Light Stencils: Painting with Light Makes a Quantum Leap

For years now, we've seen the long exposure, squiggly-lined, signature look of light painting. From the simple, to the insanely complicated, it's been fun to watch its evolution. Neat though it may be, nothing of late has made me jump out of my chair and want to write a post about it. Nothing, until these incredible light stencils by Wittner Fabrice, that is.

via Colossal

A Cabin Grows in Brooklyn

If you're going to New York and you're looking for an alternative to a hostel or an overpriced hotel, perhaps the Cabin in a Loft would fit the bill. This building within a building located in an old textile mill in Brooklyn features two sleeping spaces with semi-private gardens for each, and delivers a uniquely local experience to the weary traveler. Nice.

via SwissMiss

I Need a Handmade Oyster Knife

I'm a vegetarian, but once a year (on my birthday) I take part in the wholesale slaughter of dozens of oysters. I'm not proud of it, but hey, if oysters didn't insist on being so delicious, there wouldn't be a problem. Now, being that this is just an annual event, it seems fitting that I should run out and purchase one of these handmade oyster knives from Carolina Shuckers so I can add even more ceremony to the proceedings. Look out mollusks, here I come.

The Motomethod Story

The Motomethod Story from Zenga Bros on Vimeo.
Christian sent me a sweet link to a short documentary that he and his brother shot about a motorcycle shop in Vancouver that teaches people how to fix their own bikes and fosters a growing motorcycle community. Love stories like this. A testament to the power of making.

Zenga Brothers Films

Old Jeans Transformed into Saddlebags

Clever stuff, this. I can easily see these being a tool apron, a dog walking utility belt, or a plus for any endeavor that requires some extra pockets.

via Recyclart

Calligraffiti - The Letters and Words of Greg Papagrigoriou

Diggity digging the calligraphic graffiti of Greg Papagrigoriou this morning. Brilliant use of space and just beautiful, beautiful stuff. via Web Urbanist

Lifecycle - 365 Days in the Life of a NYC Bike

Get a bike, lock it to a post, and watch it slowly disappear.
via SwissMiss

No Corners - The furniture of Loren Venancio

I'm not a huge fan of undulating, organic furniture, but something about Loren Venancio's work is very attractive to me. Puts me in mind of Antoni Gaudí, and probably wouldn't look out of place in the sitting room of Casa Batlló, or the halls of La Pedrera. Nice stuff. via recyclart

Low Commitment Projects - Sandwich Artist

Digging the open-faced artwork over at Low-Commitment Projects. I think the Mondrian is my favorite. I like the Duchamp and the Jasper Johns as well, though. How about you?

via SwissMiss

Red Stripe PA System - Sounds a Bit Tinny, Eh?

Sound artist, Yuri Suzuki gets into the DIY culture of Jamaica with this incredible sound sculpture made from thousands of Red Stripe beer cans. Sounds surprisingly awesome and Lo-Fi (in a good way). Neat.

via Recyclart

Over the Edge, The Postage Stamp Paintings of Molly Rausch

I used to dabble in philately when I was a kid. My grandmother got me started with some collector's sets and books to put them in. I used to flip through those books all the time, marveling at all the scenes depicted on the tiny canvases, but I never gave much thought to what lay beyond the perforated edges, until now. Artist, Molly Rausch answers that very question for us with this series of postage stamp paintings that expand our view to a "zoomed out" and illuminating look at what might be out there. Very cool.

via Colossal

Dana Tanamachi - The Lovely Letterer

Garden & Gun from Dana Tanamachi on Vimeo.
I've been a fan of Dana Tanamachi's chalk work for some time, and now I'm so glad that this talented artist is blowing up. Well deserved. Love the time lapse.

Photo Finish of Finish Photos

I've recently had Brian out at Fret Sounds in Graham, NC (coolest little shop ever), put together some "Frankenstein" basses for me (pieces from everywhere). The results have been amazing! Some of the best feeling and best looking instruments I've ever played. So, what do you get for some of the coolest instruments in Carolina?

Well, if you're me, you seriously think about paying Stike over at Rowyco Customs a visit and getting him to lay down some sweet metal flake with some candy on top for good measure. I mean, just look at these beauties from his gallery. How can I not?

The Craft of Memory - Happy MLK Day

A year ago, I wrote this post for my other blog, Every Day is Awesome and, today, I thought I'd share it with you here. I wanted to remind myself (because, unfortunately, I need reminding) that today is not just a day off and, in fact, there are no days off from the world and how we choose to live in it. In the words of the man, himself :

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Happy MLK Day.

A few years ago while we were driving home from Texas, we stopped in Memphis (a town I like very much). We spent the day sightseeing downtown and at the end of the day, we found ourselves just driving around. I took a right turn at a random corner and, unexpectedly, saw the Lorraine Motel standing right in front of me. I hadn't sought it out. I just took a turn and there it was. Still half a block away, I pulled to the curb and just stared at it, silent. It was the same vantage point I had always seen in the photographs.

There's nothing terribly impressive about the building, you know? It's just a motel, or was. There is a feeling you get when you look up at that balcony though. A terrible feeling. A feeling so strong for me, that I never got closer than that half a block away. Never took a picture. I just stood there, leaning on my car, until I started to feel my eyes well up. It was a reaction I didn't expect, being that I was only a year and a half old when Dr. King was shot, but life is strange like that, sometimes the idea of a person is so powerful that it can hit you just as hard as if you had known them.

Neither my friend or I said a word in the fifteen minutes that we spent staring at the building. Then we just slipped back in the car and left, quiet all the way back to our hotel.

Flash forward

Today, I heard a speech. It was not the "I have a Dream" speech that gets trotted out every January. It was a speech about the Vietnam war and poverty and racism that was given a year before King's death.

As I listened to that voice, I found myself wishing that his words would appear quaint to me. That, like clothing styles or hair-dos of the past, the speech would seem outdated because we would have moved so far beyond the concerns of his day and into the society that he once dreamt of. That, somehow by this point, we could have put a check mark next to the items that have darkened our country's character. But the truth is, if you substituted the word Iraq or Afghanistan for Vietnam, this speech could've been given yesterday.

Sobering, yes. But also hopeful in a strange way. Forty-two years later, a man's passion for justice still has the power to move us. His words still carry the weight of truth and, most importantly, he is still calling us to action. The fact that this speech is timeless is simultaneously sad and beautiful. I don't know if he thought we would have reached mountain top by now, but you can bet that he wouldn't have wanted us to stop trying.

Thanks to the Epic Change Blog for inspiring this post.

Hot Chocolate - On a Stick!!!

I've had bananas on a stick, hot dogs (pre-vegetarianism) on a stick, and countless other things that have been punctured in the name of ergonomic novelty, but what I've never had (and is totally genius), is hot chocolate on a stick. Simple and brilliant, this concept was dreamed up by Kristi over at 30 Pounds of Apples and she's included instructions on how to make your own. Looks like the perfect accompaniment to football on a cold January day (or any day). Sweet!

Famous Letterheads from Letterheady

To someone who loves type, like me (and probably you), these almost blank sheets of paper represent a totally fascinating time capsule of design and offer a slightly different window into the lives of the people who used them to represent their character. Neat.

via Web Urbanist