I wish thrifting was a sport

One of my all time favorite things to do is thrift. Like serious down and dirty dusty bargain hunt. These gorgeous photographs by Brian Ulrich celebrate the beauty of thrifting, objects, display, desire and waste:2006, thrift chapter from the copia series; blog,

This weekend I totally plan on checking out Stoneage Antiques thanks to swampstyle. Miami has a few really great thrift stores, antique malls and swap meets sprinkled through out the city. I'm presently on the hunt for a clean(ish) vintage secretary's chair and office furniture like these bellow from Twenty Gage:

teenie tiny kudos

Ben's personalized iPod got a mention in Glamour Magazine's blog Smitten yesterday!
I totally love smitten witter Joanna Goddard's a cup of jo blog.

Chantal Michel

These photographs by Chantal Michel are rocking my socks right now.

Der stille Gast - 2006 C-Print auf Dibond hinter Plexi aufgezogen,150 x 120 cmVictor 2006,C-Print auf Dibond aufgezogen, hinter Plexi,110 x 110 cm

Vic 2006, C-Print auf Dibond aufgezogen, hinter Plexi,110 x 110 cm- 20

great furniture design: Kaman Tung

If I owned a restaurant or lounge I would most certainly have these beautifully designed über functional furnitures by Kaman Tung:
DESIGN ACADEMY GRADUATION 2008
MAN AND ACTIVITY
KAMAN TUNG FAMILY
These series of chairs are designed for outdoor café or restaurants and public spaces.The collection includes three chairs and a table. One chair has a compartment for belongings behind the seat, another incorporates space for a laptop or briefcase in the arm and the third has a hook for keeping a coat and accessories our of the way and off the floor. This is a series of some simple chairs that discreetly merge our little needs in public space.
via Dezeen

still an obsession: white objects

So, I am fully aware that I am drawn to clean lines, elegant organic form and anything white. Here are a few pale pieces I've recently scored:

LCD write your own message, debossed card, 4x7" by Yellow Owl Workshop

I can't wait to hang this on my wall; I think the plain LCD symbol letterpress is so chic.

Handmade leather button ring; from Barcelona based etsy seller ulala

This precious Jonathan Adler stoneware Whale Pitcher my loving Bf recently surprised me with!

Here is my new whale friend doing his best flower vase impression.

*question: should i fill him with more lily's?

I <3 ordinary

Beauty in the daytoday:

use me again detergent bottle, Seletti; via urban outfitters

ode to the ordinary, Connie Kuilboer; mixed media

golddigger, gilded fork pin; Ramon Middelkoop,what is luxury series

Judi Harvest

I was recently introduced to Judi Harvest's work and I am now obsessed with her Bees series. She has been working on an intricate and diverse research/art series based on Colony Collapse Disorder. Her paintings are beautiful but the large scale hive sculptures are absolutely amazing. I would kill to own one of these porcelain, wax and gold leaf hive sculptures in my home. These organic, fragile and elegant structures evoke so many feelings.

Monumental Beehive,2008;Porcelain, beeswax, gold leaf, resin, collage materials, light & sound;80 x 50 x 32 in.

Beehive III,2008;Porcelain, beeswax, gold leaf, resin, coins, coral tree, sound,40" x 27" x 19"

Beehive II,2008;Porcelain, beeswax, gold leaf, resin, wire, Murano glass, sound;17" x 22" x 15" (my favorite piece)

Queen Bee, the Nuptial Flight;2008;Oil on linen,72" x 80"

"The Philosophy:A great wisdom lives in the beehive. It is not simply an assembly line of bees; the beehive has a very specific soul.The wax represents warmth; gold signifies the precious metal of the sun with its alchemical properties; porcelain embodies the nature of fragility; and resin, a dangerous medium if not used wisely, represents finality. The Bee Series is concerned with the vitality of life and its fragile state.As I continue my work on the hive sculptures, they evolve from chaos to order, undetermined to determined, cold to warm, expansion to contraction, fragile to strong, inanimate to alive, artificial to organic, quiet to noisy and unsettling to comforting—all the while, maintaining a balance and ultimately, an inner beauty and soul."

great image;even better description

In this Jan. 11, 2008 photo, eagles await transfer to a warm U.S. Fish and Wildlife warehouse after being rescued from the cold in Kodiak, Alaska. They were among 50 eagles which dove into the back of an uncovered dump truck full of fish guts and became too wet to fly away. (AP Photo/Jay Barrett)-Boston.com 2008 photographs
via ffffound!

Thank you FU Penguin

This made my day!

speaking of severed heads

I should pick up this handmade de'cat'pitated mouse head cat toy by etsy seller spellwell for Miss Charlotte. So morbidly cute!

I wish someone wanted to teach me a lesson...

A SEVERED HORSE HEAD™ IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

This plush life sized severed horse head-ala godfather is so precious. Kropsekel the conceptual design firm behind it is marketing it as the perfect gift for someone who's wronged you.

"Finally, a gift you can send to your 'frienemies'.
For the recipient, there will be no misunderstanding that you want them to get a better sleep........
A better sleep with the fishes that is."

I would be absolutely thrilled if I woke up next to this deceased equine wouldn't you?

Inspiration: Aphorisms

I am loving these printed aphorisms by The School of Life.
Daily Aphorisms site; School of Life Blog
Through the School of Life shop you can buy the posters beautifully typeset by Susanna Edwards and Joseph Harries for just £2 each + shipping.

Here are a few of my favorites:

• The mundane is to be cherished. Jenny Holzer (1950- )
• My life has a superb cast but I can't figure out the plot. Ashley Brilliant (1933- )
• I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
  

Craigslist find: Old School Desk

I'm kind of tempted to pick up one of these uber cheap vintage school desks from Craigslist for $15. I'm sure these chrome and chocolate desks could look amazing in the right modern mix aesthetic apartment. I don't have the space for one right now but I see the potential.

This vintage 1940's French desk by Prouvé is absolutely amazing and I'd certainly make the space for it:

I'll most likely take the easy/practical route and simply admire this painting by Chris Stott

2006; 16" x 16";Oil on Canvas, Flickr set

still an obsession: all things retro

I just discovered Retro Thing a great blog and resource for vintage gadgets and retro inspired technologies. I've been distracted all morning by post after post of interesting tidbits and products.

Southdale Center; the worlds first modern shopping mall

Dampfroboters; Strenco's German steam robot

Another sweet site that I just came across is Art Thang that offers a variety of meticulously restored items like vintage telephones from the 1920s through the 1960s.

Looking at all these lovely items inspired me to take a quick browsing trip on eBay. Now I'm tempted to pick up a little vintage stapler to class up my workspace:

artists: not starving but certainly not balling

Check out these adorably art snobbish comics by Thomas Marquet from Big Red & Shiny