West Coast Modern Architecture

   

I just found out about Coast Modern, an amazing documentary about the West Coast's Modernist Architecture's roots - the new ideas about breaking barriers between indoor/outdoor space, relationships, materials.

Filmmakers Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome interview Arthur Erickson (Vancouver), Fred Bassetti (Seattle), Hernik Bull (Berkley), Michael Folonis (Santa Monica), Dion Neutra (Los Angeles) - son and partner of Modernist pioneer Richard Neutra, Barbara Bestor (LA) and others.

Legendary photographer Julius Shulman is featured along with the photographs that brought world attention to Southern California. He's known for steadily creating one of the most comprehensive visual chronologies of Modernist Architecture.

The trailer's available on Vimeo - it looks great.  The website is ablaze with photos/info, and you can follow them on Twitter to find out about the projected fall release.

Make It Yourself Word Art

Word art is everywhere and it really takes an artist to make something beautiful out a of bunch of letters.

Enter Wordle. It's a free online service that takes most of the work out of creating your own word cloud. Simple. You can totally use the words from your blog, or your favorite blog, or you can just type in your own.*  Print it out right from the site, or save it using a pdf or image capture command, (just be sure to read the Creative Commons notice).  Then, choose your own font, colors and layout. Printed on great paper, your word cloud works as adorable nursery decor, motivational office memo board art, or the basis for a cool embroidered pillow design (see KnitPro to make pattern). 

*I highly suggest copying your "set list" after you type it in.  The program takes awhile to load so I got antsy and clicked to go back - my words were gone.  1. Give it time to work.  2. If you have crazy fingers, also copy your list.

Beautiful and amazing

Delicious Handscreened Wallpaper

    Repeat after me: Dan Funderburgh. Josh Minnie. Flavor Paper.

*Don't forget.  If you can't commit to placing it on your walls, you can always cover plyboard to prop up in a corner, prop up on your deck, or stick behind your bed.  And there's always the old back-of-the-closet or back-of-the-bookshelves. You deserve cool.

Work Your Soul. Make Some Art.

So while I'm busy posting cool stuff other people are doing, other people I know are doing cool stuff.  It's hard to swallow.  A few years back, I tried getting an artsy/crafty collective started, but my little group (which has turned into more of an "ipod-rocking-while-consuming-Old Style" gathering) all had conflicting schedules and emerging art careers and who knows what else, so all we have to show for our efforts is a cool group name, even cooler signature rings and a half-baked excuse to grab a drink.  It's sorta the old, "We don't have a song and we can't play our instruments, but we've got cool t-shirts."*

Segue, please...Jen, Kim and Kara, on the other hand, have not only been thinking up cool projects, they're doing them.  And sharing them.  On their super-cool blog (I'm doing my best here, but cool just keeps jumping into my sentances.), Work Your Soul.  Soft art, hard art, scrappy art, apparel.  Photography, guest photography and snappy little interviews - it's all here and it's all rockin'. Join in on weekend challenges (they post every Friday) and then share your own work on the WYS Flickr group.  Voila!  See? These girls know how to get it done. Instant craft collective - and you didn't even have to buy beer!

*This is a "quote" I stole from my cool friends, Brenda & Heather.  And, to be fair, even though we don't have a cool project blog, we're still all cool chicks who all do a lot of cool artsy things.

reconsidering green design

As you can see, I'm taking the easy way out while I'm on vacation.  Today, I'm letting my daily read, Cool Hunting, do the legwork.  This morning's newsletter talks about a new book by Nathan Shedroff, "Design Is The Problem."  I can't wait to read this one - it raises some of the questions I've been thinking about since Green became the new black - mainly, is Green really Green? 

I drive a Honda, wear natural fibers and sport not one, but two Macs.  I recycle just about everything (and wish our fair city would let us turn in even more), try to walk, use flourescent bulbs and low-flow shower heads - I'm even saving up for solar panels.  Still, I can't help but wonder if there isn't a huge disconnect between looking like a Green-girl and actually doing what's necessary to save the Planet.  "Design Is The Problem" asks similar questions, challenging long-held assumptions about what it means to be Green.

PS.  The photo's from a Martha Stewart project using a wood tray (I've used a cutting board) and those uber cute old-fashioned embroidery patterns.  Check out her site for directions/resources.

DIY PAINTED WALLPAPER - YOU CAN DO IT!

This morning, I'm researching some social networking ideas and go over to check my Coochicoos.com (cool baby/kid mod decor blog) Ning profile.  It's gone! What?  Oh well, Rob's site redesign makes it all worthwhile. He's always been on the forefront of what's hip & happening, being one of the very first blogs to incorporate a social network - like two years ago!

Anyway, Coochicoos had a post about Kellie at ScrapLog's snap decision to replicate a Fossil ad's wall decor in her own home - using nothing more than a fat paint marker.  I'm going to link you from Rob's post so you can see what a great inspiring blog he's designed, and then be sure to hit Kellie next.  Sometimes, heck, most times, taking a chance works out better than you imagined.  This is just a small example, but still, don't forget that!  Rock on and I'll see you all soon!

ColorSnap iPhone app - if this works...

Does the new Sherwin Williams iPhone color-matching application mean I don't have to lug a big paint deck with me anymore?  I'm dying to find out.  If this really works, I'll be the hugest S-W fan on the planet. According to the PR, the ColorSnap iPhone application lets you scroll your finger across a photo, located a point of color you want to match and ColorSnap matches it to a Sherwin-Williams paint hue.  Also GPS locates (?) the closest retail stores.  You can also save the color and get alist of coordinating colors to create a palette.  If this really does work - and you know I'm gonna try it - it's the best iPhone app, yet.