Phelped Up

Guess what everyone?! Michael called and it is on!  So, rather than pushing that designy bullshit I normally peddle, let's get to planning my big trip to Beijing!  Thank God I'm a few days late for those pesky Olympics so I can find a seat up in high-falootin first class.  Now, for the hotel room.  Since M has all that endorsement cash piling up by the minute (and this blog has yet to earn me a cent) he's going to be splurging for my room.  He really really wants me to stay with him but coach Bowman says unt-uh, no way, not with all that gold on the line, buddy.  M & I sent some sad-face emoticon texts back and forth but, ultimately, we understand that love means never having to say you're sorry making sacrifices every now and then.  Since he's busy with time trials, he asked if I could book my own room.  pa-sha, how annoying.  But here's what I'm thinking:

(see full size here)

A few choice nights at Beijing's Emperor Hotel.  I'm pretty excited about that weird slide counter top in the all black bathroom (you know how I love black bathrooms) and those freaky fun hallways.  One thing I never like about hotels are the halls.  I'm pretty claustrophobic and those nondescript, long, narrow corridors always leave me grasping for air, the Emperor solves that problem with dynamic shape, fun color and cute little drawings.  I was a little hesitant to show you the bottom 2 pics, they're a bit X-rated:  The first is where M will be giving me a soapy sweet sponge bath and the second is where we will play-race each other in the pool, he'll probably let me win then toss a god medal at my face, we'll laugh about it until we fall into each other's arms in a big olympic style embrace.  See how M totally dominates at stealing my heart?  Awwee, what a cute little baby angel.

I think I'm going to schedule my arrival for when M is taking a nap so I have a bit of time to doll up before our rendezvous.  Could you imagine showing up all jet-lagged with a purse full of minis?  Oh, I would die!  I still haven't found a salon expensive enough to manage my luxurious mane but I'm pretty sure I've got the spot to get my nails did:

An unknown manicurist in Beijing pays tribute to the Olympics by creating this mural out of 28,000 acrylic nails.   I'm going to track her down a make her paint a triptych style image of M swimming across my talons. Then I will probably find out that M was her muse for this mural and I will rip her soul out of her chest... with my legs so I don't chip the new goods.

Between sponge baths, olympic gold medal ceremonies and interviews with Bob Costas, I'll probably need to take some time to plan for the love-child M and I will undoubtedly create.  Even though I'm sure he'll become a mind-blowing athlete, I should at least pretend that he might have a shot at intellectual genius so I might pick him up a few books at this quaint little shop:

The Kid's Republic Bookstore in Beijing

All those bright colors and things to climb on are sure to stimulate Junior's senses.  If I close my eyes I can almost feel little MP kicking.

After the games are finally done (and I move into M's room, thankyouverymuchcoachB) we'll probably need some down time to just take in the sights and enjoy the city.  I'll have to insist that we check out Dorophy Tang's installation over at the Adidas store.  

M will probably play all coy and cute and tell me to pick out any pair of shoes I want, I'll take my time and pick an inexpensive pair, then M will laugh and buy the whole store.  We'll use Tang's graffiti seats to furnish our London apartment.

Oh, gosh girls, it really is going to be a whirlwind, I'm so tired just thinking about it, now, if only i could find all those little bottles of booze I had hidden in my purse.

Go For the Gold!

I hate sports. I was never a soccer player, sucked at tennis, and got beaten up in PE. Can you say dodgeball? Nevertheless, I -- like so many people around the globe -- am completely obsessed with the Olympics, especially gymnastics, which is chock full of uber-buff men who wear leotards and do the splits. I am also VERY SURPRISED to find a not insignificant amount of nationalist competitive spirit lodged in my card-carrying communist (socialist? liberal? whatever the old folks call us these days), pinko heart.

That's right: GO AMERICA. KICK EVERYONE ELSE'S ASS. (But if you're not from the United States, feel free to insert your team in the following blank. It's ok. I'll try not to hold it against you.) So for you, ______, I present a day of golden awesomeness in celebration of all the ass we've already kicked, as well as all of the ass-kicking yet to come.

If you need some help getting into the gold grubbing spirit, try these $429 24-karat filled pills by Tobias Wong at Generate Design. Don't worry. I'm sure everything will come out fine.

Seriously, isn't gold the best color ever? Doesn't it make everything seem shiny and new and GOOD? Just ask Karly. She insisted on giving two football helmets we scored at the thrift store the Midas touch. Stephen Johnson needs no help in that department; he's already amassing a kitschy collection of gravity-defying gold-dipped goodies. And that bow covered snail butt just makes me laugh.

I've already blogged about China's King of Bling, Lam Sai-Wing, and his solid gold palace (replete with solid gold toilet!), but there's no need to be jealous of his glitzy digs. Check out these 24 karat covered tiles from Design Tale Studio and golden aluminum/laminate tiles spotted at trendir, and set the stage (ok, maybe only mentally!) for your own vision of victory.

Going for the gold is always about aiming high, right? While admiring the golden glow emanating from your environs, why not kick your feet up on Yves Klein's gold shavings-filled coffee table? (Look for more posts on Klein craziness next week...)

Feeling prepped for success? Ready to win? Sense the sweet taste of proper thrashing coming in the next week or so? Make sure you take it all in on your gold-plated plasma tv and sound system.

Excuse me. I've got to go uncharacteristically berserk (not that going berserk is actually uncharacteristic. It's just that this cheering thing is a little very new and different) and root for my team. Hunny Bunny is sure that I'm crazy, but, hell, I'm in it to win it! He really should know that by now. Not that I'm competitive or anything.

olympic design-bot

It's official, I've been completely overtaken by the olympics. I am now a giant Karly-shaped android here to tell you about Michael Phelps' gold medal bid over and over and over again. I love the games but I really don't want to hear one more word about my boyfriend's relay race with the French swimming team. It was awesome, I got it. Here's how much the olympics have taken over my brain: did anyone notice the little costumes worn by Finland's athletes during the parade of countries during the opening ceremonies?

uh, huh. that's right. Maija Louekari for Marimekko, bitches. Of course those sportsters are a dang season late, how much cooler would those have been last year? But, we've all seen the freaky gymnasts in their scrunchies so the Finns are really doing great by olympic standards. Don't worry, this is still a design blog. Check out the dress in it's original conception:

so cute. I might choose not to squat while in the dress, but cute none-the-less. Maija is quite prolific, check out more of her fabric designs:

She's also the designer behind these Marimekko faves:

Aarre Dinnerware

Dadel Fabric, Nuppu Fabric, and Nonparelli Fabric

Some lesser-known Louekari pieces:

Tablecloth designed for the New Dining Luxury exhibition 2004

I love this, I really want to make a version for my 6 top table. My guests will hate me. ha ha.

Tree for hanging stuff taped to wall.

I've seen a few things like this around lately, I'm pretty sure ferm has a version. I'm willing to bet that Maija's electrical tape tree was one of the first.

Did I mention that the Marimekko commissioned designer who just had her prints represent an entire country in front of billions of people was born in 1982? I have to go make myself a shot and design some fabric made from my very own, very real tears.