3 Ring Binder

What do Philip Johnson’s Glass House , Ticket to Ride , The Mystic Aquarium , and the USS Nautilus have in common?  Two things I can think of: they’re all in Connecticut and my family enjoyed them all over one of my famous, crazy 24-hour flash tours this weekend. First the Glass House. Philip Johnson 's weekend retreat: The Glass House, 1949 I’ve made attempts – at least once a year – to go on a tour of the property since it opened four years ago.  It was either sold out (most frequently) or we didn’t have the time.  I really wanted to bring the girls with us because I think it’s good for them to experience examples of good design in order to cultivate a sense of appreciation for it, especially when we live in organized chaos.  I was not mistaken – they loved it and were particularly enamored of the outdoor rooms meticulously designed by Johnson himself!  The pond and climbing structure as one view from the Glass House. Overall, Johnson’s Glas...

Paperself via SwissMiss Tokyo Lash Bar Carlashes via Design Fetish

By the way things look, as well as the way they perform, our homes acquire new grace, new glamor, new accommodations expressing not only the American love of beauty, but also the basic freedom of the American people which is the freedom of individual choice.  Is it any wonder that I love mid-century modern design? Yes, the very idea that Americans have cornered the market on love of beautiful design is ridiculous, but the pride in having the freedom of choice and the embrace of modern convenience is what makes me want to tie on my polka-dotted apron and celebrate it every time I encounter it. Some of the cool beans designs shown: Ericofon  (Swedish) Bertoia chairs Eames rocker and chairs  (and cards ) Barcelona chair (German) Troppo table (looks like a new design) And tons of other Danish designs. And then there's Zooey Deschanel. Click on the speaker icon to hear my favorite designer  (clip can be viewed if you click on her words).

1.       As a woman who wears a stainless steel wedding band and has a nascent appreciation for spirits, neat, but not warm, I think these would make a perfect addition to my home bar. (via Design Fetish ) 2.       What’s better than a lovely full pink skirt? A lovely full pink skirt that turns into a kayak in an emergency! (via Frog Blog ) 3.       It’s no Leatherman, but this multi-purpose cologne bottle ought to be appreciated by the “ emotional, strong and self-confident man who doesn’t waste his time.” (via Bad Banana Blog )

Like linking to the last three Objectivist Round Ups in May! Here they are in chronological order: May 13 th , The Birthday Carnival at Erosophoria . May 20 th , # Eleventyhundred and Three at Trey Givens : a blog about a hero. And today’s, # 150 at Secular Foxhole . Go. Read. Think. And check out this incredibly cool Drumbrella design by Dong Min Park ( Design Fetish via StumbleUpon from Tuvie ).   Stretched waxed skins mimic different drum head sounds. Why hasn't someone thought of this before?

What do you think of our new product design logo? Dozen it look sharp? Okay. That's un oeuf.

I have met my people, and they are tiny. Okay. They ’re really not tiny, but the medium in which they work , play , create , design , and live in their imaginations is.   They are the folks who are enthralled by miniature modern design . The article in yesterday’s New York Times has plucked at a dormant interest of mine: modern design I can hold in the palm of my hand.   As someone who admires the minimalist approach of modern architecture and design, but who lives a richly cluttered life, I appreciate the wide open and naturally lit spaces offered by the petite modern house I can afford to own. This appreciation led to my eventual purchase of a modern doll house for my daughters in 2002 – the Kaleidoscope House (tour here ).   After eyeing it for a year at a local art museum gift shop, I decided that we they would really enjoy it.   I was right – they did and sometimes still do (most recently, it was featured in a school video of a Spanish soap opera as reen...

Meet my new camera, Mr. Pana Sonic Lumix.   Its lovely silver sleekness houses a powerful 12x optical zoom, a terrific low-light Leica lens, and a spectacular ability to zoom while in video mode! It fits in my purse and its control buttons are large enough for a normal human hand to operate easily. What it doesn’t have is this on its memory card!   One gray day in the middle of February, we passed by this little house somewhere in the middle of Massachusetts. The green metal roof, which I love, probably drew my eye to the unfinished construction site, but then I glimpsed something on the garage I had never seen before.   I made my husband drive back to make sure I saw what I was thought I was seeing. If I brighten up the image and zoom it you can almost see it.   There was a life-size tree design made from and within the cedar shingle siding!   (While I love my old camera – these pictures certainly don’t do this beautiful design justice.)   After having ...

Over the past three weeks the chicks have grown wildly. Last week it became obvious that we needed to expand their little brooder home, so we built them an addition. Now they have a lovely little chick condo with vanishing edge walls of glass (okay, plastic walls precariously cantilevered over the stairs) and a mod, stainless steel connecting corridor (well, really a big coffee can), dividing their living space into sleep & poop and eat/drink & poop. They seemed to be adjusting quite well to their new digs. Then, a new cleaning agency was employed at the condo: one whose wisdom included pine shavings conservation and warned against the excessiveness of two layers of paper towels. Well, the chicks, pretty well pampered up to this point, wouldn’t stand for such scrimping and trashed the place! Within an hour they were rolling on the naked plastic floor, poop was everywhere, and there were no signs that the mayhem would stop! So the old cleaning lady, who had only taken a day off,...

I found this story to be quite interesting. While the fix is temporary, I'm impressed by the architect, Miguel Rosales, who refused to see the integrity of his design diminished by the poverty of government ownership and so paid the bill for the blue lights to stay illuminating the Lenny Zakim Bridge for the next three months.

Today I learned the art of pysanky from a friend and couldn't resist putting the egg in with the chicks. While my egg may look nothing like the intricate designs on the pysanky website, I still like it. And the process was fun!

1. I own three sewing machines. 2. I can follow directions (mostly I choose not to, but I can ). 3. Today, I found a Betty Draper-like dress pattern! Go me! Now if I could only find the right fabric….and then if I only had the right place to wear it. Bah. Mere details.

Have a good night!