Gift Guide: For Him

This is a little late, but I thought I'd post it anyways in case anyone is stumped. My house is currently full of boxes, and everything is in a state of disarray. I'm moving on Thursday, before going to Phoenix this weekend for Christmas with my parents, then leaving for Hawaii shortly thereafter. (I'm getting married in two and a half weeks!) Life is a little crazy right now, so I apologize if posting is spotty. I'll try my best to sneak in a few more posts before the holiday.

1. Ansel Automatic Watch, $195 2. Dude No. 1 Candle, $48 3. Burning Barbershop Cologne, $102  

4. Bicycle Silver Edition Poker Cards, $5 5. Sage Soap, $7 6. Ceramic Soap Dish, $20

7. Art in the Age Spirits**, $40-48 8. Hella Bitters, $20 9. Whiskey Disks, $30 

10. Bourbon Maple Syrup, $35 11. Tovolo Perfect Cube Tray, $11 12. Oatmeal Stout Homebrew Kit, $19

**These are awesome: made in small batches by an artisan collective, based on the recipes of early American settlers, with all natural ingredients, and absolutely delicious. We have Root and we love it- it  tastes like root beer (but better)!

13. Herschel Rucksack-style Backpack, $85 14. Wood Slingshot, $21 15. Green Camp Blanket with Carrier, $98 

16. Feuerhand Lantern, $42 17. Tiffin Carrier, $30  18. SOG Flash I Knife, $45

19. Blackwing Writing Pencil Set, $20 20. Stendig Wall Calendar, $35 21. Conceal Bookshelf, $13-35 

22. High Noon Clock, $24 23. Globo Mirror, $40 24. Bottle Opener and Resealer, $9

Hey, It's Christmas!

Christmas is almost here, which means that the holiday music season is in full swing. And the third volume of Hey, It's Christmas is out! Hey, It's Christmas is a collaboration between a bunch of indie artists to cover holiday classics. Some of the renditions are absolutely breath-taking, some are lots of fun, and few are lovably weird. And, best of all, you can download the album for free (though they do take donations)! Click over to their site for the download.

P.S. You can still get Volume One and Volume Two

Short Film: В лесу родилась ёлочка (The Forest Raised a Christmas Tree)

I have a delightful Soviet cartoon for you today. "В лесу родилась ёлочка" is probably my favorite Russian holiday song, and this little cartoon makes it even better. For the non-Russian speakers, I've included a translation of the song under the video. Basically, every night at midnight in the artist's studio, all of the pictures come to life, and on this night they decide to watch a movie together. It's quite a fun little holiday cartoon.

Fun Fact: Even though the song translates "ёлочка" as a "Christmas tree," it would be more accurate to call it a "New Year's tree." New Year's (Новый год) is a much more significant holiday in Russia than it is in the US, and most people decorate New Year's trees rather than Christmas trees. 

Made in 1972

English Lyrics:

The forest raised a Christmas tree, 

‘Twas silent and serene 

In winter and in summer 

It was slender and so green. 

The wind sang it a lullaby: 

Sleep Christmas tree, sleep tight! 

The snow was making clothes for it:

 It was a pretty sight! 

A trembling bunny put himself 

Beneath its arms so wide; 

The hungry wolf just passed him by - 

A lovely place to hide! 

Some sleigh bells rang throughout the woods,

 The snow was crisp and clean, 

A horsey brought a forester 

To hew that tree so green. 

And now it comes to visit us, 

With lights and garlands bright, 

While all the children dance and sing

 To greet it with delight!

(Translation by Arthur Durando and Irina Popov)

Apologies...

I am currently buried in a bunch of books regarding Islamic discourse in Chechnya and will not escape until this term paper is finished. Hopefully it will be soon... 

A Song for Sunday: Jenny O.

After spending well over eight years in a variety of performing art groups where preparation for Christmas performances begin in August, I would say I'm more familiar with Christmas music than any one person should be. (Calculating that one should listen to Christmas music approximately one month a year, I've had enough exposure to last me at least forty years.) There are still some songs that are old favorites that I don't mind listening to a few times, some that have been so imbued with memories that they probably (hopefully) can't get too overplayed. But every so often I make my favorite sort of holiday find, a new, unfamiliar song that still captures that worn, familiar warmth of the holiday season. "Get Down for the Holidays" by Jenny O. is one of those songs.

"Get Down for the Holidays" by Jenny O.

Gift Guide: Wordy

Words are wondrous, wily creatures, waiting to be crafted and spun into winding webs of meaning, whispered in quiet, clouded corners, or cried out across the din... and writing is a beautiful struggle with these elements. These are a few of my favorite selections for those that appreciate the written word, from quotes for the wall to good journals for a jotted thought and pretty notes to be sent with love:

1. Make Bacon Print, $20 2. Louisa May Alcott Print, $18 3. Reading is Cool Print, $20

4. J.R.R. Tolkien Print, $24  5. Abraham Lincoln Print, $25 6. Left My Heart Print, $32

7. Speech Bubble Notebooks, $6 8. 2013 Cities Calendar, $26 9. The Hobbit Moleskine Notebook, $22

10. 2013 Vintage Camera Calendar, $25 11. Floral Leather-bound Notebook, $25  12. 2013 Fortune Cookie Wisdom Calendar, $20  

13. Handmade Gingko Notecards, $12 14. Letterpress Notecards, $16 15. Beautiful Postcard, $3 

16. Animal Thank You Cards, $18 17. Technicolor Cards, $8 18. Wildflower Thank You Postcards, $10

19. Feliz Navidad, $5 20. Typographic Nativity Card, $4 (or 6 for $10) 21. Brilliant New Year (10), $13

22. Noel Postcard, $10  23. Holiday Critters (10), $14 24. Be Merry, $7

Happy Friday!

Sugar Cookies by Heather Baird

It's finally the weekend! I have one term paper written, but another paper still need to be finished, along with a fellowship application to submit and a Russian final to study for (eeps!). So I know what I will be doing this weekend. However, I hope that you have more fun plans for your first December weekend. Perhaps some Christmas shopping or decorating? It's finally that festive season yet again...

A lovely (free!) December calendar

An classy chalkboard advent calendar

Black and white Christmas decorations?

All sorts of lovely December giveaways

Classrooms around the world

Make a snowflake Christmas tree centerpiece!

Pretty (and tasty) asian pear tartlets

Anthology's wonderful holiday gift guide

DIY terrarium kits

Grow your own mushrooms! 

(I know I put this in the gift guide...but it's so AWESOME!)

The history of peanut butter

The holiday talk

Have a wonderful weekend!

Short Film: How to Sweep

One of three films in a trilogy on "Energies and Skills," "How to Sweep" provides a dramatic and artful take on the mundane:

Directed by Van Neistat, 2012. Watch the other two movies from the "Energies and Skills" trilogy:
Love Letter to Plywood: https://vimeo.com/44947985
Space Camp: https://vimeo.com/44954870

Produced on the occasion of Tom Sachs' Space Program: MARS
http://www.tomsachsmars.com

Inspired: Alice Pasquini

Alice Pasquini's urban art is bold, bright, and stunning. A splash of color in acrylic and spray paint on a grey wall in the midst of a bustling city catches the eye and brings life to a space that was empty before. The scale, depth, and detail of her work speaks to her talent in capturing emotion and evoking feeling in the audience of the everyday viewer, who might catch a glimpse of a portrait on a daily commute, trip to the store, or walk around the block. Pasquini writes: 

"I create art about people and their relationships, I'm interested in representing human feelings and exploring different points of view. I especially like to depict strong and independant women"

Here are a few of my favorite pieces from her work:

All images belong to Alice Pasquini

Gift Guide: Tasty

Cooking and I get along quite well (much more so than the dishes and I). I love experimenting and playing around with different flavors and foods and ways of cooking to see what I can come up with. As such, I get quite excited about kitchen stuff, and I had lots of fun putting this collection together. Here are some of my favorite kitchen and food finds around the web:

1. Hedgehog Measuring Cups, $36 2. Mini Ramekins, $3 each*  3. Deep Sea Diver Tea Infuser, $15  

4. Kebaya Mug, $12  5. Olive Wood Cheese Board, $24  6. Latte Bowls, $30
*I have a bunch of these and I LOVE them!

7. Adesso Carafe, $55 8. Bourbon Sugar Set, $40  9. Lindeman's Framboise Belgian Lambic, $5 

10. El Vergel Coffee, $13  11. Chemex Coffee Maker, $35-43 12. Foxy Tea Cozy, $16

13. Gourmet Salts, $18 14. DIY Mushroom Garden, $20 15. Williams and Sonoma Hot Chocolate, $20 

16. Roasted Garlic Olive Oil, $19 17. International Spice Blends, $15 18. Mango Key Lime Salsa, $15

19. Minimalist Nesting Bowls, $70 20. Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, $20 21. Cast Iron Tea Pot, $70 

22. Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook, $15  23. Creamer and Sugar Bowl, $34 24. Rain Cloud Linen Tea Towel, $17

A Song for Sunday: Metric

Love Metric. Love this video. Love NPR too. All of this is pretty great.

See more Field Recordings at: http://www.npr.org/series/144918893/field-recordings 
In a matter of minutes, Metric singer Emily Haines and guitarist James Shaw went from rocking in front of thousands of fans on the main stage of the Sasquatch Music Festival to hiking through a rumored thicket of rattlesnakes overlooking the Columbia River. The duo gamely made the trek for an acoustic performance of "Synthetica," the title track from Metric's new record. Stripped of an electric guitar and moody reverb, Haines and Shaw performed a version of the song pretty enough to challenge the sweeping sunset behind them. There couldn't have been a more appropriate backdrop for Haines' refrain, "Hey, I'm not synthetica." 
Credits Producers: Mito Habe-Evans and Saidah Blount; Videographers: Jim Beckmann, Mito Habe-Evans and Scott Holpainen; Sound engineers: Matt Ogaz and Kevin Wait; Special thanks to Sasquatch Music Festival and Live Nation

Happy Friday!

DIY Advent Calendar, photo by Aubrey Trinnaman for Oh Happy Day

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday! I have been loving spending so much time with all the family in the last couple days. We've stuffed ourselves, gone hiking, played some pickup games, and more. It's been quite lovely. But before tonight's big rivalry football game (UA v. ASU), I've collected a few links for you...

Beautiful bar carts

Adorable tech-themed pop-up cards

An awesome Moscow apartment

Tea towel calendars

A bright and colorful home

The art of tinsel-painting

Sugar with a Bourbon flair

Make your own advent calendar 

A cocktail for the holidays

Anxiety in marriage

On running your own race

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gift Guide: Shiny

So sorry for the absence the last few days. Besides being term paper season, it's also cold-and-flu season, and I caught something. Fortunately, though I felt deathly yesterday, whatever-this-is lacks stamina, and I felt well enough today to write seven pages of a term paper. (Almost halfway done!)

Anyways, I'm putting together gift guides for the holiday season! I've tried to include lovely items from a variety of price points. This first one is filled with some of my favorite jewelry finds from Etsy and beyond:

1. Bird Earrings with Turquoise, $11 2. Long leaf earrings, $10 3. Chrysoprase Cluster Earrings, $54 

4. Chandelier Earrings in Turquoise and Brass, $24 5. Citrine Seed Pearl Dangle Earrings, $45 6. Mint Green Earrings, $32

7. Knotted Pearl Bracelet, $18  8. Silver Arrow Cuff, $88 9. Coral Leather Bracelet, $21 

10. Brass Teardrop Bangle, $32 11. Gold Rose Bracelet, $12 12. Filigree Cuff Bracelet, $35

13. Filigree Pocket Watch Necklace, $30 14. Brass Feather Necklace, $19 15. Knobby White Starfish Necklace, $30 

16. Handmade Circles Necklace, $47 17. Gold Leaf Necklace, $32 18. Ombre Geometric Necklace, $30

19. Magnitude Plait Ring, $79 20. Prickly Pear Pad Dangles, $158  21. Gold Mother of Pearl Ring, $72  

22. Sticks and Stones Ring Set, $225  23. Ampersand Studs, $64 24. Succulent studs, $88

Songs for Sunday: Mike Edel

My latest favorite find: Mike Edel, who is apparently quite well-known in his current home city of Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). His debut album, The Last of our Mountains, came out last year and included this lovely song:

We trekked to the harvest on the prairies looking for ocean skies and fields to make a film about the search for youth, the loss of it and a need for something outside of us. It took 5 good friends, a van, dog, gun, mirror and many wheat fields until we looked no further and wheeled ourselves back to the Coast. The direction was a collaborative effort of Jordan Clarke (commongood.tv), Kasey Lum (http://cargocollective.com/kaseylum) and Mike Edel with the help of the long haired fellow (Josh Bauer), the girl (Julia De Courcy) and Zip (the dog).

On a somewhat unrelated note, here are a few of my favorite comics pertaining to Canada by the wonderful Kate Beaton (this one is the best)

Happy Friday!

Giselle's Apartment, via Miss Moss, photography by Jordi Hulsman

It's finally the weekend! The weather promises to be quite lovely this weekend, but I will unfortunately be stuck indoors for most of the next few days buckling down on my thesis. Can you believe that Thanksgiving is in a week? Time has been flying so fast. 

The amazing apartment of a 100-year-old artist

If Dickens had Spotify

I need to make these drinks

Bookish Girls

The Saturn Five Rocket, explained very, very simply

A free holiday dessert cookbook

Lovely earrings

Energy, in photos

Useless (but amusing) websites

A life-changing sock drawer

Have a wonderful weekend!

Short Film: Champagne Capitalist

I love this cute short film about an intrepid and imaginative little girl and a splendid horse race. I too was a horse-crazy little girl with a very active imagination and fond memories of watching horse races with my grandfather. However, given the lack of champagne-filled dinner parties at our house, most of our childhood races took place on our big, sloping driveway with a handful of HotWheels cars. (My trusty all-metal miniature Mustang usually won.) What sorts of memories do you have from childhood?

Tiring of her parents' boring dinner parties, a young girl comes up with a surprising scheme to make this one work for her.
Film by Faye Planer and Tristan Martin; DOP - Guy Gotto; Composer and Sound Designer - Sami El-Enany
Sound Mastering - Joseph Munday; Piano - Sami El-Enany; Violin - Caragh Campbell ; Cello - Rosalind Asprey
Executive Producer - Marta Sala Font; Animation Assistants - Patrick Burley and Daniel Levin; Production Assistant - Jonathan Levin
Winning Girl - Eve Reekie; Losing Boy - Joshua Matengu; Losing Girl - Leila Biggs ; Host - Duncan Reekie; Hostess - Colette Reekie ; Guest 1 - Nina Planer ; Guest 2 - Adrian Matengu ; Guest 3 - Andy Parks ; Guest 4 - Anna Orford
Funded by the Ex-Animo Online Film Fund Scheme as part of the Roundhouse’s Creative Programme for 11-25’s.

Inspired: Anna Aden

Anna Aden's photography is highly evocative and beautifully composed. A carefully-paced hand, a sweeping vista, a pause before a moment's breath-- the best photographs induce a sort of stillness, a curiosity, and a sense of near intrusion upon an intimate moment. These photographs from Aden's series, Autumn Fields, do just that. 

Anna Aden is a photographer based in Umea, Sweden. Her work has been featured in a number of publication. To see more of her wonderful photography, click here.

P.S. Check out her facebook page for more loveliness

At home in autumn

These lovely flowers graced my table last week, for a few fleeting days. With the cold, windy nights, and the crisp, biting mornings, the brief showers of rain, the few leaves turned gold, and the bright oranges and golds of squash and blossoms on my table, autumn seems all around. 

I think the moment at which I realize that autumn is truly here is that midnight waking in the frigid cold of a window left open, when the blankets piled up and the sweaters piled on are not enough a barrier between oneself and the icy air surrounding.

One slams the window shut and with fumbling fingers and bleary eyes, grasps for the switch on the small square box that marks the departure from the season of warmth and one's grand venture into this coming frost, the annual passage from summer towards winter.

And on this night, and from this night forth, the heater is on.

In my home, this night was Saturday. From now on, my friends, this is fall!

all photos by Kara Haberstock, all rights reserved

Songs for Sunday: Laura Marling

Laura Marling always reminds me of winter. And with the temperatures dipping low and the wind blowing cold, today seems like just the day to curl up with a blanket and remember that winter is coming. 

"Sophia" is taken from Laura's album "A Creature I Don't Know"  
Virgin Records / Ribbon Music, produced by Ethan Johns..

Laura performs What He Wrote from her second album I Speak Because I Can. First broadcast 23rd November on Live From Abbey Road (Series 4 Episode 7 ). Check HD stream for best audio.

"Goodbye England" Laura Marling live at Crossing Border Festival 2011

Happy Friday!

Fall is Here by Bree Madden

It's finally the weekend! As of right now I'm currently stuck at UA's Student Research Showcase trying to figure out when I can make a break for some coffee. The first four hours of the showcase were fun (well, as fun as research presentations get), but come the last three hours and this place is a ghost town. So I've had plenty of time to dig up some links for you...

I'm making this for breakfast on Sunday

Lovely homes in Paris and Amsterdam

Would you forage for food?

A typewriter for your Ipad

I love this hanging terrarium

Crowd-sourcing cancer and art

How lovely is this watercolor dress?

A business card stamp

I still love NY

This tote bag is so much fun

Explaining the disaster utopia

Have a wonderful weekend! Do you have any fun plans for the three day weekend?

Short Films: After the Storm

The election excitement has garnered most of the media attention as of lately, but much relief and recovery work is still to be done in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. These short films, shot by New Yorkers who rode out last week's storm, capture the impacts of Sandy on the city and lives of those in it.

To help with relief efforts, please consider donating to the American Red Cross or to Occupy Sandy, a branch of Occupy Wall Street that has been very effective in providing quick and effective relief. 

By Casey Neistat https://www.facebook.com/cneistat
do not try this.



Seeing lower Manhattan without power was a surreal experience. This is traditionally a city that never sleeps. One in which the lights are always on. One that is always bustling with people. When the lights went out it was wholly different. This piece is meant to capture and relay the feeling of what it was like to walk around the darkened streets of lower Manhattan.
See all of Jared's photos here: http://www.jaredlevy.me/gallery/hurricane-sandy-lower-manhattan/
Stills / Voice: Jared Levy http://jaredlevy.me
Timelapse / Music: Michael Marantz http://michaelmarantz.com
Creative Direction: Jason Oppliger http://jasonoppliger.com
Produced by Already Alive http://alreadyalive.com
Original Music by Michael Marantz: http://soundcloud.com/michaelmarantz/nyc-dark

Our friend Michelle lives in Rockaway Beach, New York. We didn't hear from her until 3 days after Hurricane Sandy, when she left us the following voicemail. The damage in the Rockaways is extensive and under-reported. The Rockaways need our help.
To Help:
http://interoccupy.net/occupysandy/rockaways/
rockawayhelp.com
http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy
A Film by Alex Braverman and Poppy de Villeneuve
Produced By: everyone and company www.everyoneandcompany.com
Music: Soft Circle
Special Thanks: Heather D'Angelo, Michelle Cortez, Hisham Bharoocha, and the people of the Rockaways

PS: Shop for Hurricane Sandy! This registry is actually a list of needed supplies made by Occupy Sandy volunteers on Amazon- buy them and they can be shipped directly to Occupy Sandy's staging area for distribution to people who need them. 

In Photos: All Souls Procession

Nate and I attended Tucson's All Souls Procession this last Sunday night. Begun in 1990 as a performative art piece by Tucson artist Susan Johnson in remembrance of her father, the Tucson All Souls procession has become an annual event attracting nearly 35,000 participants to come, walk, and remember those who have gone before. Inspired by the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertas, the All Souls Procession is meant to be a ritual that allows public mourning, reflection, and celebration of death, a universal human experience. These photos were taken at Tucson's 2012 All Souls Procession.

A parade of color

Of all ages

Of all cultures

Of all talents

Of causes

Of music

And of ghosts in the night

all images belong to Kara Haberstock, all rights reserved

Inspired Election Edition: Michael Mergen

Today is Election Day (Go Vote!), and Slate's Behold photography blog featured some of these photographs from Michael Mergen's piece called Vote. Mergen, while covering Election Day from 2008-2010, captured these images of unusual polling places  around the U.S. He writes on his site:

"Vote investigates the spaces where the ideals of our political system meet the mundane realities of participatory democracy. The photographs consider the collision of private and public, consumer and citizen, and the incongruity between the functionality of the spaces and that of the voting booths."

These are a few of my favorites:

Precinct 10, Saugus, MA, 2009

Precinct 22020, Corona, CA, 2010

Precinct 9, Shelby Township, MI, 2010

Ward 40, Precinct 32, Philadelphia, PA, 2008

District 4-2, Murfreesboro, TN, 2010

Precinct 28080, Providence, RI, 2010

All photos belong to Michael Mergen

P.S. Go out and VOTE!