A Fresh Start

I’m not going to pretend this hasn’t been a challenging year for many of us and the month of January has been particularly cruel to me in the past. That being said I enter this new year with a new optimism and hope that will bring us all much happiness, good health and prosperity. Wishing the happiest of New Year’s to all! (Panda photo courtesy of DJ Bass)

A Shift in Reality

If you have an iPhone and want something very fun to play with, download this TiltShift app for a mere $1.99. I have long admired tilt shift photography in which a regular world becomes miniature through the use of a special lens. There is also a pretty good tutorial for achieving this in Photoshop and I intend to play with that as well. This iPhone app does it all for you and lets you save high resolution copies of the final image as well. 

Numerology

Beautiful laptop/tote embossed with numerals from the Didot alphabet. Designed by Assouline for Cole Haan.

Merrie

Have a very Merrie Christmas!

Cut Me a Vowel

Beautiful hand-cut posters from artist Peter Karras. At the The Cutty Spot you can order any letter from the alphabet, each poster is individually set and hand-cut out of natural white Arches paper. 

Baked

Sorry for the lack of posts this week, I have been baking up a frenzy, wrapping gifts and prepping for the dinner I’m hosting for my family here on Christmas Eve. Found great packaging at Surfas for baked goodies. The boxes have an oval glassine window which I added a label of my own to. You can order online but if you are in L.A., it's definitely worth a trip to shop at a gourmet & cooking supply store the size of Macy's. Where else can you find freshly baked blue corn tart shells, beet powder, cheeses from all over the world, chef's aprons and every kind of chocolate known to man? (AND lots of cute chefs buying supplies!!)

Best Xmas Tree Ever!

A most imaginative tree assembly by Dutch artist Jane Schouten! I love how the light switch is worked into the collage. See more of the tree at her Flickr site. (Click on photo to view in detail)

Ice to Meet You

To mark the launch of TheNewIceAge.com, a giant ICE WALL was erected outside the Royal Festival Hall at London's Southbank Centre, which encompassed an array of fruit, vegetables and seafood magnificently suspended in ice. This artistic display designed by IceBox, showcased the freshness and high quality of frozen foods. So simple , so beautiful and just a wonderful winter installation.

Peace Wreath

I just love this wreath from Chiasso and for only $30, it's a great deal. Just know they are out of stock until Dec. 15th, so I'm hoping to snag one then.

Poems & Pies

This event could easily be a wet dream for anyone suffering from the munchies. This weekend here in Echo Park, Machine Project is presenting a lecture on the theory and history behind pie-making hosted by their December Artist-in-Residence Joshua Beckman and Master pie-maker Jen Bervin. They are also holding a Fry-BBQ where you bring all your stashed fryable foods, and well, you get the indulgent idea. Fry & Pie, oh dear! This week they also are continuing with their Poetry Delivery service for local residents. Machine Project hosts such interesting events and really celebrates the community of artists here in Los Angeles. 

Fabric On-Demand

Not being crafty or able to sew at all, I am still tempted to go ahead and print some of my own fabric just because you now can at Spoonflower. There is no minimum, it costs $18 a yard and is printed on quality quilting-weight cotton from Moda™. I'd love it even more if they printed on cotton heavy enough for covering furniture, maybe more options will be available in the future. A few examples from customer designs shown above.

Bits & Pieces

Beautiful fabric typography installation by Shunichiro Nakashima. 

Stitch in the City

Not your grandmother’s quilts, these modern & very graphic urban quilts from artist Amy Ahlstrom are so covetable. It’s like having a fabric poster. I so want one!

Minimal Impact Tree

If I had enough wall space I would opt for this very modern tree solution. This limited edition self-adhesive Christmas tree wall sticker from WOW (I did a post on them yesterday) is 72" x 17" and only $100. A very arty option for decorating, so fun!

Art in Unexpected Places

Really loving the latest collection of artist beach towels from the Art Production Fund and Works On Whatever (WOW).  The 2009 collection features contemporary artwork by Karen Kilimnik, Raymond Pettibon, Julian Schnabel and Ed Ruscha reproduced on large soft 100% cotton, 50" x 60" beach towels. The four limited edition beach towels will be carried by Target (online only, free shipping) and also available online from the WOW link above.

The Artist Towel Series 2009 is part of Art Production Fund's WOW (Works on Whatever) project, a unique collection of everyday items designed by artists. APF invites artists to experiment with the latest commercial materials and techniques to bring art off the walls and into homes as everyday objects. WOW introduces contemporary art to a larger community with revenues from sales supporting their non-profit mission. WOW works conceptually with APF's program of expanding art audiences and helps fund additional major civic artworks.

Happy Thanksgiving

Vintage photos from 1938 of Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Happy Thanksgiving! Top photo from Ziegfeldgirl. Felix the Cat from here.

No-Cook Turkey

This bronzed roast turkey is a papercraft project Creative Techs found on a Japanese site. They've bundled the templates into an easy-to-download PDF. Very amusing. (Via SwissMiss)

Dangerous Brew

Unfortunately hard liquor just doesn't agree with me, I’m much more of a red wine lover. But oh how I wish I drank something as mysterious and legendary as absinthe. This beautiful bottle design from Pandor says it all.

Playing Tag

The creative tornado and design diva that is Project Ecoart has  kindly tagged me to list “Six Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy.” The word ‘unimportant’ throws me a bit, so I ended up listing seven ordinary things that cause extraordinary happiness for me. I guess nothing is unimportant but there are many simple mundane things that make me reel with bliss.

1. Growing anything from seeds. I still can’t get over the joy of a new seedling popping out of the ground with the promise of providing flowers for the house, herbs for cooking & vegetables to eat.

2.  Beautiful typography

3.  Riding a horse, especially during the years of my double life as a cowgirl and art director (more on that at another time).

4.  The desert

5.  The warmth of a purring cat next to you

6.  Marshmallow Fluff, as Rachel Zoe would say, I Die!

7.  Gut-wrenching and beautiful architecture & the space it creates. It can literally take my breath away.

The rules of this are that I tag a few more sites to do the same and I look forward to seeing what they list: Krysta ......, La Bloga

Green Graffiti

A very green approach to unauthorized street art, moss graffiti art from Edina Tokodi (aka Mosstika). Love the whole idea of guerrilla gardening!

Fragile Armor

Beautiful concept for a series of garments from artist Li Xiaofeng, do check out the collection, it’s stunning on actual models.

Keeping it Simple

Instead of killing a tree for holiday decorations, why not opt for a 100% recycled, non-toxic raw cardboard wreath? The clean modern design has just the right amount of seasonal cheer without being gaudy. They also have skull, deer and moose head trophies that might find a home on my bookshelves past Christmas. From Cardboard Safari.

Culture Club

Global awareness, social responsibility and helping out charities benefiting impoverished communities throughout the world have become a part of our lives. Dr. Allan Bernstein, a working surgeon with a flair for fashion and a big heart is the vision behind Ethnicitee, a clothing line “inspired by passion, fueled by compassion and socially conscious through fashion.” The line of whisper-soft shirts celebrate the diversity of global cultures with designs inspired by postal stamps from around the world. The best part is 10% of Ethnicitee’s profits go to Charity: Water, a non-profit initiative bringing clean water to communities suffering from extreme poverty. No amount of medicine can help these communities without clean water, so basic, so important. Give a dual-purpose gift this holiday season. it just feels right.

The Halo Effect

The latest cover of the first issue after the election of The New Yorker magazine, illustrated by Bob Staake. Stunning.

Stuck on It

Truly inspired and just fabulous, a magnetic curtain! Designed by Florian Kräutli, a Swiss designer, studying in The Netherlands. The curtain will be available from Droog Design in the future. Contact designer for more information. (Via SwissMiss)

Yo!

I’m starting to think about holiday gifts already and want to try to find gifts that are eco-friendly. Designers Ben Floeter & Natalie Wright of "Suddenly, It's Real!" live in a tiny tree house in a forest in the mid-west. Their beautifully crafted handmade Yo Yos are made with various sustainably harvested woods from their own tiny forest. The wood is carefully selected, hand cut, meticulously sanded and finished with natural shellac, then assembled with the utmost care. The strings are 100% cotton, professional Yo Yo strings! Each YoYo measure approximately 2" diameter. Before leaving the shop, they must pass rigorous testing by Ben himself, to insure that you will receive a quality product that works like a charm! From Fawn & Forest.

Obamabats

Designer Jeff Domke created Obamabats, a  collection of 24 high-quality dingbats featuring our President-Elect and various design elements for free download and use. Inspired by the Obama graffiti and posters seen in his neighborhood of Brooklyn, this just further proves how iconic Obama is to us.

Sustainable Radios

Singgih Kartono chooses wood for his radios not just based on aesthetics but on his appreciation of wood's simplicity and organic vitality. The Magno radio combines the most current mp3 player compatible electronics with sustainably grown woods. Really love the design of these and like the combination of a vintage looking radio with mp3 player. From Design Public.

Right On!

Beautifully executed animated short done in typography on the universal declaration of human rights. From the Human Rights Action Center, created by Seth Brau. 

See-Through Wood

Being a sucker for wood grain patterns, this timber side table from Gus* Design Group speaks to me. Almost invisible, so cool. (Via Design Milk)

A New Dawn

I am overwhelmed with optimism and tears of joy. Our country finally had an epiphany. 

Portrait in Words

Wonderful portrait of Obama done completely in typography, in an algorithmically based word program similar to Wordle. This is it everyone, if you haven't voted yet make sure you get out there tomorrow. I'm taking a stool, an umbrella (we expect rain) and book since I expect & hope there will be long lines. 

Pillow Talk

These pillows go way beyond decorative.They are for me, a lover of typography, pieces of art for a sofa or chair. Surreal compositions of letter characters & photos, they are available in a range of letters from Bonjour Mon Coussin for 39€.

Boo

This fall I have noticed an insane amount of spider webs everywhere. They are quite beautiful to behold and as long as they are not close to a window or door, I leave them alone. Nature's way of decorating for Halloween. I'll be locking my black cat Jesse inside for the night since we live 8 houses down from the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival & parade. It's much like living in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras. 300,000 poeple (many in costume) descend upon my neighborhood for the party of the year and it gets pretty crazy around here. The costumes are amazing if you can see anything from the crush of the crowd. Where ever you are, have a happy & very safe Halloween!

The Secret Life of Books

Just stunning are these cut books by Scottish artist Georgia Russell! (Via PinkShirtsandCarWrecks)

Modern Moisture

During winter many of us may want to run a humidifier but the thought of having an ugly appliance is just not an option. Enter Middle Colors, a Japanese company that has designed the best looking humidifiers ever! They come in a rainbow of colors and look so sleek yet so functional. (Via AT)

A Bag of Bones

Love this darkly humorous skeleton key chain by Alexander McQueen, at Zappos.com and especially this Hero AL1 Upright with the sternum and backbone showing through the skin of the case. 

The Joy of Being Italian

I am a second generation Italian-American, raised in a lively & artistic household full of drama, great food & deep family connections. Many years later, when I first stepped onto Italian soil in Rome, I knew I was truly home. The smell of familiar cooking surrounded me, everyone looked like me or a relative, acted like me and had a similar style. If I was a wolf pup, I would have rolled around in that Italian dirt, home at last. The blood bond runs deep. The Little Bookroom publishers (of wonderful guidebooks like the City Secrets of Rome) have released a wonderful new book, Italianissimo, a quintessential guide to everything Italian. It profiles 50 Italian contributions to culture ranging from great ideas, to cuisine, fashion, cinema and much more. A beautiful edition & good read, even if you’re not Italian!

At the Zoo

Hilarious ad for the Calgary Zoo, copy line reads “Playtime will change after Zoo School. Kids learn everything from mating habits to wildlife conservation. Call 232-9346 to enroll. Calgary Zoo.”  Advertising Agency: Trigger communications, Canada, Creative Director: Patrick Doyle, Art Director: Joel Arbez, Copywriter: David Delibato, Photographer: Jean Perron

Dancing with Skeletons

Whether you are decorating for Halloween or just love the folk art depicting Dia De Los Muertos scenes, it’s time to break out the skulls & bones. Clockwise from top left: Day of the Dead diorama from Direct From Mexico, $48.25 (7" x 14" x 2"), Button from Cafe Press, $3.73, Bone Chillers ice cube tray from McPhee, $8.95 and dancing skeleton pot holders from Buckaroo’s Merchantile, $8.00.

A Play on Light & Type

The Momento Light designed by Hiroshi Yoneya and Yumi Masuko is a wonderful typographic study on light & type. I feel a new obsession coming on.

Spinning a Web

AirSpace, a screen facade design that creates an exterior building skin/web for a new dwelling in Tokyo by Thomas Faulders “is a zone where the artificial blends with nature: sunlight is refracted along its metallic surfaces; rainwater is channeled away from exterior walkways via capillary action; and interior views are shielded behind its variegated and foliage-like cover.” Just so beautiful!