monofilament

ch, ch, ch, chi-town

through work i have had the opportunity to do quite a bit of traveling within the states.  usually for a week at a time, sometimes more, but enough time to explore & get to know the place.  never has my experience been so overwhelmingly rad than my recent stint in chicago!!  seriously!!  perhaps it’s because i somehow had it in my mind that chicagoans are a brisk, abrasive lot that i was so surprised by their genuine friendliness…. 

and skills! my first stop was post 27, a dream shop & would definitely be a weekly haunt if i was a local.  rarely do i love EVERY single thing in a store- but it was like she was part of a gang of aliens who must have scanned my brain at some point- weirdly in love with everything on the floor.  other shops along our route might not have had aliens on their side but still rocked it with a thoughtful & surprising product mix.

did i mention that there was a definite lack of attitude? the shopkeepers went above & beyond to accommodate, my co-workers were kind and hardworking and overall kick ass.  in fact the ONLY attitude i experienced was served up (shockingly) at whole foods.  seemed this rosie perez wanna be didn’t take kindly to indecision over paper vs plastic. (calm down, i did bring a canvas bag, but it was too small for everything, hence the dilemma)

my only regret is not getting to sample more of the local fare.  luckily the one non-room service meal at rootstock was everything i love in a restaurant: small, local, smart waitstaff, reasonably priced food from the heart.

right on chicago!!

http://www.scoutchicago.com/ (thoughtfully curated modern)

http://www.foursided.com/ (website=snooze/in person=good times)

http://www.jaysonhome.com/ (if anthropologie ditched the lace applique & focused on home)

http://www.danarenninger.com/

http://www.levinsonlocations.com/

framed by friendship

if you have ever built or renovated a house, chances are your architect did not make this promise.

it’s a quote by the late architect daniel evan white.  and from what i have read, this was the case with most of his clients.  armed with that piece of information i think you will enjoy the photographs of his residential buildings that much more.

written in the stars

who doesn’t love a good horoscope?

i had never been one to seek them out, but if one happened to cross my path, of course i coudn’t resist.  several years ago my friend claire turned me on to rob brezsny’s free will astrology.  rob has a clever way of delivering his message through esoteric analogies and historic anecdotes.  i instantly became a fan.

this week’s message hit home as i struggled to find the inspiration to update this blog…

Shunryu Suzuki was a Zen master whose books helped popularize Zen Buddhism in America. A student once asked him, “How much ego do you need?” His austere reply was “Just enough so that you don’t step in front of a bus.” While I sympathize with the value of humility, I wouldn’t go quite that far. I think that a slightly heftier ego, if offered up as a work of art, can be a gift to the world. What do you think, Pisces? How much ego is good? To what degree can you create your ego so that it’s a beautiful and dynamic source of power for you and an inspiration for other people rather than a greedy, needy parasite that distorts the truth? This is an excellent time to ruminate on such matters.

blogging is such an obvious extension of the ego.  i started this thing to share design that inspires me, but its SO easy to slip in to full-on RANT mode, or it’s evil twin the self-absorbed design fascist.    so, how do i create this blog so that it’s a beautiful & dynamic source of power and inspiration, rather than a greedy needy parasite that distorts the truth? 

it’s easy!!  all of you must nod in agreement to everything i say.

i am not distorting the truth when i state that there is a definite shortage of good design in the horoscope department.  here, in an effort to be a source of inspiration, are the five i like & one i love (above).

heart felt

lost unicorn, no reward

today is saturday.  a beautiful crisp & sunny saturday. 

what am i doing?

i am glued to my laptop OBSESSED with finding the source of this photograph.

i found it here.  but there is no credit attached to this image, only a trail of nearly  17,000 notes about who liked it and who reblogged it.  i have been clicking through these notes for an hour and twenty five minutes so far and it just keeps going and going…..

and then, just when i thought i found the source…..i’m right back where i first saw it posted.

where are we headed with art?   

it doesn’t seem to matter that the genius who created the image remains anonymous.  props are given only to last one to post it.

sunday thanks

work it out, girl

my mom has a shopping tactic when it comes to thrift stores.  get a shopping cart & put everything in it that  remotely interests you.  only when you have scoured every last inch of the store are you allowed to sift through the cart & edit it down to the things you truly want or need.   she claims that there have been times when, after reexamining, she abandoned the whole cart and left empty handed.

the cart filling attends to that naughty impulse to acquire stuff.  while sorting through the stuff is a little like meeting someone for the second time, on different turf. maybe you are still impressed by them and maybe it reveals something unforgivingly flawed like a stain or crack.  it’s then you can decide whether or not to put it back on the shelf without regret.  shout out to stains & cracks: “i know, you are not always a negative, sometimes you are the very things that draw us to a person or object. and sometimes we will pay extra to have you around.”

writing about stuff has turned out to be a lot like cart filling. 

in a way, i own the things i write about.  they are here on display, where i can admire them, show them off and share with you what i find so special about them.  it’s here that i can work through that swoony, blinded by lust, urge to purchase.

wanna see what’s in my cart today?

heartbreaking…

borrowed from the very real hazel brown

sunday thanks

oak cliff mardi gras parade, 2010 elliot munoz

although i am not a fan of the city it’s located in, i LOVE my neighborhood.  it’s mayberry meets sesame street meets modern day diy community.  today is our 4th annual mardi gras parade.  and, although this is technically a “thanks” post, i feel as though i should take a moment to pre-apologize for any bead or candy-related injuries i might inflict upon innocent bystanders today.  “i’m sorry your son has a black eye” and “i hope your camera will be ok, i honestly didn’t see you crouched in the street taking photos”. 

bike is decorated, basket full of swag, champagne on ice…..

its gonna be a good day!!