Maxwell MacKenzie at Fraser

Scary Spider

I’ve got a black spider in my back yard which has the scariest looking spikes on it body and a mean looking stinger underneath… I’ve been staying away from this beautiful, mean looking machine.

I’ve never seen a spider which also has spikes on its body. My poor attempt at macro photography without getting too close to this dude is above. A better image of what it looks like is here.

Deadline: September 10, 10.

On behalf of the Tubman-Mahan Art Gallery of the Center for Green Urbanism, Authentic Contemporary Art is inviting artists to submit artwork for ReCREATE. This will be the inaugural exhibition of the Gallery and will showcase artwork that is made up of recycled or recyclable materials. It will coincide with the Center’s official Grand Opening, scheduled for Friday,

2010 DC Shorts Film Festival
September 9-16, 2010
Buy tickets HERE.

This was a really well participated giveaway.

And now for the winner..

The winner is…

The lucky reader who will be snuggling in one of PajamaSutra‘s pretty designs is…..

….selected randomly…

Congratulations….Leigh!

Expect an email from me shortly.

As BIG thank you to all 155 of you who entered Sarena, owner/designer of PajamaSutra is offering a 15% discount until midnight on August 31st.  Use code “mochatini.”  at checkout.

Happy snuggles.

xo

image: manvi drona-hidalgo

Hello first-day-back-to-school Monday.

I hope you had a great weekend, were able to relax and enjoy sunshine wherever you are. We had a gorgeous sunny weekend here in DC so we decided on a spontaneous crab lunch trip to Annapolis. Maryland boasts some of the most delicious crabs. Thanks Ally and Jane for tips on how to get rid of crab smelling hands. Lemons did the trick.

Other highlights from our weekend included:

- A tweet up organized by beautiful Maryam from Marrakesh. It was awesome to finally meet Maryam. She is even lovelier in person. The tweet up, was at charming Vinoteca (highly recommend the tamari “reserve”from mendoza, argentina) and was a cheerful gathering of wonderful peeps. A shout out to Christie, Andrea, Brandie, Nole, Kaydee and Bill. It was a pleasure to connect with you all.

- And shopping for goodies from the Takoma Park farmers market. I really look forward to farmer’s market on weekends to score fresh treats. This weekend I put together a small spread of kalamata olive bread, strawberry-peach jam and chevre goat cheese, and bellinis. Perfect outdoor picnic.

- I also found these cute lavender sachets at the market for my lingerie drawer. These little sachets are easy to make using left-over fabric and filled with lavender (or other potpourri) would make great hostess gifts.

Oh and I realized I hadnt shared my new lamp (Cyan via GiltGroupe) with you. Isnt she pretty? Initially, I wanted her in our masterbed room, but I think she feels more at home in the dining room, dont you?

Have a happy week ahead.

ps: giveaway winner – coming up next.

iamges: all manvi drona-hidalgo, except #4 which is via apartment 34.

  | CALLS FOR ENTRY |

Diego Rivera Tenochtitlan National Palace

Key Dates are as follows:
Artwork Drop-Off: Thursday, September 9,, 2010 from11am-6pm
Artwork Pick-Up Date: Sunday, October 17, 2010 from 4pm-5pm
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 16, 2010 from 6pm-10pm
Exhibit Runs: September 12- October 17, 2010

For more information and to view a prospectus click here.

The gallery is located in Hyattsville’s new Arts District at 5702 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, MD, 20781. Contact the gallery at (301) 779-4907 or (202) 446-7373 and by email at info@designstudioartgallery.com  Regular hours are Wed – Fri 11am – 7pm, Sat 10am -5pm, Sun 1pm – 5pm

20 Works of Art Missing or Destroyed

There’s a sad truth to art museums that’s not often talked about: sometimes, things just disappear. Over time, countless works of art have gone missing for one reason or another, whether it’s damage, theft, poor stewardship, natural disaster, or the tragic effects of war. For every hundred or thousand paintings or sculptures, there’s one that’s been lost to the ages. Some exist in reproductions or sketches, but some are gone for good. This list is just a small sample of those works of art that can be seen only in photos of what used to be.

Read it and weep here.

Our friends at Brightest Young Things went to Glenn Beck’s WhiteStock this weekend dressed as a pregnant demon with an “I want a sandwich” sign and posted some commentary and lots of good pictures. They also posted this excellent little video of David Cross talking about conservatives:

Life After Art School

Carrie M. Becker just received an MFA in sculpture and she’s trying to figure out where to go from there:

Transition is a terrible thing. The transition from life in art school to life in the Great Big Out There. How can it work? As I try to write this, “failure” is the only word to come to mind. Failure. But where to go from there?

Failure perfectly describes my state of mind right now. Three years after art school, three states, four jobs, and thousands of dollars of debt later, I’m still nowhere. I once sauntered through the hallways of my alma mater as a god (in my mind at least), and have now been forced, years later, to crawl like a begging dog to interview after interview with no success and no foreseeable future. I wince every time I open my email – surely another rejection is sitting there, mocking me.

Read the entire series here.