... makes you smile away...?

Check this out. It's by the School of life people (you saw it here first). I love the idea, and I love the quotes (aphorisms).

"It's getting darker and colder, and my day job is swallowing my time and energy up, and I can't do my thing." I was ranting something like that when Mr. M. decided I needed out of the house (I had a free day today). So we walked to a nearby gallery where I found Martin Langford's work on exactly the same issues. I have unfortunately not found many of the exact images I've seen in the show, but you get the idea. (Title of image above, Work, home, work, home).

To all the lucky ones in London: the Royal College of Art is doing its annual secret postcard show and sale. They invite students and famous artists to draw little pictures in postcards (almost 3000 of them), and exhibit them for a few days, and then bang! On sale they go, without being signed, all of them at £40. The deal is that you don't know if you are paying for a Tracy Emin's or for a noone's. I might recall the gains fund some sort of thing. Well, as far as you like the postcard you got, that's fine.

I've entered the world of "zines". Oh yes, indie. I know. But you must listen. This COTL thing is actually pretty amazing. It's quite a thick, colored, landscape magazine on contemporary female artists. I'm still enjoying reading the interviews, and I'm going to post something about some of the featured artists. Seriously, try it. It's $4.oo, so you've got no excuse. And Melanie is uber friendly too!

Read their blog here, and then buy the issues here.

Comme des garcons for H&M. Run.

(I'm left in Oxford with NO H&M. That's like no electricity. Or something.)

Uh! I've got soooo much to tell you all today.

Firstly, a massive, heart-felt thanks to both Alyssa from Penguin and Fish and Dylan from DylanS for being such great people.

Alyssa has put this feature in her blog. Not only she's one of my fav bloggers, but she also creates these too-cute-to-be-true kitties.

You might have noticed I'm loving raw wood (see old post here). Imagine then my will to know where the "trumpet" stool on the cover of Elle Decor came from (below, with white seat)! And, just picture my rejoice-ment when I read about Alma Allen in Hoping for happy accidents.

I've found this adapted lamp in the latest Elle Decor (UK edition). It belongs to Australian fashion designer Martin Grant, who lives in an absolutely gorgeous (but not too ostentatious) apartment in Paris. Back to the lamp, the original idea is that the water magnifies, and the light source above (a candle in its original 19th century state), illuminates. I found this lamp very ingenious and aesthetically pleasing. Oh, and the whole flat was a-ma-zing.

I saw Be sweet on Apartment therapy and couldn't help myself, so here they are. It seems to me that lately loads of design is associating itself with craft communities in Southern Africa, and I am feeling like shouting "me too!". So, short of catching the next plane, I am going to limit myself to review these companies here.

Be sweet has some absolutely gorgerous products, but I have to say that, personally, I much, much prefer their home accessories to their fashion ones. It seems they have a strong link to Ronel Jordaan, a Jo'burg based textile designer. (top image, succulent cushion, middle image, pilates balls, lower image, pebbles carpet).

This last Saturday's Guardian Macazine had a special on 50s interior design (i.e. two pages). And they randomly displayed these lights by Bernard Stern. I say randomly because they weren't mentioned anywhere else in the text or in the shopping guide. But I really liked them. I googled them, and I've had no luck whatsoever; so I'm starting to doubt whether they are by this Beranard Stern at all. They remind me a bit of the Beat lights by Tom Dixon (image below), but in warmer tones, shapes and materials. Which ones do you prefer?

Lisa Congdon is the proud owner of the rather cool shop Rare Device. And I've stumbled upon this scissors mobile she created. It's as dangerous as whismical.
Via Craftzine's blog.

I was tagged by Shibori girl like a century ago and told her I'd think about it. It's actually very, very difficult to come up with seven random facts about oneself. So I'll stop thinking about it and I'll just do it.

1-My small fingers on each hand (specially on the right one) are too short. It's not gross, but funny.

2-I got trapped outdoors in an electric storm in Swaziland, an it was not nice.

3-Amelie (the movie) kind of changed my life (not in any dramatic way, but it felt like everything was possible creativity-wise).

4-I flew to NY and Orlando when I was ... 13? Because I won a creative writing award by Coca-cola in Spain. My Spanish language teacher and my school's director came with me, because that was part of the award. (true story)

5-I listen to one song or cd in loop mode until I get tired of it. Ask the neighbours.

6-At least two people have looked at me and gone "Oh, you remind me of a panda" in my life time. I'm worried about that.

7-Dogs jump at my lap on the street. I do not even need to call them. They know I adore them and just jump to me for some love. And boy, do I like that! (and I miss having pets BADLY)

And that's that!

I really do not know who to tag, so name yurselves tagged if you feel like it!

Hey! Congrats everybody on the elections.

I woke up clapping!

Even more good news for today: you can now find in the shop the "hairy letter paper" to write in the good all-fashioned way to all your darlings. They come in packs of 5 for 7.50 dollars (recession-embracing price!). You can buy as many packs as you need here.

Please? Please? Please?

Best of luck to all of us (who'll have to live in a world ruled by tonight's winner).

Let us all wake up to history.

Pic by orange moon toys. They have the most fantstic shadow puppets. Check them out here!

I saw this piece by Tara Gilchrist in Modish and I couldn't help passing it on. It's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. And kind of funny.

I've just got this Bellydance For Beginners: Arms, Abs, Hips, Buns & Thighs DVD. I've always had this curiosity to see what it would imply. I have to say this is more of a fitness DVD than a dance one, but as I wanted it to replace my Wii love (at my parent's), it's just as good.

The thing that puzzles me is that the presenters are twins. I find it slightly twisted that these twins agreed to train in exactly the same dances and perform bellydance together. But anyways, I got two sexy, uber-smiley, bare-navel twins on my laptop screen doing their fitness rutine. After much bizarre air-slapping, arse contracting and "feeling sensual" as they ask you to do, I'm after a second and possibly a third DVD. It will all be worth it if they can improve my sense of coordination, which is non-existent. But the wise twins know everything, and they suggest that if doing the hips, arms and legs movements at once is too complicated, I should stick to the hips only.

Post number 29. Alice!

alice said...
I don't like the fact that you don't have the "You, get me out of here" available in digital print. I'm poor and can't afford the original piece!please,please,please,pretty pleaaaase!
14 October 2008 16:39

So Alice, I'll try my best to keep in touch and ask you what print you want.

Thanks everyone!