acura mdx

i got a new car after my old car flooded for the fifth or sixth time during a seasonal rain storm: stupid touareg! despite all the problems with it, i grew to love it. the touareg was cute, and sporty...fast and fun. but it was also at the top of consumer reports worst car list annually, and i would have been a fool to replace my 2004 toureg with a new one. why didn't volkswagon fix these fundamental problems? so, i got an acura mdx: its nice. i am still getting used to it, having driven it only thursday and friday. it has a lot of cool features, none of which i know how to operate: they want me to read a 2" thick manual! where's the dvd? 

day 30: design something every day

carriage horse necklace is designed for day 30: design something new every day. this plastic piece from a polly pocket gypsy caravan will look great cast in sterling silver: cant wait to get these pieces back from the caster!

pandamania

today begins the big party for washington's favorite panda, tai shan, at the national zoo. it's a bitter sweet affair, though, as it marks the start of the countdown to our favorite panda's return to china in a week. trudge through the snow 11-3 to listen to panda interpreters, talk to zoo specialists and participate in panda art activities. above is a photo of my "freedom panda" i sculpted for pandamania back in 2004.

day 29: design something every day

monkey on a chain is my design for day 29 of design something every day...almost thru my vintage party favors and plastic thing collection...i think.

modern dollhouse

what about this arne jacobsen replica dollhouse from minimii for your modern child? or me?

day 28: design something every day

jack ass on a gyroscope ring...

in honor of the democratic party.

modern tooth brush holder

fellow etsian brad turner of bradturnerglass blows these sculptural toothbrush holders for your modern bath. sweet!

synchronized puppies

how'd they get that shot? photoshop?

puppies never do that!

day 27: design something every day

they usually say "that child was born with a silver spoon in his mouth!"

what about a silver pacifier, though?

hotel motel holiday inn

remember how cool motels used to look? crazy, eye catching  colors and weird architecture...the blazing neon signs are my favorite part! found these lovely examples of mid-twentieth century hospitality design on colourlovers while looking for the list of the

ten dirtiest hotels for 2010.

not a fan of bed bugs.

day 26: design something every day

today i gathered all of my little plastic toys and party favors together in a package to send off to my caster for molds and castings. i am excited with the designs i have come up with for this new line and look forward to fabricating each limited edition piece...and then selling them! this design something every day challenge is working out great! today design number 26 is high heeled shoe earrings. i can also see post earrings, rings, charms, pins, etc.

day 25: design something every day

the latest addition  to the vintage-party-favor-themed-ring-design is a 'sheep wrapped in a sterling silver cowl'. why a cowl? that's the only thing i can knit! not true: i can (and have) knit a sweater, but that is all i could come up with in 30 minutes...the time i have alloted to come up with a new design every day for the entire year of 2010.

ok: monday is D-O-N-E.

happy bubble wrap appreciation day

hope you had a happy bubble wrap appreciation day! i do appreciate bubble wrap: i have a bubble wrap game app on my iphone and i love it: i am rated as "an expert" bubble popper. i rarely receive anything broken that has been packaged in bubble wrap, but i really dont see it as much as i used to: i guess its the plastic thing. i do get packages with the huge single bubble a lot: not as much fun as regular bubble wrap at all, but effective as a packaging material. anything is better than those peanuts: they float and blow around every where and hide under things. hats off to fantastically pop-y bubble wrap! 

day 24: design something every day

'hot dog on a stick' ring is design
24 for my design something every day challenge. i dont think i need

to explain my inspiration here:
everyone loves food on a stick!

day 23: design something every day

"beware of dog" ring.

i grew up with a german shepard named iago. he was a wonderful dog and a great explorer/companion for me.

he was also very protective of his dog bowl and tried to bite me every night when i added scraps from our dinner plates. 

adams morgan

adams morgan was just getting started at midnight.

thievery corporation at the 9:30 club

yet another stellar eclectic event from thievery corporation. the 9:30 club always puts on a great show: it wasnt too crowded (though sold out), the sound system rocked, and everybody was in a good mood. nice.

day 22: design something every day

yeah: a camp fire ring, that's what i'm thinking. i found this fantastic faux bois rubber-y lit camp fire thing a few years back in the gutter. i cant wait to have it cast in silver because i love this ring! who has marshmallows? (i do)

ben's chili bowl

line out the door at ben's chili bowl

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it's the weekend guide!

tfgif!

it has been a fun week- so far-with the mlk holiday on monday and the event at the cosmos club on tuesday.

plus: the weather was decent. tonight, the party continues with the thievery corporation at the 9:30 club, night #3. its sold out as is tomorrow night; but the just-added sunday night show may still have tickets. thievery corporation at the 9:30 club is a must-see for music lovers. 

elvis is in the building at the national portrait gallery saturday 11:30-5 with an exhibition, tribute concert and screening of (my favorite) elvis flick, viva las vegas. ann-margaret rocks!

if you feel cheeky later, head to the palace of wonders at 10:00 for the battle of the burlesque stars.

what? 

day 21: design something every day

i always feel sorry for the animals at the zoo: so much concrete and bars. i guess people kill them when they're in the wild, though. so here is a giraffe in a global cage ring, traversing both world realities: he looks trapped. day 21, and i designed something today.

studio in the woods

here is my office in the woods...then there is this beauty designed by selgas cano architecture.  so simple...so modern...it might freak out the bears, though. 

day 20: design something every day

catch more flies with honey ring
will combine an enameled fly with a
sterling silver honey pot and ring shank.

day 20: design something every
day:done.

hello cupcake

bill and penny invited us to the cosmos club last night for dinner and a presentation on puget sound and the Chesapeake bay: it was a wonderful evening! penny is the proprietor of hello cupcake, hands down: the best cupcakes in dc! penny actually brought us 4 hello cupcakes, but I ate the strawberry one before I photographed it!

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day 19: design something every day

pig on a blanket made of bacon ring was quickly drawn in my sketch pad and photographed with my crappy iPhone camera to honor my pledge of 365 consecutive days of design in 2010.

cosmos club

at the cosmos club. im here to attend a lecture by journalist hendrick smith about his documentary poisoned water.

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the lounge at the fairfax

cocktail at the lounge in the hotel fairfax before dinner and a lecture at the cosmos club

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martin luther king day is over, but...

martin luther king day is done, but i hope its spirit continues throughout the year. if you didnt do it yesterday, take a couple of minutes to reflect on all you have and try to share a little with those that have not.

spread love and peace, and treat everyone with dignity and respect.

day 18: design something every day

swimming upstream ring is conceived for day 18 of my design something every day challenge...maybe i drew that too fast because the perspective is all off, but i get the idea, at least.

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designer shoe warehouse

so many shoes...so little time!

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day 17: design something every day

day 17: design something every day produced a cow in a corral ring.

create your own snowflakes

this week promises to have temperatures in the mid-40's, so if you miss the snow and cant get enough of winter, create your own snowflakes here,

in the comfort of your own home.

super foggy

after the rain, the fog moved in to melt the rest of the nasty snow.

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day 16: design something every day

today is day 16 of my design something every day and I am continuing to come up with rings derived from my vintage party favor stash. actually, this bull is a cocktail decoration from the 90's ( memba them?) and he's coming out of a tunnel, looking all bully.

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day 15: design something every day

I was travelling yesterday and didn't get to post my design for the day...which is a mouse sitting on a cheese wedge ring.

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tacos el gringo

a quick taco break at tacos el gringo food cart in callao.

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day 14: design something every day

fido's in the doghouse ring was conceived on day 14 of design something every day challenge.

futuro house

i am a huge student (and fan) of mid-century modern design and architecture, so when i saw this article in web urbanist i was thrilled to learn something new. how cool would this 300 square foot futuro house be for a cabin? very.

day 13: design something every day

day 13 of my design something every day challenge, and this dolphin ring party favor could possibly be a very pedestrian ring design. but, no: it's my design, so it will be cool, if nothing else. thinking of using a gold hoop and possible etching a word or two on it. he is a happy guy, though: isnt he?

sticky rice dc

john's birthday party today at sticky rice was so fun! i cant think of a better appetizer than a bucket of tater tots: divine! the food was pretty good and they had a great selection for vegetarians and vegans, which is always good to know.

day 12: design something every day

ok: day 12 of design something every day, and i designed the poodle chateau ring, based on a vintage party favor cast in sterling silver combined with a jewish wedding ring concept.

day 11: design something every day

today's design something every day entry is a sterling silver casting of a vintage plastic party favor- the cat- combined with a concept derived from a tennessee williams play...without paul newman and elizabeth taylor, though.

washington, dc winter restaurant week

washington, dc winter restaurant week starts today

january 11 and runs through
sunday the 17th. 180 of

dc's finest eating establishments will be participating in this
desperate attempt at getting somebody-anybody-to brave the most frigid winter in twenty-five years,

and come in to eat. pre-fixed
3-course lunches are
$20.10, while the same style
dinner is $30.10.

i think i will stay in and microwave a potato.

day 10: design something every day

im working on a project involving  vintage charms which i am having cast in sterling silver. inspired by the birds who have surrounded my heated bird bath this winter, this sterling silver hollow ring welcomes a little (currently plastic) bird hovering above a domed acorn bird bath. so, i am surprised i have made ten days in a row of designing something every day: cheers to me!

what watt?

i love this 'what watt' chandelier by designer tim fishlock. made up of 1243 suspended incandescent lamps  of various shape and size, the chandelier is illuminated by a single low-energy light source. By 2011, all forms of incandescent light bulb will be phased out in favor of greener alternatives. tim says, "What Watt? marks the passing of a beautiful design that has remained relatively unchanged since its invention 130 years ago."  he plans on producing a total of ten.

via contemporist.

day 9: design something every day challenge

on the ninth day of my design something every day challenge, i designed a sterling silver ring with an abalone setting.

see-worthy.

town hall

 had dinner with stuart last night at town hall in glover park. i liked it!

day 8: design something every day

in my design something every day challenge, i have used wood cuttings from pork chop show as jewels: bezel set in sterling silver.

happy birthday elvis!

when i was kid back in cali, i spent summers in the sierra-nevada foothills with my grandma and great-grandma. i loved being in the country, collecting frogs or playing cowgirl or go-go dancer. my great aunt nyla was a huge elvis fan and we watched each and every one of his movies together: it was so great! so here i sit this morning-elvis' birthday- drinking coffee and watching 'spinout', trying to figure out if i have a cropped striped shirt with fringe to pair with my pink skinny jeans that would be appropriate for a snowy day and a meeting with the civil engineer...

day 7: design something every day

today i designed three jade rings.

i chose large prong settings to wrap around and capture the big rounded stones.

day 6: design something every day

it's day 6 of design something every day, and another ring has been conceived. this one from a large slice of petrified wood. this stone has been staring at me daily in the studio, and finally i come up with an idea. one of the things that is so cool about this stone is that it is translucent, so i designed the setting to be open to allow for the transfer of light.

i like it.