Entries from August 15th, 2011

The Muppets

Yes, those muppets! They are back, people! For all of us who grew up with The Muppet Show, there couldn’t be more exciting news! Also, it’s not just me. For instance, this album was released on August 23rd, 2011, and it is already sold out!

I just have to show you the graphic because it’s cool beyond words. Of course I immediately thought, where can I hang this in our house? Generally I don’t decorate with the color green (not sure why) but our garage is a finished space and is actually painted a sage gray/green. So maybe Kermit’s face can greet us every time we pull into the garage? Perfect!

Image courtesy of Amazon.

And why YES, of course I will be purchasing every single shade of the OPI Muppet collection! So, I will leave you this picture and also a question…Do you like Miss Piggy’s hair blond or brown?

Image courtesy of NY Daily News.

Oh, EmersonMade

So I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while. I fairly recently purchased my first item from EmersonMade, an olive green t-shirt that has a four leaf clover on it and it says “You Found It.” (I would post a link, but they re-did the website and the older items look like they’re not available anymore; I sent them an email about it).

So yes, it’s amazing. Very soft and formfitting. Sure, a little short on length as expected, but maybe if it wasn’t so darn formfitting it would be longer. Ha! Sadly Emerson doesn’t come to your house and wear the clothes for you (translation, they might look better on her than you), but oh well, these are some nice clothes anyway!

So today a lot of the Fall collection was released and my, there are some beautiful pieces. Here’s an outfit I’d buy if money were no object, but sadly, it is! Here we have (clockwise) the Bag-O-Turtlenecks turtleneck, EM LowRiders – Bluebells Navy jeans, the Emerson Tweed jacket, and of course, the EM Gold Monarch necklace.

Images courtesy of EmersonMade.

And seriously, it goes without saying that this coat is the be-all-and-end-all of this Fall/Winter season! Oh, the color blocking! The removable collar! The retro vibe! Swoon.

Tord Boontje

Image courtesy of Amazon.

If you know who this is, then you are reading the right blog! This brilliant designer from the Netherlands designed the very laptop I am typing on right now (an HP mini; I even have the matching travel bag and mouse!), sadly all no longer available, but you can see the features and how cool it is here. I’m sure you’ll immediately fall in love with it as I did, even though at the time I wasn’t even looking to buy a new laptop!

You can also see an awesome video about how he customized a Moleskine journal here. Brilliant! While you’re on this site, check out some of the other videos. I love that so many artists created so many different interpretations of the same basic journal. Of course that was the point; well done Moleskine!

Back to Mr. Boontje…He has the amazing ability to transport us into an ethereal world, where all the flora and fauna are white lacy outlines of themselves that seem to float through the universe. One of my favorite designs of course is his garland light that I talked about here; I am still trying to find a place for it in our house!

If I had a wish list (which I don’t, note to Kristen to start one), his book would certainly be at the top of the list. Oh the design possibilities!

Colliding Logos

Image courtesy of Milton Glaser.

The other night (it was pre-recorded) we were watching Drinking Made Easy in New York (by the way, if you get a chance to check it out, you should). We’ve been watching Zane Lamprey (the host) since Three Sheets which now seems like a million years ago. I’m not sure how this “new” show is a whole lot different than the first show, but it’s highly entertaining and educational, in more ways than one! They went to the Brooklyn Brewery to learn about, and more importantly, taste the beer! And they mentioned that Milton Glaser designed their logos, blah, blah, blah.

Wait, THE Milton Glaser?! The guy who created my favorite logo of all time?!

Image courtesy of  Wikipedia.

Yes, the same guy! It turns out he is also one of the original founders of New York Magazine, that I read every week! Can he be any cooler?!

I obsessively search the Internet for even just a print of the original I Love New York logo, but no one is parting with it (big surprise). However, I just found out that I can buy a poster-sized print of this logo, signed by HIM. Done!

(And yes, as noted the other day I do follow the I Love New York Twitter feed just so I can see the logo every. single. day.)!

Pottery Barn – Early Fall 2011

So I just received Pottery Barn’s Bed and Bath catalog in the mail and as I was folding down the pages to scan images for later, it occurred to me, what if I had to decorate and finish a room with only items from one catalog? I know it would make the room look like a catalog, of course. Something that everyone who appreciates design hates! But could it be done in a way that would be presentable (and maybe someone who had never seen the catalog wouldn’t know the difference)?

So, here’s what I came up with.

Images courtesy of Pottery Barn.

Somehow I’ve managed to create a faux bedroom that I think I would even love, although it would feel like sleeping in a catalog. On the other hand, who hasn’t looked at a catalog or a showroom (and of course IKEA comes to mind) and thought, I could just buy everything shown here and the room would be done!

A little more about each, moving clockwise.

1. Heirloom Frames – A Pottery Barn classic and can no doubt be bought, found, etc. at almost anywhere cheaper! I love the antique white color and texture and varying shapes. Also I would probably frame pictures or artwork as I’m still not sure about the nothing-in-frames trend.

2. Decorative Mantle – Ah, the decorative mantle. This item in every Pottery Barn catalog kind of makes me laugh (especially the price), but the concept sure is pretty! I would prefer to recreate the look with a real mantle sourced from an old family farmhouse or somewhere with it’s own history.

3. Velvet Drapes – I picked the Porcelain Blue color since I thought it would look so rich next to the rug (I’m envisioning a neutral paint on the walls and hardwood floors). This time of year velvet might be a little heavy (even for Fall), although I’d have to see the drapes in person to determine their actual weight. In any case, I think they’ll do!

4. Harrison Bedside Lamp – I kind of surprised myself with this one. Not the lamp itself (the shape is amazing), but the finish – Oil-Rubbed Bronze. Is it possible I’m off the Nickel train? Nope, but in this particular room (remember it’s a faux room), I think it would work very well. I envision the Oil-Rubbed Bronze finish on the window hardware as well.

5. Bird Jewelry Dish – I know, here we go again with the birds! Nonetheless, it is a really cute dish and would be useful to hold jewelry, hair ties, lip balm, and what have you at the side of the bed.

6. Monogrammable Throw – I would chose this in Porcelain Blue (I’m sensing a theme here) because it just looks so soft and cozy and everyone needs a throw on their bed for naps!

7. Please Make My Bed Pillow Cover – Now this is just the cover (I figured we all have throw pillows around we can re-use as an insert) and again this is an item that could be easily made or purchased from Etsy for a lot less money and could display a lot more creativity. But for this exercise, it will do (plus I love how the scroll pattern is echoed in the rug).

8. Maren Rug – And last but not least, the item that inspired this entire post. I don’t know if Pottery Barn is really the place to buy a Persian-style rug, but on the other hand, I really like it. Most if not all Persian or Persian-style rugs are in colors that I don’t love or the pattern is somehow off to me. Not this one! The shades of blue, the subtle yellow and gold, the scrolling flowers on the vine…Swoon.

So, there you have it. A faux bedroom decorated only with Pottery Barn items. Now off to see where I can put that rug…

Jerrold Beim – Shoeshine Boy

I’ll admit, this might be a little bit of a strange blog post for a Friday night, but it is just something I have to tell you about!

Tonight we went to a coffee shop that had books you could read while you sat and they had this book called Shoeshine Boy by Jerrold Beim.

Image courtesy of Open Library.

It was published in 1954 and had a super cute story line along with fantastic illustrations (and of course the bonus was the main character looked like my husband did when he was a kid!)

When we got home the first thing I did was research the author (of course). And I think I reached the end of the Internet on that one…There isn’t really a whole lot out there about him (he died in 1957). Basically he wrote a ton of books, and most if not all of which included a morality lesson and discussed controversial topics that weren’t often mentioned in children’s books (or anywhere else for that matter, at that time).

The Shoeshine Boy was illustrated by Louis Darling, a famous man in his own right. And if the style of the illustrations in this book look slightly familiar to everyone? It’s because he was the illustrator of Beverley Cleary’s books! All the classics including, you guessed it, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, (a much-beloved and much-talked about book in my house)!

Dining Room Art in Progress

Well I should say it’s actually the art on the wall above the bookcase that is in our supposed-to-be dining room. We have an open floor plan house, and because our kitchen is quite big and we still have a family member or two who shouldn’t eat on carpet (yet), we have our dining table in the kitchen. So right now our dining room is where we have our main bookcase and also where I write this here blog! We actually painted the entire living area and dining room in March 2010, so I thought it might be time to actually hang art on the walls!

So right now, I am working with the following art pieces.

Images courtesy of (clockwise) Ork Posters, Wikipedia, and 20×200.

First this NYC Ork Poster (actually this one is a screen print) is just amazing and it makes me sad that there are people around who feel the need to copy this style of art; I have wanted to buy this print since I first saw it somewhere online years ago! Second, this picture is similar to one I have on the wall with my husband looking up in awe at The Gates. We happened to be in NYC on a chance business trip that very cold February in 2005 and were even further lucky enough to be there on opening weekend! The pictures truly don’t do the art installation justice! It was massive and awe-inspiring and we just sat on the benches in the middle and tried to wrap our minds around how we had gotten there (figuratively), together. And last, this art piece is from the artist Christina Muraczewski and it is titled “Flora #2,” very apropos given this post! I think her work is just so unusual and lush and very beautiful and I was drawn to this image again and again.

It’s funny, looking at these three pieces together, with all that orange…I wouldn’t even say I like the color orange to begin with! Sometimes it’s funny how the “creative brain” works since I bought all this art at different times, never intending all of it to be hung in the same place. Stay tuned for a reveal of the framed dining room wall art after the weekend!

Fantastic (Unseen) Movie

I’d say this post is about a fantastic movie, but since I hadn’t heard of it until it arrived from Netflix, I’m not sure the general consensus is that it is actually fantastic. Although, I sure think it is! It’s written and directed by Woody Allen. Yes, I know everyone thinks he’s great, but until last night, I wasn’t very convinced. Over the years, I’ve seen many of his movies and to be honest, I was almost always disappointed. Of course I’m pretty anti-hype so as soon as someone says anything is the “greatest whatever,” it’s virtually guaranteed that I won’t agree. Case in point, we saw Midnight in Paris. The critics loved it. Everyone loved it. I thought it was “meh” at best. The story line and characters and plot were just ridiculous, although I quite enjoyed the set design and the amount of detailed work it took to replicate Paris in different decades! So it was with reluctance for sure that I watched this movie.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

It was just fantastic! There is a great synopsis here, but in general, the story is pretty interesting and very well done (although it does feel like a play most of the time, not sure if that’s intentional or not) and it builds suspense very well. I found myself thinking for the entire movie, and the catch is…? The point taken is I was on the edge of my seat for the entire movie! Also Ewan McGregor’s character in this movie reminded me very much of his character in Shallow Grave. I think maybe I’m the only person to ever see this movie (I saw it in a small art theater in Boston, in fact) but it might be one of the best movies ever. Seriously. But of course don’t take my word for any of this! Go see the movies and let me know what you think!

Floral Light Fixtures

I would love to say that I am redecorating a room and I need help deciding between these two light fixtures. But…

Images courtesy of Dutch by Design and Artecnica.

I am not! I’ve just been obsessed with the Tord Boontje Garland light (on the right) for a very long time and somehow I stumbled across the Floral Pendant light (on the left) at some point and bookmarked it for “future use.” I’m going to guess I was browsing Dutch light fixtures?! Well who knows but basically these are flowery pendant lights (with for the most part) exposed bulbs. I like that the one on the left has light bulbs that face up (I’ve always wondered if the one on the right would be very glaring if you looked up underneath it), but on the other hand, I am a complete sucker for anything Tord, so I would probably go with that one anyway. Although the Floral light in white would look oh so very nice hanging over a kitchen cafe table! Just sayin’.

A Time and Place Song

Do you ever have a song that for some reason reminds you of a time and place? Or maybe a moment? Or maybe a certain season? I often have these songs, but of course when the moment passes, I usually forget what I had only moments before proclaimed “the best song of the Summer, Year xxxx).

So in an effort to catalog a lot of my life and design items that you all might find interesting, I have to say that one of my “Best Songs of the Summer, 2011″ is “Be (the title track),” by Common. I’m sure all you Common fans out there are thinking, wait, didn’t that come out in 2005? Well, yes it did. However, since I just heard it this summer for the first time, it is my pick!

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Seriously, you have to listen to this song and watch the video! It is a brilliant video (check out all the retro NY scenery and designs!) and of course, it goes without saying to play this one LOUD.

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