Some new feather pillows in my Etsy shop:
[SOLD]
I also have a selection of vintage wool blankets…
Warm wishes ♥
-
My boys, Jesse and Marcel…
…in Davenport, California
-
**NOTE**
Get in touch if you're interested in joining us for Claire Basler's Open House, Sept. 2018. 5 slots available.
Claire Basler Expo ParisWhat a lovely way to wrap up the year.
Behind the red door…
-
Marcel with Sam France and Jonathan Rado of Foxygen, following his recent interview with them:
Marcel just underwent spinal fusion surgery, leading Sam to share his own list of "heavy metal" instrumentation: he has rods in his leg, a screw in his arm, can't remember what else…and Marcel has rods, screws, hooks and wires in his back now. See here:
He's fit-as-a-fiddle now! Which reminds me, I shared one of my favorite jokes with Marcel upon his release from the hospital. I learned it from a Bazooka Joe comic about 45 years ago (!): "Hey doc, will I be able to play the piano after my surgery?" The doc says, "Of course you will." And Bazooka Joe says, "That's swell. I never could before!"
Well, he doesn't play piano yet, but he is 1 1/2" taller immediately following the surgery.
-
We spent five days at UCSF. Merci beaucoup to the incredible surgeon (Mohammad Diab), doctors and nurses. Our favorite nurses were Steve and Jean. Take a listen to Jean's jazz singing HERE! And for a glimpse of what was installed in Marcello's back see HERE.
Out the back window…
Physical Therapy on the roof terrace…
Photograph pillars out in front of UCSF (more in my Flickr album)…
Resting back home…
One of his first outings after recovery was to go see Devendra Banhart perform. Here are photos of them taken a year apart…
Andy Cabic and Devendra…
Andy Cabic, Devendra Banhart and Noah Georgeson…
Bret Harte Hall at Roaring Camp, Felton, California, October 21, 2014.
-
A lively, soulful folk trio from South Dakota, Onward, Etc.
We had the pleasure of meeting them in San Jose at the C2SV Festival (9-28-13), held at a series of downtown clubs, cafes, parks and bars. We were late, trying to run from one venue to the next, and by the time we arrived at Cafe Stritch for Onward, Etc. they had wrapped up their set. When Marcel told them that he was disappointed he missed them, they swept him away to an upstairs room and did a private performance for him! I caught up with them just in time to record the song “Kings and Queens”:
I cut the camera off right when marcel was saying, “You have an amazing voice. ” Amen. I’ll second that. The camera work is not the best, I admit. I was trying to navigate around the wrinkled up Persian rug, the furniture and not get poked by the violin bow, all while looking through the viewfinder alone. Trickier than it would seem. I wish we had a better camera and mic. This is one of the best performances I’ve heard them do of this song. Brilliant as a full moon. Merci fellas.
Rosco Wuestewald (singer Onward, Etc.) and Michael Jirkovsky (drummer, SF band Social Studies):
At Cafe Stritch, watching Curious Quail, from San Jose.
Sadly the festival didn’t return this year. We had such a great time, meeting new people (including Iggy Pop, Keith Morris, Jessica Paré, John Kastner, Jello Biafra, Deafheaven, to name a few) and discovering new venues. And of course, discovering Onward, Etc.!
-
I've always felt that traditional kitchen design and decor is far too limiting. I loathe built-ins and bristle at steel sufaces. In my barn conversion project I outfitted my kitchen with a 'moveable feast' of storage and work surfaces — my shelving units are on casters and my island is on casters. And of course, the fridge rolls. I like to be able to reconfigure the layout and the furnishings as my moods and needs change. In that same spirit of breaking with tradition I decoupaged my refrigerator with plywood patterned paper.
Fridge before. I will be putting the skirt seen in this photo back on the sink cabinet. I made one for the island also, both made from actual skirts.
This particular fridge purchased on Craig's List for $30, although brand new, was missing its handles. I drilled holes and attached leather straps for handles, using a vintage policeman's belt with a handsome tooling pattern on it. I had enough to also make a handle for the drawer on my island.
The island was a work bench in the barn. It had a barrel lock on the drawer that I didn't need so I removed it and cut a piece of wine cork (just happened to be the perfect diameter) with a hacksaw and glued it into the hole.
The belt handle, attached with vintage brass screws and nuts:
[Note to self: shape ends of fridge straps the same as these]
If you like "portable" furniture, you might like to see the record cabinet on wheels that I made HERE.
-
For birthday gifts I made a custom t-shirt and an apple-strawberry pie.
I love fall, it's my favorite season and it's the time when nature really glows in California. To honor the season I made an apple pie, and living in the berry capital of the world, I was inspired to add some strawberries. I'll be making that one many more times. It was delicioso.
-
It's been an amazing musical summer so far. So many bands, so little time. You may know by now that when I'm not in my creative realm, designing interiors and textiles and rooting around salvage yards, I'm 'on the road' with my Marcel, the magical music journalist. Last week Marcel rode around the local skate park with the guys from Andrew Jackson Jihad, followed by a great and groovy performance at the Rio Theater. Then we met up with Real Estate and Kevin Morby for a show at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz which lead to an invitation by the Woodsist folks to their two-day festival in Big Sur! If you haven't gone to a Woodsist Fest…go now! There's one coming up in Pioneertown in Southern California on August 16th.
Having only heard Kevin Morby's songs for the second time I was hit with how familiar they sounded, as if I'd been hearing them all summer long. I attribute that to great songwriting. I told Justin the drummer that this would be one of those CDs that doesn't leave my car stereo and it's true. I switch back and forth between that and Bobby Bare Jr.'s latest.
Kevin Morby, Justin Sullivan, and Michael Campbell
My sons, Jesse and Marcel, helping out at the merch table.
Tim Presley and Nick Murray of White Fence
Special guest Ty Segall joined White Fence onstage
-
When I heard about Robin Williams' passing today it took me back to 1982. I was walking in an underground parking garage in Japantown in San Francisco when I heard someone deep inside the garage shout out, "Hey lady!" I turned to see a man in a sombrero flagging me down. So naturally, as one would do in a dark, shadowy parking garage, I waited for him, thinking, "This guy seems like fun." It was Robin Williams, beaming, grinning ear-to-ear. A ball of energy. We walked together through Japantown and he had me in stitches the entire time. I tried to talk him into going with me to the Depeche Mode concert at the Kabuki Theater but he had an appointment for massage where women would be "walking all over my back."
I can't help think when these sensitive souls pass — like Robin Williams, and Heath Ledger, and Mitch Hedburg, and Philip Seymour Hoffman — "If they were my friend I wouldn't have let them slip away. I would've tried to make life liveable for them." I know it's not that simple. I wish it were.
So Sylvie 