"I've never met a woman architect before...". Holiday Gift List 2018

"I've never met a woman architect before..."

Holiday Gift List 2018

Crate and Barrel Starlight Coupe and Mixing Glass Set

So, I am sure that everyone is winding down from that turkey dinner and sitting around, thinking that the holidays have begun (or did they begin when you consumed the rest of the bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups after Halloween)
Either way, you could make yourself a drink (or maybe make one for the relatives that are still there and are about to talk politics) but you realize that all of your nicer glasses are broken or mismatched and you are thinking "I wish I had some nice things and "why can't I have nice things??? and as your child/husband/annoying uncle drops another glass, "this is why I can't have nice things"

Or if you have relatives and friends who say,

"What can I get (insert woman architect's name here) because SHE IS SO DIFFICULT TO GET A GIFT FOR... let's just give her towels...

You can send them the link to this blog gift list in a text.

Or just print out a copy and leave it at their computer...

Yes, read below to find gift suggestions for you and yours and all of the other women architects (or even men architects) in your life....

You and Yours is a woman owned distillery in downtown San Diego.  They have a tasting room and they will create a special cocktail for guests but one can also purchase bottles for shipping. 

You and Yours Distillery

So, I looked through a lot of websites looking for a perfect martini glass designed by a woman to match the "You and Yours" Gin.  And I finally went to the Crate & Barrel in University Town Center to look at them. I talked to Janet there who likes the Vance Cut Glass Martini or this other one, the Starlight Coupe Martini. I think that this star one was a bit more fem and another architect agreed.  (And it is on sale with the mixing glass for $39.96)

Crate and Barrel Starlight Martini Glass

Starlight Coupe Martini Glass from Crate and Barrel

Starlight Coupe Mixing Glass from Crate and Barrel

Janet from Crate and Barrel's pick: Vance Cut Glass Martini

Yes, cufflinks again!!!!!  Yeah!!!!  And yes, everyone should own a pair as well as a french cuff shirt.

frank lloyd wright whirling arrow cufflinks



So, I'm not going to fill up my entire list with Frank Lloyd Wright  items, even if it does go to a perfectly worthwhile cause, but I just had to put this item on here because it reminded me of a story I have about one of the first Christmas holidays that I spent with my then boyfriend/now husband.  I had given him a FLW Engagment Calendar and he looked at me like he was about to you know what and he said, "what is this?" He only saw "Engagement" Calendar and was unsure about accepting such a gift with those implications.  But no, he waited 6 years later and proposed to me in front of the home shopping channel at his friend's house in San Francisco while his friend was in the shower.
(I said yes,)

And you can always sign up for a membership to the foundation to support them and to get in to a lot of tours of Frank Lloyd Wright works!!!

Frank-Lloyd-Wright-2019-Engagement-Calendar

Frank Lloyd Wright Store

Donate to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

I received a request from Fred Butters to post this gift item; they are pens that he is making from the cypress that is being replaced on the Frank Lloyd Wright Affleck House.  It is a separate entity so it can put all of the $150.00 per pen towards the restoration.

Affleck House by FranK Lloyd Wright, photo by Gary Quesada

Cypress Pens by Frank Butters

Facebook Page for FLW Affleck House, FB message to purchase pens

any woman, ok, let me repeat that any architect or creative (or even a non-creative) person can use art supplies and they are pretty much sustainable and therapeutic.  I have used these or other brands of watercolor pencils on drawings and sketches to get the color on them and then gone back in afterwards and added water to them to create a watercolor.  If you are really nice and have some time, you will go to the Pantone or Paint Colors of the year and match the individual pencil colors with those to create a great palette for 2019 (think colors from the 80's, which pale pink is fine, all those range of greens, not so much)

Watercolor Pencils at Blick

Books:

There are a lot of books about Charles Rennie Mackintosh and he was a great architect, his Hill House in Glasgow is undoubtedly one of my favorite "Arts and Crafts" style houses.  But of course, his wife, Margaret MacDonald has not received the attention that she contributed to the house with her textiles and metalwork.  Her and her sister met Macintosh and his friend at the Glasgow School of Art and if anyone wants to see true watercolor style and drawing, one must see these works in this book and try to get to see them at their birthplace. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Herbert MacNair, Margaret Macdonald and Frances Macdonald – who were simply known by their friends and contemporaries as ‘The Four’.


/Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Art of the Four

Women Architects in the Modern Movement

Julia Morgan: Architect of Beauty


Someone bought me this book last year and I have no idea who it was but it is a nice addition to my collection and it will be to yours also.

becoming by michelle obama

Becoming Michele Obama
Do I need to say anything else besides, buy this book for anyone you love and even for a few that you don't.  I rejoined the AIA because they brought Michelle Obama to the AIA Conference in 2017 and I saw her speak in her first appearance in public since that election and for that I am grateful.  Let's see if I can get to Los Angeles to get a signed copy, otherwise, order or purchase at any bookstore.

Suya Designs for the second year in a row!  These all leather bags are designed, cut and sewn By Bailey McDonald who my daughter went to college with.  Please support this woman owned small business as well as others. DM her for sales.

Suya Designs

Again, the Life of An Architect Women's T-shirt and I will leave it up to Bob to explain his t-shirt at his site :)

https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/architectural-t-shirts/

"Life of an Architect" t-shirts

Women's Jolly Roger t-shirt

Again, Archispeak T-shirts and I will leave it up to Archispeak to tell them about themselves

https://archispeakpodcast.com/

archispeak t-shirts

I went to college in the 80's, truth be told, I guess I also went to high school in the 80's so I have a certain affinity for these watches that are mostly plastic, reliably Swiss, but fun (yes, I am part Swiss) and are probably most likely the least expensive.  I have one of the originals with the "seeing the inside parts" which of course to an architect is always exciting!!!

Swatch Watch

So, if you are ever in a bind as to what to get an architect for a gift, and just don't have the time or inclination to get anything else, just go with coffee, though there are some architects who don't drink it (very rarely) they most likely have a person in their family or office who does.  And with this coffee, it is related to the AEC industry because...This coffee company is owned by one, I think Cherise Lakeside would say that they are all of her kids, so if you know Cherise from her podcast and on Twitter, please consider purchasing this coffee.

Let's Fix Construction twiiter account

Cherise Lakeside, CSI Twitter account

thornton coffee

For the second year, Coolhaus Ice Cream and I still think they should do a Denise Scott Brownie!!!

"Coolhaus co-founders Natasha Case and Freya Estreller started baking cookies, making ice cream, and combining them into “cool houses” in 2008. With mutual backgrounds in the design and real estate fields, they began naming their ice cream sandwiches after architects and architectural movements that inspired them – and eventually decided to take their newfound passion (dubbed “Farchitecture,” or Food + Architecture) to their hometown streets in Los Angeles. So after a few days on Craigslist (and some time convincing their families they weren’t crazy), they found and bought a beat-up old postal van, trekked out to the world-famous Coachella Valley Music Festival in April 2009 to make their debut, and, well…the rest is history."

cool.haus

https://cool.haus/product/gift-card/digital-gift-card/

Now if you really want some high end purchases besides the Eames Chair (which was designed by a husband and wife team), consider these...

Tea Infuser by Bauhaus member Marianne Brandt who designed and crafted this tea infuser (teapot with strainer) in 1924. It is made of silver so if any of you know this is worth a lot more than that Tiffany silver ring that I posted last year, (the original was sold at a Sothby's auction for $361k, the copy is but it is beautiful and you could celebrate the Bauhaus 100 in Germany with a friend or Kaufen Sie diese Kunst, bitte.

/bauhaus-silberteekanne by Marianne Brandt

volvo xc40

ok, I am a planning commissioner and one of my "fellow" commissioners who is a woman made a remark the other night about how I was wearing the purse from my Gift Guide form last year (which is a Suya bag that my daughter bought me, see above) and I said, "oh yes, hahaha, so you have read my blog before?" and she said, yes and i especially like that you put down the XC90 as a gift.  I said, "well uh, ya, I don't think I will ever get it unless I get it for myself, hahaha..." and so anyways... here is the XC40, not quite the sticker shock, is kindof like the Jeep Cherokee (but is actually less expensive for you jeep afficianados) and probably a lot safer and yes, Volvo drivers can have fun too.

As I said to ,my daughter when I saw this car, "i want to buy this for you"
and she said, "no, I want to buy it for you!"

But for those of you who are anti-car and feel that we should be driving less (we should) look at this.

Volvo at Automobility LA to show no cars

I mean, what other car company would actually advocate not owning one?

And of course for this year as well as last, you can always support a museum or
support

EquityXDesign

eqxdesign sponsorship


Ok, so I am still in the process of getting the image right, (my son is going to redo the graphic in photosshop but there will be an additional gift here that I will be launching in about a week,
Stay Tuned

So, I hoped you enjoyed this year's "I've never met a woman architect before..."' Gift List and be sure to check out last year's gift list also.

"I've never met a woman architect before..." gift list 2017

and Happy Holidays!!!