7/31/12

artistic appreciation: rebecca ringquist!


fiber artist rebecca ringquist is creating cool tactile work out of found embroidery that she embellishes with her own hand or machines! (mom, if you are reading this, this is pretty cool stuff right?...inspiration for my scraps!)

7/27/12

friday fab/five: show your bike some love!


i thought a cycle-themed fab/five was in order since my bike has been under-the-weather lately. it needs it's internal hub AKA gears rebuilt. i'm waiting on a quote from my mechanic...which could be good news or bad news!

1. fender cozy AKA crochet skirt guard: you know you want one! they are custom made by dorien in the netherlands.

2. cycle-themed tumblers: not that i advocate drinking and biking, but if you are going to throw back a few, why not use these cute screen printed bike glasses by brett and crystal?

3. bike jewelry: i already have a bike necklace similar to this...but maybe i should get a back-up from rachel pfeffer designs.

4. light up your bike: OMG, i want these LED wheel lights so bad...especially since i saw them in action recently. they are for safety, but i'm afraid that drivers would be blinded by my awesome magnificence!

5. bern helmets: here is the hard truth, i don't want to look like a TOTAL dork while riding my bike, but i don't want brain trauma either. thus i'm drawn to less "sporty" looking bike helmets. i settled on bern helmets and have been a totally satisfied so far....
plus the little visor is quite good at keeping the sun/rain out of my eyes. look at the happy girl in her white and purple helmet!
 
extra! 
6. bicycle wine holder: this incredible product has been making the tumblr/pinterest rounds and it seems like the perfect mash-up of form and function! get your own from oopsmart for under $30.

(image source 4 // 5)

7/26/12

just because...you like doing good...the working proof!


visit the working proof and get this delightful print -
support system by andrea d'aquino and 15% of the sale will go to support the shama foundation.

ear candy: polica!




a friend from MN visited me last weekend and (lucky for me) shared some of his recent favorite bands/music. they were all good tunes, but i've been stuck on minneapolis band polica. i cannot stop listening to them...i think it's the double drums. these rainbow druzy earrings by julianne blumlo also have a bit of a percussive look to them!

7/25/12

a picture & a poem: nicky beer!


Prairie Octopus, Awake by Nicky Beer
-----------------
The night’s turned everything to junipers   
shagged & spooked with cerulean chalk-fruit,   
weird berries whiffing of Martians in rut.   
I forget this isn’t my universe   
sometimes. Sometimes I think I was falling   
most of my life to land here, a lone skirl   
in the immaculate hush. In my world   
I waltzed with my ink-self, my black shantung.   

Owls swallow vowels in stilled trees. It’s not   
sleeplessness, it’s fear of what the dark will   
do if I don’t keep a close eye on it.   
Blue minutes leak from the pricked stars’ prisms,   
seep into the earth unchecked. Just as well—   
I’ve hardly enough arms to gather them.

(poem source)

7/24/12

just because...this reminds me of my cuba travels!


i recently found this online article featuring havana interiors by photographer michael eastman. the rich images transported me back to my magical time on this tiny island. havana especially had a tangible beauty of a place trapped in time...like a war happened and then they just kept going about their daily business keeping the decay very clean and orderly! i hope that cuban nationals get the rights and freedoms they deserve.

aristic appreciation: matt root!


arizona-based artist matt root's paintings look cool...like 71 degrees and breezy! which i'm daydreaming about since it is so HOT here in philly. i also like how they reflect the landscape and cultures found in the southwest united states.

7/20/12

friday fab/five: all MN edition!



since my BIG move is about a month away, i thought it was time to highlight some things i'm looking forward to when i get to minnesota (beyond my friends and family!):

1. light rail: they put these tracks/lines in after i left and are building more as you read this. i'm looking forward to getting cozy with MN public transit since i only have a bike now and really really don't want a car.

2. co-ops: i'm talking about cozy & progressive local neighborhood natural food stores...i never understood why philly only has a handful of these since they have such a strong presence in the twin cities.

3. lake swimming: dear lord i miss lake swimming!

4. dive bars: my mom reads the blog...soooooo i'll just say that i could use more old country tunes while drinking a cold one.

5. minnesota state fair: it is what it is - and that is FANTASTICALLY strange and amazing at the same time. for example, princess kay of the milky way and her court have their likenesses carved out of a 90 pound block of grade A butter...which means that they eventually have to eat their own face!

(image 1 // 2 // 4 // 5)

7/19/12

sigh...chevron love from house of harlow


did i ever tell you that i wanted to be wonder woman when i grew up?
i think this cuff from house of harlow is a send-up to that lovely lady!

ear candy: exitmusic!



i like my go-to late night bike riding soundtrack as atmospheric as all get out...so the husband/wife duo exitmusic fits into the playlist perfectly. these turquoise shield earrings from sparklefarm would help keep me safe as i coast through sonic magic!

7/18/12

a picture & a poem: solitude


At a Standstill by Samuel Menashe
----------------
The statue, that cast
Of my solitude
Has found its niche
In this kitchen
Where I do not eat
Where the bathtub stands
Upon cat feet—
I did not advance
I cannot retreat
(poem source

7/17/12

just because...plywerk seems like a cool company!

get your art gallery going! check out plywerk.

artistic appreciation: laurie danial!

reckless entertainment, 2010

i could stare at laurie danial's work all day! the abstract layers and colors engage some delighted part of my brain.

7/16/12

ahhh...monday!


7/13/12

friday fab/five: anthropologie/burning love/AIDS thrift/wendy, etc.!



1. anthropologie catalogs: now that i'm on a super intense pre-move budget, i have been avoiding the beautiful and alluring philly anthropologie store. which is super hard since it's basically around the corner from my job! luckily, i cannot escape the ridiculous and luxurious wonder of their catalogs...and i don't try...in fact i hoard them...proudly!

2. summer popcorn movies: a hot day + a cold theater + a hunky super hero + huge explosions = happy sara.

3. burning love: this (yahoo produced) reality dating show parody is HI-larious. watch it...really...you may end up wanting mark's hose too!

4. philly AIDS thrift: i used to clean out my closet and drop stuff off at AIDS thrift quite often when i lived in south philly, but it was always too crammed and overwhelming to shop. not anymore! they recently moved into a HUGE new (and thankfully organized) space filled with all kinds of awesome for you to buy. like the shoes pictured above...$3...need i say more?

5. wendy's birthday! it's my dear friend wendy's birthday next week. not only is wendy a treasured friend and an exceptional hugger, she is also a great mom, wife, sister, etc...and cute & funny to boot! AND she literally knows everyone...i keep telling her to run for office. cheers to you wendy! 

(image source 2 // 3)

7/12/12

ear candy: sharon jones and the dap kings - workin' it!



i had the chance to see sharon jones and the dap kings play live last spring and let me tell you - they aim to please. ms. jones not only has an amazing voice, but she also had an amazing way with the crowd. it was so hard to suppress my smile/joy when the horn section kicked in! SJDK have a go big or go home kinda vibe, similar to these neon feather earrings by pretty vagrant.

7/11/12

a picture & a poem: birds


Dawn Chorus by Sasha Dugdale
----------
March 29, 2010
Every morning since the time changed
I have woken to the dawn chorus
And even before it sounded, I dreamed of it
Loud, unbelievably loud, shameless, raucous

And once I rose and twitched the curtains apart
Expecting the birds to be pressing in fright
Against the pane like passengers
But the garden was empty and it was night

Not a slither of light at the horizon
Still the birds were bawling through the mists
Terrible, invisible
A million small evangelists

How they sing: as if each had pecked up a smoldering coal
Their throats singed and swollen with song
In dissonance as befits the dark world
Where only travelers and the sleepless belong

(poem source)

7/10/12

artistic appreciation: food blogs!

 vegan yum yum // by lolo // in boston

i think/hope that in my next life i should get to come back as a foodie, because food is not always so fun in my current life. i'lll spare you the gory details, but i have a slew of allergies and a wacky body that makes eating a bit of a minefield. sometimes it makes me a sad that i can't eat anything i want, so lately i've tempered my sadness by turning attention to some amazingly talented food bloggers. i'm trying to at least appreciate all food a little - even if it's only visually!...here are a few to drool over:

7/6/12

friday fab/five: republic bikes/cat power/trees/king of kong, etc.


1. louis CK: i don't have cable, so i'm missing the current season of louie, but luckily he is making the media rounds so i can be reminded of how funny and smart louis ck is.

2. republic bikes: don't get me wrong...i LOVE my bianchi milano, but it's kinda like a station-wagon version of a bike. which is good since i don't have a car and i haul a bunch of crap around everyday! BUT...sometimes i fantasize about being a 2 bike gal...having both a "sensible" bike and a "party" bike. maybe someday i will have a colorful fixie for late night weekend rides.

3. cat power: one of my favorite singers chan marshall (AKA cat power) has a new album coming out in september. i have been enjoying the rhythmic single "ruin' and totally look forward to exploring the rest of her new tunes.

4. king of kong - a fistful of quarters: have you seen this documentary about adult donkey kong players? it's in my top five favorite movies of all time...it's amazing...you should see it too...really.

5. trees: it has been brutally hot here in philly and i have come to realize there's a huge difference between standing on the sidewalk under the blistering hot sun (or scorched earth as i like to refer to it as) and standing in the shade of a tree. so, let's give trees the kudos they deserve since they are working so hard out there for us...be nice to a tree today. (info on urban shade trees)

(image source: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 )

7/4/12

a picture & a poem: happy 4th!


learning to love america by shirley geok-lin lim
------------------------------------

because it has no pure products

because the Pacific Ocean sweeps along the coastline
because the water of the ocean is cold
and because land is better than ocean

because I say we rather than they

because I live in California
I have eaten fresh artichokes
and jacaranda bloom in April and May

because my senses have caught up with my body
my breath with the air it swallows
my hunger with my mouth

because I walk barefoot in my house

because I have nursed my son at my breast
because he is a strong American boy
because I have seen his eyes redden when he is asked who he is
because he answers I don’t know

because to have a son is to have a country
because my son will bury me here
because countries are in our blood and we bleed them

because it is late and too late to change my mind
because it is time.

(poem source)

7/3/12

sigh...jewelry crush

artistic appreciation: cool ceramics by gemma orkin!


i've suddenly found myself drawn to HEAVY artistic objects...hmmm...could it be related to all the drawer, cupboard and closet cleaning i have been doing in preparation for my big move? maybe, since these beautiful objects seem so permanent, especially the colorful  and delightfully illustrated pieces by south african ceramicist gemma orkin.

7/2/12