Fabulous French Knots

I've never seen this technique before and I think it looks pretty cool.... Fourteen Countess embroidered French knots on cloth of the same colour to create a subtle but savvy monogram.

Very patient work! But pretty great results.

Read more about the project on Fourteen Countess' blog.

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Mini Vancouver

Severe cuteness alert.

Much like the fake model photography (blogged about before), this video of Vancouver makes the city look oh-so-tiny and oh-soooooo-adorable.



The video was created by dangerous68 (his YouTube name), who's also made a Mini LA. He created the film using time-lapse photography shot with a tilt shift lens, inspired by the work of Keith Loutit.  Check out Keith Loutit's website or Facebook page to see a whole bunch more cute-ified locations he's filmed for his  Small Worlds Project.

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Josef Frank

"The home does not have to be planned out in detail, just put together by pieces its inhabitants love."

- Josef Frank (via ScandinavianDesign.com)

Google's all dressed up today, to celebrate the125th birthday of Josef Frank, an Austrian/Swedish architect and designer of furniture and textiles.

Google homepage on July 15, 2010

I don't know much about Josef Frank (and his Wikipedia entry is pretty limited), but I like what I see. Reconfirming that I have a weakness for eccentric Scandinavian fabric design...

"Brazil" pattern on the walls (1943-45)

"Terrazzo" Fabric (1944)

"Green Birds" fabric (1944)

I also like what I read about Frank -- this is from ScandinavianDesign.com:

Josef Frank's, life could be wonderfully characterized as on always in motion. Moving with ease from architecture and furniture design to glassware, lighting and metalwork--his was an eclecticism fueled by curiosity. and nothing captures this roaming imagination better than his textiles...celebratory and vibrant, they redefined Swedish modernism.

Read more about Joseph Frank on Huffington Post and Hoo-Hoo House - and  see some more images on Apartment Therapy, Bonluxat and Swedish site Svenskttenn, as well as Google Images.

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Are Popsicles the New Cupcakes?

Are popsicles the new cupcakes? It sure seems that way.

A few years back, Magnolia bakery in NYC started a cupcake trend that spread across North America: today you can find cupcake shops in most major cities.

Now popsicles seem to be the new hot (or cool) thing in the Big Apple.

A post on iVillage Food gives the lowdown on where to get the best popsicles in town.

People's Pops sells at markets and focuses on fresh and local ingredients. Sounds like my kinda dessert. Even Martha's a fan.

Where do the flavor ideas come from? D: We go to the GreenMarket each week and try to build flavors around the best produce that the farmers brought to market that week.
~Interview with on People's Pops on Gothamist

La Newyorkina's mission is to "Bring modern Mexican ice pops to the streets of New York". I'd love to try their Aguacate (Avocado), Jamaica (Hibiscus) or Mango con Chile (Spicy Mango) flavours.

PopBar (pictured above) is packed with a whole lotta style. You can choose from a dazzling array of taste combos: gelato, sorbetto or frozen yogurt, topped with all kinds of things like pistachios, coconut or biscotti crumbles, and sometimes also dipped in chocolate You can even make up your own combo. Yum!

So... how exactly how long is it until this trend hits Vancouver?? :)

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Craft Rock Friday with Avi Buffalo

Today's Craft Rock Friday is possibly more of a Gardening Rock Friday ... or maybe a Magical Rock Friday?

In any case, it's full of the summertime lovlies.

Enjoy Avi Buffalo's video for "What’s In It For".

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All Fired Up

I finally got around to taking some more photos of my pottery from my first course. I took a ten-week class at my local community centre, and totally loved every minute of it.

(It was the first time I'd done pottery since grade 8, when I made a, um, bowl? pot? pencil holder? Heh.)

Every Wednesday night I'd some home exclaiming things like "Tonight I made a bowl! a BOWL! Eee!" and "I learned how to make a HANDLE!" And when I actually got to bring my first piece home... ahh! Amazing.

It's infinitely satisfying to eat and drink out of dishes that I made myself. I'm used to working with fabric or paper... having made something so, for lack of a better word, solid is a whole new feeling for me.

This lil' guy is the smallest piece I made - just from a tiny bit of clay left over from something else that fell over on the wheel! - but he's one of my faves.

This one was fun to make: a planter pot. You can't see it in this photo, but it has a drain hole in it. Now I just need a cute little succulent to plant in it.

I was super excited to make a teapot! I didn't get a chance to glaze it before the course ended, so it's only been bisque fired so far. Hopefully it's not too spilly when it pours!

I can't wait to take another class in the Fall and get back to the wheel.

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The (Pink) West Coast

Movie poster designs typically follow certain formulas... but when your film is all about design, things get a little more interesting...

I love these posters for the upcoming documentary Coast Modern, a film about West Coast Modernist Architecture, from LA to Vancouver.

This is the kind of poster I'd want up in my home as artwork, not just as a movie promo. (Actually, they're selling a limited run of 100 right now... but are a bit too pricey for me!)

The other poster is also lovely (and less pink).

Learn more about the Coast Modern film, watch a trailer, or buy a poster in the shop. 

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