Winter
2005 ...
a web log about new happenings + discoveries
12.11.05
read
: little
book, big impact
the
elements of style
The 2005 edition of The Elements
of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White has been
modestly updated and greatly enhanced by wonderful illustrations
by Maira Kalman. To be perfectly honest, it was because of these
illustrations, and the fact that the book was signed by Ms.Kalman,
that we purchased another copy of this handy volume from Posman
Books in Grand Central Station. Writing is certainly a challenge
for us, although we've been quite prolific with this edition
of the buzz.z.z, and we hope (not hopefully) the advice
addressing elementary rules of usage, composition, and your
approach to style will help us as we continue to develop our
own voice. Hmmm, should we have put the comma after composition?
Better check the little book ...
12.08.05
sport
: old
school summer
fun
endless
summer
No, not the Brooke Shields/Christopher
Atkins movie. We're talking classic surfing 1960s-style. This
documentary shot around the world by Bruce Brown highlights
some of the best surfing places known at the time, along with
places such as Ghana, Africa where surfing as we know it today
didn't exist. For those of you wondering: what's a couple
of city-slickers doing talking about surfing? Well, we
think of ourselves as spontaneous body surfers. Translation:
we're likely to wipe out in 6" of water as Scott turns
his back on the ocean (big mistake) when he smells a hot dog,
and Cindy does the same (even bigger mistake) when she spots
a cute beach bag. Maybe it's the combination of skill, smarts,
luck, perseverance and reckless abandon that we find appealing?
Or, maybe it's just fun to watch? Anyway, for all of you experiencing
the cold weather, check out this fun surfing flick with its
oh so cool soundtrack from the safety of your living room as
you wait for summer to return. We're sure you'll be stoked that
you did, dude.
PS In case you are hungering
for more surfing, another favorite surfing documentary is riding
giants. We covered it in our Spring 2005 web log.
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12.05.05
art
: a renaissance
women
amy
ruppel
We learned about Amy Ruppel from a reference
on kate
spade's website as one of her favorites. We agree. Amy
is a multi-faceted artist - painter, illustrator, photographer
+ - and we particularly love her paintings that are made with
hand-cut birds and striped ovals of paper placed between layers
of a beeswax and resin mixture on wood. But, they're difficult
to come by with limited availability as sales often sell out
within an hour of posting. Do join her mailing list and you'll
be in the game. Tweet, tweet.
shop
:
yummy
fragrances
jo
malone
We're not bragging or boasting, but
we've been fans of Jo Malone ever since she and her delightful
fragrances entered the US market a few years ago. She offers
colognes, bath, body & skin care, and candles, potpourri
and colognes for the home. Her scents don't overpower and they're
fun to mix for a different option to suit your mood or the season.
Scott's favorite is Lime Basil & Mandarin, while Cindy loves
Orange Blossom. And, we must say, that we do smell good when
we're together ;).
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12.01.05
shop :
glorious
vintage
jim
smiley vintage clothing
Well, they say that a true gift is
something that you love yourself. It is with this spirit that
we share with you one of our most favorite vintage shops - Jim
Smiley Vintage Clothing. There we've said it. And, anyone who
collects antiques will understand how generous sharing a coveted
source can be. Obviously, vintage clothing is something that
appeals to Cindy, but Scott can appreciate gorgeous items, too.
This gracious shop is located one flight up on busy 23rd Street
in Chelsea, NY and once there you will be transported into vintage
heaven. The most pristine clothing, hats, handbags (our fav
- especially petit point), and accessories await you. Although
their website is limited, they do post new arrivals for out
of towners. But, do leave anything with pretty flowers or cashmere
for Cindy, just kidding, sort of.
design
: the
decorator & the quilter
denyse
schmidt ~ quilter
Trained in graphic design at the Rhode
Island School of Design, Denyse Schmidt harmoniously unites
a vibrant and slightly off-kilter design aesthetic with a modern-day
sensibility thru the tradition of quilting. With names like
"punch drunk love" and "a day at the beach"
her designs certainly don't take themselves too seriously, but
quality is never sacrificed. Her couture collection
offers quilts that are completely hand-quilted by Amish women
and her works line offers machine-quilted designs at
lower price points. Her recent book - "Denyse Schmidt
Quilts: 30 Colorful Quilt and Patchwork Projects"
gives plenty of inspiration for those of you who are handy with
a sewing machine or a needle and thread, or want to learn, like
us. We constantly struggle to move our work towards a more modern
design approach, and artisans such as Denyse continue to inspire
us to keep trying.
sarah
richardson ~ decorator
We stumbled upon Sarah Richardson this
summer on HGTV and the Fine Living channels and just fell in
love her interior design work. She provides a wonderful mix
of modern and vintage style with just the right tone. Never
underdone, never overdone, just right. Each show provides a
lesson on how to make something for the home from a simple curtain
to a lacquered tray. She's pretty handy with a sewing machine,
a drill or a hammer, and her appealing, affable personality
makes you feel as though you can attempt to tackle that boxed-pleated
dust ruffle after all.
art
: a master
kurt
wenner ~ street painter
Kurt Wenner produced his first commissioned
mural at the age of sixteen and by seventeen was earning his
living as a graphic artist. He attended both Rhode Island School
of Design and Art Center College of Design, and was employed
by NASA as an advanced scientific space illustrator. His amazing
chalk street murals are fleeting, but can be viewed online even
when it rains.
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tool
: reference
martindale's
"the reference desk"
We originally learned about
Martindale's
Calculators Online Center from Cindy's brother, but there
is so much more contained in the Reference Desk. While the Calcluator
Center has links to more than 15,000 specialized calculators
used in mathematics, science (including astrophysics, which
will always come in handy), and engineering, the Reference Desk
provides information about just about anything you can think
of from a language center to fashion to health. This resource
will surely save the day when you realize that you dozed off
during statistical analysis in college and desperately need
that formula for your spreadsheet, or you can't sleep and feel
certain that some literature about quantum cosmology will help,
or suddenly have an urge to speak Hawaiian - aloha!
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