Oh Happy Day Goes to Paris :: CONTEST
I started this blog one day because I was bored at work. I never would’ve imagined the good people and things it has brought into my life five years later. Thank you so much for reading and for being so supportive. I feel super lucky that this is my job and I couldn’t do it without all the lovely people that read Oh Happy Day. So I wanted to do something fun to give back. As a thank you I am doing a giveaway for a 7 DAY TRIP FOR TWO TO PARIS, FRANCE! It’s true. I’ve put together a major giveaway that includes 7 night stay at Mama Shelter, the hippest boutique hotel in Paris. Roundtrip Airfare from the continental United States to Paris, France. And on top of that I will personally host* the winner for two days and take them around to my favorite spots in Paris.
Do you have your berets and striped shirts all packed and ready to go? Great! All you have to do is enter. There are four ways to enter and no purchase is necessary. You can enter each of the four ways one time during the contest (if you enter all four ways it just increases your chance of winning.) Here is how:
HOW TO ENTER (You may enter each way one time.)
1. Leave a comment in the comment section below this post.
2. “Like” the Oh Happy Day on Facebook (if you already “like” it then you’re already entered.)
3. Post a link on Twitter to this contest page http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris and include the hashtag #ohhappydaygoestoparis
4. Repost a link to the contest page http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris on your own blog, then leave the link to that page in the comment section of the contest page (below).The contest begins 5:00 AM PST 6/6/11 and ends 11:59 PM PST 6/20/11, when I will close comments. I’ll announce the winner that week.
A few important details. This trip has to be completed by the end of 2011, so make sure you are going to be able to get away in the next seven months. Also, the winner is responsible for any and all expenses beyond hotel, and airfare. Possible additional expenses could include: airline baggage fees, ground transportation in France, meals, tickets for museums etc. You have to be 18 to enter and sorry to my dear friends and family you are automatically disqualified! For Official Contest Rules go here.
*Totally optional (if you just want to see the sites sans tour guide that’s cool too!)
Now I want to tell you about the sponsor Mama Shelter! When I thought about hotels I wanted to collaborate with they were my first choice. I was so pleased when they agreed to sponsor this. Mama Shelter is a design-y boutique hotel in the 20th arrondissement of Paris (read their NYT review here). The hotel was designed by well known designer, Philippe Starck. Each room is done differently with art and cool installations. I absolutely love hotels like this! But the best part, besides being super cool they are really affordable and are even considered a “budget” hotel! I always recommend this place to my friends that are coming through Paris. It’s cool, it’s affordable, and an easy 17 minute bus ride to city center. Plus doesn’t their logo below make you love them? Yea for Mama Shelter!
I hope you are as excited about this as I am! I’ve only been living in Paris for four months but I’ve already fallen in love. Let me show you my favorite places like: the Paris Flea Market, the fresh food markets, Laduree for some macarons, Adorable ribbon stores, and help me on my quest to find the best hot chocolate in Paris. I’ve been saving up for this for a while, besides the hotel I’m personally footing the bill. It’s my way of saying thank you to all my readers. Now what are you waiting for?… Go Enter!
via ohhappyday.com
Oh what a dream it would be to WIN a trip to one of my favorite places on earth, PARIS!! I am sooooo craving a European adventure... Fingers crossed!!
bags. framed!
via pinterest.com
Great. Idea! I have a few bags in the closet that I'm saving for who knows what ... maybe this?? I think this is just the greatest idea for a little dressing room decor!
america now and here - kc
Ran across this cool art exhibit that is kicking off in Kansas City and had to capture this little piece of fabulous art that is part of the video intro. I just love it! Oh and check out the website too! If you're in KC, why not go catch the show?? Never enough art in one's life is there?
Living in IKEA
via mymodernmet.com
"For those of you who've seen the hit movie 500 Days of Summer, you’ll remember that cute scene where Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel pretend to live in an IKEA store. Photographer Christian Gideon must have been inspired by that scene when he created this funny series. Gideon and his friends hilariously photographed themselves living in IKEA's showrooms, acting as though we're getting a real look into their everyday lives.
Love how the "actors" almost make you believe that living in IKEA is possible!"
OMG this is hysterical! One of those, why didn't I think of that kind of things... Great job guys!
Story Behind Those Stunning Cinematic Gifs - My Modern Metropolis
Story Behind Those Stunning Cinematic Gifs
Here at theMET, we're always looking for creative projects that catch our eye. More than anything, we love posting about work that pushes boundaries, showing our audience something that has been changed, flipped or spinned into something magically different. Then, we see it as our job to find out the story behind such projects. What inspired the artist or photographer to start down that path? What do they hope others get out of their work?
A few days ago, when Met member Mark Huckabee put up a post called Astounding Animated Gifs, we knew we had to dig further. We got in touch with Jamie Beck and her partner Kevin Burg to ask them about their "cinemagraph" technique where they combine still photographs and video to create these magnificent mini films. (Did you know that the project is a combination of Kevin's background in motion graphics and Jamie's street photography?)
Before we go into that more, enjoy these lovely cinemagraphs that they sent directly to us.
What's been the response like, so far, on your animated gifs? How has the internet responded?
The online response has been really wonderful. When we first started creating these together we felt it was a new form of photography adapted for a digital age. You never know if people are going to feel the same way you do but with the incredible response it seems people also respond to this form of storytelling.
Which of them is your favorite piece and why?
We love Anna Sees Everything (last one in this post.) We feel that it captures a portrait of her in a moment that is the essence of what she does.
What do you hope others get out of these works?
We hope to transport people to the moment, to take you a step closer to the subject. We want people to feel like they get to linger and look at something, almost in a voyeuristic way. In life, when you catch a moment, it can be gone in an instant or you instinctively look away. Through our images, the moment lasts forever and you can look as long as you like.
Which gif has been the most popular and why do you think that is?
Our series with Coco Rocha was the most popular collection and the single most popular cinemagraph factoring in pageviews and Tumblr notes is Meet Me at the Bar. We think that there's a surprising aspect to it - it masquerades as a still photograph but then a car drives by. There's also a romantic element to the story the image tells... at least we feel that way.
Were you inspired by other gifs or anyone else before you started this more artistic ones?
For us it happened very organically out of a need to show something more than a photo but not quite a video, and to stay true to Jamie's photography. There have been a lot of really interesting things being done with gifs in recent years and since getting our work out there people have sent us links to other artists creating cool stuff within the gif medium. Our hope is that in the future there are many people creating original content in a similar way...in their own personal style.
What do you have next in store for us?
We hope to continually improve our storytelling abilities through our cinemagraphs. We're testing with better cameras, meeting talented people we can work with and hoping to do more editorial collaborations. We're also compiling an intimate look at New York City through this new medium. We're looking to explore other ways to utilize cinemagraphs outside of the web through devices like iPad and through forthcoming display technologies.
Thanks for the interview, Jamie and Kevin. Absolutely in love with your sweet and subtle gifs.
via mymodernmet.com
I have followed the "From Me to You" blog for a while now and am blown away by the moving images they create. I am so glad someone finally sat down with them to talk about how they came about. Fantastic work - love, love, love it!
The Mountain on Vimeo
sad
The Loneliest Whale in the World. In 2004, The New York Times wrote an article about the loneliest whale in the world. Scientists have been tracking her since 1992 and they discovered the problem: She isn’t like any other baleen whale. Unlike all other whales, she doesn’t have friends. She doesn’t have a family. She doesn’t belong to any tribe, pack or gang. She doesn’t have a lover. She never had one. Her songs come in groups of two to six calls, lasting for five to six seconds each. But her voice is unlike any other baleen whale. It is unique—while the rest of her kind communicate between 12 and 25hz, she sings at 52hz. You see, that’s precisely the problem. No other whales can hear her. Every one of her desperate calls to communicate remains unanswered. Each cry ignored. And, with every lonely song, she becomes sadder and more frustrated, her notes going deeper in despair as the years go by. Just imagine that massive mammal, floating alone and singing—too big to connect with any of the beings it passes, feeling paradoxically small in the vast stretches of empty, open ocean
via pinterest.com
This has to be one of the saddest thing's I've ever read....
new obsession
So yeah... I used to use my blog as a place to save all the cool stuff I see online, but now that I've discovered Pinterest... I simply cannot stop pinning! It's super fantastic in terms of organizing everything - food, home decor, art, style, etc. And I have even started using it for work. I was looking for inspiration online and have been able to keep everything in one happy little place. Forget bookmarking - PIN IT!!
The only negative... slightly less blogging these days. Sorry 'bout that! Will try to do better!
Fonts In Use – f8 Conference Badges
via fontsinuse.com
I often have to design maps, handbooks and etc. This is a genius idea for a show handout! So simple, it's one of those 'why didn't I think of that' things. Well done!