Archive for July, 2008

Some would venture to say that I am a neat freak. While my closet in not color-coordinated, my space at home is certainly well organized. My bookshelf exhibits books in descending height order, my dishes are neatly nested, my pantry displays all canned-food labels outwards, my magazines have a designated resting place, and my cosmetics are all placed on ceramic dishes on my vanity. Come to think of it, perhaps I have a problem. That being said, the food in my fridge is no exception. It’s true, I have an unabashed love of Tupperware, the early 60s icon of organization. Seeing all of my leftovers neatly stacked in colorful containers gives me a major thrill. It’s so neat and clean and totally preferable to wrapping up last night’s dinner in plastic wrap. Clearly I am not alone in this adoration because there are close to 13,000 Tupperware-related items on eBay. That’s a whole lotta Tupp love. There are modular bowls, freezer tall rounds, hamburger presses, and sandwich keepers—all available in an array of shapes, sizes, and colors. Celebs love it too—Ice T and wife Coco had a Tupperware party, Tori Spelling had a baby shower with the gear, and Naomi Watts invited her friends to check out some new products. There is even a new book on the topic called Tupperware Unsealed. Tupperware is totally tops!

*Photo credited to: Tupperware.com

I’ve been getting this question a lot, so I’m thinking some of you may want a little explanation. Twitter all comes down to being a tad voyeuristic. The site allows outsiders to catch a glimpse of what people are doing. We’re all generally interested in what others are up to hence the ever popular “What up?” Check out this video to learn more about the site: www.commoncraft.com/Twitter.

Once logged on you can look at entries posted by people you’ve chosen to “follow.” Each “twitter” consists of one or two sentences, there’s a 140 character limit, and the posts are strangely addictive to read through. People talk about all kinds of personal and interesting things about what’s going on. The information ranges from random thoughts, what people are looking at, how they’re feeling, and what they’ve overheard.

So how does it work? You sign up for an account and can post twits from the Web or text twitter updates from your cell phone. Then search for the names of people you want to follow and add them to your feed to read. They don’t have to approve you, unless they set it up that way, but most don’t. It can be tedious, but if you care about someone and feel like escaping your life for a quick sec, check it out. I have to admit, it is kind of a cool feeling when you see the number of people following you rise, so follow me! twitter.com/Catastr0phik.

I found out about the coolest site ever today, Wordle. If you are a blogger or a font freak like me (I have downloaded fonts from New Order albums) then you will adore this site. You can type in the random phrases, your blog’s feed, or your favorite words and voila, custom graphical images are magically created. You can randomize the fonts, choose the colors, and shape and frame the blocks of text. It’s a fab alternative to creating custom graphics the old fashioned way. Still, it’s no substitute for rifling through vintage fashion magazines and cookbooks from the 70s to find divine design inspiration.

A couple of weeks ago I was in San Francisco for the BlogHer convention. The event was quite interesting for many reasons. When I first arrived, I couldn’t help but be slightly annoyed by the wild women in the lobby of

the hotel. They gave ecstatic high-fives to each other with one hand while drinking wine with the other. “Who are these women and why are they acting so excited?,” I wondered to myself. Then, sure enough, one hour after I checked in I found myself in the hotel lobby, blowing kisses to the other women bloggers attending BlogHer the next day.

During the convention, I learned about different blogging platforms, techniques, and marketing statistics. Best of all, I was constantly in awe of the ladies I met. Each one had amazing blog topics, pretty unique URLs, and each was actually making cash. Overall, it was an amazing experience! You can check out more about it here: www.blogher.com.

Reality programs about high school are not reality. For instance, “Laguna Beach“, um, yeah, I think not. There are few depictions of the high school caste system as true as the John Hughes movies of the 80s. Even if they were exaggerated, what they perhaps lacked in realistic scene setting they made up for in sheer heart. Today, the closest thing to the Hughes-ian cinematic expression is a new documentary called “American Teen.” This doc was lauded at Sundance for being the new “Breakfast Club,” an antidote to all of the teen drivel that is flooding the market. Watch the trailer below and do what high schoolers do best, judge.

While in Chicago, I got around to see a little of the city. No, I didn’t go to the Oprah show, but I did head out to some stores and soak up the city vibe. Chicago is known to have some great shopping.

The Gold Coast Restaurants- Great people watching as you dine alfresco. Had tea and cappuccinos with Shawn Henderson, eBay Design Director, before going back to the energy of the convention center.

Jake – A cool, pared down store for women and men. Resisted the fab Barbara Bui platform sandals even though Shawn mercilessly urged me to get them. I stuck to my guns and passed while admiring the chic looks from Doo. Ri, Adam Kimmel, Phillip Lim and Chris Benz… OK I did get amazing nu-buck platform sandals. We all loved a pair of citrus shorts that Shawn found, but alas they did not have the size he needed.

Ikram– Michelle Obama shops there - though the discreet staff didn’t want to admit it. Opulent without being too precious, Ikram has the most amazing array of well-picked fashion pieces and rarified labels like Azzedine Alaia, Comme des Garcons, Isabel Toledo and Tom Binns.

The Chicago Waterfront– great for jogging, bicycle riding, boating or just a relaxing, scenic walk. I bounced out of bed - OK, I slouched out of bed. As soon as I saw the amazing water view though I perked up and started my 2-minute jogs.

*Photo licensed to: wireimage.com

Being eco-friendly is all the rage these days and cork is one of my favorite green materials. It is sustainable and regenerative. Cork trees naturally shed thick layers of their bark, and those cast offs can be used for many purposes.

When we think of cork, usually bulletin boards and wine stoppers come to mind. But there’s so much more. Remodeling? Consider laying down recycled cork-flooring tile. The tonality and texture looks edgy but the material feels warm and soft, and it is water-resistant. You can find cork tiles in different colors and patterns. Plus, it carries a great sound quality.

If you’re not refurbishing your floors at the moment, cork works as a wonderful trivet or coaster. I love cork drawer liners. Recently, I incorporated cork as a detail on a chair I designed. Small cork tiles are embedded on the arm rests - a built in coaster! The cork adds a super soothing earthy feel and makes you feel better about the earth.

People are talking about how it’s OK! to bid on Miley Cyrus’ garb. For you, for your terrific tween, for Us…the devoted pop culture fans. I know it’s in my Daily 10 things to do.

Even though there is a lot of hullabaloo surrounding Christian Bale as of late (just look at this stunned photo of the actor post “assault” at the London premiere of the “Dark Knight”), his stock is still soaring on eBay. While Clooney may be Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, Bale is most-wanted on eBay. Memorabilia listings and sales from Bale’s Batman movies far outrank those from Clooney’s on-screen performance. We can only expect the “Dark Knight” to continue Bale’s upward swing as America’s favorite Batman.

But really, who is America’s favorite Batman?: It’s in the numbers…*:

Christian Bale boasted 2,147 total listings, including this autographed “Batman Begins” poster.
Val Kilmer had 823 total listings, including this 1995 Batman Forever pinball machine.
Michael Keaton ranked number three with 768 total listings, including this original DC Comics Batman mask/cowl.
George Clooney was the least popular on the site with a mere 184 total listings, including this signed Batman and Robin card.

*as of last week
*Photo licensed to: Photorazzi.com

My first eBay Live! experience was memorable. I’ve been to Chicago before, but this was different, like going on a trip and touching down on planet eBay.

The convention center was exciting and energetic, awash in eBay colors and more importantly, eBay buyers and sellers.

It was great to see so many real, “live” eBayers from all over the country and from around the world.

Of course, I was particularly interested in the style purveyors. Miuccia Prada and her tie dyes have nothing on Uncle Joe. Just in time for the hot tie-dye trend, Uncle Joe was giving away $5 gift cards good on his site that specializes in tie dye. He himself was wearing a most fabulously vivid T as he whizzed around eBay Live! in his wheelchair.

I loved the ShoeMetro guy, Phuoc Huynh; he picked up an award that included a donation from eBay to his favorite charity, for their stellar footwear sales.

Listened in on a fascinating talk by some of eBay’s top sellers on how to improve sales. Ann Wood shared tips on what had made her store Willow Wear such a success.

I’ve bought gorgeous African necklaces from Africa Direct and there was Elizabeth Bennett, the owner, in the flesh. We had a chat and compared notes on the beauty of glass beads which actually originated in Venice – not Ghana nor South Africa nor Nigeria. Funny how the world works.

I also learned about how her business on eBay, AfricaDirect benefits craftsmen and women in these countries providing them with a small but invaluable income.

So many of eBay’s users are involved in giving back to the community. Stacie Sefton told me how she and her husband/partner took time from their business, BH Factory Outlet, to help when the devastating floods hit their hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA.

Their business was affected too, but as of eBay Live! they were back on track and doing well as one of eBay’s top style sellers.