How Much is That ____ in the Window?

As you are no doubt already aware, I have a shop on etsy, a great online source for all things handmade. Well etsy has also been a great source for finding new products for the Zola Jones store.



One of the newest products I've picked up for the store are these great knit coffee cup sleeves.



Say goodbye to the waste of those paper sleeves on your morning coffee and say hello to a fashionable way to keep you hand cool as you clasp your hot cup. Made by waysideviolet, a downstate Illinois artist, these reusable sleeves are priced at $12 and are available at Zola Jones.

Beautiful People

On our drive back from Iowa last week, The Mister and I heard Simon Doonan interviewed about his fabulous life as Creative Director of Barneys and his new(ish) BBC sitcom Beautiful People. And thanks to the wonders of the internet, I just spent the morning watching the first three episodes of this amazing show.



OMG this has to be my new favorite show! Every little thing about it speaks to me. A 'slightly fey window dresser' recalling his life as a 'slightly fey student in Reading circa 1997'? Now that's what I call entertainment! What I think I like most about the show, in addition to the humor and the honest portrayal of an effeminate boy's treatment by his peers, is fictional Simon's tight family unit. His parents, noticing that he's a bit different from the other boys, nevertheless love and support him in all ways. And that's always nice to see. And it's something I wish we saw more often.

You can watch Beautiful People on the Logo network if you have cable or at logoonline.

Thoroughly Modern Thursday or A Night Out in Chicago

Last Thursday, on one of the Art Institute's two free evenings of the week, I met my friend Abby downtown so we could take in the new Modern Wing. By the time we got to the museum, after meeting and then eating, it was close to 7:45 so we were only able to do a quick run through the museum itself before it closed at 9:00.



What I was most excited to see was the architecture of the museum itself. And the bridge that connects the Modern Wing to Millennium Park. The bridge is not only a great connection to the park from the museum, it's also a great vantage point for taking in the beautiful design of the new Modern Wing. And walking down it - literally, the bridge is a down slope into the park, almost like a long gradual slide - you can feel the bridge wobbling. Maybe wobbling isn't quite right. Vibrating I guess.



After taking the bridge down into Millennium Park, I was once again reminded what a great public space it is! And I just have to say again, these fountains have to be the best pieces of public art EVER! Every time I visit Millennium Park, these fountains are being enjoyed by hordes of people - and in the summer months they are filled with children running through the water and standing under the "spitting" fountain.



I also dig that from a distance, they look like giant televisions of lighted faces in the middle of a park. It's not until your up close that you can see it's a fountain.



Maybe next time I go down to the Art Institute, I'll actually look at the art!

Baby You Can Drive My Car

Sssh. Don't tell The Mister. You promise? OK - well - I've fallen in love. But it's purely physical, I swear. Well maybe I should just introduce you. Then you'll understand. Dear reader, this is my new love, the Volvo C30:



Oh isn't it goregous! It's the boxy safety of a Volvo with a sporty edge. There's a white C30 parked along my route to the store and every time I see it ... well, I want it!



Meh, it's a wonderful dream. But I'm really just as happy riding around in this:

Tiny Bubbles

The Mister and I are off to Iowa to pick up our marriage license. Then tomorrow we'll have a little ceremony in a magistrate's office tomorrow at 4PM. Tonight we'll be enjoying this bottle of champagne in a bed and breakfast.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

I Just Want a Bit Part in Your Life

There was a special guest star at Hump Day Craft Night tonight . . .



Oscar. He and I got along famously! I find myself gushing over animals like some people do over children. When did that happen? Please stop me if I become one of those queeny guys with a teacup poodle wearing a tiara in his pocket. Says the man with a store named after his cat.

Nevermind.

OSCAR!

In the Closet

OK, I'm finally ready. I'm ready to come out to all you readers. So here goes.

I, Jason Loper, am finally coming out ... as a dumpster diver! (I think you're already aware that I'm a big ole 'mo!) I love to troll the alleys of Chicago looking for little trash treasures. This has been a fact I've hidden in the past, lest I come across as trashy but in these tough economic times it's chic to recycle to why not admit it! And, as you see here, one man's trash is another's store display.



I came across these drawers in the alley near the store on Sunday. The dresser they belonged to had seen much better days and the drawers were stacked up separately from it. As I rode my bike past, my eyes noticed the great 'cat-eye' handles on the drawers. I knew I had to have them. So I balanced a few on my bike and The Mister on his and we rolled them to the store.



Before I got the drawers into the store, I knew I'd use them as shelves. I do have a lot of bags and other handcrafted goodies around so, you know, I'm always looking for new things to use for display. And these drawers are perfect for just that.



I have four more drawers - it was a big dresser! - that I will either use as-is or I'll paint and line them.