• Art,  Cooking,  Good design,  Joe & Rachael Projects

    Grains & Matches

    May 21, 2010 / 8 Comments

    I have just finished eating twenty cocktail olives. It’s eat-everything-in-the-kitchen time because the subletters are moving in next week. Usually this means a grim grim analysis of the ridiculous sauces I’ve bought over the last eight months and used once each (really Rachael? Four different rice vinegars? That sounds like a great idea.). Were Boston to be Pompeii II, archeologists would analyze my pantry and think very highly of my eating habits. As it is not, I’m left with the facts that I often buy loads of grains, find old glass jars, pour said grains into jars, and cheerily put them up on shelf never to be acknowledged again.

    Does this pantry make you sick with envy and lifestyle jealousy? no? Just me.

    So the arrival today of 2500 very endearing little things that start with m–not monkeys, guess again–was enormously cheering.

    Matchbooks! We sell a lot of cigarettes at the market. Pack a/day, pack a/week, pack a/ “I only smoke on vacation.” And they all want matches with their purchase. As we see it, with matches you either can have them, or you can have them awesomely. We chose awesomely, obviously. We like to think Roy would approve of the cribbing, and are happy to give the beach babe second chance at pop culture stardom.

  • Darn Good Ideas

    Happy Birthday Dad!

    May 18, 2010 / 2 Comments

    Today I’d like to say Happy Birthday to my dad, who taught me how to rock climb, make friends with strangers, downhill ski, win road races, make jokes even when everyone’s in a bad mood, think like a board of directors, and remain calm even when things look very grim. He and my mom raised seven kids to find their own adventures in life and try to be nice to everyone along the way. Happy Birthday Dad!

  • Good design

    Salty Sleep

    May 16, 2010 / No Comments

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlJZcjTc13Y]

    It’s supposed to be 73 in Boston today. Doesn’t this transport you to the sticky summer mornings when the all the windows are open yet not a thing is stirring (not even a mouse)? From Asthmatic Kitty artist Shannon Stephen.

    I saw this on Gala Bent’s blog, who helped produce with her husband Zack.

  • Art,  Boston

    Brimfield Wrap

    May 15, 2010 / 2 Comments

    [slideshow]

    Our Brimfield affair dawned cloudy and rainy. Nonetheless we pulled it off with a few key purchases (see the pie safe in the slideshow, which, post-cleaning, will be for pastries). I found two lovely wool blankets to sell to beach-goers looking for something cuddly, and two display pieces (we’ll post pictures to the market website once they are in place and not lying on our living room floor). Since photos from our trip are rather dismal and narrowly focused (two food photos??), I’ll point out that A Continuous Lean has lots of great photos, and Design*Sponge posted a curated mix of her favorites.

  • Art,  Books

    Library Receipts

    May 15, 2010 / 3 Comments

    My friend Josh found this gem from Post Secret’s* archives. It reminded me of why I joined social networking sites like goodreads in the first place. Perhaps predictably, my interest in meeting people was quickly sidetracked by cataloging my books, keeping up on my reviews, and finding the people I already knew in person, online. Let’s be honest, it takes a lot of work to find friends who purely share the same interests (as opposed to backgrounds, hometowns, schools). It takes so much work in the real world, that it’s almost shocking how easy it can be to find blogs that fit the bill perfectly.

    *Post Secret is an address where people can send their secrets anonymously. Be forewarned that behind that link is humanity in all its best and worst moments.