August 28, 2009

Come out of Your Shell...

and take a more daring approach to decorating!



The other day I mentioned an online home decor store, One King's Lane. It is my new favorite addiction, because at least every few days they feature a designer with products that I can fall in love with.
I don't actually buy everything I moon over, but I do love to look!

Today they are featuring the work of Eduardo Garza. He presents a collection of artifacts that would make the most avid beachcomber swoon.



Turtle shells, coral, sea fans and ostrich eggs set on simple elegant bases that highlight rather than detract from the natural beauty of the object.

There is a statement saying that no turtles were harmed and that the shells were all from turtles that died of natural causes. The coral, eggs and sea fans--I do not know how he gets those. But if you are aren't sure about having these real pieces from nature in your home, try his line of trays and coasters! I think this is my favorite...

August 18, 2009

Lightening Show


I live in the city, and people are always surprised when I tell them we get awesome lightening. And in the summer, when it gets hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk (but who would eat it?) we get some pretty good shows.

Tonight I was particularly glad to hear that familiar crack, heralding a potential cooling of the steam bath that passes for air here. Having tried to create some flow of air from my meager air-conditioner through to where I was sitting at my work table, with a series of strategically placed fans, I immediately flew to my feet to throw the windows open wide, and I was awed by the ferocity of the lightening above our building. It seemed to be close enough to reach out and touch--I certainly wasn't going out on our metal fire escape to admire it. But I was able to put my camera out, into the lovely cool breeze, and snap some shots. So for all of you who don't believe in city lightening, here is the proof.

August 15, 2009

Even Curioser!


Now I am just hooked on the beautiful scientific illustrations of yore. It is amazing to me the amount of widespread interest and also the relentless pursuit of specimens that existed for a few centuries. It seems that before the invention of television and video games, people actually looked to the world around them for entertainment. Fascinating.

My sweetiepie and I had a a date night last night, and we went to the Metropolitan Museum. While we were there I noticed a Taschen edition of Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities. It is not the full edition, but it is pretty heavy none the less! And it is affordable, at $29.95.

They also have Cabinet of Natural Curiosities: Complete Edition, with over 500 illustrations, for $125.00.

On the internet you can also find the Jumbo Edition, and on Taschen's site they offer a 636 page version, for $200.00.

August 12, 2009

Curioser and Curioser



Today I was so excited to see this wonderful collection of illustrations by Natural Curiosities. It is being sold at One Kings Lane, an online store that offers 72-hour sales on home decor items. They always have lovely things--it's a great place to buy nice gifts for people, as they have very nicely scented candles, address books, vases, etc.

Here is the description:

The history of Cabinets of Curiosity dates back to Renaissance Europe when encyclopedic collections of natural history objects, geology, archaeology, and antiquities were gathered together for study and appreciation. Inspired by these collections, Natural Curiosities founder Christopher Wilcox created boxed sets of reproduction prints based upon illustrations of such collections from the 19th Century. Each box includes fourteen, 14-inch square images that can be framed, arranged, or simply kept in their box on the coffee table as a unique type of art “book”.

Dimensions: 15” x 15” x 2”


The illustrations range from Insectum to Botanicals to Sea Life. I feel smarter just looking at them.

August 4, 2009

Our Steampunk Wedding: A Work in Progress


So you got a preview of the Groom's outfit with my post about his frock coat. I was so relieved when I found that--I thought, "Yes! This crazy idea is going to be OK." Honestly, once we decided on the Steampunk component of our wedding, I started to panic--could we really pull it off? Would our friends want to participate? Could we create the right atmosphere? Could I ever explain to my mother what Steampunk is?

But now things are really starting to come together. I called my sister today, and by her report, I am going to have four nieces and nephews walking straight in from the set of Lemony Snicket. I have started my dress, and actually feel like I might finish it before the wedding. And we have been stock piling "set dressing" for the past few weekends. Since I probably can't afford Robbii Wessen to design the venue, we'll just have to pull it together ourselves. I am so excited by our finds and as they slowly take over our living room, I can envision each table setting in my mind. We have the best thrift shop near us, and every time we go in we find something great. Just take a look at what $40 in the Bronx will get you!
Steampunk art? I may place this in the Men's Room.
I found four glass chimneys for candles...
A Thermal-ray Vitascope Projector.
A couple more candle holders, a cool metal stand to hold toiletries in the Ladies' Room, a barometer we just had to have...


and, of course, lanterns!



I have to 'fess up--the pretty gilded birdcage I splurged from eBay ($10+s&h)



An objet on each table, with some fall foliage, and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

August 2, 2009

Stow it!

We all have those moments: we are cleaning up the kitchen, and we hesitate in front of the trash can or recycling bin, wheels turning in our head...should I really chuck this? I'm sure I can use it...but how??? And the object returns to the counter, or the junk drawer, awaiting that moment of inspiration when you say, "I have just the thing!"

Here are a few ways to use the more common items that we hate to throw out:

Take out containers. Obviously, we keep these and reuse them instead of buying plastic containers. But have you ever noticed how you end up with a bunch of lids and no bottoms? I wanted something small but sturdy to pack some sandwiches for my guy to take on the plane with him. I opened the cabinet to find...no bottoms! So I grabbed two lids, and they snapped right together, creating the perfect sandwich holder.



There is no wiggle room, so the sandwich won't fall apart mid-flight. And I won't feel too bad if he
doesn't bring it home again.











Plastic egg trays. Why do my organic eggs come in plastic trays? I don't know. But until someone in the egg industry sees the irony I will continue to try to find uses for them.

I have found that they are great for holding all those odd little things that you know you will use one day, but then when you want it you can't find it. The clear egg tray keeps everything separated, so you don't have to empty the whole thing, and you can peer into it without even opening it!

They are also perfect for any sorting job you might have to do. Just dump all your odd buttons, hooks and eyes, beads, etc into the square tray, then as you find matching objects you can put them into their own shell.





This is a great way to keep kids entertained on a rainy day.








Once you have everything sorted, pop them into those little zip-lock bags that come with the spare button from a shirt.

You can also use your plastic/cardboard/Styrofoam egg containers to store small Christmas ornaments. Also use the plastic or Stryofoam ones as palettes to mix your watercolors.

Have you ever had rice crackers? Yummy! I really like the wasabi-flavored crackers. And once they are gone you can use the packaging to keep all your spools of thread neat. Even the really big ones. Put an end to all that rolling about, unwinding and tangling that drives us all insane. Just line a drawer or your sewing box with a few of these and you've got that problem licked.




Prefer sweet treats to savory? A lot of cookies come packed in the same type of tray!
















I love to get presents, especially if they come in a nice box. The gold Godiva box is a favorite of mine--they are all sizes, useful to hold anything, but they all match so they look nice on your shelves. Plus every time you see them you think of the nice person that gave you the chocolates.




I really lucked out one day at work. We got all the Christmas cards for the different office to send out, and the boxes they came I were so nice I kept them. I bet if you go to your local stationer, they may have boxes that you can have.

These hold all the larger strange things that I hold on to until just the right costume comes along: holsters, shoe clips, belt buckles, broken compasses, whatever... Again, just by having all this "junk" in this nice neat stack of matching boxes, I instantly go from "Totally Insane Studio" to "Super Organized Studio!" I want to go the extra step one day and make some parchment paper labels for them...but that's another day.





How many tins of Altoids do you have lying about? I can't bear to throw them out! I keep hairclips, paper clips, binder clips...and you can see one used to hold a bunch of little gold confetti stars.

I use them for travel all the time: they hold just enough jewelry, foreign coins, safety pins for a short journey. You an turn a tin into a travel sewing kit--just don't take the scissors on the plane with you!

And what to do with those silly mesh garlic bags? Again, perfect for storage because you can see what's inside. Great for holding little toys. And perfect for washing little things, like grimy buttons from a flea market. Just soak, swish and hang dry.
















So I hope I have inspired you to not throw away your trash--it might just make you more organized if you keep it. Let me know how you use your throwaways.