Tickled.

An uber chic and wicked smaht blogger featured little ol' me on her fabulous Weds. interview series.  I'm so flattered.

Go check out Feather Factor's blog and congratulate her for graduating from a certain very prestigious program today.  

Read more...

Lomography for Japan

Attention all film photography lovers: Lomography has issued a line of cameras to benefit victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.  The cameras, which are available here, range between $89 to $119, and a portion of the proceeds go to Red Cross Relief in Japan.

Lomographer via Design Blahg

As you might remember, I have had such a crush on toy cameras, particularly the Diana.  I'm not quite at the stage where I feel comfortable shooting film yet, but when or if I ever get there, this would be my camera of choice:

Lomographer via Design Blahg

Toy cameras produce photos with such soul, such loveliness.  And to me, the photos often evoke a sense of melancholy that can't be replicated digitally.

Image Source

Do you still shoot film?  Have you tried shooting with a toy camera?

Read more...

"It's me! I'm the bobblehead!"

Every once in a while, I get an idea so genius, so monumental, that I can do nothing but be in awe of myself.  I was searching for a gift for my husband for our second anniversary, and kept coming up with only lame ideas.  But one night we were watching reruns of "The Office" -- our favorite show -- and the idea practically smacked me in the face.

A personalized bobblehead!!   There's a hilarious episode of "The Office" in which Angela gives Dwight a bobblehead -- of him! -- for Valentine's Day.  His reaction to the gift is awesome; it's one of those scenes that we watch over and over because it's just that great.

I ordered the bobblehead from Webobble.com, and I couldn't be happier with their service.  I submitted three headshots of my husband, and they sculpted the head in a matter of days.

They allow you to suggest changes at each stage and don't progress to the next phrase until you approve the proof.  The first head they sculpted got the mouth and smile exactly right, but the nose was bent the wrong way and the hair wasn't curly enough.

I made a few suggestions, and the next day they had a new proof for me to review.  Once I okayed it, they proceeded to bake the doll and and paint it.

A few days later, they had the baked and painted proof ready for review.  I thought the eyebrows weren't thick enough, the shirt color was a little off, and the eye color was a bit too green.  A day later, they made the changes I suggested and shipped it off.  It arrived at our house two days later.  All the way from Shenzhen, China.  (Which of course means I could have gotten it for about a quarter of the price had I gotten my act together and ordered it from Shenzhen when I was there over the holidays.)

I paid about $140, which included extra charges for the customized body (you can choose from a zillion standard bodies for no additional charge, but I wanted the bobble to be wearing my husband's usual uniform of yellow tie, blue shirt, and khaki pants) and for rush production and shipping.

My husband loves his bobblehead, but probably not nearly as much as I do.  It's standing on my nightstand, bobbing yes to any and all questions I ask of it.  It's so much more compliant than my actual husband!  Just right now, I asked my bobble husband whether I'm awesome, and it just nodded yes, very vigorously. Bobble husband is so wise!

Are you a fan of "The Office"?

Read more...

Tikkun olam

Today I learned that Bill Stuntz, one of my favorite law school professors, passed away after a struggle with liver cancer.  Professor Stuntz was a brilliant scholar, a generous mentor, an inspiring teacher, and, most of all, a deeply kind man.  Yes, he taught generations of Harvard Law students criminal law.  But he also taught us to practice with compassion, humility, and heart.

In a moving interview he gave after his cancer metastasized, he said:

We understand that the world is not what it should be, and that our own capacities to understand it are severely limited.

Professor Stuntz was an evangelical Protestant, but this sentiment -- and the curiosity, passion, and work it motivated -- is about the most succinct expression of tikkun olam, the Jewish concept of "repairing the world," that I have ever read.

Even in his absence, his words live as a reminder to us to listen, learn, reflect, and transform.

Read more...

Schill Me Now

Here's the deal: I'm not big into labels.  I like my logos hidden or subtle.  Heck, I won't even wear the strap that came with my camera, because I don't like schilling for Canon.  But recently I saw two items -- two overtly-schilling-for-some-brand-or-another items -- for which I would totally tattoo a big label on my forehead.

First of all, did you see this gorgeous mixer that Kitchenaid customized for  the Pioneer Woman?

I heart the orange, and the vintage graphics, and the flowers, and the pretty doily, and the shiny bowl, and the . . . . Ok, there is nothing I don't love about this mixer.

Apparently, they only created a handful of them.  And they're not for sale.  And if you want one (I do! I do!) you have to win it through Rhee's blog.  And I never win anything, so I'm SOL.

Image Source

Nor do I have a hope of getting my hot little hands on this adorable Orla Kiely Citreon DS3.  They lent it to Susie Bubble for London Fashion Week.  

Look at the fabulous details, like Orla's signature leaf graphic on the rear windshield.

And the same leaf pattern stitched into the leather headrests.  

Image Source

Apparently, the car comes in four patterns, so if you love it too, we don't have to fight over the green one.  But since I'm owning this only in my dreams, I'd totally give you a ride in it.

Hope you're enjoying the long weekend!!

Read more...

Doubly Happy Chinese New Year

One of our Chewish goals is to have a gathering to celebrate each of the three New Years: Jan. 1st, Chinese New Year, and Rosh Hashanah.  This weekend, ten days into year 4079, we finally had our Chinese New Year party.  (Better late than never, right?)

I've been busy with work, so we decided we'd order most of the food from a local Chinese restaurant. But there was no way I was going to contract out the funnest part of party prep -- the decor!

The cold temperatures made it difficult to get fresh branches, so I used artificial branches from Pier One for our money tree.  They're so much sturdier than real branches and were perfect for hanging the ornaments I imported from Hong Kong.

I also hauled a ginormous bag of candy from Hong Kong: chocolate coins (like Hanukkah gelt, but with Hong Kong coin denominations); adorable little plastic pineapples, fortune cats, pigs, and gold ingots with chocolates inside; and red firecrackers with little candies inside.

As with Rosh Hashanah, Chinese New Year tradition is to eat lots of sweets.  My mom sent along some peanut and sesame candies from LA, and I added some giant chocolate Pocky.

I made a few simple red tissue poms,

hung a "Happy New Year" pennant, and got a giant paper dragon from the local party supply store.  I started to realize I might have been getting a bit too much into the decorating thing when my husband looked up from his computer and observed that our living room seemed to be shrinking.  What can I say?  I lack self control around pretty things.

Next up: the food.

Are you an over-decorator when it comes to parties?   Come on, surely I'm not the only one who gets a little cray-cray around tissue paper?

Read more...

Happy Monday

I know, I know.  It's Monday.  But I bet you I know what would make you feel better . . . .

Macarons.  And cupcakes.  And a flying puppy.  With a purple bow!

These images are from a whimsical, gorgeous campaign that Yoann Lemoine directed for Lipton.

LIPTON - Green Tea & White Tea from Yoann Lemoine on Vimeo.

Don't miss the full video.  It'll make your day.

Read more...

Love Illustrated

I've often thought I'd make a good cartoon: I have a cartoonish face (big eyes, smushy nose, buck teeth) and a cartoonish life (I swear an anvil* nearly dropped on my head the other day), and I've got all types of silly schemes I am looking forward to implementing against an evil nemesis.

* Ok, it was a hammer, but close enough.

But since Tom already has Jerry, and Jem the Misfits, I have to satisfy my desire for an illustrated life elsewhere.  Our friend's sister, Dina Kantor, made me this sweet illustration based on our favorite wedding photo after I fell in love with the whimsical illustration and photography work on her blog and website.

Illustration by Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

Since our third(!) anniversary is coming up, I was thinking of maybe having the illustration printed on canvas or simply framed as part of an anniversary gift -- sort of like this framed version of an illustration Dina created for my sister- and brother-in-law to commemorate the arrival of our niece:

Image source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

It's pretty awesome, right?  (I particularly like how the illustration picked up on all the details important to my BIL and SIL: the framed photo of our parents dancing and the Dylan and Springsteen prints.)

Image Source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

For her own wedding, Dina created a display of illustrations she made of family wedding photos.  It's such a charming and modern take on a traditional concept.

Image Source: Dina Kantor (Sam and Gertie Photography)

The most genius touch, though, is that she made a framed illustration of each of her wedding guests, which doubled as favors and escort cards.  I so wish we could have had something personal and fun like these instead of the semi-useless tchotchkes we imposed on our guests.

Sigh.  Maybe for the next wedding.  ;-P  I kid, I kid.

What are your favorite personalized gifts?  Any additional ideas for third anniversary gifts?  (It's supposed to be leather . . . or crystal . . . but I'm not really into either.)

Editor's note: My friend Alisa just pointed out that the upcoming anniversary is my SECOND, not third. Doh! Apparently marriage has broken my brain. The second anniversary gift is cotton, so perhaps I should screen print Dina's illustration on his/her t-shirts and make my husband wear it as punishment for making time stand still?!

Read more...

Happy Boxing Day!

May you have found all that you desire under the tree (or Hanukkah bush)!

Here's what I hoped for:

Image Source

Lots of joy.

Image Source

A little beauty.

A bit of sweetness.

Image Source

Just a smidgeon of sassyness.

Much togetherness.

And oodles of love.

Read more...

Merry Chrismukkah to Me!

I must have been very, very good this year, because look what I got for myself:

More macaron and packaging porn to come . . . .

Read more...

Our Wedding Album!

We got married eons ago, but look at the gorgeous surprise that arrived at our door this week: our wedding album!

Our wonderful photographer, Leigh Miller, created so many beautiful images of our wedding weekend that it took Mr. ADD and Ms. Procrastinator forever to choose the photos for the album.  I must say, though, that it's actually kind of fun to have the album come so many months after the wedding.  Not only were we wedding'd out for a while, we were also so saturated with media from the weekend that I don't think we would have appreciated the album quite as much.  Now that some time has passed, it's lovely to have a chance to reminisce about the wedding itself (and to curse the pounds we've put on since).

Leigh uses Cypress for her albums.  The company's bookbinding and matting work is meticulous, and their album designs are timeless and beautiful.

We ordered the "Cypress Album," which is a ribbon- or library-bound album in a presentation box.

Cypress has an array of sumptuous fabric and ribbon colors.  We chose to go with a monochromatic palette that reflects our wedding colors.  The album cover is in "light plum," the silk ribbon is "plum," and the box is covered in "plum brocade."  My photos don't do the fabrics justice: the album cover has the shine and texture of silk shantung.

Leigh designed the layout, and Cypress individually mounted each photo onto matted pages.  Of course, for a paperphile like me, the deckled edges and thick, luxurious feel of the album pages are totally swoon-worthy.

Over all, we're really excited about how the album turned out; it's a special heirloom that we hope we and our kids and grandkids will enjoy long after 3D holograms replace digital photography.

The only downside to using Cypress is that their albums don't come cheap.  I'm not sure we would have splurged on such an extravagant keepsake, but we were lucky to have been given the album as a wedding present by a group of very generous wedding guests.

Did you end up getting a wedding album?  And where do you keep it in your house?  I feel like we need to build some museum-quality showcase for something this pretty!  Our place is so not worthy of housing such a lovely item.

Read more...

Swan Dive

I just saw "Black Swan," and all I will say (so that I don't ruin the movie for any of you who have not yet seen it) is that I will henceforth avoid all mirrors because they FREAK. ME. OUT.

Image Source

For a movie that scared the living bejeezus out of me, "Black Swan" surprised me because it was so mind-twistingly beautiful -- a gorgeous, slow-motion descent into madness.  And so much of that beauty was in not just the exquisite dancing and cinematography, but also in the costuming, which was done by the sisters behind Rodarte.

Image Source

It's like Rodarte was created for this film, or vice versa; I can't imagine an aesthetic that better suits the tone and subject of the movie.  After all, Rodarte is known for its quirky, slightly twisted, and very intricate collage-like pieces, usually inspired by nature.  What could be more Rodarte than a whole nest of bird costumes?

Image Source

I can't seem to find decent close-up photos of the tutus Rodarte designed for Natalie Portman's character, but they are in and of themselves reason to see the film.  (How awesome are these sketches, by the way??)

Image Source

Each of the tutus is an opulent and totally ingenious creation . . . feathers, delicate knitting, amazing corseting that makes the costume seem like it's literally an organic part of the body.

Image Source

And "organic" seems to be the best word to describe it.  I'm not the biggest fan of the conventional staging of "Swan Lake," mostly because I think story ballets are lame, but also because I find the whole tiara and tutu thing so saccharine and boring.  But "Black Swan" brings a Gothic vibe to both the story and the costuming, such that what is usually cheesy is now awesomely quirky, twisted, and dark.

Image Source

Like the movie overall, the costumes both attract me and repulse me, and I love it.

Have you seen the movie yet?  What did you think?

Read more...