Rolling

LOVE Adele...and her new video, directed by Sam Brown, who brings amazing rhythmic visuals to compliment the music.  Make sure you watch it in full screen.



Here are two more by Sam Brown...these are more than just music videos.  His work transforms into something both stylish and powerful.  (You have to wait until the half point for "War of the Worlds.")

Proud Pillows

I've been stalking pillows for the last month.  At work, we're creating a line of branded soft goods beginning with outdoor & indoor throw pillows.  So every place I go now I'm on pillow patrol always aware of price, styles and construction.  I even researched the pillow label.  You know the one that says "Do Not Remove This Tag Under Federal Law," that's a pretty interesting story.  (Impress your friends at a bar with this otherwise useless information.  Story here.)

Anyway, we're working with a commercial factory that does a lot of industrial stitchery like awnings and bags.  It's over 100 years old and I'm pretty proud to work with them versus some oversees factory.  Yesterday we finished two prototypes and selected three "collections."  Here is what we came up with so far.

This is the 20" size.  The reverse is in a contrasting orange with contrast stitching.  (Love contrast, right?)

The one on top here is a lumbar with the 20" beneath it.

Even our proto-label turned out nice.  The line is called "Otter Creek Home & Garden," an homage to the creek that runs by the garden center property.

 This was the most fun.  Going through fabric to create three different collections.  According to the industry, Rust, Beige and Terra Cotta in solids and stripes are the hot colors for outdoor living.  The fabric is a high quality Sunbrella which means it won't fade and wipes clean.  Love that.

First batch goes into production next week.

Home, Garden & Underpants

I visited Jayson Home & Garden in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood yesterday.  Was a last minute day trip.  Besides wanting to hire a moving truck to load half the store and deliver the goods to my imaginary pied-à-terre, I was surprised to find they carried prints by Hugo Guiness, an artist I wrote about here a while back.  One of my favorites of prints these everyday objects immortalized is the underwear.  There just isn't enough underwear art, is there?

And if that doesn't get you going, surely this stove will.  Think of the visual riddles you can create by grouping these two together. 

Shop home decor, underwear prints and lots of industrial, vintage and re-purposed loveliness at Jayson Home & Garden.  I've even added some things to my wish list.

Favorite Things, Tied with String

This year, instead of a card I decided I'd send a box filled with some things I like - basically a box I imagined I'd send to myself - filled with "some of my favorite things."  (Yes, the hills are alive)

 

First, I baked a little: my favorite Cowboy Cookies full of dark chocolate, walnuts, oatmeal and coconut.  Then a Double Chocolate Walnut Biscotti which I like most for the contrast of the walnuts cross-sections with the dark cookie surrounding it.

I supplemented my baked goods with some Macaroons from Peter Sciortino's Bakery in Milwaukee.   I also like Glorioso's but my Macaroon aficionado Angela and I go either way and that's what she brought with my delivery from the city.

 

I finished the grouping off with Loacker's Dark-Noir chocolate wafer cookies available at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods or online.  I prefer to eat these Italian treats by placing one on my tongue and letting the wafer dissolve away leaving only a warm morsel of rich, warm chocolate.  And then compliment with a swig of coffee?  Addicting.

 

I packed them in boxes and envelopes in various arrangements.  This was most popular. 

 

This is the second shipment.  (Is that your name?)  I'd love to send more, but my two elves quit after only one night. 

Happy Holidays Everyone.

Prints, Charming

Two great things:

1. The "Golden Rule" as interpretted by a designer and his son.  His sons drawings are rearranged to create this pleasant, graphic print.  Perfect for a kids room.  Get it here.

2. Yee-Haw Industries is a letterpress printmaking and design shop. They have a great Etsy shop featuring some gorgeous antique and vintage style cards, tees and more.  (The pea card is my favorite.)

Pairs in Place

Here's how our install turned out.  Read this about the project first.

Three Pairs.

 

This is the raw table Victoria's husband Tom built.

We glued hard foam to a piece of plywood and screwed

that to the tabletop.  This is the base we developed so

the fruit could be 2-dimensional yet free standing.

 A school group stopped to investigate the finished fruit.

 The approach from the upper level/Bradley Collection.

The backside reveals the naked cross-section of the fruit.

The two lemons were voted out during installation but we were still pleased with our results.  Our intent was to create the illusion of a three dimensional still life in a two dimensional format (in response to the photo gallery).  The Art of the Table event begins tomorrow for four days of art-inspired tabletop creations.  Click here for more info.

Fruits at the Table

Been working on the table setting for Art of the Table which is already next week.  My friend Victoria and I have been throwing ideas around for the past 6 weeks.  Just finished these images of the fruit that I mocked up as they might look on the table.  The black line will be the drape on the table.  The pear will be tallest at 36" among the other fruits in our over scaled still life.  Each fruit will be be mounted individually and carefully placed amidst the 96" x 14" table - long and skinny.  The fruit is big and thin.  Let's see if this works.

Schedule: Print on Monday, set up Wednesday at 11am.  Ready, set, go.

In the meantime, get tickets for Alberto Alessi, his lecture is Thursday, opening day of the event.