ring ring ring around . . .

ring holders have recently become a must find obsession for the long weekend staff. the current stand offerings out there are slim pickings - we were able to unearth either a gold toned cat with a long upraised tail or a white ceramic hand. while retro can be awesome sauce when done correctly, somehow these 2 designs just don't seem to cut it in the style and substance department.

enter feel good home. they are single handedly redefining the little things.their designs are contemporary yet with a touch of whimsy and and simplistic beauty.

feel good home is based in hong kong, where their approach to design is functionality and fun - the results being fantastically enriching to everday life.

take for instance, this stylized twig ring holder. perfect. exactly what we were looking for. made of a white poly resin with a weighted bottom, this is a ring stand you'll be proud to have on your sinktop or in your boudoir. the twig ring holder is man made yet retains a hand made, natural feel. it features 3 separate branches in varying lengths that can each easily stack several rings - be they delicate or chunky-funky.

and at an amazing $7.95, it won't break the proverbial bank, a good thing in these financially precarious times. the twig ring stand by feel good home is available online and in-stores at crate and barrel sibling store, CB2 - http://www.cb2.com/. check out the complete offering of feel good home housewares at www.feelgood.hk/feelgood_book.html.

zombies and mummies and vampires - oh my!!!

word on the street is that the much beloved fiction category has given birth to a new genre of literature sure to tantalize readers of all ages.

imagine yourself in your local b. dalton, borders or barnes and noble bookstore. now envision the classics you read in high school on one side - emma, pride and prejudice, canterbury tales, hamlet et al. on the other, sci-fi/horror - monsters, zombies, outer space, the unexplained. then somehow, someway, under the cover of night, in some sort of skirmish, those literary classics were tossed together with the zombie/monster/mummy section and from that night of paper passion, sprang this new literary genre. a mash-up. your peanut butter in my chocolate. that sort of thing.

well, what is this new fangled genre of fiction, say you? the titles of said books will probably better explain the genre than any actual explanation we here at long weekend style could assign. so here's a few to whet your whistle:
-pride and prejudice and zombies
-sense and sensibility ans sea monsters
-abe lincoln, vampire hunter
-adventures of huckleberry finn and zombie jim
-android karenina
-robin hood and friar tuck:zombie killers, a canterbury tale
-the undead of oz
-alice in zombieland
-mansfield park and mummies

we could list more but you probably get the picture.

and we just heard that tim burton's next feature film project is . . . wait for it, abe lincoln: vampire hunter. oh, yeah.

who knew our 16th preseident had a night shift job?

oh, a brave new world indeed.

friday in da house!!!

and the MVP award goes to . . . baby wipes

drumroll, please . . . the most valuable player award goes to the unsung hero of cleanliness: baby wipes.

yes, you read right. baby wipes.

baby wipes ROCK. no bones about it. really. whether they be the thick-as-towels huggies or in bulk from costco, baby wipes are an indespensible part of making everyday life a little cleaner. plus, you can find them just about anywhere. even in a foreign country, because where there's babies, there are baby wipes. and there are babies all over the globe. and they're so darned conveniently packaged these days (baby wipes, not babies themselves) making the transport of baby wipes e-zee peezeee. we only wish there was a giant baby wipe that could have helped in the exxon-valdez oil spill in the '90's.

so to reiterate: baby wipes, not only for baby's wittle bottom but more, so much MORE!

here are a few of the countless ways baby wipes have brightened and cleaned up our day:

- removed all traces of the dreaded dorito or cheeto fingers after bag binge
- wiped off a whole face of make-up in one fell swoop
- got rid of the junk in your trunk (AKA gig butt to you musicians)
- cleaned feet on a flip flop wearin' day
- post workout wipedown, if you forgot your towel
- general face/hand wipedown, especially for the under 5's
- general hand wipedown for the over 5's
- a must bring to rest stop bathroom
- helped soak up that salsa spill that your shirt had for lunch
- wipe off muddy or beachy sand doggy paws
- made history of the bbq sauce that your face and hands are smothered in from those lip smackin' louisana short ribs
- quick clean make-up brushes or paint brushes
- soda spill alert on car's leather seats!

whatever the case or mishap, never fear, baby wipes will be there.

nail polish goes high tech!

nail technology has hit a pinnacle, dear long weekend readers. and we don't know why something so good took so long.

enter rimmel (yes, they of "the london look") with their PRO nail enamel. it lasts 10 days. comes in a literal rainbow of colors. it's categorized as "professional finish", always a good thing. plus, rimmel PRO is reasonably priced for these fiscally trying times. it boasts "mistake free application" - who doesn't love that? rimmel PRO also contains lycra, for um, added elasticity? yes, that's it. extra elasticity - because no one wants quitters for nails.

and . . . for the grand finale, rimmel PRO nail enamel has this superfantastic rounded edge brush that neatly mimics those little rounded corners of one's nailbed. genius. with the traditional squared off bottom brush, nail polish remover and a cotton swab were necessary to achieve that salon perfectness.

rest assured, you can go DIY with the rimmel PRO.

obscura day - Los Angeles

do you like the unusual? the esoteric? the out-of-the-way? the un-everyday?

we so do.

well, long weekend style has our collective ear to the ground and have unearthed an upcoming event called obscura day, defined as "a day of expeditions, backroon tours, and hidden treasures in your own hometown". this year, obscura day is march 20th, a day to celebrate obscure locations the world over. various city tours are manifesting from locations such as damascus, detroit, shanghai and paris. lucky for long weekend style readers, there is going to be an obscure LA tour here right here is nearby echo park.

on saturday, march 20th, join the lovely miss lauren rock as she guides you to little known los angeles haunts (haunts. not haunted. that's a different tour, people) via private bus. atlas obscura and the echo park time travel mart are in cohoots and have organized this fantabulous bus tour that will take adventure seekers to see some not-so-usual LA sites: venture out to galco's soda pop stop for a taste of bubbly drinks from days of yore then go wild and enjoy a box style lunch at griffith park's old zoo, complete with old school 1930's animal cages. after lunch, visit the artic north via velaslavasay panorama - get a 360 degree view as well as explore a carnivorous plant garden - watch those fingers! finish the day with a puppet show at the famous bob barker marionette theater in downtown los angeles, one of the few remaining dedicated marionette theaters in the country.

the most-of-the-day tour costs just $30 (payable on arrival) for bus ride and box lunch. rendez vous point is: promptly 11:30 am, at the echo park time travel mart, located at 1714 west sunset blvd, echo park, CA. the bus trip itself kicks off at precisely noon and returns at approximately 6pm that very evening. there is only room for 50 on this tour, so reserve your spot early to avoid disappointment. please email info@atlasobscura.com for reservations and box lunch preference.

more information on this event as well as other obscura day tours around the world can be found here: http://www.obscuraday.com/.

thanks a mucho and enjoy obscura day!

copenhagen is the new music epicenter

2 tracks that we here at long weekend style are lovin' right now . . .


first up, from the CD, the last resort, comes "moan" from copenhagen artist, trentemoller (nope, not a typo, it's one word. we did check this. it's actually anders trentemoller although we don't have the cute little mark that goes through the "o" making it look waaaaay more international, citizen of the world).



the song gets deep under your skin with a hypnotic synth groove and ambient dreamy vocals by ane trolle:
www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/Trentemoller+Feat+Ane+Trolle/+videos/+1-UXlrToEic9o
and if you are feeling especially emotionally resistant today, you can watch the video - a sad ode to laika, the cute little dog the russians sent up into space in '57. it is sad, so be prepared, especially you animal lovers. and it's also little cheesy because, well, you'll see why.


the other track that we're feelin' around the long weekend style office is "the one you left behind" by the also-from-copenhagen duo, asger baden and peter leth who make up the crooked spoke. a dreamy dark, haunting song that has dramatic, drawn out leonard cohen-like vocals. this one really hits it out of the park creating a lazy, woozy atmosphere that you can easily get lost in. have a listen here: www.last.fm/music/The+Crooked+Spoke/_/The+One+You+Left+Behind+%28Klovn+Edit%29?autostart

long weekend style, over and out from copenhagen, denmark.