Daily Update Interior House Design: September 2011

Friday, September 30, 2011

Thursday Late Night Date Night

A few months back, we purchased some movie tickets off of Groupon to Studio Movie Grill - a place that is seemingly a bar, a movie theatre, and a restaurant all wrapped up into one. We remembered this week that our tickets were due to expire soon so we had a spontaneous Thursday "late night date night". And when I say late...our movie started at 10:20 p.m. and we got home after 12 midnight. We saw Contangion...

We really liked Studio Movie Grill. A perfect date night spot. We will definitely be going back!

After we got our tickets, we turned around and noticed a bar. I was like, "What? A Bar?! Wow". In advance I knew the concept of them serving food at your table, but I didn't know the spot included a mini bar scene. Makes total sense. Very clever folks ; )

Lots of comfy seating....

There are Studio Movie Grill locations in Texas, Georgia and Arizona. They should bring them to many more cities because this concept is an excellent one!

Hallway leading to various movies that are showing....

Because we went on a Thursday night, the theatre wasn't packed so we didn't have anyone sitting next to us. You get a menu to order from {that is very extensive in food options} and you press a button on your table and a waiter comes and takes your order {you can also bring in any drinks that you purchase from the bar}. The food was not only reasonable priced, but was pretty good! Our Groupon promotion included two ticket vouchers for soft drinks. The seats are super comfy and recline. We had a great night out {thank you mom for coming over to stay with Ilah}!

All photos used with expression written permission

All photos by Wade Griffith of Wade Griffith Photography

Tonight we are going to our bible study small group and tomorrow consists of a car maintenance appointment {boo!} and a fun night out with the girls {yay}! Hope you all have a great weekend!!

Forging Some Fun Sterling Silver Baby Gifts. Welcome! by RICHARD and 5.5 Designers

Bienvenue! A collection of whimsical and modern Silverware for Baby by Parisian silversmiths, RICHARD in collaboration with 5.5 Designers.

To celebrate its centenary, the RICHARD Goldsmith Workshop invited the collective 5.5 Designers to shake up its codes and tradition and reinterpret its expertise in a collection of unusual baby and birth gifts. With curiosity, passion and humor, RICHARD goldsmiths has imagined "Welcome!", a collection that is the antithesis of mass-manufactured products and yet has the undeniable stamp of fine Arts and Crafts.

above: silversmith at Richard forging the collection

Born with a silver spoon in your mouth, or rather a service spoons in their hands. This collection of "birth spoons" was born of the encounter between real expertise and a desire to bring up to date that forgotten tradition of family ties at the time of arrival of the a child.

Spoons were originally made of wood, they were then mostly made of tin. But in wealthy families, it was tradition that the sponsor offers his godson or goddaughter a sterling silver spoon at the time of his or her baptism. This object was thus a symbol ensuring prosperity for the child. The sponsor also offered a cup, a metaphor for money, with the first name and date of birth. These beliefs were widespread and many of us still have our baby cup, rattle and cutlery in a drawer.

above: the egg cup under construction

Today, the act of giving birth or baby gifts is still practiced, but the spoon, the object of life par excellence seems to have gone by the wayside. It is by diverting the archetype of the spoon, using it as raw material, that RICHARD and 5.5 have designed a collection that revisits the classic gifts of birth.

Below are all the pieces in the collection followed by images of the crafting of these items.

The curved spoon functions as both a napkin holder, a place to store the bib or as a teething ring:

By cutting and welding the spoon surfaces to a cup, they become a generous handle and the ears of happy little character.

Planted in a dish, the elegant egg cup has a place for blotters:

The addition of multiple sterling silver rings and handle detailing turns this spoon into a lovely rattle:

This beautiful spoon is equipped with a guard and detailing on the handle:

Welding two spoon surfaces together makes this double as a feeding tool and a place to hold snacks:

All these variations on the iconic baby gifts are versions that make you want to be senile or make older children wish they were still young.

RICHARD:

Since its founding in 1910, the Richard Goldsmith workshop covered forged sterling silver using traditional methods of French goldsmiths. A recognized expert in restoration of antique pieces, Richard Goldsmith Workshop also produces custom-made parts, prototypes and limited series.
www.orfevrerie-richard.com

above: 5.5 designers, Paris 2011

Turn Your Facebook Activity into a Book of Infographics with Social Memories.

Social Memories is a Facebook app (and 2011 Red Dot Design Winner) from Deutsche Post DHL and Cosalux that allows you to create a 28 page glossy bound hardcover book of your Facebook social activity. The super easy application creates your custom book in minutes.

You choose the date range from which you want them to pull the statistics. Pick from 3 choices of color schemes and your choice from 5 languages and voila! After a few seconds, your activity is analyzed and then organized into tastefully designed infographics available to view online or to purchase.

In a matter of moments I learned that I have more male friends than female friends (amongst those who listed their gender), the majority of my friends (who chose to share their birthdates) are Capricorns, I post about 7 times more photos than I do updates and I'm most socially active on Fridays. And more useless but fun and enlightening facts.

Here's some screen grabs of a sample book from my own facebook activity:

A video of the concept and product:

Price: 19€ plus worldwide shipping

Create yours now here

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Chicken, Chicken...and More Chicken!

Thank you to all of you who saw the blog post about my husband's app and voted for it!! Thank you for taking just a minute out of your day to do that; your support was/is really, really appreciated!! So THANK YOU again!! He is currently in the lead; voting ends in a few weeks so there's still time to vote!

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My choice of meat is usually always chicken {unless I'm at a great steakhouse!}. I've been accumulating all sorts of various recipes [that have chicken in them] on Pinterest. In the next few weeks, I will be giving these a try.....

Creamy Caprese Pasta w/Chicken