it snowed!

We are supposed to get 16" by tomorrow and I know what I want to make! I gathered some inspiration.

Inga Sempe

storage containers
pleated hanging lamps- for Cappellini
"Ruche" sofa for Linge Roset
"Vapor Lamps" inspired by hot air balloons
"ruche" sofa

I have always wanted one of Inga Sempe's air balloon lamps, but now I have to add a "ruche" sofa to my wish list. Everything that she designs is the perfect balance of practical and quirky.

bower birds

a collection of glass
how did he find so many blue straws?
ready to paint!
almost looks like a Tony Cragg

My sister told me about Bower Birds last night and I can't stop looking at these amazing nests they build. The males build a structure and decorate it with brightly colored objects to attract females. The females "visit" the bowers and choose the most attractive mates. Some even paint their bower walls with mashed berries! A scientist noted that the more elaborate nests belonged to the males with the least remarkable plumage. The human and avian world intersect!

Signe Vilstrup

Danish photographer Signe Vilstrup- all I can say is Wow...

Pom Poms

My friend Laure (pom poms de violette) has turned me onto pom poms as a material and I have just found some amazing images of Peruvian pom poms. I wish I could go and collect them all and sleep on a bed of pom poms tonight!

Paper hats

Paper Hat from Hong King that looks Amish! http://kioskkiosk.com/c/95/p/743/Paper_Hat
Natoto Fukusawa siwa hat
Naoto Fukusawa Siwa hat
Fukusawa Siwa hat

Cuckoo clocks

I have been managing my time very poorly lately and wondered what would motivate me to keep on task...and i found these from Black Forrest Gifts www.blackforestgifts.com

Spice Markets

Anish Kapoor
Anish Kapoor

I have been putting together a palate for a project I am working on and one source of inspiration has been the Moroccan and Indian spice markets. I love the gravity defying scale and simple beauty of how these spices are displayed. But, of course, it is the color that is what attracts me so completely. Anish Kapoor's powder pigment sculptures come to mind and further defy gravity and form!

Movie feasts

Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson 2009
Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola 2006
Babette's Feast, Gabriel Axel 1987
Babette's Feast, Gabriel Axel 1987
Amadeus, Milos Forman 1984

Some of my all time favorite movies have the most amazing food scenes. I couldn't find the Amadeus scene where Sollieri is hiding behind the most gorgeous desert table ever- so I settled for the costume party. I never tire of seeing any of them!

Peter Fischli and David Weiss

Swiss artists Fischli and Weiss have been collaborating since 1979 on photographs, sculpture, film and performance. They combine and manipulate their daily experience into something altogether different. It is always such a pleasure to see banal objects handled in a completely unexpected way.

"first blush of morning" 1984
"three sisters"

Silent Nests

While searching for unusual nests, I found the book "Silent Nests" by photographer Viki Topaz via thestylesaloniste.com. The book documents the deserted dovecotes or "columbiers" of Normandy and Britany. Dovecotes were used by landowners to house pigeons for meat, eggs, and their droppings were used for fertilizer. Thousands were built between the 13th century and the French Revolution.

"Lesser structures have been built to worship gods, let alone to commune with birds."-Scott Matin Kosofsky

Ploust Art and Design

My dear friends Pamela and Paul are behind Ploust Art and Design. They forage, document, and create with the boundless nature around them in Sea Ranch,California. Here is just a taste of the magic they create. You must visit their site at: http://www.ploust.com/

A sea urchin necklace from the collection that is

hand cast resin mixed with atonized metal
urchin on acrylic ring from the jewelry collection

from the book "Seashrooms" with over 172 photos of mushrooms found in and around Sea Ranch, CA.