Help a Guy Out
Long time, no see, my little gilded lilies…but that’s entirely my fault. However, I see that you all have kept this blog alive even if I haven’t contributed to it in a long while. For that, I thank you…it let’s me know I’m not the only crazy person out there ^_^
But now my husband needs a little help. I’m attaching his request below. Please spare a moment of your time and help him out. He deserves to win this and so much more…after all, poor bastard got stuck with me as a wife! Anyway, here’s his request:
“Hey Guys,
My name is Tan. I’ve entered a contest to win a new wheelchair accessible van. I’m a student at Florida State University working on my Bachelors in Communication, an active student on campus as a member of the AAF student chapter, I work as a tutor for Disability Student Services at Gulf Coast State College, and am an active member of the community, supporting the local arts, small community business leaders, and a child advocacy organization. This summer I’ll also be working on a field study of a public relations program that my wife and I created to help the local organization Every Child 1 Promise. But without reliable transportation I’ve recently been unable to participate in all the things I love doing–for the first time in nearly 14 years since having my accident, I’ve been forced to become a shut-in.
Please help me rejoin the world by voting for my video. The link is provided for you below.
Follow the link and when you vote enter the code 974.
http://www.nmeda.com/mobility-awareness-month/heroes/florida/panama-city/1684/tan-nguyen
When you’ve done that, please share this note and link with yout friends so they can help vote for me. Voting ends May 13th, so I need all the help I can get. Thank you for all your support!
You are allowed to vote once per IP address per day. So please vote for me every day.
I also want to send a special thank you to all those people who had such nice things to say about me and wanted to be a part of my video. Thank You!”
**Note: Another friend called the company and they told her that once you use the code the first time it links the code to your email address. So as long as you use that email address the next time you vote, the code will automatically be tallied to your new vote. You can vote once per IP address daily. If you vote using multiple IP addresses, you can vote 5 times per email address daily. Any time you use a different email address, the first time you vote you need to enter the promo code and then same rule as above applies each time you enter that email address to vote.
The Visceral Girly
So, while crushing over Tim Burton at the MoMA on Moco Loco, Gilding came across a post on this artist, Hannah Stouffer.
Stouffer’s works were hit and miss for Gilding, though not in craftsmanship or aesthetic, perhaps just content? The image of the painting above, however, was a total favorite.
Stouffer’s works are graphic and bold. The watercolor are as deep and rich as they are weeping and visceral. There’s a femininity to the pieces, but in contrast to the content the colors take on a appeal of bleeding organs. Gilding particularly likes the contrast of cute fawns surrounded by vultures. Nothing like the representation of the helpless being surrounded by meat eating scavengers willing to pluck the skin off for tiny morsels of food.
Stouffer’s works follow much of this same theme: visceral and girly; innocent and carnivorous; skeletal creatures frolicking amongst showers of flowers; birds slamming into shattering glass. [Via: Moco Loco]
Visit Hannah Stouffer’s webpage.
Burton at the MoMA
So what’s better than a Burton Christas? Tim Burton at the fricken’ MoMA!
Over 700 examples of work by Burton are being exhibited in a five month long retrospective at the MoMA in New York before moving on to Melbourne and then Toronto. The works on display include sketchbooks, drawings, paintings, concept art, photos, fillms, and sculptures. There is also a film retrospective that includes both films by Burton and those that served as inspiration.
The exhibit opened November 22, 2009 and will run until April 26, 2010. [Via: MocoLoco]
Visit the exhibition page at the MoMA for the Tim Burton exhibition.
Thank You’s and a Little Attacking
So…Gilding has been an absentee blog mother. Perhaps she’ll be better soon, but selfish bitch that she is, better can be a relative term ;p Gilding does have to say that, she has recently received some of the best compliments and words of encouragement from some Gilded the Lilies who read this blog even when it wasn’t active. For that she thanks you, Kathy from VA, Megan aka “Megaroo”, and Paul aka “pfunk” (word to yo motha).
And for those who like to bitch about the content on this blog. Gilding puts all the links from which she got her information within the post and at the end of the post (so marked by the hyperlinks, oh yeah, and the indicator words via, source, link(s), and/or related. How ’bout you go looking through those links before you go bitching. Also, its a fucking blog; placing my source links is sufficient, there’s no need for an MLA format. Proper form dictates I make mention and I do. Don’t like it, stop fucking reading. Also, I can only report the information I find. Unfortunately, plenty or blogs and websites get a hold of the information before I ever even conceive of looking for it and don’t credit. I do my best to find the original source but this world wide web is HUGE and sometimes its just not possible to find it. I will duly give credit where credit is due if I know it. But attacking the messenger never wins you anything. But it will piss me the fuck off if you attack. All that is needed is your contact; write me and tell me you’re the original source or the creator, and I will credit you. Attack me…well, I have decided that along with giving due credit I will now also include my fresh opinion of what a dick you are, which I will post for all the readers of the world to see.
This blog is exactly what the idiom that is its title means, a Gilding of the lily. Its a regurgitation of information already out there, interjected with a bit of my own sarcasm every once in a while, but mostly, just a re-posting of the information that’s out there that I summarize and post here because I find it interesting. Every once in a while a post will be entirely personal, such as this one. But my purpose of writing this blog is to share with others out there all the cool shit I find and just it in one single location.
So thank you to all who read this blog and love Gilding. The rest of you, I’ve cursed enough in this post already so it would be unseemly for Gilding to say “Fuck Off”.
Tradition at Heart
To be or not to be…traditional that is. Gilding herself ponders this every Christmas. There is a sore state of longing when traditions are not followed. Those same traditions that have always brought warmth to your heart; a feeling of being wrapped up in an invisible blanket of balance and good things. But it is also true that some traditions, though they are warm and cozy to you, are just down-right stressful to the others in your life. Truth be told, traditions come with a sense of perfectionism, for if they weren’t bound in perfection would they be a tradition? For a perfectionist, such as Gilding herself is, such stress is a motivator; a sign of the great successor, and for the narcissist in her, any failure at completing a tradition in any less than perfect form is just fine too because she is sure no one else could have accomplished it better for else they would have done it themselves. But that doesn’t eliviate the sense of those around her that traditions mean one huge opportunity to not live up to the tradition of yore and all that it has been in the past. So where does one draw the line on when a tradition is worth keeping and when one is not? Gilding herself came to the decision last Christmas that a tradition should feel good, should come with that feeling of warm blankets and soft hugs. And if the feeling can’t be shared by all then all that is left is for you to adhere to the tradition of feel-goodedness and be forgiving in letting the others off the hook.
But all of that is a whole lot of rambling for a ponderance that in and of itself is worthy of self reflection. The ponderance of this post is, is a tradition still a tradition if its not the same. Gilding thinks so. Traditions are an essence of things, a ritual of acts meant to observe and bring us closer to our generations of past. But none of that says that the generations of today can’t observe it…uniquely. So Gilding proposes this, because frankly they’re too damn cool not to be explored.
Take the Christmas Tree. Though the tradition has its roots in Pagan ritual, simply focusing on the tradition in its Christian roots you’ll find that Martin Luther is credited with being so inspired by the heavens in the night sky one night that he brought in a fir tree, attaching lighted candles to its branches. From its Pagan past, the fir tree symbolized fire, an ancient symbol for the spirit. To further associate its divine design, the tree points upwards, pointing towards the heavens. Evergreens, another commonly used tree, represented the eternal life, its green color being one of the only constant plants to remain alive and vibrant even through the harsh winters.
But who says a tree has to be just a tree. And here’s where that play on tradition comes in. Perhaps this Christmas is the Christmas to be Seussed with a very Whovillian tree. So its strange, and pictured here arching over a fireplace, the tree is designed for doorways and other archways, but its beautiful construction, and with the minds of the creative Gilded Lilies reading this blog, this tree is truly meant for the grand homage to Dr. Seuss that it is worthy of and beyond. And certainly shouldn’t be tucked away as little more than a fancy doorway ornament. Nobody puts baby in a doorway, nobody.
But, Hey, if you have to just to make room for this Upside-Down tree, then baby will understand. Ok, for the religious this tree may just seem wrong, even sacriligious, but according to the Christams Archives, “In the 7th century a monk from Crediton, Devonshire, went to Germany to teach the Word of God. He did many good works there, and spent much time in Thuringia, an area which was to become the cradle of the Christmas Decoration Industry. Legend has it that he used the triangular shape of the Fir Tree to describe the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The converted people began to revere the Fir tree as God’s Tree, as they had previously revered the Oak. By the 12th century it was being hung, upside-down, from ceilings at Christmastime in Central Europe, as a symbol of Christianity.”
Brain having a bit of trouble comprehending the spatial demands of the Upside-Down tree in your home? It stands 7 feet tall and just a little bit wider at the top than a normal tree. Still, for the worry-warts at heart, this upside-down tree is cut in half to hang perfectly in a corner. Now there’s more room for more presents. And please, feel free to compensate for the extra room with presents, with many many more adressed to your dear ole’ Gilding. Just don’t forget to mail them to her afterwards. Seriously, you think she could afford to drive over to see all of you. That’s just silly. And afterall, wouldn’t want to start any new traditions or anything.
Last, but certanily not least, let’s not forget good old Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree. This poor stragler is in the hearts of every child who’s ever seen A Charlie Brown Christmas. Truly a loveable, pathetic little thing, this tree is small enough to accompany you even at work and is exactly like the one from the classic cartoon, right down to its single ornament and criss-cross wooden stand.
Link: Christmas Tree Arch | Upside-Down Christmas Tree | Upside-Down Corner Christmas Tree | Charlie Brown Pathetic Christmas Tree
Because We Can Christmas Tree with Tiny Tree Decadence and Eco-Conscious Hearts
What perfect tiny trees…Seriously tiny. Standing two-and-a-half feet tall, the trees are made of 100% sustainably harvested American Maple. Each tree has seven pieces that easily slot together (Yay, Gilding loves Kinex-like projects — about as much as she loves set-it-and-forget-it…well, everything) and come apart with no hardware. Best yet, the trees are an affordable $35 and even cheaper if you purchase all four designs in a bundle pack.
So who are the
creative little minds
behind these Tiny
XMas trees? Because We Can is a design-build studio, located in Oakland, CA, and though primarily composed of husband and wife team Jeffrey McGrew and Jillian Northrup, consists of a studio mash-up of designers, artists, creatives, fabricators, and builders who help design the project, manage its construction, and build (in all or in parts) it. BWC specializes in creating space, environment, building, piece, product, or custom fabrication that is unique yet affordable, interesting, and productive. Meaning, you can leave things up to these creative geniuses and partake of their creations for an affordable price, or you can custom order anything — or so they boast — and they will make it in-house or pull together the creative folks necessary to build it. From their portfolio, it looks entirely possible that they really could build you whatever you want. Check out their ESP conference table for Comic Debris and this entirely too cool Spooky Puppet Theater made for Backbone Entertainment.
Link: Because We Can
That’s My Kind of Mojito
Gilding the Lily reader, Steen, will have to be thanked for this one. Gilding has been rather neglectful of this blog for a little while now; time just has not been on her side and Life won’t get the fuck off her back, the obnoxious little monkey! So thank you to all those readers who have faithfully thought of Gilding when she has been so absent. Now on to the fabulous!
Designed by London architect Julian Hakes, if you take a moments look at it, you’ll see exactly what it is–and it is brilliant!
Called Mojito, the design is a shoe–minus a footplate. The single piece wraps around the wearer’s foot and uses the natural design of the bridge of the foot to complete the balance of the shoe. The foot’s built-in strength from its form allowed Hakes to deconstruct the common shoe into its essential parts, support for the heel and ball of the foot. You can read the artist’s account of how she came to design the shoe on dezeen.
While the shoe is not in production yet, Hakes is currently in talks with specialist shoe fabricators for the initial prototypes. [Via: <a href= "http://www.dezeen.com/2009/09/23/mojito-shoe-by-julian-hakes/#more-41637" target= "_blank"dezeen]
Little Hugs Left Behind
Talk about a cry-fest. Even Gilding cried like a ninny when she read this one.
Diagnosed with brain cancer, 6-year old Elena Desserich was given 135 days to live–she lived 255 (2007). After her passing, Elena’s parents began finding hundreds of notes hidden in any nook and cranny throughout their home, all of them from their daughter. What must have been an exhaustive feat during her illness, Elena created these little love notes, a few of which are shown here:
…these notes were found tucked in backpacks, dresser drawers, between bookshelves and CD cases.
Elena’s parents have had these notes published in a book entitled Notes Left Behind to fund the non-profit organization The Cure Starts Now, dedicated to fighting pediatric brain cancer. Visit Notes Left Behind for the full story and details on where you can purchase the book.
Now if you’ll escuse this deviant; she has to go take care of this blasted heart that has suddenly grown two sizes too big. No body likes a nice Gilding.
Via: neatorama
Head Lamp
Hmm…so, supposedly inspired by deep sea dwelling creatures (you know, those kind that lure prey with a dangling light over their head), Gilding has to say, she sees it, but…honestly, it looks more like a scorpion. In any case, the Light Up comes from the Netherlandic design house ontwerpers. Anyhoo, there’s not much to say on the chair, specs can be seen here, but it is a neat aesthetic anyway. Though the chair touts being ergonomic, Gilding is more specifically drawn to the enormous light hanging above the recliner. Striking, isn’t it.
Ashy
These pieces are so nicely earthy and organic. From Studio Robert Stadler, the Tephra Formations project derives its name from the Greek word tephra, meaning “ash”, and connotates a sense of deadly elegance, dainty and voluminous, crushing and airy. Given to the wild nature of volcanos, Tephra can be made in all sizes and shapes to mimick this unpredictable nature.
Tephra is upholstered in black leather with tufted details, much like that of a Chesterfield sofa, lending a feeling of proper elegance to a form that is otherwise organic and unpredictable. [Via Yanko Design]
Haunted Cars
Gilding wants an open field full of abandoned and rusted vintage cars in her hometown backyard!
Russian photographer and bloger, Ilya Varlamov, used clever lighting to capture these eerie photographs of abandoned vintage cars rusting away in this known field in Russia.
More photos from this series can be seen on English Russia or Ilya Varlamov’s Livejournal.
Paranormal Activity
Home is where the horror is. At least for writer-director Oren Peli. Photographed at his home in a seven-day marathon sprint in 2006 with a crew of three that included Peli’s then girlfriend and his bestfriend, Paranormal Activity is slated to be the scariest, nightmare inducing movie of all time.
Read more on the movie, how it came to be, and a bit of history on the director here.
The Books We Never Had
In honor of Banned Books Week, these are the books Gilding never had as a child, but wished she did.
