Dear Emily’s Readers,
For some, normal upstanding people, Sunday is a day to relax with your family, do the laundry, and catch up on reading. For Emily and I (Orlando), Sundays are a day to go to the flea market. Like rabid dogs howling in the darkness of night, we arrive super early, eyes ravenous with desire for beautiful furniture at bargain prices, our mouths foaming. The Grand Mother of all LA area flea markets is the Rose Bowl (though I am personally partial to Long Beach because it’s way less crowded and the prices are better). This past Sunday we headed to Pasadena with a photographer, a magazine editor, and a makeup artist (our beautiful friend Danielle). Going to the Rose Bowl is kind of like going to Disneyland. At first you’re all excited to get inside and see all the magic. Then as the day goes on, more and more people show up and it gets super crowded and everyone is eating hot dogs and all the babies start crying at once. At this point, it’s time to pack up and head to secret lunch with your two best friends (in my case Emily and a glass of wine).
But you can’t leave the Rose Bowl before finding some cool stuff, so here’s a peak at what we saw over the weekend:
The strangest and most exhilarating find was this wonderfully terrifying baby painting. Emily loved it, snapping it up for $5. Best $5 she ever spent!
Does this kilim rug make you want to dance? ($400).
These little pink chairs also want to do-wop with you. And they’re $10 each.
How cute is this wooden airplane? We wanted to grab it for a little boy’s bedroom we are working on but realized it was too big to fit in there. Sadtimez. Also, how much do you want that tiger to spring to life and become your best friend?
Emily liked this painting a lot. I am kind of like whatever about it …
Like many of the weirdos that live in this weirdo city, I don’t have even one umbrella and when it rains I look into the sky quizzically wondering what the boo-diddle is going on. That doesn’t stop me from wanting this delightful umbrella stand to collect all the decorative umbrellas I’d buy just so that I could look at them in this delightful umbrella stand. A little steep though, at $125.
Emily saw these pigs and fell in love with them immediately. I, on the other hand, was like, “Gag me with a spoon!” These pigs have incited much controversy amongst our friends. Some think they are genius, some think they are hideous, disgusting, and embarrassing. I think I’m on the “those are disgusting and terrifying” side. What do you think?
I like this ceramic ice bucket. I’d like to fill it with all my secret hopes, dreams, and fears (all of which have something to do with Taylor Swift).
This find happened in my absence, but I’m fascinated with it. It’s a dome filled with shredded money. I have no idea where the stredded money came from, but I like to imagine it’s from someone so rich that when people asked her what she was up to this weekend she’d always respond, “Oh, you know, just shredding millions of dollars because there is just SO much more where it came from.”
Hay DavidHead, what your name is? ($40!), but it will soon be a lamp!
Every flea market, we see this brass beauty and Emily says, “Why haven’t I bought that yet!?!” And then she asks how much it is and when she’s hears “$180, ” she replies, “Oh, that’s why!” And then we walk away feeling poor and dissatisfied. Which is also how I feel every time I eat sushi. Am I right? Sushi always seems like a good idea when you’re with your friends and then you get the bill and it’s $9, 000 per person and you’re still starving and everyone hates each other. But the taste is oh so good…
I’m pretty sure Emily considered buying this crazy macrame sculpture so that she could convert it into a house that she could live in forever and ever. $150.
These salmon monstrosities were my favorite find of the day. Their brass legs are so gorgeous, stylish, and timeless. Like your mom. ($350/pair)
This is Emily talking about fabric. She talks often about fabric. Sometimes for hours and hours and hours. To strangers. On the street. At 4 AM. To hobos. Not really (yes really).
This is some of the glamorous hand-dyed fabric we found. Not cheap, but super pretty. ($60-$150)/roll)
I don’t know exactly what this is, but I want it. I suppose you can use it for flowers and/or your giant spoon collection. Everyone has one of those, right? Brass Urn $40.
Don’t you just want to bite this desk? It’s so delicious. I’d start with a little love nibble. Then I’d bite harder. Eventually I’d start eating it and then everyone would be scared and bewildered. AHHHH! $350.
Know what else is scary? This mean dog just killed that rabbit. RUDE! $150 — and worth every penny.
Everyone thinks Emily is a really nice boss. What no one knows is that whenever I make a mistake she hits me with this giant gavel. Evidence: Here she is chasing me at the Rose Bowl. $50.
This is Emily posing for the photographer (the lovely and talented David Tsay). Just after this picture was taken a random lady was all, “Why that girl posing there like that? WHYYYYY! GOD!!! … Ohhhh it’s a photoshoot. Oh wait I’m in the photo. Ohmigod. ME! Me in the photoshoot! I’m a model I’m a model!” At which point I was like “Ma’am, MA’AM! Please leave.” And then she grabbed Emily’s giant gavel and hit me with it. That sort of happened/not really.
This conversation happened just now:
Me: Hey Emily, remember that vase that looked like a head? We should have bought that.
Emily: We did buy it, it’s right there [points to vase on my desk, right in front of my face].
Me: Thank god.
Emily: Why are you wearing Garfield pajamas at work?
Head Vase, $20
I don’t really know what you’re supposed to use these beads for but I think they look pretty just sitting there, gleaming in the sun. Glass Beads, $20/strand.
I want this door knocker for the giant house I own (in my fantasy life where I own a home). Door Knocker, $10
Something about this lady portrait spoke to me. It said “Hey, you there, I’m judging you!” Not sure if I like this or not, but it definitely falls into the category of weird portrait. And one can never have enough weird portraits. $80.
This little Shamrock Clock seems like he wants to come live in the shelving I just put in my dining room. $40
Finally, here is Emily. She’s still talking about the fabric from before. I have the feeling that someday I will go to her house and find her submerged in a giant pile of beautiful fabric and the world’s biggest collection of useless brass objects. And then I will dig her out and and she will be mad at me for taking her away from her favorite things in the world.
At the end of the day this Rose Bowl wasn’t the best one ever. We didn’t score as much as we usually do. But a mediocre day at the Rose Bowl is like a fantasyglamour day anywhere else, so it was still fun in the sun for everyone.
Watch a behind the scenes video of us shopping and witness the craziness that is the Rose Bowl on this new video app, Montaj (being released next week). And yes it is set to a One Direction song which Emily insisted was ironic but I’m not convinced:
Love,
