1) find some headphones
2) press play below and slowly scroll down…

Orange Dodge with Woodgrain Stripes
Watts, Los Angeles, CA
Winter 2008

White Tradesman with Stripes
Near the Airport, Burlingame, CA
Winter 1996

Brown VanDura with Tan Stripes
Campground in Deming, NM
Winter 2009

Blue Dodge
Centinela Plaza Shopping Center, Los Angeles
Winter 2008

White Dodge with Red Wheel
Beneath the 110 Interchange, Los Angeles
Fall 2008

Tradesman with Candy Paint Stripes
Hollywood, California
Winter 2009

… magical …

check out the rest here.

Now, I’ve been to my fair share of performances and I think I can say, with some degree of authority, that there are humans with less guitar-talent than these zebra finches:

by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, via rebel:art.

This guy, from Hiroshima, makes labyrinths out of salt.  leading up to salt mountains. where the salt children play. or something.  Regardless, I have never wished to be an ant more than I do currently.

via kottke

* yes, I am a nerd.

It is “A FULL-CG animated piece that tries to illustrate architecture art across a photographic point of view where main subjects are already-built spaces. Sometimes in an abstract way. Sometimes surreal” (from here).  Blablableebop, artsy-farsty talk… it is just plain pretty:

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

* not to mention the white-man-swoops-in-to-save-indigenous-group-and-breed-with-warriorprincess colonialist bullcrap.

(I am now only going to accept linked-in requests from users who are adequately mustachioed.)

You can buy a print direct from the artist here if you so choose. Here’s the whole collection:

via whorange.

#1: New Zealand Book Council’s “Going West” (via designboom)

#2: Susanne Ludwig’s “Feasible Fantasies” (via it’s nice that)

no, you are not dreaming, that IS a flying bouncy castle you see. (there’s even a video of it flying through the treetops. yay.)

#3: origami tree roots, by Steven Beckly

just plain old whimsy-ful prettiness.

So anyhow, happy 2010 eve, kids!

I am the last person who can be judgmental that you have waited until 11pm on xmas eve to get something for everyone on your list, so here’s some ideas for other procrastinators like me.

* * *

Tiny Gingerbread Houses (for your mug) from Not Martha.

When in doubt, bake. And these little mug topper gingerbread houses could quite possibly win the Most Adorable Mug Accessory award this year. recipe here.

* * *

DIY Bubble Wrap Calendar

If you hadn’t spent so much time procrastinating, you could have skipped the work and bought one of these for $22, but here we are, xmas eve and you will just have to grab some of your leftover bubble wrap and get started making your own.

* * *

DIY Potpourri

Give your friends with babies or pets the gift of good-smells – this gift recipe seems incredibly simple and I know these scents go perfectly together.

* * *

Make a Paper Wallet

I have made many a paper wallet in my day and they are far far sturdier than you might think.  Takes 5 minutes and you could draw a dinosaur or a space ship or a peanut, whatever, on the top – to personalize.

* * *

Wrap *anything* in a Piñata

Seriously, grab a can of creamed corn from your pantry, a pair of your own socks that still look relatively new, a live wasp nest, anything at all - stick it in a piñata and it becomes an instant awesome gift. Big discount stores (any of the __-marts) tend to stock them year-round and tend to be open on holidays.

Here’s a short one (a couple of hours late) for our corporate boss friends – doing bossly things. in that bossly way.

* * *

Shredder Scissors: $8.99

For those must-destroy-now moments, a pair of shredder scissors is far more discrete than the electric version.

* * *

I suck, I’m sorry letterpress cards: $4.50

If your CEO friends are laying folks off, at the very least, they could do so with lovely letterpress cards.

* * *

Chocolate Pie Chart: $20

Edible pie charts are the bees knees.

* * *

9 to 5 DVD: $11.99

One of my favorite 80s movies, and it can help our CEO pals avoid being ’sexist egotistical lying hypocritical bigots’. plus, it has the greatest leading cast ever.

* * *

Once Upon a Time Mini-print: $12

I am all a-smitten by the simplicity of this 1930’s illustration. buy an itty-bitty print of it here.

* * *

Fancypants, hand-carved  & painted Ax: $250

You don’t need to be Paul Bunyan to recognize the beauty of these axes by Best Made Company.

* * *

Tiny Vintage Mirror: $10

I can’t promise this small sweet square mirror will make you fairest of them all, but I’m confident you will be fairest of the block, or fairest of the room at the very least.

* * *

Vintage Red Travel Alarm Clock: $37

One wonders if Sleeping Beauty just needed a good alarm clock. Specifically a ridiculously adorable red plastic folding one.

Red-hooded Cowl Scarf: $48

Caution: may attract wolves.

* * *

You can take a southerner out of the south, but you can’t take the south out of the southerner. or something. regardless, here are a few ideas for your southern pals livin’ in the big ole city, begrudgingly missing their homes.

* * *

Little Boxes 24 by Andrea Shear: $35

Andrea Sheer’s tiny color-tastic house portraits remind me that porches might be what I miss most about non-city-living.  I already have one on my wall, but you can get this one here.

* * *

Sugar Magnolia Soap: $4.50

It once took me over an hour to gather the courage to climb back down from the top of the magnolia tree in my backyard growing up.  Magnolia-scented soap, on the other hand, is not scary and would remind me of the good times I had with the tree and its impossibly big leaves and low branches.

* * *

Turquoise Catalina Pottery Pitcher: $28

So pretty. So ready to pour a big batch of sweet tea. Buy it here.

* * *

Red Velvet Cake Truffles: $13.50

Nuff said.