Chad sent me a link to these jewelry pieces made by a Japanese company called Phenomenon Beyond Description, they are incredible, what a great way to use silver, and it's a recycled material, how genius! The designer only uses silver dollar coins made between 1960-1964 because the silver content is higher. I am just amazed how these coins are bent into such beautiful shapes, and cutting the negative space out of a coin to emphasize the bald eagle. I really love the sculpted skull ring, especially how the eagle's head is perfectly placed on top of the bridge of the nose.images: pbd, arknets.co.jp
Guys, remember to get this Kidrobot Krunk-a-Claus Dunny by TADO on Thursday, November 12! It is absolutely the cutest thing ever! Love his 'nog and his wooly beard!
The Magic Mouse. Apple finally got it right with this super light-weight wireless AND buttonless mouse! You can scroll and swipe pages with a click and a double-click anywhere on the surface of the mouse. I am so psyched about using it with a laptop!!!
New York (Peony) by Gregory Krum. Greg is a good friend of Chad's and I have always been a fan of his photography, just found out that he's released a new print on Jen Beckman's 20x200.com, I had to get it right away (because these limited edition prints sell out quickly!), guess it's an early holiday gift for myself! Peony is one of my favorite flowers and hey we happen to have that same vase at home, I love it, it's so perfect for me!!!
Spencer Squirrel Nut Cracker. Not all squirrels are created equally cute, this squirrel happens to be the top 2% cutest. I don't ever crack nuts or have the desire to, but now I do!
Momofuku Cook Book by David Chang and Peter Meehan. Who doesn't love Momofuku, right? And Peter is the hippest food writer in town, his collaboration with chef/owner David Chang, is a book that is full of creative ideas and delicious Asian recipes, and a great restaurant memoir (read the full review here). Bravo!
I'm not an anglophile (although my friends would tell me that I kinda am, unfortunately), I can't help but really want this "Made in England" rolling pin. Maybe it's because it's ceramic with beech handles, I think I would still like it if it says "Made in America", just that Kathleen Hills thought of it first...
Chad and I have been working hard to stock up our new shop, which will go live really soon. I am very excited about the merchandise that we are carrying, some are made by us, some vintage, and most are products made by our very talented friends. Shown here are hand made knit accessories by Siu Yin Chau. I am crazy about her iPurse, it is not only perfect for the iPhone, but you can also use it for holding keys and lipstick, I LOVE the giant pearl! The tie scarf is really great for those who don't want a long scarf but will keep you warm on the coldest days. Will announce our shop opening very soon!!!
A few weeks ago my friend Carmen and I stopped by our neighborhood bookstore and picked up a cookbook by Baked Bakery from Red Hook. I have never been to the store and had never tried their baked goods until recently, I got a chocolate brownie with sea salt from my local store and I became an addict, even Oprah said it's one of her favorite things (hehe)! Carmen bought the book because she wanted to make the pumpkin whoopie pies, we also made the brownies (minus the sea salt) and they were insanely good, as good as the Baked ones if not better! Yesterday we made an apple pie, I give Carmen most of the credit because she made the hardest and the most important thing in a pie- the dough, the night before. Since we're both perfectionists and wanted to do everything exactly right, it took us about 5 hours to make the pie! I tell ya there's a lot of work involved in making the pie but the result was A-MAZING!!! The crust came out perfect, it's so light and flaky. It's a bit scary to think about how much butter and sugar is in the pie but surprisingly it doesn't taste heavy or too sweet either. You know what Carmen? I think it's time for me to get my own copy of the book, and our next "project" will be the flourless chocolate cake! photos: wonting, bakednyc.com
A while ago, my friend Alex Anderson asked me to so a postcard for her organization- 28Cents. I got my set of cards yesterday and I was very pleased how mine turned out and am flattered to be included in a group of very talented artists. Each of the 24 cards has a different message, designed to create socially and environmentally conscious art that can be added to and passed on, raising awareness and connecting ideas. My cause is "Stop Gun Violence" (above), in the United States, a person dies from gun violence every 18 minutes!
Only 1000 sets are available, profits go to Art Start, an organization offering free art programs to NYC youth, get yours here. I have lots of copies of my card, I will send you one if you are the first 10 people to write me.Above: Doma- School Tank, TADO- Keep Love Alive, Ryan Rubnis- Viva Verde, I Love Dust- It's Nice to Be Nice. images: 28cents.org
While we're on the topic of running, it's a perfect day to post this animation that James Jarvis did for Nike, in case you haven't already seen it. Jarvis is my illustration hero from London who is also a keen runner, he admits that he prefers running over illustration! The character in the animation is actually James, and it's inspired by his personal experiences as a runner.
I love my neighborhood, the New York City Marathon happened right outside our window, we couldn't help but be excited and watched the runners pass by our block. Chad's co-worker was also running so we wanted to cheer for her, I had the camera ready and tried really hard to keep an eye out for her, but of course we missed her, she ended up calling Chad's name and we barely saw her, no picture and no hi-five, we're so lame, how did we miss her?! Anyways, we really enjoyed cheering for the runners, it's so inspiring to see all kinds of people, professionals, superheroes, handicapped, blind, seniors, running together, and it must be a lot of fun to run across the 5 boroughs with 40,000 other people! Who knows, maybe next year we will be running the marathon, better start training now!
I am a huge fan of Charlotte Gainsbourg's. I love her quirky look, her voice, her acting, and now her music! I can't wait for her new album "IRM" to come out, it's produced by Beck, download the title song here now! photo: charlottegainsbourg.com
I saw a couple of these glass bowls at Moss yesterday and I was amazed how animated the fish and squirrels look in glass. These glass bowls are made by Tittot from Taiwan using the lost wax technique, it involves 50 interconnected steps to create one bowl, you can read more about it here. Each bowl is available in limited edition of 388, a number that symbolizes good fortune in Chinese culture. Obviously my favorites are the squirrel bowls, but the fish ones look so real that they look almost like there are actually fish swimming inside!pictures: designboom.com
I have a thing for skull, simply because we all have one and it celebrates life and death. We have a little skull collection at home (only human skulls, but none of them is real), these porcelain masterpieces from Nymphenburg are just asking for trouble, especially the simple white one with the gold chain (top pic) by Patrik Muff. Might have to treat myself one of those...Nymphenburg is a 260 year-old fine porcelain maker from Germany, each piece of its porcelain is a real piece of art. They have commissioned some of my design heroes like Hella Jungerius and Ted Muehling (seed vessel, above) to create contemporary pieces for the company. I love everything that I saw on their website but here are a couple of the pieces that caught my eye.
Tonight is the 10th Annual National Design Awards Gala, I am so happy to see that Salvor Projects is one of the finalists in the Product Design category, well done! I'm sure you have seen the giant eye scarf before, for Spring they have the tiger scarf, I love the super large scale of these prints because once worn they become a subtle and beautiful pattern! Ross Menuez has also designed some pretty cool products for the home, like the very popular animal shaped cushions, and this Icosa Lamp (below) made of rice paper. Also, if you are in NYC, take advantage of the free admission at Cooper Hewitt Museum this week, which is celebrating the 10 years of National Design Awards.Photos: Salvor Projects, Idee-online.com, Areaware
I don't know much about kolor but I know they are a Japanese label and they have a cool website and some pretty nice clothes, especially for guys. There are too many unflattering Hammer pants for the girls but I do like this jacket dress look, and the electric blue boots!
Hortensia makes the most beautiful knitwear I've seen recently. They are 3 generations of French women raised in Peru, every piece is hand-knitted by artisans using the softest Alpaca wool, something Peru is well known for. I'm trying make this neck cuff (top pic) but with a much simplified cable in the center, with my skill set it's best to keep it simple. The twisty detail on the purple head band (above) is really gorgeous. I LOVE the vest (below), I don't know how much it cost but it should be about $400 and worth every penny because it takes some mad skill to make it so beautifully. photos: Hortensiahandmade.com
I'm knitting a scarf for myself and because I am extremely picky I can't decide what style to settle for. So I went online to do some research and I came across this really cool hooded scarf by Rogan. I like how the hood is lined with fabric. It's a machine-made scarf but I do like the idea of it, it looks so soft and cozy. Hope they will have it at their sample sale! photos: Rogannyc.com
After posting about insanely expensive products, I need to come back to planet earth and look at things that are humanly affordable, and you can always count on Etsy for that! I think this young lady Laura Lombardi makes really interesting and wearable jewelry. Her gold-dipped quartz necklaces (top 2 pics) are a hit, I am in love with this brass fringe necklace (above) made of vintage chain and brass charms. I always joke about getting a monocle so this necklace (below) is perfect for me, just add a glass and I'm all ready to read menus at restaurants! photos: Laura Lombardi Jewelry
I am dreaming of wearing a ring by McCaul Goldsmiths, the twists and curves make these precious metal rings look like mini-sculptures on their own. Check out the diamond settings on these twisty rings, so amazing!!! photos: McCaul Goldsmiths
If I had 5 thousand Euro to spare I would wear this lobster dress by Heal Fashion Lab for Halloween, or maybe this gorgeous gorilla coat, all I need is a gorilla head! photos: Heal Fashion Lab
If you read my blog before you might recall that I LOVE Acne, I want to live in the world of Acne and dressed head to toe in Acne! This article on Acne and founder Jonny Johansson in the New York Times is such a delight, I learned a cool thing about Johansson, after he was fired from his rock band for being to flamboyant, he initially made furniture, then he made crudely sewn t-shirts for friends that Wallpaper and French Vogue, which were then exploring Scandinavian design, took notice and the rest is history. This guy is ambitious and is doing much more than fashion, he has a great magazine- Acne Paper, his company also works on films, commercials and special projects, one of them is a pink pastel denim couch! If Johansson ever writes a biography I'll be the first one to buy it, this guy has a vision, without formal training in fashion, he understands the world culture (including consumerism), his clothes are like drugs that people come back for more every season. Ok, I am rambling now but you get why I love Acne, right? photos: New York Times
Chad sent me a link to these jewelry pieces made by a Japanese company called Phenomenon Beyond Description, they are incredible, what a great way to use silver, and it's a recycled material, how genius! The designer only uses silver dollar coins made between 1960-1964 because the silver content is higher. I am just amazed how these coins are bent into such beautiful shapes, and cutting the negative space out of a coin to emphasize the bald eagle. I really love the sculpted skull ring, especially how the eagle's head is perfectly placed on top of the bridge of the nose.
images: pbd, arknets.co.jp
