So That's What Diamonds Smell Like. Your Popup Paris Candle May Have A Real One In It.

Popup Paris creates scented candles that are beautifully packaged, but the way they stand apart from hundreds of others is the fact that they place a genuine brilliant cut white diamond in one of every 50 of their candles. The diamonds range in size from .15 to .25 carats and range in clarity from VS - SI. Each is G in color.




Popup is the combined vision of a design lover and a diamond dealer, two childhood friends with one brilliant idea: changing your everyday life by creating luxury items containing hidden diamonds. Making dreams accessible to everyone, creating precious moments such is the aim of Popup, to produce happiness.


above packaging pics from Brooke Kiernan

Even if the candle you purchase doesn't have a diamond, you've got a beautifully packaged nice smelling candle for your home or to give as a gift.







They also sell limited editions created with various designers such as Paulina Leonor and WAD (shown below):



They encourage those who find the sparkling gem to post pics of it on their official Facebook page.



Popup Paris online shop
Click here for points of sale.

Or available at:
Harvey Nichols and at Woodley and Bunny

Ellie Konig and Quang Dinh Know How To Do A Wedding Video. Take Note, Soon-To-Be-Marrieds.

above: Quang and Ellie captured in their on-site reception photo booth, one of over 800 pictures by which they now have to remember the special occasion (courtesy of Quang Dinh's facebook page)

Like most newlyweds, the lovely Ellie Koning and handsome Quang Dinh wanted to capture the afterparty of their Aug. 11th nuptials on video. Unlike most couples, they used small Seattle-based production company Super Frog Saves Tokyo to do the job. (On the company's official facebook page, the folks at SFST they say they made this video for their "boss.")



The video was shot at the reception site Sodo Park in Seattle Washington in a photo booth, a now popular trend at weddings. The result is a recorded total of 4 minutes and 27 seconds of sweet jubilation unlike most painfully tacky wedding videos.


above: one of the photobooth still images from their wedding

It's been featured on MSN, Glamour.com, Jezebel and more and is rapidly turning Ellie and Quang into social media stars.


above: a still from the video

Shot at super high speed on the RED Epic camera, this 160 frame per second video unfolds in slow motion to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” and captures the guests with simple wedding favor props like confetti, bubbles, poppers and silly string in a photo booth.



The joyful and ebullient energy conveyed is so much better and more touching than drunken statements made to camera or master shots of a dark room full of spastic dancers.

Congratulation to the happy couple, shown below in a more subdued and romantic photo from their wedding (photo courtesy of Ellie's facebook page):


Contact Super Frog Saves Tokyo to do your wedding video, or any other cool storytelling video you may need at video@sfst.com


http://www.sfst.com/

The Pop Surrealism Of Emmy Lincoln (AKA ItchySoul).

above: In 'The deeply misunderstood friendly Shiphugger', ItchySoul has added a giant octopus and water details atop a found vintage oil painting of a classic clipper ship.

Sweden-born artist Emmy Lincoln, who goes by the artist moniker ItchySoul, creates imaginative lowbrow artwork by up-cycling flea market finds such as old oil paintings, antique photos and old book covers as well as creating her own original acrylic works.


above left: acrylic body art painting upon a 1922 book cover (Snovit) and acrylic demons painted atop a vintage 1917 Budapest photo of a one year old Hungarian boy (Ferike).

Inspired by sci-fi, fairytales, animé, toys and all things kitsch, this is her way of paying tribute to the unknown or forgotten artist. She sees her paintings as "stories yet to be told."

Here are more of her wonderful pieces.

The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million to one, he said (acrylics atop a vintage landscape painting):

Mermaid and Alligator (original acrylic painting in vintage frame):

Neon Menace (painting and wax seal atop an IKEA printed canvas):

Piggy's Big Day Out (acrylics atop an antique landscape oil painting):

When I Was A Young Fawn (acrylics atop a vintage oil painting):

detail:

The Good Girl (spirits in acrylics painted on 1915 Hungarian photograph):

Forest Mushroom Dwellers (acrylics on plywood) and Visiting (acrylics on canvas):

Friends (Acrylic triptych on canvas):


About the artist:


Born in 1980, Emmy grew up as a middle child in the tiny village Dösjebro. She was constantly drawing on things and her friends and family always encouraged her to. Both her grandmother Berit who was a map drawer and painter, and her mom Yvonne who is a ceramic artist, were great inspirations for her growing up.

After finishing high school in 1999 Emmy traveled for a few years and had stray jobs in hospitality in London, Tokyo and Sydney. She ended up studying graphic design at the Enmore Design Center, Sydney. Then followed internships at design studio Campbell Barnett and ad agency Arnold Australia.

Since returning to Sweden in 2005 Emmy is working as a Visual Designer in the mobile phone industry and is currently freelancing under company name ItchySoul AB.

Emmy lives in Malmö with her boyfriend Mattias where they share a cozy music- and art studio. Her debut art exhibition was at the No White Walls 43 gallery in Malmö in May 2013, where her quirky mash-up paintings were very appreciated by the audience.

all images courtesy and copyright of the artist

See more of her fun work here.

Alexander Wang's Balenciaga Campaign is Here!

Balenciaga recently revealed Le Dix, its first collection of handbags for Fall 2013 designed by Alexander Wang. If you already saw the teaser video and it whet your appetite for luxury bags, you'll be pleased to see Le Dix featured front and center in the Fall campaign.

And just in case you missed the Le Dix video shot by Toby McFarlan Pond under the artistic direction of Alexander Wang, here you go!

John Lautner's Stevens House Gets Lovingly Restored And Is Now On The Market For $22,000,000 (Over 30 Photos)

Respectfully and lovingly restored by Michael LaFetra as close as possible to the way original architect John Lautner intended, the Stevens House, built in 1967-8 and declared a California State Landmark in 2010, is on the market for $22 million dollars.





According to LaFetra, Dan Stevens, who originally commissioned the home, interviewed a number of famous architects to design a 5 bedroom 5 bathroom house with a pool on a 90′ X 37′ lot in 1967. All of them said it was impossible. He then called John Lautner. Lautner accomplished all of Stevens' requirements by designing a structure that utilizes 14 steel I-beams that in turn support two half catenary curves in reverse positions to become the concrete wall, roof and ceiling.














The house unifies sculpture with architecture and resembles two waves on the exterior. The interior of the house is composed of concrete with cedar planking throughout. The house also utilizes giant custom glass and Douglas fir sliding doors that open completely to bring the ocean air directly into the house.






The architectural masterpiece sits on the beach in the famed Malibu Colony with approximately 37 feet of sandy beach stretching to the ocean, a large beach deck, grassy yard and swimming pool.








Built of wood and concrete, Lautner created the five-bedroom mid-century structure to resemble ocean waves. After undergoing a significant renovation that restored the home as close to the original as possible, it now bridges the past to the present.

The five bedroom, five bathroom home is 3,366 square feet and sits on a 8,702 square foot lot situated at 78 Malibu Colony Road. Asking prince is $22,000,000.

The home is listed with Cory Weiss

images courtesy of Cory Weiss, Michael LaFetra and Deasy/Penner & Partners


Foundation Films owner Michael LaFetra has restored many a mid-century masterpiece by such architects as R.M. Schindler, Ray Kappe, Pierre Konig, Richard Neutra in addition to several Lautner homes. Be sure to see his beautiful work here.