2 birthdays 1 day

one of my dearest friends from back in under-grad days {univ of puget sound} was born on this day. she is kind-hearted, genuine, wise, supportive, and charmingly humble ~ really the best friend a girl could ever ask for. we studied international politics & economics together into the wee hours, we lived at the infamous 1904 together, we have shared the depths of life's experiences, we've gotten lost on the streets of venice, we've spent days on end together & months without seeng each other, never shifting our level of enchantment of being in each other's presence. i'm so honored and elated today to celebrate her.

{she's 8 mo's pregnant so i just had to share this adorable photo of her}

and it is also the fabulous jon sung-hero's birthday today. this fine gentleman is super-smart, witty, thoughtful, creative, up-beat, has excellent manners and is always a joy to spend time with. plus he writes the dogblog! and that made him famous. for very good reasons. please spend some time checking it out to see why. thanks for adding hilarity, robotics, cool dogs, fun games {like telephone-pictionary & cardboard fortress battle wars}, superheroes, good hugs, and extremely delicious applesauce to my life jon ~ today i celebrate yours! {be sure to ask him about that green lantern ring}

transylvanian discovery

i have never known much about the real transylvania ~ just the folklore around the infamous count dracula. i was intrigued by some gorgeous photos of the zabola country house & manor found on shoot factory. i'm sure you'll agree from the photos that this place has some history worth investigating.....

so, naturally, i did some research to share with you:

after 45 years of communism, the descendants of the count mikes de zabola family, displaced in 1949, returned to transylvania to rebuild their ancestor’s estate {now considered to be one of transylvania's best kept secrets}.

the hungarian mikes de zabola family traces its roots back to the 14th century; its title relates to the village of zabola in southeast transylvania. although in today's romania, transylvania once belonged to the hungarian kingdom, and has also been part of the habsburg empire.
the castle dates back to around 1400. it was once a fortified building with a tower in front. on the first floor all the ceilings were covered (currently painted over) with frescoes dating back to 1580 -1600. the estate is nestled at the foot of the carpathian mountains right next to thousands of hectares of untouched wilderness.

the mikes de zabola family belongs to a clan called the széklers. for 1,000 years they were the defenders of europe's eastern borders. apparently all széklers enjoyed the status of "personal freedom" which equalled the rights of the nobility; this was considered unique for the time. a hungarian renaissance king, matthias corvinus, confirmed these privileges in 1466 in zabola. the event is said to have taken place in the park behind the mikes castle and the stones that were placed there to mark the event can still be seen.

today the zabola estate of the count mikes family is a private and idyllic location for special events, especially those seeking the romantic and dramatic {and with a huge guest list}.

many more details about the family and history of the estate can be found on the official count mikes de zabola estate website.

{thanks very much to the zabola website, the count mikes de zabola estate website & shoot factory for the information and photos}

balancing act

these cirque du soliel performers {in lisbon's show "delirium"} perfectly depict an analogy to my life right now. can you relate too?

also, who is planning to see san francisco's kooza {it just opened on the 16th}? the description alone had me ready to buy tickets as soon as my pay check hit the bank:

"between strength and fragility, laughter and smiles, turmoil and harmony, KOOZA explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. the show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement."

but getting to see photos of their rehearsals on the official kooza site sealed the deal!

t.g.i.f! hope you have a most fabulously balanced weekend.

heat sensitive

taking a clue from mother nature, there's something intriguing about design technology that allows a shift in the look and feel of a product depending on temperature changes.

{radiator turned off}

{radiator turned on}

heat sensitive wallpaper designed by shi yuan, a chinese designer who graduated from the university of portsmouth in england ~ this was called her "design with life project".

{watercolor tiles when cold}

{water color tiles when hot}

one of many designs of heat sensitive tiles made by moving color, where they enable temperature to change your visual experience of an interior environment.

irish-sf dance collaboration

printz dance project is in the chronicle today ~ click on image to read the article:

pdp and siamsa tire have an informal showing this weekend of the collaborative choreography of irish traditional dance and american jazz, modern & hip-hop dances.

nov 30th & dec 1st at 8:00pm

the garage ~ 975 howard street

for tickets: 415.885.4006

{photos from rehearsals ~ all taken by jenni. and there are a couple sweet little video clips of their rehearsals together at her blog}

winter wonderland wishes

unfortunately we can't all spend our holidays in a place like this {it's the neuschwanstein castle in fussen germany ~ photo by my roman friend on flickr}, so while daydreaming about it i explored some ways to get the beauty of snowflakes into my san francisco holiday spirit. whether you're already getting blankets of snow, or if you're as likely to get a white christmas as i am {somewhere between zero & 2% chance}, hopefully you'll find some inspiration here to bring a winter wonderland to your world.

{welcome guests to a snowflaked soiree ~ items from red envelope and plow & hearth}

{frost your tabletop or mantle, found on the homeport website}

{jeweled snowflake ornaments from pottery barn}

.

{send a pop card from unica home or make your own snowflakes ~ diy project found on craftster.org}

{and for an awesome slideshow of micro shots of real snowflakes, spend a moment watching this}

glassybabies

lee rhodes is one of many glassblowers making an artisitc career in the seattle area. thanks to chihuly's well-deserved fame, seattle is becoming a bit of a capital for the glass blowing arts. but lee's story is noteworthy not only because her work is simply gorgeous, but because of the path that brought her to it, and what inspires her to keep at it. lee has demonstrated how a single object can help others who have suffered as she has. during a seven-year battle with lung cancer, rhodes realized how much people with cancer need support. when it was all over, she turned to glassmaking and eventually created the glassybaby, which she now produces for charity. at 32, after her third child was born, rhodes was stricken with cancer. she suffered three bouts of the disease. later, in 2000, her marriage ended and she rekindled her interest in glassblowing but she also wanted to start a business to help the kind of women who had sat with her in waiting rooms or in recovery at the hospital.

the glassybaby studio in seattle's madrone distraict is in a low 5,700-square-foot warehouse, {interesting side note: this is a former black panthers stronghold with graffiti murals that are a protected landmark} and it is now a $2 million business where 26 people in rotating teams blow the colored translucent glasses with clear heavy bases seven days a week. even though the cups, candleholders and vases are made in just about every color in the spectrum, they all have the same drinking-glass shape with a heavy clear-glass bottom. until recently glassybaby has been sold only by word of mouth at private parties - much the way tupperware was once sold. now lee rhodes is taking the party on the road. she was in san francisco earlier this month to sell glassybabies in the presidio at the log cabin. it was her first attempt, since she was featured on martha stewart's fledgling home show in 2005, to spread her gospel ~ that a brand such as hers can bring people together.
also check out her impressive website where you can order glassybabies individually or in sets.

this is the kind of gift you can feel fabulous about giving any time of year. ;o)

{thanks to sfgate & the glassybaby website for the info and photos}

cozy & quiet

i hope you're enjoying your thanksgiving thoroughly ~ such a wonderful time to reflect and appreciate.
i'm staying with my family in oregon but wanted to pop on here to let you know i've disabled comments on my blog for a while. seems some folks have decided to write some pretty rude things on studio wellspring posts {things you'd never want to read, actually} so it's an unfortunate necessity until they move on.
i'll be back next week and am sending you all cozy comforting thoughts filled with gratitude.

{our thanksgiving table}

thankful for friends and family

{sharon, me & jenni}

{jessica & ilia}

thankful for clodagh

she inspired me to follow my design dreams

thankful for fosse

bob fosse is the king of jazz dance and my entire childhood's dance history was filled with his style. {thanks to teri jernigan!}
this is bob fosse and tommy rall from the 1955 movie "my sister eilleen"

food for thought

thanksgiving is less than a week away. this is my favorite holiday and i am barely able to stay in my seat with anticipation. spending time with my wonderful family, being cozy at the hearth in my parent's home, taking a hike on mary's peak where you can see the cascade mountains and the pacific ocean at the same time, watching my niece walk for the first time, listening to family & friends play music all evening, and of course eating delicious favorite dishes at all times of day and night.
i've been mulling over several ideas for how to decorate the thanksgiving table and also found a lot of inspiration from friends on flickr {as these photos show}, but this year i am going to do somethings differently. i don't know if it's the essential shambhala class i've been taking or the state of the world these days {yes, it's probably both actually} but i know at this time of gratitude for our abundance, others are suffering and have so very little. it's something i just can't ignore.

so, along with candles and acorns, this year there will be dishes intentionally left empty, so that while we give thanks for all our blessings we can also keep in mind those who are less fortunate. and there will be little envelopes with paper & mini pencils so we can write prayers and give contributions to local charities. there is an enormous imbalance of wealth in the world and it is the responsibility of those with more prosperity to recognize and assist those with less.

{a jumble of dishes representing the millions who go hungry every day found on paris parfait, from the centre pompidou by jordana shalhoub}

making do with pink

do you remember last summer when i asked for your help on what to do with my new apartment's pink bath?

i think it's high-time i updated you on the results of my disposable re-design.

i call it disposable re-design because i must return the bathroom to the exact way it looked when i moved in, seeing as it's a rental with strict landlords, so everything i did to help it out has to be removed {repainted, etc} whenever i leave.

the backsplash was a too-sticky-sweet teal & periwinkle daisy motif surrounded by pepto-pink tiles on the walls and floor. the walls were not-quite-white {different shade of white from the window trim and white tile countertops}.

and now, i've painted the walls a warm shade of mocha, and i've made a new backsplash out of old prints of italian landscape paintings. i cut them to fit and then got them laminated in one long strip. i grouted the new backsplash in with tile sealant so it looks a little more legitimate. lastly, i added a vintage white-tile-framed mirror, a vintage rug i found at the alameda antique fair {that one purchase i mentioned making last week}, and some additional decor items to adorn the space a bit more.

even though i still can't stand pink, the bathroom is more enjoyable for me now, so i lay my complaints to rest.

about last night

my first real pair of tango shoes worn at my first milonga where i danced with my first tango angel. oh my.
i didn't get home until after midnight and i dreamt intense tango dreams all night. i want to keep that feeling alive, and so i offer this:



i'll be taking lessons with them {michelle & murat erdemsel} on saturday and i cannot wait.
oh and my first private lesson with jennifer bratt is friday evening.
see i told you i was addicted,and i'm not ashamed of it in the least.
also, many many thanks to tangobaby for the kindest sweetest post ever today.