Let There Be Light

Industrial Chandelier 

$249 from West Elm

Today I bring you the results of my exhaustive online search for a new dining room pendant light/chandelier. The one that came with the house looks OK, but needs to be replaced as the constant high-pitched buzz ringing out just inches above our heads is quickly driving my husband insane. We've decided to have a yard sale this weekend to 1) get rid of junk like old sprinklers and bird feeders that the former tenants left behind, 2) say goodbye to things that we have moved multiple times (sorry, Micky!) that just don't belong in our lives anymore, and 3) make a couple of bucks that we can put towards buying a new light and paying an electrician to install it. It will be my very first yard sale as an adult, and I am very much looking forward to bargaining with all of the early birds. I have real TAGS that I intend to tie to everything emblazoned with reasonable sale prices and I've been thinking a lot about our display strategy --- tables with objects arranged at arm's reach work way better than tarps stretched across a soggy lawn piled with things that no one wants to bend down and dig through. Yes. I've given this system many thoughts. Hopefully it won't rain and we'll pass all of our old things to new homes and make millions doing so. 

Oh! And I think the above Industrial Chandelier from West Elm might be the winner. Which one do you guys like the most?

Mobile Chandelier 

$249 from West Elm

Large Industrial Milk Glass Pendant 

$124.99 (on sale!) from West Elm

Vega 5 Chandelier 

$329 from Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.

Victory Pendant Lamp

$179 from CB2

Satellite 3

$259 from Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. 

Hampton Bay 1-Light Brushed Nickel Warehouse Pendant

$29.88 from Home Depot

Mobile Small Pendant 

$149 from West Elm

- Cathleen 

Short Film of the Month- Mis-drop

Mis-drop by Ferand Peek from Ferand Peek on Vimeo.

I like a lot of different movie genres but recently I came to the realization that I am a huge Sci-fi nerd.  It is the genre I will always gravitate towards and am very happy when I find a well made sci-fi short.  

This one is shot completely from a future soldier's helmet cam. Nearly the entire film is just looking at his face and how he reacts to what is going on around him.  You get glimpses of action reflected through the glass but most of the story is built around the sound as well as his facial expressions.  It is a creative way to tell a story and forces you to focus on things you might not have, if they showed everything.  

-Brian

Artwork of the Week: Loft

Loft by Francesca Buchko

10 x 14" archival giclee print

$30 via TheVintagePostbox on Etsy

Weather reports are calling for rain all week. ALL SEVEN DAYS. I wish I could face a week of being cooped up inside with a 16-month-old with 16 bite-y teeth this peacefully. 

You can see more of Francesca's work on her website, francescabuchko.com, and purchase some of her prints in her Etsy shop, The Vintage Postbox. 

- Cathleen

Tiny King

I wanted to share my latest favorite children's book: The Tiny King.

The Tiny King by Taro Miura

I bought it recently for a friend's son and then immediately bought it for my own little birthday boy. It's about a king that is tiny (obviously) and he is unhappy in a life that is way too big for him. How his problems are resolved are hilarious and sweet and the pictures are fantastic to look at. I can't wait until Dash's birthday so that we can start reading it!

Happy Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa

It's Official! Handwriting Still Matters!

Did you see this New York Times article on the importance of handwriting?

Photo credit, Michael Mabry

A fascinating quick read which dissects studies that link handwriting to an improved ability to hold in information as well as express creativity.

Not going to lie, I've always been a big handwriting is important person but even I was starting this think maybe we were just keeping an archaic relic of our past alive for the sake of nostalgia. But the truth is handwriting is still important!

So what are your thoughts? Have you seen a decline in the teaching of handwriting in your own child's school?

Happy Thursday!
Grace

Artwork of the Week: Woods

Woods by Rosie Gainsborough

My mom is coming to visit in a few weeks and I've already started a massive list of things we will do when she gets here. The highlights include going to the Raleigh Flea Market, eating at the new BBQ restaurant downtown, and identifying all of the trees and new plants that have popped up in our yard since we moved in. It's been kind of a nice surprise seeing what the former tenants sowed while they were living here. But I'm having trouble discerning what was planted purposefully from what are just weeds. Micky wants to chop it all down, lay grass seed, and start fresh, which I am inclined to do considering how much easier it is to simply mow a lawn and be done with it. But the little flowers and smelly grasses (herbs?) are so nice!

If you'd like to see more work from artist Rosie Gainsborough, head on over to her blog: rosiegainsborough.tumblr.com

You can also download the above image as wallpaper for various electronic devices on poolga.com.


- Cathleen

Happy Birthday, Alissa!

So normally you only get a birthday post if your birthday happens to fall on a weekday, but sometimes exceptions need to be made --- I could not let such an important day pass by unrecognized. 

Alissa Guin Lively turned 30-something on Saturday! 

(I know! Two big birthdays in one week! May is a doozer.)

Even though I don't know her as well or hang out with her as much as I would like, I can say with full confidence that she is a wonderful person with a truly lovely light inside of her. She is a fantastic mom with beautifully-named and -behaved children. An awesome cook whom I have poached multiple recipes from and passed off as my own. A keen-eyed crafter whose creativity always inspires me. (I will be attempting a mobile myself this week!) And OH so much more! 

Hope you had a wonderful day positively bursting with love and fun. 

xoxo, Cathleen