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The Commission Project is launching today for the holiday season! The Commission Project is an affordable way to get a commissioned painting for your family. We do this around the holidays because it makes the perfect gift. The way it works is you purchase a commission right here and choose a frame color, next send a photo by September 9th to commissionapainting@gmail.com for approval, then wait by your mailbox for your painting. All paintings will be shipped framed and ready to hang no later than December 1st. You can check out more sample pictures and see more information right here.

This is the fourth year but it all started out because Paul would get so many inquiries in commissioned paintings. But because of all the time spent going back and forth the price ended up being more than people could pay. We started thinking about it and realized if we could streamline all the details like size and frame type then we could offer a commissioned painting at half it’s normal cost. And that is how the Commission Project was born. This usually sells out quickly so act soon!

I’m getting so sad that our CSA is getting close to an end. I’m going to try really hard to this winter to stock our fridge with lots of different veggies all year round. I love cooking with fresh ingredients and I feel really good about feeding my family healthy meals. Meal planning has become a habit and I am proud of that.

Dijon Potato Salad was just one of a bunch of good recipes we’ve had from our CSA, Driftless Organics. Now, I live with a bunch of potato salad haters (really they are all mayo haters) but this potato salad is mayo free! They still won’t touch it because they are weird, and that just means more for me. I made a full sized batch and had potato salad lunch for days, it was the best. I didn’t even have to feel potato salad guilt because what I was stuffing my face with was mayo-free-but-still-delicious potato salad, it was a total win, win, win.

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How fantastic are these paintings by New York artist Bradley wood? Judging by his statement, Mr. Wood has a wild imagination and a wicked sense of humor. I’ve added his name to my list of “artwork I’d like to buy someday.” It’s an ambitious list — I like to dream big.

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Name: Marti Palermo and Jarrod Routh
Location: Lincoln Square; Chicago, Illinois
Size: 1,200 square feet
Years lived in: 2 years; rented

There's a real effortlessness about Marti and Jarrod's home: a fresh, comfortable simplicity that immediately puts one at ease. I felt right at home on a Sunday afternoon with sunlight streaming through the windows, Wild Belle on the stereo, and a cold glass of beer.

Open House Tour

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If you’re looking for a durable speaker that you can tote around and set up at your next BBQ, the BRAVEN 855s was made for you. The portable speaker measures less than 10 inches long and 4 inches tall but it can crank out your tunes with powerful force.

The 855s is made from aircraft-grade aluminum that’s encased in a shock-absorbing, water-resistant exterior making it the perfect rugged device for any outdoors-loving person. It uses Bluetooth 3.0 technology for super fast pairing and it plays 20 hours of continuous music. It even has an integrated speakerphone if you want to make hands-free calls. You can also charge your own USB-powered devices while you’re on the go.

If you want more sound or a true stereo experience, you can daisy chain a second speaker on for the ultimate backyard dance party.

Artist and architect Tomás Saraceno (you know, the Cloud Cities guy) created a massive layered installation that’s suspended more than 25 meters (approx. 82 feet) in the air of the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen museum in Düsseldorf, Germany. “in orbit” stretches across the piazza under the mammoth glass ceiling of the K21 Ständehaus with its three levels of steel wire netting. Situated on the three levels are six inflated spheres that range in size, with the largest being 27 feet in diameter.

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Visitors to the museum can climb around the nets, if they dare, becoming a part of the surreal installation. If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re floating amongst the clouds, now’s your chance as the exhibition will be around until Autumn 2014 (estimated).

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

Photo by Studio Tomás Saraceno © 2013

I just discovered Swedish design studio and company Oyyo and their beautiful Scandinavian textiles, and I’m in love. Founded in 2011 in Stockholm by Lina Zedig and Marcus Åhrén, Oyyo is more than just a textile design company. Its founders bring to it years of experience in multiple design disciplines, so we can expect more amazing designs from this team. In fact, it’s their goal to release limited edition collections each year.

But back to the rugs. Seriously—these are really great.

It’s a collection of six dhurries made from 100% cotton and dyed using local vegetable dyes. They are woven with techniques dating back centuries, before machines existed, but with a contemporary design and color palette. I don’t know which one I like best!

Canary has set out to change the way you think about security in your home with the help of their new smart home security device that’s designed for everyone. Canary is a single device that’s built with a bunch of sensors to keep you safe, like an HD camera, a microphone, temperature, motion detection, air quality, humidity, and more. You simply plug it in and the device sends you alerts to your smartphone when it senses that something isn’t right at your house.

When you’re not at home, Canary allows you to check on things like your pup or you can use it as a monitor in your baby’s room. Everything is controlled from your iPhone or Android and it allows you to receive, view and then act on the alerts from whatever location you’re at. Over the course of time, Canary learns about your daily habits and the rhythms of your home to send you even smarter alerts.

The folks at Canary are winding down their successful Indiegogo campaign (hurry—it ends Monday, August 26th!) but you can still get in on the security action.

A tiny chandelier is suspended inside an oversized lightbulb shade! The King Edison pendant lamp, designed by Young & Battaglia for Mineheart, plays with lighting design and pays homage to the Edison bulb.

Hung on braided silken cable, the design is both romantic and glamorous through the addition of the interior chandelier, but its exterior suggests function and simplicity. I am loving everything about this design.

Mineheart will be showing at Super Brands London during the London Design Festival.

In the the past year, Brooklyn-based Amy Lombard has photographed multiple animal fashion shows, Barbie’s dream house, a steam punk convention, and “Bronies.”

If you might be wondering what a “Bronie” is, have no fear—Lombard was sent by New York Magazine’s The Cut to capture Bronycon and its enthusiastic participants for all of us not in the know.

What was it about Bronycon—besides the glitter—that made you want to photograph it?
“Having grown up watching My Little Pony, the adult fans of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic have always fascinated me. There are a lot of interesting layers to this fandom, especially when you take into consideration the enormous amount of male fans since the show was originally targeted for younger girls. That said, naturally when I found out about Bronycon I knew that I had to go and photograph it just to experience it.”

Were there any challenges to this particular shoot? And how did you find this community to be?
“When photographing in a convention center the challenge is always the space—blank walls and convention curtains don’t exactly make for a beautiful or dynamic setting, though sometimes that’s part of the charm. Luckily, in this case, the colorful subject matter compensated for that. As far as the community, everyone I met at Bronycon was extremely welcoming and friendly, which seems fitting because generally Bronies are drawn to the show because of its message of positivity and kindness. Being the jaded New Yorker that I am, I am not exactly used to this. It was definitely refreshing.”

This post was contributed by photographer Sahara Borja.

If all those steel fire pits at the local home improvement store aren't your thing, try making your own gas flame pit. This modern design is sleek, sturdy, weatherproof, and takes just a few hours of craftiness with a concrete mold.

Gemma Lush is back today with one of my personal favourite Middle Eastern flavours – charred eggplant.  There are very few ingredients that taste even BETTER when burnt to blackened crisp!  Gemma’s own version of this classic Middle Eastern dish combines that classic smokey eggplant flavour, freshened up with a salsa of ripe tomato, red onion and parsley.  A vibrant, flavourful addition to any main course – and healthy too! – Lucy

Charred Eggplant Salad.  Recipe and food styling - Gemma Lush, photo - Phu Tang.  Background tiles by Jatana Interiors.  Ceramic bowls - Mud Australia.

I fell in love with eggplant on my travels to Turkey.  I had the most delicious smoked eggplant dip on the pristine South coast, in a fishing town called Fetiye.  It was so heavenly my friend and I went back to the same restaurant again and again. We couldn’t get enough!  Notes were taken of all of the flavours, and I have done my very best to create a similar version of the dish, in more of a salad-y style.

For this recipe you need to smoke the eggplants. I do this directly on the flame of my gas cooktop, however if you don’t have gas, I would recommend barbequing them instead. This step in the recipe is where all the magic happens. The outside turns to a crisp, whilst the inside becomes a silky soft, smokey delight. The flavour that results from this simple step is quite incredible!

INGREDIENTS

Charred Eggplant Salad ingredients.  Recipe and food styling - Gemma Lush, photo - Phu Tang.  Background tiles by Jatana Interiors.  Ceramic bowls - Mud Australia.

2 large eggplants
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ small red onion, finely diced
2 shallots, finely sliced
½ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin, ground
½ tsp hot paprika
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Good pinch of salt

Method

Using a fork, prick the eggplants all over the skin. This will ensure that the skin doesn’t burst while you cook them. Place eggplant directly onto gas flame or BBQ grill, let char on each side of the eggplant, turning every couple of minutes with metal tongs. This will take around 15-20 minutes. The eggplant should turn limp, be totally blackened on the outside, and very soft on the inside.

Charred Eggplant.  Recipe and food styling - Gemma Lush, photo - Phu Tang.  Background tiles by Jatana Interiors.  Ceramic bowls - Mud Australia.

Take eggplants carefully off the heat – they will be very hot!  Let them cool down before peeling. Use the back edge of a knife and run down the length of the eggplant. The skin should slide straight off.

Place eggplants onto a chopping board, sprinkle over the cumin and paprika and chop eggplant up with the spices until it turns to a pulp. Spread eggplant over your serving platter. Layer with remaining ingredients and finish with vinegar and olive oil. Enjoy!

For more of Gemma’s beautiful styling work, do check out her folio website – and like every self respecting foodie, she has her own recipe blog too!  

Charred Eggplant Salad reading to serve!  Recipe and food styling - Gemma Lush, photo - Phu Tang.  Background tiles by Jatana Interiors.  Ceramic bowls - Mud Australia.

The gorgeous Gemma Lush tucking in to her delicious eggplant salad!  Photo - Phu Tang.

oh, this is big news! jonathan adler is celebrating the work of slim aarons by bringing us big beautiful prints of the photographer’s iconic work. an American photographer noted for photographing socialites, jet-setters and celebrities, slim aarons never used a stylist, or a makeup artist. He made his career out of what he called “photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” and jonathan adler is bringing his work back, made from aarons’ original film available in big beautiful and bold prints (over 30 of them!) to add a bit of old hollywood to your walls. wow!

• all images by slim aarons via jonathan adler.

here’s something bright and cheerful to wake you up this monday morning! est magazine shares this two-story Victorian terrace in inner Melbourne that is clean and crisp with vibrant colors for lots of punch. the home of food stylist mish lilley, this home is spare but bold and warm — with fantastic bits of bright orange popping up here and there. not to mention that amazing modern chandelier contrasted with the ornate victorian ceiling medallion — i love that! Mish has a great blog, too — Mish Delish where she shares her passion for styling, photography and recipe writing. check out est for the full home tour.

• photography by tara pearce for est magazine.

I’d always been drawn to the Mods and Mod culture, but seeing them live, strolling through the streets of London as if they’d just walked out of the 1950s-60s was a powerful incentive to undertake this project. What I was interested in was not so much the subculture itself, but in the way the Mods use it to construct their identity and what that tells us about Britishness as a whole. These are people that live and breath fashion and music half-a-century old and, unlike other subcultures associated with youth rebellion (such as punks, goths and the like), they strive for maximum elegance and formality, at a time when even G8 leaders worry about showing up in too-formal clothes.—Carlotta Cardana

The ‘Mod Scene‘ is a subculture that originated in London in the late 1950s and peaked in the early to mid 1960s. The scene is still thriving these days and caught the attention of London-based photographer Carlotta Cardana. Mod Couples started as an exploration of the Mod scene as a whole and as Cardana advanced, she noticed that the pictures that were more powerful and interesting were those of couples, so she decided to focus exclusively on them. She became utterly fascinated at how the construction of identity is not only negotiated with the accepted norms of the subculture and society at large, but with one’s partner as well.

Feature Shoot Contributing Editor Julia Sabot is the Associate Photo Editor at Dwell.

susan hable smith’s gorgeous dining room.

you know what i love about elle decor magazine? it’s a bit like turning the pages of a haute couture runway show. sometimes their editors find the most wildly fantastic houses, that much like designer duds, you can’t quite picture yourself wearing or being able to pull off, but they are simply stunning, inspiring and just get our imaginations running wild. take these lushly colorful homes i found among the pages of some recent elle decor magazines — richly opulent and boldly courageous design. i like to imagine actually sitting in one of these spaces having a spot of tea, or a cocktail or two with their lucky inhabitants. here, there are no ‘family rooms’ just salons and parlors — but, of course. cheers, everyone — you live in some kind of style. wild beyond imagination!

Caitlin and samuel Dowe-Sandes’ Marrakech, Morocco home.

the design work of Work of M. Brendemoe for elle decor espana.

susan hable smith’s parlor, complete with fainting couch.

The Bohemian Photographer Lluís Real’s mediterranean home.

GÉRARD ­TREMOLET’S very grand salon.

Jeanine Lobell’s electric pink foyer.

We're used to New Yorkers going to Florida. But is Florida coming to New York? A weird set of circumstances is forcing New York City to switch back to old voting machines which have been in storage for so long that they might be too rusty or musty to even work any more for just the primary election and no one knows what's going to happen. Amazing story. For all we know it might be Mayor Carlos Danger after all.