End of Summer movies

I was bored so I went on Apple.com to scope out some trailers. Here's what I found:

Haywire

Verdict: I like the cast, except the protagonist- she doesn't convince me of her supposed bad-assness.

Detective Dee

Verdict: Um. I don't really care if this film's has the bejesus CG'ed out of it, I'm going to see it and probably enjoy it.

Dirty Girl

Verdict: I like the styling of the film (gritty 1980's look). I could do without the accents but I guess that's there for authenticity and the song in the trailer is awful= I'd go see it, I need to fill my quirky indie flick quota.

Vigilante Vigilante

Verdict: A little "dessert" to Banksy's "Exit thru the Gift Shop" in a way, but talks about the graffiti underground in a real sense rather than a farce.

And finally, this isn't a movie but rather a television show that looks so bad ass. I thoroughly enjoyed Avatar: The last airbender, the Nickledeon TV show (not M. Shyamalan's abomination...) and I can't wait to see this one.

I love movies....

Zucchini flower genders

Apparently zucchini blossoms have genders (news to me). Recently I've been keeping a window sill garden and although growing zucchini may not have been the wisest choice, I have been growing 5 plants from seed. They are now just starting to flower and I get excited when I see a new blossom every few days. However, I was wondering when I can harvest them and now I just learned that you eat the male flowers and then leave the female blossoms to turn into fruit. Here's how you can tell between the two (top photo is male, bottom photo is female): 

The problem is that so far I only see male blossoms on my plants... What to do...?

Eat a Duck I must

Found this cute and visually pleasing website: Eat a Duck I must from a GOOD Magazine competition where submissions had to redesign a recipe in a graphic way- 

"Cooking and eating are rich sensory experiences, but the recipes we use in the kitchen are often pretty bland: Black-and-white lists of ingredients and processes.

Back in February, we asked GOOD readers to help us redesign the standard recipe with a graphic twist to make it more fun, and the submissions are in."

I love eggs... both the blog and the GOOD Magazine competition/article are worth checking out. Oh and this too: They Draw and Cook. :)

current favorites....

There are some things that really resonate with my person these days. I like to call them my current favorites. I just cannot get enough of them. They are, in no particular order, as follows: 

1. "The Day is Coming" - song from My Morning Jacket's latest album, Circuital. The whole album is fantastic but that one song is haunting.

2. Tumblr - I love it! I love tumblin' but also I like seeing who else is out there. Lately, I'm following: DesignBlossom, Vineet Kaur, Wit + Delight, and The Rumbling.

3. Slow-roasted pork shoulder and however Alec decides to prepare it. He is on fire! Everything he makes with the pork shoulder turns out delicious. Nom...

Your Nice New Outfit

Found illustrator Phil Noto while perusing Tumblrs. His work is amaze-balls. See here:

The drawing of Barbara Gordon is definitely one of my favs. "Oh my god, do I have a thing for red-heads?!"

These are the cutest cards...

Love these cards... they are too funny. Find them here.

Thinking about a blog overhaul...

For a class I'm currently taking we have to sign up on a slew of "personal infrastructures", which in layman's terms means social media websites, i.e. Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, etc. etc. And on these infrastructures we need to update with posts/tweets about a design topic we are interested in exploring.

I'm not exactly a Twitter type of person because I think it's a lot of work. (ha) However, the Tumblr account did interest me. I thought about switching to Tumblr before because it's largely visual and the page layouts can be simplistic. So, for this class I am signed up as Pulling Hairs but I may consider hauling Looville over to Tumblr after this class is over. We shall see...

Mattias Inks

Stumbled across this awesome doodler/artist, Mattias Adolfsson from Sweden, on Notcot. He just published a book of doodles, The First in Line, that looks fantastic! I heart. Here are some favorites on his blog which I will now be following. 

Inspiring!

Mike Mills

After watching "Beginners", I needed to know who this acclaimed Mike Mills is and what he has done. Along with sharing the same name as the R.E.M. bassist, this Mike Mills is a director, graphic designer, artist and musician as well. 

I read his accomplishments and I think I'm in love with him on an intellectual level. He's directed music videos for the likes of Moby and Air; has designed textile lines for Marc Jacobs and also put out his own line called Humans by Mike Mills; he has played in a band with the members of Cibo Matto (one of my all-time favorite bands); and finally he has done short films for Kate Spade. Amazing~ 

I love that on Mike Mills's blog, he posted this Looney Tunes cartoon too:



Now I'm even more psyched to check out Beginners. Whoo!

Beginners

Just watched the trailer for "Beginners" a new movie starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and that bad-ass girl from "Glorious Bastards" Melanie Lauret. It's a great setup involving a lot of things that I like: I for one LOVE Ewan McGregor and he talks to the cutest little dog named Arthur; I enjoy fireworks; I like scratchy old-fashioned music that's played on a record player... all good things.
I can't wait until it comes out in theaters. It looks like a movie you'd go see with close friends, loved ones, and/or family.

27th.

I'm not much of a Neil Patrick Harris fan, but I thought this pin from Pinterest was appropriate for today: 

Great advice for heading into my 27th year, Neil, great advice...

Between the Folds

My husband has good taste in documentaries. I don't know how he really does it, but it seems that when he decides what movie we should watch, it always turns out interesting- Between the Folds is no exception. It's about origami as an art and also about origami as a science. Here's the synopsis from their website:

Between the Folds chronicles the stories of ten fine artists and intrepid theoretical scientists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at hard–earned graduate degrees—all to forge unconventional lives as modern–day paperfolders.

As they converge on the unlikely medium of origami, these artists and scientists reinterpret the world in paper, and bring forth a bold mix of sensibilities towards art, expressiveness, creativity and meaning. And, together these offbeat and provocative minds demonstrate the innumerable ways that art and science come to bear as we struggle to understand and honor the world around us—as artists, scientists, creators, collaborators, preservers, and simply curious beings.

It really is worth watching. It makes me think about all those paper cranes I've folded in the past and also how some of my previous work at RISD was inspired by origami. That was only the tip of a gigantic iceberg, kid-stuff. Nevertheless, I enjoyed seeing origami being pushed further by people more intelligent than myself. With origami, I can see how one gets wrapped up in it. It's engaging and memorizing. I'm sure that those in the documentary who have seen the deeper side of origami that most normal people haven't seen and made it their own, can never turn back. It's like that scene in The Matrix where Neo figures out that he is the one and sees everything in that green code. Kind of. Origami is one of the greatest secrets of the world- and Between the Folds gives you a little insight into it.

Btw, Happy Mother's Day ;D

Where the %#$%^ does one find a list of model names for luxury handbags?

Alright, I'm not really going to get into the logistics of why I need these lists of handbag model names, but just know that I'm floating between questioning whether my new venture idea is going to work or whether I'm getting into something that I am not exactly knowledgeable about. 

whew. That's a mouthful. I'm throwing out a semi-rhetorical question, and I am basically seeking advice on this matter: where does one find lists of previous and current luxury handbag model names for prestigious brands like: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Prada and the like? (sorry, I don't really care for Gucci) 

Since I'm really just blossoming into my tastes for luxury handbags, I can't say that I know much about the subject. I know the basics: Chanel and Louis Vuitton have been making beautiful bags longer than anyone else or longer than anyone notable; Authentic bags have signs of authenticity that establish the level of quality that a consumer pays for; and, most important (ha)- women LOVE their luxury handbags.

But when shopping for the next handbag in your collection, how do you know the name of the bag you are looking for? I guess magazines can tell you or going to a brand name store will have catalogs... Say you were a collector of Chanels and wanted to know all the types of bags you were missing from Chanel collection? What then?

And I guess I should mention that if these catalogs exist and happen to be more expensive than I care to pay for, are there more price-friendly options out there? 

sigh.

50 things every graphic designer should know...

This here link has been a buzz 'round these parts via SwissMiss. It's a list of 50 things every graphic design student should know. It's a good list and even though I'm not a graphic designer per say, I use graphic design within my (learning) discipline- Interior Design. And I feel that graphic design is very important in a lot of aspects of everyday life in this day and age. 

Love the simple and clean drawings for each point. I haven't really dissect every point yet but so far, I think it's a pretty comprehensive list. Czech it. 

Silly Brog...

So. I'm watching Apples trailers today and just finished with the "Crazy Stupid Love" trailer which I would go see but only because the most interesting part is Ryan Gosling. I've always respected Ryan Gosling because I feel like he's an actor's actor. I haven't seen "Blue Valentine" yet but it's on my Netflix and I didn't bother watching "The Notebook" because I think it's corny. However, I do appreciate his roles in "Lars and the real girl" and "Factotum". 

Moving on, while trying to find pictures of him to put on my Pinterest board, I came across this silly tumbler: F*ck Yeah! Ryan Gosling. 

I like these two. Too funny...

Yeah, he's a pretty man. I love that line from the trailer "Seriously? It's like you're photoshopped." Ha.

p.s. Marisa Tomei has still got it...

Six Architects prints

Saw these six prints via Notcot.org and I. LOVE. THEM. As soon as I saw these, I thought of my art history teacher, Janet. She would totally dig these. I also credit her with my fondness of the prints because without her I would not understand what each print was about. Bellisimo~

I would say which one of these was my favorite but I love them all and cannot choose. :D

If you watch Top Chef All-stars...

...I'm sure you already know who the winner of the finale was. For those of you who don't know- TOUGH, because it's Thursday. The finale aired yesterday and if you weren't invested enough to watch it then, then TOO frickin' BAD.

It was a good finale, albeit a little anti-climatic. I guess because I had a feeling it would be Richard Blais or at least that was who I wanted to win. (The video is being a little weird... but here's the URL)

One of the best parts of the finale was when Richard's Uncle Scott runs to Richard with arms and mouth open to embrace him after he was named Top Chef. Awesome. I got a little teary during the finale, I'm not going to lie... It was a good ending and I'm glad he won. Not that I don't like Stephanie Izard, but I really thought that Blais was going to win his season. He was so strong throughout the whole season and it was kind of sad that he didn't win. I read Tom Colicchio's blog on Bravo and it gives a good summary of the decision the judges made. 

Way to go, Blais. You rock my face off. 

I blame my iPhone for my absence....

...Too bad I can't use that excuse for class. Seriously though, I feel like ever since I got my iPhone, I am kinda like a teenager who has just gotten their license and would drive anywhere. I'm losing sleep over playing games, I constantly have it in my hand while on my commute, it's devouring every spare thought in my head. But I'm sure I'll get over it... eventually.

ANYWAYS, in the grand tradition of my quest for knowledge in neat packages i.e. Stuff you should know podcast, How to do everything podcast, Marc and Angel's practical tips for productive living and the like- I come across this gem: I always wondered...

How cute are these little graphics relating to the subject at hand? Found this on Notcot, and I am glad I did. Just another thing to look at on my iPhone other than The Daily Superpower, which is also a great site to check out.


P.S. I also blame Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood for taking up the time where I'm on my iPhone...

Girl Talk is EVERYWHERE

Girl Walk // All Day from jacob krupnick on Vimeo.

So, Girl Talk aka Greg Gillis of Pittsburgh, Pa (represent) is seemingly everywhere these days, much like Natalie Portman was last month. (She. was. EVERYWHERE.) Girl Talk played in Chicago last night and much to my chagrin I was elsewhere and didn't feel like dishing out $$ for tickets on Craiglist. That doesn't not mean that I can't listen to his music as much as I want, which I have been lately. Ever since Gillis's album "All Day" released for free on his website, I've been hearing that people have turned his tunes on too. Not to mention that I've had a theory class based on the documentary about remix culture, "Rip: A remix manifesto", and now I've run into this video on NYtimes.com about a rogue ballerina dancing to the "All Day" album. The reason I posted the video is because I imagine in my head a world very much like what Anne Marsen is doing to a Girl Talk soundtrack- except I'd be the one dancing and I would look 10x cooler doing it. Haha, enjoi.

Aqua Creations

I was hanging out at the Merchandise Mart earlier this week with my classmates and checked out the Odegard showroom. I always associate Odegard and Maharam with my RISD days because some of my peers ended up at those companies. Odegard has wonderful rugs/carpets and is a company with good values, i.e. Good Weave, a non-profit that tries to end child labor. Anyways, at the Odegard showroom they had these amazing pieces that I had to ask about. 

Breath-taking, aren't they? A company in Israel called Aqua Creations makes these unique and gorgeous interior pieces. They are self-described as a lighting and furniture atelier in Tel Aviv. What is so appealing about Aqua Creations is the hand-crafted techniques they use paired with lighting technology. It's a beautiful balance. The shapes are organic and the soft light emitted makes each piece outer-worldly yet familiar. 

Oh, and they have a small line of furniture that makes me want to make bank to buy these pieces... I sat in the chair pictured above and it's actually quite comfortable. Aqua Creations, I love thee~

tumblr surfing

Came across some awesome images while tumblr surfing...

From top to bottom: The Flash getting pulled over (it's funny seeing superheroes in realistic situations); one of my favorite duos- Shaun and Ed; finally a cool idea using a monitor camera and miniatures.

Style Philosophy

I've always been a tomboy. I think it's because I have an older brother and loved his hand-me downs- I thought they were the coolest. As I grow older, I try to work my tomboyish-ness into my style, which I'd like to call "Laid back and lady-like". Luckily for me, menswear-inspired clothes for women is all around and many designers do it right. Also lucky for me, the tomboy trend is in. Yeah! The latest in my tomboy style development is the discovery of this wonderful blog called Tomboy Style.  The blog is full of great writing and photos of icons, gear, scenes from magazines or movies. Wonderbar, truly wonderbar. 

p.s. Happy Valentine's Day <3

The Great Gatsby

On this Sunday, I had a whim to watch Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo and Juliet", my favorite film from him, and found out that Baz is going to direct a remake of "The Great Gatsby". He is casting, my love, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, Leo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, the narrator.

I've always associated "The Great Gatsby" with high school when I read it. And with most books I was forced to read in school, I didn't pay much attention to it. We also watched the film version with Robert Redford. At the time I thought it was a mess plus I thought the actress who played Daisy was annoying. I wonder if Baz's version will be entertaining. I liked "Romeo and Juliet" (the soundtracks rock) but I didn't care for "Australia", so we'll see...

snOMG.

I survived the blizzard of "biblical proportions" this past week. I wasn't in the thick of it but rather just observing. I didn't have to sit in traffic for 8+ hrs but I did see Lake Shore Drive a mess. And then the day after, I saw Lake Shore Drive completely barren of cars. It was eerie to say the least, definitely post-apocalyptic. In retrospect, I wish that the day after the storm I owned a snowmobile because it would have been so flippin' awesome to have ridden the mobile up and down a car-free Lake Shore Drive, kind of like a snowy Mad-Max except without the mutant gangs and the extreme violence... Maybe it's more like Dumb and Dumber... Anyways, here is some footage of the day after: 

Pardon in Brittany by Gaston La Touche

One of my favorite paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago- "Pardon in Brittany" by Gaston La Touche. Oil on canvas, 1896.