Natalie Portman recently stopped by The Late Show With Dave Letterman and admitted to being homeless. Apparently, after she sold her West Village condo in October, she moved back to her parents' home in Long Island, where she'll camp out until she finds a new place. She said, "I'm a Long Island girl. Yeah, I just went and voted out there because I'm homeless right now and residing with my parents." Here are the pros and cons of living with your 'rents, according to Natalie:
Pros: It seems like a lot of fun in the beginning: "You get like . . . good meals, your laundry done."
Cons: "It's rough. I'm old to be residing with the parents." And, they scream at her: "They're like, 'Get a job!'"
Well, Miss Natalie may be homeless, but at least she has $6 million to keep her warm this Winter.
As the holidays approach, I've had festive dinner party décor on my mind. While some of you may want to get crafty with a paper wreath, others may prefer to keep the holiday kitsch to a minimum. I was impressed with this table setting in Samantha Who? as it manages to look seasonally appropriate for a Thanksgiving or Christmas party without incorporating any jingle bells, snowflakes, or gobble-gobbling turkeys. Without much fuss, the orangey-red bouquet, napkins, and dinnerware make it appropriate for either Nov. 27 or Dec. 25, and the metallic vases and place mats give it a celebratory, glittery appeal. I've recreated this look for you, in case you too want to take a note from Samantha Who? To see my finds, read more
This tree may be losing its leaves, but its pear-like pods look bountiful indeed. The pods are actually tough husks that contain a seed. The seed of this tree is considered good luck, and if it's ground and leached thoroughly, it then has medicinal properties. Can you name the tree? (Hint: It shares a name with a Big Ten team.)
Recently, I came across this great, simple trick from Better Homes and Gardens for transforming a holiday Autumn table. For a beautiful twist on boring old votives, collect colorful leaves from your backyard or nearby park. Then, tie the leaves to the votive with ribbon, twine, or yarn. Voila! You have a no-cost centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. Just be careful not to get any of the leaves close to the flame. While I do love the fiery reds of Autumn leaves, I don't actually think that I want them on fire.
My sister, who's been drawing blueprints in one form or another since we were little kids, is currently finishing her second year of grad school at the architecture department at UC Berkeley. Since she spends about 18 hours a day in the studio as it is (I'm not even coming close to exaggerating), she probably doesn't want to spend her few free hours browsing through architecture books, at least during the semester. However, once the holiday break kicks in, I'm pretty sure that she'll be curled up on a sofa with a more recreational, picture-heavy architecture book in her hands.
If your family's anything like mine, there are at least a few folks in your immediate circle who can happily pass the evening leafing through books chock full of great facts and even better photos of buildings, architectural details, blueprints, and life stories of famous architects. One good place to start is with the volume Architecture: Celebrating the Past, Designing the Future ($95), a book commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Institute of Architects. I found this book at Builders Booksource's online site, which is an amazing resource for books on architecture and building. Another great place to check for architecture books is at Chronicle Books, whose architecture section is chock full of gems, such as the recently released California Academy of Sciences: Architecture in Harmony With Nature ($29.95).
In the San Francisco Bay Area, I rarely have to worry about a frost, which means that I can leave plants out all year round without incident. I know that's hardly the case with readers living in the Midwest and on the East Coast, though.
Steve, over at Gardening Gone Wild, recently wrote, "I overwinter a host of plants in my cold dark basement. Every year I try new ones and am perennially amazed at what succeeds. Basically the idea is to trick a plant into dormancy, then keep it there. Cold — or at least coolness — helps. So does darkness. To survive, many plants need light, others need warmth, and some need both; those are NOT the ones I’m talking about here. For the basement, we need plants that can go into deep dormancy, a state of almost suspended animation."
I also know that Amy Butler does the same thing with her tropical foliage, which comes outside in the Summer, and then is tucked away in her basement in the Ohio Winter months. So, do you bring in semi-tropical plants or outdoor perennials when the temperature dips? Do you let them go into a state of dormancy, like Steve does, or do you keep them out and about?
This product looks like a bar of gold but it's actually made of aluminum and cast iron. According to the product description, it "shows complete carelessness with money." Can you tell me what this product is?
CNC Costume National
Martick Jewellery
Comme des Garcons