mel b

It certainly says something about Sweden’s support for student designers that first-year design students were given the latitude to festoon chandeliers from the 1860s with mops. I’ve been raving about the student designers in Stockholm at the Furniture Fair all week (Part 1 and Part 2 here!), but this was the highlight of my time in Stockholm. I saw this installation at the Berns Hotel at midnight at the end of a day that had begun at 7am — but I was immediately reinvigorated at the sight of these massive chandeliers adorned with what at first glance looked like feathers. For this project, students attending the Beckmans College of Design’s undergraduate program in form design were given a tight budget and short time frame to come up with a way to embellish these historic chandeliers. The students were so bright and enthusiastic and creative — this was seriously the best part of my trip! — Amy A.

CLICK HERE for more of the chandelier installation and for information on purchasing the mops!

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Fishtails!

2011-02-22T17:05:00.000-05:00

a pretty original diy from the the people at Honestly...WTF

DIY Braided Hex Nut Bracelet: "We’re nuts for nuts. Is there a more versatile and inexpensive DIY component than a hex nut from the hardware store? You can imagine our excitement when we first discovered Philip Crangi’s Giles & Brother Hex Collection. Honestly, [...]

in a single breath

2011-01-06T01:09:00.000-05:00

it'll be a while before i shake this

For now

2010-12-20T03:26:00.001-05:00

clean breaks, fresh starts, and remembering what it feels like to be 17 again.

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Photoshoot prep

2010-12-14T18:24:00.001-05:00

Studio time is my favourite time

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

IN LOVE

2010-04-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

An anthropological introduction to YouTube

2010-04-26T14:49:00.000-04:00

2010-04-26T11:39:00.002-04:00

Bacon club

2010-04-08T10:53:00.001-04:00

From a dirty bathroom in ottawa. Also spotted same thing in toronto.
Receive the bacon!!

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry.

woodland creatures

2010-03-25T11:56:00.004-04:00

i think i'm in love with this fabric .

So colourful!

2010-02-11T10:58:00.002-05:00

Stopped by Nadège, a French pâtiserrie near Trinity Bellwoods, on the way home the other day and was greeted with this beautiful selection of fancy homemade marshmallows! They have flavours like poppy, rose, Italian lemon, and gin and tonic!

I can't say if they are delicious or not because I couldn't decided on what flavour to buy.

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry.

treasure

2009-11-16T19:44:00.003-05:00

i just found this... notes i wrote to my mother while fucked up after getting my wisdom teeth taken out.

i even forgot how to spell.

"i have chocking me down my throught"

ha.

new Lady Gaga

2009-11-11T13:56:00.001-05:00

this video KILLS ME!!!!

I know fall is here...

2009-10-24T15:10:00.001-04:00

Because I've rediscovered my love for Angel - the perfume. It's such a distinct, weird scent... And STRONG. So strong, that in the warmer months, spraying it on myself makes me feel ill. But when it's cold out? Perfect.

Not to mention, the star-shaped bottle is kinda neat, no?

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry.

SEE YA

2009-10-14T18:17:00.001-04:00

OFF THE CHICAGO FROM NOW UNTIL SUNDAY!!!

STOKED.

love at first sight

2009-09-25T11:53:00.002-04:00

this is the cutest story ever, of a mamma dog adopting the tiniest little piglet as one of her own.

shopping sprees make the world go round

2009-09-11T18:04:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I wasn't feeling so hot and woke up feeling the same way so today I indulged in some retail therapy. I hit Forev's XXI and tried just about everything in the store. There was plaid and liberty print florals everywhere I looked. Tried on this sweet dress because it reminded me of a Seventeen Magazine photoshoot from 1995, minus the ruffles.

Then I found a one-piece pyjama. Score.

Also in my purchase list today were some knee-high wool socks (i'm anticipating the winter!) and two of the same cardigan.

ps - Free sephora samples RULE. Did you know that they will decant any perfume you wish into a tester vial for you?

the haunting

2009-09-08T22:19:00.007-04:00

I drove past this place on some random two-lane highway in Connecticut a few years ago. I still don't know what it was or how to ever get there again.

Summer Ender

2009-09-08T22:18:00.002-04:00

hung out in these here falls all weekend.

Death by awesome

2009-09-02T00:02:00.001-04:00

Fair's are one of the happiest places on earth, especially at night. The food smells are amazing, lights everywhere, and BABY ANIMALS.

This lil' guy looked like Bambi.

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry.

2009-08-20T12:41:00.002-04:00

what's with the weirdness of this week? things are going wrong all over the place. is it a full moon or something? is mercury in retrograde??

whatever it is, please stop.

it's getting in the way of me enjoying my sweet tan.

Flashy

2009-08-16T18:12:00.002-04:00

My dad used to have a motorcycle and, when I was in kindergarten, used to drive me to school on it. I would sit in front of him, between his arms. I had a gold sparkly helmet that was too big for my head, and it had a holographic sticker on the front that said 'melanie'.

The sticker isn't on it anymore, but my dad still has the helmet... And uses it.

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry.

Cottage life

2009-08-16T16:40:00.001-04:00

Is the best.

On vacation and loving it.

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry.

Weekend fun

2009-08-02T21:26:00.000-04:00

Homemade tattoos.
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.

Cute!

2009-08-02T15:35:00.001-04:00

I finally got a new phone!! It's real pretty and swanky. I also bought a cute new watch for 12$. Today rules.

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.

Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

2009-07-31T11:21:00.007-04:00

Patrick and I went to a bunch of little shops in the Junction that sold reclaimed items from old buildings. Oh, the random things they had!
Old Spark plugs, stained glass windows, plaster moldings, vintage wallpaper rolls and ceramic tiles, nude portraits of gypsies, pieces of theater or movie sets from the 20's...

When did THIS happen?

2009-07-31T11:07:00.004-04:00

Does anyone else think Joseph Gordon-Levitt got really, really cute??!

meet milo

2009-06-12T19:38:00.003-04:00

oh my god the future is here. i can't handle this.
Microsoft is developing a new gaming system to compete with the Wii... You don't need a remote control, it senses your movements. Look at what they're doing with it:

i'm in love

2009-06-04T14:20:00.005-04:00

I pretty much never wear nail polish on my hands because after about 6 seconds of putting it on, I've chipped it or smudged it. However, I tried out essie nail polish the other day and it is AMAZING. Mademoiselle is the perfect sheer pink, doesn't contain formaldehyde, DBP or toluene, and won the 2009 Allure Reader's Choice Award. I can see why.

(I still swear by L'Oreal Rajun' Cajun for my toes though)

cute butt

2009-06-03T16:41:00.003-04:00

I finally bought a pair of Second yoga jeans. I'd been eyeing them and thinking about them for a while, and when I found out my staple $17.90 jeans from forever21 were sold out (even in their warehouse), I decided to take the plunge...
and just in case you were wondering, THEY ARE SWEET.

My only complaint is that they don't come in a denim rinse, only indigo (which is really more like navy-coloured pants) and black.

bold

2009-05-22T22:03:00.003-04:00

it's pretty. i want it.

Simple Asparagus, Tomato and Parmesan Pasta

2009-05-11T14:07:00.005-04:00

I did a photoshoot at work the other day and we had bought this really expensive GIANT chunk of parmesan cheese and some tomatoes, among other things. Usually at the end of the shoots, the food we use has been so man-handled that there's no way you would ever want to put it near your mouth, but this time it was all edible (minus the glycerin-soaked brocoli). I took it home with me not knowing what to make with it, especially since I pretty much never cook. I ended up concocting something that was super easy and actually delicious, so I'm sharing the recipe... except I've never written a recipe before and I didn't really measure anything.

- Enough pasta for 2 people
- approx. 8 asparagus spears, chopped into smaller pieces
- 2 small vine-ripened (yum!) tomatoes, diced
- a chunk of photoshoot parmesan, grated
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- a splash of olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Boil the pasta. About halfway through the cooking time of the pasta, steam the asparagus and garlic together. While this is all cooking, dice the tomatoes and grate the cheese.
When the pasta is ready, drain it and toss it with the asparagus and a splash of olive oil. Add the tomatoes (I like them raw, because I hate mushy tomatoes and the noodles heat them up anyways).
Distribute the pasta onto your two plates, add the pepper and as much cheese as you can handle.

Eat!

woah sweet

2009-05-11T11:39:00.002-04:00

scarf alternative!

(via design milk)

the Fukitorimushi by Panasonic

2009-05-11T11:05:00.007-04:00

this weird little cleaning robot is kinda cute...
it moves around a bit like a worm, "feels" out the dirt and dust, absorbs oil and crawls/slithers its way back to its docking station when it starts to run low on power.
Once you become attached to it like a pet earthworm, you can rename it something like Jim or Scrubby.

(via engadget)

2009-05-04T16:12:00.004-04:00

I went and saw Coraline when it first came out, and I still can't get over the sets they made for that movie.

Some of the clothes worn by the characters in the movie were hand knit using knitting needles not much larger than human hair and took up to six months to make. I think I would go insane working on such a small scale.

You can read a more in-depth article on their sets here.

2009-04-30T10:46:00.003-04:00

Found these scissors at work today. They are supposed to be for chopping up herbs but think about the sweet paper confetti their quadruple-blade goodness could create!

Multiples

2009-04-28T16:27:00.003-04:00

is it wrong to want to buy the same shoes in all colours possible? they exist in purple and dark tan too. these are the most comfy heels i've ever owned.