I've been shopping on Etsy lately. Even when I don't actually buy something I find browsing the site quite inspiring.
Here are some of my favorites:
Dear Colleen has some cleaver prints and totes.
Zoe will soon be a folk art sculpture.
EcoFriendly cards and tags with some fresh patterns.
I don't have one, but if I did this would be covering their little ears.
I love these criters.
And, for a little nostalgia.
I’m toying with the idea of using some wallpaper in my house. Excuse me, not wallpaper, “wall covering” as it’s currently called in the design world. I really love the collection from Hygge and West. Take a look.
I am very excited because my new job allows me to work from home. I have worked from home before and I have found that I am very productive. However, the second bedroom in our house opposes a couple of issues. First, it also has to be a guest room. Second, it's a strange shape; it has an interior door (obviously), an exterior door and a large window so there is limited wall space. Lastly, it's always been the "catch all" room in the house. So watch out Craig's List, I'm purging.
Since the room has been a problem for me, my dear friend and very talented designer, Megan, is helping refocus the space. Here are some of the elements we are looking at for inspiration:
I’ve been thinking a lot about minivans. They were everywhere in South Africa. We saw more than a few Volkswagen's and numerous Toyota's on the road. Some used as public transportation, others as the preferred mode of transportation for all ages.
I confess…I've always liked them so it got me thinking. Would I buy a minivan today? I mean, seriously. Would I? And, if so, which one?
Antecedents to the minivan include the Stout Scarab. In 1936 this vehicle featured a removable table and the second row of seats rotated 180 degrees.
Then there was the DKW Schnellaster. I couldn't find a lot of nifty interior features on this guy, but I do like the shape of the body.
I would so drive one of those old guys, but truth be told; I couldn’t afford it or the maintenance. So what are my current options?
Check this VW out. I know, I love it too!
Oh, oh----the Prius Minivan???? I don't know, I'll have to see it in person. (Friends, you know I looked at this and thought, SPF 100 for this white girl.)
Not your style? What about the Toyota Sienna?
Enough said. Minivans are back! Right?
Geoff and I just returned from the World Cup in South Africa. I am certain there will be some additional post regarding the games, fans, and food, but what's on my mind now is the township of Soweto.
The name Soweto is an abbreviation for South Western Township. The world became familiar with Soweto in 1976 when protests erupted over the government's push to educate people in the Afrikaan language instead of English. This was a serious act of repression thus causing some hostility within the community. (We happened to be in South Africa for the anniversary of the uprising-- June 16th.) To read more about the protest go here.
What struck me the most while touring this area was the current housing conditions. The government has built what is referred to as four-room homes or RDP "Reconstruction and Development Program" as seen here:
If you are unfortunate enough to not have an RDP home, you live in what most would call a "shack".
You can't miss these homes while attending the World Cup because they are a penalty kick away from Soccer City Stadium. Every newspaper addressed whether the host country should have put the money towards rebuilding things like sewage instead of building stadiums. You see, residents in these squat houses use a communal tap and outdoor toilets all built in the corrugated tin. Certainly something money could fix. However, the stadiums also needed to be built and/or remodeled to host this event. Obviously this caused a wide range of opinions.
You'd think the mood would have been bitter perhaps even downright ire. After all, this money could have done a great deal for their community. Instead of being rude to the tourist or sour about the conditions of their township, the children of Soweto filled the streets playing soccer on the dirt roads that led to their homes and dressed in rich Bafana Bafana colors: yellow and green.
And…. they blew their vuvuzellas. Loud.
Throughout our entire trip whether in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Soweto, or Cape Town, the people of South Africa were energetic and very welcoming. They embraced the tourist and seemed quite satisfied with their environment. It certainly made me think about what I need in life and what I could live without. I'm going to make a short list as a reminder for myself because I know this moment will pass and I'll need to be reminded. (Sorry, it's true.)
On a less serious note, and because so many people have asked about them, I'd put the vuvuzella at the top of the "what I can live without" list.
{Pictures courtesy of the google images....I've got 300 to download at some point.}
I bought these stamps. It was hard to avoid the purchase. There they were staring at me while I was simply trying to ship a birthday package to Portland. All ten of them, a beautiful collection of abstract art….
Did you know the U.S. Postal Service has an art director and an art historian? I didn’t. Ethel Kessler and Johanthan Fineberg are responsible for my spontaneous, can’t walk out without them, purchase. It was really pointless. I don’t want to use them, they are too pretty, but I’m not a stamp collector either. So, what do I do with them? I digress.
Anyway, the set includes works by Arshile Gorky, Adolph Gottlieb, Hans Hofmann, Wilhem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still. All ten of them are self-adhesive (so I could use them) and they are featured on a sheet that includes pieces of Barnett Newman’s “Achilles” along the edges. Cool.
If you have any ideas about what to do with them, let me know. Until then, they’ll remain on the card table I am temporary calling my desk and I’ll stare at them fondly dreaming of the day I too will be a famous abstract artist.
I have stacks and stacks of Domino magazine in my house. So, naturally, I was thrilled to find Lonny on-line. I love that I can click on a photo and I am ushered straight to the website. A bit dangerous for my bank account, but very inspirational.
Louise Bourgeois died this week at the age of 98. As I read article after article about her career as a sculptor it became clear to me that her work was offensive to some, but a very important release for her. Louise kept a diary that is said to have moments of rage, fear of abandonment, and guilt all stemming from her childhood. Obviously the best form of therapy for her was to put these emotions into her creative outlet.
Bourgeois' sexually explicate, yet sometimes comical, sculptures were not celebrated until late in her career thanks to MOMA in 1982. She was 70 at the time and the reviews were all across the board. "This is not a show that is easy to digest," New York Times critic Grace Glueck wrote. "The reward is an intense encounter with an artist who explores her psyche at considerable risk."
Seven in a Bed- 2001 Works on paper by Louise Bourgeois and teaching diagrams made by various artists. Louise herself.... In 2001, tourists saw her work exhibited on the plaza at Rockefeller Center for 2 1/2 months as part of a Public Art Fund program. The Spider, titled "Maman", was 30 feet high and carried a basket of eggs. The spiders were said to be about her Mother. Hmmmm.... I don't think we need to read her diary to understand that Louise was a witty, creative woman with a dirty mind. If she was alive, living in Denver, and 70 years younger, she would enjoy our girl's night. 
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