetting the dry grasses and making everything smell like freshly brewed chamomile tea. Instead, what we have in LA is bimbos (male and female) playing volleyball underneath palm trees, tanning their skin in the glorious sunlight and going on hikes carrying an iced coffee in one hand and an adorable Chihuahua in the other. Sometimes the only way…

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Orlando’s Obsession: Vuluptuous Volvos

Dear Car Enthusiasts, Let me just start this post by saying one thing. I am not a car enthusiast. I don’t know that much about cars. Not that I don’t love car design and pretty cars, but I have, like, 450,000 other hobbies and so there’s just no more room in my heart for another one. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about cars at all though. In fact, one time I nearly ended a friendship over a disagreement about cars. This was in high school, obviously. We had nothing better to fret about. Apparently (I don’t actually remember this…

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