i'm out of here

On vacation! See you next week!

Photo: 'Nice Day Out' by the SwampDonkey. Via Ffffound.

sunday tune #31: mark ronson feat. amy winehouse - valerie

Valerie Video
Today are new songs with old soul. I love this one.

(PS: did you see these photos? Um, awesome.)

sunday tune #30: jamie lidell - another day

I saw this guy live in May and it was off the proverbial hook.

collarbone

I saw this on Czina Likes this week and was totally charmed and a little disturbed by the animation. It's a music video created by John Davison for Fujiya & Miyagi.

I love that the song is about new shoes and shoelaces.

this weekend

I'm headed out of town, and my brain is a whirligig of things to do, but I have tried to still the madness long enough to compose this post. This weekend, you might consider :

• finding a swimming hole
  
• trying to be the most beautiful girl eating a kebab (St. George's in Tremont is having a kebab festival this weekend. Sadly, Flight of the Conchords won't be there.)
• polkaing
• getting lost in the corn
• stomp & circumstance
• reading about the perils of pebbles
  
• remembering the France of 1968 (ok, so this technically doesn't start until the 26th, but I'm so excited about it I had to mention it)

Happy weekend!

Photo from Will Govus' 'Teenage Summer' series. His portfolio is worth a perusal. I especially like this series. Can you believe he is only 17? Me neither.

I discovered his work via Apartment Therapy, of all places.

i wish that i might be a thinking stone

Detail from one of Sigmar Polke's stained glass windows for the Grossmünster, in Zurich. Just beyond - I love the juxtaposition of using something formed in the darkest places of the earth to create beautiful light.

Image from The New Yorker. Post title from here.

in case you feel inspired

The World Beach Project. For people who have to collect the stones on the beach.

pebbles

Pebble alphabets by Clotilde Olyuff.

Just beautiful.

Via grain edit.

blank art objects

'Blank Art Objects is an ongoing selection of small artworks free of artist identity, sold on-line at a pre-determined set price of 100 US dollars. Contributing artists include common folk and artists exhibiting internationally. Selected artists forfeit their identity on-line for purposes of the project (and may also forfeit his or her known technique, process, or style). Artist identity is only revealed to purchaser upon delivery of sold work.'

Via Hoping for Happy Accidents.

art by post

I read about this yesterday on Poppytalk, and I think it is about the the most brilliant gift idea ever. Heather Smith Jones is offering a three month art card subscription:

'Subscribers will receive an original piece of art each month, for three months. Each month will have a theme and each piece will be unique. No two will ever be the same. Yours won't be like that of any other subscriber.'

Only 15 spots available - act now!

feeling crafty

Aren't these decal transfers from Third Drawer Down the bees-knees? These ones are by Kat McLeod and word on the street is that Room Service will be carrying them.

They are also getting in these nifty stamp sets by Yellow Owl Workshop.


I'm pretty sure I need these immediately. Just look what they can do.

working on: birds (part two)

Long, long ago, I started working on making mobiles using this pattern.

Ta-da! Finally finished. More or less.

Things I have learned this morning:

1. Mobiles are difficult to photograph, because THEY WON'T STOP MOVING.
2. Photographing mobiles is a ideally a two-person operation. The dog is no help. All of these were taken with my left hand holding the mobile, and my right hand taking the photo. It's not a methodology I would recommend.

So far, I have two finished pieces. My brilliant mother came up with the idea of using twisty branches as a sculptural element to make a mini-mobile.

Mobile #1:



Mobile #2:

loss

'If a public servant's value can be measured by strength of personality alone, then Stephanie Tubbs Jones was priceless.
...
She was smart, energetic and committed to Cleveland and the people of the 11th Congressional District. Some elected officials endure the political side of the job; Tubbs Jones embraced it. She loved the handshakes and hugs, the speeches and the cheers -- perhaps because she knew how amazing it was that the daughter of a factory worker and a skycap might grow up to be a judge, a county prosecutor and a five-term member of Congress.'

day planner

Love this cover illustration by Lart Cognac Berliner. It makes me feel like sharpening my crayons. Little Otsu's planners are my favorite, because they are usually undated and you can start one whenever you feel like. For some mysterious reason, I am unable to adhere to normal dayplanner start times, so they are perfect for me.

i lied before, about it not being sad

I discovered Amanda Hawkins through the ever-inspiring Dear Ada blog. I like this video of her working in her moleskine.

the best after-school snack ever

These guys right here. I have made them. It changed my life.

passing notes

Check out this great circulating sketchbook project created by Jude of run4istrun. To participate, you put your name on the list and eventually a notebook is mailed to you. It's yours for two weeks to fill with sketches, collages or words, and then it moves on to someone new. 

Three of my favorite bloggers are involved and I can't wait to see what happens. Above is Krissy's contribution, kicking the project off.

we are going to be friends

Fall is here, hear the yell
back to school, ring the bell
brand new shoes, walking blues
climb the fence, books and pens
I can tell that we're going to be friends.

I love this song.

imaginary outfit: first day of school

This is what I would be wearing if I was going back to school, any school, this fall - something super preppy, with little twisty details like safety pin earrings and a crew neck with a shoulder zipper. I wouldn't want my clothes to shout look at me, but I'd like nice details there for knowledgeable eyes to see. I am always a little nervous on first days, and I still have the magical thinking that if I can just find the right outfit to wear, all difficulties will be smoothed away ...

that's why you have to go

Another classic featuring the Teeny Little Super Guy advocating school attendance. This one was particularly relevant to me, because I never wanted to go to school. My dad had to convince me to go every year. Of course, once I went, I loved it ... but then I never wanted to leave and had to be convinced all over again to go up a grade. It's a good thing my dad is so persuasive. Otherwise, I'd still be the world's biggest kindergartener.

after school

Let's play with this. I'll bring the quarters. Ms. Pac Man in high-def! My goodness.

Via NotCot.

a school bag (pack)

Duluth Packs. Originally patented in 1882. I'm pretty sure I could get away with one of the little ones.

a school bag (tote)

Wm. J. Mills & Co. Canvas Flight Bag. Via The Material Review.

a lunch box and thermos

Aluminum ration box.


Stanley Classic Limited Edition Bottle. You should always get the extra-best thermos you can buy.

a box of crayons

Artemis Plant Dyed Crayons. The colors are based on traditional natural dyes - madder root, indigo, blackthorn berries, weld leaves, lac-dye, coreopsis flowers and catechu acacia.

a pencil box

Pencil Box by Labour and Wait. Just needs one of these ... or maybe these.

a notebook

For essays and themes. Exercise Book at Kiosk.

an ode to 48

When I was little, a new box of crayons was a treat. The box of 48 has always been my favorite. The 64 box had metallics and a sharpener, true, but the 48 had a nice, square shape and a solid range of color without too much duplication. It was good enough for me. The first order of business was always to rearrange the crayons by color. Once that was done, I would proceed carefully, coloring lightly until one would break. At that point, they were officially no longer new, and became actual tools. I used them happily and fiercely, wearing them down to little waxy nubs.

This is the big week for back to school shopping. I miss it - getting outfitted every year for a new adventures in growth and learning, as if watercolor sets and Mead notebooks and gluesticks could properly equip you for the gradual advance of adulthood. When you are small, change is a delightful constant - one year you are in first grade, and at the end you are in second. One of the difficult things about adulthood for me are that benchmarks and turning points become blurrier and blurrier. I think it's why weddings and babies and new jobs and houses become so important - they let you grasp at those moments of tangible anticipation and change. To this day, buying new art supplies brings back a little of that feeling of happiness and hopeful expectation of growth and progress and accomplishment.

In that spirit, I'm going to do a little virtual school supply shopping today ...

in case you want to knock back a cold one tonight

I come from a long line of root beer aficionados, and Sean considers himself a connoisseur of all things root beer, so when we saw this article in the NYTimes then stumbled upon a source with a wide selection, we knew what we had to do.

Last night, the First Annual Madewell-O'Hagan Old Fashioned Root Beer Tasting commenced.

Nora petitioned for a judging slot, but was denied.

We had six different varieties to taste - Barrel Brothers, End of the Commons, Filbert's Draft, Frostie, Jackson Hole Soda Co. Buckin' Root Beer, and Olde Brooklyn. I knocked up a little tasting card for everyone to record their observations on, which proved to be just the thing. With a combination of hilarity and melodramatic seriousness of purpose, everyone enjoyed pronouncing on the relative merits of each drink. My uncle was the harshest critic, pronouncing one merely 'drinkable' and another 'fit only for children'. We used pretzel sticks to cleanse the palate.

At the end of six rounds, Jackson Hole (true rooty taste) was the clear winner for straight drinking, although Filbert's (full bodied with a nice fizz) and Frostie (best froth) both had their partisans.

Fun times!

working on: twombly-inspired onesies

One of the stops on our upcoming trip is a baby shower - one of Sean's dearest friends is about to become a first time daddy, and friends are throwing a big party/shower for them next Sunday.

Inspired by this long-ago post on Oh Happy Day, I decided to try my hand at screenprinting onesies. The mama-to-be is very creative, so I tried to combine arty and cute. I cut the letterforms out of paper I had scrawled all over, then added a little bit of scribbly chaos for flair. I hope they like them!

how to stay focused

Instructions available.

Right now, I am doing step #7.

sleeping in

One of the best things about this clock (besides the numbers, and the colors, and the overall shape) is the fact that it does not have an alarm. Right now, I am wishing this had been at my bedside this AM instead of my trusty Sony, and instead of gearing up for the long day ahead I was still sleeping in. I just looked at all the things I need to get done this week before our trip and had a minor freak out. Accordingly, posting may be light today.

Yikes. Happy Monday!

Riki Desk Clock designed by Riki Watanabe.

treasures

I mentioned yesterday that I found a few treasures at the show on Saturday. Here's a little rundown of what made the trip home ...

.... formica samples decoupaged with vintage birds from Deadbird (you can see a better picture of others here) ...

... cufflinks made out of old watch innards (this artist is linked to the Luxury Etsy shop but I didn't catch her name - yikes! Sorry!) ...
... this letterpressed card from Oddball Press (I'm a sucker for Ouija boards) ...

... and this print called 'Tree of Dots' by Jeff Matz of L2 Design Collective, papergoods created 'under the influence of a feral imagination.' (I love that tagline - we should all be so lucky as to have feral imagination.) It's a card, but I think it may be too nice to mail. I also snagged a beautiful screenprinted tee from Paul Baker of Basho and this delightful print by the cute-as-a-button and crazy talented Aline of yumi yumi.

Quite a haul! (But some are going to be presents ... shhh!)

c-bus

Yesterday, we decided we needed some time in one of Ohio's other c-towns, so we hopped in the car and headed towards Columbus.

First stop: The 4th Annual Craftin' Outlaws Alternative Craft Fair at BoMA.

Nice sign, right?

It turned out that the venue was an old church that had been converted into a bar, restaurant and art gallery. Pretty rad.

Inside, there were two levels, packed with buyers and sellers. I especially liked the old movies being projected as a backdrop.


People had come from all over to attend and sell. We talked to folks from Yellow Springs, Pittsburgh, Tampa, and ... Cleveland!

Happy Cleveland crafters, represent! Kristen and Don of Buzz Buzz Designs. We had a great time chatting - I've seen Kristen's jewelry all over town (Room Service, Music Saves, MoCA) so it was a treat to finally meet. Oddball Press also had a big table set up, so the Cleve had a definite presence.

On our way out the door, laden with treasures (said treasures are the subject of another post to come) we grabbed a delicious sandwich from Benevolence a Bakery. Sean and I agreed it was the most delicious vegan thing we have ever eaten.

Still, one (meaning Sean) cannot live by hummous sandwich alone. More eating was on the horizon.

Second stop: North Market.

Ever since we discovered this place a year ago, no trip to Columbus is complete without a pilgrimage. We always get two things.

Bread:



and ice cream:



These are Jeni's macaron ice cream sandwiches and yes, it is heaven in the form of a frozen treat. As we were walking away, three people stopped and asked me what I was eating, then went to the back of a long line to get one themselves. They are that good. (Side note - you can get Jeni's ice cream at Bar Cento in the Cleve... but not the macaron.)

Snacking accomplished, we decided to wander around the neighborhood. The North Market is in a neighborhood called the Short North, which is an arts and retail district. It's pretty great - all kinds of interesting boutiques and galleries line the street, and you could easily spend a day wandering around. Obviously, our lucky stars were aligned because Saturday was Short North Public Art day - a feast for the flaneur. Some snaps:




I've saved my favorite for last. Melissa Vogley Woods has created a collective urban quilting project - so far, 250 people have participated from communities all around Ohio. This was the section set up on High Street.


After we added our stitch, it was time to head home, a little bit dazzled by Columbus.

sunday tune #31 : nancy sinatra - bang bang he shot me down

The dance concert I went to last night featured several songs from 'Annie Get Your Gun' so today I'm posting songs about guns.

I love the melodrama of this.

sunday tune #30: john lennon - happiness is a warm gun

yay, michael!

'How fabulous was Phelps’s feat? At Sunday’s start, the Person’s Republic of Michael would have ranked fourth in gold medals and been ahead of all but 14 countries in the medal count.'

water, paper, organics, inorganics

Water.


Paper.


Organics.


Inorganics.

These shorts for Nat Geo & Yo (National Geographic) were created by Amuatalab. So brilliant, I had to post all four. Spotted at NotCot.

to do, to do

Today, Saturday and Sunday, you can:

• feast yourself silly
• visit a garage sale at an art gallery
• see dancing in the park (hello, seriously cool website)
  
• shop with a purpose
• say, "Wait! Is that Tom Cruise?!! IT IS!"

I'm checking out early today - my dad is playing music downtown at lunch time today and I am off to get a good seat. Happy weekend!

Image: 'At the Top' - it's an old photo I found at a thrift store last week. I love it. I've been having good luck at the thrift store lately ... maybe I'll post some finds next week.

buona festa

Last night was the first night of the Feast of the Assumption. Once it starts, we can't get there fast enough. Here's Sean, making a break for the car.

You always hear and smell the feast before you see it. As we walked down Mayfield, hungrily sniffing the air, we heard this gentleman. The accordion is always my favorite - it reminds me think of my great-uncle, who always said every good band needed an 'accordeen'.


The weather was lovely - cool and pearl grey. Perfect for overeating!

We had gnocchi and arancini and pelligrino as we walked up and down the street, people watching. Thursday is our favorite night to go, because it's more of a neighborhood crowd. Up and down the street, you see people greeting friends and relatives, speaking Italian, kissing chubby-cheeked babies, and eating anything with a red sauce. I love it.




My chief indulgence is a homemade elephant ear. I get one from the same stand every year. Thin and crispy, never greasy, piping hot with a dusting of cinnamon ... mmmm.



After my sugar fix, we walked over to the tiny midway to admire the lights and the sky.


Such a great neighborhood.

On the way home, driving past Lincoln Park, we saw Groundworks rehearsing for their weekend performances. Sean and I watched them practice for a while. It was beautiful.

Pretty perfect, as nights in Cleveland go.

imaginary outfit: scooterists

I have been entranced by scooters since my first trip to Italy seven years ago. I was walking towards the Duomo in Florence when I saw a woman in a beautiful floral chiffon dress whizzing by on a butter yellow Vespa. She had a matching butter yellow calfskin zippered jacket, helmet, satchel, and driving gloves, and the no-nonsense air of a daily commuter. Standing there, with my gelato in my hand, I had the revelation that we can make our lives as elegant as we want. It's all about attention to detail. I'm still working on it.

These balmy days are perfect scooter weather, and there are so many things going on around town that I am wishing that I had one - especially after I saw this adorableness. Right now, I am imagining me and Sean tooling about the Cleve this weekend, making friends with fellow scooterists and eating a gelato for old times sake.

toy car

Little known fact: Vespa not only makes rad scooters, they also made rad micro-cars back in the day. Here's one all shiny and restored.

Well known fact: Sean and I have an irrational, abiding love for teeny-tiny cars.

Conclusion: Dang, we wish we could get one of these Vespa 400s.

a swing

The Sense Light Swing by Alexander Lervik. Via Small.

a slide

I love poladiary's Flickr album. Today, this one especially. That gorgeous light + color ...

crayons

I loved the little girl's look of intense focus.

blocks

Typecube by Chris Clarke - 'a design tool used to facilitate the modular construction of letterforms. '

Via NotCot.

modeling clay

Braking Matter (5 kilos of modeling clay, 800cm x 350cm, 2006) by Michel de Broin.

His statement:

'The small balls (between 50mm and 5mm) are made of Plasticine modeling clay pressed tightly together. The pellets are thrown with force so that they stick to the surface of the wall, in disregard to conventional decorum for the handling work. The formal interest lies in the pure braking of moving matter - how something in spatial trajectory stops when it hits the wall. Each event creates a residual spot and the accumulated events create a free and informal whole. The projectiles assemble themselves randomly on the surface, corresponding to the vision of constellated objects moving in space. The distinct colors of the pellets create different spatial layers due to their chromatic radiation.'

radio city

Spotted at Dezeen ... this build-it-yourself radio by Samuel Rhodes Clarke has components that make up a tiny urban scene.

How many ways do I love it? So many! It's tiny, it's a city, it's gold, you build it and it gets NPR.

of course, this would be cooler

A photobooth set up to look like a giant retro camera. And look at the pictures it takes!

I need to plan a party immediately that provides an excuse for rigging one of these up.

Via Coolhunting.

for documentation

Yesterday, I had trips for all things optical - new eyeglasses and cameras.

After reading this, I wanted to check out the Canon Powershot G9 so I stopped into Dodd Camera. In Cleveland, it is the place to go because they have been selling cameras since 1891 and most of the employees are serious photographers in their own right.

After playing around with the G9, I was sold - it's loaded with features, can go manual or auto, and is still small enough to carry around. It's compatible with the EOS Speedlites, and has wide and tele converter lens options. Plus, it has a nice, industrial look in person - ironically, the product photos don't do it justice. Did I mention it takes great shots? Whew.

Exciting!

a flâneur is a person who walks the city in order to experience it

I love 2min15. They post short, evocative videos made by urban pedestrians - flâneurs - from cities all over the world. They all feel very personal, and some are quite beautiful. This one is from Caracas.

It'd be cool to make one.

Sidenote #1: I love new words. Always, my favorite way to get to know a city is to walk without much direction and try to get a feel for a place. Discovering that there is actually a word for people who do that made my day.

Sidenote #2: It would be fun to start a society of flâneurs in the Cleve. We could walk around the overlooked parts of the city and work on our powers of seeing. People could sketch or video or photo or poem, and we could create assemblages and installations. And I could make everyone snacks. I do love to make snacks.

Originally via NotCot.

with heart

Images from my neighborhood.

the end of an era

'And her voice, when she chose, was the demanding, sometimes scolding voice of the city.'

More here. Image from Cleveland SGS.

where we go when we ride

This treehouse hotel in France, naturally. From Una Mosca en la Luna, via NotCot.

imaginary outfit: radonneurs

I like the thought of long, leisurely bike rides with nowhere particular to go. I imagine me and Sean, taking off a week just to ride and read and photograph. We'd picnic every day in sun-warmed fields where the only sound is the grass in the wind and the bees at work, and at night we'd roll back to a little bed and breakfast, where we could sit on a porch with a glass of wine and a good book.

disposable

I don't think I could throw them away. Wasara paper dishware, designed to be disposable. Via Spoon + Tomago.

we'll take a picnic

Heath Ceramics picnic set.

Sean and I have a long tradition of picnics - when we were in college, he made us sandwiches in the dining hall, met me after calculus and we ate outside nearly every day. Ever since, I've kept an eye open for the perfect picnic set. This is my favorite, but the price is prohibitive. I think I'll have to use it as inspiration and assemble my own.

Spotted way back in the day at Coolhunting.

randonnée

'Randonnée - a long ramble in the countryside, by foot or bicycle.'

My new dream bike. I am in love with Velo Orange, 'manufacturers and purveyors of parts and accessories for randonneurs and cyclo-tourists.'

variations

'This film documents the motion of 8 sculptural spheres created between 2004-2007 by Anna Hepler.'

Via dear ada.

an unfound door

Saint Petersburg by Anna Emilia Laitinen. Via Particules.

a leaf

As I was catching up on blog posts in my reader last week, I was struck at the similarities in feeling and aesthetic between the photography of Karl Blossfeldt (via bricolage) and Axel Hoedt (via i heart photograph). Blossfeldt's work predates Hoedt's by nearly 100 years.

Simply gorgeous.

Top to bottom:
Saxifraga Willkommiana, Willkomm’s saxifrage, rosette of leaves;
Dipsacus laciniatus, Cut-leaved teasel, both by Karl Blossfeldt.
Onopordum acanthium L. (Compositae);
Echium vulgare L. (Boraginaceae); both by Axel Hoedt.

a stone

Herkimer diamond ring by Lena Skadegard.

the great forgotten language

...a stone, a leaf, an unfound door; of a stone, a leaf, a door. And of all the forgotten faces.
Naked and alone we came into exile. In her dark womb we did not know our mother's face; from the prison of her flesh have we come into the unspeakable and incommunicable prison of this earth.
Which of us has known his brother? Which of us has looked into his father's heart? Which of us has not remained forever prison-pent? Which of us is not forever a stranger and alone?
O waste of loss, in the hot mazes, lost, among bright stars on this most weary unbright cinder, lost! Remembering speechlessly we seek the great forgotten language, the lost lane-end into heaven, a stone, a leaf, an unfound door. Where? When?
O lost, and by the wind grieved, ghost, come back again.

Thomas Wolfe, 'Look Homeward, Angel'

I read this book earlier this summer. It's strange and unlikable, a grasping, difficult, mesmerizing torrent of words, and I had to fight to finish it. Ever since, it has stayed with me. All weekend long, the phrase 'a stone, a leaf, an unfound door' has been drumming through my head, and I haven't been able to shake the sense of urgency behind it. When I was reading it, I had a strong awareness of the author's roving mind reaching for something inexplicable, and now that inexplicable thing seems lodged in my own self, like a virus I can't lose.

A stone, a leaf, an unfound door.

sunday

It looked promising today, so we headed to the park.

After a long walk, it was time for a swim.


End result: a perfectly happy Nora-bean.

Walking back to the car, we saw a change in weather coming.

We picked up the pace - three miles to go ...

... and made it back just before it began to rain.

saturday

Saturday in the country. Picked more blueberries, visited farm stands and the cheese factory, and got lunch at Mary Yoder's. We ended the day with a trip to the End of the Commons General Store, where we found seven different varieties of old-fashioned, micro-brewed root beer. I think we'll be hosting a tasting party in the near future.

five scientific theories that will make your head explode

Edifying reading for a Sunday afternoon.

sunday tune #29: emmylou harris - pancho and lefty

She's just beyond anything I could say.

sunday tune #28: patty griffin - racing in the streets

I love her, and I think I like this version more than Bruce's.

Today's tunes are women singing the hell out of covers.

(Side note: Emmylou Harris on Patty: "I'd go anywhere at any time to hear her sing.")

(Edited to add: Ack! I think originally I accidentally posted another Emmylou Harris video instead ... not that that's a bad thing. But here's Patty.)

the only way to get good at something is to practice

Sometimes, you just need the training eggbeaters.

Man, I love the Teeny Little Super Guy.

to do, to do

This weekend, I feel like being super lazy. I've been reading stressful books, and my brain needs a break. However, if you must venture out, you can:

• check out the American Greetings Fine Art Show
• get the dirt on Roman Polanski
• fete the burning river
• ride the tour de towpath
• drink & read (I'm definitely fitting in time for this one ... but I'm reading something light. No death, dying, or dystopia.)

Happy weekend!

(P.S. - Isn't this a gorgeous photo? It's the work of Pamela Klaffke. Just how I want to spend my Sunday afternoon - grass and a nice gossipy chat. )

let's make one

I found a link on Craft to an amazing array of downloadable Japanese paper dollhouse rooms. Part of my upcoming travels include a visit to my little nephew and niece ... maybe they need a little paper village.

So fun.

for travels, part 2

Something else I would like to have for my travels is a new camera. My current one only takes good pictures in bright sunlight, and the shutter speed ... well, it's best not to speak of it. Slow is an understatement.

Right now, I'm leaning towards one like this because it has a mix of digital and analog features, it doesn't require a separate lens, and I like to manually focus my shots. Kind readers, do any of you have wisdom to impart camera-wise? Do tell! I'm persuadable!

for travels

Sean and I are getting ready to go on vacation and I am hoping to do some drawing on the way (provided I can turn off my inner critic).

I'd love a little watercolor set to play with. This one particularly - it has such a nice, clean shape and I like the idea of getting to paint en plein air.

a small happy thing

VerreEncore enamel canary. I think I would take him off the chain and attach him to one of these to wear as a little talisman of happiness.

Spotted at Smashing Says.

color + texture

Paintings by Anne Seidman. Via the ever-excellent dear ada.

8.8.8

Ben Schott has a slideshow in today's NYTimes all about eights (in honor of the date).

all in one

'Rappelkiste' by Luigi Colani. Wish I could find one (or make one) to accommodate smaller house guests.

Sprang to mind after I saw it here yesterday.

skipping off

These are a steal - Blay leather perforated flats, $52 marked down from $206. I have to shut off the computer now before I succumb to temptation.

my heart races

Love these posters by Shinzi Katoh at Penelope's.

let's talk to coca-cola about saving the world's children

'A recent development on Facebook has shown that social networking may be more powerful than simply a vehicle for gossip between friends, co-workers and ex-significant others.'

Simple yet brilliant proposal to use Coca-cola's massive global distribution network to deliver medicine to children in the developing world. It sounds like they are listening.

the box

I wouldn't mind being put in a box if it was this one.

Lådan (the Box), Ralph Erskine’s first home. Via Materialicious.

wood wheels

ELEMENT x KRABO fixed gear bike. What craftsmanship - check out the wood wheels and leather trims.

I would use this for speedy getaways- but not TOO speedy. My friend Ms. E got pulled over on her bike yesterday for running a red light. Flashing lights, a bullhorn, the works. Oh, snap.

Via highsnobiety.

well crafted

I stumbled across BDDW during a search for nixie clocks and have not been able to tear my eyes away. Gorgeous photography of beautiful, useful objects. From the moment I saw that black walnut bed, I was completely smitten.

Everything is made and finished by hand. They are 'a small American furniture company dedicated to the creation of well crafted timeless designs.' When I look at their pieces, I see generations of future use - tables and chairs lovingly passed down through family and friends. Just what a piece of furniture should be.

this play of splintered radiance

Photographs of a mirror-covered rock created by Michel de Broin. When I saw the first photograph above on Ffffound, I assumed it was a cut collage. Once I saw the actual project, I was dazzled. What a strange, beautiful thing to make. I would have liked to stumble across it in the forest, unexpected.

wake up call

Don't you wish your mornings started like this? Me too.

globular cluster ngc 6397

Too beautiful for words, and much too beautiful for such a prosaic name. From here.

Equally gorgeous: space clouds. Wish I could photograph those.

the inside of the hut was cozy and alluring

I love these Plankbridge Shepherd's Huts. Someday, if I ever have a bit of land, I would park one on a lovely spot, fill it with squashy couches draped with suzanis and flokatis, then have parties with bonfires and dancing and star-watching.

the little tramp

Starting tonight, the Cleveland Museum of Art is showing a series of four Charlie Chaplin movies. Get your tickets!

The full schedule:

City Lights
Wednesday, August 6, 7:00
Friday, August 8, 7:00

The Great Dictator
Wednesday, August 13, 6:30
Friday, August 15, 6:30

Monsieur Verdoux
Wednesday, August 20, 6:45
Friday, August 22, 6:45

A Countess from Hong Kong
Wednesday, August 27, 6:45
Friday, August 29, 6:45

imaginary outfit: running away with the gypsies

There is something alluring about the idea of no settled home, a horse and a cart, a campfire every night and open air every day. Although I know I am too much a domestic body to live that way, it has an undeniable glamor.

When I think of it, I think of texture and pattern and sound - a printed swirling dress, soft leather boots, the rustle of leaves and far-off music that must be followed.

to ward off the evil eye

Devon Page McCleary Eye Pendant Necklace. Protection for travelers and vagabonds.

mer

Something Gypsy Joanie (or me myself) might wear - Mer Marais dress. Spotted at Lena Corwin's lovely blog.

when we dance, we dance to this

When I first saw this, my heart gave a painful bound. It's the kind of thing I wish I had some small part in creating.

gypsy joanie

Gypsy Joanie by Ach Ach Liebling. She 'sings with the birds in the morning while fauns and bunnies and tidy her forest room. She skips barefoot in the afternoons, picking mushrooms and chasing grasshoppers ... '

I think she may be my new style muse.

let's run away with the travellers

First, we'll need one of these.

'Romany Caravan' paper sculpture by the talented Helen Musselwhite.

her only refuge

'Maggie's intentions, as usual, were on a larger scale than Tom had imagined. The resolution that gathered in her mind, after Tom and Lucy had walked away, was not so simple as that of going home. No! she would run away and go to the gypsies, and Tom should never see her any more. That was by no means a new idea to Maggie: she had been so often told she was like a gypsy and 'half wild' that when she was miserable it seemed to her the only way of escaping opprobrium and being entirely in harmony with circumstances, would be to live in a little brown tent on the commons: the gypsies, she considered, would gladly receive her and pay her much respect on account of her superior knowledge. She had once mentioned her views on this point to Tom, and suggested that he should stain his face brown and they should run away together; but Tom rejected the scheme with contempt, observing that gypsies were thieves and hardly got anything to eat and had nothing to drive but a donkey. Today, however, Maggie thought her misery had reached a pitch at which gypsydom was her only refuge, and she rose from her seat on the roots of the tree with the sense that this was a great crisis in her life; she would run straight away till she came to Dunlow Common, where there would certainly be gypsies, and cruel Tom, and the rest of her relations who found fault with her, should never see her any more. She thought of her father as she ran along, but she reconciled herself to the idea of parting with him, by determining that she would secretly send him a letter by a small gypsy who would run away without telling where she was, and just let him know that she was well and happy, and always loved him very much.'

George Eliot, 'The Mill on the Floss'

Photo: 'Yellow' by Erin Tyner

sound + light

Last night, we went to Blossom Music Center to see Grizzly Bear and Radiohead. The venue is located in a large nature preserve, about 40 minutes outside of the city, and most of the seating is in the open air. I spent all of Grizzly Bear's set laying in the grass, watching clouds - it seemed a fitting accompaniment to their otherworldly sound. There were some stunners, both songs and clouds.

Once the sun set, Radiohead took the stage. They sounded great and looked stunning (even in my crummy photo):


I always feel a sort of tension about seeing them live - it's a good show, with amazing light and video and sound, and packed with people, but there is no sense of the masses. At most large shows, there is a feeling of the crowd as one, a many-beinged creature singularly focused on song and gratification. At Radiohead shows, it feels more like a crowd of ones, a mass of strangers having their own singular response to what they are seeing. Still, I'm glad we went, even without getting any group catharsis. I can never hear those songs too many times.

blowing up

Fleet Foxes were on Letterman last night. We both crashed before we could watch it. In case you missed it, here you go.

stretchy

Elastotypography by Sarah Kahn. Via SwissMiss.

things to improve your life

Comfy house shoes ... skin tingling tinctures ... daily hill rolling ...

The folks at Monocle clearly know their stuff. Watch here.

Via NotCot.

winged

My house needs a small flock of these bonny little birds by Emily Sutton. The stitched details take them over the top.

Via Oh Joy.

for august and after

Some shots of my new dress from Vain and Vapid. It's beautifully well-made, and I adore it. It seems just right for August - at least, the ideal August of imagination, full of blueberries, slow bike rides, lazy afternoons reading in hammocks and boat rides on still lakes.

tinted

Hints of blue that I see every day as I walk around my neighborhood.

blueberry days

Every year, at the start of August, my mother and I and whoever else we can corral drive out to Ford's Rock Bottom Farms to pick blueberries. There isn't anything more delicious than a sun-warmed, dew-washed handful filling your mouth.


I never get tired of looking at them. On the bush, they are a magical dusky blue, and the pale to red-lavender of the unripe berries against the green leaves is beautiful.

the knife

Tonight we are going to see Radiohead and Grizzly Bear. To say I am excited would be an understatement.

Hopefully the rain passes us by.

in a nutshell

From here.

wanted

These gorgeous headbands by ban.do make me woozy with inspiration.

I have a collection of old jewelry and trims, and I have several friends whose collections are more extensive. Wouldn't it be fun to pop a bottle of champagne and have a bunch of friends over to create mini-masterpieces like these? Still, I'm not sure I will be able to resist buying one ... or two.

Spotted at {frolic}.

treasures found

Every so often, I get a pricking in my thumbs and decide the time is ripe to visit the T.J. Maxx. It's like a supernatural call, and whenever I get it, I heed it. Yesterday, I got the summons, and after a late breakfast, we wended our way east to my favorite branch.

I was in luck. No, I was in in ridiculous luck.

I scored a beautiful printed chiffon See by Chole dress on double clearance:


And then I found a slick, technical Helmut Lang wind-breaker with an asymmetric zipper at a ridiculously low price (it had the original tag on it - $550. I paid about 20% of that). Sean calls it the coolest ever Member's Only jacket. The whole thing stuffs into a tiny pouch attached to a hip belt.


Even better, thanks to some mysterious alchemy they look ridiculously good together - it's like something some tough, arty Sorbonne student would wear, only now worn by me, Stephanie of the Cleve.

I feel so lucky, I might have to buy a lotto ticket. Would that be pushing it? I won't chance it.

This print makes my heart sing ...

treasure-keepers

Wouldn't these be perfect over natural curios, like shriveled seed pods or an abandoned nest?

Spotted at NotCot.

story by chance

This Monster Dice is covered with interconnected illustrations showing the story of a boy who draws monsters that come to life. The story changes with how you view the scenes. The drawings are by Geoff McFetridge and his four-year-old daughter.

The rawness of the wood combined with the cleanness of the lines is lovely.

rings and rings

Ash Woodcut. Year: 2006.

Glue-Lam 1/10. Year: 2003.

Woodcuts by Bryan Nash Gill. Via Apartment Therapy.

hot hot heat

One of my dearest friends is of Finnish ancestry and though her family I discovered the joys of modern architecture, iittala and a good sauna. If I offer to build it, maybe I can convince my parents to install this one ...

Barrel sauna via Apartment Therapy.

stump

'Stump' by Neil Welliver.

This came to mind as we were driving home yesterday in the falling light. Looking out the window, I could see flashes of that same green-gold color in the woods.

The photo does not do it justice, because the depth of color of the print in person is humbling. It was made using 27 hand-carved wood blocks and 30 colors. Amazing. I remember the first time I saw it. I think I stood in front of it for fifteen minutes, just looking and marvelling.

I thought it would be nice to start the week with a perfect thing.

hey ho let's go

Got to make me some of these. Via Design*Sponge.

sunday tune #27: the ramones - do you remember rock and roll radio

I like that they have a clip of Buddy Holly on Ed Sullivan in this.

sunday tune #26: buddy holly - peggy sue

Heed what the nice lady says.

sound + color

These are four cartoons Philip Glass scored for Sesame Street edited together. Much loved then and now.

finny cupcakes

This is the last day of even*cleveland shark week '08. It's gone by so fast. I wish I could have you all over for finny cupcakes and a screening of Jaws (which is fun to watch, even though it perpetrates erroneous stereotypes about sharks. Quint rules.)

For shark week posts in full, click here. Happy weekend!

to do, to do

This weekend:

• listen to klemzer, laugh at Harpo, Groucho, Chico, Gummo & Zeppo, then fight with pie (note: BYOP - bring your own pies)
  
• root for love, expulsion, & revolution
  
• discover a third Waterloo (hint: it has nothing to do with Napoleon or ABBA)
• pet a shark
• get the report from the canary in the mine
• go with Sean to the Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
  

field trip: eddie's

When the lightfilled days feel shorter, and green lawns and leaves tinge sepia, the end of summer is near. It's the time when I start to think of all the undone things that I must do before the season's end, and invariably one of those things is a trip to Eddie's.

Eddie's has been an institution at Geneva-on-the-Lake since 1950 and in my family nearly as long. It's a place of few changes. They are open every year from Memorial Day to Labor Day, serving fries and root beer and a cheeseburger that lets me travel through time. I think my admiration of things hand-lettered may have started there - I still love the shadowed block letters and the script spelling out "El Patio."



I also love the condiment bar. So many pickles!

Sean always gets a frosty root beer:


And after we eat ourselves silly, we play a round at the country's oldest putt putt course. It's a fun adventure, if you find hunger in your belly and time on your hands this weekend.

Eddie's Grill: 5377 Lake Rd E, Geneva-on-the-Lake, +1-440-466-8720

for the adventures this weekend may bring

I love these Virginia Johnson pieces printed with crocodiles, fish and fronds. The colors make me think of quirky country clubs and swimming pools and drinks with tiny pirate swords.

I wish I had one - we have guests coming in from out of town and with one of these little numbers, some oversized shades, and clever swizzle sticks, I could be the hostess with the mostess.

tiny dancer

So, when one is thinking of the mystery of sharks, one naturally recalls the quest of the legendary Steve Zissou as he sailed the seas searching for the mythical jaguar shark that ate his partner, Esteban.

This is a brief glimpse of his greatness.

be careful

Uh-oh, look at the fin. From Kate Spade's 2009 desk calendar, seen at happy mundane.

The collage illustrations are the bees knees:


I am hoping my Sunday afternoon will look a little like this last one. Oh, how I wished I lived in the world of Kate.

unknowns

I am hoping the days of the last summer month will be like these beautiful doors - alluring possibilities lined up in a row.

Welcome, August.

Touquet Beach, Far Northern France from Lylith's Flickr. Chromatic wonderfulness.

Found at Poppytalk.