The Gallery of RegretsThank you Brandon for passing the site Ugliest Tattoos along my way. It really speaks for itself but I have to say I am profoundly shocked how many people permanently apply disgustingly rendered penises to their bodies. A few great ones are below/after the jump and they are nsfw.
Film Scouting in NYCShaun turned my on the Scouting NY, a fascinating and beautiful blog described by it’s author thusly:
“For the past four years, I’ve worked as a New York City location scout finding locations for feature films. I’ve been pretty much everywhere, from the highest rooftops to the deepest subway tunnels, from abandoned ruins to zillion-dollar luxury penthouse apartments.
What always amazes me about New York is how much there is to see if you take the time to look. Every street has a hidden gem or two, and yet they go largely ignored by thousands of passersby daily who simply don’t have the time to pay attention.
As it happens, my entire job consists of paying attention, and I’ve started this blog to keep a record of what I see.”
The images are amazing and it’s great to learn about all the secret hidden gems in and around the city that we walk by every day. He’s even made a google map of all the places featured on the blog, if you care to no longer walk pass them without a second glance and really take in all the interesting and marvelous locations that are virtually around every corner.
As a bonus web entry this week, also in the vein of abandoned, beautiful buildings.. here’s a great flickr series sent to me from that amazing Adler Hotel Jim and I visited a while back.
Click here to see the rest of Scouting NY (and an Adler Hotel Update)
Inspiring ImagesThe Selvedge Yard has a definitive stylistic point of view and among other things, is a great online stop for images and musings on rugged, American male style. Author JP describes his site as “about all the things that interest me– a menswear product, presentation & branding guy with a passion for people, places things & ideas of enduring heritage, quality, authenticity & character.” The site never fails to inspire, and the archives are great to browse. I’ve included a few photos below/after the jump, but there’s so much more to be found and read at the site itself.
That’s Me!It may be shameless self promotion but I am very excited about my new online portfolio, Brittany Hague dot com, a collection of a few of the textile, graphic, and poster designs I’ve been making for the past many years. As some of you know, I recently decided to go freelance so if you are looking for anyone to do art, take a look and think of me!
Jim put the site together – thanks Jim!
Librarians, bibliophiles and lovers of nostalgia are all welcome here.I ran across Awful Library Books during a random image search and was instantly hooked. The amazing collection of dated, funny, and amusing libraries books are compiled by two actual librarians from Michigan who I have to thank for entertaining me with books like Make Your Own Vests: 90 Ways to Jazz Up Your Wardrobe, Will Dad Ever Move Back Home?, To Be Old and Sad: Understanding Depression in the Elderly, and Born to Run: The O.J. Simpson Story.
Rock Pop FashionThe Look (rockpopfashion.com) is an ultrahip stroll down the psychedelic, super cool sentimental Kings Road. With impressive images (that are not easily found anywhere else) of Britain’s heyday of cutting edge youth culture and fashion. McLaren, Siouxsie, Mary Quant, Iggy Pop, Vivienne Westwood and Marc Bolan are all here, plus the biggest hangouts of the day like Carnaby St., Granny Takes a Trip, and Westwood and McLaren’s shop SEX.
But even more exciting, especially for those of us that didn’t grow up in a time and place that looks incredibly fun, are the names and places that are new: Dinah Adams, Wonder Workshop, Antony Price, Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin, Harry Gordon, Jah Wobble, Pamela Motown, and the list goes on. I love new discoveries and The Look is spilling over with them.
“trailers for the kinds of movies that respectable movie audiences stay away from in droves”Cult Trailers is what it promises, an awesome array of cult movie trailers as well as amazing cover art (a selection of which are below/after the jump) and some information about the movies. The site is sure to introduce me to many lost gems (including this week’s hunk Franco Nero) and has already sparked my memories about movies I used to eye in the video store as a kid such as I Dismember Mama, Student Bodies, Happy Birthday to Me, and House of Whipcord. Lots of time can be sucked away here, so beware!
Heart stopping photos of history’s finest looking men in fashionable, nerdy garb? I am there!
I found about Nerd Boyfriend from the ever-inspiring Refinery 29. The just over-a-year-old site houses some stunning portraiture of some of the greatest to look at men. This is the sight for those ladies, like me, that prefer to ogle the likes of David Hockey, Brian Eno, and the member of Monty Python rather than Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck or Matthew McConaughey (all recent “sexiest man alive winners”).
Almost as importantly: there are links to actual products so that your man can emulate the styles of these icons. I’ve already picked out the Tim Buckley sweater for Jim.
Save You MoneyWe don’t drive into the city too, too often but when we do, this little nifty site, Best Parking has saved us a ton. Some parking lots end up costing a small fortune while others right next door are half the price or even less! Without this tool, I’d never know and have gotten smacked upside the head with a $40 price tag once – which was one time too many – to not use this site.
AdorableMila’s Daydreams, the joint effort of adorable newborn Mila and her mother Adele Enersen. As the new mother describes the blog as “This is my maternity leave hobby. While my baby is taking her nap, I try to imagine her dream and capture it.” The result is one of the sweetest, cutest website I’ve come across in awhile and it’s little wonder that many other websites have taken note. I find the project very inspirational, though I can’t imagine myself managing such an amazing creative exercise when baby Van comes along, (and I may as well tell you now, readers that Brix Picks will be on indefinite hold at that point- but a personal blog will arise).
A blog mainly about odd German 45 rpm records. New records every Thursday.I have the quite interesting site, Berlin Beatet Bestes to thank for this week’s song, but there’s much more the in pages of this German based collection of odd records. There are high res images of albums you’re very unlikely to see anyplace else as well as information about the artists and illustrator when blogger Andreas is able to find it. He also made a visit to our very own neighborhood record/junk shop The Thing! I’ve posted just a handful of personal favorites below/after the jump, but the extensive archives are worth browsing yourself. A great random find during a google image search.
Horror, sci-fi, exploitation, cult, trash, B-movie postersThe fabulous site, Wrong Side of the Art comes up constantly in my google image searches offering gems from their substantial archives of B and cult movie posters. I’ve included a few greats below/after the jump, but any fan owes it to themselves to just sucked into a few hours of browsing the incredible art featured in this site organized into categories like lucha libre, German sex comedy, hicksploitation, and cannibal.
Vintage Heaven OnlineThe Frock has, for years and years been one of my favorite places to look at truly stunning vintage clothing online, dreaming of where I’d wear each piece to. Run by artist, former paralegal and man of great taste Christian Madrigal, the site grew out of a colletion of Edwardian capes gone wild. Since then, it’s a beloved source of vintage for film makers, magazines, and the rich and famous – Dita Von Teese names it her favorite spot for vintage. Below/after the jump are just a few favorites (including an Oleg Cassini that would be my wedding dress number two if I were allowed to remarry Jim every few years and a Mary Quant that I actually unwittingly own – it’s without a tag), but there are hours of browsing to be had on the site and if you have a special occasion that calls for a bank breaking gown, look no further.
Etsy’s Handmade BlogI have to say, I was most taken with the Etsy Blog, The Storque by the perfectly timed entry “Quit Your Day Job” which jumped out at me almost as a sign, because, as some of you might know, I recently did just that – not become an etsy seller, but to start my own business and a more happy and flexible working life for when my baby comes. (The Quit Your Day Job is actually a series that includes many stories of people who have successfully made careers on their own).
But enough about me, Storque is a frequently updated blog with a plethora of articles, videos and interviews about all aspects of the craft and diy movements.
found photos. free pie.Big Happy Fun House is such an endearing collection of found photographs, most from decades past. Have fun browsing all the archives, the sum of which left me full to the brim with tenderness and awe at the simple art of living life. Just a few of my personal favorites are below/after the jump.
Stunning Food BlogInspiring food writer Robyn Eckhardt and the gorgeous photography of David Hagerman will not only put Eating Asia at the top of your favorite food blogs, but Malaysia at the top of your list of places to visit. I particularly love the savory breakfast foods that are heavy on garlic and other bold spices often ignored in Western cooking for the first meal of the day. Some great images from the site are below, all photos are by David Hagerman. Please take a look at the site for even more mouth watering entries.
Where Live Music LivesJim stumbled across Wolfgang’s Vault, a site that specializes in live music downloads and memorabilia and is currently holding a pretty awesome Family Dog sale poster. For those not in the know:
The Family Dog was a loose collective of free spirits managed by Chet Helms, a contemporary of Bill Graham, who put on rock dances at the Avalon Ballroom more or less continually from 1965 to 1970. These almost-nightly events, like those hosted at the Fillmore, were more than conventional concerts; they were social gatherings with plenty of dance, music and light. Some of the early Family Dog posters are among the most significant art of the period
The posters are fun to browse and worth checking out for those of you looking to add some psychedelia to your walls; there are some pretty great prices for first run printings.
