Something to do with those aging mix tapes

This artist got creative with his recycling. Perhaps he too had boxes of old mix tapes he wanted to get rid of. Instead of throwing them out with the trash, he turned them into art.


Pretty darn cool.

The Jim Morrison piece above is $700. See more here.

The future of newspapers

Photo: Freephoto.com

With news left and right of newspapers folding, consolidating or going purely online, it's hard not to wonder what the future holds for newspapers.

As journalist by training, it is a medium I hold dear. I believe in the importance of its role not just in informing the public, but in keeping, to the extent that it can, our governments and other public institutions honest.

But I also have to admit that I have not had a newspaper subscription in years. I read the Sunday paper only intermittently. By and large, I get my news online, or on TV.

So in thinking about all that threatens newspapers, I have to admit that I'm part of the problem.

What then is the solution? Ten experts weigh in here.

Of the ideas presented, this one, from acclaimed newspaper designer Mario Garcia, struck me as the most interesting and exciting:

"If I am starting a newspaper from scratch, I may consider doing a robust Sunday edition, then creating the ultimate online newspaper for daily. I may even consider a very short, one-section, printed daily edition, but acting more like a companion to the online than a self-standing newspaper. I would print it in an A4 compact format, and I would make a sort of navigational tool to [information] that readers must know that day."

I heard Garcia speak in person while attending the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Even then, his newspaper designs seemed fresh and innovative to me.

Now if only there was a newspaper around that would be brave enough to take his suggested route. I think it would make for an interesting experiment.

Loving Frank

In another life, I think I would have been an architect. In fact, that was the first thing I wanted to be when I was young. But I thought, with my utter inability to draw, that I couldn't be one. So I took another path.

As an adult, my appreciation of architecture continued to grow. And although I still can't tell a Doric column from a Corinthian one, I know a Frank Lloyd Wright building when I see one.

I don't remember when I first learned of Wright, but I remember clearly how I felt the first time I saw the Guggenheim Musuem in New York. Walking its spiral ramp, seeing artwork in that light, I thought, the man was indeed a genius.


Through books and pictures, I saw more of the man's work. A few years back, I visited my first Wright house, the Robie House, in Chicago.

Next month, I'm going to Taliesin. Wright built this dream house for his long-time lover, Mamah Cheney. While this was the place where the two of them could live in peace (they were both married to other people), it too was the site of their love's tragic end. Mamah died in Taliesin, as one of the victims of a fire set by a deranged servant. Today, it's the home of the Wright Foundation.


Do you love Frank? Re-imagine his love affair with Mamah in the historical novel "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan.

Fundraising season

The other day, I received in the mail a fundraising letter from my godson, Darren. Something to do with raising money to buy computers for school (that's the L.A. Unified School District for you). Instead of selling cookies or other knickknacks (so far, I've purchased gift wrapping paper, Christmas cards, chocolate covered raisins and pretzels from neighborhood kids for various school fundraisers), my godson is selling magazine subscriptions. He gets a credit for each subscription that he sells. As an incentive, if I buy two subscriptions, he gets a glow-in-the-dark Scooby Doo t-shirt as well.

The list of available magazines is long, and the prices a little elevated. And since I already have subscriptions for the ones I really want (Budget Travel, Domino, Real Simple), I can perhaps indulge in others that I'm just sorta interested in.

I was looking at Architectural Digest as my top contender. The mag is an established one, well respected, and for some, the bible on interior design and style. Remember when AD was doing a feature on Charlotte's Upper East Side apartment in Sex and the City?

While perusing some articles online, I saw that November's issue has a feature on writers and their homes. See if you think the author's writing style matches up with their taste in interior design.

Rudyard Kipling's (The Jungle Book) study in England exudes old world country charm. Seems like a cozy spot to curl up with one of his many books, though those chairs could get uncomfortable after a while.

My least favorite space of the lot is Terry McMillan's (Waiting to Exhale) house in NoCal. Something very bar-like about it. And I hate all the chairs.

The quintessential New York apartment of Neil Simon (Lost in Yonkers). Clean, contemporary, with a gallery-like quality.

Michail Crichton's (Jurassic Park) 100-year-old house in New Jersey. Love the mid-century modern touch. I'll take those Eames chairs any day, but it seems every one and their mother has a Noguchi table these days, so I'll pass on that.

Not quite The House of the Spirits, but Isabelle Allende's Bay Area home looks like Allende to me.

So order no. 1 looks like Architectural Digest. What else should I get?

Photos: ArchitecturalDigest.com

Dogs dine in style

Bent plywood cuteness for dogs. Too pricey for my taste though, at $210 for the large one.Photo: Pet-super-store.com

Great design for daily living

It's amazing how good design can elevate everyday items into things of beauty. Some items I want in my home:

Eva Zeisel's Classic Century Dinnerware Originally designed in 1952 by designer Eva Zeisel, reissued by Crate and Barrel. One word to describe this collection: graceful. I especially want the teapot, coffeepot and sauce boat. 

Bodum's Columbia sugar and cream set

I'm kind of obsessed with sugar and cream sets. Don't ask me why. This is one of my favorites. So sleek and cool. 

Pier 1 Orbit Chair

Mid-century flavor + homey wicker = cool chair

I waited too long to get these. When I finally needed them, they were gone--discontinued! Why Pier 1, why? You just discontinued the one item that gave your brand a cool cachet.