WHORANGE

"the enormous tiny art show" with gretchen wagoner, APAK and more

one of my favorite artists on the planet, gretchen wagoner, is part of a fab art show beginning this evening at nahcotta in portsmouth, NH.  it's called the "enormous tiny art show" and promises to be good.  opening reception with some of the 50 participating artists is from 5-8, so if you are anywhere close the portsmouth, you simply must go.  no excuses.

however, for those of us who who are thousands of miles away, nahcotta has set up a website to sell and peruse all of the available works.

gretchen's artwork is pictured above and available here.  other participating artists include...

{above: APAK.}

{above:  helen musselwhite.}

view the entire list of artists here.

enormous tiny art show @ nahcotta

when:  february 4th - march 1st
where: 110 congress street, portsmouth, NH 03801

heart on: spreading love in the neighborhood

pink tape hearts -- punch 'em and stick 'em in all of "the dirty areas" around your neighborhood.

{project by color me kate via fastplay.}

NAME THE MUSE contest results - PLUS FIVE prize winners announced!

greetings, poodles!

i'm thrilled to announce that the results are in for WHORANGE and velocity's john tusher's "NAME THE MUSE" contest.  after 300+ entries, the five most popular names were:

GIGI
VALENTINA
MRS. KARL WINSLOW
LOLA
PERSEPHONE

and name that received the most votes...

MRS. KARL WINSLOW!

heather c. writes, "She was born poor little Emily Broom, but grew up to marry the heir to a toilet paper cardboard dynasty. She now signs her name 'Mrs. Karl Winslow.'"

congratulations to STEVE LEE for first crafting mrs. karl's moniker.  you will receive a matte stephens "Alfred was obviously underdressed for his induction into the Adventurers Hall of Fame" print!

but, wait...there's more.

as you know, john added four more prints as a ginormous thank you to everyone for submitting such amazingly creative and inspirational names.  (thanks, john!)  we drew names from a random number generator and the four additional recipients of the matte stephens alfred print are:

TINA from the scatterbox organized. comment #165. muse name: "Emperatriz de la Milonga."  click here to read Emperatriz's intriguing bio!

BRENDA.  comment #193.  muse name:  Celesta.

MICHELLE P from creatocrat.  comment #283.  muse name:  "Her last name is definitely de la Rosa (of the roses).  hmmm... Valentina de la Rosa sounds right to me!"

MARY T. from shelterrific.  comment #308.  muse name:  "Vulva!"

congratulations!  perhaps "vulva" was mrs. karl winslow's maiden name?

thank you so much to all who participated!  we found such inspiration from each and every name.  perhaps one day john will paint a painting based on "Prudence Magpie" or maybe i'll write a screenplay about "Comtesse Evangeline de Mornay."

but, most of all, we hope you had fun!  because, at WHORANGE...it's all about you!

xoxo

GIVEAWAY UPDATE: more prizes added to the "name the muse" contest!

i have wonderful news, kittens!

john tusher from veloctiy art & design fell so madly in love with the 250+ names (and bios) submitted to the "NAME THE MUSE" contest thus far, that he has added FOUR MORE matte stephens prints to the prize pool!  that's right...there will be five winners total!

john and i are downing martinis and discussing how these additional four prints will be awarded, but in order to qualify, you need to enter here.

remember, you may enter up to three names.  contest ends today at 9:00 pm PST...so hop to it!

thank you, john, for your loving generosity.  you are a true hero to us all!  xoxo & xoxo

quentin tarantino's poster boy: ibraheem youssef

i'm not sure what toronto-based artist ibraheem youssef's business card says, but i imagine it reads something like this:

Ibraheem Youssef
Designer/Art Director/Bad Mother F*cker

ibarheem's bad ass tarantino-tribute posters available here.

tailored denim by graham samuels

 
 

i never thought i'd say this...but, that spaniel has a great ass.

{graham samuels illustrations for whyred denim.  via the amazing uncle beefy, of course!}

meet the vladmaster

vladimir, a portland based filmmaker & visual artist, crafts fabulous, multi-sensory experiences using one of my fave childhood toys:  the viewmaster.

in 2003, vladmir began designing, photographing, and hand-assembling her own "vladmaster" disks to be viewed via the viewmaster toy.  her deliciously illustrated disks feature textured and moody 3D photographs of subjects such as vintage game pieces, neglected household objects, and one inch high dioramas.

each vladmaster series tells a unique 28-picture story.  for example:

above: "fear & trembling" documents a dinner party as seen through the eyes of someone who probably should not have attended.

above:  "franz kafka's parable" pays homage to traditional mythic and historic figures such as a poseidon and alexander the great.

above: "italo calvino's invisible cities" -- marco polo tells tales of his travels to an aging kubla khan.

above:  "acteon at home" tells the story of actaeon -- a hunter unlucky enough to catch a glimpse of artemis bathing naked amongst her nymphs. as a result, actaeon was transformed into a stag.

did i mention most vladmaster series include an original soundtrack?  a soundtrack, kittens!

so, make a playdate, slip in a disk, turn up the music, and get ready experience the view-master with a whole new perspective.

WHORANGE CONTEST: name the muse and enter to win a matte stephens print from velocity!

hold onto your mittens, kittens, because we're in for a fun ride!

john tusher, the dashing and debonair owner of velocity art & design, recently acquired this gorgeous, vintage painting (above) from white sage studio in seattle's ballard neighborhood.  isn't she fabulous?  this lovely lady is so superbly special that she will provide the decor inspiration for john's latest interior endeavor.  however, the only problem is...she needs a name.

and, that's where you come in...YOU GET TO NAME HER!

yes, mr. tusher has asked the readers of WHORANGE to name his muse. john describes his painted lady as "sexy, sophisticated, a little rough around the edges, and very well traveled."  rumor is she hails from buenos aires, but the year of her birth is unknown.

but, wait, there's more!  not only is john a modern-living savant, father of one, hero to many, and inspiration to all, he is also ridiculously kind and offering a fab prize to one lucky participant:  a limited edition, signed, matte stephens print entitled "Alfred was obviously underdressed for his induction into the Adventurers Hall of Fame."

love. this. print.  click here for more details.

TO WIN:  simply enter a name for the muse in the comment section of this post.  how easy is that?  be inspired, be creative, and be fabulous!  you may enter three times, but you must nominate a different name each time.  this will increase your chances of winning, poodles, so hop to it!

the muse name that receives the most nominations wins the title.  so, feel free to review what other people have written and rally behind the same name if you desire.

please note, you don't have to pick the winning name in order to be eligible for the prize.  simply nominating a name puts you in the running.  i will pick one winner at random on monday, february 1st, at 9:00 pm PST.

and, finally, can we just take a moment to admire her stunning coiffure...

...talk about an inspiration.

good luck, everybody!  and thank you, john, for entrusting us with such an important decision.  we love her, we love velocity, and we love you!

UPDATE!  due to the overwhelmingly amazing entries thus far, john tusher has added FOUR MORE PRIZES!  yep, five winners total will receive prints!  how fabulous is that?  thank you, john!!!!!

thoroughly modern mini

while cruising jenn ski's delicious blog, i came across these iddy biddy, mini modern homes constructed by dwell living enthusiast, LBrand Terraria.  the small-scale shelters feature floor-to-ceiling windows, indoor/outdoor living, clean lines, green landscapes, and not a neighbor in site. 

now all i need is a mini me to move into one of these tiny creations and i will be living large.

MLK

"almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better."

-- martin luther king, jr.

{illustration by matt dorfman.}

dear WHORANGE: do you know ryan abegglen?

dear WHORANGE,

know this guy's work?  ryan abegglen.  thought you'd dig it.

hair : fabulous.

-DC

********************************

dearest DC,

I know him now.  thank you.

hair : transportive

- tj

 

mr. abeggien's artist bio:

"It's generally believed that I began speaking in complete sentences when I was only seven minutes old, immediately demonstrating a mastery of complex sentence structure and an affinity for whiskey, humility, and irony. Since that time I have become a skilled dinosaur jockey, traveled to the moon on several occasions and written a handful of self-help books. My work is largely cobbled together from a collection of cat fur, spit, twigs, pizza, hamster farts, and fever dreams. As always, my promise to you is that I'll try harder next time."

a true WHORANGE hero.

{more ryan abegglen here.}

have you met my uncle?

isn't he dandy?

{sea otter portrait by ryan berkley.  available at etsy.}

turquoise is the new whorange: pantone's color of 2010

color-o-philes hold onto your seats.  it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for.  pantone has lifted its skirt to reveal the magical color of 2010:

TURQUOISE!  #15-5519 to be exact.  according to the folks at pantone:

“turquoise transports us to an exciting, tropical paradise while offering a sense of protection and healing in stressful times.”

i confess...i am TOTALLY gay for turquoise.  my office walls are turquoise.  70% of my kitchen and serving ware is turquoise.  my first manic-panic hair color failure in high school -- turquoise.

 

{turquoise items, left to right from top: pantone mug (14.00); pantone espresso cups set of four (48.00); ball clock (29.99); eames elephant (290.00); braided bikini top (78.00) and bikini bottoms (68.00);  mid-century chair (ebay); silkcreened posters $24.00; terrier pillow (24.00);  wall balls (29.00);  pantone color swatch;  a cute triangle heel (44.99);  bullet planter(170.00).

i saw this living room (above left) on a site called house of turquoise.  i had no idea a site entirely dedicated to turquoise interiors existed, but then again, i'm sure they have no idea a site called WHORANGE exists either.  pleasure to meet you HOT.

the image above right is from designer thomas wold's home.  naturally, mr. wold crafted the magnificent bookshelf utilizing his signature repurposed materials know-how.  see more of his amazing abode on design*sponge.

i've stalked the home above ever since i found it on style files.  please notify the owners that i am ready to move in.  i have constructed the perfect outfit for each room -- from snow bunny chalet to summer brandy bacchanalia.

fondue party invites are in the mail.

thank you cards a go go

{above:  yeehaw industries.}

welcome to 2010, kittens!

i'd like to kick off the decade by dedicating this "thank you for the pole dance" card to you, because every moment spent with you is a truly titillating and swinging good time.

also, a humble "thank you" for voting WHORANGE #21 out of 666 design blogs over at apartment therapy's HOMIES awards!  i'm deeply honored and thrilled to dance amongst my blogging heroes.  my mascara is still running with pageant tears. (and a special shimmy to maison21 for nominating me!)

{above:  L2 design collective.}

is there a special someone you'd like to say "thank you" to who made you feel extra fancy this holiday season?  whether it be a gift bestowed, a kind word spoken, or a lap dance received, a token of appreciation is always a klassy and kindhearted gesture.

here are a few selections of letterpressed and silk-screened cards to express your gratitude and glee:

{above:  serimony.}

{above:  orange beautiful.}

{above:  seesaw designs.}

{above left: yellow owl workshop;  above right:  foxy & winston.}

{above:  ink + wit.}

{above:  egg press.}

vintage website textbooks: "web services covers therapy" by retrofuturs

french illustrator, stéphane massa-bidal (a.k.a. retrofutur), cleverly crafts popular websites and social media obsessions into vintage textbook cover art, circa 1960s.  if school was like this, i would have been valedictorian for sure -- perhaps majoring in YouTube.

most shockingly, not only has stéphane charmed my panties off with his tremendous take on twitter & co., but he is actually tempting me to join LinkedIn...

...i have a feeling general ambrose everett burnside may have some swell job opportunities for me.

{prints available at retrofuturs.  view them all here.}

snow day: martin & muñoz snow globe art

rumor has it -- it's snowing in some parts of this country.  considering i live in los angeles, i can only put on my bikini and stare at a snow globe to empathize.

stay warm east coast kittens, and remember...keep those hot rollers hot!

{artwork by martin & muñoz.}

sew in love

i found this item called "the best" at the curiosity shoppe.  it reads:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE:

1.  BORROW A LOVED ONE'S CLOTHING

2.  SEW LABEL INTO LOVED ONE'S CLOTHING

3. UN-BORROW THE SAID ARTICLE OF CLOTHING

i followed said instructions, and here are the results...

john waters & divine -- simply the best.

{to see what i gave john waters last year for christmas, click here.}

whorange of the week: downloadable holiday labels by helen dardik

the fabulous miss helen dardik crafted a collection of dashing & smashing holiday labels fit to print from your computer -- FOR FREE!

simply click on over to orange you lucky, download the high rez label, resize, print six to a page, tag your gift, and feel the love.

thanks, helen...you're the best! (and your holiday hair looks magnificent.)