Jules of Nature
$LAYYYTER
Alisa U Zemlji Chuda
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
styofa doing anything
Mike Driver
Not today Justin
RMH
Today's Document
i don't do bad sauce passes
wallacepolsom
will byers stan first human second
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
trying on a metaphor
AnasAbdin
Keni
Product Placement
shark vs the universe
Peter Solarz
seen from Israel
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seen from T1
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@dovetailer
A Bill Cunningham exhibit opens today in NYC.
A small, dark town in Norway beams in the sun.
This is what an icosikaitetragon looks like.
The stark beauty and simplicity of mapped sentences.
Cleanly is like Uber for laundry service.
Photos taken inside musical instruments.
Albino animals.
A new bio of Meryl Streep.
Breathtaking ice caves of Lake Superior.
HIP (High investment parenting) marriages: it’s about the kids.
A laser light for bicyclists.
Google embeds mini-love stories inside candy hearts.
Yoga for bad people looks warm and inviting.
This animation artist brings NYC photos to life.
Elbow announces their North American tour.
Literary jukebox pairs beloved book quotes with songs.
Should we brand the weather?
Beautiful building facades.
Marriage 101.
Darth Vader has a Look Back video.
Robe coats are going to be a thing.
David Sedaris tests the limits of love.
Mesmerizing b+w images of epic storms.
11 jobs found mostly in romcoms.
42 years married and still taking selfies.
You should know more about Quilt’s new album.
Patrick Dempsey lives in a gorgeous Frank Gehry house.
What kind of mother are you?
A sweet Disney short about finding love.
Raising kids to be vegetarian.
You can buy a Sochi ring shirt here.
More snow on the way. Sigh.
Russian policemen singing Daft Punk.
Dumb Starbucks coffee.
Go see the Little Prince in NYC before he leaves on April 27th.
Healthy red velvet donuts for Valentine’s Day.
Everything you need to know about our favorite ice dancing couple.
Adding watercolor to the Brooklyn landscape.
Inspiration is everywhere, you just need to look for it. Yesterday, while biking over the Manhattan Bridge, I intentionally slowed my pace and vowed to enjoy the scenery and enjoy the moment of being exactly where I was.
I stopped occasionally, taking photos on the way - cool grafitti here, or wire cables there, and then I spotted it. The Fruin water tower. Or water color tower, if you will.
Not knowing if this was part of the high profile water tower art project that had kicked off in the city recently (http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/painting-the-town-wet-the-water-tower-project-coming-to-nyc), I did some quick research to get the story. Turns out that local artist Tom Fruin is behind this gem. Using reclaimed materials, he erected the tower on his own rooftop, which is on Jay Street in DUMBO. This is part of his “Icon” collection, a series of sculptures that celebrate architectural gems in cities around the world, including a similarly colorful rendering of the Obelisco in Buenos Aires. For this Brooklyn piece, Fruin is quoted as saying that he went with a structure that is, “everywhere and beautiful and silently overlooked.” I've only seen it in the daytime, but apparently, the tower has timed lights that shine out from the inside, creating a gorgeous stained glass effect for locals to see. I'll have to return to see it after the sun has set.
Not only is there a great story behind how this work of art came to be, it's also a splendid and captivating addition to the infrastructure of the neighborhood. Read more here about how it all came together. http://m.wired.com/underwire/2012/06/tom-fruin-watertower-brooklyn/
Living well in small spaces: How small is too small?
Mayor Bloomberg has publicly voiced support for a building full of mini-apartments in the Kips Bay area of Manhattan. With a maximum square footage of 270-300 feet, these “micro-units” would be rented out for under $2K per month. While this spacing could feel extremely tight to some, I think it’s a great option for people like me who prefer to live in smaller spaces with just the bare necessities. Bloomberg says that there’s a huge shortfall of affordable studio and one-bedroom apartments in the city, and he’s not wrong. An option like this provides a viable living option for individuals who prefer to live alone or are just starting out in NYC. Location can’t be beat, and neither can the price. Would you live in a space this small? Inquiring minds want to know.
Read more about it here: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mike-pushes-smaller-apts-young-singles-article-1.1110965
ROUND-UP: Did you miss ICFF? Worry not. The NY Times offers a slideshow of some of 2012's most exciting creations to debut. I'm particularly in love with the Studio Dunn console table and Belle Air Faucet from Lefroy Brooks, but nearly all exhibitors deserve credit for creating original, captivating wares. Here are just a few to fawn over:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/05/24/garden/20120524-icff.html?ref=garden
For a rustic look: If you have an old galvanized metal tub, you could simply repurpose it as a lamp.
Lamps pictured are from Atelier Joya, a San Francisco-based “boutique event design and floral company” that makes the lights and other items, such as vintage shutter display pieces and lights made from lobster baskets, available for rent.
(Spotted on Pinterest, on an aptly named “If it’s galvanized, I probably love it” board here.)
SPOTTED: simple galvanized tubs turned lights hover over a rustic, white tabletop.
If the Lorax were to ever actually award a "Certified Truffula Tree of Approval" to a moving vehicle, it'd be a lot more likely to go to a garden-toting truck that brings farms to schools than to a Mazda SUV.
A literal "food truck," Truck Farm Chicago is a nonprofit organization that uses a 1994 Ford F-250 named Petunia to chauffeur a miniature farm. The project, which revved into gear on Earth Day, is a collaboration between sustainable development nonprofit Seven Generations Ahead and eco-friendly book-printer Green Sugar Press, a recent GOOD Maker finalist whose co-founders Shari Brown and Tim Magner were inspired by King Corn director Ian Cheney’s first truck farm in Brooklyn, NY.
While Truck Farm Chicago is one of about 20 truck farms sprawled across the nation, it's set apart by its focus on educating Chicago youth and families about healthy eating. Visits to the truck typically last an hour and consist of a short tour of the farm, plant identification, taste tests, and sensory exploration. Off-truck activities include planting a seed in a newspaper pot to nourish at home and painting their favorite lessons straight onto Petunia.
"I was excited about this project as a fun, unique and creative way to bring gardening and nutrition education to children all over the city—especially those who may not otherwise get to see how food grows up close,” Brown says. "Making healthy choices can be challenging, especially when good fresh food and education about why it's important and how to cook it is not always accessible. Truck Farm is trying to do our part by using our exhibit to spark these discussions, give youth the tools to make healthy choices, and inspire them to use their own creativity to encourage healthy changes in their communities."
There’s an enormous need for nutritional education in Chicago, where childhood obesity exceeds the national average: According to the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, 35 percent of Illinois children between 10 and 17 are obese. In its first year, Truck Farm visited food deserts and underserved communities throughout the city, reaching 2,738 children at 47 schools. This year, with the help of a Kickstarter campaign, they hope to educate more than 3,000 children, strengthen programming opportunities from starting school gardens to follow-up visits, and spread awareness about the importance of good food.
SPOTTED: BEYOND THE CROWDS AT WANTED DESIGN
Friday night's opening gala at Wanted Design (11th ave @ 28th St) was a swarm of activity, bodies and new design. The beau and I arrived shortly after the opening time and were faced with a mass of folks who intended to get inside as quickly as possible (either to get out of the cool temperatures or closer to the open bar, or both). The showcase was impressive, and featured a nice array of designers presenting everything from bathroom fixtures to re-purposed furniture, denim jean tailoring, jewelry, and more. My favorite items from the evening were furniture/interior pieces (typical) and moved me for various reasons.
One new wallpaper pattern from Jill Malek, Voyageur, is a representation of flight patterns across the US. Stunning in its busy-ness, the yellow-gold hue lends a fun, mod personality to it, which I think could work really well in a variety of interiors, especially a child's room or workspace. www.jillmalek.com
I was moved by the simplicity and forms of the Secto design pendants, which are handmade in Finland. Simple and natural in their state, these birch lights immediately reminded me of hoop skirts and french panniers. I find the form appealing, and think this style would work wonderful in over a long dining table in a farm kitchen. www.sectodesign.fi
Debra Folz, who hails from Boston, introduced items from her Pleat collection, including stools and chairs. According to her video, she intended to create structures that celebrate the fabrics upon them. She mentioned that the fabrics are polyester, are pleated in Paris, and treated to be stain resistant which I think would need to be a necessity for anyone in this day and age. www.debrafolz.com
LIVING WELL IN SMALL SPACES: Small living captured in today's NY Times!
The founder of Treehugger, like me, lives a pared down life. Check out Penelope Green's great feature on small, simple living in today's Home section of the NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/17/garden/the-founder-of-treehugger-and-his-apartment-of-the-future.html?ref=garden
Living Well in Small Spaces: Apartment Therapy's 8th Annual Smallest Coolest Home Contest
If you've needed more proof that living well in small spaces was possible, all you need to do is look through the numerous entries for this year's smallest coolest home contest. As you'll see from the albums of pictures, there are lots of other folks who, like me, find comfort in dwelling in a small spaces. Click through to see picture after picture of small yet inspiring living areas and the design tricks and ideas that make these homes personable, comfortable and downright cozy.
http://community.apartmenttherapy.com/contests/smallcool/2012
Gritty. Undergoing revitalization. Off the beaten path... Crown Heights is all of these things, but not for long. In fact, traffic there -- foot, bike, car, pedestrian -- is higher than ever (as is the, ahem, crime), which means it's only a matter of time before Crown Heights becomes the next Park Slope or Pro-Heights. I've been to a handful of these eateries, most recently Chavelas. They offer an incredible veggie Don Platos sampler platter of delicious nibbles including beans, guac, spanish rice and more. It's $12 and perfectly portioned for two, so a very affordable meal. Get the cactus tacos if you go - there's nothing like them.
The rest of the neighborhood is quickly evolving into a haven of small boutiques, vintage shops, organic eateries, coffee breweries and more. I think we'll be seeing/eating/drinking a lot more from Crown Heights establishements in the months to come.
Accompanying a growing awareness of the wastefulness underlying the modern global economy, a new approach to art has flourished in recent years, one dealing with the repurposing and utilization of materials discarded or viewed as useless. Written by street art commentator Tristan Manco, the new book “Raw + Material = Art” delves into these techniques and philosophies by exploring the works of 38 artists using low-tech, low-cost media and methods. The selected artists provoke thought on both subject and medium, and continue to push what’s possible by working at “the raw edge of contemporary art.”
(via Raw Material = Art)
Smart: repurposing & utilizing materials viewed as useless.
