renegade craft fair in la

December 11 & 12. Read more here.

elizabeth edwards : good night

Elizabeth Edwards dies of cancer at 61. Read more here.

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in.

- Leonard Cohen "Anthem"

as quoted in Elizabeth Edward's book "Resilience"

heath & house

Letters, numbers, ceramics and craftsmanship collide in a month-long House Industries exhibition at the Heath Los Angeles studio and store. House will transform the legendary tile and tableware maker’s airy Beverly Boulevard space into an unprecedented emulsion of clay, metal, ink, cotton, wood, lacquer, lithography and letterforms.

Place: Heath Ceramics, 7525 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.
Opening: December 11, 2010, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Live music at the opening by The Mattson 2
Custom screen printing at the opening by Fresh Pressed
Exhibition Runs from December 12 through December 31, 2010

avon fights violence against women

The Avon Foundation for Women has just launched a ring to fight violence against women. Named Women Power and retailing at 4 euros, the ring is available for purchase throughout all of Avon’s distribution channels. The money made from the sales will be transferred in full to the Fédération Nationale de Solidarité Femmes (FNSF), whom Avon has been engaged with for three years.

The project’s sponsor could be no one other than Reese Witherspoon, president of honour of Avon’s Foundation for Women. Since 2004, the foundation has gathered more than 30 million euros to help in the fight against conjugal violence.

By Matthieu Guinebault
Copyright © 2010 FashionMag.com All rights reserved.

gap in italy - a sad day

One reason I liked Italy so much was that they had done a really good job keeping out US chains. Well, it appears that's changing.

Gap store opened in Milan since 20/11

MILAN | Sat Nov 20, 2010 - U.S. clothing retailer GAP Inc opened its Milan flagship on Saturday, the first of three wholly owned stores in the fashion-hungry country, as it aims to spur sales outside its mature home market.

The owner of Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy chains is tapping into international markets such as China and South America to offset tepid growth at home.

The company's same-store sales, a key measure of retail performance, were flat in the third quarter.

"Italy was the really important step for us, as it is among the top five apparel markets globally," Stephen Sunnucks, President Gap Inc. Europe, told Reuters in a phone interview.

"Italians spend nearly three times as much on fashion as a U.S. consumer does," he said.

Around 74 percent of the $1.4 trillion global apparel market is produced outside the United States and Canada.

Gap is almost completely the reverse, Sunnucks said, with only 12 percent of its business internationally.

"We have been growing fast but we still have an awful lot more to go," he said.

Gap expects to be in 80 countries by the end of 2010, compared to 25 at the start of the current fiscal year, helped by online and outlet sales.

Known for its American casual clothes, Gap is opening its flagship store in Milan's top shopping district, near the central Duomo cathedral, a popular spot for tourists and shoppers flocking every day to fast fashion chain stores.

Gap plans to open an adjacent Banana Republic store, betting on the brand's more upscale offer, as early as December.

Another wholly-owned Gap store is expected to open in Rome in 2011, the company said.

The retailer, whose European stores are already in Britain, France and Ireland, is also considering operating outlets in smaller Italian cities and boosting its online offer.

"Our aim is to maximise our sales. Our customers can shop on the high street, in outlet malls or from home through the online channel," he said.

Sunnucks said Gap has no current plans to expand its lower-priced Old Navy chain in Europe or in other countries.

To better respond to the Italian appetite for designer clothes, the retailer has teamed up with Italian fashion house Valentino to create a seven piece collection, featuring multi-frilled long-length parkas and cargo trousers.

(Reporting by Antonella Ciancio; Editing by Paul Casciato)
© Thomson Reuters 2010 All rights reserved.

holiday table

I saw this in the current Rue online magazine yesterday and thought it was just gorgeous. Then today it was in Remodelista with all the how-tos and where-to-buys (because they did it for Rue). Enjoy!

You'll most likely see some of these ideas put in to practice at my house when you come for dinner.

rue no. 2

click here

life in topanga

first frost

We woke up to a dusting of white down in Dix Canyon. At 7 AM it was about 38 degrees at the house. Brrrrrrrrr!

postcard from provence

Autumn clouds,

From Julian: Today's painting is the view from my studio window. I can see the last leaves clinging to the vines. The lower slopes of the Mont Ventoux lead up to a snow covered summit, after 24 hours of torrential rain.
16cm x 13cm, oil on card

This painting will be auctioned today starting at 20:00 UTC -00:00
(15:00 EST -05:00)

Click here to bid.

smile

Love this.

(via pinterest)

my favorite veteran

My father, Eugene Mielcarek, enlisted in the army in 1942. His basic training was at Ft Meade, MD with extended training at Cooks and Bakers School. He became a mess seargent and as he says, peeled potatoes through WWII.

He was sent to Clemson College in the fall of 1943 to learn Russian and then to the University of Chicago in 1944 to continue his Russian studies.

He was finally shipped overseas just in time to take part in the Battle of the Bulge under Patton. He went on to Germany to work for the Military Government as an interpreter for displaced persons. He was also part of the forces to liberate Birkenwald.

He came home in 1945 but rarely spoke of his experiences.

remembrance day

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries to remember the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognised as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries.

Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918, as the major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. (Note that "at the 11th hour", refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.)

The day was specifically dedicated by King George V, on 7 November 1919, to the observance of members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I. This was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.

The red poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem In Flanders Fields. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilt in the war.

via wikipedia

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae

going without

Levi's also plays the sustainable development card

It’s Levi's turn to launch sustainable development. The American brand of jeans has developed a process for reducing water use in the production of its jeans. The 42 litres used on average will be minimised via an Atuel finishing process. WaterLess will christen Levi's new approach; the required amount of water used for jeans is reduced by 28%. And even under the 96% mark for some new products! This process includes reducing the number of wash cycles, removing water from the washing with stones.

The method is not yet used for all production. The first collection of this type will enter stores early next year and will include a dozen classic Levi's jeans, including the 501's, 511's, 514's and the Levi's Trucker Jacket. The aim is obviously to extend the brand’s suppliers’ techniques to the whole world. And in any case this target should be mostly achieved by Autumn 2011.
This new idea should also affect consumers, directly in their own practices, Levi's has decided to change its products’ tag instructions to advising a "greener" washing; wash less or wash on cold.

By Jean-Paul Leroy, fashionmag.com

hereafter

A drama centered on three people -- a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways.



I just saw this and would highly recommend it. It's very moving. I don't think it's Oscar-worthy but it's pretty darn good. The London school boy (who is a twin) really got to me. Bring some tissues if you go.

I can't get it out of my mind that Dirty Harry directed this. Who would have thought that Clint Eastwood was going to turn out to be one of film-makings best talents.

Read more at the movie's official website here.

missing phone?

Whoa, this is genius! You know when you lose your phone, and you have to ask a friend to call it for you? Well, if no one's around to help, you can go to this clever website, enter your number, and it will call your phone for you. Ha, I just tried it; it really works!

(Via Swissmiss)

postcard from provence

Venice in the rain
14cm x 17cm (approx. 5"x7"), oil on gessoed card

Today's painting will be sold by auction -auction starts today at 8pm GMT and ends on Tuesday 2nd November at 8pm GMT (4pm EDT / 1pm PDT)

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

paper sculpting

As Halloween approaches, I find myself coveting eerie, avian-inspired paper sculpture from Australian artist Anna-Wili Highfield. Highfield, who studied painting at the National Arts School in Sydney, creates her slightly menacing, otherworldly pieces from archival cotton paper that she paints and stitches together ("I leave the stitches and the threads on the surface; I find it intriguing when you can see how something is made," Highfield says on Yatzer). Go to Anna-Wili Highfield for sourcing information.

Raven
2010
35cm x 80cm x 55cm
Ink, shellac, black archival cotton paper. cotton thread, copper pipe, timber block

Boobook
2010
Ink, watercolours, archival cotton paper, cotton thread, brass rod, timber plinth.
70cm x 80cm x 33cm

House Finch
House Finch
2010
14cmx 15cm x 7cm
ink, water colour, archival cotton paper, cotton thread, brass rod, timber block

Australian Magpie
2010
32cm x 40cm x 17cm
Ink, shellac, archival cotton paper. cotton thread, brass rod, timber block

via remodelista

volcano perfume

Lava and ashes help create new Icelandic perfume

REYKJAVIK, Oct 12, 2010 (AFP) - A new line of perfume is about to explode onto the Icelandic market, made of melt water from a glacier sitting on top of the Eyjafjoell volcano that erupted in April, spreading ash and flight chaos across Europe.


"When Eyjafjoell started erupting I suddenly got the idea to bring the power of Icelandic nature into people's homes," Icelandic designer Sigrun Lilja Gudjonsdottir, head of company Gydja Collection, explained Tuesday. That is when "the idea of using water from the glacier as an ingredient for a perfume came about," she told AFP.

The citrus-smelling perfume, which will be produced in Grasse in southern France and will be sold in square bottles with a lava rock attached, has been named EFJ Eyjafjallajoekull.

The letters EFJ are there "so that non-Icelanders can pronounce the name of their perfume," Gudjonsdottir explained, adding however that the full name of the glacier on top of Eyjafjoell also needed to be on the bottle since "I wanted the perfume to represent the strength of Icelandic nature."

EFJ Eyjafjallajoekull should be available in stores in Iceland by mid-November and Gudjonsdottir said she hoped her new fragrance would go on sale abroad soon, especially in duty free zones "at airports worldwide."

spoke too soon

Gap succumbs to crowd’s uproar and puts back its classic logo

Gap acknowledges its failure to "crowd source" for a new logo, and has decided to keep its classic blue box logo, according to Marka Hansen, president of Gap North America.

When Gap announced their new logo via a post on its Facebook page on Oct 7th, it instantly received over 1,000 negative reviews from its own fans and customers. The post also asked its fans to send in their own designs, and thereby the company attempted to “crowd source” for a better logo.


The following day, the 8th of October, the community manager of Gap’s Facebook page posted a statement from Marka Hansen, the brand’s president, who defended its latest version because it was aligned to how Gap’s clothing was evolving, that is, “more contemporary and current”, she explains.

To the relief of its many fans and customers, Gap has announced on the 12th of October its decision to keep its classic blue box logo. Marka Hansen explains in her latest statement the following: “We’ve learned a lot in this process. And we are clear that we did not go about this in the right way. We recognize that we missed the opportunity to engage with the online community. This wasn’t the right project at the right time for crowd sourcing.”

In the meantime, the brand shall be restoring its iconic blue box logo. However, do not be alarmed if the blue box is turned red for their seasonal campaign, its original colour will come back after the holidays.

10.10.10

In 1977, Charles and Ray Eames made a nine-minute film called Powers of Ten that takes the viewer on an unforgettable journey. It starts with a sleeping man at a picnic, then takes you out to the edge of space, and then brings you back, and into, the hand of the sleeping man. Every year on the tenth of October, the Eames Office celebrates the Power of Ten. This year’s celebration includes an online streaming of the film.

gap's new logo revealed

Gap has unveiled its new logo, now visible on its website, a simple version with a fading blue square top right of the letter P of the brand’s name written in Helvetica font.

Gap's old logo (L) and new logo (R)

According to its post on its official Facebook page, the new logo has been launched, but the brand suggests that its ‘crowd sourcing’ project for new designs regarding its logo is ongoing : “We love our version, but we’d like to see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project.”

For over 20 years Gap has kept the same logo, but it has decided to renew its image, nonetheless. The American brand is Gap Inc.’s star performer. Gap Group has more than 3,100 stores worldwide for its labels Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. In 2009 the company’s sales amounted to $14.2 billion (£8.9 billion).

By Matthieu Guinebault

artisanal la

Go here for more info & to buy tickets.

who owns these

Norton Simon's disputed 'Adam and Eve' getting closer look from Supreme Court

Lucas Cranach the Elder’s 480-year-old “Adam and Eve” diptych

If the case ever goes to trial, it would focus on the painting’s journey over the past 100 years. Did it belong to the Stroganoffs, a family of Russian nobles, before the Russian Revolution of 1917 -- or to the church where it had hung before being declared national property by Soviet authorities? In 1931, the Soviets sold it to Jacques Goudstikker, a Dutch-Jewish art dealer; there’s no dispute that the Nazis looted it from him in 1940, and that victorious Allied forces restored it to the Dutch government after World War II. But did an early 1950s settlement between the Netherlands and Goudstikker’s heirs extinguish their claim to “Adam and Eve”? If not, did the Dutch have a right to subsequently sell it to the Stroganoffs’ heir in 1966, after he claimed it as family property? And ultimately, does the Norton Simon have clean title to this masterpiece showing Adam and Eve moments before their fall? Or has it been tainted by a century’s historical sins?

Read more here.

news flash

Ikea, the flatpack furniture retailer, is to embark on a cost-cutting programme. Its founder Ingvar Kamprad said he had been warning his board that the focus on expansion had become "excessive". How novel!

postcard from provence

Sunset, Couguieux
21cm x 14cm (8"x5½"), oil on gessoed card

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

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