magnificent

Love the chandelier pictured in this Traditional Home nursery.

the lily has landed

The talented Beth Weintraub did a spectacular job on this one. The way it catches the light and brings the kitchen and dining room together is really more fabulous than even I had imagined. (Grandpa, please note the two large screw holes that remain from the previously hung mirror.)

butt-naked princess keyboardist

animal crackers in my soup...

Lunch boxes, popsicle molds and now circus cookie cutters? Someone feeling domestic? Question is, would I actually use this stuff or would it just look amusing in our kitchen?
Darling cookie cutters are from Williams Sonoma.

a visit to reform school

Found this clever little web site today on cookie.
It's called reform school and everything about it is unique.
A few of my favorite finds...

Keep calm and carry on poster - a reproduction of a WWII propaganda poster. Imported from England.




Mobilehome recycled cardboard dollhouse...


Tiny Tom's shoes. Great company. For every shoe you buy, Tom's donates a pair of shoes to a child in need. Not so cute but hey, it's for charity...


For like ever recycled cotton tote...

"ice, ice baby"

Thought those Bento Boxes were cool?
Checkout these rocket & star popsicle molds from Land of Nod...

the evolution of lunch boxes

How cool is this Bento Box lunch box from Plastica?

another local artist

Created by Gage on his computer with a program called KidPix.

A man and his dog:

A bird, a man, the sun, clouds and grass:

chocolate cherry bullseye

This is our latest acquisition. AJ Oishi is the artist. Design is created with a series of acrylic paint dots on canvas. See more on her website.

these make me happy

The artist's name is Benicia Gantner.
You can see more of her work here.
Like her style so much I just don't know where to start!

kira kira hikaru

improv in the playroom

wait for it

Best Buy Dance Off

yeah, yeah baby

a new tutu for zuzu

Every little girl should have a tutu like this.
And she should be able to wear it anywhere she damn well pleases.

parental advisory, explicit content

The everyone nose website. Not for viewers under the age of 18. And even some adults.

"t.a.g. is it"

T.A.G. Is 'It' for Halo 3 Team
When real-life soldiers approved, creatives knew the campaign stood a fighting chance

May 22, 2008
-By Gregory Solman
LOS ANGELES The T.A.G. creative team behind the Clio Award-dominating campaign for Microsoft Xbox's Halo 3 were prepared for skeptical reactions to the spots' solemn accolades for animated in-game soldiers, especially as support for flesh-and-blood warriors fighting in Iraq began to wane.
All that changed when agency cd Scott Duchon started hearing from American soldiers posted abroad who praised the TV and online effort (which features fictitious "veterans" telling elaborate battle tales) as "emotionally real" and genuinely moving."It's the best work we've done," says cd Geoff Edwards, who crafted the ads with Duchon.
"We did everything but get [Halo war hero] Master Chief his own Time magazine cover and national holiday."
That's high praise from an oft-awarded industry star who picked up four Cannes Lions in 2005 alone for Adidas work he oversaw while at TBWA\Chiat\Day in San Francisco.
At the Clios, Halo 3 won eight statues and Microsoft Xbox was crowned Advertiser of the Year.
T.A.G. was launched a year ago, spun out of McCann Erickson's San Francisco office as a way of keeping key Microsoft creatives Duchon and Edwards -- not to mention the client -- happy and micro-focused on the all-important Xbox and Zune assignments.
Even though T.A.G. has since grown to 22 and now commands its own space (it originally occupied a sparely populated but raucous corner of McCann), Duchon and Edwards are fiercely protective of preserving the culture they've carved out for their own enjoyment and productivity.
"We don't want to be one of those agencies that tries to do too much too quick," says Edwards. "We're saying let's keep things at home and do killer work on Xbox and Zune, as well as Microsoft's brand and global business."
"I don't know a lot of other agency cultures," says Duchon, who moved through Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami, JWT in New York and TBWA\C\D, San Francisco. "But T.A.G. is all based on being open to a lot of people and having strategy and creative as the driving forces. There's so much work to go around, there's no animosity or grabbing on to things. A lot of people have contributed to the work."
For Halo 3, Edwards credits a small core team at T.A.G. and MJZ -- especially senior planner Mike Harris, who he called "another creative" on the lauded campaign.
"We all have interests beyond traditional marketing," adds Duchon. "And we want people [at T.A.G.] to be able to exercise a different creative muscle, a different side of the brain."
They'll get that chance as work on Microsoft progresses, and they begin branching out on projects for other clients. Such an effort is already under way for an undisclosed video player.
"We like being nimble, quick, and super-personal here," says Edwards. "It's one of those amazing times where I look around and like everyone here. That translates into an amazing culture."
Adweek and the Clio Awards are units of the Nielsen Co.

zuzu's wish list

For her birthday, Zuzu would like this dollhouse made by Plan Toys. It's available at a variety of toy stores and I think Goodnite Moon might even carry it. Just in case you're looking for ideas...

a-maze-ing

Meet the Q-BA-MAZE that came home with us today.
I chose this one over the large wooden structure because the interlocking polycarbonate pieces stack up into a very small box when not in use. The tall towers are not quite as sturdy as I would like, and you have to put something under it to really contain the marbles but otherwise the kids are loving it. All that's missing is Poppy to put it together...repeatedly (as noted by Gage).

lost & found

I'm definitely not one of those neurotic, I'm going to lose my kids moms, and I am horrified when I see parents with small children on a leash but...I thought this was a clever idea for the occasional airport or amusement park...especially when you go it alone as frequently as I do! They are from a company called Safety Tat. You get 30 tattoos for $19.95 and they imprint your cell phone number on them.

grand prize

T.A.G. took home the Grand Clio (and some measly golds and silvers) at the Clio Awards in South Beach this weekend. The Grand was for these three "interview" spots that were part of the Halo 3 Believe campaign. Remember them?

Ammo
Enemy Weapon
Hunted

A complete list of all the Clio awards is available on the Clio Awards website.

I know, I know...enough already!

good morning?

This is how our day began today. I suppose when your only air conditioned vehicle gets towed away at 7:30am during a record heat wave things can only get better. It's debatable.

Somehow during mom's morning madness, Zuzu decided that rain boots and an umbrella would be fitting attire. Did I mention the heat?

page 8

Click on the page below to enlarge...
then you might actually be able to read it.

trippy website

If you've got some time to kill ('cause we've got tons) check out a playful website called Neave. Choose the "audio/visual" option and start clapping, tapping & humming. It's wild. But beware of the "strobe" option. It blinded us for longer than appreciated!

just in

The official N.E.R.D. video 'Everyone Nose' directed by T.A.G.

"go call everyone, mommy!"

This from the mouth of Gage just moments ago as he swam the short length of the pool with NO GOGGLES. I yelled something back about writing a blog instead. That seemed to satisfy him for the moment but I'm quite certain that he will anxiously wake me before sunrise tomorrow with, "what's a blog, mommy?"

zoo memorabilia

I figured that since we spent a relative fortune on these during our last two visits they should be shared...

siblings without rivalry

Nope, I haven't completed the book that I talked about here.
Not even close.
I did, however, witness this today at the San Francisco Zoo...
The act was completely void of adult suggestion or participation. It was beautiful and it was rare and it is now archived on blogger for all time. I will refer to it frequently for support when they joyously beat the crap out of each other.

happy mother's day

and thank you to my extraordinary family for all the love, attention and presents...even more than usual!

we got the beat

Please join the family, and Phil Collins, for a quiet little lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, San Francisco:

royalty at the one show

Chief, King stand out at One Show

Two icons win big.

Published: May 8, 2008

The King made a special appearance at the One Show last night in New York, but even BK brand royalty couldn't stand up to Master Chief as McCann Worldgroup & T.A.G.'s "Believe" campaign for Halo 3, continued its dominance of the festival circuit, snagging four Gold Pencils and a Best in Show nod.

The King, One Club CEO Mary Warlick and former McKinney ECD David Baldwin

His Whopperness accepted an award for Client of the Year, with the BK brand scooping two Golds and a Silver for "Whopper Freakout" work on Wednesday; that the brand should be honored so highly would suggest it'll rake in more trophies at Friday's Interactive installment.

View a PDF of all the winners at the One Club's site.

best of show

Halo 3 Tops One Show

"'Believe' catapulted Halo 3 from an ordinary video game into a worldwide phenomenon"

May 8, 2008

-By Eleftheria Parpis

Halo 3 continues its winning ways.

NEW YORK McCann Worldgroup and T.A.G. in San Francisco continued their winning streak last night, snagging best of show honors at The One Show for the "Believe" campaign on behalf of Microsoft's Halo 3. That prize follows the effort winning top honors at both the International Andy Awards and the Art Director Club Show last week.

"The 'Believe' campaign catapulted Halo 3 from an ordinary video game into a worldwide phenomenon due to its ability to build an emotional rapport with the audience," said Mary Warlick, CEO of The One Club. "The innovative stream of interactive TV, Web and cinema advertisements was an inspired approach that successfully attracted an audience beyond the typical gamer."

Burger King was named Client of the Year, in part for two campaigns by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, "WhopperFreakout," which featured the candid reactions of consumers when they learn that the chain has discontinued its signature sandwich, and a cross-promotion with The Simpsons Movie, which included TV spots and a Web site that allowed fans to turn their own photos into Simpsons characters.

The top winners at this year's show included TBWA Worldwide (2 Gold, 6 Silver, 4 Bronze), BBDO New York, (5 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze), Saatchi & Saatchi, (4 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze), Ogilvy & Mather (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze), Leo Burnett (4 Silver, 1 Bronze), McCann Worldwide (4 Gold, 1 Bronze), Crispin Porter + Bogusky (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze), Jung Von Matt (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze) and Wieden + Kennedy (3 Silver, 1 Bronze).

A complete list of winners can be found at www.oneclub.org.

baby earth

If I were having another baby (no, I'm most definitely not expecting) I'd shop here. Baby-Wise has just changed their name to Baby Earth and they're going green.

I'm also partial to these folks because their customer service rocks. I tried to return a night light that I wasn't satisfied with about six months ago. They immediately refunded my money but didn't even want the night light back. How often does that happen to you?

all I need

Is a new video that raises awareness of human trafficking and exploitation by Radiohead.
Here's the link to the video on YouTube.
For more information see www.mtvexit.org

the perks of evolution

This is my beautiful family at the zoo today:


This is what they are watching:


Can't quite make it out on the bad phone photo through the chain fence?
It's two black monkeys and one of them is picking bugs out of the other's butt. Now that's an education you just can't get at pre-school.

achhhuuu!

Don't forget to stop and smell the flowers.
(Even if they make you sneeze)

a hip-hop gymnast

Gage was one of five kids invited by The Little Gym, our gymnastics & karate studio, to participate in an exhibition at the Sausalito Spring Faire. There was little pause when Gage was asked whether or not he would like to perform on stage. He was, however, slightly disappointed when he found out that he would not be asked to sing.

It was a magnificent, sunny day and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the group performing before The Little Gym was a teenage hip-hop class from Roco Dance Studio. At the end of their impressive routine they invited the kids up to dance with them. Gage would now like to add dance lessons to the two dozen activities we participate in weekly.

Fully amped from the dance lesson, and still popping a grooving on stage, Gage and friends delivered a stellar performance. A brief photo recap follows...

Zuzu gets the best seat in the house:


A hip-hop lesson:


Pretending to be silly birds as they warm up:


A cartwheel (or something close):