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archives |
Monthly Archives: November 2006
Thursday 11.30.06
Perfectly Imperfect.
I’ve been in love with Rae Dunn’s ceramics for a long time now; ever since my friend Charles introduced me to her work. Rae’s ceramic work is really fun, yet simple and elegant. I love it’s purity, without taking itself too seriously. And it’s very tactile – I want to reach out and touch it. Rae says her work is strongly influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, “the beauty of things imperfected, impermanent and incomplete.”
More of Rae’s work can be seen in the ceramic gallery Verdigris that she co-owns and operates. Located in San Francisco’s infamous Cannery Building, Rae shares this unique working clay studio and gallery with two other wonderful ceramic artists, Mary Mar Keenan and Christa Assad. I’ll share more about these other very talented women another time.
Thursday 11.30.06
Soft & Fuzzies.
Last night I attempted to peruse the massive pile of holiday gift catalogs I tripped over upon entering my apartment. Why, oh why do they bombard us with these? It guilt’s me not to look at them because it’s such a waste of trees. Anyhow, I saw some cute things in the Garnet Hill catalog, so I thought I’d share. There’s no way I can compete with the amazing gift guide series Grace put together on Design*Sponge, nor would I want to. You gotta check it out – it’s really good! But I thought I’d post a few unique gift ideas over the next few weeks when they catch my eye.
I love these En Gry & Sif Felt Coin Purses. Handcrafted in Nepal using New Zealand wool, these colorful, fun designs are decorated with various embroidery treatments. Some styles have felted zipper pulls. All are lined with smooth nylon. So whimsical and happy! I love being able to spot cute things like these at the bottom of my purse.
These Chevron Hot-Water Bottles would make anybody cozy and warm on a winter night. Made in England, where they must be experts on avoiding a chill, these hot-water bottles are covered in a heathered chevron-patterned cover woven from soft English lambswool. Quite toasty and the perfect gift for any grannys and grandpas.
Wednesday 11.29.06
Just in Time For Hanukkah.
Jonathan Adler has this fantastic line of handstiched needlepoint yarmulkes. Brilliant.
You’ve never looked so good at Temple.
Wednesday 11.29.06
Have You Ever Been to Muji?
Muji in London is one of my favorite shops. When my friend Casey and I were there a few years ago, we picked up these great little journals and a set of colored pencils and documented and illustrated our whole trip. Even the toothless pick-pocket, but that’s another story.
They’ve had a few things available online for awhile now. But I checked in today for some gift shopping and noticed they’ve really added to the online inventory. I’d much rather go to London and pick them up, but what’s a girl gonna do? Here’s some of the great things you can find there.
Clockwise from left to right: This small brown Wooden Soup Bowl is so pretty, made entirely from natural wood. Great for warm soups on cold winter days and fresh salads in the warmer seasons or use them as sweet little snack servers.
These collapsible Cardboard Speakers are lightweight, and so portable they can travel with you anywhere and fold away when they are not in use. Plug them into the headphone socket of your personal stereo to enjoy the sound out loud.
This cute little Alphabet Rubber Stamp Set comes with A-Z lettering, various punctuation signs, 0-9 numbers and red and green ink pads. A very cute stocking stuffer.
I’m pretty sure I’m partial to this Knitted Dog because he has Cooper’s soft, floppy ears. He’s handmade from a wool mix fabric that is knitted together and brushed for an extra soft surface. Available in green, beige and grey.
Clockwise from left to right: French Coffee Press - the classicly designed French coffee maker has a really nice, sleek style. I love mine.
Incense and Candle Travel Set, packaged in a small tin with lovely fragrances including cinnamon and orange, nutmeg and clove and ginger fragrances each with their own ceramic incense holder. Nice for cheering up a stale hotel room.
Just like they used to hide maps on handkerchiefs during WWII, this
City Handkerchief with a New York map on it so clever. There’s also a London, Tokyo and Hong Kong version.
I really like these Striped Gloves. A sporty wool mix of stripes in brown, grey and white, they’ll go with so many ensembles!
Muji is such a good source for stylish and unique items with simple, but wonderful design. If you can’t get to London soon, check out the online shop for stationary, housewares, accessories, photo albums and so many other practical, yet well done items. Prices are listed in British Pounds so don’t forget to check the conversion rate.
Tuesday 11.28.06
