blurg

Feeling grody today; so, sorry no postings until later. Have a great weekend! I'm going to see if I can find this old Kappa sweatshirt and nurse my tummy in the comforting warmth of nostalgia.

8 natural handstands

If you're in need of a smile today take a gander at 8 Natural Handstands by Robert Kinmont. Even if you're not please view the other 7 images. Go on now, I used the magic word. 

[ via 01 Blog ]

Samuel Castaño

I'm not always good at dissecting and explaining why I like something, and I figure it's usually best not to force it when this is the case. Right now I'm having one of those moments. I just like this piece by Samuel Castaño and hopefully leaving it at that is ok. There is however a nice little interview with the artist over on Not Paper worth checking out.

things magazine - part 1

Things Magazine is very interesting and peculiar site/publication, full of art, collections, design, architecture, randomness. It's almost overwhelming; if anything I have many hours I still need to spend in order to adequately discover all the gems it has to offer. Of course my radar went right to the Fuzzy Felt set in the Projects section.  It doesn't look like they have released any issues recently but they have an active Tumblr and Flickr account. And for a little background on their origins...

Things Magazine was originally founded in 1994 by a group of writers and Things has built a reputation as a home for new writing – essays, reviews, short stories and poems – about objects and their meanings.

P.S. Speaking of felt, I want to buy these and hang them up somewhere.

kiss radio

I know just yesterday I posted something from I Believe in Advertising but when I saw this campaign I couldn't resist referencing them again. I guess this is a sign that there is growing trend towards that old matchbook look that I love so much. It's hit the mainstream, and with most things that we love we are happy but a little bummed that we'll have to share our adoration or that it will somehow lose its punch through over-saturation. Anyway I this series of posters for Kiss radio is great. I'm not totally sold on the addition of their logo... seems out of place and throws things off, but meh I can ignore it. See the rest here.

deep bullshit

It's weird how that works. It is nightmare inducing to find yourself alone in the shower with a hair that is not your own. Oddly enough, I probably wouldn't freak out if the same thing happened in my food. Yes I know, doesn't make sense. Priorities Erin, priorities.

morad bouchakour

Morad Bouchakour is a Brussels born photographer that I discovered through David Birkitt pointing me to DMB Media (home of another recent new love of mine, Kate Peters). They've got the goods.  Bouchakour has a diverse site ranging from commercial, to editorial, to candid portraits. I particular like the Cultural part of his portfolio. It seems like it goes on for miles, which still doesn't seem to be enough. More, more, more!

I'm barely scraping the surface by picking out a few of my favorites. Check them out after the jump and his site for oodles and oodles of greatness.

shake it, don't break it

I like the style and direction that this ad campaign for Dramamine went with. I don't think I would have ever associated funny with motion sickness meds until now. More after the jump...

[ via I Believe in Advertising ]

spacey computer

My computer has been increasingly unstable lately. I'm pretty sure it needs a good dose of therapy via the loving tech-savvy hands of someone that knows more about viruses than I do. Until then I will look to my old intergalactic pals from Star Wars to guide me. I don't think they will be much help, but this should at least be fun.

1 minute photoshop: mood swing

Mood swings are generally not fun for anyone, participants or innocent bystanders. Displaying a wide range of emotion in a short span of time is best left to actors. I'm going to have to think of a new recreational sport.  

andrew b myers

Andrew B Myers is a Canadian photographer that seems to have mastered mixing style, humor and minimal compositions all in one. I'm also loving the muted colors in his work. You can see more photos after the jump (including a wiener dog image... yep, had to include that one) and his site for a whole lot more.

hollis brown thornton

Hollis is one of my favorite artists. Jaws is one of my favorite movies. Naturally I could not resist posting this when their powers were combined.

billboard project

This is one of those projects that I stumble upon and end up asking myself, "how I have not seen this?", "how are there hardly any views on this guy's Flickr?". These images are the work of Mike Mandel and Larry Sultan, a team of artists that hijacked billboards between 1973 and 1990. They are subversive, clever and artfully done, not to mention complex in their installation. I don't know much about the history of what I can only define as "street art", but I have to think these were quite cutting edge. More of my favorites after the jump but definitely take a look at the Flickr set to see more and also get some behind the scenes/making of shots.

need to want less: spare

One of my biggest faults as a human being is my inability to take care of my car. Ok, that's a bit dramatic but if there were ever a need for a 13th step (or 1/2 step?) in my 12 step program, it would be for this. In my history of owning cars I consistently fail to properly maintain them. Case in point my most recent ticket for expired registration. It's all about laziness and it's a hurdle I can't seem to get past.

My current vehicle is a Honda, which I understand is a highly sought after car in the thieving world. To look at mine one would think it is pleading not to be stolen by looking as hideous as possible. This my friends is the new smart car... self-preservation by appearing weak. Alright, maybe not... it truly needs help, starting with the tires. The treads are worn thin and knowing me I will wait until the wires are poking out as a final sign that there is no avoiding making the boring purchase. I'd rather spend that money on donuts. Just think how many sprinkles that is. Mmmmm. All roads lead back to sugar.

lazy sunday

Today I took lazy Sunday to the max and partook in some extreme sleeping. In spite of my seemingly never-ending nightmare about being chased by Gozilla/Dinosaur? I managed to stay in bed way too long. Maybe it was the t-shirt sheets that I just put on, and in the war between my mind and body, the body was so comfortable the mind could withstand terrible dreams. It was nice to embrace the lazy; I have felt so tired lately. I do also feel like I went through a traumatic experience and am a bit out of sorts. Another round of GOOD sleep might be in order. Hopefully everyone else is well-rested today.

[ photo credit Olivia Larrain Heiremans ]

search magazine

Say hello to another recent acquisition. For some reason I feel less guilty when I buy paper goods. 1) They're cheaper than, say, furniture or clothes, but they also don't take up much space (this is roughly 5"x7"). So when I spend a few bucks on something I really don't need that's also really weird, hey, whatever. This brings me to Search Magazine. I don't know much about it other than that it was published by Palmer Publications out of Wisconsin some time between the late 60's and early 70's. Here is a sample of the intro on the first page:

The pages of SEARCH are open to all who something important to say, to say concerning the occult, the unkown, the metaphysical, the controversial, the suppressed and allied subjects. 

In trying to research the story behind the company that distributed it, all roads led back to an interesting little man (seriously, he was 4 feet tall) named Raymond Palmer. He was the man responsible and also released or had a hand in Amazing Stories, Flying Saucers (which I also bought and will post soon), Mystic, The Hidden World, and Fate. Amazing Stories probably rings a bell for a few of you. He turned the failing magazine around and it became one of the more notable pulp publications of its time. He also published one of Isaac Asimov's first works, and has a DC comic character named after him. Not too shabby. There's a pretty good interview with his son here.

I picked up these magazines for the oddly vague yet direct article titles ("They Drank The Milk and Ate the Butter", "Freezing People", "What is a Ghost") but ended up with a more interesting back story than I could have expected.


Here is the other issue I bought after the jump...

new york in the 60's

A few months ago I went to New York and I think when I wrote about it I mentioned that it's one of those cities that even though I had never been I felt like I had been there before. If you have opened a magazine, watched a movie, read a book, listened to a song chances are that at some point in your life you have seen a reference to the "best city in the world". An era of images that I have always associated with NY is the 60's... everything seemed so clean, vibrant, kicky and metropolitan. Yes, another false ideal that I blame on the movies. The photos by Charles Cushman do not do much to dissuade my silly notions and I find myself yet again wanting to jump into my pretend time machine.

daily hues

Daily Hues is a unique and clever project by Anne Ulku in which outfits she wears each day are translated into a variety of shapes and colors. In her words:

DailyHues™ is a way to document the colors that I wear on a day-to-day basis in the means of an infographic. Size of the color depends on the proportion it yields to the piece of clothing. Each version of info graphic design composition and shapes goes on for 30 days.

carl kleiner

If you spend any time checking out art/design blogs odds are that you have seen Carl Kleiner's work for Ikea's cookbook “Hembakat är Bäst” (Homemade is Best). I hadn't really checked out the rest of his site until recently though, and that is when I fell for the "Skanska" series. Is it paper? Is it not? I have no idea, but I enjoy that it at least looks like it is, along with the colors and simplicity. A few more images are after the jump.

martin usborne: mute - the silence of dogs in cars

It seems to be UK week accidentally. Martin Usborne is another photographer from across the pond. He's a got a marvelously diverse portfolio, ranging from portraits, to travel, to animal shots. I particularly like his "Mute - The Silence of Dogs in Cars" series, which captures man's best friend as he/she waits for his/her master to return.

Usborne comes across to me, in both his words and photos, as a person with wit but also a lot of heart. He doesn't seem to take himself too seriously, and at the same time he is genuine and empathetic.  This seems especially evident here and is a reoccurring theme as you peruse his site. To read the story behind this particular project it becomes even clearer. As an aside, I don't know how he did it, but I find it remarkable how many of the dogs coordinate with the cars they are in.

For more of my favorites keep going after the jump. Also be sure to check out another great series, "Dead Fox". "Ha" and "hell yeah" are all I have to say about that one.

new horoscope

Remember last week when for about 24 hours a bunch of people freaked out because our astrological signs supposedly were all wrong? I do... I thought, crap, it's bad enough that I have a crab tattoo, but now I have absolutely no reason for it. Well, in the end it was a bunch of hooey and we could all breath a sigh of relief that we can remain the screwy/unbalanced/sensitive/headstrong/loving/(fill in the blank) signs we thought we've been all along. I did however get my hopes up that a brave new horoscope was on the horizon. How I wished I could have been half a taco. And had that become the case I would have also thanked my parents for allowing me to be born a little late and not be the balls. For now I thank Anna for the giving me a glimpse of the possibilities, even if it was short-lived.

getting a grip on lighting

With a new house comes new wants. Lately I've been fixated on lighting. In fact I just bought a super cool Schlitz light/clock to add to my growing collection (sigh... I'm going the opposite direction of my Recovering Stuffaholic efforts). Although I don't have $300 burning a hole in my pocket, this handlebar sconce would make a nice addition.

soda can library

Aside from the occasional Topo Chico or root beer I really do not like soda. Surprising, I know. It's too sweet and filling. Double surprise. That said, every now and then I see a can all dressed up in its old retro duds and I'm tempted. What can I say, I'm a sucker for simple design, snazzy type, and bold colors. I would probably drink sand if it came in the right package. So when I discovered the Soda Can Library my mouth started watering. The images are a little small, but the fact that there are hundreds of blasts from the past to drool over (excitement apparently results in unfortunate saliva issues) I got over that real fast.

[ link via Life Lounge ]

kate peters

Kate Peters is a UK photographer that I recently came across, and if I could actually collect heroes I would put her with my top folks to admire. Instead I'll have to settle for adding her to the imaginary gang that I'm harboring in my mind. Her work is right up my alley... strange, quiet, out of place, and eloquent. I particularly like her "Safety First" series and the "Ridley Road Portrait Project". It was hard only posting a few but some of my favorites are after the jump. I strongly encourage you to check out her entire site though.

future reading

I really love this image by Kevin Van Aelst. It accompanies a recent article in the New York Times about Vook discussing the general way we are changing how we read and what place visuals have in the digital age of literature. 

fine photographs of mt. eisenhower lodge

Recently I came upon a great set of photos at one of my favorite vintage stores. I don't know much about them... no year is printed anywhere (I'm guessing the 40's?), but they appear to be some sort of souvenir item for a lodge in Canada. Yes, I have successfully sleuthed this from reading what you can also read. Considering that they were probably intended to be nothing more than vacation album filler or strictly for show and tell, they are pretty stunning images presented on good quality paper. In fact they are quite persuasive tourism shots and I would like to go there... in my time machine, back when the lands were less spoiled and everyone seemed to look naturally swanky no matter where they were. You can see more of my favorites after the jump and even more on my Flickr.

murals of parks and rec

When Parks and Recreation first premiered I had really high hopes. Then I watched it and it didn't quite click; I found myself trying harder to chuckle, searching for a punchline, almost mercy laughing. Lo and behold, the next season was way better. Suddenly I felt confident and justified in finding the humor, actually excited to see every episode and secretly thanking Amy Poehler for the "just kidding, I'm still awesome" psych-out. So when they delayed the third season I was disappointed. Forward to now and the clouds have parted and the rays from my comically huge TV are ready to warm my heart and soul. Yes, can you tell I'm excited about the upcoming premiere. Also this guy will be joining the cast full time.

When I saw that Details did a piece on the hilarious murals that line the walls of the Pawnee Town Hall I was overjoyed. Clearly someone with an inappropriate and odd sense of humor was behind them; based on these alone I never should have doubted the show's promise in spite of its shaky start. It's nice to get a better view of them and learn the story of their origins rather than settle for the occasional glimpse or brief segment in the opening credits.

forever lazy

There's no way I could avoid posting this. It is the uniform for the lazy. You don't even have to take it off to go to the bathroom, and it comes with accessories. They really thought of everything. Well, almost. If it could also bathe you now that would be something.

recovering stuffaholic

Since I am so marvelous at keeping up with this site I figured, hey why not start ANOTHER blog, especially considering how well that's worked out in the past (Little Pink Spoon, Reverse Engineer... and those are the ones that I sort of committed to briefly). I can't seem to stop myself; something seems like a good idea and the damn internet makes it so easy to act on these impulses.

Ok, so I have created a little sister site called Recovering Stuffaholic. Original I know. I don't know really what I want to do with it, where it will go, or if it will quickly wear out its purpose to unburden some part of my mind and then die. What I AM aiming to do is create an outlet for my other problem (aside from laziness in case anyone wasn't clear), which is collecting and keeping loads of crap. With my last move, and the ever watchful and worried eye of my boyfriend, the realization of just how much stuff I have became overwhelmingly clear. When you live on your own you can learn to ignore it; it feels like it belongs or becomes invisible.

I realized (rather could not avoid) that it was/is time to declutter or at least try to purge a great deal of the junk, if not for the sake of space, for the sake of the relationship. I also found myself wondering, as I'm sure most pack rats do, why... WHY? Why so much? Seriously, why do I still have a Lil Homie that I paid $.25 for? Why do I have a Liz Claiborne purse from 1987? Why do I have 100 misc stickers? I firmly believe that a lot of it is rooted in genetics; I come from a family of collectors. Then there's the fact that I'm a sentimental person. Also, I like being able to have something when I need it -- ready for any occasion (although using that rationale, I should consider getting groceries more often). Beyond that a psychiatrist would have to explain the deeper meaning.

Regardless of the reasons for my mess the fact remains that there is too much. Recovering Stuffaholic is/will be:

1) A place to chronicle all of the crap that I'm sifting through and what becomes of it
2) A reason to create another Flickr account (3 don't seem enough). I mainly use the Recovering Lazyholic one so at this point it's bursting at the seams with all kinds of random stuff... photos, illustrations, family photos, ephemera, nonsense. Having an account to compartmentalize these things will help my main account stay more focused. On this new account I will have mostly scans of books, magazines, photos... all the odds and ends that I have, shouldn't have, or just got rid of. Some of it I will probably post on here from time to time. You can find it here.
3) Updated when I have the time, so no promises on how often I will post (I will however be adding stuff to the Flickr account pretty often I'm guessing).

And this was my really long introduction to a project that may never take off but exists for now. Wish me luck as I try to curb my ratty ways.

eric rose

This photo by Eric Rose is pretty phenomenal. Apparently he was at a convention for bodiless plaid shirts and cowboy hats Weird.

most overused line in cinema: you look like shit

Get some sleep. Go home. Take something. Look in the mirror. Lay off the drugs. Get it get it together. All roads lead to looking like shit in Hollywood.

[ via Internet Therapy ]

chicken little had it right

I don't know about you but I find the recent rash of birds falling from the sky pretty dang creepy and unsettling. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie and fodder for tons of conspiracy theorists. Definitely not normal, that's for sure. I guess Chicken Little wasn't overreacting after all. 

mike osborne

My portrait envy is at an emerald green level. I love this series, Underground, by Austin photographer Mike Osborne. If you live or will be in Dallas anytime soon I urge you to check out his work at Holly Johnson Gallery.

More of his photos after the jump...

walter allner

I recently discovered the work of Walter Allner via a post over on Aqua Velvet. Shapes, color, oh my. Genius. I'm probably way behind on the who's who of the designer world but that's ok.

You can learn more about him on RIT Graphic Design Archive.

And don't you just love this quote, "Raise the aesthetic standard — the public is more perceptive than you think.” –Walter Allner

the selby is in your place

The other day I came home to a really nice surprise. There was a package on my doorstep. It wasn't a bill, a summons, a decree that my financial world was officially in shambles. I got a book, The Selby is in Your Place. About a year ago one of my photographs was picked up for a campaign. I got paid. The end. Well, the project didn't run for as long as they were expecting and my work was scrapped, which is ok... I got paid (sorry, my brain works like that). As a thank you and consolation the company that I had worked with sent me the book as a present. How thoughtful was that? It's a pretty great book with tons of images capturing creative types in their homes. I just love the image above (reminds me of the shower I had at my last place... ah good times). You can buy a copy of the book here.

wordmark

This is so cool. Wordmark is a website that allows you to enter in text and it will generate a preview of it using every font that you have on your computer. It's also a great way to see that some spring cleaning is in order. There's a whole lot of ugly living in my font folder.

[ via How ]

dreaming of pictures

Last night I had the most vivid and amazing dreams about taking photos. They were portraits, sharp, saturated, and a little haunting. But I remember feeling electric, excited, and happy about the new pictures... like I had regained a sense of accomplishment I hadn't know in ages. Then I woke up. On the one hand I felt invigorated, reminded that there will always be more projects, more opportunities if my mind has the power to take me there, and hopefully a chance to do/be better. But I was also really bummed out and let down, like I had tried to catch smoke with my bare hands and everything drifted off into nothingness.

A few days ago I brought in my other 35mm camera (the one that wasn't stolen) to get cleaned. I'm hoping it will be in decent working order and I can start clicking away. I have other cameras but find myself lacking the love or confidence to be very happy with their performance or what is produced. I know they are only the tool and probably not entirely to blame, but enjoying what you are using counts for a lot I think. We will see.

wiener time

It would be kind of great if this were true.

[ Rachel Caldwell via Beautiful Decay ]

lazy sunday

It's rainy and cold here in Austin and rolling up in a cozy little ball seems like the right thing to do.

Sleepy Chair via Design Milk 

[ photo credit Takahumi Yamad ]

1 minute photoshop: copycant

Sorry in advance if this offends anyone. As always my motives are really just to spill out my brains in a way that sort of makes sense to me, nothing else, nothing more. Last night in the wee hours of restlessness this is what I made. It's basically an extension of an on-going thought about how creative types should strive to make something different, not duplicate what's already out there... you'll only end up in failure, or if anything bad karma. Whether or not I succeed in that effort I have no idea, but I try, or at least try to avoid that trap. I also do not claim to love either cats or dogs more than the other.

the impossible project + mark weaver

I want everything Mark Weaver makes but this print would be especially nice to have. Made exclusively for the Impossible Project in a limited run of 48, it's hand-numbered and signed. Buy here.

i can't find my phone

This has become a new problem for me. I don't know if it's because I hate my phone so much that I put it wherever or I am becoming more absent-minded. I actually used this website the other day. Pretty cool. And the internet is yet another step closer in its efforts to dominate the world and make everything else obsolete.

designspiration

Designspiration is a new site that folks can follow for amazing photo, design, and typgography goodies. Yes, there are some other sites around that are very similar, but my stance is that you can't have too much of a good thing. What I particularly like here is that you can explore images by color (along with tags and other classifications of course). The super clean layout is nice, and the search function is pretty nifty. To add images you must have an invitation (I'm so excited that I won one. My oversharing needs as many outlets as possible) but even without you can bookmark away or find visual inspiration for whatever might strike your fancy. Here's my finds so far.

March 1964 - Anchorage, Alaska

The date and location are about the only thing I know about this photograph. The scene clearly depicts the devastating aftermath of an earthquake, and a place/circumstance no-one certaintly wants to be in. I find myself wanting to be there though. This probably makes me weirdweirder.

[ via Vintage Photos ]

geometry sticky notes

If I could live in a store Present and Correct would be one of my top 5 choices. They would probably get sick of me pretty quickly but I'd feel right at home waking up every day surrounding by post-its and notebooks and any other vintage inspired office supply they might have. These geometry sticky notes are especially great.

richard wilkinson

There is something about an animated gif that I can't resist. Clearly I'm not the only one as there are tons of Tumblr sites dedicated to them. Usually I gravitate to the silly or film related ones, but this bird image by Richard Wilkinson is truly lovely and unique.

[ via Over & Under ]

an apple a day

If this doesn't promote better eating nothing will. Have an apple, put the peeled off sticker on a poster, and wah-la you have art and a happier body. You can buy it for the low, low price of $24 on Vic Design's Etsy in either white or black.


[ via Gastronomista ]

if we don't, remember me

I haven't had a new favorite website in quite some time, but behold, here it is. If We Don't, Remember Me is full of animated gifs from classic (in my opinion) films, matched with quotes from their respective movie. I feel like it's something I tried to do long ago with screen shots but way better.

[ via Human Resources ]