our ‘handcrafted modern’ giveaway winner

We put all the entries to our giveaway through random.org and the winner is Brenda Rowley Gray. Hey Brenda, please “Contact Us”  so we can arrange to send out your book and say “Congratulations!” We’ll be starting another giveaway in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned. Related post: free book giveaway: ‘handcrafted modern’.

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patti smith’s lesson in improvising, via sam shephard

Our favorite hunk from Just Kids, Patti Smith’s story of finding her artistic voice, in tandem with her friend Robert Mapplethorpe. Here, a life changing notion from Sam Shepard. Related posts: the possibilian explores time patti smith’s (+ ancient chinese) smile therapy brian eno on ‘structuring ideas’ in improvising tina fey’s 4 1/2 rules (in 4…

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last chance to enter: ‘handcrafted modern’ giveaway

Our giveaway contest for Leslie Williamson’s Handcrafted Modern: At Home with Mid-century Designers ends tomorrow – Thursday – morning at 10 am EST. If you haven’t entered, now’s your chance to do it: To enter, simply go to ‘the improvised life’s’ facebook page  and “Like” us to become a facebook fan. Just type cut and paste http://www.facebook.com/theimprovisedlife…

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repaired stuff as back-up resource

This old pair of headphones still worked but one stem had broken. Rather than toss them, we asked our friend and sometimes assistant Tara Mann if she would do a visually-pleasing repair. Which she did, using colored electrician’s tape. We keep these old phones as back-ups to our regular ones, and find ourselves pulling them out…

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friends with benefits

Two years ago, I started ‘the improvised life’ based entirely on the feeling that it needed to exist. Many people I knew were in critical transitions in their lives and facing the risk involved in new endeavors. A website about improvising as a daily practice—living more resourcefully and thinking outside-the-box—seemed timely. Creating this site was…

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d-i-y cardboard stool/table

We were researching the idea of making cardboard prototypes of ideas we have for furniture when we stumbled upon a series of designs, with pictures of folded cardboard furniture at DesignBoom. They are easily copy-able and stimulate thinking of cardboard furniture possibilities. Our favorite is this lovely “folding chair”/stool/side table designed by Carine Imhof: “Kui-Kui is…

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free book giveaway: handcrafted modern

Announcing our latest book giveaway: Leslie Williamson’ Handcrafted Modern: At Home with Mid-century Designers, published by Rizzoli. Photographing with only natural light, Williamson documented details of the homes of fourteen mid-century designers, artists and craftspeople, including Jens Risom, Eva Zeisel, Harry Bertoia and Walter Gropius. We love that the photos show the homes exactly as they…

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