saying good-bye

NY Times :: ARLINGTON, Va. — The nation said final farewell on Saturday to Edward M. Kennedy, who used his privileged life to give consistent, passionate voice to the underprivileged for nearly a half-century as a United States senator from Massachusetts. He was the only one of four fabled Kennedy brothers to reach late adulthood, and he was remembered for making the most of it.

I was glued to the ceremonies almost the entire weekend. And I couldn't help but feel that this country may never be the same. There is no family in America that even remotely resembles the Kennedy's. It remains to be seen how the remaining family members will follow in the footsteps with the former generation who are now gone, with the exception of sister Jean.

There was a lot of talk about the end of civility and the soul of the Democratic party. You can read more about it here.

Mitsuru Koga Exhibition at Tortoise until 08.30.09

"An insect makes exquisite cutouts in a leaf."
Inpired by these leaves that had been artistically eaten by insects, I began my creative work. -Mitsuru Koga

TGS(Tortoise General Store)
1208 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 310-314-8448 open: Tue-Sat 11:30-6:30 Sun noon-6 closed: Mon

tortoise
1342 1/2 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 310-396-7335 open: Wed-Sun noon-6 closed: Mon and Tue

quote ~ Anais Nin

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

~ Anais Nin

the dream shall never die

Edward Kennedy :: good night America

1932 - 2009

And this is the cause of my life — new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American — north, south, east, west, young, old — will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.

- Democratic National Convention,

Aug. 25, 2008

Don't send flowers. Pass healthcare reform instead.

cash for clunkers goes domestic

Unica Home has come up with a novel promotion. Trade in your old furniture for new!

1. must have a furniture, lighting or tabletop clunker
2. select clunker upgrade at unicahome.com
3. email photo and upgrade info including product option selected to entries@unicahome.com
4. receive clunker offer towards purchase of pre-selected upgrade* from unicahome
5. donate clunker to charity or person who appreciates clunkers
6. submissions & clunker offer valid through sept. 30, 2009

Palestinian women knit Jewish skullcaps

DEIR ABU MESHAL, West Bank (Reuters) - Of all the cottage industries you might expect to find in the Israeli- occupied West Bank, the crocheting of Jewish skullcaps by Palestinian hands seems one of the oddest.

But creating the colourful cap, known in Hebrew as a "kippah", keeps hundreds of women busy in villages like Deir Abu Meshal, which have been making the religious headgear for their Jewish neighbours for some 40 years.

Observant Jews wear a kippah, which means dome in Hebrew, to cover the head in acknowledgement of the supreme God.

The women of Deir Abu Meshal, known for its traditional dress embroidery, say that to them it's merely a business.

They say they have no qualms about furnishing skullcaps for the people of the occupying power or the Jewish settler, who may be living on Palestinian land.

Fascinating! Read more here.

La Mala in Vernazza, Italy

It's funny how coincedence works. We were recently at a party with a lot of people we'd never met before and started talking about Italy. One of the gentlemen talked about an area in the north called Liguria - a favorite vacation spot of his.

Then this was posted today on Remodelista. LA MALA', an antique Ligurian house converted into elegant and comfortable rooms de charme with breathtaking views. Hanging halfway between the sea and the sky, a stone's throw from the village square, with it's natural stone terrace, LA MALA' is an elegant and peaceful getaway for an unforgettable vacation.

La Malà is located in Via San Giovanni Battista 29, in the westward part of Vernazza known by locals as Luvegu. Dominated by the ancient round watchtower, it faces both the sea and village.

Notwithstanding its central position (it takes scarcely a couple of minutes to get to the famous square on the sea or to the railway station) it enjoys a privacy and silence that are both rare and invaluable.

Let's go!

upstairs at Pierre Lafond in Santa Barbara

One of the best home design shops in Santa Barbara is Upstairs at Pierre Lafond, which has been in operation since 1964 and is part of a mini empire that includes clothing stores and restaurants. Among the offerings: an extensive selection of Matteo linens; handpainted Bulgarian pottery, Chamba black clay cookware from Colombia, and an especially good assortment of Moroccan rugs.

via remodelista daily

polaroid is coming back!

Good news: Polaroid is not completely gone! Urban Outfitters has partnered with The Impossible Project to support their mission to restart and reinvent instant film photography. When Polaroid ended production of Instant Film in 2008, The Impossible Project bought all the machinery and equipment at Polaroid’s Dutch factory where the instant films were made. They aim to re-start production of analog instant film for vintage Polaroid cameras in 2010.

This year, Urban Outfitters will present a limited edition of 700 hand-numbered deadstock Polaroid camera kits. This edition will include one pack of deadstock Polaroid Instant Film and one of the most sought after analog instant cameras: the Polaroid One600 classic, the last Polaroid camera ever produced. Urban Outfitters will also offer additional deadstock original Polaroid Type 779 Instant Film saved from the last production runs made at the last Polaroid factory in Enschede, The Netherlands. (Film will retail at $24 per pack and camera kits at $180 each.)

via style files

film friday

Hauschka - Morgenrot from Jeff Desom on Vimeo.

life in Minnesota

A beautiful sunset on Bay Lake.

The favorite pastime is fishing. This is my Uncle Bill with a sunfish. They're some of the most delicious fresh water fish I've ever had. They're small but so good! Some people throw them back after catching them so they don't deplete the population. That's my Uncle Lee in the background.

This is my mother who probably won't be throwing her's back. She's too much in to eating them!

photos from Carrie Helgeson

Lake/Flato architects

There is a lot to like in the work of Texas architectural firm Lake/Flato. A lot to admire. Buildings rest easy on the ground respecting their environment. These buildings are authentic. A series of pavilions or spaces with wide overhangs, shade loving, warmth hugging, real. They remind me a lot of what is being done with architecture in Australia. But there use of natural rock is also reminiscient of the old homes and utilitiy buildings of France. Addressing the climate and the site while providing holistic design solutions for the clients. Honest buildings. Beautiful buildings.

blu dot sale

Everything in Blu Dot’s collection will be 20 percent off on the company’s Web site, at its stores and at other retailers, from Aug. 20 to Sept. 8. Visit bludot.com for locations.

long live Barney Frank

lies, lies and more lies

"It's time to set the record straight -- and, more importantly, expose the special interests and partisan attack organizations behind the lies and misinformation."

NO SHIT !

Former Governor Sarah Palin falsely claimed that under proposed health reform legislation, a "death panel" of bureaucrats would "decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether [patients] are worthy of health care." The truth is, there's no such panel mentioned anywhere in the bill.

This is from a woman who wanted to be a heart beat away from the presidency! What is wrong with her and the people that believe her?

Go here to find out more.

What I'd like to know is what took you so long, Obama? Rome has been burning while you've been playing nice with all the wack-jobs.

box house

Architects: Alan Chu & Cristiano Kato
Location: Ilhabela, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Project year: 2008
Site area: 8,000 sqm
Constructed area: 36 sqm
Photographs: Djan Chu

The new building has 2 floors, a white suspended box, where the bedroom is and it is possible to see the continent and the São Sebastião Channel. Under it, at street level, are the living room, kitchen and bathroom.

The wood used on some doors and windows, staircase, shelves and furniture are leftovers of material used to make scaffoldings and molds for the white box reinforced concrete structure.

The site, at 100 meters above sea level, next to two enormous rocks, already had the old caretaker’s house, one-story house with stone walls and clay roof tiles.

During the work, the caretaker Zé Maria, still not content with his future living quarters, compared it with a can of sardines, a container as those he sees passing through the channel or even a cooler, like those used by beachgoers to carry beer.

via arch daily

diy :: spring place cards

These are really cute place cards and are sure to amaze your most critical guests.

They were originally posted last March but paper valise has been re-posting some of their diy's lately. This is one of their best. I actually bought all the ingredients but have yet to make them. I guess I'm waiting for the right occasion.

You can read the entire tutorial and where to get the different items used to make these here.