HAVE A SWEET WEEK!

I am headed home to Connecticut tomorrow and up to the Boston area on Thursday for Thanksgiving.  I can't wait!  Homemade cranberry applesauce, stuffing, pie, seeing family and friends!  I hope you have a lovely week too!

[I love this geeky-tasty idea: small servings of white, dark and milk chocolate in the shape of a pie chart.  Brilliant and delicious!  Find it here.]

TAUNTING ME WITH DRESSES

The New York Times just did an article on sparkly holiday fashion.  The Sartorialist was just in Rio finding the most drop-dead gorgeous people in the most lovely outfits.  Both of these things make me want to forsake newly-frigid New York and go on a vacation fling some place I can wear a fun, flowing, skimpy dress.  I would kill to take along the Philip Lim beaded skirt-top combo (first photo) or the skull dress (third photo) as spotted in Rio.  My wardrobe would be so much sassier with either of them in it . . . . Sigh.  Unfortunately I do not have the thousands of dollars necessary to pick them up.  But really, who does these days?

See the NYTimes article here and the Sartorialist globe-hopping here.

BUSY BEE!

I have been running around all day today trying to cull sources for my ongoing research papers (including one on the handsome man above: Robert Rauschenberg) and thus have shirked my posting duties.  As a tease until tomorrow please check out the lovely Egg Press Calendar (also shown above) now on sale here.  I may or may not have bought one for myself early this morning as a little treat . . . . 

POCKET LIGHT

While maybe a little unnecessary, this credit-card-sized light is too cool not to make a big impact.  It has a small cell battery hidden inside so that when you flip up the light bulb, the card is illuminated.  

Wouldn't it be great as a promotional material for a think tank or an advertising company or a designer?  I feel like the novelty/ingenuity of it outweighs the impracticalities (Really, who wouldn't look at that an immediately say "cool!" ?).  You can check out the website here, though I haven't found a way to get my hands on one myself. 

EDIBLE MICROCOSMS

I love Matthew Carden's photographs of miniature people going about their lives in landscapes of food.  With a beautiful color palette and creative depth-of-field, it is easy to envision these as real worlds: to see baked cherry tomatoes as fiery blazes or vistas of rounded sprinkles as ski-worthy slopes.  These reasonably priced prints would make a smile-inducing addition to any kitchen.

See more of his photographs here.

MUSTACHIO'D!

Baby it's cold outside!  And what better way to stave off the winter blues/blizzards than with a cozy knit number and a healthy mustache?  I love the frank silliness of both of these guys, particularly because they are also so practical!  You could pretty much guarantee smiles all around if you went out to shovel with one of these on.  And they are both handmade!  Can't get any better than that . . . . 

Top: Beard Cap at Scandinavian Grace

Bottom: Accordion Scarf with Removable Mustache at JackRabbit

THINGS I WOULD LIKE, THANK YOU!

While my wish list is getting a little long, there are a couple of things that keep rising to the top.  

Having just survived major paper and presentation writing, I am thinking that a treat might be in order . . . . 

Top to bottom:

Graphic Tape, fredflare $10

Large Font Clock, Matter $1880 (might be a problem . . . )

Welcome Coat Rack, Urban Outfitters $24

Sink Ships Print, Keep Calm Gallery ~$36

Speck of Sparkle Earrings, Sundance $68

THIS MAY BE MY DREAM (PIXAR IS GENIUS)

I just watched this trailer of Pixar's new feature film: "Up".  It's incredible.  

I love the concept (you have to watch the trailer to find out!) and am already getting antsy for next spring when it comes out . . . . 

Get more info, see more pictures and watch a sneak peek at the Pixar website here.

IT'S GRRREAT! (JESSE KIRSCH GRAPHIC DESIGN)

Not only are Jesse Kirsch's products beautifully designed - so is her website!  

If you need a brightly colored smartly designed pick me up, check out the loveliness here.

LET'S MAKE EVERYTHING ART!

Industrial designer Ignacio Pilotto came up with this colorful idea.  Love it!

See more of his very cool stuff at his website here.

BUSY BEE

I am working  away on a paper about this gorgeous structure: the Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp, France designed by none other than Le Corbusier.  I am a little terrified since I haven't written an architecture paper since Art History 101, but I am keeping my fingers crossed and my head down.  I promise to be back in action here just as soon as I am done.  Until then, hope you are enjoying this brisk sunny day!

THE NEW YORK TIMES & OBAMA

NYTimes photographers Damon Winter and Doug Mills did a wonderful job capturing the poignancy of Obama's campaign in film.  

See more through a comprehensive slide show here.

ELLSWORTH KELLY: READYMADE COLOR

Yesterday I re-found the Ellsworth Kelly postcards I bought at the MoMA Color Chart exhibition this spring.  Gorgeous!  If you didn't get to see the show, do yourself a favor and go check out the online exhibition (it makes me feel bad for those 7 to 10% of men with color blindness, or as my friends joke "people who can't see shapes").  Then today, while researching my paper on Robert Rauschenberg, Kelly came up again!  This time for his use of "ready-made" colors - colors inspired by a gum-paper notebook bought in a Parisian stationery store.  They're like caffeine for the eyes!

the goods, all by Kelly, from top to bottom: 

"Spectrum of Colors Arranged By Chance 2" 

"Study of 64 Panels for "Colors for Large Wall"

"Spectrum of Colors Arranged By Chance"

GLAMOROUS!

  

It's overcast and wet out here in New York today and I thought you all might be needing a little sparkle in your life.  For some reason I LOVE photographs of huge lit up signs (they make me feel all happy and shiny inside). 

Check out more lovely photos at the Ampersand (left) or Harpy's Flickr photostream.

FEELING MUCH BETTER

Hooray!  My presentation is finally done!  Now I just have to start the paper . . . . 

Even better?  America finally made a smart decision about our future!  I can't wait until January 2009 when the country will be back in the hands of someone who knows that "nuclear" only has one "u" in it.  Today is the start of something special: progress!

(More artsy stuff later, I promise; I just had to share my enthusiasm with you all.  Also, find this lovely poster here).

MUST! FOCUS!

I am in the throes of madly writing about Robert Rauschenberg's series of White Paintings (as seen above) and all I want is the sweet release of writing about a straight forward painting!  This guy may look lifeless, but for an art historian, its like a freakin' encyclopedia of references.  I have got 3 outlines and about 2.5 inches of bindered material to bring together into something coherent. . . 

Gah!  Give me a chocolate chip cookie and a nap, stat!  It's going to be a long one . . . . 

(I will post something more colorful once I finish this presentation . . . aka tomorrow.)