Blog Archives
Stuff I Like (5/9/11)
“Clock, Silver Spring.”
BUY THIS! Okay, I’m not usually quite so bossy but my e-friend Abbey Hendrickson (of the fabulous aesthetic outburst blog) who I’ve talked about a zillion times in this space has partnered with Pistachio Press on a line of cross-stitch, letterpress notebooks! I’m pre-ordering at least one (by which I, of course, mean one in every single pattern!). And since I’m being Princess Bossy Pants, can you go ahead and stick her blog Aesthetic Outburst in your bookmark toolbar or Google reader or whatever…or at least follow her on Twitter: @a_outburst (p.s. Abbey doesn’t pay me to shill for her… unless you count holding off on a virtual restraining order as payment…sigh…)
Prints Charming. The wonderful Camilla Engman, a Swedish artist/crafter/blogger extraordinaire is selling some her prints for just two weeks! Her point of view is wonderfully off-kilter in a magical, fairy-tale-ish kind of way, which seems to be part and parcel of the Swedish, and perhaps even Scandinavian, visual arts aesthetic. Alas, alack, I’m no art critic, so all I can say for sure is: these prints are cool. I’m particularly enamored of the paper-cut woodland scene and the two Atomic Age forest in the first set of prints. I’ve linked to her Batch 3 of for-sale prints, and you can scroll back through her blog a few posts to see Batches 1 and 2. (via Camilla Engman)
Rhyme time? And since we’re on the subject of people I like a lot….here’s Christian Kane singing “Thinking of You” on Leverage. Conveniently, the song also appears on his new album, The House Rules. Yeah, I didn’t know I was a country girl, either….
Kathleen Thinks I’m Blogdiggity!
“Self Portrait in Favorite Outfit #1” Black Eileen Fisher pants, black/white bracelet-sleeved, collared jersey from Land’s End under short-sleeved black jersey from Macy’s, black/white/gray striped scarf from H&M, vintage cerulean blue plastic bracelet. Not pictured: beloved, much used and abused, rubber-soled red booties from a shop on the Boulevard St. Germain in Paris. Can’t remember what earrings I was wearing.
So my friend Kathleen Kirk—ace poet, ace actress, aces all around—sweetly gave The Home Beete! a Blogdiggity Award the other day. Here are the rules, such as they are . . .
1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass along the award to 15 bloggers you think are hella awesome.
4. Contact said hella awesome bloggers & let them know you think they are the blogdiggity.
So, first, a huge THANK YOU to Miss Kathleen, whose own lovely blog Wait! I Have a Blog?! (Musings on What We Read and Why) can be found right here. (She also has a new chapbook out from Finishing Line Press, so go order it already, okay?)
As for the seven things about moi:
1. My favorite romance authors are Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Susan Wiggs, and Elizabeth Lowell.
2. I’m somewhat obsessed with biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs by and/or about literary women, such as Virginia Woolf, Edith Wharton, May Sarton, and Joan Didion.
3. I can’t walk in high heels. Don’t think I’ve ever been able to walk in high heels except for a very brief period in high school when I wore wedges, which—at the time—were neither fashionable nor actual high heels.
4. My favorite place to write/work/live is in my bed. And yes, if I had room, I’d upgrade to a California King so I could pile even more books, magazines, etc. into bed with me.
5. I love Zoolander. There, I said it.
6. Most people think sunny days are great for getting out and about. I think they’re great for lying in bed, dozing in a big patch of sunlight. Clearly, I’m part cat.
7. I drink way too much coffee, yet I’m hopeless when it comes to operating any type of espresso machine. Well, except for Doug and Cara’s. I’m really good at operating Doug and Cara’s lugged-home-from-Sweden espresso machine.
Here are 15 bloggers who I think are hella awesome, and who I will someday—when I’m not napping in a patch of sunlight—finally add to my blogroll.
1. A Cup of Jo: I love her personality, her sense of style, her sense of humor, and I want to be her best friend. For realz! (Oh, she also does great giveaways.)
2. White Lightning: Ditto. The poet in me just delights in the way she fractures and flings around language—talking about applying pressure to the page, as Henry Taylor used to say. (The downside is that I’m now craving a pair of yellow hasbeens (which are coincidentally Swedish!)—anyone have an extra hundy I can borrow?)
3. Aesthetic Outburst: I love how her nicknamed family—PRH (her hubby) and EZ-E and Kicky (her kids)—show up in her posts about home, crafts, etc. I’m pretty sure I could spend an entire pot of coffee chatting with her.
4. Black Eiffel: Okay, the word “Eiffel” is in the title of this blog. Do I really need to go on? In case you’re still not getting it, I also adore the mix of recipes, home style, art, and fashion that shows up on this blog. A blog right after my own heart.
5. Camilla Engman: It’s thanks to blogs like Camilla’s that I’ve become a huge Swede-o-phile. Nuf said.
6. Chasing Light: Doug Kim is a NYC photographer. I think his work is gorgeous, and I also love that he features work by classic and contemporary photographers. It’s a great way to get an education by looking at some amazing visual work.
7. Creature Comforts: Again, this is another blog I love because I love the writer’s personality. My heart broke for her when she went thru a rough patch lately and absolutely cheered when she came out the other side. Again, she mostly blogs about a good mix of art and home and fashion.
8. Decor8 Daily Updates: Ask anyone who loves home design blogs who to read, and Decor8 will be on their list. Again, she has an amazing personality, and I’ve discovered a lot of other great blogs and stores to look into thanks to this blog.
9.Door 16: I want to be the couple behind Door 16. I’m just saying . . .
10. emmasdesignblog: Another Swedish blog that I absolutely love, and one that you’ll definitely see referenced on a lot of other blogs. One of the things I love about the Swedes I follow is that they are able to create stylish, livable interiors, with the emphasis on livable. They get how to use IKEA (natch!), and they prove you don’t have to spend oodles and oodles of cash to have a beautiful home, you just have to keep an open mind and train your eye.
11. Every Person in New York: This is the companion blog to Jason Polan’s drawing project, which is—literally—to draw every person in New York. I have a huge crush on Jason. Partly it’s that wonder and amazement at people who can whip out a pen and just start drawing, and partly it’s because, for me, his projects provoke a lot of questions about “well, is this art?”—a very useful and necessary dialogue to engage in, especially as an artist, I think.
12. greige: This is a new favorite. I’m officially in love with the color grey, particularly that moody, bluish grey I associate with Paris in the rain (not that it actually rained when I was in Paris, I don’t think, but I digress . . . ). This blog showcases muted interiors that are still spellbindingly evocative and provocative. It turns out that a muted palette doesn’t have to equal bland, but instead can provide a near-luminous backdrops for textures and objects.
13. Lena Corwin blog: Lena’s blog was one of the first ever to populate my Google reader, and she continues to be a favorite. I love the beautiful books and artwork she produces for her own shop as well as the many beautiful shops and fellow artists and artisans she showcases. I never fail to get a whopping dose of inspiration from reading Lena’s blog. (I also never fail to want to move to Brooklyn after reading Lena’s blog . . . sigh . . . )
14. Shiny Squirrel: This blog is one of my faves for seeing what’s out there in the world of fashion. I love that her faves cover everything from three-paycheck looks to Etsy. It’s been a great way to learn more about the field, to find designers to fall in love with, and basically to figure out what look is most authentically me.
15. The Decorated Cookie: This blog is by Meaghan Mountford, who I’m so blessed to call a friend. She’s an expert when it comes to edible craft projects which are both eminently achievable and eminently delicious. My secret wish is that she’ll have her very own edibles store someday where she’ll give me unlimited credit, or at the very least, she’ll start dropping off little baggies of gorgeously decorated mini-cookies at my apartment each week some time in the near future. (Hint, hint, Meaghan!)
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and—quite honestly—I’ve left off at least another 15 of my favorites, such as one fine day, The Selby, The Sartorialist, Oh Joy, and Unhappy Hipsters, just to name a few. Sooooo, I have a litte vaca time coming my way, and I’ll try to get busy with ye olde blogroll. In the meantime, hope you’ll check out at least a few of those I’ve mentioned.
And thanks again to Miss Kathleen for making me feel all Blogdiggity inside!
Hitting the Links (12/10/09)
Green and pink chairs by Wozzup Mutazionidinterni Design (http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2009/06/wozzup_mutazion.php)
Swedie Pie. Design*Sponge finally got my week going in the right direction with this sneak peek into the home of Swedish designer and artist Camilla Engman who also writes the most delightful blog. I especially love the wall of art. Take note of how the disparate elements work well together because of the fairly cohesive color scheme. It’s a great way to add order to a rambunctious collection of treasures. (via Design*Sponge)
Craig. Daniel Craig. Doing the dishes will be a delight with this cheeky dish towel from Emma Bridgewater in hand. Really. (via A Cup of Jo)
You’ve Got Mail. I love getting mail. I love eating food. I love using words and phrases like “locavore” and “locally sourced,” and “small-batch.” In other words, I’m a pretentious git. That being said, this round the world food club sure would be a nifty gifty for the foodie or wannabe foodie in your life.
Happy New Year. Or at least it will be if this year you can manage to keep track of birthdays, project due dates, and how long exactly it’s been since you watered your plants. One of these calendars just might help. (Note: I myself went with Wallace & Grommit to keep me on track–or at least laughing as another deadline blows by–in 2010.) (via Cool Hunting)
You’ve Got More Mail. I love getting mail. I love art. I’m even more of a pretentious git than previously thought. Still, this whole 12-pieces-of-original-art-by-subscription thing, for about $5/month, is pretty astounding. And cool-making. So take that jarful of pennies to Coinstar and then subscribe already! (via Book by Its Cover)
Art with a Heart. Visual artists Christine and Justin take that whole new age visualization thing to a new level by painting boldly colored, graphic pix of the things they want—a trip to Vegas, hot wings, a Pinkberry with banana and chocolate chips—then selling them for whatever is the purchase price of the desired object on their site Wants for Sale. Said purchase price is then used to purchase said item. Genius. And before you get on them for rampant consumerism, consider that they also have a Needs for Sale series that raises funds for charities including Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International, and the American Red Cross. Double Genius. (via It’s Nice That)
