Tokyo Glow

I liked that when I first watched this stop motion short film that I had no clue it was promoting a shoe brand. Tokyo Glow was produced by Citizen Jones and Industry Films and directed by Johnathan Bensimon for The Generic Man. One could question the wisdom of a promotion that doesn't hit you over the head with branding let alone even mention the brand except in tiny line in the credits. It does however seem appropriate for a company like The Generic Man which in it's own words is making shoes for the man who "doesn’t need branding and logos to make him feel confident or stylish." You'll see they take the "no branding" pretty seriously if you visit their website.

And yes as the end of the film hints they also make shoes for women.

Tony Fitzpatrick's Tokyo Series

Every time I see a new series of Tony Fitzpatrick's work I wish I had the funds to be a true collector of art. I am the proud owner of one of his prints "Flowers of Chance" thanks to my friend Susie, a master printer, who found the print at an art fair for an affordable price. She called, I ran to the bank. I say affordable, but I was eating spaghetti in for quite a while after proudly taking it home.

It's one of those rare indulgences that has never resulted in buyer's remorse. Sadly for me, Mr. Fitzpatrick's collage drawings are way out of my price range. So I will be admiring his Tokyo Series from a far and taking comfort in the fact that it is nice to see an artist I admire getting his due.

Top: Ueno Park Red Bird
Bottom: Girl of the Falling Planets

Visit the artist's blog No. 9 to see more of his works.

Lazy Days and Portents

The morning started with our little herd of deer stopping by to see if we had any Indian corn for them. The snow has been on and off as has the sun. The sky has been particularly beautiful in it's moodiness today. I took a nice walk in the woods but felt a bit intrusive with the birds making warning calls. I don't blame them for wanting this snow covered space all to themselves.

Back inside, I caught a glimpse of a squirrel trying to carry a whole ear of corn away by himself. It made emptying the dishwasher more amusing. All in all it's a very lazy day. I should be trying to get more done but despite the lack of tangible accomplishments there is an auspicious air to the day. The cactus has been in bloom again. I've had it for years and had no idea it could flower. The first time it sent off flowers was when I was pregnant with my daughter. So I have this sneaking feeling that the small yellow flowers are a sign something good is on the horizon. Do you believe in portents?

What's Your Fortune Cookie?

Today as I was continuing to clear clutter, I found a fortune cookie from a semi-recent Chinese take out and decided to open it before tossing it out. I knew of course if the fortune was good, I would have to eat it. Thank goodness for the plastic wrapper which kept it relatively crisp. So what was the fortune that forced me to eat the somewhat elderly fortune cookie? "Action is worry's worst enemy". That may not seem as wonderful as getting "You will come into a large sum of money" but it was the right message for me today. So I set aside my worry and just did as much as I could.

If you'd rather create your own fortune then take your chances with your local Chinese restaurant, visit The Brassy Apple and follow the clever tutorial for the fabric fortune cookie pictured above.

Happy Mardi Gras in the Year of the Tiger, Mr. President

I felt a bit pulled in all directions by the confluence of holidays this past week. Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year, President's Day and Mardi Gras have me whirling in a strange mix of holiday imagery and on a bit of a sugar high. I certainly feel like I have made the most of Fat Tuesday and had my fill of chocolates, cookies and King's Cake. I'm actually looking forward to Lent.

I have yet to decide what to give up for Lent. I'm considering trying to do something healthy or creative instead for the next forty six days but feel a bit too time constrained lately to make the commitment. Oddly, the thought of giving up butter or shopping or soda seems easier than making sure I take a daily vitamin for the next month and a half. I guess that means I'm going to have to go the self denial route.

Trunk Space

I love that this wooden trunk by The Hansen Family provides the perfect solution for those of us who are too lazy to put our clothing away on hangers. Not to mention the built in play on the word trunk. Added benefit, the clean profile of the closed trunk nicely disguises any potential jumble stored within.

In to The Woods

Romantic Reds

All You Need is Love poster by Douglas Wilson
Red Vespa photo via Little Brown Pen
Sweet red nails via sfgirlbybay

Blue Valentine: Forget Me Nots

Forget Me Nots are one of my favorite flowers. I love their beautiful shade of blue, delicate size and the sentiment expressed in their name. Why not go blue this Valentine's Day and send someone a sweet little reminder of you?

The Forget Me Not Notebook is just one of the great Valentine's Day gifts available at Smythson. The Forget Me Knot Ring is available here. Or keep it simple and tuck a packet of seeds in with your Valentine.

Valentine's Treats: Key to My Heart, Key to My Room

Roses and chocolates are nice, but I'd rather a gift that lasts longer and doesn't make me think I should really be hitting the gym.

ArtMind's porcelain Key to My Heart is a beautiful way to give someone yours. Or conjure up some romance with one of the English Muse's evening bags filled with treasures from Paris including a vintage hotel key.

Give and Give Some More

Looking for a gift? Why not visit Craft Hope for Haiti and make an your gift an extra special one. Craft Hope for Haiti has a great selection of handmade gifts donated by the crafting community and all sale proceeds will benefit Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. Another reason to support and love handmade.

Snow, Ground Hogs, Saints, and Pagans

I know a lot of people are thinking enough already, but it February folks! Snow is normal this time of year. I think we are all getting a little too used to climate change when we hope for 60 degree weather in the midst of winter. Personally, I'm hoping we get one more really big snow during this my birth month. I still need to make a snow man with my daughter this winter.

The fact yesterday was Ground Hog Day may have raised hopes for an early Spring. February 2nd is also Imbolic the Celtic celebration associated with the goddess Brigid or St. Brigid for the non pagans among us. Imbolic is a richer celebration and more layered with meaning than the modern Ground Hog Day of which it is the likely precursor. That is Brigid's Cross sitting in our window in honor of my daughter and the pagan/saint in her.

Alternate Realities #4: LOST

Well, I'm not going to be watching the premiere of the new season with everyone else tonight. I still have three episodes of Season 5 to finish on DVD and I'm not going to rush them. Last year I rushed through the end of Season 4, so I could finally catch up and watch the show on TV. That lasted all of a week. I have come to accept that when it comes to LOST, I like the show am on my own special time schedule.

It seems I am destined to watch the show on my computer at odd hours and I kind of like that. I don't mind the small screen viewing. It's intimate and allows me to avoid commercials and rewind when I want. What I do mind is that the show is coming to an end. I'm glad on one hand that they are not letting the show die a grueling death like ER, but I will miss this crazy and beautiful alternate reality with it's difficult characters, moral dilemmas, and slippery sense of time.

Go Pink!

Wow! I wish I had been able to watch the Grammy Awards live but toddlers and award shows don't mix. Luckily I was able to track down the video of Pink performing her song "Glitter in the Air". Sadly the video has been pulled from YouTube because of copyright issues. if you can find a copy of the video it is well worth a look.