review of Olive Kitteridge

I actually started and finished this book right after The Fountainhead ... I just didn't get around to posting a review until now.

Maybe I'm a book/novel snob, but I don't think this book was deserving of a Pulitzer Prize. It was mostly fluff and by fluff I mean it didn't go very deep, it skimmed the surfaces - even with Olive. I also didn't really care about Olive either way and indifference of the main character as well as the thirteen narratives wound about her should not be the stuff Prizes are made of in my opinion. Not a horrible book though, it just didn't live up to the expectations I had after reading the praise for it on its front cover.

...or maybe I'm just not old enough to appreciate the point of this novel.

art of the week #11

Screws, Installation View
Paul Chaleff

virtual bbq - win prizes!

Check out this link to learn the details about the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team's Virtual Summer BBQ Scavenger Hunt!

playlist of the week #11

A mix cd in my car that turned out to be the I Am Sam soundtrack:

1. Two of Us - Aimee Mann & Michael Penn
2. Blackbird - Sarah McLachlan
3. I'm Looking Through You - The Wallflowers
4. You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - Eddie Vedder
5. Mother Nature's Son - Sheryl Crow
6. Golden Slumbers - Ben Folds
7. I'm Only Sleeping - The Vines
8. Don't Let Me Down - Stereophonics
9. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The Black Crowes
10. Julia - Chocolate Genius
11. We Can Work It Out - Heather Nova
12. Help - Howie Day
13. Nowhere Man - Paul Westerberg
14. Revolution - Grandaddy
15. Across the Universe - Rufus Wainwright

saturday must have #3

The Ocean

Pattern for Red Coral - JPolka

Make your own foot-long coral branch out of worsted weight yarn and a G-hook! A witty and cuddly display piece. This pattern provides a stitch-by-stitch guide to making a coral branch nearly identical to the one shown here. But more importantly, a description of the purpose of each one of those stitches is included so you can become comfortable freeforming coral of your own design. $3.50 - PDF








Celia's Garden Sea Salt & Seaweed Scrub - The Dirty Housewife



The Dirty Housewife added seaweed and sea salt to this bar as well as heavenly fragrances of flowers that you can find near "Celia's Garden" along with a touch of sea spray. The bar is loaded with Wild Atlantic Dulse seaweed that is harvested off the coast of Maine. $4.50


Seaweed Tote in Dark Lemon Grass - Willywaw

This mini tote is made from 100% organic cotton canvas grown and milled in the U.S.; small pocket inside. The tote measures approximately 11 " wide x 7.5" high x 5" deep. Self-standing with a flat bottom, french seams, no exposed edges. $28






Octopus Tentacle Ring - Octopus Me


This ring is made from a REAL Octopus tentacle which has drilled, carved, shaped and cast in Sterling Silver! Sizes 4-7. $160

art of the week #10

Cow, 2008

oil on canvas

72 x 72 inches

Caitlin Hurd

I visited the Wassaic Project a month ago and I instantly fell in love with Cow by Caitlin Hurd. It's beautifully painted and of course having a thing for dripping paint on canvas (and cows for that matter) how could I not want to own this?

review of The Fountainhead

Mind Blowing. I definitely love Atlas Shrugged more though. AS is all the more mind blowing, plus there were times in The Fountainhead when I felt like the Dominque and Roark weren't being "human." Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Rand's characters (the "heroes") are practically like gods with few pitfalls, but there were times when D & R were SO extreme in their behavior/decisions. AS definitely does a better job in making the characters' actions realistic even if they are extreme. I loved seeing the unpolished Objectivism shine through the whole book. Everyone should read this book, but read AS first if you're only going to read one or the other.

playlist of the week #10

Favorite of the Week: Measuring Cups - Andrew Bird

because I miss hanging out w/ Jason and he introduced me to AB. Also because I made mini black raspberry pies today.

Guess what? Pandora made this playlist with a little help from me. Do you feel like I'm listening to the same thing every week? Me too...

1. Wolves - Iron & Wine
2. 9 Crimes - Damien Rice
3. Saul Below - Sufjan Stevens
4. Road - Nick Drake
5. Faded From the Winter - Iron & Wine
6. Eyes - Rogue Wave
7. Black Eye - Uncle Tupelo
8. Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
9. Measuring Cups - Andrew Bird
10. Arms of a Thief - Iron & Wine
11. Sleeping Bear, Sault Saint Marie - Sufjan Stevens
12. Heartbeats - Jose Gonzalez
13. Bird Never Flies - Ari Hest
14. Kingdom of the Animals - Iron & Wine
15. Jacksonville - Sufjan Stevens

!!#%#(%)@!

kind of hating blogspot right now. why does my formatting go to hell every time i publish? it's ridiculous. the whole point of using blogspot is so i don't have to do all the html coding.

:/

saturday must have #2

Pottery

1. Small Red Vase by Porcenova

No one has bought this piece by Porcenova and I can't see why. It's beautiful. And if you know anything about pottery/glazing (or if you don't) then you should know difficult it probably was to achieve such a great effect.

The vase measures 4.5 inches tall and it's only $15 - a great deal.

2. Tea for Two Orangerie by Utile Mud

The honey pot is soo sweet (pun much?). I love the orange glaze. Now I can't wait to get back into the ceramics studio and try my hand at my own honey pots.

You get 2 tumblers (3.5 x 2.75 inches), 1 honey pot (3.5 x 3.5 inches, excluding lid), 1 creamer (3.5 x 4.25 inches). This item is currently sold out but convo Utile Mud and perhaps you can get a set made.

3. Set of 4 Small & Colorful Prep Bowls MADE TO ORDER by Lynn Cardwell Pottery

Obviously I love the colors (have you noticed yet?) and I think that everyone needs prep bowls to look the role of a serious cook. You could use the bowls for other things too...

All the bowls measure approx. 4.5 x 1.5 inches.

Check out Lynn's Flickr

4. Soft Glossy Butter Yellow Bud Vase by Judi Tavill

I just convo'd Judi about how beautiful this vase was so I had to include it in this week's must have. It's subtly sensual and quiet but strong.

The vase is made of porcelain clay and measures approx. 2.75 x 6 inches.

Website

Flickr

Blog

5. Sweet Pea in Yellow by Kim Westad

I love that the color is in the inside of the vessel. I also like how the texture on the outside mimics the over all shape of the vessel.

The vessel measures 3 x 5 inches. You can watch a video on the process of making this too!

Facebook

Flickr

Website

art of the week #9

Boomerang Desk by Maurice Caulka, 1969

"A rare boomerang desk with a body in fiberglass and polyester featuring three drawers on the right and one hanging file drawer in the left, with two elongated cutouts on the back. This desk was designed by the French sculpture Maurice Calka for Leleu-Deshays in the late 1960’s and has the original signature to the bottom interior footwell. "

I want this desk for the apartment I don't have.

playlist of the week #9

For you romantics.

1. Don't - Jewel
2. Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
3. Virginia Moon - Foo Fighters
4. Wicked Game - Giant Drag
5. P.S. I Love You - Curtis Mayfield
6. Turn Me On - Norah Jones
7. Be Here Now - Ray LaMontagne
8. Take Off Your Cool - Outkast ft. Norah Jones
9. To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
10. I Belong to You - Lenny Kravitz
11. Let's Stay Together - Al Green
12. What if I Loved You - Joey Gian
13. Can I Stay? - Ray LaMontagne
14. Fix You - Coldplay
15. You Picked Me - A Fine Frenzy

new toy!

So per usual on my day off I went to the dump or as it is officially known, the transfer station. At the transfer station is a little building where people leave stuff and where people take stuff. This building is known as the swap shop. I'm a big fan of the swap shop. I've been going pretty much every week and hadn't really hit on anything big. A cool old atlas here, some quaint old jars there. Today was different. Today I got ... drum roll .... a sewing machine! And it works! I am SO excited. I've been wanting my own sewing machine and was thinking how much it was going to suck when I didn't live close to home and couldn't use my mom's. But now I don't have to worry about that. It's an old Singer (not too old, but pretty old) and I'll be using it to make journals, blankets, pillows, purses, etc. Maybe I'll venture into clothes. Clothes = Patterns and I don't own any patterns yet.

saturday must have #1

What is the Saturday Must Have you ask? Why it's a list (short or long) of some things you must have, of course! Every Saturday will be a different theme and sometimes the theme will be no theme at all - original, right?

Handmade Must Haves for Fun & Funky Decorating

1. Custom Embroidered Note by Dash of Magic

So freaking cute. I want to give one to all of my friends. It makes me

wish I had a crush on someone.

The note measures approx. 8 x 10 inches and you can have up to 140 characters embroidered on for free.

Dash of Magic's Blog

Dash of Magic's Twitter

Dash of Magic's Flickr

2. Peas Please Bolster Pillow by Diffraction Fiber

Why wouldn't you want a pea pod pillow? It will make you look oh-so green to guests and perhaps give them the impression that you eat healthy too.

The entire pillow is made from Eco-Felt and measures 24 x 7 inches. (Diffraction Fiber has a Sunny Side Up Egg Pillow which I love too :D)

Diffraction Fiber's Blog

3. On the Rocks Moss Terrarium by Green Briar

First of all, I'm obsessed with terrariums and I don't even have one. How perfect would this be on your bar? So classy. Very simplistic too with a touch of elegance. Having a little nature nearby at all times doesn't hurt either. Plus moss is a perfect indoor plant that requires little sunlight.

The martini shaker measures 9.5 x 3.5 inches with a handmade cairn pile... making me recall the ancient British isles, mysteries, and the album Sons of Somerled by Steve MacDonald.

4. Bayberry Soy Candle by Lilac Ave

Bayberry is masculine and woodsy - one of which is missing in my life. I dig the green color of the candle holder and I'm sure once the candle is gone (you can buy another) and use the holder as a little planter.

The container measures 3.5 x 1.5 inches and holds about 4 oz. of wax, which by the way is 100% eco-soy wax. In my experience soy wax really helps the scent of the candle fill a whole room.

Lilac Ave's Other Sites:

Handmade Cards and Stationary

Home Decor

blog feature

I was featured on Venetia Jewelry's blog yesterday! Click HERE to go directly to the feature/interview. It makes me sound pretty legit ... which I am - but still!

art of the week #8

Untitled 32, 6 x 8.5 inches
Pencil on Paper
Paul Chiappe
Morgan Lehman Gallery
Superfine, Summer Group Show
July 6 - August 7, 2009

Incidentally this is the gallery where I interned this past semester :)

Out of all the work in Superfine, Paul's work definitely grabbed my attention. It is definitely super, fine, and superfinely drawn. It's unreal to me how perfectly detailed his work is and the fact that I couldn't tell that he used pencil was magical.

new journal

Here is the journal I made Jay for his birthday. It's my most favorite journal I have made so far. It measures 8.5 x 5.75 inches and is covered in teal and white book linen. It has black headbands and it has 144 cream colored pages.

playlist of the week #8

Favorite of the Week: Upward Over the Mountain by Iron & Wine

I'm really into Iron & Wine right now.

1. Los Angeles, I'm Yours - The Decemberists
2. Upward Over the Mountain - Iron & Wine
3. We Are Nowhere and It's Now - Bright Eyes
4. The View - Modest Mouse
5. Secret Heart - Feist
6. Mass Romantic - The New Pornographers
7. The New Year - Death Cab for Cutie
8. Naked As We Came - Iron & Wine
9. Everything Reminds Me of Her - Elliott Smith
10. From My Own True Love (Lost At Sea) - The Decemberists
11. Slow Show - The National
12. The Fox in the Snow - Belle & Sebastian
13. Two Way Monologue - Sondre Lerche
14. Jesus, Etc. - Wilco

are you a white tiger?

Did I mention that I was reading/finished reading The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga? I would recommend it. The plot was rather refreshing and sort of follows the whole objectivist thing that I dig. I didn't find Balram (the main character) to be loathsome in anyway even though some of the reviews said the reader might ... that's probably just me though. It was a fast read and kept me intrigued the whole time I was reading (it was hard for me to put it down in fact). It's definitely not your trashy romance novel you read to pass the time, but it's fun enough to suck you into a different world that makes you think (but not too hard).

new journals!

art of the week #7

Acrylic on Panel

Untitled #6, 2004

Acrylic on Panel

Karel Funk

May 8 - August 30, 2009

Onofrio Gallery, Rochester Art Center

For this week's art of the week, I chose Karel Funk. I love his attention to detail - how very voyeuristic it is and yet how impersonal. I really like how the viewer can decide the personal life and inner workings of the subject's mind without any real sort of information coming from the subject's reality. I love that he works with acrylics and panel (two of my favorites). I should go see his show before it closes...

playlist of the week #7

I was in NYC for the last 3 days and totally forgot to post the playlist of the week!

Favorite of the Week: Are You Happy Now by Richard Shindell

I like this song a lot because it's folky and I thought it was refreshing how the "story" took place around Halloween. The allusions are pretty cool.

1 - 15. any cd by Natalie Merchant