swings and arrows

Monday, March 4, 2013

TED Talk + The Art of Asking

This past weekend I tuned in for my first ever TED talk, of all the ones I listened to I found this one to be the most relevant to the art community.

Enjoy!

-Grace

PS- Birthleen will be back next week, ready to take back Mondays and Wednesdays. And we would also like to officially annouce that Alissa Lively will be our new permanent Friday blogger. Hooray!!

Friday, March 1, 2013

A Change of Perspective

The pairing of white and gold has long been one of my favorite color combinations. Together they can evoke so many different moods...

...simplicity,

Clementine Gold Lip Dish

charm,

Tiny Bouquet Earrings

luxury,

Gold Leaf Bowl

individuality.

Periodic Table

I’ve believed that silver has been rightfully quarantined where it belongs: mid 90’s jewelry.

However, I recently rediscovered an unlikely combination of materials that has me rethinking my standards of beauty.

Enter: dark wood and silver.


Silver Moon Crib


Silver Moon detail

Alone, neither silver nor mahogany is my favorite but together they have become a source of inspiration. Now I’m re-evaluating my other prejudices and wondering what other revelations I might have.

So here’s wishing you a weekend filled with pleasant about-faces in your point of view.

Happy Weekend!

-Alissa

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

George H.W. Bush the President and the Artist

Several weeks ago former President George Bush Senior's email was hacked, the result of the hack? The revelation that #41 is an artist!

Picture via The Smoking Gun

Self Portrait in the Shower.

Picture via The Smoking Gun

Self Portrait in the Bathtub.

Although these works are not technically *perfect they do illustrate a level of maturity.

Keep up the good work Bush Senior!

- Grace

Friday, February 22, 2013

Stirrings

Just in case I wasn’t feeling desperate enough for spring, I received my latest Fine Cooking in the mail yesterday and all I can think about now is fresh spring vegetables…

… pot roasted with chicken,

Pot Roasted Chicken with Spring Vegetables

tossed in a rice salad,

Black Rice Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and Avocado

folded into a quiche,

Broccoli and Ham Quiche

and stir-fried all together.

Radish, Carrot, and Edamame Stir-fry

Now spring weather wouldn’t be enough even if it arrived tomorrow. Instead, I’ll be needing spring weather, spring colors, and spring flavors. ASAP. Not to mention coffee on my back deck out of one of these puppies…

Alice Goldsmith Ceramics

Anyone else?

Well, I'm banking on these spring dreams to get me through this last dreary stretch of winter

(or make it worse...) so here's hoping!

Happy Weekend!

-Alissa

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Appreciating Parenthood

Parenthood gets a bad rap. In modern society men and women alike are warned that once a child is born your life is over, but the truth is life as a parent widens your life.

My dear friend posted this article to Facebook the other day and I thought it was excellent.

Young Bourgeois Mother, Cologne
August Sander
1926
J. P. Getty Trust

17th Century Portrait. Mother with Nine Children.

The Future on His Shoulders
Patrick Wilson
Date: Unknown

The article mentioned a new quarterly magazine titled Kindling Qurterly which as their About Me says "...exploration of fatherhood...through essays, interviews, editorials, art and photography we highlight creative individuals whose work and lives are inseparable from their role as a parent."

I am very interested in picking up a copy of this mag and checking it out for myself.

Parenthood is hard, no doubt, but it is also rewarding. There are bad days, but there are bad days at work and in life too. Parenthood offers you a chance to love and discover the world again through your children's eyes.

- Grace