A friend has been mulling a geographic: moving elsewhere in the hopes of creating more of the life she wants. Since there are quite a few variables she needs to consider, she made an Excel spreadsheet to capture basic info about the places on her radar. It got us thinking about making a spreadsheet that includes less tangible considerations…
Read MoreSleep Doc Wakes Up Nap Shamers
Being avid but somewhat guilty nappers, we were heartened by the research of Damien Leger that shows a well-timed snooze to be ESSENTIAL to good cognitive functioning. The key, he says, is to nap wisely, without shame.
Read MoreHand Signals for Challenging Times
When a friend was about to undergo a challenging surgery, she posted images of her “fingers crossed” on her Instagram. We realized that each of us has our own way of wishing/hoping/praying/sending energy during difficult times. Many of them involve hand signals.
Read MoreBlackberry August: Island Harvest Crumble with Poem
Blackberries are considered both a scourge and a blessing. They grow anywhere and everywhere, bristling with thorns, invading civilized gardens, threatening to obliterate freeway on-ramps. But in August, if you see a car pulled off the side of the road, you can bet everyone’s piled out to gather wild blackberries to eat out-of-hand and transform in the kitchen.
Read MoreEureka Moment While Vacuuming, Rooted in the Blues
Inspired Eureka moment in the realm of the everyday, yielding a celestial chord that could have come from a mighty church organ. Joy!
Read MoreHungry for Cool Design Ideas? Check out The Art of Things
The massive The Art of Things: Product Design since 1945 surveys all kind of objects that we use in our lives, as well as their placement in the bigger picture, in time and place. Our quick run through a pdf we found yielded a number of useful ideas:
Read MoreA Road Sign Painter’s Artful Message
This surprising little video is about Glasgow roadliner Thomas Lilley, a man who paints signs and marks on roads freehand in molten thermoplastic. It is a reflection on uncelebrated jobs that most of us remain oblivious to, that possess —and often yield — their own quiet poetry, and an essential message…
Read MoreThe Way to Start a Day
At our Little Free Library we came across a kid’s book called The Way to Start A Day, something we think about a lot. It’s about the many ways different peoples celebrate and honor a new day to set the right tone in their lives. It offers fine advice no matter what age you are.
Read MoreHerbie Hancock: Miles Davis’ Essential Lesson on Mistakes
(Video link here.) One short minute of perfection: Herbie Hancock recounts the BIG life lesson he got by example from Miles Davis, when Hancock played what he thought was a seriously WRONG note during a gorgeous riff.
Read MoreWarning! 10% Battery Left
Over years of working daily at a computer, we’ve come to see how similar it is to our human brain (or vice versa). Just as computers that have had too many different applications working at one time can get slow and boggy, and benefit from being shut down for a while, so do we humans. We’ve…
Read MoreTo-Die-For Recipes for the End of Cherry Season
Today at the market we saw a sign that said Cherry season ending soon, and we thought Yeah, better make hay and bought a couple of pounds to eat iced, our favorite way. A bowl of cold ripe cherries on ice are a one-ingredient, sublime dessert that also couldn’t be more elegant and satisfying But there are others equally as lovely…
Read MoreStuart Ringholt: ‘Can Art Be Super Practical and Improve My Life?’
This compelling chair made of a sawed-in-half bathtub is the creation of artist Stuart Ringholt who, in the throws of hashish psychosis, wondered if art can be practical. In making art, he found his answer.
Read MoreDecoding Tallon’s Iconic Folding Stools to DIY
One of our most popular posts has been Hangable, Folding Stools and Chairs, featuring 70’s industrial designer Roger Tallon’s brilliant stools that fold flat to hang on a wall. Our research has revealed no designs or knock-offs of the brilliant design for sale. So we figured out an approach to DIY…
Read MoreHow to Prevent Decluttering’s Savage Aftermath
When downsizing or decluttering, we often feel the loss of the precious memories physical objects can be a reminder of. It is one of the more savage side effects of ‘decluttering’. Here’s a solution I found years ago when I had to give up some of my own precious possessions.
Read MoreJalabert Camille’s ‘Fuel’ Will Brighten Your Day
(Video link here.) Really funny and totally sweet, this teeny film by 3rd year film student Jalabert Camille will make you feel just fine about just about any misstep, mess-up or irritant you encounter today. It takes Samuel Beckett’s famous lines about failure to an extraordinary place…
Read MorePasta al Limone (Lemon Pasta) after Sandro Fioriti
When I am feeling low, I sometimes go to Sandro’s in NYC to eat Spaghetti al Limone. It is a quietly comforting experience: spaghetti perfectly cooked al dente slicked with a suave, subtly lemon, perfectly-balanced sauce. I’ve seen and tried many versions of this classic pasta —many predominantly Parmigiano laced with lemon—but have settled on this approximation of…
Read MoreOur Hearts Go Out to Nice
Many perfect memories of Nice live in my heart. Now my heart, and prayers, go to that most beautiful, now wounded, city. photo by Tobi 87
Read MoreChuck Close: ‘Ideas come out of the work itself’
The Mysterious Metamorphosis of Chuck Close is a must-read for the MANY illuminating and original questions and viewpoints it presents about making art in 2016, aging, the need for personal change. Of particular interest to us was the advice Close gave his friend Paul Simon, who recently announced that he’s going to retire.
Read MoreStripes Modernize a Dark 19C Interior (Martin Creed)
The Martin Creed show at the Park Avenue Armory gave us much to think about plus one great decorating idea. We’d normally find the ornate 1880’s dark wood-paneled grand corridor rather oppressive —unlike the astonishing 55,000 square foot Drill Hall. We found the space curiously modernized by Creed’s inspired black diagonal stripes
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