David Horvitz Will Do Amazing Things For You

On his website, David Horvitz lists whimsical, heartfelt things he'll do for a fee.

For example, he writes, "If you give me $250, I will read The Little Prince in front of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in the middle of a work day," or "If you give me $1, I will sit in silence and think about you for one minute," or "If you give me $68.33, I will take an old friend to lunch. I will take a photo of us together. I will mail you the photo, tell you what we ate, and briefly describe our history as friends," or "If you give me $30, I will walk around New York, and the first homeless person I see I will buy him or her whatever he or she wants to eat," or "If you give me $1,626, I will go to the small Okinawan island called Taketomi and send you an envelope filled with star-sand" (pictured above).

The inspiring site makes you feel giddy when you read it. I've never seen anything like it.

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Have a funny weekend.

(Video via Paige)

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Etsy Friday: Ma Petite Amy

I'm not the best vintage shopper. When I go to a flea market, I never seem to find the gems that everyone else does. Also, it smells weird.

So I'm overjoyed at Etsy's growing collection of amazingly curated vintage shop! Here on Cup of Jo, we've highlighted Ramona Vintage, ShopGoodGrace and Ultra Retro (which, sadly, closed recently).

Today, it's my pleasure to introduce Ma Petite Amy, a Vancouver-based shop offering sundresses, 1970's secretary dresses, and blouse-y tops. (She also uses belts to great effect.) I'm obsessed with this shop, and I'm sure you'll love it, too -- just don't buy everything before I do!

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Ballet is so beautiful.

Also calming. P.S. Mama and Marie-Laure, this post is for you. :)
(Via Vanessa)

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Calming Down...

After watching that traumatic elevator video, I need a lovely, peaceful photo to chill me out. This shot from Mav should do the trick. Doesn't it make you want to head to Vancouver immediately? Wide open spaces, people!

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Elevator Phobias

Although I live in Manhattan, a city known for its small spaces, I'm a tried-and-true claustrophobe. I haven't taken the subway for four years (can you believe?!) and, while I take elevators, I'm very aware of every screech and bump and sometimes hold my friends' hands. So you can imagine my reaction when I saw this New Yorker story about a man trapped in an elevator for 41 hours! This terrifying video of his endless circling didn't help either. Alex told me not to watch it, but I did anyway. (It was a bad idea.)
(Illustration by Garance Dore)

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Spotted Trend: Flower Ties

Last night, I noticed the weirdest thing. I was at a party and realized that almost half the dudes (all incredibly stylish) were wearing pastel flowered ties. I haven't seen a pastel flowered tie in years (have you?), and all of a sudden they were filling the room. Mark my words, flowered ties are the next big thing! Lena Corwin will be psyched.

(Photo by Lena Corwin.)

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Lovely Rooms

This might be the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen. Don't you kind of love all the clutter?
(Via TinyK)

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Would you like to buy my clothes?

Dear readers, I'm excited to announce that I'm selling a bunch of clothes and home items on eBay here. You'll find Marc Jacobs shoes; Searle and BCBG dresses; a Tiffany necklace; an Anthropologie scarf; great jeans; vintage postcards; alphabet stamps and more. Feel free to bid, and please tell your friends if you'd like. Thank you!
(P.S. For some reason, two items weren't included in my store--see a Tiffany necklace here and a BCBG dress here.)

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Have a wonderful weekend.

Enjoy the warm weather, my dears. See you later!
(Photo by Penny Lane)

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Why am I marrying him?

Kate Hutchinson, a Montreal-based photographer, has a fascinating on-going series called “Why Am I Marrying Him?” She photographs her fiancé going about everyday life; and the photos portray her internal deliberation, as if she is truly watching him to figure out if marriage is the best next step.

Far from being saccharine, the series feels quietly provocative and hugely relatable to anyone who has ever been in a serious relationship. And I love how she seems wary of a wedding, instead of clamoring for it, which is how popular culture usually (annoyingly) portrays women. Check it out here, and let me know what you think...
(Via The Year in Pictures)

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Young Me, Now Me

Young Me-Now Me invites people to upload matching photos from both childhood and adulthood. Check out how these cuties grew up!
(Via Swissmiss)

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These photos are really sexy.

(By Lina Scheynius)

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The Great Cranberry Sauce Debate

When my mom got remarried, her husband fit in with family well. He cooked us garlic shrimp, he played Celebrity, he even went drunk-carolling with us around the neighborhood. But at Thanksgiving, one thing baffled us. Apparently, he didn't want my mom's homemade cranberry sauce, despite its tart deliciousness. Instead, he preferred canned cranberry sauce. And when she tried to mash it with a fork to make it look more authentic, he quickly stopped her and said he liked it to keep the lines! What? Weird! Who was this guy?!

Since then, I've heard other friends say they like canned cranberry sauce, lines included. And we have learned to accept my mom's husband's Thanksgiving idiosyncrasies. So, in honor of Harvey, I present this photo series of foods that retain their containers' shapes...
(Photos by Zach Kowalczyk, via swissmiss)

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Blindspot + Bunnies + Beaches

My friend Gemma is involved with Blindspot, a non-profit devoted to supporting emerging photographers. Their annual fundraising auction was last Thursday. Sadly, I couldn't make it, but I love the beautiful prints they were offering. A crowd favorite was this rabbit by Hannah Whitaker.
And their benefit poster was this stunning beach shot by Richard Misrach. Go, Blindspot!

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Does this girl need a makeover?

There's a throw-down this week over at The Sartorialist! Apparently, the photographer met a cute girl in the East Village but didn't love her outfit. (He thought her hair was old-fashioned, her tights random and her boots unflattering). So he asked to give her a makeover. Sounded harmless enough, but people are bugging! (At the time of this posting, there were 566 comments and counting...)

What do you guys think? I’m torn. I love the Sart; he has an amazing eye and I’m sure this is just a fun diversion and she is probably super psyched. But then again, it does seem pretty judgy...and how exactly is her hair "old-fashioned"?

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Girl Crush

Through all the talk of girl crushes here on Cup of Jo, my ne plus ultra is French actress/singer Charlotte Gainsbourg. Alex thinks she looks like a young Keith Richards, but every time I see a photograph of her, my heart swells. She is my style icon and all-around role model for being a strong and awesome woman.

(Photo by the amazing, amazing Serge Leblon, via Scout Holiday)

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Lilly McElroy throws herself at men.

A performative photographer, Lilly McElroy wanders into bars and asks strange men if she can jump on them. If they say yes, she takes running leaps at them while a friend snaps photographs. I love the guys' awkward stances and nervous expressions. And isn't it cool how she flips around the traditional power dynamic and seems like such a badass? I wrote a piece about Lilly for Elle Magazine's May issue, and you can check out her addictive website here. (Also, for you lucky Chicagoens, she's currently having a gallery exhibit at the Thomas Robertello Gallery. But watch out! She might jump on you, too!)
(Originally via BoingBoing and The Year in Pictures)

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This week will be all about photography.

Stay tuned, my sweets. I hope you are having nice days!
(Photo by the amazing Lina Scheynius from Sweden)

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The 80s are Back.

(Photo by the Sartorialist)

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Fashion is Funny.

Don't you love playful pieces like this wallet and these shoes? I don't think I'd buy them myself, but I'm happy that they exist.
(Via Vain and Vapid)

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New Kids on the Block

REUNION!!! When I was 12, I was completely head over heels in love with Joey McIntyre. So was my twin sister. In fact, we'd sit in our mom's car in the garage and listen to their cassette (we didn't a tape player in our house), and my sister would tell me, very earnestly, "I'm not just a screaming fan. I love him. I really love him." Looks like she chose well, right?

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Lena Corwin

On Friday, I went to a party for the new book Brooklyn Modern. (My friend Yoko Inoue had done all the photography.) And who else did I run into there but the fabulous artist/blogger Lena Corwin, whose home was featured in the book. After reading Lena's blog for years, it was such a pleasant surprise to meet her in person. (Also, she is super beautiful.) I love when blogging becomes three dimensional!

P.S. Check out Lena's recent project, Lines & Shapes, a lovely collaborative photography book.

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Simple Pleasures.

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Too busy for dancing.

Brigitte Bardot, you dance and are cute. I, on the other hand, am too busy this week to even think about dancing. Brigitte, if you finish dancing and want to read blogs, you might check out this ridiculously cute post and this funny site about emails written by moms.

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