Corner View - Box of Tricks and June Giveaway Winner!

Remember anyone, the little suitcase on the right that I blogged about here?  I got some big company for it.  I've been making a larger box of alphabet rubber stamps.  I'm not quite right through ALL the letters yet but I'm having lots of fun carving them.  When I'm all done with letters, who knows what I could continue on to.......?????

Photo: Antony Crolla, World of Interiors,  June '09; Artist: David Gentleman

These above aren't quite a box of tricks, but an intriguing shelf full of possibilities.  Mine could be a box, if my carving/cutting skills advance that far.

Do you keep boxes around the house filled with possibilities past and present?

Photos:  Annie Schlecter, World of Interiors, Dec '08

Remember Andy Warhol?  He kept a few boxes around during his lifetime.  612 "Time Capsules" to be exact.  These last two photos are the contents of some.   And you can learn more about them here.

Photo: Fritz von der Schulenberg, World of Interiors July '09

I love the idea of this box, which contains the parts of a scale model of beautiful mostly wood home made by Austrian designer, Lukas Lang.  Lang is an octogenarian architect, who has produced a series of homes constructed of pre-fabricated components.  They need not be constructed by professionals (i.e., it's the ultimate Do-It-Yourself home, yes YOU build it!) and they may also be fairly easily extended or reduced in size by the homeowner.  They are also designed to be extremely recyclable.  Well I'm still kind of worn out from painting my kitchen so maybe I won't tackle constructing a whole house.  But who doesn't like getting down on the floor and putting a model together?  (You?  Why not?)

So do you have your own box(es) of tricks?  Or do you prefer viewing other peoples'?

Otli!  You are the winner of the June Giveaway chopstick rests and Pia Jane Bijkerk book!  Get in touch with me at passagesparadis@hotmail.com and tell me how I can get them to you.  

For more Corner Views:  

Francesca, Jane, Ian, Don, Anna, Dana, LaNinja, Theresa, CherryB, Joyce, Natsumi, Lumetta, Kari, Bonnie, Cate, Dorte, Skylar, April, Lollipop, Janis, ibb, jgy, IdaNielsen, Liza, Likeschocolate, Isabelle, Lucylaine, Allegria, Pienduzz, Elisabelle,RosaMaria, Elizabeth, BichosdaMatos, Juniper, Victoria, Annabel, Angie, Emily, Kamana, Tikjewit, Tanïa, Barbara, Moetjatja, Dorit, Flowtops, Valérie, Juliette, Castor, Wanderchow, LouetTom, Lise, FashionCampagne, Tzivia, Cole,Juanita, Li + Belle, Sophie, Menthe blanche, Leslie...

Corner View - Positive Thoughts for Bad Moments

All things must pass by  George Harrison.  Sung at Concert for George by Paul.  Performed by Eric Clapton, Danny Harrison,  Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr,  Billy Preston,  Albert Lee and on and on....

Can't tell you how much this chokes me up AND calms me down.  First saw the Concert for George at a time of my life when great wonderfulness was happening at the exact same time as not such wonderfulness.  This song made sense of it all.  But no, I did not run out and join a buddhist monastery.  

"All things must pass.  None of life's dreams can last." 

But before I go:  Hello!  Giveaway!  Check back to my post of yesterday regarding my June giveaway.  See anything there that appeals?  If you do, please leave a comment on this blog at any time during the next 8 days, and at the end of my Wednesday, June 29, Corner View post, I will announce the winner of this giveaway. At that time, the lucky aesthete who has won can email me their details for shipping the goodies out to whatever corner of the world you happen to be tucked into.

And for more Corner Views of course:  Francesca, Jane, Ian, Don, Anna, Dana, LaNinja, Theresa, CherryB, Joyce, Natsumi, Lumetta, Kari, Bonnie, Cate, Dorte, Skylar, April, Lollipop, Janis, ibb, jgy, IdaNielsen, Liza, Likeschocolate, Isabelle, Lucylaine, Allegria, Pienduzz, Elisabelle,RosaMaria, Elizabeth, BichosdaMatos, Juniper, Victoria, Annabel, Angie, Emily, Kamana, Tikjewit, Tanïa, Barbara, Moetjatja, Dorit, Flowtops, Valérie, Juliette, Castor, Wanderchow, LouetTom, Lise, FashionCampagne, Tzivia, Cole,Juanita, Li + Belle, Sophie, Menthe blanche, Leslie...

June Giveaway

Chopstick rests and Paris Made by Hand.  What do you think?  A two-in-one giveaway?

If you don't know who Pia is and about her blog and her (first of many!) books -  don't admit that you've been living under a rock somewhere.  Just say you've been "off the grid"  .....  "doing God's work" or something along those lines. In any case, consider yourself VERY lucky that you get this second shot at obtaining this magical guidebook to all of the best of "making" in Paris.....because you are planning that trip very soon, aren't you, to reward yourself for all that virtuousness!   (And deeply discounted at Amazon is still not the same as FREE!  Hello?!)

To accompany this gift of BOOK, yours truly, Mlle Paradis will include for you four ceramic chopstick rests (jade fishbowl ornaments not included, sorry!) that she acquired during her earlier 2011 sojourn in London at Labour and Wait for precisely this purpose.  (GIVEAWAY.  Umm delayed giveaway.) 

The pieces are by London-based Japanese artist, Mizuyo Yamashita which she made and offered especially for Japan relief.

(And here is how they appear on Mizuyo's blog. Click to link.)

They are very much in the spirit of "Made By Hand" don't you think?  And we are very pleased to introduce you to this artist who continues her effort on behalf of Japan and who has been, via her blog, keeping people up to date on the discouraging slowness with which funds already collected are reaching the needy.  Some 80% of those affected have not received Red Cross aid so far.  Because of this fact, Ms. Yamashita, has decided not to forward her chopstick rest receipts to Red Cross, but to four smaller NGOs instead.  See her blog for more details.  And wonderful other posts about art and Japan.

(How do you all feel about that?  Is it enough that you gave money?  Did you give money to Japan Red Cross?  Does it bother you that the money has been "stalled"?)

Now on to details of "Giveaway Terms".

Please leave a comment on this blog at any time during the next 8 days, and at the end of my Wednesday, June 29, Corner View post, I will announce the winner of this giveaway. At that time, the lucky aesthete who has won can email me their details for shipping the goodies out to whatever corner of the world you happen to be tucked into.

Sounds good?  Hope so! 

Now tell me something?  

  

We Interrupt This Program.........with a GiveAway Winner

Hello everybody!   This week already I'm having a hard time getting Blogger and I-Photo to play well together so working on this.....Meanwhile can't upload photos.  It's always something!

I AM HAPPY to announce the giveaway winner from last Friday who was chosen by Mr. Paradis in a thoroughly scientific and highly controlled-for-error selection process.  It is Janis (and if you don't know her lovely blog already you should check it out!)   Thanks to all the other lovely friends of Passage Paradis who left comments and reminder:  MORE GIVEAWAYS AHEAD!

Janis - get in touch with me with your home address!  You know where I am.

More pictures soon, in the meantime, I'll be doing re-posts of old P.P. favorites.

See you!

A Friday Giveaway

I've had such a nice response to some of my pictures over the time that I've been doing Passage Paradis that I decided to take them to "the next level".  Whatever that might be, an Etsy shop, showing them here in L.A., blowing them up to giant scale, turning them into wallpaper.  So many options, so little time!

While I'm figuring that all out I thought I'd do a print giveaway to thank you all for your kindness and encouragement.  This one is an  8.5 x 11 print mounted and matted to fit a 14 x 18 format, all on archival, acid free photo paper and board.  I will ship it to you wherever you are.

If you're interested, leave a comment here on this post with your suggestions on WHAT I should do with these guys or, if you'd prefer, let me know what other picture or series of pictures you'd like me to REPRODUCE IN SCALE!  I'll choose your comment randomly from all those left here.

There will be other giveaways in the next little while too, I've kind of been stockpiling goodies since the first of the year and it's time for them to find their ways into the world.  So watch this space.......

Blue Books - Contest - From "the Road"

Last month I posted pictures of blue books in the window at Appley Hoare. Here they are also in British Homes and Gardens last winter looking quite electric.

Meanwhile Wisteria

www.wisteria.com

is selling almost identical little boxes tied up in cord.  Not just for looking at - you could hide your secret stuff in them!  Still gorgeous huh?

It could get very expensive trying to amass enough to fill up a table like they do in my picture.  Would you do it?   Myself, I DO have a birthday coming up. DECISIONS, DECISIONS.  A table full of books, or dinner in my sleeveless dress in Las Vegas?

I have a few weeks yet to decide.  How about I let you all vote on it?  Birthday Dinner or Birthday Books?

OK, so the first person to send in a vote to PassageParadis comments gets a book/box from Wisteria sent to you from me.  To sweeten the deal for the universe, I will also send the equivalent sum of book/box, tax and shipping to Partners In Health in your name.

Look for my upcoming post on Partners in Health.  To find out more now, click on:  www.pih.org


Milles Mercis!




Pictures - British Homes and Gardens and Wisteria, respectively