a mid-century modern trombone table :: a futuristic past

i want this so bad it hurts. from my new favorite site.

randolph street market :: ooodles of treasures coming june 23//24

it's almost here!!

next weekend i will finally be able to scour the randolph street market for all sorts of vintage treasures! can you tell i'm a bit excited? i missed the last one because i was away so i've developed quite the hankering now.

i've been religiously attending the randolph street market {in chicago} now for almost three years and i have NEVER left empty handed - there are always a ton of fabulous finds! and they have the widest variety of goods too. there's furniture, clothing, jewelry, records, art, decor, tools, odd bits, etc. and it certainly ranges in period. they even have indie designers and artists showcased. it's absolutely wonderful!

it honestly couldn't come at a better time either. i am moving at the end of june into a beautiful three bedroom apartment with my friend...but because of the size...we're going to need to pick up a lot more furniture! bazinga! i hope i find some interesting pieces!

tidbit of advice::
no matter which day you attend, get there as early as possible to score the good finds!!! 
*this season they've added a ticket purchase option that let's you in earlier than the actual start time to scout out and purchase in advance...in case you're anything like me!


details::
Saturday, June 23, 2012 10am - 6pm
Sunday, June 24, 2012 10am - 5pm

1340 W. Washington, Chicago
Plumbers Hall - Indoors & Outdoors

to purchase your tickets or to find out more visit here.

kostas murkudis :: architectural in execution

so i first heard about designer, kostas murkudis, from susie lau. thank goodness i did because i don't think i've ever been so intrigued by apparel shapes before. from the 'shells' to the capes - it's all too amazing. even those shoes are killer.

'murkudis likens his clothing to furniture, having been inspired by the work of modern movement architects and furniture designers eileen gray and charlotte perriand and his lookbook imagery and video features the non conformist chair by gray, mirroring the controlled curvature of the mintgreen padded foam top in murkudis' collection.' - stylebubble

i'm obsessed :: roy lee from saic

so once a year, chicago gets their own kind of fashion week. a truly thriving, fruitful, artful fashion week. full of vibrant students with unspoiled visions. it's where students from the school of the art institute of chicago show off their hard work and my, oh my, is it magnificent to behold.

it makes me so proud to witness these up-and-coming designers. among the many that i will continue to keep a close eye on, was SOPHOMORE {yep, that's right} roy lee and his haunting {in a wonderful way} design above. i loved the candid shot that someone took while the final fitting was happening.

utterly gorgeous.

beam me up, scotty.

if you would have seen the originals from this shoot you might be quite surprised at the stark contrast in style. i took these shots with my tripod and self-timer {apparently the canon i splurged on does not have the inner-workings to accommodate a remote -- epic fail.} on a beautiful, sunny morning. there were lovely trees in the shot. but it wasn't quite the mood i was going for. i tried to make the design and layout pay homage to a 60's b-movie space flick. i totally took my world out of the shot and created a new one that reflected what i had imagined in my head that day.

it was two mornings before the nato summit {i live in chicago} and my work gave us the day off because of safety concerns. i work about three blocks from the willis {sears} tower. there was a no-fly zone above most of chicagoland and at one point marine one came through along with a constant stream of military planes. there was this underlying tension throughout the city. parts of it became a ghost town. it was so eerie.

while i was on the balcony taking these shots, jets kept passing by. i am a huge aviary nerd so i kept staring up at them and missing my self-timed shots. so i decided to go with that. in my mind i started to really absorb the scene around me - imagining this 'war of the worlds' scenario. aliens, robots, spaceships, colonization of the human race - i totally ran with it. i love playing pretend. i think it is such a wonderful exercise to help you get your inner-creative out of it's shell.

remember when you were little? you used to imagine wild and crazy landscapes and scenarios with other little friends. you used to become completely absorbed in alternate realities on a daily basis. that's what you need to let your mind practice. not on a daily basis of course because you may start slipping...haha! but once a week just let it all go. it can be so much fun if you let it.

i can honestly remember the day when playing pretend didn't feel real anymore. it was a very sad day. i felt like i 'grew up' in that moment.

but that's the thing ::
growing up doesn't mean you have to give up dreams, 
or stop trying outrageous things 
or start taking yourself sooo seriously. 

so this weekend, challenge yourself :: play pretend!
1. absorb what's going on around you 
2. let it inspire your thoughts and daydreams 
3. then, let it take over 
4. begin to act out a scenario 
5. document it somehow so that you can look back on it 
6. maybe edit it to reflect what you were imagining 


***you don't have to edit it digitally either. you could collage yourself into a setting or even make a diorama! go wild! go nuts with it!

it makes me smile just looking at my poses and emotions knowing that i was playing pretend in that very moment. what will you pretend?

watercolor dreamin' :: study group comics

 

 

 

i absolutely love handmade comic books. i collect them like my lovable, yet crazy, grandma collects dead birds. i'll save that subject for another time...

so when i saw 'the blonde woman' by aidan koch my heart sped up. it's so lovely and quiet. i love when you can tell a story just through art, without saying anything. sure there's a bit of text scattered throughout but it's definitely the paintings within each frame that captivates you.

i scour comic book stores in chicago for good indies every now and then. i've been lucky enough to find some really amazing ones. for those days where i can't get to one though, i am so glad i found study group comics' site.

modern mobiles by am radio

these lovely ladies make me swoon.

these straw mobiles are styled after a finnish tradition. all of them seem to have a lovely, delicate design with a sleek, geometric pattern.

prices range from $39-$127
see all of the wonderful items in am radio's etsy shop.

painted legs:: kvast leggings

i am totally digging these impressionist-inspired leggings from berlin designers verena kern and britta knüppel for their brand kvast. 


check out all of their items here.

disappear within a forest:: treehotel

want to be a modern day version of swiss family robinson? well, much more comfortable and sophisticated than that but just as situationally unique.

opened in july of 2010 with all structures completed in august of 2011, was a new concept of eco-friendly architecture and tourism called treehotel. designed by some of scandinavia's leading architects, enters the conception of the above pictured beauties.

located within the lush forests of the swedish lapland, with stunning views of the luleå river valley, lies five magnificently designed structures:: the mirrorcube {first three images above}, the cabin {second three images pictured above} and for novelty's sake:: the bird's nest and the ufo {both pictured below}.


the treerooms are elevated high in the trees, ranging from 13-19 feet from the ground and guests enter via ramp, bridge or retractable stairs. each room is unique; not only the architecture but also furniture, lighting and fabrics. all of which are custom designed by treehotel partners such as the distinguished swedish lighting company, ateljé lyktan, which has developed and produced all the custom designed lighting fixtures.



"the inspiration for treehotel is taken from the movie 'the tree lover' by jonas selberg augustsén. a tale of three men from the city who rediscover their roots by building a tree house together. 'the tree lover' is a philosophical story about the tree’s importance to our people, both historically and culturally."


treehotel not only serves the purpose of tourism but by building these structures, the forest can be appreciated for its nature, beauty and hospitality and protected from industrial harm. a very important part of the concept since inception has been to make a minimal ecological footprint. therefore, the hotel is built around the ecological values in which substantial resources have been devoted to finding sustainable construction and energy solutions. even the daily operation, of each treeroom, is environmentally sound for affecting the natural environment as little as possible. for example, each room has a modern, environmentally friendly combustion toilet and water efficient sinks.

treehotel has plans for 19 more treerooms in the near future. honestly i can say that i cannot wait to see the development of the rest. i have never really had sweden on my list of 'to-travels' as of yet, but i have added it purely to stay in one of these amazing wonders.


a big thank you to treehotel for the images and information. 

visit treehotel to find out more.

why not have your garden and sit on it too?

mary, mary, quite contrary...how does your garden grow?

well, i can't speak for mary but i can say that the icelandic landscape architect, dagný bjarnadóttir, has quite a useful and novel design for a garden. as the owner and creator of furnibloom, bjarnadóttir's main goal was to combine stylish and simple furniture with multiple functionality. this way, a person can modify the piece to make it their own. 

so what can you put in a furnibloom? well, just about anything. bjarnadóttir says the design is suitable to grow flowers and herbs or simply to use for other decorating purposes. it's ideal for people who only have small yards or balconies as you have one place for both furniture as well as your vegetable garden.

i cannot even express how badly i want one of these. 

well dagný, mary's garden hasn't got a thing on yours!