Mad About Mid Century Mod.

(Foreword: I wrote this post below on Sunday afternoon.  It is picture heavy with quite a bit of writing.  You won't hurt my feelings if you scan the words, don't worry).

I am writing this second post about my Cali trip as I sit in the United Airlines customer service line at the LA airport with 150 other sweaty people.  As our plane was taking off on the tarmac, a baggage cart came disconnected and hit full speed ahead into our plane and damaged the plane's engine  So much for assuaging my fear of flying.  And now hear I sit. And sit.  And wait on hold. Seriously United, get some better hold music...what's with the Yanni-esque smooth jazz?

So to keep me from flipping my lid, I thought I would share some images from the second part of my Cali trip.  I am a huge fan of all things mid century mod, and Palm Springs, Ca is the home of all things MCM.  Seriously, Don Draper would lose his mind.  So that is where we went.  The mecca of mid century mod.

Our trip started with a visit to the Palm Springs Art Museum which boasts an impressive collection of permanent exhibits, multiple amazing sculpture gardens, as well as, an outstanding collection of loaned pieces like a selection of Matisse's Jazz pieces. Seriously, if you ever get to Palm Springs, hit up this museum, it is AWESOME.  I felt like the museum curators read my mind and put all of my favorite contemporary artists in one place.

Some of my faves below...

An Andy Warhol Brillo dress...GET IN MY CLOSET!

Joan Brown, After the Alcatraz Swim #3

A Louise Bourgeois Spider Sculpture, eeeek!

A Chihuly glass sculpture in one of the outdoor sculpture gardens

Deborah Butterfield horse sculpture, who just so happened to be the keynote speaker at the NAEA convention in San Diego!

As we toured the town, I couldn't get enough of the color palette on the doors of both residences and businesses.  So, being the art teacher hoarder that I am, I collected them.

 

There are still many more pictures.  Maybe I will do a post solely on my door hoarding in the future?!

We also stayed within walking distance of the Moorten Botanical Gardens and had to take a visit.  After all, they boast the "World's First Cactarium!"

Moorten Botanical Gardens is brimming with beautiful desert plants, cacti, and succulents tucked in every single little corner of this garden.

 

While in Palm Springs, we also checked out Joshua Tree National Park.  This place is an amazing park featuring a HUGE variety of desert life.  Driving through the park felt like we were driving through multiple mini ecosystems.

Cholla Cacti at Joshua Tree National Park

The cholla cacti are super fun, Dr. Seuss-y plants, but beware, their prickles are nastay.  The hubs and I both wandered off the advised path (story of my life, always wandering, almost always lost)  and ended up with many a barbed cactus prickle in our legs and feet.  But, we did find some super cool skeletal cholla remains!

After seeing soooo many different cacti and succulents, I'm thinking I smell a project in the works, so please stick around like a Cholla Cacti, eh?

Super Succulents and Shoppin'.

After my recent Spring Break trip to The Land of the Cholla Cacti, I've been on a major succulent kick.

I can't get enough and the hubs was so tired of hearing me talk incessantly about succulents and saying the word succulent again and again and again, that he said, "Why don't you get your own succulents?"

So I did.

I picked up all of the pots above at my local Goodwill.  The milk glass one is super cool (because of course I love all things milk glass) and the teeny pitcher was made in West Germany.

Snagged these super succulents at the Home Depot and repotted these bad boys in the thrifted vases.

These days my house is starting to border on crazy plant lady, but nothing beats a little extra oxygen, especially after a day of inhaling Sharpie fumes.

Also picked up a couple of these thangs below:

My inner Dane comes out whenever I see blue and white china...eeesh. 

This little bronze music box was a super cool find.  It works really well and definitely has a Curtis Jere vibe about it. 

 And of course, more milk glass and wood boxes.  I can never pass those up.

That's all for now Arties.  Happy Thrifting to you!