rhythm + color.

Here are some stills from a short animation by Takuya Hosogane entitled "Vanishing Point."  (The only exception is the last image which is from "Guponae 02.")  Compositionally I think they make strong 2D images but you really should see them in action.

PS:  The first and sixth images are of a noticeably higher resolution because I got them here.

[ Thanks, Matt! ]

a dress of a different color.

[ click images to enlarge ]

The Frock has an astounding assortment of rare vintage evening gowns, many of them for sale.  Talk about eye candy!  I picked a whole palette of my favorites, but you can browse the extensive collection in entirety here.

bear market.

A new Grizzly Bear song serves as the soundtrack for this surreal ad for the Washington Lottery.  I love the concept and the choreography  ( the latter is courtesy of Michael Rooney whose work you may have seen before ).  While the ad doesn't inspire me to play the lottery, it does make me want to do an upside down dance on a drop ceiling.

[ Thanks, Keller! ]

do the twist.

I've been twisting crepe paper streamers for a photo shoot.  Hello, carpal tunnel syndrome!

They do look pretty all piled up though... like a colossal mound of salt water taffy.

up where the air is clear. [ no. 2 ]

[ click image to enlarge ]Remember those kites I made?  Here they are on the Clarks website.  Cute!

open house.

I just spent way too much time looking through recent house tours at apartment therapy.  Here are a few of my favorites, in no particular order:

[ No. 1 ]  Kevin Derrick, Philadelphia

Pink walls always remind me of The Royal Tenenbaums... which is a good thing.  And isn't that nautical chandelier/assemblage fantastic?!

[ No. 2 ]  Dana Hughes, Sydney

So bright and fresh... I like the punch of yellow, red and black amidst all that white.

[ No. 3 ]  Briana Horrigan, Providence

I have a habit of peeking into others' closets.  I like to see all the different fabrics and colors and patterns bumping up against each other... which is also why I have a fondness for exposed, wall-spanning closets like Briana's.  I mean, why keep one's vast collection of vintage dresses behind closed doors?

Oh, and did you spy that amazing hot air balloon birdcage? (it's in the first photo)  Wow!

a spring in her step.

I am so excited about spring!  The warm weather in New York has put me in such a celebratory mood that I bought a bunch of flowers and made corsages for myself and for a few friends. 

For added interest I made leaves out of fabric and floral wire.

Wearing fresh flowers makes a girl (or boy) feel like a million bucks!  I think I'll make another batch soon.

finger paints.

American Apparel has some great nail polish right now.  This season I'm partial to the pastels (above) and cooler shades (below).  In the past I've had trouble finding darker polishes (especially hunter, navy, and eggplant) that aren't shimmery.  Happily, these glossy colors are entirely sparkle-free.  I love the names too... office = mint, dynasty = lilac,  manila = pale gold, and mouse = warm grey.

available here.

Stitch fest.

To celebrate the release of the Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts, the folks at Martha Stewart are hosting a party tomorrow night (sorry for the last-minute announcement!).  I've been helping out a bit with the preparations and it looks like it's going to be quite an event.  Tickets cost $30, but that includes food, drinks and a copy of the book (which retails for about $35, I think) plus a few other goodies and projects to take home.  I'm hoping to make one of these tomato pincushions!

PS:  If you want a preview of the book, Laura posted some photos over at Wren Handmade.

From Siberia With Love.

Decrepit/ornate Siberian residences.  Love the recurrent blue details.  (Suddenly feeling inspired to acquire some blue milk paint!)

Photos found on Lambert's blog.  See them all here and here.  

[ via bird and banner ]

Bless this mess.

The charmingly unkempt London home of Pauline Forster and Toby Penrose.

[ Photography by Todd Selby ]

American Idol.

For our most recent contribution to Working Class Magazine, Jess and I imagined a whimsical roadtrip during which our leading lady travels the country and finds herself transformed into various icons of American history...

The Liberty Bell:

Mount Rushmore:

[ click to enlarge ]

and the Statue of Liberty:

Check out the entire story over at Working Class.  

A very special thank you to our lovely model Alli, who was ever so gracious when we asked her to wear a thirty pound skirt made of pennies (!) and even more gracious when we plastered her hair with grey makeup. Another thank you to Sarah and Matt who lent their drawing and glittering capabilities to the project.

Photography by Allan E. Schoening
Creative Direction and Styling by Jessica Soga and Me
Hair by Marcel Dagenais
Makeup by Susie Sobol
Handmade elements by Jessica Soga and Me
Hair Assistant:  Alissandra Hipona
Model: Alli Nagode @ Q Model Management 

Cover to cover.

I have some embroidery on Martha Stewart Living's April cover (one of three covers for this special "The Best" issue).

And...

The penny skirt that Jess and I made is on the cover of the new Working Class.  I'll post more about that shoot soon...

this old thing?

Some vintage goodies from an etsy shop called Found Vintage Style.

[ Photos from Found Vintage Style ]

birthday party.

Samantha Robinson's porcelain coffee cups remind me of my 5th birthday party.

[ all images from www.samantharobinson.com.au ]

[ via decor8 ]

backlash.

We just have to get over it.  That's science.

[ via PBS.org ]

swan song.

Favorite looks from Alexander McQueen's final collection.  I am always inspired by McQueen's ability to traverse seeming paradoxes so elegantly: novel and traditional, alien and earthy, androgynous and classically feminine, bombastic and delicate.  And then, of course, there was our mutual affection for tartan.  

Sigh... Lee Alexander, you will be sorely missed.

[ images via style.com ]

great frontiers.

The American frontier (fauna, teepees, quilt) meets the final frontier (globes, planet mobile).  This child's room would suit explorers of all ages.

[ via ohdeedoh ]

manumission.

British painter Annie Kevans (whom I've mentioned before) has a show at Perry Rubenstein featuring work from her All The Presidents' Girls series: portraits of US Presidents' alleged mistresses and illegitimate children rendered gesturally in diluted oils.  Her subjects range from the iconic to the nearly anonymous, but all are imbued with a diaphanous vulnerability.  They are the casualties of power.

judy jetson.

These shorts are so cool.

[ by Phamous at pixie market ]