Mint

You guys, I am so out of the loop this week. With over 1,000 unread blog posts in my Google Reader, I’m in trouble. But I do have one super great post for you to check out. It’s by my friend Kristy Martino, who has just found herself out of work (for the second time in one year… jeez, Universe) and is over on OK Great blogging about the Pros and Cons of Positive Thinking. Super funny, and true.

Secondly is that pretty Secret Pocket scarf up there, by the talented lady behind a blog I love (a favorite three, you’ll recall!). The second photo of the Secret Pocket booth at Little Winter is by Anabela of fieldguided.

And then there’s LOCAL stuff… but I know nothing about local stuff today. All I know is that the Handmade Market is on Saturday in downtown Raleigh, and you know you don’t want to miss that.

Congratulations to Bethany Joy, whose name was randomly chosen to win a copy of The Exquisite Book, along with The Exquisite Book Sketchbook!

If you didn’t win this time, here’s a nice coupon for you: Use the promo code THANKSGIVING and you’ll get 25% off plus free shipping. That will work from now ’til Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25th).

illustration by Julia Pott

Last night I spent more time on the Factory 20 site than I care to admit, but I didn’t even scratch the surface. Factory 20 is located in Sterling, VA (less than an hour from DC) and it looks like they do deliveries to Brooklyn and New York City on occasion.

From top to bottom: Atomic Ball Clock by Frederic Weinberg, 1930s Vintage Bishop’s Castle beveled mirror, Industrial Open Cage Hanging Pendant Lights, 1920s. Cast Iron A Framed Supported Low Shelf

Well, I’m back, and my talk was a success! And by success I mean: people showed up, and I didn’t pass out in front of them. (Just kidding, it really was great, and shocker of it all — I enjoyed it! Truly!)

So now I can officially turn my attention back to our new house and its unpacking. We’ve got 13 people coming to eat with us for Thanksgiving (just 2 weeks away, can you believe it?), and while our kitchen certainly won’t have changed a bit (what was I thinking) we should probably start removing the mounds of boxes. I’m so excited to know where everything is again.

Fresh365 was my first stop when thinking about our Thanksgiving menu. Don’t these asiago sweet potatoes look heavenly? The recipe is simple, and with only 5 ingredients, it’s my kinda cookin’.

Tonight I’ll be speaking at the AIGA chapter in Charlotte, NC about all things blogging — most specifically, why you should blog, how to get started, how to promote, and how to have advertisers. After the talk, we’ll have some time to chat about things not directly covered during the presentation. If you’re coming, I look forward to meeting you! And if you can’t make it, I’ll be back right here on Thursday. For more information, like tickets and other details, check the AIGA Charlotte website.

Here’s a show I might have to make the trip to see: from March 18 to June 5, 2011, The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City will present the exhibition “Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay.” The show  will feature Sonia Delaunay’s textile and fashion designs from the 1920s through the 1940s, when she was intensively exploring the relationship between fabrics and contemporary art in terms of movement and color. There will be more than 300 works on view, including garments, textiles, designs, illustrations, and photographs.

Sonia Delaunay was known primarily for her abstract paintings, but she also dabbled in graphic design, interior design, theater, and film in addition to fashion and textiles. It will be the first major U.S. museum exhibition of Sonia Delaunay’s work in 30 years.

Images, from top to bottom and left to right:
Robe poème no. 1328, Photo: © The Museum of Modern Art, Licensed by SCALA, Art Resource, NY // Abstract Diagonal Composition no. 1733, Photo: © private collection // Bathing suit (tunic), Silk embroidery on wool jersey // Design 1044, Printed cotton georgette, Photo: © private collection // Set of five fabric samples, Design 945, Printed silk, Photo: © private collection // Variation on Design 1355, Gouache on paper, Photo: © private collection // Still photo from the film Le P’tit Parigot from the Collection of Antoine Blanchette

all work by Sonia Delaunay and images © L & M SERVICES B.V. The Hague 20100623

Work by artist Jessica Bell, available here.