Things I Love Thursday

Plumping and Nesting

I’m not going to deny it… I’m probably obsessed with Design*Sponge more than ever because of this damn “Nesting” desease I’ve got.  With Baby on the way, all I can think about is how filthy the house is, how I need some of that Fabreeze washing spray stuff because everything stinks, and all the THINGS I need to create my cozy home.  It’s the DIY projects page & the “Before and After” posts that really get me.

As for the plumping of my little-mama-body, there’s Tartelette… a blog that shares all sorts of recipies for devilish sweets that I dream about.  I’ve been refraining for so long, but tonight I’m going to try making the Meyer Lemon & Sour Cream Donuts because I really just can’t resist any longer (or perhaps I’ll end up buying a lousy City Markey donut because my brain cringes at the sight of the kitchen)!!

Andy Goldsworthy

My design teacher last semester (Jay Dougan) liked showing us videos of Andy’s art based from nature during our lectures.  I forgot how happy I feel when I watch his artwork evolve until I stubled upon the Playful Learning blog (which makes me wish I had a four year-old… but I only have to wait 3.5 years for that, eh?).  Not only is Andy a sculptor of nature and found objects, but a photographer and environmentalist, and his art pieces never fail to draw out the character of their environment.

Strandbeests

While we’re still talking about art, and the artists Jay [tried to] turn his classes on to, Theo Jansen and his Strandbeests stand out amoungst them all.  Theo has been working for 16 years to create sculptures that move on their own in eerily lifelike ways, his newest creatures walk without assistance on the beaches of Holland.  The wind powers the creatures’ many plastic spindly legs, each leg articulating in such a way that the bodies remain steady and level. Theo has even given them primitive logic gates that are used to reverse the animal’s direction if it senses dangerous water or loose sand where it might get stuck.  Visit TED to view the beasts in action.