"If you can have dinner with anybody, alive or dead, what would you order?"

School Trip to the Met

I caught this shot on the way in to the Met the other day. Notice all the kids are in uniform, down to the little bows on the girls hair.

Chicago

Chi-Town was a lot of fun but it's good to be back to the Big Red. Here are some the the highlights from my trip. Enjoy! (I'll spare you from the bean and such, you've probably seen it a million times)

Puppeteering on the back of a bike

 How ingenious! You'd think somebody in NY would've thought of this already....hah.

Ginos Pizza. Yum!

Half Pepperoni/ Half Mushroom, all Delish! secret recipe- topping before cheese?

The Art Institute of Chicago.

They have the most beautiful collection. A visit to this museum is a must if you are in Chicago. Tip: they run this program call Free February so go in February if you want to save a few bucks!

Not to be missed pieces if you're visiting the museum-

A Sunday on La Grande Jatte

Time Transfixed

They also have an amazing collection of modern painting including works from Jasper John, Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollack..etc, a great wing full of works from innovative industrial designers and a comprehensive collection of works from world renowned archietects. To write and the show you all the pictures I've taken is a book in itself. You'll just have to see it for yourself!

Fast- food Bao Chain

Being chinese myself, I was at first offended that they charged $1.30 for a bao that I can get down the block from where I live for $.60. I finally had to try it since I couldn't excape this new hip chain. I must say, it was pretty tasty and I am sucker for good marketing (hot asian buns!). Darn, why didn't I think of this?

The French Market

This very nice gentlemen help me for over 1/2 hour picking out soaps and creams. Their products are amazing (56% olive oil)and smell sooo gooood! I personally prefer organic smelling products like lavender and musk and don't really care for sweet and fruity smells. Well, if you're like me, check out their website here.

Some delicious sweets.

The Second City

If you're a comedy junkie like me, you CANNOT miss a showing at The Second City (thanks Alice). Needless to say this was definaitely the highlight of my trip. Tip: Book your tickets few weeks in advance. Tickets sells out extremely fast! I had to wait 3 hours for stand- by tickets.

Old Town

If you get unlucky like me and have to kill 3 hours for standby tickets for a showing at The Second City, take this opportunity to explore Old Town. There are a lot of cute little stores, resturants and coffee shops around. Thank god  for this cute little coffee shop call Twisted Sisters that saved me from the cold, they have delicious food and free Wi- Fi!

Went out with a big bang-

Cite

New Month, New Calendar

Happy February!
What makes me excited about the beginning of every month are new artworks/ calendars for my desktop!
In the beginning of every month, Design Sponge(my absolute fav) post up a new calendar by a new artist which you can copy to your computer!

This month's calendar-




Go onto Design Sponge to get the full size...



...now only if I can also make appointments with this calendar..sigh

Felting fun!!

Thought i'd share these wonderful creations of my friend emily and mine to you. Through the unexpected grueling four hours it took to make these scarves, it was all worth it in the end-



What's also so great about taking this class is afterwards you can easily buy all the components needed for felting in stores that sells household items and staples and do it yourself!

For more information on the class, you can contact Yukako at Loop of the Loom (can follow the link below for her information).

Loop off the Loom

I discovered this cute weaving studio- "Loop of the Loom" when I was researching online for places that teach felt- making. The Cooper- Hewitt's Felt exhibition, hosted a few months ago, was extremely inspiring and I developed this new found respect and curiosity for Felt . If you didn't get a chance to check it out, you can still catch some images online. Trust me, this stuff is life-change!
Anyway, back to Loop of the Loom......
Loop of the Loom is a weaving studio but occasionally will have special guest instructors or will teach special project, one being this felt making class. I visited this studio back in December 2009 to see the facility and to sign up for the felt making class but after seeing all the "work-in-progress " weaves on the looms, I decided to sign up for a beginners weaving class for the following week.

The weaving class was a great creative outlet! The pedals on the looms were a little tricky but once you master that, the rest is easy. They teach little kids (6+) how to weave on the same looms! You'll probably feel a little overwhelmed at their yarn selection so there's always something for everybody.

They are having a 'Sunday Promotion' special when you bring an extra person. Also, they are teaching a felt making class 1/30 and space is limited. So reserve your spot immediately if you are interested, more information here.

...and below is a swatch I wove from the initial class. I gradually started experimenting with tension as I was weaving and ended up liking the looser weave better because of the translucency and how the warp, in this case is the black thread, is more pronounce.