And...here comes the bias

So, you all knew it was coming eventually. I have things to say, but so often am blinded by my inability to structure those things that I don't end up saying them at all.

One of my iPod favorites is the talented John Mayer. Love him or hate him for his music, but either way, he has the ability to verbalize things in a way that I somedays lack. The following piece was written this week, and published on the Huffington Post. I share it with you because it represents much of what I feel (sans the 80s rhetoric).

Hope Is Not a Buzz Word -- John Mayer

I was 23 years old when the nation was attacked on September 11, 2001. I can remember hearing pundits say "this changes everything" and "things will never be the same." Obviously it was a tragic and traumatic event, but that sentiment has carried on through the better part of my twenties. If you were 43 years old on that day, I would imagine it was a difficult concept to get your head around as well, but if you were a young adult just entering his or her individual life, there was an added twist; how can you process the idea of everything changing and things never being the same when you have no point of reference for what "everything" and "the same" is? I was just beginning to put my hands on the world around me, to interact and engage with it, and to actualize the dream of being an adult in a free society. To wait in line for 23 years only to have the "sorry, future canceled" sign flipped in my face was depressing, to say the least.

The social and political narrative of the last eight years, if you're a young adult, has been "you are the first generation of the second half of the rest of human existence." That's a huge psychological undertaking, and I believe it's one that will someday be diagnosed on a massive scale as having led to a kind of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (Something has to explain away our premature obsession with 1980s nostalgia.) My generation has come to know itself as the generation that should have seen the good days, my, were they spectacular, now take off your shoes and place them on the belt.

What Barack Obama says to me is these days are good for something. Just when I'd thought my only role as an adult was to help shoulder the nation through its darkest days (known to us as "the rest of them"), Obama gives me the feeling that I could be alive to witness one of the most brilliant upturns in a country's history. Imagine that -- a young adult in this day and age being given something to someday brag to his children about having being alive to witness. What a concept.

That's why hope is a worthwhile commodity. To those who question whether hope is a tangible product worth building a campaign around, I'd say take a look at despair and how powerful that has been in reshaping how people think and live. I believe the definition of the "hope" that Barack Obama enthuses operates on the unspoken thesis that there has to be a polar opposite to the despair of 9/11. Because if we accept that there's not, the will to live becomes forever altered. To adults who will vote for him, Barack Obama represents a return to prosperity. To the youth, he represents an introduction to it.

your daily bias

top design

So, I'm completely addicted to Bravo's Top Design. I've watched it from the beginning and I just can't get enough. I've never felt compelled to blog about any of the rooms or vignettes that were created, but this past week totally changed my mind.

I absolutely ADORED Preston's room this week. The challenge was to take a Swarovski chandelier and then build your room around it. Preston was "stuck with" the Sparkle Shady chandelier - because everyone selected their pick in a predetermined order of which Preston was last. The chandelier was amazing and Preston got pretty lucky that he got stuck with the one he did.


Preston took his chandelier and made pure magic. He created a "hotel lounge" (which seems to be a standard approach from him - but, what the heck, they are always cool spaces). This was the result:


For one day and a mere $22,000 - it was brilliant!! Anyone wanna give me $22,000 to see what I could create in that amount of time?

i'm sweet on...

I just adore this vintage tree trunk necklace. This lovely Etsy shop: RagTrader is amazing. Beth Voltz, the genius behind these creations, makes jewelry out of old vintage items or from vintage reproductions. Her profile says, "I love the ageless charm of vintage designs and imagining the history behind old keys, watches, pieces of old costume jewels, and other artifacts that I try to incorporate."

Well, you know what Beth - we love it too!

your daily bias

I heart this...

This commentary was written in The Times Picayune several months ago. It completely sums up my thoughts about the place I call my second home.



We're South Louisiana... You probably already know that we talk funny and listen to strange music and eat things you'd probably hire an exterminator to get out of your yard. We dance even if there's no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don't... we love South Louisiana with a ferocity that borders on the pathological. Sometimes we bury our dead in LSU sweatshirts... The only way you could understand that is if you have been there, and so many of you have. So you realize that when you strip away all the craziness and bars and parades and music and architecture and all that hooey, really, the best thing about where we come from is us. We are what made this place a national treasure. We're good people. And don't be afraid to ask us how to pronounce our names. It happens all the time... But don't pity us. We're gonna make it. We're resilient. After all, we've been rooting for the Saints for 35 years. That's got to count for something. OK, maybe something else you should know is that we make jokes at inappropriate times. But what the hell. -Chris Rose

Kiss this Glass

Okay - so you all know that I'm a sucker for great jewelry. I will buy, beg, borrow, steal, layaway (just kidding) great gems and jewels. I most appreciate handmade jewelry that is truly one-of-a-kind.

Fused glass is a process by which layers of glass are melted together using a kiln. It can be sliced, molded, designed in any means that will make the end result look fabulous. The husband-wife team over at Amy Burhoe Designs are great at the design and the execution. They not only make jewelry - but also night lights - in their Providence, RI studio.

How nice are these? The rings remind me of my cat's eyes...

What's in a Name?

You can now personalize your wall art in a way that will keep memories of special occasions alive. These great canvas designs, courtesy of Name Your Design, are the perfect way to celebrate a marriage, the birth of a child or your first new home. You pick the design, tell them what you want the text to read, and it's shipped to you directly. The designs are fresh and trendy, without being too edgy.

Enjoy some of my favorite designs that Name Your Design has to offer...

Think B4 You Speak

These are some thought-provoking PSAs from Think B4 You Speak.

Big and Easy

I just got home from New Orleans and it was another one of those trips that make me long to live there. We have been so many times that we now have local friends who anticipate our arrival. Mike likes to say "you know you are in trouble when bartenders know you by name - in a city where you don't even live." But I have to say, it's really nice to come to a place that you love and truly feel like you are as much "at home" there as you are anywhere else.

I saw some of the most amazing artwork this trip. The local artisans are really stepping up their game. Jackson Square was full of brilliant talent. None of the artists would let me take photos, but I encourage you to check them out when you are in NOLA next time. You won't be disappointed.


Of all of NOLA's talent, my favorite by far is George Rodrigue. He paints the BLUE DOG series that you might have seen in book form at your local Barnes and Noble. He has some wonderful new prints. I could spend my life's savings collecting all the ones I like. But for right now, these are my favorites.


Photos courtesy of George Rodrigue

you don't say...

My fellow blogger Victoria over at SFGirlByBay just blogged about these great letterpress cards from Old Tom Foolery. I absolutely LOVE them. I've never been one to hold anything back - in fact, I have a few friends who I could totally send these to and never once balk.

I say honestly is the best policy, even if the truth is hidden in a card.

i'm sweet on...

Eric Hutchinson!!

This hipster recently broke on the scene with his hit "Rock and Roll" - after a long journey through the industry in search of a deal. He is the perfect mix of Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder, and Billy Joel. He's groovy but grounded. His melodies are second only to his lyrical prowess.

This is great driving music - the kind of music that just makes you want to crank the music, roll the windows down and drive so fast your momma would cringe.

Check out his website and download his CD Sounds Like This on iTunes. You won't be disappointed.


And I could totally hang this album artwork on my wall.

your daily bias

russell+hazel

Some of you may know Russell+Hazel from their uber-trendy office supplies. They have some great new products out that I can't help but write about.

This expanding five-file tote is a stylish way to take your files to a business meeting - without feeling like you are lugging a pile of manila mess under your arm.



Then, these great binders come along to cure the boring vinyl and PVC doldrums. These binders are pressed paper - finished with silver plated corner edges. These are so much nicer than the binders we used to carry in school - they are trendy and edgy - totally my style.



Look at these cool oversized, super-thick rubber bands. Can't you just imagine a stack of your favorite novels or an unruly pile of bills (oh, sorry, I digress) tied up nicely in these bands? How nifty!!
Images courtesy of Russell+Hazel.

i know the bible says "thou shalt not covet"

...but I'm a bit in love, love, love with these Giclee prints from BellatrixArt Shop. It's this lovely blend of Alice in Wonderland meets A.A. Milne. My personal favorites are below, but there are many to chose from. And her prices are so reasonable!! Good work, Bellatrix!

what did you do?

Courtesy of Pretty Bitter

why biased, baby?

Some have asked the history of the blog name...

In 2006, I created The Biased Baby, an apparel company for baby and toddler wear. The clothing, mostly t-shirts and onesies, is all politically or socially slanted - so, thus, biased.



Until now, the public couldn't get their hands on these little guys w/o seeking out a retailer. BUT NOW, with a little love called etsy.com, I'll continue my master plan of sprinkling the world with parents who dress their children in things that they would never wear themselves.

While it would be funny to see a stay-at-home-dad wearing an "I like boobies" shirt, I dare say he would quickly find himself uninvited to play dates. And for a mom to wear a shirt that says "my dad is a hottie," well, most of our dads now have hair growing out of their ears.

When I started this blog, I thought I would play off my growing company - because I, too, am biased. I'm bull-headed and ornery, stubborn and sassy. Might as well put it all out there right off the bat.

have you?

(for my FB friends, you might have already read this, but I thought it warranted a post to the public - forgive, and indulge...)

You know how your mother expects you to be at your brother's birthday party, even if you have better things to do? And how your boss expects you to be at work each day, regardless of your mental state at 7 am when the decision-making about the day is at it's peak? And how your spouse or your significant other expects you to tell them truth? And how all of those things are the right thing to do - even if it's not what you want to do at the time?

Voting is kinda like that - it's an expectation. Your country - like your mother, only quieter and not as wise (keep chuckles to yourself) - expects you to vote. It's a right that you have and an expectation as a citizen of this great nation.

Now, I promise to not be political - and I know my brother-in-law thanks me for that :). I really don't care who you support in this election. I don't care who you vote for as Sheriff in your town or who you support on your City Council. What I do care about is that you care about it. You don't have to like either of the candidates on the ticket - you can write in whomever you think is the best option. That's the wonderful thing about our democracy.

I've already cast my ballot. I live in Virginia, where you can vote in person, up to 5 weeks before the election. I'm going to be in Hong Kong on election day so I wanted to make sure that I didn't miss my shot. You can do that too. You know - even if you are going to be around on Nov 4 - you can vote early just to save yourself the burden of that 7 am decision-making challenge on the morning of. Check with your local election office to see what your options are.

Please, please - just vote. Do it for somebody you love - do it for your spouse - do it for your mother - do it for your boss. Do it because it's expected of you.

This PSA is great - send it to your friends and ask them to do the same.

things I know

Things I know:
We're bound for creativity, venting, ranting and sharing cool nonsense.

Things I don't know:
Where this will take me and how bumpy the road will be on the way.