Alpha Pillowography Talk

 

 www.designer-daily.com Pillow Selection

Lately I've been inspired by fonts leading to a potential laundry list of do-it-yourself-er projects which will ultimately lead to all sorts of insanity in my little apartment.  BUT it may be worth it if it comes out as well as these wonderful functional and interesting pillows!  Now, where to find decent fabric to do them???

New Roosevelt Motto for the Year

 “Do what you can, 

with what you have, 

where you are.” 

― Theodore Roosevelt

Kenichi Ohmae Just Blew My World View with an "M"

The M-shape Society

However, in the emergence of the 'M-shape society', the middle class in a society gradually disappears. With the advance and consequence of globalization (for good or bad), the middle class is gradually assimilated into either side. The bulk of society is no longer the middle classes. The name is derived when you chart the class distribution a distinct M-shape is formed to denote the two extremes, with the middle class gradually shrinking and disappearing. Very few people in this middle class may be able to climb up the ladder and be able to be part of the upper class, while most from the middle class will gradually sink to the lower-income group.

Those who measured their intelligence purely on scholastic aptitudes would focus on developing an aptitude of memorizing and scoring for exams, neglecting other innate abilities they may have.... Because it takes years to acquire a disciplined mind or a mastery of any skill, those born between 1980 and the early 21st century may have lost the window of opportunity to develop talents best suited for their lives....A child without an education from 20th century schooling but who spent their childhood being self-directed, thinking, exploring and creating may end up with a huge advantage over a child who sees work not as creation but as hardship and who has been conditioned to see learning as memorization to score for a piece of degree.

While crony-ism and "the old boy's network" still exists, a new, more powerful form of networking is quickly forming, the Wisdom of Crowds made up of individuals, not unlike the individuals making up Wikipedia, who will form the face of 21st Century Revolution. These networks place a high premium on meritocracy, integrity, self-directedness, creativity and transparency. They will share and teach those like themselves, within their networks and virtual and face to face communities with or without money as their motivation.... This and other knowledge of forces transforming the way we understood the idea of money and society in the 20th century may determine how the will and directedness of the demographics shaping the M-society of today will lay the launchpad buy the advantages to catapult the next generation further higher on the ascending curve.

TOGO, the couch

Not many items that proclaim a generation as much as TOGO the couch have a chance at becoming permanent fixtures in my living room, but this couch is exceptional. Part minimal, part bold, part bean bag, part timeless - the TOGO is certainly a big picture sell.  You have to love a statement, and you have to balance it with all the other objects in a room.  However, most of all, you really should spend the time to learn to love it before buying since a purchase that packs this much punch should never be done in haste. But since it's been eight years now and counting, I'm going to assume that one day I'll walk into lignet rose tell the over eager salesman that I'll take the 4 part sofa set in a steel or light gray, swipe the card with my shades still on, and exit to go prepare to make this the center of my living room.

Barnacles: A New Desire to Love Them

The last time I contemplated barnacles, I think it had something to with "Barnacle Bill" and his seafood house or some other poorly marketed place or maybe Pirates of the Caribbean.... Yet this beautiful barnacle candle holder has completely rearranged my thought process for this poor sea creature who obviously has a lot more beauty to show us than the precariously foul naming conventions assert.  The color and the delicacy of these barnacles naturally enable them to be more worthy of a table's centerpiece than even the flowers which traditionally make the cut.  Bonus - you can leave them in the center for dinner because you can actually see over them!  

Buy at One Kings Lane

Wire Never Looked So Good

I found this artsy, golden circles on Smart Bargains which has become a go-to site for any textile or random Cole Haan shoes needs I may have.  I've found many a good find, and these 18k gold, wiry wonders of earrings are no exception. The best part about these was that they made me wonder if you could do them yourself - if you could take a basic stud a round washer (or equally cheap round object) and some gold, bronze, or silver wire and go to town.  It was just a thought, but the simplicity of these happy objects may be the perfect little project...

 

Lately, I've been more than distressed by the lack of inventive and untailored looks gracing the "formal attire" aisles.  I found this Tadashi Shoji dress to be my exception, a breath of fresh air from the taffeta wonders that can only be described as horrifically inadequate to the task of making a woman look more like a vision than a nightmare. The best part of this dress is the classy but sexy lace sections that allow for enough imagery without any of the issues of the less than lovely protruding onto the scene.

Oh Yes, New Year's Dress

Oh, yes!  This dress is the one - the DC or New York City awesome yet warm New Year's Dress that will fit the bill, make the cut, or wet your whistle.  (Feel free to pick your own ridiculous saying....). 

Shepard Fairey's Graphic World

You see the poster meets street art meets graphic wonderland.  The work of Shepard Fairey has been said to be simple manipulation or the best representation of iconic symbolic art of our generation.  I'm leaning toward the latter.

ms. rosamund pike

I'm so enamored with this actress after watching "An Education" and now am eagerly awaiting "Made in Dagenham."

Glass Objects

On occasion I realize how very much I love glass.  I love sparklingly clear, curved shapes that adore light and show off all the dandy contents as brilliantly as possible.  What better time than Christmas to enjoy them?


One Kings Lane - Apothecary Jars

Circle or Square? Scarf Happiness

How many times do people try to make you choose between the equally good ideas- red or blue? cash or credit? skim or whole? modern or traditional?

But aha!  Here is the scarf that evades this question ever so prettily.  This Sabina Les Silk Scarf triumphs the choice of circle-square, neutral-colorful, and shapes-graphics.  What could be better?  Ah, owning it....

A Jacket of Folds and Flows

Black Friday Purchase: The Blind Side

Black Friday for me was going to be light, but instead of ignoring it altogether, I managed to purchase one item - The Blind Side DVD.  Not only does this movie have an outstanding actress, Ms. Sandra Bullock, but it is the story of my mother.  She takes people into her circle in the same blaze of Southern force that she uses to accomplish huge plans and major overhauls of any sort (whether requested or not). She and Leigh Anne would be a joint force to be reckoned with!  What could be a better buy on the day after you should be thankful for your mother?

Uno Dale Chihully chandelier, por favor?

I believe Dale Chihully serves the world as the maestro of glass.  Nothing he does or is brings as much to light as when he pulls glass and light together in some perfect symphony barely capable to hanging out in our lowly world.  The images speak for themselves.  Uno Dale Chihully chandelier, por favor?

Dale Chihully website

The Wiles and Wonders of Thanksgiving Familial Interaction

Yes, this portrait is the idea.  Mr. Rockwell has informed us of the magnitude of the tradition and idealistic values which are primarily unacceptable or disregarded at this point in society. YET. That's the exact word I'm stuck on - YET.  Don't we want a mildly romanticized family with a turkey on a platter, happy people, and ultimate one experience called Thanksgiving to enjoy? 

Perhaps this is out of my own disappointment with myself or my family, but everyone is not on the same page about Thanksgiving. The process is there, the lip service to thanks is there, but the central idea around Thanksgiving just doesn't seem to be there.  The last time I checked "Thanksgiving" was supposedly an event to express our thanks to God, YET as the Colonel likes to say, everyone was on an "I program."  Perhaps the members of my family are simply too independent to all join their attention to enjoying a meal together, but I'm most skeptically beginning to believe that it is the art of conversation that is lost.  Not quips or sermonettes, or opinion sagas but a real conversation among mutually present adults is missing.  I'm not sure if it does exist in American homes, but I thought it was evident in this nice Rockwell image.  I wanted to hear a viable communication among a less than perfect blend of adults this Thanksgiving, and all that returned was an awkward chorus of "I program" statements perhaps even myself - wanting a real conversation to miraculously appear.

The good news is that I have my first new year's resolution - to become a better conversationalist, to not be someone who can do nothing to stop the downward slide, to be a nice family member to have a conversation with, to be better at family festivities - including the conversations that happen during those Rockwell snapshots.

Overall, a nice matter for self-reflexive behavior.  I'm quite thankful.

Lady Friend

Lady Friend by bdk2008 on Polyvore.com
Who else but your lady friend can pull off the hue of red and the clash of purple leather? You're asking for it. But if you can, it's stunning - and that's what your lady friend is all about.

A Certain Choichun Leung

My new favorite curator, Amy Morton, is working in conjunction with a certain Choichun Leung who creates these textured canvases which are incorporated into an well presented exhibit on ritual.  Here, the ritual is of script and layers.  I'm particularly fascinated by the free flow stroke yet orderly method she seems to be in full command of here.  I'm tempted to want to try to find a little paint and string and order within myself.  Is that inspiration?  If it is, it came from a certain Choichun Leung.

Check out Morton Fine Art at http://www.mortonfineart.com/

DC's Minor Inspirations

Real rhetoric comes from an image like this.... An idea in the clear sky that makes the DC crowd croon a little and walk the halls of Congress a little faster.

My Absolutely Lovely Sloth Bears

One of my absolute favorite things about DC - The National Zoo's sloth bears! Beyond the purity of the two new cubs being absolutely adorable, these bears are most accurately described as being "naturally disheveled in appearance" vegetarian bears that looked like they walked off a Dr. Seuss page.  According to the Zoo's website, in the wild sloth bears live on insects and fruits in Indian and Sri Lankan forests picked up with their super nose/mouth anteater like snout.  Endangered sloth bears can be up to six feet long and tend to grunt and snort the whole time it's tromping for food. They make "kerfump" noises as it sucks food with their snouts.

The National Zoo keeps the "kerfump" sounds here. 

And don't worry - there are more pictures of the cubs on the website.

Yes, you can say douche bag to TIME.

TIME You've also just done a film with Steve Carell--Crazy, Stupid, Love--out next year.

GROBAN: They put me in the role of Emma Stone's fiancé, who is kind of a douche bag--can I say that in Time? It was so, so fun. To make Steve laugh is the greatest thrill ever.

Full TIME piece: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2030903,00.html#ixzz15zSzo9ZM

Homage to Richard Avedon

The lovely and self-gratuitous Corcoran put on Richard Avedon: portraits of power previously, and someone wonderful snapped this shot (unknown).  I, personally, adore it almost as much as Avedon's previous work (below).

The Photo that Is Almost Me

I don't know who took this shot.  I don't know that it would matter to me as much as the picture matters on days like today.  This shot is how my life looks from my head...  I see myself going right up to the couch, writing this blog post, not writing a report...  Perhaps I'll build this room soon, dog optional - books not....

Poster Adoration and Razzia

Posters are traditionally disposable objects. They hammer home a point quickly and without explanation if at all possible. The older the poster is - the more of a statement in time it becomes.  We still have the ability to make these same iconic statements, but we rarely do.  Some still do - like Razzia.

I'll agree most wholeheartedly - Razzia's Posters embody perfect communication – elegantly modern and executed with uniquely surreal Art Deco brevity. 

Oh how I loved to justify you...

Meet Kate Spade's last season beauties.  They were an impulse purchase, I admit.  But they were so justifiable -- I needed them, wanted them, and had so many occasions that called for beautiful red suede shoes - tweed rides, thanksgiving, christmas parties..... Like Elvis, there are just times when suede shoes are the occasion!

Meet the Emperor's Lover

 

Emperors Bride Tea - Also called Keisarin Morsian this Finnish tea has a base of Assam and Ceylon teas. Pineapple chunks and dried orange peel are added and it is enhanced with thistle petals and essence of quince and elder.  Sold at the one and only Tea Room of Savannah, Georgia. 

Be My Morning Glory

 
So after putting in my 70 hours at the office trying to save something that did not want to be saved, I put forth the last ounce of effort and went to see Morning Glory. A move of genius proportions - "tart and terrific" are absolutely accurate!

Trailers: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/morningglory/

Fruit in My Dinner

It is never a bad idea to add fruit while cooking - whether it's wine to the sauce or jam to the cookies or apricots to the meatballs.  Yes, you heard me, apricots to the meatballs.  And while you're at it, add cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg and curry powder...  Real Simple got it right - Lamb Meatballs with Couscous and Feta.

The Perfect Hedgehog

The first item shall be the perfect hedgehog - a fine specimen of intelligent design and strange innocence staring at you from the kitchen counter.

Meet Anthropologie's Newest Hedgehog.