If you read my roundup of alternative graffiti, you know about satiric, prolific, and pseudo-anonymous British graffiti artist Banksy, and also about Fred Radtke, the Gray Ghost, who has been painting over graffiti throughout New Orleans with gray paint since 1997. Although I lumped them both into one category of "alternative graffiti," the motivation behind it for the two is not the same. For Bansky, the medium is a venue for making political, cultural, and ethical statements, while Radtke considers his graywashing more of a public service, referred to as "Operation Clean Sweep." Not only do they differ in the end to their means, but Banksy actually recently took it upon himself to battle the Gray Ghost on his home turf. Above is an image of a wall in New Orleans, which was painted over in gray by Radtke, as it had been marked with graffiti. Banksy's caption reads:

I came to New Orleans to do battle with the Gray Ghost, a notorious vigilante who's been systematically painting over any graffiti he can find with the same shade of grey paint since 1997. Consequently he's done more damage to the culture of the city than any section five hurricane could ever hope to achieve.

To see Banksy's response to the Gray Ghost, stenciled on the same brick wall, read more

Ever heard of an offer you can't refuse? Sicilian mayor Vittorio Sgarbi has. The creative politician has decided to give the historic town center of Salemi in southwest Sicily a boost by selling properties in dire shape for just a single Euro (that's $1.39), according to the Daily Mail. The catch is that it'll cost you about $140k to repair the homes, and you'll have to do so within two years, keeping with its original character, and using local artisans, masons, builders, and architects in order to revitalize the area's weak economy. The area was damaged by a 1968 earthquake, and many houses have since been abandoned and are on their last legs. "We want to try and attract people back to the town or at least make some form of donation to try and help save an architectural environment that we are rapidly losing," says Sgarbi. Salemi, which has a population of 11,436, is also important historically: it is "known for having been the place where Giuseppe Garibaldi announced the annexation of Sicily in May 1860 as part of the expedition of the Thousand," and "has been ruled by the Romans, Vandals and Goths and then the Arabs." If you ever dreamed of living your own version of Under the Tuscan Sun, perhaps now is the time!
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. . . Beccster44!

Congratulations to Beccster44, who won this this gorgeous organic lily bouquet ($60 value, plus free shipping). I'm sure you're going to love your bouquet! Source

I am absolutely in love with this Charles Catteau Deer Vase ($3,900). Created in 1925 in Belgium, its brilliant colors and crackled surface are decorated with four deer. Its unusual appearance is just begging for a room to be decorated around it, don't you think?
For this week's What You're Wanting, I want to know how you'd decorate a room to complement this vase. Would you use blues? What room would you choose? What type of textiles and furniture would work with this unique vase? Add all the finds to your ShopStyle Living stylebook, and create a look tagged with the phrase deer vase. Private message me if you have any questions. Oh, and as extra incentive, I'll give some Sugar schwag away to my favorite look!
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