Two Penguin mentions in one week? Maria and Tricia, you both are BATTY.
Clockwise from top: The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, Of the Abuse of Words by John Locke, A Confession by Leo Tolstoy, On Friendship by Michel de Montaigne, The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, Where I Lived and What I Lived For by Henry Thoreau, On Natural Selection by Charles Darwin, Days of Reading by Marcel Proust
Last week, I was at The Book Cellar, passing time before a friendly dinner/ukulele and banjo lessons, and I noticed a glorious rack of Penguin Classics. The Penguin Classics Great Ideas series features ageless works that have inspired minds and provoked change. Although the collection includes ideas of questionable integrity (…The Communist Manifesto is not exactly exemplary…), the series heralds ideas of great influence.
There are currently four series of Great Ideas. Each series is composed of twenty works, and has a striking color scheme. My favorite aspect of Great Ideas is the brilliant typography and cover designs (that angled square in the cover to Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus is THE BOULDER THAT SISYPHUS HAS TO PUSH UP THE MOUNTAIN – !!!). This might be a superficial declaration, but book covers this beautiful make even the most frighteningly heavy books exciting to read.
PS: HAPPY WEEKEND!
I decided to showcase another artist that I’ve recently been getting into, an American-born, Italian-raised textile designer by the name of Alexander Girard, 1907 – 1993.
Girard worked with Herman Miller, George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames, and is best known for designing the La Fonda del Sol Restaurant in New York (1960) and the interiors, textiles and ephemera for Braniff Airlines (1965). With a penchant for folk art and a strong eye for colour, his work is still freshly contemporary despite having a distinctly quasi-psychedelic vibe. His palette, whilst seemingly full of clashing colours, has such a strength of character to it that it seems natural and right.
I love the simplicity and boldness of his graphic style and the sense of playfulness it imbues. Designers seemed to have so much more fun with their work in those halcyon days when experimentation was encouraged over mere productivity.
He’s definitely one to check out if you like a strong line and an adventurous palette!
More information about Girard at The Museum of International Folk Art
1. LADY GAGA’S BAD ROMANCE. I know, I know — and yet, she does write her own songs, and she has her own sense of style (the wheelchair/invalid dance in Paparazzi?!), and you can play this song over and over if you’re caught in a bad roma-roma-ramma… etc. Oh, and the monster dance moves? Go ahead, watch the video now. I’m breaking out my monster claws at the next party.
2. PRESIDENTIAL FLASHCARDS. Go to the “One Spot” at Target where everything is a dollar, and get this set of Presidential Flashcards with a prez portrait on the front and fun facts on the back. I spent yesterday memorizing all of the presidents in order. I’m sure that will come in handy… never. (Whose the dude with the cool hairdo in the pic above? ANSWER BELOW.)
4. PENGUIN DELUXE CLASSICS. The covers of the Penguin Deluxe Classics almost make we want to read books I loath, such as Ethan Frome
5. TRUE BLOOD (watch the trailer!). So, I was totally not on the vampire bandwagon until I watched the first season
ANSWER: William Henry Harrison! If you can’t remember anything about him, don’t worry, he was only president for thirty-two days!
I have to admit, I’m a big fan of TV series. It all started with Friends, which was a big part of my teenage years, and it got out of control this last few years with That’s 70s Show, Absolutly Fabulous, Spaced, The IT Crowd, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Mad Men… The one think I really love about TV shows is that it’s like a almost never ending movie. You get to really know the characters, and they become part of your everyday life. The first time I went to NYC, I kept looking around, half-expecting to spot Phoebe playing guitar somewhere.
So, new year, new series.
Bored to Death is a quite young TV show, seeing that it started last September. There’s 8 episodes as of now, and it has been renewed by HBO for a second season. The pitch is pretty simple : Jonathan Ames is a writer struggling with his second novel who just got dumped by his girlfriend because he drinks too much white wine and smokes too many funny cigarettes. Now alone in his Brooklyn appartement, bored, he posts an ad on Craiglist proposing his services as a non-licensed private detective. The series then follows his cases, along with his pursuit of his ex, his relations with his editor boss and his comics illustrator friend.
Although the dialogues are really good, the characters interesting and the whole show very funny, the thing I like the most about it is it’s incredible inspiring effect on my own creativity. Proof:
1. The intro
The intro is VERY nice. It’s basically text in a book taking life and becoming characters. A picture is worth a thousand words, but this opening sequence is worth WAY more. Enjoy :
After seeing that, I just wanted to get a book and animate it. It reminded me of thoses fantasticboot cuts I saw a while back :
You can see many more inspirating boot cuts on Su Blackwell’s website. There’s also a TON of idead on this OffBeat Earth post. What was once nearly a sin (cutting a book) is now a very artistic activity. Go cut your books !
2. Comic book fun
In the show, Jonathan’s friend Ray is a comic book artist. He does various stories, mostly about his own life, but in a superhero way. The style is very Marvelish, but it’s so funny to see how Ray interprets his own life to turn it into comics.
After seeing Ray’s drawing, you can’t help but grab a notebook and try to sketch your friends comics-style. I did a drawing of myself actually, clicke HERE to see it. Haha ! You can see more drawings (all by Dean Haspiel) at HBO’s website.
3. Jason Schwartzman !
Jonathan is played by Jason Schwartzman. This is a good opportunity to look back on his carreer. This guy has been around for quite a while. I first saw him in Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore“. He then reappeared in Sofia Coppola’s “Marie-Antoinette” and again in Wes Anderson’s “Darjeeling Limited“.
This three movies are very different, but all are interesting and visually inspiring.
And, as if Jason couldn’t get any cooler, he’s also a musician, with a solo project named Coconut Records. He’s the one who wrote and performed on the opening song of the series. Is that cool, or what ? Go play that video again.
4. Brooklyn and NYC
To finish this post, a quick word on the settings of the show. Most of it is in Brooklyn, and HBO has put up an interactive map of the locations shown on the series (scroll down and click on the map). With every new episode, new places are added on the map. That way, next time you wander around Brooklyn, you can check out Bored To Death’s settings !
So, I hope you’ll check Bored To Death and use it to fuel your creativity !
1) You get gamer t-shirts everywhere, but how many times have you seen a gamer skirt? First on the list, this Mario Miniskirt was actually the result of a DIY project and is not actually available to purchase, but its still really cute! If any of you have any material lying around printed with cartoon video game characters maybe you could try and create incredibly unique gift too!
2) Continuing with the Mario theme, this 1UP Scarf found on etsy looks warm and will attract fellow gamers! The hand crocheted scarf is one-of-a-kind
and it’s the perfect for winter – everyone needs to wrap up warm!
3) Pacman. The classic video game. Its iconic, addictive and these Pacman Rings are will feed any fan’s obsession! I love this idea! You get a set of four rings, that you wear on one hand: one of Mr Pac-Man, and three little ‘pac-dot’ rings! Cute much?
4) These earrings based on different elements in the periodic table, are simple, elegant but still show chemical affinity! You can get them is all different elements! I definitely want a pair of these!
5) I love macbooks and generally hate the vinyl stickers that people decorate their macs with! That beautiful design should not be hidden! However, I had to change my mind after seeing this Snow White Vinyl. It is feminine, and complements the apple logo rather than covering it! Of course you don’t need to stick it on an Apple laptop, but it would make the perfect gift for an Apple fangirl who loves Disney (ie. ME)!
6) Although I would never ever be courageous enough to get a tattoo, pretending can be fun with henna tattoos, rub-on temporary designs and now with Tattoo tights! They are an awesome invention and these Follow Me Tights are a fantastic surprise for twitter addicts! WARNING: The tights might attract stalkers, I don’t know how often one would actually wear them out!
7) Finally this Lego Dress. Who doesn’t remember spending hours building things out of those cute, coloured plastic building blocks? The dress, designed by JC De Castelbajac revives many of my childhood memories! Who says that you can’t be stylish and childish at the same time!
Yesterday, while delaying the completion of my FINAL grad school application, I noticed the following gem in my friend, Megan Keely’s, gmail status.
A chicken banjolele! Had I known that a chicken banjolele existed, I would have included it on my Christmas wishlist instead of the Gold Tone banjolele. Oh, but wait my friends. THE FUN DOESN’T STOP THERE…
A MOUSTACHE UKULELE!!! I think my favorite might be the “Sad Cowboy.” Or maybe the “Shirley Temple.” Anyways, this discovery (xylocopa, moustache ukuleles, etc.) is very timely, because I recently noticed mini cracks in my ukulele. Chicago is too dry for my little ukulele. Anyways, the above creations are all by Xylocopa, a design studio in Tuscon, Arizona. I recommend that you wade through their site. The Mad Scientists Alphabet Blocks are especially glorious.
A good year. Some favorites…
1. Favorite short story: “My First Fee” by Isaac Babel
Links: The Complete Works of Isaac Babel on amazon.com ($30)
Text of Isaac Babel’s (great) short story “Guy de Maupassant”
2. Favorite album: Up From Below by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Links: Up From Below on amazon.com ($10)
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros on MySpace
Song “40 Day Dream” Live (youtube)
Official Video for “Home” (youtube)
3. Second favorite short story: “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff
Links: T. Coraghessan Boyle reads “Bullet in the Brain” on the New Yorker Fiction podcast
Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories by Tobias Wolff, amazon.com ($11)
4. Favorite gift: Aerial 7 Matador headphones
Link: Aerial 7 Matador Headphones, amazon.com ($50)
5. Favorite novel: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Links: Lolita by Nabokov, amazon.com ($11)
Great Review of the Novel from The Second Pass
6. Second favorite novel: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
Link: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, amazon.com ($10)
7. Favorite TV Show: In Treatment
Links: In Treatment Season 1 Trailer (youtube)
HBO’s Offical In Treatment Site
In Treatment: The Complete First Season, amazon.com ($55)
In Treatment- The Complete Second Season, amazon.com (for pre-order, $55)
8. Favorite actor: James Dean
Link: S&D Guide to becoming A Rebel, Without a Cause (including trailer, etc)
9. Favorite song: Skinny Love by Bon Iver
Links: Bon Iver playing Skinny Love live (youtube)
For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver, amazon.com ($13)
10. Favorite historical figure: Napoleon (thanks, PBS)
Link: Empires: Napoleon DVD, PBS Documentary w/David McCullough, amazon.com ($17)
11. Favorite (newish) movie: Rachel Getting Married
Links: Rachel Getting Married Trailer (youtube)
Rachel Getting Married DVD, amazon.com $17
I could have spent my New Year’s Eve mauled by vexing teenagers at Crystal Castles, or at one of the other debauchery-filed Chicago orgies. But…I mean…I already did that last year, and I think any future New Year’s Eve show experience will be peas to seeing Justice. (Plus, I feel old and listless with my 9-5 job, and escaping youth.) As a result, I stayed at home to shrink plastic and play my ukulele.
Last week, my coworker caught me looking at embossing heat tools online. This led to my spirited declaration that I had decided to embark on a new adventure in life: shrinky dink. Having never played with it as a child, I have always been curious about shrinking plastic. It is ubiquitous on etsy (1,287 results!), and I like the idea of things shrinking before my eyes (NOTE: I hated “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” REFLECTION: I must not enjoy all shrinking objects). So, for the past week I have been gathering supplies for my adventure.
Supplies:
1. PolyShrink. Thinking that I would not be able to find Shrinky Dink plastic in any store, I found PolyShrink on eBay. Today I discovered, however, that MICHAELS SELLS SHRINKY DINK PLASTIC. Harrumph.
2. Stamps. These are from Paper Source. This sad dinosaur was on clearance, so the purchase was partly fueled by pity (but the stamp is really rad). He just wants to party!!!
3. Hand Punch. I have always been meaning to buy a 1/8″ circle punch. Craft-wise, it is the most useful circle size. Until this purchase, I MAY (circle) or may not had been improvising my own 1/8″…by stabbing paper with a compass spear.
4. Embossing Heat Tool. Another life desire that I made happen this week. When I turn it on, I like to pretend that it is a large blow torch or a bazooka. To shrink plastic, you can also use ovens. I wanted to use an embossing tool instead because I think an oven would waste a lot more energy shrinking a small piece of plastic.
I had all the supplies to make plastic pendants and rings, WITH THE EXCEPTION of a permanent black ink pad. I am not sure why I forgot this crucial ingredient in the mix, but I became overcome with excitement when I saw EVERYTHING ELSE lumped together, so I forged ahead anyways. On my side was a permanent marker, and the patience to trace things.
Using this tutorial as a guide, I first made a ring. IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE ABOUT THE TUTORIAL: Different brands of shrink plastic will shrink at different percentages. The PolyShrink I have shrinks to 45% of its original size. This is important to note, as I overlooked this fact, even though it is on the package. My ring is too big. Fail, Tricia. I traced the bear heart stamp using my permanent marker, and it seemed to work well. The process is slightly laborious, however, I took multiple breaks to play my ukulele since I have a short attention span. Today I bought a black permanent ink pad, so my future is void of stamp tracing.
My third project (My second creation was a party dinosaur key chain, but I already gave that to my friend. He seemed to enjoy it.) was a necklace! The image might look familiar; it is the cat on the cover of Ratatat’s Classics album. Despite hating cats in the real world, I’ve always enjoyed the cat on the album. So I traced it.
The end of my New Year’s Eve fun! Have you ever played with shrinky dink plastic? Do you have any tips you could share?
1) Okay, so these aren’t really over the top or unwearable, but they are unique and so ingeniously designed! These TOMS wrap boots have been featured here and I am totally obsessed with them! You ‘wrap’ them on and can wear them in so many different ways! PLUS, for every pair of TOMS shoes that you buy, they donate a pair to a child in poverty!
I love this ‘one for one’ premise, because I have seen first hand how shoes can make a difference for children. Over the summer, as part of a 4 week expedition to Southern Africa, my team spent a week helping to renovate Luhlangotsini Primary School in Swaziland. Most of the children had to walk barefoot for several kilometres to school. The school had an amazing football (soccer!) team that beat us hands down, barefoot. So, now that we’re back, we’ve started a ‘Shoes for Swaziland’ collection where we are collecting unwanted shoes from students in our school so we can ship a massive container of shoes to the school!
Anyway, I think that by buying TOMS shoes you can make little children happy! Do you need more convincing!?
2) How cute are these Origami Shoes? I cannot believe someone made these. OUT OF PAPER.
3) These Mirror Mosaic Shoes designed by Thakoon are just beautiful! They dazzle me with all the mirrors and are completely unlike any shoes I have ever seen! Although I highly doubt I could walk in the 4.5 inch heel and have no where to wear them, I want them so much! (Keeping them all shiny could be quite hard work!)
4) Thea Cadabra has designed a range of Fantasy Shoes that are so creative! My favourite pair is the ice cream pair pictured above (Is it even possible for shoes to look delicious?) Every single pair of shoes is completely outrageous, and although they might not be to everyone’s taste, no one can deny that they will take any outfit to a whole new level! Some of my other favourite pairs:
5) I’m really not an aggressive person. And I don’t dress very ‘edgily’ at all. I don’t think I’d ever feel the need to take my shoe off and use it as a weapon. So why am I drawn to these insane ‘Spike Shoes‘ designed by Louise Goldin for Topshop’s spring 2010 collection? If I were to get these, I’d not only need to learn how to walk in them properly, but also master the art of walking without getting too near to anyone, you know, in case I poked them by accident (those spikes look like they could do some harm!) Also they wouldn’t go with any clothes I own, so I’d need a whole new wardrobe! I still want them!
6) So number 6 is completely unwearable. Because it is a Bathtub. Shaped like a shoe. As if that isn’t any fashionista/shoe addict/person who is obsessed with original design’s dream. I want one so much! I think that one of these baths can turn your bathroom into a work of art.
To conclude, this list is of shoes that I would never actually wear, can’t actually afford or wouldn’t be able to walk in if I had them. But, isn’t that the whole point of a currently obsessed post!
We’re going to take a break until Monday! Viscious snow storm and REDESIGNED PENGUIN CLASSIC DORIAN GRAY, here I come! In the meantime, below is a menagerie (literally, there are some critters below) of links to entertain you. I’ve attempted to arrange them in a logical groups, on a scale of varying relevancy:
THE THINGS-MOST-RELATED-TO-STICKERS & DONUTS SECTION
2. Redesigned Stickers & Donuts About page (there are pictures!)
3. overdue book calendar on Design*Sponge
4. “as a graphic designer, 95% of your time will be spent on unpaid favors” image on swissmiss
5. best comic books of the year (many contributors, many lists)
6. grain edit limited edition t-shirt pre-order (there are monsters and its storytime!)
7. Kitsune Noir Mixcast 19 (Christmas themed)
8. Ace of Cakes Lost episode (streamable on Food Network) (I am obsessed with Geof) (if you enjoy Lost and live in Chicago, I highly recommend that you go see Sonic Weapon Fence, a Lost novelty band, on Dec 28th at the Elbow Room. I’ll be there!)
9. Figure out how to play Bananagrams on Facebook
10. Cutest, Funniest, and Most Important Animal Stories of 2009 (actual title, thanks to taylor for sending me this)
THE TRICIA-YOU-ARE-BATTY-WHY-ARE-YOU-SHARING-THIS-WITH-ME SECTION
Let me know if you have other links you’d like to share. I could probably use additional internet distractions during the next few days…
