26 September 2007

- Image from Two Straight Lines-

I just have to share this post- it is pretty freaking smart-

http://twostraightlines.typepad.com/two_straight_lines/2007/09/minimalist-bird.html#comments



Excess? Indeed. Everywhere. And I am guilty of daydreaming about it- thankfully, our one-income budget keeps me from over-indulging.

I am guilty of encouraging it, too, as a designer/artist who sells stuff. Buy this! Buy mine! Put it in your home! Buy more!



One thing I have been conscious of for a long time, though, is the notion of buying for keeps. Like, lifetime keeps. Buy the best thing that you really love and plan on keeping it for a long, long time. Use it and enjoy it. Love it. Let it find roots in your home, in your visual identity.



Shoot- daydreaming again- minutes have gone by and I've been mentally writing a "contract" that customers have to sign when they make a purchase at a shop called "For Keeps". How great would this be- "I, the undersigned, here do solemnly swear that I am making this purchase for keeps. I promise that I have thought a lot about it, and I seriously love my purchase, and I plan on keeping it in my possession for a very long time. I am not making this purchase for the cheap thrill of impulsive consumerism. I am making it because I truly love it, find a connection with it, and/or plan on putting it to use for many years ahead. I promise I will not get rid of it just because it doesn't "go" with a decorating trend I am following. If I do become tired of it or need to get rid of it, I promise to donate it to a charity, give it to someone who needs it more than I do, or loves it at least as much as I do. Signed, ______________ "



For Keeps... this would be a great shop. I wonder if Courtney from Two Straight Lines would consign her minimalist gourd birdhouses with me? :)

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18 September 2007

On being tagged...

Eva tagged me to share 8 things about myself that you might not know... egads! And this is perfect timing- truly- it has been a rough summer, and I have been struggling with where to begin again with blogging. Thank you Eva, for giving me a much-needed push!


1. I have an unreasonable fear of being chased. I hated playing tag when I was a kid, and only excelled at sports where the opponents were always where I could see them (tennis, volleyball, air hockey, bring it on! Basketball, soccer, even baseball- forget it). If my husband walks up behind me with loud footsteps, or the dog runs behind me into the house, I damn near hyperventilate and fall to the ground in the fetal position. I am that lame.

2. I have never seen Gilligan's Island, but the actress who played Marianne lives in our valley, and I've seen her dressed as Ginger on a float in the 4th of July parade. People think this is funny, but since I've never seen the show...

3. I have a serious weakness for Cheetos, puffed or crunchy.

4. My first job after college was as a furniture & interior designer at a shop on Beverly Blvd in West Hollywood. Stephen Gaghan & I had a madly flirtatious relationship while he obsessed over a coffee table- we were mere breaths away from dating, and then he made the critical mistake of telling me I reminded him of his ex-wife. Buh-bye. Two years later I was watching the Oscars, and he walked onstage to accept an Oscar for best adapted screenplay or something- maybe for Traffic? Yeah, I had NO IDEA that's what he meant when he said he was a writer.

5. I'm a Christian. Heck, I'm helping to start a church. Double heck, I'm the chair of the Adult Ed committee- and no one is more shocked by this than me!

6. I used to dye my hair a color called Carribbean Mahogany, and I picked the color for the name cause I thought it was so funny for a furniture desiger geek to, you know- haha- sigh. I was a geek.

7. I worked in the buying offices for a kabillion-$ retailer based in Menomonee Falls, WI, and it was heinous. Made some great friendships, but the place, the retailer, 99% of the 3500 people in that hellish place- heinous. Picture Devil Wears Prada, only in a grey expanse of a building with people who shopped for fashion in the malls.

8. I would drink 2 pots of coffee and 2 pots of tea a day if I could.

Bonus nugget! 9. I just came back from a trip to Montreal!


I believe I'm supposed to tag other people, but Miss Lovely is waking up so maybe I'll tag people next time-

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