Art Barter. I would've offered a first born.

When I read about Art Barter, I had to go and try my luck at procuring a new piece of art--the kind of thing one never needs but always wants.

Art Barter operates like this. Works by a number of renowned and talented artists are hung in a group show. Pieces are neither priced nor openly credited to their creator (though some of them are signed or just very characteristic of the artist and therefore pretty transparent). Guests and art lovers then make offers on the pieces they fancy. Non-monetary offers.

Take my offer for barter, for instance. I filled out the 'Offer' field...

 

And then I filled out the entire back too.

My final offer read as follows:

1. A long weekend (4 days, let's say) in my studio apartment in Koreatown, Los Angeles. It's not a lovely building, no. It once was, maybe, but not any more. There are apartments occupied by 5 when there should be one. There is garbage in the hall sometimes. But it's got character. And I've made (I think) the best one can in my own little unit. And dirt & despair inspires artists, so they say - inspires creativity? So really--what I'm offering you--is an opportunity to be inspired. Oh, and you may use my parking spot too. I'd take that if I were you. I got held up earlier this year on a nearby street.

2. If Offer 1's not of interest, I'd be willing instead to send you 1 funny, inspiring email a day for a month. xo

Fingers crossed that the artist responsible for No. 16, an incredible photograph, finds average to inferior living conditions as alluring as I do. If so, I may need somewhere to crash for the weekend when he/she comes to claim what's his/hers.

 

 

Sit on this. My first cover is on stands now.

For those who don't know, I've been working with the incredible publishing house, Niche Media, working on their LA based cover shoots as a Sittings Editor of sorts. LA folks--you all know their LA mag, LA Confidential. This cover was done for the publication's NYC sister, Gotham Magazine. Anne Hathaway and the entire crew on set that day was lovely to work with. So this stunningly lovely cover that resulted is no surprise.

Read the cover story on Anne here.

Jonathan Adler for a cause & caffeine.

Project (RED) launched several years ago, teaming up with big brands to develop cool products whose proceeds would go to support HIV and AIDS progams. The incredible project has only grown bigger and more effective since.

Design star Jonathan Adler has now joined the fight, designing a travel mug for Starbucks that is--dare I say this and risk demeaning the cause--really freaking adorable.

Beside supporting (RED) with the purchase of a mug, you of course also support the green movement. Enough with those cardboard sleeves already, ya hear?

Pick up your Adler mug to go at your local Starbucks or shop the (STARBUCKS)RED collection online and make your holiday shopping dollars count.

Cool Hunting's pop-up gift mecca. [NYC]

 

Shopping for the holidays can be like a slow, month-long death to the creativity and authenticity of generosity.

How much did Jimmy Jo spend on me last year? I'll have to get him exactly three and a half sets of wool socks to make good.

Or, little Janey is just growing so quickly these days. A gift card seems best. Is Starbucks credit appropriate for a 4 year old?

Well, Cool Hunting--blogging purveyors of pretty much everything awesome and fresh in culture, arts, tech and design--have launched a pop-up shop with Gap in NYC this holiday season which guarantees that each and every gift you get will at least start a conversation that doesn't end in Where's the closest location for me to return this?

From frivolous items like customizable trophies (I want an 'Imma Winner' engraving) to books by cool peeps (like Amy Sedaris) to decorative collaborations with design gods (like Jonathan Adler--check out his butt bust below) to unique edibles (like some amazing chocolate--yes, I sampled, and tasty pickles), the store is an amazing treasure trove of gifts for your nearest and dearest [and yourself].

Below the jump, some of my favorite items in the store. I didn't officially register or anything, but ya know, take this as an official hint of my holiday wish list...

A little bit of NY noise at Playhouse Hollywood.

Just in time for my return to LA next week, my good friend, NY's best and best dressed DJ, DJ Reach, is coming to town. Catch him with me at Playhouse a week from tonight. (And you know if I'm leaving my apartment into the cold...and into the cold in Hollywood no less, than he must be just that good.)

Thursday, December 16th

Playhouse
6506 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA

Get yourself excited for his appearance with a taste of his last venture to our fair city below...

The Bird and the Bee. And you but not me.

I'm in New York for the week. But you--you're most likely in LA. So go to this for me, would you? I adore the sweet sounds of The Bird and the Bee and am rueful that I'll be missing this free (yes, you heard me--FREE) performance they're doing as part of the Mondrian Sessions--the hotel's cool new monthly musical night cohosted by KCRW and other cool LA kats, like style bible Refinery 29.

Mondrian Hotel
8440 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA

FREE
RSVP to skybarla@morganshotelgroup.com

LA band Warpaint covers Bowie.

Like Warpaint cause they're LA based. Like 'em cause it's members are all super cute ladies. Like 'em cause they were just this week nominated for BBC's Sound of 2011 (and the BBC knows what's up).

[Thanks to my friend Dylan Willoughby for sharing this video.]

Corporate design that's more art than ad.

In plowing through hundreds of portfolios recently on Behance, the web's awesome crowdsourced network of designers, artists, and other creative types, I discovered the work of Spanish artist Marta Cerda Alimbau. Alimbau has created designs for international brands including Ray Ban, Nike, Coca Cola, Beautiful Decay, Kleenex, and more.

A note to the artist: Your work, dear Marta, is sick.

Diet Coke, inspiring designers, inspiring me.

When I lost my luggage this weekend...I'm sorry--when the airline lost my luggage...my first stop was Target. Spending money on new clothing would be admission that my bag was lost forever. And, well, I'm just not ready to admit that. So, off to Target for affordable, temporary replacements to traipse around Long Island in it was. Much to my great pleasure I discovered a 'Vintage' line of sweatshirts and tees that the mega-superduper-giganto retailer now carries. And lo and behold, I found a heather gray sweatshirt emblazoned with my favorite beverage, Diet Coke's, logo--this is a sweatshirt I would have purchased if my luggage had arrived. This is the sweatshirt I was meant to own, to proudly wear while coolly sipping, what else, a cold can of DC.

But in an attempt to find an image online to share with you of my new favorite dud I discovered these puppies. It turns out that sneaker brand PUMA has a thing for my beloved beverage too. Peep these Diet Coke First Round Soda kicks from PUMA's retro-inspired collection. Love.

And perfect timing for the discovery as my new Puma sneaks are amongst the items lost in my bag lost in turn in baggage purgatory.

VOGUE (and I) invite you to the Lacoste store.

Vogue invites you to brighten the season with Lacoste in San Francisco. Vogue's Market Stylist (that's me!) will be on hand to shop with you from 5:30 - 7:30 pm tonight--Thursday, December 2nd--while enjoying cocktails, passed apps, and a live DJ.

See you there San Francisco!

xx * Jessie

Glamorous: the real behind the scenes of the making of an award show.

When you think Award Show, you may think red carpet, celebrities, mediocre jokes.

Well, the truth behind award shows can be found in some behind the scenes pictures from our WMMA Awards production office below. They feature not fancy gowns nor famous mugs, but food, food, more food, and then some recycled meeting room air. Guest starring late night loopiness and frozen yogurt trips. Also, a cameo with our Coordinating Producer and one of our fave UFC fighters, Jon Jones, who came by to grab his tickets and provide a brief moment of reprieve.

Las Vegas, City of Sin and Shows.

For those of you who have wondered how I ended up going straight from a Buddhist Monastery to Las Vegas, City of Sin, this is how...

I'm happily working on talent and Presenters for the WMMA Awards again. I'll admit--I'm not well versed in the new sport, but the folks involved in this industry as well as the fighters themselves are as nice as can be. A fact that's hard to believe considering it's a sport popular for its blood, guts and violence.

If you happen to be in Vegas this Wednesday, December 1st, join us at the event!

Tickets are available online through the Palms Hotel.

The Making of a Bed, Part Un: The Bed.

Three years ago I moved into the studio which I'm still residing in in always sunny, always shady Koreatown, Los Angeles. At that time, I moved without anything more than a shoddy metal bookshelf and some sheets. I slept on the floor for 2 days and then hurriedly bought the cheapest mattress I could find with the standard, chinsy metal frame that comes practically free with purchase. In that time, my bed has withstood spills, bugs and breakage (no, there is no elicit story here. it is just. a cheap. bed!). Last month I decided it was high time for a proper adult bed. And though I don't yet have a proper adult budget, I'm slowly piecing together a bed that I'll be proud[er] to see as I walk in the door (and hopefully one that I'll sleep a bit easier on too).

First came first: the bed frame.

Ikea's all fine and good in the post-grad years. But several years later, I needed a step up. Enter Pottery Barn's baby sister company, west elm.

I have now ordered [drum roll please] this bed....in Queen size!

Will the larger size bed look ridiculous in my teeny tiny studio? Maybe.

Am I forgoing a headboard which may or may not work for me. Darn straight I am. Headboards, I've learned, are expensive!!

Can I afford to go mattress shopping right now? No.

Am I excited as anything to buy new bedding which I also can't afford to change the look of my apartment and give it new character? Um, yeah.

Over the next couple of weeks I will [hopefully] and slowly build my new bed. I'll document as I go (an action packed design adventure, I know!). Until then it will be my new Queen size bedframe sat upon by my old full size janky mattress and cheap sheets. And zero photos will likely be shared with you.

Narrow-Leg Nailhead Upholstered Bed Frame
$349.00 – $499.00
Available on westelm.com or in stores.

Leaving Los Angeles. Me and the monks.

I told my friend a few weeks ago, 'So, I'm going to a Buddhist monastery next month for a week.'

Maybe I wasn't expecting a reaction quite of shock. Or exactly resembling excited, impressed wonderment. But something along the lines of 'Oh my goodness! How unlike you! Isn't this totally unexpected and unanticipated?!' Okay. So perhaps I was expecting shock and wonderment after all.

I certainly wasn't expecting my friend to say 'Oh......I'm not surprised.'

Well, despite my friend's opinion that it is exactly like me to get up and do something ridiculous, it was a bit of a surprise to me when I decided to register for 5 nights at the Deer Park Monastery, a Buddhist monastery in Escondido.

And today, I am departing. Without access to email or phones for nearly a week. No blogging, no Twitter, no Facebook updates. Radio silence from the 400 acre sanctuary just a couple of hours south of Los Angeles.

I'll end this last post before my journey with the same message I sent to my friends and family last night...

In olden days, a trip to the monastery would mean I was pregnant out of wedlock. Today, it just means I'm a privileged yuppy from the city who needs 'a break.'

I will have no access to email, phones or other electronic devices during this time. Smoke signals, maybe. But I haven't checked the fog levels out there yet. So, please refrain from emailing, calling or texting me as your expressions of love and/or tomfoolery will fall on deaf ears (no jokes about my poor hearing, please).

In the case of emergency, you may try to reach me via the Deer Park Monastery. I actually have no idea if anyone will answer the phone.

In case you are unclear about what constitutes an emergency, please use the following quick guide.

This is an Emergency...

* My apartment's on fire.
* You're dead.

This is NOT an Emergency...

* You stubbed your toe.
* Your boyfriend was rude to you.
* You're experiencing digestion issues.

I look forward to talking to you all when I return next week. Until then, have a great week and a very happy Thanksgiving!

Duty calls in a large waiting room in Downtown LA.

I'd like to make it clear that jury duty in Downtown LA looks absolutely nothing like the above stock photo.

Jury duty at the LA County Metropolitan Branch Court House looks like dozens of average looking people slumped in couches, eating chips and Cheetos for breakfast--some of them reading less than quality novels, another disproportionate number reading what I think from this distance may be gay bondage magazines.

And we are all sitting underneath Jury Service promotional ads featuring has-been actors and decorations like this which may have been on sale at the 99 Cent store. I know I would not have paid the full dollar for this poor attempt at a feeling of patriotism.

My red dot at Mercedes Helnwein.

Last night was the opening reception for Mercedes Helnwein's new show, Temptation to be Good, at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery (yes, I know this information would have been more helpful to you yesterday as opposed to quarter to eight on the day after--sorry).

I was a fan of this for a few reasons.

* More galleries should be as close to my home as the Merry Karnowsky Gallery is. To heck with Culver City. Let's build an art scene [around me] in Koreatown and Mid-City!

* Mercedes Helnwein is a favorite local artist of mine. Her drawings are incredible. And her new, larger format work is equally exciting, though a departure in ways of style as well as scope.

* My darling friend Elizabeth Ai was hosting (alongside a mysterious Beck who my friend and I never did spot). You may recall a while back I shared that Mercedes was doing some collaborative work with the Ai sisters for their awesome clothing line, Ai for Ai.

* I am a compulsive shopper and it's best that at least I have something worthwhile to toss my hard-earned money away for.

* Damien Hirst bought out Helnwein's last show in London. And it it's good enough for Hirst, it's better for me.

This was last night's guilty pleasure that's soon to be mine...

And this is my red dot. I just love when I can claim a red dot to be mine (says the art collector wannabe)...

I might make some snarky quip about reading it and weeping. But then again, it's my pocketbook I've hit and I feel if anyone should be weeping it might actually be me and not you.

Catch the show while it's still up.

MERCEDES HELNWEIN: TEMPTATION TO BE GOOD
November 13 - December 11, 2010

Merry Karnowsky Gallery
170 S. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

And while you're at it, read my March 2010 interview with Mercedes Helnwein here.

Between the sheets with model Daisy Lowe.

In the name of my many friends who continuously surprise me with their unbounded talents, I present the work of one more of these splendid, creative folks in my life.

(As an added bonus, British model Daisy Lowe rolls around for most of this video only half clothed.)

Enjoy.

Lazy Daisy from Patrick Fraser on Vimeo.

Director+DP: Patrick Fraser
Model: Daisy Lowe
Shot on location in Paris along side a fashion shoot for Blast magazine.

OK Go's tribute to toast.

This video, featuring toast and only toast, is as beautiful as the song its made for, Last Leaf.

Last Leaf

OK Go | Myspace Music Videos

Prada's virtual video lookbook. Awesome.

Oh, hey there Awesome. So, that's what you look like in Prada!

Give peace a chance.

As someone brighter and wittier than me once said, if you don't like something, do something about it.

Well, some folks in town didn't like the recent news about hate crimes and the awful consequences to those who are victim to discrimination.

So, they're doing this:

Starting Location
6356 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood, CA

November 21, 2010
3:00 p

We are walking for everyone who has ever been an innocent victim of a hate crime(s), for everyone who has ever been discriminated against, we are walking for everyone who has ever lived in fear because they were "different," and we are walking against intolerance so that perhaps we can impact those fearful and angry. So that we may send a message to those who strike against beautiful, innocent human beings. Beings who deserve nothing more than to be swimming gracefully and confidently in the same pool we swim in. No one here in this world is different lest they choose to be and even then, "the sun rises in the morning on ALL of us." Let's come together, create a buzz, and show Los Angeles and anyone who hears about or reads about our rally what we stand for and what we all deserve!