Objets du Jour - What's French for Twofer?

These shoes from The String Republic are called "Anger," but I think they're, well, pretty. Available at Karmaloop for $60.00.









The Gunfighter, the Bandit and the Saloon Girl. Before you go looking for these great t-shirts, do what I didn't do: read the fine print. They're not available yet. A collaboration between :phunk studio and Levi's Europe, for the Spring/Summer '08 collection.

If I start saving my pennies now . . .

t-shirts via highsnobriety.

tags:
shoes
karmaloop
String Republic
t-shirts
:phunk studio
Levi's Europe

We've Got a Winner!

The winning logo design, seen above, was submitted by Tawnya of Flutterbot. The delay in posting this had to do with licensing issues regarding the font, but that's all taken care of and it's all good!

Tawnya submitted a total of four logo designs, any one of which would have worked nicely, but this one is my favorite.

I thought it might be fun for you to see the books Tawnya chose:




















Frankly, I'm as impressed with her choices as I am with her design skills!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to add the logo as the header of my blog and put a permanent "Logo Design by . . . " note in the template. I don't really do HTML . . . what I really need is a web designer. . . can't afford one. . . maybe a contest?

Many thanks to Tawnya, and to all who submitted logos!

tags:
Logo Contest
Flutterbot
web+design

From the Steals & Deals Files

Now that I have your attention . . .

Just a quick post to let you know that YOOX.COM is offering an exclusive deal to all of its affiliate sites, of which I am one: free shipping on all items until April 3rd!

Just enter coupon code "shop@yoox" at checkout. Have fun!

Objet du Jour: ShapeSkapeS

First, an apology: I know I've missed quite a number of jours lately. Busy, busy, busy. In any case. Today we have ShapeSkapeS - Sculpture in a Box.

You may recall my delight upon receiving a Zolo-a-Go-Go for my birthday:

I continue to be delighted by this wonderful toy. But does it curb my object lust? Oh my, no. Not when I find there is something that looks to be just as much fun.




















From their website:

Designed by Los Angeles based sculptor Peter Mayor, and influenced by the dynamic sculptures of modern 20th Century artists, ShapeScapeS inspires anyone from 6-96 to create an endless array of fantastic structures.

With over 90 organic shapes in seven different colors, budding artists get to dreamscape and shapescape any which way they want. Thoroughly versatile, easy to pull apart and reassemble, ShapeScapeS allows one to create anew, again and again. The sculptures can be easily recognizable – a person, an animal, for example - or some unique, abstract construction. In any case, all ShapeScapeS sculptures can be proudly displayed on tables, walls, or even hung as mobiles.

This last one looks particularly poetical, don't it?

ShapeSkapeS are available at Zipper for $35.00. With both Christmas and my birthday long since past, together with the "no money in, no money out" rule, together with the "no money in" fact of my current life, this must remain, for now, on my wish list.

tags:
ShapeSkapeS
creative toys

Logo Contest

Just a quick post to let you know that submissions for the logo contest are now closed. I will post the winner as soon as one is chosen--within the next few days.

Objet du Jour

"Glamour Girl" hand tufted rug. $167.00 at Twinkle Living.

Adorable.

tags:
Twinkle Living
rug
Glamour Girl

Mark Michaelson: America's Least Wanted

The mugshot as art. I can see it, can't you? The arresting eyes, the reflection in the mirror--certainly not done at the time for an artistic effect, but accomplishing one nonetheless. The photo is captivating, especially out of context, which is how graphic designer Mark Michaelson found and published the mugshot, and the others in his 2006 book, Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots.

Michaelson's book is the subject of a recent article in Smithsonian Magazine. From the article by Katy June-Friesen:

Why, exactly, were the pair of Fresno cross-dressers—clad like modest housewives—arrested on successive Tuesdays in 1963? What sort of upbringing, if that's the word, befell a Pennsylvania boy known as Mouse, who was arrested in the 1940s at ages 13, 14 and 18? We can only wonder. If the pictures are short on detail, they still add up to a vivid, impressionistic archive of American metamorphosis: bowler hats and beehives; Depression-era vagrancy and a 1970s narcotics bust; the arrival of Irish, German and Italian immigrants; the first wave of anti-Communism, in the 1930s, with the accused Communists' mugs mounted on pink cards; and the racism, as in the description of a Missouri man (a "close mouthed Negro who is probably committing burglaries"), who was arrested in 1938 for stealing "several pairs of stockings."

On the whole, the article makes a good case for these photographs as a subject of our interest and attention. Why, then, does June-Friesen describe Michaelson's publication as "a book slicker than an L.A. loan shark"?

















The question nags at me. I may have to email her and ask.

tags:
Mark Michaelson
mugshots
Smithsonian Magazine

Fridge Magnets: A Work In Progress

Remember the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players?" These are my "Not Ready For Etsy Yet" fridge magnets. I need to figure out how to clean up the glue that's still showing without de-taching the objects. Crafters? Help?

Objet du Jour

Beth Williams is a glass bead maker, metalsmith and jewelry designer. I'd be ecstatic to be any one of those things, each of which can take a lifetime to master. I particularly love this necklace: the shape and iridescence of the glass beads makes them unique and beautiful, and they work nicely with the pearls. The overall composition of the piece is lovely: a simple pattern works best with those extraordinary beads.

tags:
Beth Williams
art jewelry
glass beadwork

Last Call for Logos

Just a reminder that the submission deadline for the Eclectic Detective Logo Contest is tomorrow at midnight. Ok, any time before I wake up on Saturday. (I'm on Eastern Standard Time, and I sleep in on Saturdays).

I have received some wonderful entries, and would like to receive some wonderful more. Just in case you haven't been following this in the play-by-play manner that I would wish for, you can click here for previous posts, which include official rules, prizes, and so on. The printed list of books is finally complete, and can be found here. It really is an impressive list, and I'd be surprised if a person couldn't find five books they'd love to have among them.

Again, any submit logos in jpeg format (and/or any questions) to lisaj32@yahoo.com.

I look forward to seeing a full mailbox!

tags:
logo contest

Quote of the Day: Wabi-Sabi

Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It's simple, slow, and uncluttered-and it reveres authenticity above all. Wabi-sabi is flea markets, not warehouse stores; aged wood, not Pergo; rice paper, not glass. It celebrates cracks and crevices and all the other marks that time, weather, and loving use leave behind. It reminds us that we are all but transient beings on this planet-that our bodies as well as the material world around us are in the process of returning to the dust from which we came. Through wabi-sabi, we learn to embrace liver spots, rust, and frayed edges, and the march of time they represent.

-architect Tadao Ando

via Clamor for Glamour

tags:
quote
wabi-sabi
Tadao Ando

New on Steals & Deals

Be sure to check out Eclectic Detective Steals & Deals, updated today!

tags:
Steals & Deals
Home Decor
Sale

Objet du Jour

This beautiful kettle is by metalsmith E. Jesper Blomquist of EJB Metallforgivning. Who'd have thought I'd go to a site to look at jewelry and come away in love with a kettle? But oh, my--it's beautiful, so sleek and Jetsonsesque! (uhm, "in the style of The Jetsons.") And I did fall quite in love with it, so it is today's objet du jour.

tags:
E. Jesper Blomquist
metalsmith
kettle

American Girl by Cynie Cory: A Retraction

In a previous blog post about my cousin Cynie's poetry, I made a flippant comment about our family. I have come to regret it as a thoughtless and, most of all, inaccurate statement. I was writing very much tongue in cheek, and didn't expect the post to be widely read. Unfortunately, my blunder was made public through the magic of search engines. I didn't anticipate this, and should have.

I offer my apologies to Cynie, to my family, and to her readers.

tags:
Cynie Cory
American Girl
poetry

Pixel Modern Pieces

I am in love with this print! It's called "Alien Workshop" and is from the Pixel Organics line of nursery bedding from Pixel Modern Pieces. Nursery bedding! Is that not great? At the same time, is that not heartbreaking to those of us who don't have children? What am I to do, buy a crib bedding set simply because I love the print?

*sigh*

Pixel Modern Pieces is a west coast designer and manufacturer of children's clothing, bedding and furniture with a commitment to sustainable design for children that is "contemporary, yet whimsical." It is a family business, run by the husband and wife team of Chris and Shannon Svensrud. With the introduction of the Pixel Organics bedding line, they show their commitment to the environment by using organically grown cotton:

Currently 25% percent of the world’s pesticides are used for the production of conventional cotton. In other words to grow one pound of cotton it takes a third pound of toxic chemicals. It takes almost two pounds of chemicals to produce a four piece crib bedding set! These chemicals are more toxic and closer to home than you may think. In our home state of California, five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton are classified as cancer-causing chemicals by the EPA (cyanazine, dicofol, naled, propargite and trifluralin). United States is the second largest conventional cotton producer and the largest exporter in the world. There are no health risks posed by organic farming!

And the design is outstanding. Check out this pair of contrasting fabrics for the "Scary Fish" bedding set:


Their clothing has apparently been raved about extensively in the press (from looking at their "In The News" page), and I also love their furniture line. Below is their adorable Galap Rocker, and then their beautiful Babylon High Chair in cherry.
















































Pixel Modern Pieces are available online at the Pixel Online Store, and also at Black Wagon, where, wonder of wonders, I've found a piece this childless Detective can actually use--a pendant lamp!


via print & pattern.

tags:
Pixel Modern Pieces
Pixel Organics
children's bedding
organic cotton
Black Wagon

All Around the Blog-o-Sphere

Time to pass on some great posts from this week found on other blogs.

First, Jan from Poppy did some wonderful guest blogging on emmas designblogg. You can find her guest posts here. But while you're there, be sure to check out the rest of emmas blog--it's one I didn't know about, and like a lot. For example, check out her post on Huan Nghiem's "Phobiaz" series of art prints.

Next, a post after my own heart at K Style about artist Debra Adelson. This is a great find--Adelson has some great jewelry as well as some totally funky flatware.

On Black. White. Bliss. there is a post about a wonderful Etsy find: pen and ink drawings by Haikubird, who donates all profits to charity. I love the choice of charity, too: First Book provides new books to children in need.

Check out Design Observer's wonderful article on Ken. Yes, Ken, as in Barbie's arm candy.

If you're a Flickr user, here's a post by swissmiss on their new layouts.

Retro fans should enjoy [BB-Blog]'s find: way cool retro alarm clocks. She loves them, and so do I!

Home decorators will enjoy this post on Another Shade of Grey
showing several ways to design a "photo wall."

Di Overton of Designers' Block has spent most of the week in Paris (could I be more jealous?) and has posted her adventures, which of course include what she bought!

Speaking of purchases, pink of casapinka scored some wonderful paintings on ebay you should take a look at. She'd like to know more about them, so take a look and see if you can help her out with your knowledge and expertise.

And finally, go on over to my Steals & Deals page for some great shopping bargains I've found this week. Clicking and buying from Steals & Deals is a great way to show your support for this pathetically broke little Detective.

As usual, I didn't have nearly enough time this week to visit all the blogs I love, so I'm sure I missed some wonderful posts. If you ever come across a post you love (or a post of your own that you think is worth a visit), go ahead and email the link to me at lisaj32@yahoo.com.

Happy hunting!

Barnaby Barford Ceramics

Of course, we all know Barnaby Barford for these stamp cups he did together with Valeria Miglioli for thorston van elten. They're clever, lovely, etc. Enough about them.

What you may not know of is the wonderful one-off ceramics that Barford does on his own. I think of them as his "caption pieces," because it's the caption, or name of the piece, that makes it hysterically funny. Let me show you some examples:


















"Shit, now I'm really going to be late"



















"Don't worry darling, you look fabulous"



















"Stop looking at its arse"


And, of course, my own personal favorite:


















"It's bullshit, he's lying"

So go on over to his website and have a look under "one offs" and "archives." Much hilarity will ensue.

tags:
Barnaby Barford
thorsten van elten
ceramics

Logo Contest Extended

More books.

Deadline extended. One week. Logo contest? Scroll down.

Tired. Later.

Hurry Up And Vote For Spray Glue!

How cool is this? Our friend Gary's Spray Glue blog is a nominee in the South African Blog Awards for the category "Best New Blog!" But I only just found out about it now, and the voting ends at midnight tonight. Now, I assume that means midnight South African time. The best I can do with this is direct you to click here to see what time it is there. I wish I had known about this sooner!

In any case, go on over to the SA Blog Awards and vote for Spray Glue as Best New Blog!

tags:
Spray Glue
SA Blog Awards
Best New Blog

Score!

I stopped by a flea market on the way home today and picked up a ziplock bag full of old matchbooks for $5.00. I couldn't really see all of them when they were in the bag, so I wasn't sure what I was going to get. As soon as I got to my car I dumped them all out and started going "oooooh!" and "aaaaah!"

I love the Ohio Blue Tip books. I'm in Ohio, so I'm not surprised they were plentiful. They're so pretty! There are actually a few more that I found after the scanning was done, so I'm pleased.










And then how could you not totally dig the Ladies? I was so excited to find them! (Is the redhead a lady? I've been thinking so, but now that I look more closely I'm not so sure. Actually, let's face it, it's a guy. We'll say "the Ladies and the cute androgynous fellow.")

In terms of history, my husband was impressed by this Wendell Wilkie matchbook. He was (I've just discovered on Wilkipedia) the Republican nominee who lost to FDR in the 1940 election. Wilkie was. Not my husband.

Finally, there's just a great assortment of other styles, some with great graphics or a "period piece" feel to them.
















I knew I had to have these when I saw them. The question now is, what on earth am I going to DO with them?

And no, you can't win them with a logo. Unless you talk me into it. 'Cause even though I've gotten some great designs, we're going to have to extend the deadline. More on this tomorrow.

tags:
matchbook covers
memorabilia
ephemera

Erica Waverly Wallpaper

Way cool wallpaper by Erica Waverly.

tags:
Erica Waverly
wallpaper

Double Take

Above, Dart Coat Hooks. Designed by Anthony Chrisp, circa 2006. Available at SUCK UK.

Below, ad for Alexandra Neel feathered suede sandal. Vogue Magazine, May 2004. Design and photo credit unknown.


Great concept, great execution. In both instances.

tags:
Dart Coat Hooks
Anthony Chrisp
Vogue Magazine
Alexandra Neel

Container Store: Lap Desk

*gasp!*

. . . lap desk . . . must have . . . Container Store . . . must have . . .


tags:
lap desk
Container Store
must have

Calling All Creatives--Logo Contest Continues

All right, are you ready for some more book prizes? 'Cause I'm sure ready for some more logos! I'm referring, of course, to the logo contest I announced last week. I've gotten a few nibbles and a submission or two, but wow, I hope this picks up! I would really encourage people to make a submission. What's the worst that can happen? If you don't win, the only person who'll see it is me. If you do win, you'll receive five books, an announcement of your stupendous powers of creativity, and a logo credit on the blog for as long as I use it.

A text-based list of all the books the winner can choose from is a work-in-progress here. So far it includes all the books depicted last week and most of those shown above. If you have any questions at all about the books, email me: lisaj32@yahoo.com. If you have any questions about the contest itself, email me.

So far I haven't thought of any changes to the rules, except the addition stated above about the winner getting an ongoing logo credit on the blog. Is there anything I've forgotten? I guess I should add that winners outside the USA will have the books shipped via the most economical method available, and delivery may take four to six weeks.

I would love to get a flood of submissions this week and be able to stick to the original deadline: submit by Friday, 3/16/07, and the winner will be announced on Monday the 19th. Gosh, I would love that. But I will extend the deadline if I deem it necessary.

So tell your friends, tell your co-workers, give your kid a crayon. Let's not forget: the Apartment Therapy logo looks like this:

And the other books to choose from look like this:
























So lets all put on our thinking caps and see what we can come up with. Okay?

tags:
Logo Contest
graphic design

Pylones Doormats

I have been terribly remiss in my duties, and I apologize. How could I possibly post about Pylones and not mention these adorable new doormats?

Please forgive me.

tags:
Pylones
doormats
housewares

Artist Steven Harrington

This morning I find myself enchanted by this print by Steven Harrington. Such a lovely, happy print, with a subtle complexity that in no way detracts from its childlike joyfulness. (I ought not try to write before my first cup of coffee.)

Harrington was interviewed recently by Profile Magazine, a project by the folks at YouWorkForThem:

Beyond visual interests, I enjoy creating objects that other human beings can relate to- not quite nostalgic, but closer to a personal photograph or memory. I've always felt a stronger connection to tangible, printed objects, so that's what I like to make. Most of the ideas for my personal works are created from past experiences and childhood memories. But I prefer creative freedom in my personal work so the concepts and ideas are different from piece to piece. I feel like my process is very intuitive, so many of the meanings or messages are often revealed after the piece is created.

Harrington is a highly prolific artist, but I'm going to make you go to his site or the interview to see the more of his work. This morning I'm really just digging this one.


Its title, by the way, is "somehow, we all seem connected."

tags:
Steven Harrington
Graphic Art
YouWorkForThem

New Pylones Stuff

Hysterical new bags and umbrellas at Pylones.

tags:
handbags
raingear
Pylones