A Few Photos from Back East…
January 7, 2012
Boy, I’m a lucky girl! I got an amazing camera for the holidays, and I got to start using it on my trip back East.
I took a ton of photos.
Find some of my favorites below. One day I got up at sunrise to shoot.
72 Hours in Seattle
August 2, 2011
One of my best friends (in the entire world) just got married in Seattle. It was my first time there.
Here’s the city briefly through my eyes:
See It…
May 22, 2011
Paris….in the 1920s. Literature, Music, and Art. Woody Allen. Yes, please.
Playfully Patching Potholes in Paris
May 3, 2011
“guerrilla knitting”
adore
Reinventing Recycling Through Art
April 6, 2011
I just ran into one of my super cool neighbors in the elevator. He told me about his awesome job. He’s part of the Global Inheritance team. He invited me to a rad “TRASHed” party-TOMORROW NIGHT in Hollywood. See invitation above. It’s a preview party for this year’s Coachella TRASHed recycling bins. I wish I knew about this organization earlier. Last month they had a call for artists for this year’s Coachella Festival. I totally would have submitted an idea. There’s always next year! (Moral of the story-talk to your neighbors in the elevator more often. Put your iphone away, and make a real, live connection. It’s fun -and you may learn something.)
“The TRASHed :: Art Of Recycling campaign is an ongoing recycling education program that redefines the way people view recycling and trash collection. Global Inheritance arranges the artistic redesign of recycling bins, then integrates the bins at high visibility events to encourage recycling and provide additional outlets for people to appreciate the artwork. Live paintings often occur at events in addition to the ongoing display of artist bins created beforehand.
TRASHed appoints the right talent to match each event’s aesthetic. Artists who have worked with us in the past include: pro-skateboarder Bob Burnquist, artists from Volcom and RVCA, rock musicians Blink-182, pro-surfer Jodie Nelson, Freestyle Motocross rider Mike Metzger, artists like Mear One and Freddi C., author Hunter S. Thompson, and many more.
Events: Coachella Music Festival ESPN Summer & Winter X Games Treasure Island Music Festival Virgin Festival Canada & USA National History Museum – LA Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival Hollywood Bowl CMJ Music Marathon Dew Tour Epicenter Music Festival Live Earth Sundance Film Festival Swerve Festival SXSW and many more.”
Also, check out the Global Inheritance Recycling Store….get free stuff just by collecting recyclable material.
*images from Global Inheritance.
Wood & Vine
March 16, 2011
6280 Hollywood Boulevard at Vine Street
Wood & Vine has been open for less than three weeks, and it’s already one of LA’s hippest new bars. Last night, I grabbed a few drinks and a small bite at Hollywood’s new hot spot.
To start, I had a greyhound (my favorite) and after that, the mixologist made me another amazing grapefruit based concoction (this time with gin). For dinner, I had delicious Carlsbad Mussels and part of a very yummy Cheese Plate. Everything was top-notch. I was avery impressed by the design, as well. The patio is perfection- a modern fire-pit bar centers the outdoor space, which is nicely nestled in the corner of the old Taft building.This is totally the place to take your out-of-town visitors after a day of sight-seeing on Hollywood Blvd.
DO IT: Urban Zen and a Million Hearts for Haiti
February 28, 2011
Today, a very nice European man came up to me today and gave me a goody bag with some info on Donna Karan’s Urban Zen pop-up store on Santa Monica Blvd. I knew nothing about Urban Zen, so I checked out the catalogs in the bag. I was excited to learn Urban Zen offers gorgeous hand-crafted furniture-made in Bali by local artisans :
10 percent of sales benefit Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation, which works to preserve culture and empower children internationally. According to the company’s website:
Urban Zen is a philosophy of living. It’s also a unique marriage of commerce, culture community and compassion. We have one rule for what we offer at Urban Zen: it has to have soul and expression. We travel the world, looking for global artisans we can support and showcase, helping them sustain their traditions.
After browsing the catalogs (there was an apparel one, as well), I looked deeper in the bag. There was a stone heart, and an some info on the Million Hearts for Haiti Campaign.
First I looked to see where the heart came from. It’s from a group called the Hand/Eye Fund, an organization that Helps Haitian artisans and artists recover from the life-challenging loss of shelter, equipment, workshops, and income.
These hearts are actually for sale on the Hand/Eye Fund website. 
“Help support artisans in Haiti with this beautiful set of multi-colored river stone hearts. Stone carving became a part of the Haitian craft scene in the 1950s, and the grey stone of Leogane provides an excellent starting point for many Haitian sculptors. Among the most popular motifs is the simple heart, the symbol of love and caring. Our river stone hearts are sold as a set of one large 3″, one medium 2.5″ and one small 2″ heart in white, brown and grey earth tones. Size, color and shapes will vary as each hand-carved heart is unique. Imported by Tesoros Trading Company, proceeds from the sale of these hearts benefit the HAND/EYE Artisan Grants Fund for Haiti, helping artisans in Haiti rebuild their workshops, community and lives.$20.
I love, love, love this idea…but it gets better. The Million Hearts for Haiti project takes it a step further:
“These hand-carved hearts from Haiti are a blank canvas for your expression. They also represent a link between Haitian artisans and the distant markets they must reach to earn a living…..We need your help to support the culture of Haiti and spread the word to all our communities. There are several ways you can connect with us and become involved…including an art installation in NYC.”
From the website:
A COLLABORATION OF ARTISTS
We are proud and excited to join the Million Hearts for Haiti campaign, and are thrilled to tell you about the unique Urban Zen spin we’re putting on this. Not only do we want you to join the campaign, we want you to use it as an opportunity to showcase your own creative expression.
The plan is simple:
- Purchase your heart
- Design your heart with your arsenal of art supplies and ingenious creativity
- Send us a picture of you and your heart along with a note about the inspiration behind your design
This is a wonderful way for you to give a little bit of your love to Haiti and we are thrilled to be able to showcase you as the compassionate artist that you are. Once we get your photo and inspiration note, we’ll make sure to include you on our Million Hearts for Haiti photo wall (coming soon).
The pamphlet I received instructs the artist to send the actual heart to the Urban Zen New York store. So I don’t know if they just want a photo- or the actual stone. I’ll email Urban Zen tonight and post their answer.
Follow Urban Zen @urban_zen and buy some hand-carved stones at the hand/eye fund’s store 12 Small Things. It’s a great family project–It’s better than Color Me Mine—It’s Hearts for Haiti.
*Images from Urban Zen, Hand/Eye Fund, and me.
* Andre Charles, Ben Stiller, Charlize Theron, Donna Karan, Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello, Narciso Rodriguez, Parsons The New School For Design- faculty and students, Ralph Lauren, Susan Sarandon, Tory Burch, and more have already designed hearts for Haiti.
My Week Via My Iphone Camera…
January 16, 2011
Color, Water and Mexican food= Los Angeles in January.
Butch Anthony..a Backwoods Folk Artist with a Knack for Design
December 29, 2010
I discovered this guy while watching “American Pickers”. Frank and Mike made a quick stop at Anthony’s Museu
m of Wonder in Alabama. Butch was kinda cute until he told the guys he shot and ate squirrels when they inquired about the squirrel tails hanging outside the front door.
Despite the whole rodent-eating conversation, Butch left quite an impression on me with his outsider folk art (which can be seen hanging in the museum, along with thousands of curiosities), so I Googled him. I found a website that sells his art, and also an article the New York Times did on his home and artwork, which was quite interesting.
Here’s a few of his pieces–made from trash and treasures he’s found along the way:
And some great photos of his home in the NY TIMES ARTICLE:
“Butch Anthony began building his log cabin in 1988 and is still tweaking it. It is made from heart pine salvaged from an old mill in Columbus, Ga., and put together with the help of his home-made rigging — cables and pulleys strung from the branches of pine trees. Mr. Anthony made the chandeliers on a screened porch from twigs and cow bones; the 1930s quilts came from his Possum Trot auction.”
“The house is built into the side of a hill, and the bedroom is half-underground, which keeps it cool in the summer. A rusty mattress spring from an antique bed makes a wall hanging; ladder-back chairs have seats woven from old ties.”
“Bathroom with “windows” made from “beaver sticks,” a k a twigs chewed by beavers.”
Talk about eco-friendly….I might forgive him for the whole squirrel thing.
Startrails…
December 8, 2010
Watch video here
This one’s for you Kepler.
