Mini Polaroid Magnets

I am still busy collecting new Instagram photos on my phone (I love how they make any situation seem "classic") and was thrilled to see this project in my reader the other day.  It would be the perfect way to use all those Instagrams, and they would make amazing Christmas gifts! (Never too early to start thinking of those...)

The genius tutorial can be found here on Ambrosia Girl's blog, along with a free download of the white polarioid frame.  So clever!  I found this via Design Mom, who seems to find all the best projects. :)

All photos by Ambrosia Girl.

Winner!

My random number generator (aka my 3-year-old son) picked number NINE for the winner, which means Selina - you have won the necklace!  Hoorah!  Congrats Lady! Thanks so much to Big Tinsel for the fabulous prize, and thank you to everyone who entered.  :)

Practice makes perfect!

I finally got that West Elm pin-tuck duvet cover and thought I would take a photo. This, of course, turned into photographing the entire room, which turned into exploring all the manual settings on my camera, which then turned into playing around in photoshop.  How to turn one photo into several hours of wasting time... These are the results - I have a lot of learning to do... (especially with the white balance).

PS don't forget to enter the necklace giveaway here - winner will be announced Monday!

Oh For the Love of Pillows...

Check out this gorgeous pink ikat pillow - it is up on Homesav at the moment, and if I weren't banned from buying "any more damned pillows" this would totally be coming home to live with me (and all my other pillows)...

Music I like: Mahler 5

Although I have worked for orchestras for the last ten years, I don't usually include classical music here. Perhaps because it was 'work', it didn't seem to fit on my hobby blog, or maybe I assumed that many readers would be uninterested in the subject.  I do try to keep my "Objects of Admiration" bite-sized: a quick break from the day-to-day, a taste of something beautiful or creative amidst the bland sameness you see everywhere.  However, today's entry is definitely more substantial meal!



I went to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra perform Mahler Symphony 5 last night, along with a superb performance by Joshua Bell of Bruch's Violin Concerto.  Mr. Bell was incredible, as always, but for me the night was stolen by a performance of Mahler's 5th symphony, the likes of which I had never heard before.  At the risk of sounding like a cheesy music reviewer, I will tell you in all honesty that it was huge, it was gut-wrenching, it was tragic, it was tender, it was triumphant.  The symphony's Adagio has been used in the film Death in Venice, and for the funerals of Leonard Bernstein and Robert Kennedy, but Maestro Oundjian told us last night that it was actually written as a love letter to Mahler's wife, Alma.  He also explained that Mahler brought a colour and sound out of the orchestra in a way that has never been accomplished by any other composer. "Mahler is to symphonic music what Shakespeare is to the theatre" were Oundjian's first words on stage.  Conductor Herbert von Karajan apparently agreed, having once said that when one hears Mahler's Fifth, “you forget that time has passed. 

A great performance of the Fifth is a transforming experience. 

The fantastic finale almost forces you to hold your breath.”

That certainly held true for me.  I am attaching some clips here from You Tube because it is impossible to describe the music without hearing it, but even these are a pale shadow of a live performance.  There is some inexplicable magic involved in being present when this music rushes out from the stage; watching the musicians pour their souls into their music, the sweating brows of the brass, the intense concentration and emotion on every face, and the almost rapturous expression on the conductor.  You can't help but be swept into this moment, and feel that you are involved in something magical that is being created in this very instant, never to be experienced this way again.  It doesn't happen every time, but it sure did for me last night.

Pretty mushy words, no?  I have made a career out of trying to describe the magic of a live music experience, and have never been satisfied with the results.  I think it might just be impossible to articulate.  But I urge you to put a live orchestral performance on your bucket list, you won't regret it.

For those of you in Toronto, who happen to be without plans for Saturday, the TSO is going to perform this masterpiece one more time, at a special Late Night performance which starts at 10:30 pm.  You can bring your drinks in to the hall, and afterwards meet and mingle with musicians and the conductor at an audience-wise party, featuring the music of Toronto's Paisley Jura.  I really, really think it is a one-of-a-kind experience!  And since I got me some connections...if you enter the code "FRIENDS" you can get your tickets for $22.50.  If you go, let me know what you thought.  And if you feel like, maybe leave a comment on your favourite classical music experience?  I would love to hear them.

Biking Champ

My husband is more than just little bit into mountain biking.  Some might call him obsessed, but then they wouldn't have met his friends (I'm talking about you Francois!).  When out eldest was 2, the hubster insisted we get him one of those Strider bikes so he could 'establish his balance.'  I rolled my eyes, but we got one, and I have to admit that he was totally right (don't get used to that, darling.)  My little guy is a whiz on it, zooming down the sidewalk like a pro.  But he's got nothing on the kid in this video - holy moly (and thank heavens).  His bike is pretty souped-up, with the brake and I do believe suspension, and I am going to go out on a limb and say that his dad might also be a little bit into mountain biking?  Maybe even more than my guy?  I love that it is done just like all the bike videos my husband watches.  Pretty clever.  So, would you let your toddler ride like this?  He sure seems to be having fun...

Dream Garden

With this wonderful weather we are having, I just can't get enough time outside in my back yard.  It seems my "Online Admiration Jaunts" are following suit, and I am finding myself drooling over all things garden.  From beautifully-photographed flowers (always an obsession of mine) to perfectly-crafted landscapes, gardens are providing me with enough inspiration to last for days on end!

One of the nicest gardens I have stumbled across is this 1840's Red Mill Farm in Washington.  If I had all the money in the world, all the space in the world, and all the time in world, this is what my garden would look like (although I think I may need to add some gardening talent to that list).  The story behind it is amazing as well - a couple bought it before they realized that they were also purchasing New England's oldest standing flutter mill.  They have since restored it magnificently.  They also dug through years of neglect and invasive growth to reclaim, and expand, the original garden plan.  For the full story and all the photo captions (and just a bit of purple prose) you can visit Cottage & Garden here.  I love the relaxed informal flower beds, the soft greens everywhere (especially the ferns), and the weathered wooden and rock structures.  And that big red mill is so picturesque!

Big Tinsel Giveaway!

One of the local Toronto-based Etsy artists I wrote about for my West Elm/Etsy Pop-up post was Big Tinsel, and I wanted to do a more complete post on her because I thought her jewelry was wonderful.  Maria is the creative mind behind these lovely necklaces, rings and bracelets, and she explains her process so well in her Etsy profile, that I won't even try to recreate it, here it is:

My aim is to create interesting and fun pieces that are still simple and restrained enough to work in the real world. I love things that are a little bit industrial, a little bit rough and a little bit refined. Most of my work is very small quantities and using vintage and salvaged materials, so know that you are getting something unique. I package my work as simply as possible to minimize shipping costs for you and reduce unnecessary waste.  I wish I was smart enough to be a scientist or an astronomer, so instead, I use them as frequent themes in my jewelry. I also love talismans, and using symbols in new and unexpected ways.

Maria perfectly describes what attracted me to her work - it is industrial-looking in materials and aesthetic, but also every piece is also really "pretty" in a delicate and simple way.  I like the edginess of skulls mixed with lovely stones and delicate chains.  It is a charming and effective mix!  

As well, each piece seems to have a great story behind it - such as the one above that is made of vintage buckle posts stored for years by her dad for his shoe repair shop.  So cool, and the idea of putting them on a mixed-metal chain is perfect.  The one below is called Orbit, and represents the sun, the earth and the moon.  I think it's my favourite.

As the title of the post proclaims so proudly, Maria has been kind enough to offer a necklace to one of my readers.  This is kind of amazing for me, since my only other giveaway was for the charity garden project I am involved in.  All these years, all those etsy posts, and I never thought to ask if the artist wanted to promote their shop by giving something away!  Actually, that is a lie, I did think of it but figured my blog was so small they would laugh, and also wanted to avoid embarrassment when no one commented.  :)  

Maria has generously offered the beautiful Comet necklace, pictured below.  I love that it pretty and understated, but when you know that it's a comet, (which are considered lucky by many)  it is even more charismatic! Plus, you just can't go wrong with brass and black in my books.

To enter the giveaway, please:

• Become a follower of Wicked & Weird (there is a button off to the left)
• Visit Big Tinsel on Etsy and and try to pick a favourite
• Come back here and leave me a comment describing which one you chose and where you would wear it!
• Extra entry if you tweet about the giveaway - my 'handle' is @LisaMackay.  Come back here and let me know in a separate comment that you did!

That's it!  I will randomly pick a numbered post this weekend and announce the winner Monday.  SO excited.

Please also visit Maria at misscrowland.blogspot.com, on Facebook here, and follow her @misscrowland on Twitter.  She also has another etsy shop that does custom silhouettes (so cool and she has been featured everywhere from Steven & Chris to Martha Stewart weddings!) I could go on and on about that one too, but that will have to wait for another post. :)  Thanks so much Maria!