I Met Maira!

Today I totally geeked out at my wonderful job, thanks to the visit of one Maira Kalman.

She was very kind in indulging my fangirl ways. It’s almost amazing how such bold and whimsical illustrations can come from the woman that I met, who was so reserved and calm.

She personalized two books for me, one adult – And the Pursuit of Happiness, and one child, her latest book which she read in the historical society today – Looking at Lincoln.

Last year I was fortunate enough to catch her exhibit at The Jewish Museum here in the city. It was a wonderland of Maira’s work. Today I told her that I would have gladly lived in that exhibit, and she very modestly said that “they” did a great job putting it together.

I hope that I can achieve even a fraction of her creative output in my life. On her way out of the shop today, she made a point of saying goodbye to me, and she even remembered my name. I love Maira Kalman.

Rob Ryan

I love Rob Ryan’s work, and now, especially after seeing this photo on his personal blog, I adore him even more.

I first encountered his work when I spotted a romantic laser-cut greeting card at the Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh.

Last week, on Valentine’s Day actually, I treated myself to a beautiful little Rob Ryan notebook from a bookstore near Columbia University (also near the school I’m applying to for another postgraduate degree, fingers crossed!).

Since it’s tough to make out, here’s what is written on the cover:

“All of these words and all of the pictures and these small scraps of purpose and intention and dreams will walk along side of me and keep me company on this my great journey and will serve to remind me to savour all my days spent upon this Earth.”

Unclaimed Territory

Perfect.

Via Wooster Collective

 

The Way You Wear Your Hat

Above all other accessories, yes even vintage earrings, I love hats. Today I finally made it over to the Bard Graduate Center to see Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones. I can hardly do justice to the amount of inspiration I felt upon seeing such a diverse array of millinery, and in such a beautiful setting. I almost didn’t know where to look first!

The piece that greets you on the banister.

Philip Treacy feather hat 1995

There were many Philip Treacy hats, amid other modern designers, and even hats from the twelfth-century – like an Egyptian fez. I found a leather court jester’s hat to be particularly fascinating.

However my absolute two favorite pieces were these:

Thankfully someone over at abc news (ugh) captured a decent shot of these beauties. The pompom hat was worn by Bjork in 2007. The  other is a Piers Atkinson hat made of hair strands, giant rollers, hair clips and hair pins.

Wash and Go by Stephen Jones

I was also so happy to see the Halston bunny ears worn by Candace Bergen to Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball in 1966!

Lastly, I found it incredibly generous of Stephen Jones to offer an intimate look via a recreation of his atelier. It made me verklempt. I wanted to move into this space. The creative clutter, the cozy lighting… there was just something soothing and sacred about it. Someday I hope I am privileged enough to have a workspace of my own where I am comfortable to create.

I’ll definitely be visiting this show again before it closes on April 15th.

2012 New York International Gift Fair

This year I jumped at the opportunity to attend the NY gift show. My colleagues groaned for all of the walking it entails, but I like a challenge.

While I knew it would be a great chance to check out innovative and fun designs, I didn’t think I’d find nearly so many vegan and earth friendly companies!

I was delighted to peruse the booth of Green Tree Jewelry! A family company from San Diego, they create unique earrings out of renewable resources. Plus, Green Tree Jewelry is all made in America! It didn’t hurt that their salesman was really cute.

There were several vegan soap vendors. The woman in the Lotus Love Beauty booth was super kind and generous. She gave me two samples of their quite fragrant soaps – a verbana coconut, and Ananda:bliss.

I wish you could smell these!

She encouraged me to discover my favorite scents and then carefully selected the generous samples. Her company is based in San Diego too, and they donate a portion of their proceeds to The Shanti Project.

A little closer to home is the Metropolis Soap Co. based in Brooklyn. Though not as generous as Lotus Love Beauty, they did give me a bit of a sample of their Rosemary and Spearmint vegan soap. Certified cruelty-free by PETA, Metropolis does not test on animals, and even avoids the use of palm oil, the deforestation of which kills animals like orangutans.

I was glad to see Dynomighty there as well. I’ve had a Dynomighty wallet for almost a year now and I love it. This Brooklyn company has a ton of new styles to choose from.

Michael Roger of Decomposition Books was also there! Love, love this conscious spin on a classic design! (Also based in Brooklyn!)

It was so encouraging to see several forward-thinking companies!

Year of the Dog

On a whim, I just watched Year of the Dog with Molly Shannon (it’s on Netflix instant!). I expected it to just be a quirky indie comedy about a woman and her pet. I was immensely surprised that it turned into a story about veganism and animal rights.

It’s easy, as a vegan and advocate of animal rights, to be made to feel crazy by seemingly everyone. Everyday is a challenge – answering people’s ignorant questions about your lifestyle, making animal-friendly selections in terms of not just food, but also clothing, health products – everything!

Molly Shannon’s character Peggy seems like an alien at work, amid her brother and his family – even in her own house. At several points I felt like I could’ve written this screenplay. Actually, Mike White  did, the same guy that’s us the likes of School of Rock,  Orange County, and The Good Girl. And he’s vegan!!!

Someday I hope to have several pets. Though hopefully I don’t end up exactly like Peggy.