RING, REFLECTION, REFRACTION

Why do all the cool things seem to happen overseas (like this)? This stunning installation, created by French designer Arnaud Lapierre in collaboration with Audi, is called 'Ring' and is made up of numerous mirrors latched together vertically in space. It was temporarily installed in Place Vendome in late October but, thankfully!, will be reinstalled once more in Castellet, France and then will hit the art fairs and the art market. Wouldn't it be incredible to have someplace like Storm King buy this and install it permanently? I can only imagine it would look equally beautiful in an open green field as a French street.


Learn more about the artist here and the project here.


(Thanks to Yatzer for the tip.)

TWINKLE, SHINE, KRAFT

I know I have been remiss about posting of late. With the holiday last week and a presentation at school this week, I haven't had a lot of free time. And what free time I have had has gone into making these or daydreaming about how to top my holiday wrapping from last year.

So here is a small inspiration board for wrapping this year. I am thinking of using lots of butcher paper, craft paper and accents of silver, gold and red. Without further ado, here are the links (top to bottom, left to right):

Mae Mae Paperie, 'Tis the Season to Glitter
Knot & Bow Glitter Twine
Compai Gift Wrapping Ideas
Hand-drawn Gift Wrap from Mini Eco
Nice Package, Twisty Tie Tutorial
Anthropologie Glinting Arrows Wrapping Paper
Anthropologie Silver Shine Wrapping Paper

BRING ON THE HOLIDAYS

Tonight I am headed home to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. I am very much looking forward to some down time watching the Dog Show, eating lots of delicious food, and (best of all!) hanging out with family and friends. What are your plans for the holiday?


I also thought I would share some of the things on my 'to do' list for the weekend:


--1-- Making this delicious Cranberry Pear Pie recipe and my family's traditional cranberry applesauce


--2-- Making an advent calendar from Oh Happy Day's amazing DIY printables 


--3-- Heading here on Black Friday to do some early Christmas shopping; so many cute things this season!


Have a great holiday! I will see you back here with some sweet holiday posts next Monday!

FROM THE ARCHIVES: LET IT SPARKLE

I did some experimenting with time lapse photography and sparklers over the summer and never got around to posting about it. It got me to thinking, wouldn't it be fun to stage a similar photo on a frosty winter night or after the first snow fall? I think it would make a great holiday card, no?

For pointers check out this great article.

(photos taken by me, with my hubby-to-be, over the fourth of July weekend 2011)

ON POINT

I have noticed a trend in jewelry recently: arrows! Glitzy arrows, gold arrows, necklaces, earrings. Here are some of my favorites (top to bottom):


chevron arrows earrings, $33
taking aim arrows earrings, $35
arrow ranking necklace, $20
on the mark necklace, $49
arrow necklace on long chain, $88
house of harlow 1960 arrow drop necklace, $159
18 karat rose gold diamond arrow necklace, $2250 (super pricey, but pretty!)

SMELLS LIKE SCHOOL SPIRIT

What are you up to this weekend? I am headed home to Connecticut to watch 'The Game' (the Harvard vs. Yale football game) with my family and my fiancee's family and a whole bunch of friends. It is supposed to be beautiful weather and I can't wait!


Do you have any fun plans? How are you going to spend this lovely fall weekend?


(photo taken by me at the Harvard vs. Yale game in 2006)

PANTONE WALLPAPER

If you are like me it's hard to pick a wallpaper for your computer or phone. There are just too many choices (and too few minimalist examples!). But Pantone has stepped in to save the day: they are now offering free wallpapers in tons of sizes so you can put Rococco Red on your laptop, Turquoise on your phone . . . basically make your electronics bold and bright. I am totally enamored with the stacked box design too!


Get your own here.

ELEVEN ON 11-11-11 RECAP

As I mentioned here, last week I visited eleven different museum and gallery shows to mark November 11, 2011 (and just to catch up on shows I haven't seen!) Here's a quick photo recap of my favorites.





Maurizio Cattelan: All at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. On view through January 22.
A retrospective of the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan who has made a career of cheekiness (one of his past exhibitions consisted of simply closing the gallery and putting out a sign that said 'come back later'). This exhibition at the Guggenheim, while a bit theatrical, certainly captures that prankster spirit. 






The Private Collection of Robert Rauschenberg at Gagosian Gallery's Madison Avenue location.
On view through December 23.
A beautiful extensive exhibition of the collection of one of my favorite artists. Simply put, Gagosian Gallery always puts on a good show!







Calder: 1941 at the Pace Gallery's 57th street location. On view until December 23.
Who doesn't like Alexander Calder? Seriously, no one. This exhibition, featuring lots of rarely-seen privately-owned work made in 1941, does not fail to deliver. Don't miss the flip books (showing the mobiles in motion) by the welcome desk.







Jacob Hoshimoto: The End of Gravity at Mary Boone Gallery. On view through December 17.
A new-to-me artist, this work in this exhibition is jaw-droppingly complex and simple at the same time. Hard to explain without seeing for yourself, so go check it out!


(all photos taken by me using Instagram; see more here)

MISSED CONNECTIONS

Have you read the blog Missed Connections? It's a beautiful website, created by artist Sophie Blackall, that features her gorgeous illustrations of the best 'Missed Connections' on Craigslist. Not surprisingly she chooses the wackiest and sweetest messages to illustrate and her talent makes them completely come alive in the most imaginative way.


Check out the blog here or her new book here!

MILESTONES

Ba ba ba bah! Big news! The obsessive imagist has reached over 50,000 hits! In the three and a half years since this blog was born, I have been blessed to have the best readers and am constantly amazed to see visitors tuning in from all over the world. Thank you for your continued support. Here's to 50,000 more!


My office is closed today in honor of Veteran's Day (and perhaps to celebrate this, ha!) and I will be taking advantage of it by catching up on a whole bunch of gallery and museum exhibitions all over the city (I am aiming for at least 11 shows since it is 11-11-11). I will report back on the best of them on Monday!


Until then, have a great weekend!

FLAMING CACTUS

This installation in Astor Place has been up for a while, but it has taken me about three visits to be able to get photographs that actually do it justice. Entitled Flaming Cactus it is comprised of thousands upon thousands of interconnected zip ties (like these) wrapped around various light poles in a small one block radius. It was created by the Animus Art Collective as part of the Summer Streets Festival and will be up until June 2012.


See more photos and get more information here.


(Photos taken on my iPhone; see more on my Instagram account here)