Vintage Mint

Hey Ryan

admin — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 14:00:13 +0000

This is probably the funniest internet meme I’ve seen since … probably since forever (to be honest, I don’t get “lol cats” nor do I care) — behold these gems from the F*** Yeah! Ryan Gosling tumblr and the Feminist Ryan Gosling tumblr:

Arrested Development Development

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:45:36 +0000

So I’m a good 8 years behind; “Arrested Development” is hilarious, super spot-on smart hilarious. Husband and I have recently started watching all the episodes (thank you, thank you Netflix!) and we are addicted. It’s definitely not as pretentious as we initially thought (back in 2003), and definitely a million times funnier than the last 3 years of “The Office” (I can’t believe “AD” was only on for a mere 3 seasons when increasingly blah episodes/seasons of “The Office” are allowed to be made — sorry but that show should been axed after season tres.)

And we “discovered” this show just in time, it turns out, after years of rumors, an “AD” movie is actually in the works as well as (a few?) more episodes! YES!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

admin — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:00:35 +0000

I suppose my visit to Sweden this past summer helped pique my interest enough for me to actually read Steig Larsson’s novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. [Or maybe because this book is EVERYWHERE.] Usually I don’t have free time to read, or read books (apparently I can only muster enough free time to “read” my 3 fashion magazine subscriptions each month), or let alone read a book that didn’t resemble anything I had read before or ever had an interest in reading (a story with grisly rapes? wrought with despicable and intense sexual violence against women? featuring a promiscuous gothic hacker-crimefighter? (way off, by the way) no thanks!). And a part of me tries to buck trends and not be swayed by whatever pop culture deems is “cool” or “now”. (I’m still holding out on Twitter…). So when this book, and it’s Swedish movie, gained massive buzz the past couple of years, I just tuned it out, well as much as possible.

But then comes the footage of David Fincher’s movie rendition of the book which looked hauntingly edgy with meticulous perfection in only a way Fincher could produce. Then I learned that the story revolved around a “locked-room” mystery and I had to know the ending, and so I picked up a copy of the book and read it vehemently, cover to cover, in 2 days. I read the book with more voracity than any other book.

The grisly subject matter and intense violence was almost too much. That was not an easy read. Several passages in the book are deeply unsettling. I definitely don’t see how people could label the book, or create a movie that portrays the heroine, Lisbeth Salander, as “sexy”. A poignantly accurate article in Ms. Magazine (see here) clarifies that Salander “is a survivor of multiple sexual assaults, her gritty appearance crafted to deter, not encourage, men’s advances.” And she is not a badass. She follows her own code of morals because that is all she knows. It’s Salander’s vulnerability within society and how she copes with being stigmatized that “won” me over. Although her lifestyle and circumstances are totally otherworldly, she is still a somewhat relatable character. And she’s smart and not cliche.

{I love Rooney Mara’s portrayal of Lisbeth — she’s perfect!}

Up next: The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

Modernist Halloween

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 23:47:49 +0000

For Halloween this year, I thought I’d try and do more simplified decorations (not that I’ve ever done full-on crazy decorations) around the house, especially since my home-design aesthetics have shifted to more modern and less Anthropologie.

Sparkly and unexpected star-burst paper ornament:

A colony of bats:

Simple paper bats dangling from branches:

Mod-podge Halloween pumpkins:

Graphic and neon painted pumpkins:

{Sources: 1) kissadesign shop on etsy; 2) Modern House Insigh t with instructions; 3) Sparkle with instructions; 4) The 36th Avenue with instructions; 5) Happy Mundane with instructions}

Bank Simple

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:12:29 +0000

Finally, a bank that doesn’t plan to screw people over! That’s right Hells Fargo! Move on over Bank of the Devil (formerly Bank of America)!

Seriously, check out Bank Simple.

Mid-Century Modern: Brasilia

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:35:41 +0000

After we bought our house and prepared to move in, we realized despite how much furniture we had (bed, kitchen table with chairs, bookshelves, desks, dressers), we were still missing a couch. So we scoured the interwebs and Craigslist on the hunt for a decently priced, mid-century modern type couch.

Well, we never found a decently priced, MCM couch, but we did manage to score a classic MCM piece of furniture: a Broyhill Brasilia Tall Door Chest Dresser. Isn’t it awesome? We got it off Craigslist for only $100! What a steal. It has some dings and scratches, and the owner had it in her possession for 30+ years and she was a heavy smoker. (And so it’s still airing out in our garage). But honestly these are minor “flaws”, and nothing a little linseed oil and elbow grease couldn’t remedy.

The Broyhill Brasilia collection was inspired by the city architecture in Brasilia, the new capitol of Brazil (founded in 1960). This particular parabola-like motif is found on the Palácio da Alvorada, which was designed by Oscar Niemeyer.

{Images via Modern Mobler, and Magellan Architects}

Japan Earthquake + Tsunami Aid

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:50:04 +0000

Please help, if you can.

Google’s Crisis Response for the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami website: http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

La Pluie

admin — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:51:11 +0000

Finally, the torrential downpour has stopped here in central CA! Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration because I actually like {love} rainy weather, and the rain stopped like a week ago. But that hasn’t stopped me from scanning the interwebs for cool/functional umbrellas; which I always need because I stupidly buy really cute, compact ones that end up breaking, turning inside out from heavy wind {any wind}, and/or only covers half my body when in use.

Here are a couple I’m seriously considering:

The Senz umbrella - aerodynamically designed with wind in mind. It withstands up to 70 mph winds and won’t turn inside out! You can also get them here.

The Windbrella - all in the name. It features a double canopy to allow wind to pass through. Love the teal color, too.

The Merde Il Pleut - Okay, so this is more funny than uber-practical but I know I’d get a kick out of using this umbrella. {I know, I have the humor of a very mature 2nd grader.}

Nebulous Skies

admin — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:49 +0000

It’s like a Christmas laser-light show in the sky! A more nebulous, cerebral, sci-fi version, but still mesmerizing. Can you believe these aurora borealis/australis {”northern/southern lights”} actually occur on planet Earth? Pretty freaking awesome. {Seeing this in person is something I’ve always wanted to do and is definitely on my “life: to do” list.}

{Images via Vesa Särkelä, Mila Zinkova}
{Found via Aurora Photo Gallery}

Countdown

admin — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:30:21 +0000

Let the countdown begin…with one of these awesome Christmas advent calendars {from PB}. Aren’t they great? I’d love to have one of these. For the past couple years I’ve used a makeshift version and put little notes and treats in the pockets. Then my husband + I would try to do a Christmas-related activity each day in December {until Christmas day}. We’d do things like watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” {I tear up every time!}, make/decorate sugar cookies, create a gingerbread house, donate to a charity, deliver homemade bread to neighbors/friends, etc. It’s a nice way to remember to enjoy the holiday season. This year I’ve kind of dropped the ball, and now I can’t believe there’s only 15 days until the 25th!

{Not really a Christmas advent-advent calendar, but this
wooden wall organizer is a great alternative!}