Paper Towel flash cards

Last September, I posted about paper towels and toilet paper patterns, another example of "white on white". Hannah, over at Wet Foot Publications/Piebird press, also found inspiration in their sublte textural beauty, and sent me a great email and was so kind to send me a sample of her Paper towel pattern inspired notecards! It's part of a series she calls "Know your household products." Basically the set of flash cards has the name/brand of paper towel, and its corresponding pattern on the back- in letterpress!! I love it! I think my favorite is from Kirkland. She's working on a swatch card set inspired by dish soap colors- how cool is that?! I'll keep ya posted... There are some great cards over at the wetfoot/pie bird website- check them out! (thanks Hannah!)

white on white books

Here's another thing I spotted in the Crate&Barrel catalog. I loved this bookcase of all white books. I know it's unrealistic and only a background prop, but I wonder if you couldn't replicate it by covering your books with some sort of vellum or tracing paper? Probably waaaaay too much work for what it's worth, but it sure looks sharp doesn't it? to be continued...

White on White

Every year, I love Living Etc's "White" issue- What is it about "White on White" that is so appealing? Perhaps its that when you take away all the color, (or when you use just one color), you are forced to recognize everything else, like shape and texture. The other night, I stopped by Crate&Barrel and loved these Chiseled Hurricanes. I couldn't tell what material was on the outside, but whatever it was was fused onto a glass cylinder hurricane. Then the surface was chiseled away, leaving this interesting and very modern looking pattern, which when illuminated, gave off an amazing glow. They're kinda $pendy, ($79.95 and $89.95) so when they o on sale, I'm gonna grab me a small one!
One thing I totally noticed in the Living Etc. issue was how this one lady painted her logs. They recently showed this idea (of filling your fireplace) a few issues back, but I loved the fresh look of painting them purely for decoration. I could see this looking pretty cool, just as a bundle. Like if you painted one of those log stacks you always see outside the supermarket. It would be like a sculpture.

Anyways- what do you think of white on white? I'll have a few more tomorrow...

Poetics of the Handmade

Over the weekend, the LA Times featured a cover story about a new exhibition opening this month at MOCA, called "Poetics of the Handmade". It's an interesting read and looks to be a great show. The artists involved have taken mass made, common everyday objects and transformed them into powerful statements. I was particularly struck by Chilean artist Livia Marin's installation called "Fictions of a Use"- which has 2200 tubes of lipstick in 27 colors, with the tips molded in 600 shapes. It's a statement less about women's use of the cosmetics, but more about "the makr of an individual on the mass-produces object," recognizing that "every lipstick adopts a particular shpae in relation to whoever uses it." All of the artists involved in the show are from Latin America. Other pieces included in the show will be this gigantic sculpture made of Q-tips, and a mural made of discarded currency. Read the entire article here, and more info on the exhibit, which opens April 22, here.

more blue munday: Blue Pelican books

Look at this awesome collection of Pelican Books over at Ace Jet 170- (images from Ace Jet 170) The covers are just stunning! Do any of you have any of these? I gotta start keeping an eye out!

blue munday: paper vacuum in Real Simple

Happy Munday. I continue to be impressed with Real Simple's paper sculpture art they've been using for their division pages. April 2007's issue had a cleaning supply theme, which always holds a special affection with me. The fact that it was all in blue tones too didn't hurt either. The sculptures were created by Matthew Sporzynski (click on his name to more of his amazing pieces) and photographed by Monica Buck. My favorite is the vacuum cleaner. The April issue had some great ideas for organizing as well as some interesting facts I did not know about. I am planning on trying some of the tips for organizing my laundry area, which I'll update later (after I actually do it) and here is a link to their fascinating article about "how safe is your kitchen?"

TGIF!

Happy FRIDAY! woo hoo! hope you enjoy it, (despite the fact that it's friday the 13th)
if you get the chance, have a sexy party!...

New shades of grey

As many of you recall, my great Grey obsession of Summer 06-(and which still continues today)... well, I thought I'd give you an update as to how that has affected me. Here are a few new grey things that have recently somehow... miraculously...(hehe) come into my life... First, is my new print from Patent Pending Industries. Oh joy did a post about them awhile back, and I couldn't resist this one. Next up are these awesome glasses I got at Maison Midi, which is connected to the American Rag store. I got these at the one in Fashion Island. This was another example of weakness, but c'mon- grey with fluorescent orange trim detail? Wrap it up! Maison Midi is a great place for unique dishes and glasses. I wish they had a website, but alas, I guess they're keepin' it old skool. Finally, I had been longing for the Jonathan Adler Money tree platter from his Utopia Collection ever since I saw it at the NYIGF. However, it was just too much for me to afford. Then, they had that big sale recently, and lo and behold, the platter was on sale too! I'm so happy I got it, and it was a great deal cuz now it's not on sale anymore! It's not really techinically grey, but it looks grey-ish due to the finish. Speaking of JA, I have always regretted never getting one of his aorta vases, which he doesn't make anymore. If anyone knows where I might still be able to find one, please let me know.... Have any of you added any grey things into your lives lately?

funny...

Thought this site was hillarious! Thanks to Miss Chiffonade for pointing it out-

Tree Blocks

Remember Lincoln logs? Well, I randomly came across these real wood toys, but I kinda find these much cooler! Welcome to the world of Tree Blocks! I don't know if they're originally from the UK, or if they're based out of Santa Barbara (perhaps its the US distributor?), but they say they're "elves" so... perhaps that would explain the mystery. The UK site looks more developed, so my money is on them as originators. Anyway, regardless, their toys are so great. The pieces are made from reclaimed wood, discarded from paper forests. I love that many pieces retain the actual bark. How Lord of the Rings is this house set? And these sets could look amazing simply as sculpture on a coffee table or in a bookcase. The most stunning are these "toad stools" but sadly they're apparently out of stock (boo...) What fun huh? As we say over at I(k)NW, "wood is good!"

I REALLY found it!

One of the columns I love about Domino is the "found it" where they try to find something they've seen and come up with either the actual thing, or a really close alternative. Well, this month's "found it" was a little dissappointing. The writer saw this leaf "garland" at a friend's house, and ended up finding this other garland, but honestly, the two are sooooo not the same.However, I am proud to say, that I actually "found it!"- Well, at least found something that looks very very similar to the original photo. Turns out it's not "garland" at all, but rather a metal sculpture. It's actually a little heavy, and I'm suprised that whoever owns the original was able to secure it to the mirror, but I guess it's totally possible. Anyways- I found this metal sculpture at a recent estate sale. It was a bit expensive, but I kinda just went for it. I don't think I'm going to have it in my house.. but I may use it in another project, or re-sell it... but anyways- what do you think? Did I "find it"?

Blue Munday: Breakfast at... Sears?

"Tiffany" blue, so iconic, so soothing, so lovely. It automatically conjures up so many images and associations of fancy living and one "very stylish girl." I spotted this surprisingly elegant dinnerware set at Sears. Crisp white china, with chrome/silver lines and "tiffany" light blue edge. The whole set is $119.99. Currently the website says it's out of stock, but I saw these in-store, and they looked quite nice and solid actually. I particularly loved the matching teapot, sugar bowl, and there was also a tablecloth (not shown) and some fun napkins. It's part of Sears's "Everyday Luxe" collection, and comes in a black/white version too.

Happy Mundane Easter Weekend

I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was pretty much mundane. but a Happy Mundane. I originally had some plans for Sunday, but they all sorta fell through or were postponed. So I was left with a day with completely no agenda. It was overcast here in OC, and it left me with this quiet lazy "grey" feeling. Not exactly excited. Not exactly bored. I suppose just... content?
The trees in my complex are starting to bloom with bursts of white flowers. It's like little popcorn clusters. Its really quite pretty. Today, with the grey sky back drop, they appeared much more subdued, but still fresh and bright.Everything was pretty much closed, except for supermarkets, so I stopped by to stock up on rations. Had myself a really basic mundane lunch, but it tasted a whole lot better than it usually does today. By the way, if you haven't tried Trader Joes Roasted Tomato Salsa- go run and get some, and pick up some White corn tortilla chips while you're at it. Yum!Anyways- I hope you had an enjoyable weekend. A new week is here. The busy work week begins. Hope you have a good one!

all about lighting...

It's funny how lighting can totally change your perception of something isn't it? I was watching this new video for "Makes me wonder" from Maroon 5. I actually enjoy the song, but the video itself is what really caught my attention. I will forever have a thing for airports. I find a certain inherent glamour about it, and have always been attracted to the whole "transport" aesthetic, as well as all things airline/stewardess-esque. This video has all that, (as it's set in an airport) but what I found interesting was the lighting they used. There's a pink/lavender hue that's cast in several of the scenes throughout the video, and I can't help but think that the video wouldn't be as interesting had it not been for the lighting. With the pink/lavender hue, you get this sexy glamorous futuristic vibe, but if you can imagine it without it, it probably would just look kinda... normal? See for yourself:

Colored lighting isn't anything new, but have you considered using it in your own home? My downstairs guest bathroom is kinda weird. The toilet is actually in a separate little room of its own. It's a small..."water closet" and I didn't really know what to do with it. The rest of the room that adjoins it, as many of you have seen before, has this sorta vintage-y tropical feel. I ended up getting the bright idea (pun intended) to simply place a hot pink light bulb inside. It was cheaper and easier than paint, and it quickly transformed the awkward space and gave it fun unexpected character. Have any of you used colored lighting in your home?

UPDATE: just for kicks, here's another favorite airport themed video I love. (NOTE: turn down your sound, for some reason this one is louder than usual)

Dos Lagos futuristic bridge in Corona

As a design lover that happens to live in suburbia, I'm always excited when I see something new and forward thinking appear there. Case in point: I was recently in the "IE"- (Inland Empire) specifically the city of Corona, and went to the new Dos Lagos shopping center. Now the center itself was nothing that exciting. Typical new outdoor-ish mall development, but what caught my eye was this amazingly striking and cool looking pedestrian walkway that cut through a man made lake and had a waterfall that followed it. I posted this on AT:LA yesterday, but thought I'd also share it here as well. It looked like something you'd expect to see in some new development in Asia or Europe, but not here in .... Corona! I highly applaud all those that let this pass and get made (it was designed by Nardi Associates, by the way). We need more forward thinking people to bring back the fusion of art and public environments. Have any of you been to this place?

1.51 Miles of String

Saw this great post on Dezeen, about the temporary shop within Selfridges in London. Called "1.51 Miles of String", it is part of a series of installations that coincide with the exhibition Surreal Things: Surrealism and design, from the V&A museum. I'm so fascinated by it. It kind of reminds me of a weird web, but I'm curious if it is all one long strand? If it is, that's pretty amazing. It's like one big "cat's cradle" game gone wild!

J.otto is back!

As a huge fan of Mr. Seibold's work, I was very sad to see his old site (jotto.com) had gone down- BUT I just got a comment from him and it's back! (well, he got a new domain name) YAY! He said, "...yeah, somehow I couldn't prove I was me when re-registering my domain (after ten years!)... and in the process, someone who needed to make a crappy gambling site was able to nab the jotto.com. So, tell everyone this sordid tale..." I guess moral of the story is, keep tabs of your domain name and make sure you renew it before it goes! Here's more in his own words. Well, I'm thrilled he's back (not that he ever left, just his site) and looks like we'll get to see more books and projects in the near future. He also recently completed some fantastic posters for St. Judes Pediatric Cancer Treatment center.

And he has a blog as well! Catch up on what he's been up to- (click on news) Check out all his characters/books, and even download a fun paper box!

MORE blue munday: Chloe+work in Progress

I have a love/hate thing with actress Chloe Sevigny. But love her or hate her, you gotta love these limited edition posters. They were designed by Work in Progress, and are part of Self Service magazine's issue that pays tribute to her. They are available at Colette's eshop. My favorite is are the two shots with the blue type. So graphic and bold!

blue munday: turquoise fireplace

Happy munday. How was your weekend? It was another fantastic So Cal weather weekend here. I checked out the CA Boom 4 show, which I'll be posting highlights from on AT:LA. CA Boom featured tons of resources and vendors, and was the perfect place to outfit your home if you were planning a renovation. If I could build my own home, I'd definitely want to find a place for a cool turquoise fireplace, like this one from Sunset Magazine. I love how they juxtaposed it with the grey-ish tiles. The rest of the cottage this fireplace is from is pretty amazing too. Check it out here.

mundane aesthetic: apples & oranges