post it!

i'm trying use post mail more often, and these projects are getting me inspired...

- postcrossing connects postcard writers around the world. like a massive penpal/chainletter network, you sign up, send a postcard, and then someone else sends one to you. and on and on, around the world! (via photojojo)

- the postcard says is a new project by fiveandahalf. over 400 blogreaders received postcards with a little creative task to complete and mail back. from a recent sneakpeak, the results are looking great ~

- make your own photos into postcards with photojojo's 3 easy options.

more geometry!

i couldn't resist posting one more geometric creation...

just discovered aeik paper goods & design, and one lovely geometry card caught my eye. (via design for mankind)

these designs remind me of playing with parabolic lines in middle school math class. with some splashes of color á la aiek, these could be fun designs to play with...

geometry & art

shapes & connections...circle circle circle

1. maria of port2port & 3191 just launched her latest project--LINES & SHAPE--an artist collective that will publish bi-monthly themed volumes of visuals. the rotating group of artists don't communicate while they prepare their material for the book--and then it's all pulled together to create some beautiful mysterious visual parallels. theme of volume 1: CIRCLE.

2. i visited the brand new BCAM@LACMA yesterday (LA county's new contemporary art wing)... wow building, wow space, wow art. my personal highlight: richard serra's monumental steel bands on the ground floor. pictures can't do them justice, but walking through is awe-some. full of rusty grace.

3. spring is the perfect time for new apartment projects... and apartment therapy is the best daily dose of ideas & inspiration for small homes like ours. i love this chandelier of paper lanterns they featured in their weekly newsletter.

hidden gems

there's something so satisfying about finding new under-the-radar spots ~ especially in my own neighborhood.

first, fette's gallery [above]. tucked into a sweet culver city neighborhood, this house-turned-gallery has been hosting exhibits for over a year. behind the white picket fence, they've transformed the living room & all into this great open art space (a few pics). i love this balance of art gallery & happy home.

AND even closer to home, the mandrake bar [below]. it defines "hole in the wall"-- with just a no-name neon sign marking it from the street. but inside, it's a hip dive. their specialty cocktails are a unusual mix of flavors, like darky & stormy (black rum and ginger beer) and rosemary's garden (greygoose, mulled cucumber, and mint). it's a great space with room to spread out, contemporary art, faux wood tables, and an open backyard patio. definitely worth many a happy return. (yelp!)

fette's gallery
4255 baldwin ave
culver city, ca

the mandrake bar
2692 s la cienega blvd
los angeles, ca

[top photo via fette's gallery. bottom photo via kampy]

our moment is now

an excerpt from Barack Obama's speech on 01/09/08 in nashua, NH:

we know the battle ahead will be long,
but always remember that
no matter what obstacles stand in our way,
nothing can withstand
the power of millions of voices calling for change.

In the unlikely story that is America, there has
never been anything false about hope.
For when we have faced down impossible odds;
when we've been told that we're not ready,
or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't,
generations of Americans have responded with
a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that
declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists
as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants
as they struck out from distant shores and
pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized;
women who reached for the ballot;
a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and
a King who took us to the mountaintop
and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.

And so tomorrow...we will remember that
there is something happening in America; that

we are not as divided as our politics suggest.

that we are
one people; we are
one nation.

and together, we will begin
the next great chapter in America's story
with three words that will ring from coast to coast;
from sea to shining sea:

Yes. We. Can.


[watch the music video] [read the LA times]


[photo from threecee]