Fifteen years ago today I lost my beloved cousin, Wendy Yupe, who was like a sister to me.? Eight years ago today I lost my beautiful friend Sharon Millan, to the World Trade Center disaster.? They say that time heals all wounds but that is to an extent, I believe.? My heart still misses them greatly.? Today I wanted to send more love their way and to remember them fondly.
I wrote a tweet about these wonderful Japanese crop murals this past weekend but thought the Fauxology readers might get a kick out of them as well.? Farmers and villagers created these designs using various rice plant varieties (each with a different color) that were precisely planted in the rice paddies.? Can you imagine the planning that went into these?? They don’t even bloom until Summer comes along!? I’m just amazed, truly.
(Below) This is what you would see if you were walking along the ground.? The designs are only visible from a great height.
Click here to read more about the background story.? You’ll also find more visuals and a time-lapse video.? It’s really quite fascinating.? I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post!
You see, it’s never the environment, never the events of our lives.? It’s the meaning we attach to these events.? How we interpret them shapes who we are today and who we’ll become tomorrow.? (Tony Robbins)
Photography by Jason Rosales
I call the silver leaf “humble” because I think gold gets all the glory.? Even if you say the word “gilding”, the immediate thought (at least for me) is a beautiful gold leafed ceiling or frame.? I do love silver leaf — in fact, I prefer it over gold because I think there are more aging coloration options.? I remember one particular time in a class where I antiqued my silver leaf with an eggplant-tinted topcoat.? Mmm.? I also remember using amber-tinted shellac over silver leafed trim and it created a more sedate tone of gold.? Yum.? (I tore my studio apart looking for those samples to show you.? I wonder where they could have gone? I seriously need to organize my space. You may get a post six months from now entitled “I Found Them!!!”. 
Sorry — let’s keep moving along.)
This post was really inspired by an advertisement I saw for Cactus Stone & Tile.? They have introduced a new collection called Pathos created by Petra Antiqua.? The main visual has a silver-leafed travertine tile…and it is gorgeous.? (I do believe they have other leaf options as well.)? I thought all the artisans and gilders out there would love a peek.? Maybe it’ll inspire some more creative juices involving leaf?
Talk to you soon!
I received this a few weeks ago from my Where Women Create newsletter.? The artwork is from Susan Mrosek of Pondering Pool.? Loved the thought of it…
One of the great thing about having a blog is that I receive wonderful e-mails from readers suggesting post ideas.? They really get into it and I so appreciate it.? In fact, one of the more recent e-mails had glowing recommendations for two schools and their classes.? (Thank you, Chesna!? I’ll be writing you back soon and contacting those schools for more info to be shared.)? Many suggestions are put into the works and I like to credit the suggestion where it came from…so, keep them coming!
This suggestion came from my friend, Jeff.? He didn’t e-mail me so much as call me.? Excitedly.? This one has a timeline so I thought I’d put it on sooner rather than later.? Let’s get crackin’!
Sharpie has put together a contest for artists called Project Backpack.? They are looking for submissions of original artwork designs to feature on their line of backpacks next year.? You can either (1) Pick up a backpack at Office Depot along with two free Sharpies, or (2) Download the backpack template.? Then dream up your design, fill out the submission form and send it all in.? That’s it!? There will be three winners for the contest (with votes tallied online) and the Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 and their design on the backpack line for the next year.? The next two prizes aren’t shabby either: $3,000 and $2,000.? See all the details here.? In case you’d like to see some visuals of the type of art they like, Sharpie has provided a cool site called Sharpie Uncapped.
The contest deadline is September 19th and the votes will be taken during the second half of October.? I think there are plenty of talented Fauxology readers who could really give Sharpie something to think about…and who knows?? You may be thousands of dollars richer by Halloween!? If any of you decide to enter, let us know if you are chosen as a finalist!? We’ll post it here and provide some oomph to your votes!
For our inaugural Blog Beat series — where we profile bloggers around the World Wide Web — we have a blog world guest so phenomenal that I keep having to pinch myself. Her name is Jen Yates and she writes the Cake Wrecks blog, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. A Cake Wreck is any cake that is “unintentionally sad, silly, creepy or inappropriate”. It’s for anyone who’s had a mishap or three in the kitchen and can laugh about it. Jen’s ideas and writing are crisp, snarky and entertaining. Let me tell you, that is a hard feat to consistently maintain as a writer and she makes it seem effortless. (Seriously, click on her blog, read for a bit and then come on back to Fauxology. Go on, scoot — I’ll wait for you here.) (….2 hours later….Ahh, you’re back.? Addictive, right? So, did you see what I mean about her writing, her personality? That, folks, is called a Gift.)
But, not completely impressed yet? Let me give you some numbers. The blog averages 65,000 visitors a day and she is closing in on 620,000 followers on Twitter. The icing on the cake? (HAD to throw that in there.) She has a fantastic book, Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong, that is pre-selling now and coming out this October. For the 2009 Bloggie Awards she scored a hat trick and won Best Food Blog, Best New Blog AND Best Writing of a Weblog. Here are some Cake Wreck pics and then we’ll head into the interview.
The inspiration for the wedding cake (left) and what was delivered (right)…
Following instructions to the “T”…
Q: What are some?misconceptions about Cake Wrecks that you encounter?
A: The main misconception is always the same: that I?m a mean, nasty person and that Cake Wrecks is all about shredding bakers and mocking their hard work. Fortunately, anyone who sticks around long enough to read more than a few posts usually understands that?s not the case. I actually have a huge amount of respect for bakers and freely admit that I?d be churning out the occasional Wreck, too, if I were in their place.
Q: What are some of your favorite websites and blogs?
A: Being online every day, I?m constantly discovering new gems. One of my favorite blogs is SuperPunch, because the writer John does nothing but list fascinating tidbits from all over the web. I?m a geek, too, so I have to check in with Geekologie, Neatorama, and Great White Snark. On my Yahoo reader I?ve also got Woot (love the tees), Doe Deere, It?s Lovely! I?ll Take It!, Boobs, Injuries & Dr. Pepper, a few cake sites and blogs of friends. One perk of running Cake Wrecks is that now, all the time I spend browsing amazing cake galleries online is actually work and not just me goofing off.? I can?t believe that I still enjoy it as much as I do.
