PF chang expands to mexico and middle east

"To educate Mexicans about the particular brand of Chinese food that P.F. Chang's serves, it hired an open truck last month to drive around Mexico City with a massive statue of a horse and models dressed as terra-cotta warriors who handed out Chinese takeout boxes filled with chocolate fortune cookies."

[PF Changs tries to woo diners -times magazine]

 when the owner of ruth's chris' steak house decides to pitch an americanized chinese food brand into foreign soils and "educate" its customers, i see in the future: many mexicans who visit china getting really pissed because their meals do not end in chocolate fortunes like at that muy authentico restaurant back home. or chinese people disliking it because 1. why is everything deep fried 2. what the hell is sichuan flatbread and 3. why is it so much more expensive than my 4 dollar lunch? whoops! LOL...

drifting away.....

my recent obsessions mostly involve the seaside: driftwood, shells and sea urchin textures, antique mercury glass:

driftwood 

i love the weathered look of sea-bleached driftwood or stones with edges that have been smoothed out by the waves. so what better than to harness it as furniture or art? bleu nature is a french-based company i recently discovered, that produces very sleek driftwood and nature-inspired furniture and lighting:

kisime driftwood side table - the driftwood is held in place carefully by strings with acrylic poured slowly into the square mold...

savons kontinuum soap - a pebble-encased soap bar..

siqiniq pebble chandelier - love how the holes were carved through the pebble..

iqqiq driftwood lamp.....very whimsical

antique mercury glass and eglomise glass

i recently went to a fashion event at The Gates bar that had 10-20 of these beautiful mercury glass hurricane vases grouped on a fireside mantle- beautiful effect. 

i might have to buy a few of them myself.....

3 for $58 from farmhouse...

tall mercury glass vase [via target]

not quite antique glass but still very beautiful and similar in effect - hand blown willow grouse by finnish artist olva toikka [via arbitare]

antique mirrored table from sarlo [1stdibs]

coco antique mercury mirror with coco strips 

[via ochre]

minimalnectar