BoingBoing's Cory Doctorow posted a great link to one Mr. Mark Hogancamp's website 'Marwencol' which archives the 1/16th scale WWII town that Hogancamp built in his backyard. The project interestingly enough works as therapy for Mark whom after being brutally beaten in an attack by five men outside of a bar was left comatose for some time. The project has worked in helping him regain hand and eye coordination and with the emotional struggles the beating left behind.

Via ffffound.com

The Stumbling Goat located in Phinney Ridge is one of Seattle's more established organic and locavore restaurants with 10 years under their belt, which means they've had plenty of time to hone their skills. Almost all of the ingredients used in their dishes are local and organic insuring the best combination a menu can offer, quality and freshness. The cheese plate which is offered as both an appetizer or dessert is a well balanced mix of fruit, nuts and cheeses. The Willapa Hills Farmstead Blue with it's velvety texture is divine and the Crottin Affine Goat Cheese even won over this generally goat cheese renouncing diner with it's delicate flavour. The main courses were also well balanced and perfectly portioned. The Liberty Duck consisted of a succulent duck breast atop a bed of farro, poached rhubarb and braised chicory, the bitter and sweet of the latter were a perfect contrast to each other. The Braised Wild Boar and Pappardelle was also a pleaser. The gently shredded boar made for a rich ragu to top the simple but delicious pappardelle pasta. The restaurant also boasts a hearty wine and cocktail list with several intriguing mixed drinks like the The Kraken an infusion of spiced rum, smoked Oaxacan maple syrup and ginger beer. All in all the Goat is a great spot for an intimate dinner for two or to catch up with old friends over drinks.

Owner's of Polaroid 600 cameras can get trigger happy again as the Austrian company The Impossible Project will start selling film for the SX-70 and 600 series cameras. Starting March 25th monochrome film packs will be available for purchase from the companies website. Eight exposure packs will set you back between $22-25 plus shipping, but in world where analog films are slowly becoming extinct one can not complain. Color film packs will be arriving this summer.

via Neatorama>Cute Overload

Penguin party crasher! That's my kinda sea lion.

Strange creatures live in the mind of Emma Klingbeil and thank goodness for it. The Wisconsin native has a bevy of prints over on Etsy that are sure to enchant and disturb in equal measure. Klingbeil's work depicts a vast dreamscape filled with monsters, sea creatures and nurses (perhaps due to the occupational hazards of hanging with said monsters/sea creatures). Reminiscent of David Firth's work (Salad Fingers will forever remain the creepiest of creeps, meant of course in the best possible sense) Klingbeil's creatures are far less malignant and are in fact rather inviting with their love of food and toothsome grins beckoning you to join in the shenanigans.

The final collection of the late great Alexander McQueen was unveiled yesterday at Paris' Fashion Week. The final showing consisted of just 16 looks, a regal mix of Byzantine and Renaissance Dutch inspiration that is a glorious and sad reminder of the talent extinguished by the designer's death just four weeks ago. The Gucci group announced that the McQueen line would live on although no word on who would helm the design house was given. Needless to say whomever takes over has some rather large shoes to fill, McQueen's skill and vision as a designer were truly singular.

Portage Bay's motto is "Eat Like You Give A Damn" and believe me they do; about serving locally sourced organic fare, providing attentive service and producing down right yummy food. The local Seattle eatery has three locations (you can find them in South Lake Union and Roosevelt) but it's the Ballard locale that's won my heart for best breakfast joint in town. They offer several types of pancakes to accommodate most diets from gluten free to vegan along with scrumptious french toast. All the former will get you a trip to their toppings bar where you can load up on fresh fruit, nuts, whip cream and gobs of maple syrup. If a sweet breakfast isn't your thing never fear savory lovers the Migas, an egg and chorizo sausage stuffed tortilla is a pleasantly spicy start to any day. The Bay is no secret though to food hounds and there can be a wait for seating. My suggestion is to grab a seat at the counter it tends to seat quicker than the tables and you get a birds eye view of the cooks whipping up all the deliciousness the menu has to offer.

Portage Bay
2821 NW Market
Seattle, WA 98107

Hours: 7:30-2:30pm daily

The follow up to last year's Lush Life group show features new works by returning artists Joe Sorren, Brian Despain, Travis Louie and Madeline Von Foerster along with new contributors like Marion Peck. The show is a must see for any fans of the neo-symbolist set and boasts the work of a dozen of the genre's finest painters.

Opening Reception: Friday March 12th

Roq La Rue
2312 2nd Ave.
Seattle, WA 98121

2009 was supposed to be the the year I reconfigured my career, transitioning from a mainly photographic background to a broader design based one. This blog was meant to be a part of that transition, acting as a place to catalogue design inspirations, interesting trade articles and to showcase some of the talent I one day hope to be even half as proficient artistically as. The whole process started as a hard realization and then acceptance that my initial field of photography had changed so drastically after the birth of digital cameras (an event I still loathe and love simultaneously) that making a living as a printer and dark room tech was not a feasible avenue any more. After acceptance of course came the burning question; then what's next? I have always been drawn to the arts as a whole; film, music, sculpture, painting, as long as it is a vessel for emotional expression I am usually at the very least casually interested. So I knew that "next" would somehow fall under the arts umbrella. I thought long and hard about what mediums I am drawn to on a daily basis, what I might be good at and quite frankly what still made money. I finally came to the conclusion that design both graphic and web (which luckily often integrates photography) was the stepping stone I'd been looking for. I'd all ready had some experience in the field but knew I wanted to do things right and so I swallowed a bit of pride and went back to school to get a more concrete foundation. After a year or so of classes I finally felt poised to re-enter the career pool and start swimming, there was only one catch. A big ugly snag called cancer. This past December I was diagnosed with stage 2 endometrial cancer, something I would find out is linked to a genetic condition called Lynch Syndrome. Not exactly the best news to get when one is all ready facing the pressures of a career change in the middle of one the biggest economic dips the U.S. has weathered in decades. So things got put on hold for a bit including this blog. Surgeries were had, chemo is being administered (I reach the half way mark on the 16th!) and slowly but surely I'm getting back to dipping my feet in the pool. In some ways cancer has been the kick in the ass I'd been looking for both personally and professionally. It has made me re-access what is truly important in life, that pursuing your dreams is never a waste of time, and that we only get one go on the roller coaster (so buckle up and don't keep your eyes closed no matter how scary it is; it all goes so fast you might miss some of the good bits mixed in with the bad.) In the end this post has served a duel purpose; a) to explain my absence from posting and life in general and b) to let people know that life is often tough, it's often not fair but it's also worth pushing forward, taking that big ol' horkin' bucket of lemons and making some god damn lemonade (or better yet a lemon drop or two -cheers!) I'll be posting as often as I can threw the rest of my treatments and adding a few new features, like healthy recipes and reviews of organic/locavore restaurants and products. So here's to picking up where things got left off and to enjoying the the rest of the ride!