Thursday Three: Mainly MidMod

 

I’m thrilled for another Thursday Three with friends from Mainly MidMod Furniture & More. Good friends, Becca and Karim, are a couple living in Santa Cruz and started collecting furniture for themselves. They quickly discovered their passion, impeccable taste, and talent for salvaging, restoring, and reselling midcentury modern furniture. Check out three things that are inspiring them these days!

Thanks to Mainly MidMod for stopping by .stART here. today! You’re THE BEST! ;P xoxo

Santa Cruz Photographer Meg Venter

Photo Credit Meg Venter/Artisans Gallery

If there’s a way to bottle up the colorful rides and salty air of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, it’s found in local photographer Meg Venter‘s “Summer of ’67.” We love the tones, composition, and vintage vibe of this piece and the rest of her boardwalk-themed collection. We’re leaving Santa Cruz for the Pacific Northwest this month, and Venter’s prints will be coming along to brighten up those rainy days.

Food Blogger Molly Yeh  (and her upcoming cookbook!)

Photo Credit Meg Venter/Artisans Gallery

North Dakota-based food blogger and photographer Molly Yeh transports us back to the time we spent living in fun and funky Fargo. Yeh grabs your attention with gorgeous, moody photos and keeps you hooked with colorful anecdotes and mouthwatering recipes. (And her cakes couldn’t be any damn cuter.) Plus, her first cookbook, Molly on the Range, comes out this October. We’re preparing for major Midwest nostalgia.

Bend Goods 

Everything we love about midcentury modern design comes to life in Bend Goods’ colorful, sculptural wire furniture. We’re particularly obsessed with the Los Angeles company’s bomb drum table (orange is where it’s at) and glorious chairs. Picture yourself lounging on these bad boys in some tropical courtyard  — it’s what dreams are made of.

Thursday Three: Lilyette Estanislao

I’m stoked to have family stopping by and contributing to .stART here. today! My cousin, Lilyette Estanislao, has totally colorful taste in true fellow Sagittarius form, and I love her for it. She is unapologetic for her scintillating style for miles and manages to constantly have her finger on the pulse. She’s always been an inspiration to me, and so I had to ask what she’s inspired by these days. Check out Lily’s Thursday Three below – all about remembering and embracing the simpler times.

Thanks for hanging out, Lily! You rock!!! ❤ ❤ ❤  #arrowed #heathers #familyalways

Alabama Shakes

I had the distinct pleasure of seeing Alabama Shakes perform live at Panorama Music Festival on Randall’s Island recently. I had no idea who they were or what they were about. Arriving late on Friday evening, they were the first band I got to see and one of the few that left a really lasting impression. Their blues rock sound was a throwback to simpler times. Brittney Howard’s voice ringing out over the crowd was enthralling! I may have been feeling “some kind of way” already being at a music festival in NY in the middle of summer, but watching and listening to her made me feel all the more: that the tension and politics in the air as of late could easily be wiped away when you’re surrounded by people with one goal in mind: be present and ENJOY this moment (no matter how hard you’re sweating).

Stranger Things

There seems to be a recurring theme in the things that are interesting me lately … they are all reminiscent of a simpler time — perhaps because the NYC grind can be so exhausting. Stranger Things on Netflix is no different. A real nod to everything we loved about the 80s, it reminds us of the innocence, passion, and vigor of childhood. Anyone that grew up in the 80s will love this; it is like stepping into a time machine and watching something you would have back in the day and remembering how KICK ASS “back in the day” really was! The soundtrack and score are also effing amazing! The Duffer Brothers killed this – thank you for making something NEW with a feeling of the old. Hoping for a second season!

Raystown Lake

My summer is never complete without a trip to Raystown Lake in Hesston, PA. In fact, if I can’t take the trip, my summer feels like a huge fail. This trip is also about the simpler things: fun with friends on summer vacation – floating, day drinking, playing silly games, TALKING … Remember just hanging out with each other minus all the distractions? It’s a weekend about unplugging, being present, and LAUGHING your ass off. Go a few days without primping, “shower” with a jump in the lake, lay on the top deck, and see more stars than you ever will in your life. This year, we dubbed it #Rays20FIXteen and that it did.

Lilyette Estanislao was born in Queens, raised in Jersey, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. An aspiring actress with an award-winning, one woman comedy short film under her belt, she is also a boss in the restaurant industry. She recently helped launch a new restaurant lounge on the Lower East Side where she is now the reservations manager. Lily is young at heart, loves a themed party, and adores her family and friends. You can always find her donning a colorful and totally fly, head to toe outfit, heavy on the accessories. She is always red!

 

Thursday Three: Lydia Finn

Today’s inspiration comes from former colleague and now dear friend, Lydia Finn. She relocated to Portland, Maine from NYC during the spring of 2015 and continues to settle into her new life and home with bae, Dave. Along with being Pokémon Go obsessed, Lydia’s finding motivation from a variety of influences. Below are her Thursday Three – a few things she’s digging these days. Gotta check ’em all!

Thanks for kicking it with me, Lyds! Just like ole times. Really miss you boo! xoxo ❤

The Great British Baking Show 

I have been an avid reality TV show watcher since The Osbournes and The Great British Baking Show is a nice change of pace from the current overproduced, hyper dramatic reality shows. Basically it doesn’t make you feel like you should read a big book with lots of long words after watching it. The contestants are earnest and excited about each challenge in a way that makes you feel just honestly good about the world and the people in it. Its a great celebration of pure creativity and is full of hilarious lines like “The wobble should be like me backside” and “Right bakers, time to reveal your cracks” (all said in a British accent of course).

NPR Science Friday

I love anything that gets different parts of my brain fired up. Friday’s are generally the worst and drag on forever but I also find that email is pretty quiet, leaving room for getting bigger projects done. NPR’s Science Friday comes on after lunch every Friday with the craziest episode themes, like how orchids use deception to trap bees or how female coders helped make the first moon landing happen. Listening to host Ira Flatow makes me instantly focused and curious and excited about the world, as opposed to my usual cynical and “when is it 5pm” Friday mindset.

Maine 

Wow the summer is Maine is really incredible. Everything is a feast for the eyes, the water, the skies, the beaches, really everything just becomes alive once its warm. It is my second summer as a Maine resident and its been my #1 priority to have one Maine adventure after another. I want to invest myself as much as I can in Maine and in the summer, every day is an opportunity to experience something new and awesome and to feed off of that energy.

Lydia Finn is a PR professional who works for a publishing house in Massachusetts. She loves pop culture and fro-yo, is a ride or die friend, and despite living in NYC for awhile, New England is where her heart is. Her favorite color is stripes. 

Thursday Three by Lisa Coppola

NJ-based jewelry designer and Hump Day Hot Seat alum Lisa Coppola lists her Thursday Three, where different curators share three things they are stoked on. Receive 10% off beautiful Bevastyles jewelry when you enter ‘hotseat10‘ at her Etsy shop.

Photographer Alain Laboile

Alain Laboile is a father of six from France who takes amazing, fantasy-like portraits of his children.  Many of his photos depict his children running around naked and dirty through the wilderness, interacting with wildlife, and exploring all the magical gifts the world has to offer.  It’s refreshing to see children having fun in the absence of an iPad, an iPhone and a TV!

Painting and Wine Classes aka, Paint and Pour

Painting and Wine classes are popping up everywhere, and they have finally come to my hometown. These are great social events for you to reconnect with your friends and neighbors while creating a respectable piece of art in the process.  And there’s wine!  For a small fee, all you need to do is bring yourself, a nice vintage, and everything else is provided for you.

3-D Printed Osteoid Cast

The 3-D Printed Osteoid Cast is an example of the fantastic blending of science and art utilizing cutting edge technology. The sleek, futuristic design looks like something borrowed from the movie Minority Report! Not only does it look cool, but it utilizes ultrasound waves to promote bone healing and reduce healing times by 38%.

Stay at home mom Lisa Coppola is the owner and creator of Bevastyles jewelry found online at Etsy, while part of her collection is on display at Art & Soul Galleries in Roselle Park, NJ.  She will have a booth set up at the Ocean Grove Giant Craft Show on June 21st in Ocean Grove, NJ. 

 

Thursday Three by Sooji Kim

I’m excited to announce the launch of a new feature on .stART here. called Thursday Three (inspired by Very Short List) where different curators will share three things they are stoked on. First up is friend and former colleague, Sooji Kim. Check out what she thinks is popping this week!

The Largest Vocabulary in Hip Hop by Matt Daniels

It’s said that Shakespeare is the quintessential wordsmith because of his use of over 28,000 words across his entire work. Based on this, Matt Daniels decided to take a look at the first 35,000 lyrics of rappers (both new & old) to figure out who has the largest vocabulary. The result? Wu-Tang Clan ain’t nothin’ to fuck with.

Humans of New York at The Met Gala

Brandon Staton, the human behind Humans of New York, was invited to this year’s Met Gala. He used his popular Humans of New York approach to photograph celebrities like John Legend, Neil Patrick Harris & Anna Kendrick at one of fashion’s biggest nights, and it’s all just so lovely.

Boots releases WinterSpringSummerFall

Musician & producer Boots, known for his work on Beyoncé‘s self-titled album that broke the internet last year, released his debut mixtape WinterSpringSummerFall on Buzzfeed. You need to immediately start listening to the album in its entirety. Like right now!

Sooji Kim works in marketing for children’s books in NYC. She’s a sensitive TV junkie obsessed with unicorns, dinos, and hip hop!