DIY Chuck Norris Style

It looks like this is all the rage in the blog world:

Take the look of a high-priced fixture and make it yourself,

For example:

This Moooi light is priced for about $2400


but all you really need is a large balloon,
white yarn, fabric stiffener (for the yarn) and a home depot light kit, all under $15 total.


(image from Oakland Avenue)
just remember to remove the balloon..

Another option:

This lamp is made with a simple paper latern, a light cord, a glue gun, and lots of coffee filters...

(DIY from Kara Parlay Designs)

Or you could do what Design Sponge did with their paper latern and cover it with paper icicles...

or these paper laterns covered with doilies from Curbly:

or these covered with silk flowers or trim by Crafty nest:

This is not a DIY, but an amazing light carved from a dried gourd- but hell, why not try it?

(image from Fresh Home)

And just for fun, a little DIY, Chuck Norris style:

Fun Stuff Continues...

Check out these chairs from Kenneth Cobonpue:

                Yee Ha!

Amandine Alessandra's Ideographic alphabet using a chair:

a cool way to create a table with any top: the tick clip acts like a giant paper clip - it can accept almost any surface and because of it's design can withstand heavy loads: 

               (images from grass roots modern)

Beautiful Branching Bubble Lights  from Lindsey Adelman

Fun Stuff

Can't seem to bring the trailer home on your travels all over the world? Well Caravan Hotel in Berlin brings all the comforts of a trailer to your hotel suite...now all you need is a 40 oz of German beer, your undershirt, the tattoo that says 'I may be lying in the gutter, but I'm staring at the stars' and a pair of denim cutoffs to complete the picture...

On a serious note,  please check out this Art House at the Jones Center in Austin, Texas - a hybrid of  store and a 1920's theater. 

(images from arch daily)

Okay-okay,  I can't help it, let's get back to the questionable design aesthetic for a little fun.

If you are depressed and wondering about ending it all, you may not want the next light pendant.

The Manila Rope Light from Atelier 688 in Toronto, is simple in design but a little daunting when seen on display. 

I'm not going to make fun of this next item, I love the idea, this is the Training Locker for children by Peter Bristol:

Lastly, Volkswagon has come up with some new eco-friendly advertisment, in fact it's so natural you can eat it, you are actually invited to... It's comprised of glutinous rice flour, water, salt, propylene glycol, FD&C color and glycerin so that it is safe for eat.

(images from I New Idea)

Flaking out...

Well, I have this blog and I have the urge to show you something that is not concrete, but abstract and ephemeral, simple and complex at the same time--in other words, let's get a little flaky here:

Check out the following images and let your mind wonder....

This is an image of a chess set created by Yoko Ono, both opponents are painted white, it's from an exhibition I saw with my oldest brother in Houston. It has a very simple statement describing the piece:  How to proceed when the opponent is indistinguishable from oneself?

Abstract art by Book Hou (images from BookHou)

abstract art by Mars Cinq-Mars

abstract art with Ogaki typefont (image from Book Huo)

"Love Hate" typography image:

"Right Wrong" typography image

  

 (images by Andrei D. Robu)

See flaking out is not a crime...it can be fun, right?? Speaking of crime however,  in the early 1920's Austrailia's police force took images of people they thought were criminals or "were likely to commit a crime", take a look at a few of their store of photos that are currently in an exhibition called "Crooks":

i love the fact that this guy refused to open his eyes..