A PICTURE FOR THE WEEKEND NO. 24

The resolution could have been a bit better, but that comes with a better camera, I suppose.

THE BEDROOM IN YOUR DREAM

Fantastic Frank

I saw this bedroom a few weeks ago, and then I put it on Tumblr, and I thought that was the full extent of what I needed to do with it.  But sometimes, an image will grow roots in your head, it will stake out territory and sinuously draw your mind towards it.  So here we are.  I'm sharing. 

Certain images are pretty, I troll around enough to have met a few.  Very few have that power of pull.  I cannot explain or predict the ones that will, I can only point them out and say: "Look here.  This will make you feel something." Or something else just as eloquent. 

What do I like about this?  It's comforting, it's airy and light, and there are just a million little creative details that went into its creation, even though that goes against the grain for me (I don't like gross accessorizing) - I'm not going to point out what they are.  It's always more revelatory when you discover these things out for yourself.  When you put all these details together, they create a visual dialogue.  It says something to you, not in so many specific words, but in a language that touches your subconscious mind, and you know it, because you feel...something.  Again, I'm not going to define what that feeling could be.  This overall effect is what gives an image pull for me.  

I may be overanalyzing, but that's what I like to do.  Cheers!

FLOATING QUOTE NO. 1

As part of a series where I just start doing random things, I'm going to start posting lines of text that have been kicking around in my head lately with no story to hold them.  I may use it later, but it may never find a home.

You may even be able to visualize what inspired this quote.  Now, here are your various options:

• Level 1: You limit yourself to just making the jpeg.  Done.  Put away.
• Level 2: You make jpeg.  You post on Tumblr.  You share, unobtrusively and with restraint.    
• Level 3: You are now looking at a new and cheap way to give "personal" e-cards to friends and relatives in lieu of actual birthday cards, Christmas cards, and/or gifts.  There is no greater gift than the joy and reflected brilliance of your creativity!  Proceed with caution. 

A PICTURE FOR THE WEEKEND NO. 23

WATERCOLORS AND TEXTURE

1

2

3

4

That last print spells unconscious. 

The top two prints are by Daniel Egneus and the bottom two are by Sprios Halaris.  I am not a follower of art; I don't know these men from Adam, but I dabble in the art of browsing.  In my second job as an online browser, I have discovered Arte Limited, which has a nice collection of art and photography that is a higher grade than, say...a lot of pieces on Etsy. There is also an option to show prices in US dollars, if you prefer.  

I picked these pieces out because I like watercolors, or just the texture of water in a print, the way colors can run together.  Always have.  I have a thing for softer images, free from hard lines.  I like the way watercolor can show texture (if you look at the top print) and an appreciation for the control it must have taken to create the orange pattern that is painted in a way to suggest that you are looking at fabric.  

EVA CHEN: LUCKY MAGAZINE'S NEW EDITOR IN CHIEF

News articles are identifying Eva as the first Asian-American editor-in-chief of a Conde Nast magazine. First, I don't remember where that pic came from.  I tried to find it again and it just got lost in the google abyss. Second, as much as I would rather Eva was praised for her social media savvy (45K instagram followers and 47K twitter followers*) before her Asian-ness, in the end I don't really care.  It takes a small miracle to amass that many followers - I don't care if they're mostly the same people.  I can barely cut and paste my blog links onto a Tweet. 

As always, I'm happy to hear about Asians who ditch the premed/law school course to go with what makes them happy, especially when they're already most of the way through Johns Hopkins, which isn't exactly known for their fashion and design program. 

Eva seems to be an interesting choice to head a print magazine.  I wonder what she's going to bring to the party. My personal theory on people who can successfully gain thousands of followers through tools like Twitter is that they have the gift of knowing what people want, and then giving it to them.  Over and over again.  It's like having your finger on the pulse of the human psyche, and knowing what makes that pulse jump.

Even though Lucky has been in a slump, I've always liked it, since it didn't subject me to pictures of models holding barbells in spandex to encourage me to go on a diet. It didn't care about my eating or exercise habits.  It didn't oversell me on sex.  It always seemed to be slightly off from the other mags, a little bit unusual in their style recommendations which were sometimes based on editor's personal style.  It showed you that fashion didn't have to be a glossy sheet of perfection by draping clothes all over models.  Instead, they used real people to encourage readers to make their own style choices.  And there was never only one.

I have a feeling the changes won't be dramatic, but will be slow and steady, and the overall makeover will be a quiet revolution.  I will wait and see. 

* Note to self: follow Eva on Twitter.

EASY WEEKEND DIY: WELCOME MAT

Shine Design

Welcome mats are the ugliest things.  Yet they serve a necessary function (capturing dirt so it doesn't get all over your nice flooring), so you're probably better off with than without, and most people have them.  Even I have one...left over from the previous tenant (I didn't see the point of paying money for something equally ugly, but slightly newer to step on).  When I look at a doormat, I see a doormat.  I've never looked at my welcome mat as being an object of creative potential, but apparently it can be.  

I came across the above DIY from the blog Shine Design and had to share it.  You have to appreciate people that have that kind of eye - that see a boring thing, and then its underlying potential to be better.  The original post is in Norwegian, but her pics pretty much speak for themselves.  The mat is from Ikea, and the pattern is made by outlining using a bowl and some white pencil.  Genius, I say.

FUN LINK TIME

Daily Frenchie

I'm one of those people that like to solve problems.  Sometimes I notice things and mentally link them to people they could possibly benefit, and sometimes that person just doesn't exist...so what do you do with this excess information?  Well, problem solved.  See below.

• 60 minutes: The Save the Tortoise Episode.  Is watching 60 minutes uncool?  I know it's been around for awhile, but I just realized this show exists.  Most people I talk with like to name drop NPR (example: "Oh, I heard about [insert hot button topic] on NPR").  Apparently radio is the way to go.  I linked to the tortoise episode, on 60 minutes, because it's strangely heartbreaking. 
• Confidence and public speaking: This article on how to sound confident even when you're not.
• Decor: Easy DIY for decorating with silver tape. 
• The British: This post on what British people say v. what they mean. 
• Food: Fork and Beans for vegan recipes
• Acne: This thoughtful article on acne from The Dame is one of the most thorough and holistic approaches to acne I've come across, incorporating changes to both your lifestyle and eating habits instead of just recommending facial products. 
• Bunions: If you google "Victoria Beckham" and "Bunions," you will meet the most famous pair of bunions in the world.  Try this bunion splint to try to prevent that.  It's a progressive problem and can only get worse over time, so far as I know, so this splint should stop the problem from getting worse, and it may also makes you appear mildly athletic.
• Acne Scars: Try this organic scar cream. 
• Bed Hair: Try this silk pillowcase.  

PICTURE FOR THE WEEKEND NO. 22

I trotted around here over the weekend.  It is nice to live near the water - or at least to have the water a pleasant commute away.

As an aside, why are weekend pics practically always nature shots?  Because I find them calming, and I like a bit of calm during my weekend - also during the workweek, but there's no time for that, so weekend it is!

IDEAL V. REAL: THE TV

Via

Oh, how I would love this.  Let's look at it from another angle.  See below.  Yes, that still looks beautiful.  The entire apartment is quite beautiful actually, if you follow the link.  There really is no end to good taste and what it can do for you.  

Via

Now, here's a touchy question that I sometimes struggle with...is this practical?

  

Because in reality, I don't have overwhelming large pieces of art that I can display, and I'm not sure that I would want a TV that low to the ground.  

Here is the larger problem: I'm addicted to aesthetics.  I follow interior design sites the way some people follow porn: In the dark.  Late at night. Alone.  I'm checking things out. 

Aesthetically speaking, a TV at eye level (where you can watch it easily and use it for its intended purpose) looks fairly unattractive.  Most TV stands I've found are 1) overpriced and 2) unattractive.  So it's like being screwed at two entirely different angles. 

Below, I included the most practical, easily accessible, commercially available, and least ugly solution from West Elm.  It's not the same as the ideal, but it's not hideous.  

In my own abode, of course, I have an bleh thing from IKEA.

West Elm

I'm not going to include a picture of my bleh.  Because it's bleh. 

I suppose this second option could look okay depending on what you put around it. My preference is to minimize clutter, to not have too much stuff, you know?  

Just the proper amount.  (See above)