Todd Camplin

Yesterday the Architect and I ventured downtown to the D Art Slam at the F.I.G. Gallery. At the art show we saw the work of Todd Camplin and walked away with one of his pen and ink drawings. The drawings he had at the show were abstractions of words repeated over the page. The drawing we picked up was huge - 50x38. We are not quite sure where we are going to put it just yet.

We left the drawing with the artist for the remainder of the show, so if you want go check Todd out and the other talented local artists in out midst.

Information on D Art Slam here.

Information on Todd Camplin and the drawing we purchased here.

Urban Revision Dallas Winners

Well the kids at Urban Revision have announced the winners of the competition to design a sustainable mixed use development in Downtown Dallas. I am a bit underwhelmed and extremely disappointed that no Dallas firms or architects made the cut. The designs seem a bit over the top and I can't really see them being executed in our city.

You can check out the finalists and form your own opinions here.

If you want my unedited opinion, you are going to have to buy me a bottle of wine, to find out.

Weekend Plans

1. D Art Slam at F.I.G. - Support independent artists in Dallas and peruse among a well-curated collection of artists at the F.I.G. Gallery. Ticket info here.

2. Swag for Wag - Head down to the White Rock Dog park to pick up free dog treats and Dog Fancy magazine while letting the pooch run around and sniff other dog's rear ends. From 9am-1pm at the White Rock Dog Park.

3. Garage Sale: Highland Park Style - Head over to 5431 W. University Blvd. where you can scavenge for designer duds and vintage furniture. Sale starts at 10am.

Bueller...Bueller...Bueller...

Remember the scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off where his buddy Cameron pushes his dad's Ferarri out a window? The home used as Cameron's house in the movie is up for sale in Chicago. Check it out here.

Photo: A. James Speyer/Sotheby's

Tip of the hat to Apartment Therapy.

Weekend Plans - Memorial Day Edition

1. Artfest - head on down to Grand Ave. and peruse art from many local artists. You can also bring the pooches!

2. Dallas Wine Trail Weekend - Times Ten Cellars will be hosting local Dallas wineries for a wine tasting.

3. Sunset Movie Night at the Hotel Palomar - All summer long you can catch an outdoor movie in the courtyard of the Hotel Palomar while sipping on cocktails and noshing on munchies from Central 214.

Design Firm Name Generator

Looking to start your own design firm or architecture firm but don't know what to call it?
Check out the Breadline Design Naming Machine. I think the Architect should name his future firm Red Lemur Media.

Just kidding!

Frank Lloyd Wright Legos

The kids over at PrairieMod have the scoop on Lego's decision to issue kits of Wright's Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.

Get the scoop here.

Indulge in your inner American Psycho...

With a modern custom made axe from Best Made Co. The axe even comes in its own felt lined box. So put a suit on, cue up Genesis' Sussudio, and get to chopping some wood. Axe shown is the "Canuck Clipper."

DC9 in Space on Wednesday Nights

The Dallas Observer music blog, DC9 at Night has partnered with photographer Hal Samples' Space Studio to present DC9 in Space. Every Wednesday a different band will perform at Space. One week later you will be able to view a video of the performance.

This week San Francisco based Tartufi will be performing. After that you will have show up to see who will be playing.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland In-Store Performance at Good Records

On Tuesday (5/12) at 7:30pm head on down to Good Records for an in-store performance by Elvis Perkins. There will be giveaways of free tickets too. If that is not enough to get you down to lower Greenville, I am sure these two words will: FREE BEER!

Listen to his interview on NPR here.

The i-house

Apparently to be cool and modern when launching a new product you must put "i-" in front of your product. As annoying as that is, there are some interesting design ideas from Clayton Homes' new modern pre-fab homes. Clayton Homes is backed by financier Warren Buffett. Their schtick is that they can build a modern green pre-fab home for under $100,000.00.

Check out the website, take a tour of the homes, and create your own home here.

BTW, kudos to the Syracuse Airport for having free wi-fi. Now you only need a Starbucks and somewhere where I can buy a magazine . Or you could have at least posted a sign before security saying there was no amenities at the gates except for two vending machines. Yeah, I'm not bitter about wasting a week in upstate NY at all.

Weekend Plans

1. Fill up the car and head up the Tollway to Taste of Addison this weekend. Friday night, local boy's the Old 97s will be rocking out.

2. Interested in art this Friday? Head on over to Off the Grid where 17 artists debut new works at the historic Dallas and Power Light Substation. Portion of the proceeds benefit the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. Info here.

3. In between running errands and drinking cocktails, don't forget to vote this Saturday. Unless you have been under a rock for the last few months, the biggest issue on this ballot is the referendum on the Convention Center hotel. In case you still haven't figured out where you stand check out D magazine's Front Burner blog, Dallas Observer's Unfair Park Blog, and the Dallas Morning News for a multitude of information.

Fredericksburg, TX Pt. 2: Wineries

During our 4 day stay in Fredericksburg, TX, the Architect and I hit six wineries in and around the town.

Here are the wineries we checked out:

1. Pedernales Cellars - Stonewall, TX: This is one of the newer wineries in the Hill Country. They opened their doors in December 2008. I really enjoyed their whites, especially the viognier. However, I wish they had served the red wines at the proper temperature. Now that I have a wine fridge, when wine is not slightly chilled it tastes like I am drinking bathwater. Not a way to get me to buy the wine.

2. Grape Creek Vineyard: This place had the slickest operation out of the ones we visited. Upon entering there are two different areas where to taste wine - Black Label (higher end price points) and White Label. Being the oeneophiles we are we tasted both lines. We picked up the up the Cab Sav/Syrah and the Cabernet Trois. Their ports were also wonderful.

3. Woodrose Winery, Stonewall, TX: This has the best way to taste wines. You enter into the winery where you are greeted by an adorable chocolate lab named Lola. Then you grab a seat on the back deck set in a grove of trees where they bring the tasting to you.

4. Torre di Pietra: I did not like any of the wines I tasted here. I did not think they were bad wines, just not my taste. But I did like their blanco port and walked away with a bottle.

5. Rancho Ponte Vineyard: This was by far my favorite winery. We walked away with their Max's Merlot, Triple M Blend, and the Renegade Port. This is definitely a place I would order from in the future.

6. Fredericksburg Winery: Located in downtown, this is a no-frills operation, but produces some great wines. The tasting is also free!

Some tips for your winery tours:

1. Go here for a downloadable map of all the wineries in the Hill Country.

2. Make sure you get a "passport" for the Texas Department of Agriculture at the first winery you go to. Get four stamps in your passport then go online to redeem the passport for free stuff.

3. While most of the wineries have a tasting fee, if you buy at least one bottle the tasting fee is usually waived.

4. If you go in the Spring and Summer, pack a small cooler in your card with some ice to keep your new bottles cool while you visit other wineries.

5. In between wineries be sure to drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated and so you don't get "wine fatigue." Nothing is worse than going to a great winery and being so sick of tasting wine that everything else ceases to taste good.