Murmuration

Weightless

Fashion Week Spring 2012

New Girl in Town

Vera Wang RTW

Ralph Lauren Mini Me

3 generations of Missoni women

RTW Launches at TARGET

Valentino and Anna Wintour

Oscar de la Renta RTW

classic, elegant and ochre

NAHM RTW

Bill Cunningham between shows

Diane von Furstenberg RTW

and always, the absurd...

flesh flaps

Perennially Young Betsey

Anna

source: WWD except for the back of Anna's Head: Calvintage

Simply Delighted

Finally, European Design for Americans without the Painful Price Tag

Public Bicycles

Surprisingly affordable!

PUBLIC Bikes: Design Matters from PUBLIC Bikes on Vimeo.

I Spy Design

I Spy Design

a new Tumblr

by

antonnia

Found Haphazard Composition

Epiphany

It's time.

I thought I could shut the door

and never look back.

Trying to reinvent myself has been a journey.

I thought I could walk away from my art and design talent.

I cannot.

I cannot stay away.

Everything I do is done with a demanding pull towards the aesthetic.

The more determined I became to leave design,

the stronger the importance of balance, details, nuance and beauty became.

So I did reinvent myself.

Not in the direction I was coercing the chart of my life,

but into a more cohesive and focused sense

of who I am.

My love.

My talents and gifts.

Turning my focus back to my passion

can only bring success.

An unlikely Diversion

For the last 48 hours, early in the morning with coffee, midday with lunch or coffee and in the evening for dessert I've been conquering the phenomenon of, don't cringe,

Angry Birds.

Yes.

Me.

I've been obsessed.

I've completed 3 levels with my ample share of 3 stars.

My jaw has been clenched and my arm muscles are sore from power mousing.

I'm happy to say that I'm through with this game now.

I don't have to go back and re-do games to show that I'm a 3-star only player.

I was a player.

I started the conquest minutes after a certain cute and geeky guy down the hall showed me what he was doing.

I was curious because there were these screeches and nature sounds followed with explosions echoing down the hallway.

"Hmm....I see",

I thought to myself,

"It's that game that the in-people play with their i-phones. Hmmm."

It's available with Google Chrome?

Oh.

I have that.

"Hey can I have a go at it?"

Reluctantly I had my 'go' without any tutoring

(a sure- fire invitation to fail and then leave him alone).

I failed and quickly left the room and

high tailed it down the hall to my computer to download the game.

History.

It was fun.

I'm done.

While searching for a video to upload I discovered that there are more levels...

UH OH.

Trellis Print: It's still going on...

When I read this installment from House of Fifty:

House of Fifty Blog: Does This Signal the End of the Trellis Print?:

"For years the trellis print has reigned supreme in the world of design. And why not! It is simply a stunning pattern that has been used to e..."

I just had to write about Tech Candy.

Invented by April Mraz and Cherie Stine, these gals have done their research.

They are not only design savvy they are tech savvy.

They know silicon, they know technical specifications, they know trend.

They nailed it.

i-Phone + i-Pad Cases, a cut above.

You need to touch them.

Feel them.

Love them.

Summer as a Kid

When I was a youngster, I was lucky enough to be a Camp Fire Girl. I was very fortunate to go to Camp Niwana and stay in the Gypsy Glen 3 sided cabins. We had the option of Pixie Portions at mealtime if we were picky eaters too. We swam, made lanyards, had a powwow at night, made dreamboats mounted with burning candles let lose on Lake Helena at night. All accompanied with singing. I adored all of the songs, but my favorite was Barges. I loved the harmony.

Car Envy

I saw these boys circling this pristine car in Georgetown last weekend.

The suicide doors and the dreamy crayola sky blue paint color cinches the 'beauty' category.

On my way back down the street I walked on the other side and saw a For Sale sign in the window.

Pasta Dentifricia

I had to start somewhere.

I live to doodle.

I haven't been doodling.

I'm back.

: )

Georgetown Gardens

There is nothing I love more than seeing the creative endeavour of living spaces. As a child, one of the luscious activities my mother would indulge me with was an evening drive through our small town so that I could look at houses (I think this also helped with her little indulgence of Kent menthols). I was in wonderland. Even today I walk my neighborhood, criss-crossing the streets and alleys. Alleys are a voyeur's best friend. I relish the cobbled patios with umbrellaed tables, the pots of interesting combinations of flowers and herbs that I frantically try to memorize and put away. I've been carrying my blackberry around to snap photos of an intricately designed eave detail or an exceptional composition of flora for referral when I'm armchair gardening. So when I finally coordinated my Saturday with a scheduled garden tour, especially one that the whole community of Georgetown was participating in, I thrilled at the invitation to enter front yards, walk along side yards and poke around the back yards of this eclectic Seattle neighborhood.

Some of the pictures I snapped were not officially in the tour.

This artfully decorated heap of sod anointed with Jesus sets the tone for the afternoon.

Buddha...serene as ever.

The snake.

Outdoor living...

Cherub on a window sill.

Composition: Mirror, Rosebush, Pushmower.

Lily is probably one of the oldest residents of Georgetown.

Her yard is a sea of seedums.

I couldn't resist the Carleton Avenue Grocery and stopped in for an ice cream bar.

I spied my friend Rachel in this charming farmette...her daughter Rebecca and her husband nurtured this plot with care.

Beekeeping, chickens, vegetables.

Follow Rebecca's blog: Planes Trains + Vegetables.

I'm a sucker for a red door.

This house is for sale on Flora Street.

Lust.

The only gnome I saw. He was a miniature little guy the size of my palm...

The feeling of this neighborhood was so nostalgic. I felt that I had gone back in time to 1962. There are other little plums to be discovered in this industrial working town.

Stay tuned.

FrenchBlue: Sea Salt Icecream

(picture by Kathy Hackman Pintrist)

I have read a blog from French Blue today that was simply

ENCHANTING.

You must read and experience this scrumptions bit of summer:

FrenchBlue: Sea Salt Icecream

Red White + Blue

Red

It's time to iron my red Jokapoika (Farmer) shirt manufactured by Marimekko since 1956.

I've worn this shirt on the 4th of July

since I bought it at Crate & Barrel on Brattle Street

in Harvard Square about 1984.

Marimekko now has their own

store in Harvard Square.

I adore Marimekko.

They are timeless and beautiful products from Finland.

I covet my two brightly striped fabric pouches.

Recently, I was in Tuuli, the Marimekko mecca of Seattle.

I found the limited edition

Marimekko designed Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars.

They did not have my size.

Boo Hoo.

White

How can we not be awed by our big white mountain?

Rainier.

When it's clear day you can hear people say,

"look at the mountain".

I love that.

Yesterday it was a magnificent backdrop for a beautiful day of sailing on Puget Sound.

Blue

Joni Mitchell.

Need I say more?

I can play this classic album on a continuous loop and

Everytime I hear 'A Case of You',

I swoon.

It's the melody...and then, "...I could drink a case of you".

This is especially poignant since this is our fourth 4th of July,

Ray and I are having a pretty good time.

Still.

This song says it all.

To all of you, Have a majestic 4th of July!

And now for something completely different....

So, I was perusing the exhibitors for the American Library Association Conference

(working, yes...) and the first company I clicked on was blekko.

I was curious.

I watched the video. I was very curious.

I tried it out.

GENIUS.

I'm still new at it but I think it is pretty damn cool.

If you're going to invest in something....invest in blekko.

Hmmmm.....how do I link to this and get a commish?

Always thinkin'!

blekko: how to slash the web from blekko on Vimeo.

Back to Work

Alone in the house for 3 days and I feel like I've played hooky because I have been flitting about taking care of menial tasks (or not) and I have not been able to hunker down on a project. What is with that? I broke my routine by taking my laptop into the living room and dining room and started wandering on the internet, checking in on FB way too often, looking for shower curtains for my very preggo friend in NYC, hitting the 'next blog' button to see what was on the other side. I was literally a sloth eating Saturday night party leftovers out of the refrigerator. I watched so much Bravo and HGTV that I was in a self induced coma every night watching the same episodes at 11:00 p.m. (for details, yea right).

This morning I took my computer down to it's usual place and felt like I was coming back to the office after vacation. An odd feeling when I was literally walking past the room for 3 days on my way to the laundry or the loo.

In a way, I think I must have needed a mental break. I took care of immediate business during my sojourn, but there was a difference in the intensity that has been my M.O. for the last several days, weeks, months. I have been literally obsessed with work that I think I just shut down. I found myself completely incognito. What a windfall.

When starting to write this blip of a post, I was feeling incredibly guilty, sheepish, all the things you feel when you've been goofing off from important things like work. But now I realize that I needed to decompress. I mean, even my blog posts were just a picture and a caption. I was completely unmotivated to 'do'. In not doing anything I let my mind wander and ideas came forward. I am more motivated this morning with a direction that is clear. I feel refreshed and motivated. Finally. It feels good to be back.

Cabbage Patch

What a surprise on the way back from buying milk!

It's Tuesday Already!

The Fun Theory

Volkswagen has this absolutely awesome thing going on:

The Fun Theory:Driven by Fun

Watch this video.

Throw your head back and laugh!

Watch another one!

Share it.

Go Ahead.

I command you!

Herb and Dorothy: Art Collectors Extraordinaire

This first documentary (there are 2) of Herb and Dorothy Vogel is enchanting on several different levels. One, is an appetite for enriching one's existence. Ordinary people, walking to work and doing their jobs, shopping for groceries, cooking their supper. If you should see them at the many art galleries in the city you might wonder why they were there, looking out of place, very ordinary, un-artistic and seemingly lacking sophistication. The librarian and the postal clerk have the gift of looking. They have been looking for 30 years and have aquired an amazing collection of art within their means of budget and space. Herb and Dorothy Vogel didn't purchase art for the investment. They purchased art because they delighted in it. The color. The shape. The emotion.

Whatever.

They bought what they liked.
The director, Megumi Sasaki's statement says it succinctly,

"...art is not limited to the elite few. You don't have to be wealthy or an art school graduate to enjoy art. If you are interested in collecting art you do not have to follow trends or others' advice. Just listen to your own voice. Trust your eyes and instinct. Simply take the time to look, look, and look."

The other enchanting observation that endears me to them is their shared passion that has not only enriched their art appreciation and collection but also their marriage. Their devotion to collecting is clearly an extension of their devotion to each other.

Herb and Dorothy still live in their one bedroom apartment in New York.

See the film.

You can get it on Netflix.

Or you can order a copy for your library here: Transit Media

HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo.

Chanel Etude