DC Recommends: Yves Klein at the Hirshhorn

It's no secret that the DC headquarters doubles as a Yves Klein fanclub flagship studio (you can see Erin wax poetic about him here, here and here) so when I found out that his work would be on display at the Smithsonian this summer my heart skipped a beat.

Last week, while visiting my mom in Northern Virginia, we took a break from pinballing between H&M and Homegoods to check out the Klein exhibit at the Hirshhorn.  (Side note, the Hirshhorn is totes my fave Smithsonian museum and it's worth a trip Klein or No.  But don't tell anyone, part of it's greatness is that it's never too crowded)

To see Klein's electric blue canvasses in person was really something else.  I never thought I could be so taken by a single solid color (no, I've never been a Rothko fan) but Klein's blue sets the retinas ablaze:  my eyes literally vibrated during the entire exhibit.

My mom and I agreed that the sponge display was the money part of the show.  Their cracks and crevices give way to shades of light and dark that make you want to shove them in your mouth.  They looked delicious.  Weird, but true.

Among his other works on display were his pink and gold monochromes (the blue is so amazing that even I was bored by the gold) as well as his fire paintings, which were totally radical.

If you're near the DC area skip on down to the Hirshhorn between now and September 12th to see the most amazing color you'll never be able to completely capture on your walls.

More Groovy Rooms for Kids

Hey Dudes, sorry you didn't get any love yesterday.  I was just plain busy.  Yep, that's it, no great excuse, but if you need something let's just say the dog ate my computer.  Are we good? Remember how I waited 5 long months to tell you about the little bambino I'm cooking?  Remember how I did that out of fear that this would become a kiddo blog?  Well, it seems I know myself well because all my decor hunting these days is baby-related and that's what's translating into my posts.  Here are a few of my favorite kiddy rooms from drool-worthy mag, Living Etc.

I especially love this room as it is the same color gray as my little guy's.  The black accents and cute-o displays are all in the works for his room as well.  Now let us all ask our resident criagslist genie, Erin, to pretty please find us a chair that cute and please let it be comfy.

I have to admit that I'm not crazy about whatever's happening on the bunk beds over there, but everything else is pretty cute (hello white wood floors!) so this room made the cut.

That pinup picture in the bottom right is beyond stupid, but otherwise I love this wall!  The end.

Cute overload.  I also love that this space is gender-neutral without being totally lame.

This room wins the award for most adorable shelves and best use of tam tam stool.

Ok, now to go tackle a real life kids room.  I hope my kiddo appreciates the finer points of modern decor.

Woolly Pocket Giveaway + My Fancy Guest Post

Summertime gives me a naturegasm. With all the lush verdure, I sometimes feel like I can hear things growing, and it's good to be filled with a sense of purposeful renewal. That's why I'm so excited the nice folks at Woolly Pocket are sponsoring a GIVEAWAY for us, plus I'm guest posting over at their blog today. How's that for cross pollination? Now, what the bleep is a Woolly Pocket, you may ask? Friends, prepare to be amazed.

Woolly Pockets are gardening systems that can be used indoors or out. They're made from recycled materials formed into flexible, breathable pouches that have a moisture barrier so you can hang them on walls or set them right on your more delicate furnishings. All you have to do is add soil, plants, and water, and then -- blammo! Instant garden. You can read more about the how tos right here.

Wally is a modular, wall hung pocket that can be used outside to build a vertical garden, creating a cool oasis (ok, a pool helps, too).

Or Wally can be used inside to recycle all that dirty carbon dioxide you've been shuffling around.

Wally is space saving and maximizes moisture, so you don't have to water 1000x times a day.

Here are two Wally pockets placed side by side in the kitchen, where they're being used to grow all sorts of yummy edibles. Brilliant idea for those of us with small outdoor spaces, or poor growing conditions (hello, Austin!).

You know you want to try a Wally on for size, and today is your lucky day! We're giving away one lined Wally pocket in peacock blue, so you can use him indoors or out. All you have to do is leave a comment by 12 noon CST on Sunday the 13th for a chance to win. Due to shipping constraints, I'm afraid this contest is open to US residents only. The winner will be announced on Monday the 14th, so tune in to see if it's you... it might be.

Now I hope that you'll all hop over to the Woolly Pocket blog where I've written up a little guest post that includes lots of images designed to inspire you to get busy gardening, indoor style. You know you want to go to there, so what are you waiting for?

Go! Now!

But leave a comment first, ok?