stupid pet tricks

two cats and a cathouse

Old inhabitant - Mezzo.

New inhabitant - Grigio.

stamps to the rescue

Because Shelter Pets Deserve a First-Class Meal

In celebration of the new Animal Rescue: Adopt a Shelter Pet stamps, the Postal Service™, together with Ellen DeGeneres and Halo: Purely for Pets, is giving shelter pets around the country a First-Class Meal.During the launch of the stamps, Halo will be donating a million meals to animal shelters around the country.

The Goal

We want more Americans to know about the millions of shelter pets that need good homes. Nearly half of the animals that enter animal shelters are euthanized. Many of these cats and dogs would have made a wonderful pet...if only given the chance.You can make a difference. Adopt a pet, volunteer at a shelter, or just get the word out by buying these stamps.
Learn more about pet adoption.

The Stamps

This campaign continues the Postal Service's 50+ year tradition of raising awareness of serious social issues with special commemorative stamps. The 44-cent stamps feature photos of five cats and five dogs who were all adopted from shelters.

Learn more about the stamps.

diy : filament lights

Tutorial here.

postcard from provence

Paysage à Crillon-le-Brave
20cm x 16cm (8"x6"), oil on gessoed card

Today's painting will be sold by auction - auction starts today and ends on Thursday 29th April at 8pm GMT (4pm EDT / 1pm PDT)

Starting price: $100
To register or login to the auction visit: http://auction.shiftinglight.com

cottage in a day

The next generation of factory-built, energy-efficient, green homes. The process incorporates exceptional design, use of sustainable materials, and a structural insulated panel (SIP) envelope for strength, sound reduction, and comfort.

The prefab modules are designed and constructed in a facility to meet or exceed Energy Star requirements, the National Home Builder's Association measure for green construction, and residential LEED standards.
Good design and a sophisticated selection of fixtures, finishes, and textures combine to make Cottage in a Day® a wise and visually pleasing choice for a vacation retreat or a year-round residence.

Material selections for long-term durability and energy efficiency enhance a philosophy for responsible living as well as a return on investment. Cottage in a Day® is the solution to construction problems.

via the Bedlam of Beefy

postcard from provence

Peonies
12cm x 17cm (4½"x7"), oil on gessoed card

Today's painting will be sold by auction - auction starts today and ends on Wednesday 28th April at 8pm GMT (4pm EDT / 1pm PDT)

Starting price: $100
To register or login to the auction visit: http://auction.shiftinglight.com

vincent van duysen in antwerp

UK publishers Thames & Hudson have just come out with Vincent Van Duysen: Complete Works, a comprehensive monograph of the Belgian architect's work, featuring more than 30 projects photographed by Alberto Piovano. Former Elle Decoration UK editor-turned-designer Ilse Crawford, an early champion of Van Duysen's work (she commissioned him to work on her own residence), writes the foreward. Shown below: Van Duysen's own Belgian townhouse, which took three years to complete and features the architect's spare aethestic, rendered in natural materials such as raw wood and chalk plaster surfaces. Photos via Vincent Van Duysen and Vogue Living Australia.

Above: Vincent Van Duysen: Complete Works; $47.25 at Amazon.

via remodelista

terrain at styer's in pennsylvania

Not too long ago, the Anthropologie/Urban Outfitters team bought an 11-acre, 100-year-old garden center in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania (just outside Philadelphia), renamed it Terrain at Styer's, and set about transforming it into a concept store featuring planters, garden accoutrements, and accessories sourced locally and globally. Among the chic and rustic wares on offer: willow edgers, stone topiary finials, Nutscene garden twine, and a large assortment of vases and terrariums.

Above: Designed by a Swiss artisan, the Spindle Planter is made from fiber cement; $488.

Above: A selection of filigree and pin dot sphere lamps made of silver-plated hammered brass; prices start at $148 for a small Pin Dot Sphere.

Above: A selection of terrariums and vases, including (far left) the 9-inch-high Hampton Terrarium; $78.

Above: Kaat Arm Chair; made by Lister US, a garden furniture company that's been making making teak furniture for a hundred years; $660.

Above: A soapstone utility sink.

Above: A collection of antique garden implements.

Above: Colorful French folding garden chairs in the cafe area (the Folding Metal Chairs by Fermbo are available in dozens of color for $198 a pair at American Country).

via remodelista

nelly rodi - pop constructivism - summer 2011

Pop Constructivism

Out with grisaille! Summer 2011 “Stabilos” the world to make it resemble a sixties "musical comedy"! To the sound of lively electro, the brain is out to lunch, irony acts up, objects take a holiday and silhouettes adopt tones that fizz and pop! Long-live naïve humor, plastic and cardboard cut-outs!

Along the lines of the NellyRodi theme "Joy Pretenders", hybrid shapes halfway between sport and Couture, in colors directly inherited from Sonia Delaunay's simultaneous contrasts, make their appearance for summer 2011. A sports style in a constructivist spirit, for every piece of the wardrobe.

Materials & Shapes

Fleece for jackets, cupro + lyocell for dresses and tops, neoprene or cotton-Lycra® for skirts: materials may be technical and directly inspired by sport culture, but shapes have certainly not lost their femininity! Pieces waver between the architecture of very body-hugging skirts and the suppleness of tops and dresses.

Colors

Light neutrals and grey are enlivened by a shower of pastelized acidic tones and primary colors used for contrasting panels. Touches of black give structure to the whole, while the zip becomes a decoration on its own, emphasized by plays of contrasting bias trims.


To discover all the NellyRodi fashion updates, visit them at www.nellyrodilab.com ! You will also find dossiers on decoration, design and beauty, inspiration mood boards, marketing and sociological analyses, city guides…and much, much more!

kids shall inherit the earth - too bad we can't give it to them now

This will blow you away! -

This was part of a recent opinion column in the NY Times by Allison Arieff, the reporter-at-large on architectural issues. Her column "How to Green Your Parents", is about the national movement called Green My Parents that launched Thursday morning, with the broadcast of a free online workshop for youth, adults and educators to learn about easy and effective ways to help save the planet. It is led by 12-year-old Adora Svitak, a prolific writer, teacher and advocate for literacy and the environment. This is the amazing talk she gave at this year's TED conference.

food, inc.

Another really great documentary recently on PBS' POV was Food, Inc. It came out a few years ago and has been talked about a lot ever since. But I had never seen it. It's an eye-opener and well worth spending the hour and a half to watch.

Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. "Food, Inc." reveals surprising - and often shocking truths - about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

I have to admit that I've been late coming to the organic food movement mostly because of higher consumer costs. But I can see that it's not just about the food, although that's the end result, but more about a paradigm shift in a way of thinking; from the way our food is produced to the way we treat animals and our environment and the spill-over in to how we treat our fellow man.

Thanks to PBS you can view the entire film here. There's also interviews with the filmmakers and other extras that are worth watching.

earth day - where it began

PBS' Independent Lens recently aired a documentary on the beginnings of Earth Day. It's incredible how 40 years ago they were talking about the same things we're talking about today. Watch it in it's entirety here.

recycle - reuse

Kamil Mrva Architect projected a studio and housing in Kojetín, Czech Republic, in an exceptional place.

Here is the project description:

The plot is located on a hill with a view of the surrounding landscape. The owner’s intention was to reconstruct a former barn into a place for work and living in the first phase, and build a new family house in the vicinity in the future.

The original sandstone walls and pillars from 1862 have been preserved. A reinforcing concrete ring was designed to which a lightweight shed roof was anchored. Inside the original building, a square structure was erected – a studio.


The single-space concept is based on how our ancestors used to live in this region. All necessities were taken care of in one parlour room: a kitchenette, sitting room and place for sleeping and working.

The project was designed using natural materials. The load-bearing structure and lightweight roof are made of wood.





via cool boom

earth day 2010

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

Earth Day 2010 can be a turning point to advance climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Earth Day Network is galvanizing millions who make personal commitments to sustainability. Earth Day 2010 is a pivotal opportunity for individuals, corporations and governments to join together and create a global green economy. Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day.

U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin announced his idea for a nationwide teach-in day on the environment in a speech to a fledgling conservation group in Seattle on 20 September 1969, and then again six days later in Atlantic City to a meeting of the United Auto Workers. Senator Nelson hoped that a grassroots outcry about environmental issues might prove to Washington, D.C. just how distressed Americans were in every constituency. Senator Nelson invited Republican Representative Paul N “Pete” McCloskey to serve as his co-chair and they incorporated a new non-profit organization, environmental Teach-In, Inc., to stimulate participation across the country.

On April 22 1970, Earth Day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, Freeway and expressway revolts, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

DIY : new ebook

A new ebook from curbly is launched. Their last title, Make It! Mid Century Modern, was a big hit and now they're moving on to tackle a favorite subject: reusing found and secondhand objects to create great new home designs. Make It! Secondhand Chic has more than a few great projects ranging from ideas for the bedroom and bathroom to the living room, office, and kitchen. Make It! Secondhand Chic features 15 projects (most of which are majorly doable for the novice crafter/maker) and can be downloaded ($9.99) or mailed to you ($24.99) from right here.

via design sponge