Days of Doing
Posted by Us on May 28, 2010 As usual, this week We’ve had a lot of fun drinking wine and designing. (Almost always Sometimes at the same time.) Here are a few highlights:
Barchitecture
He has been asked to design / build a bar for the event City Listening 2, organized by the terrific Design East of La Brea women. These are renderings of the first iteration. If you come to the event, the bar will be sold in a silent auction. If you buy it, He will build you an accompanying wine rack using the same design language. On that note, We realized it is ridiculous not to link to Our design firm, Somewhere Something here on Swirl. This week has been a rush to get the site designed and populated with projects, current and past. It will be complete in a week, We promise.
Swirl Smell Slurp shirt screening
If you follow Us on Twitter and/or “like” Us on Facebook (of course you do), you’ll know We’ve been playing around with screen printing the cork screw from our logo. We tend to get really excited about projects and jump right in. Luckily our formal design education taught Us the importance of process…so when something doesn’t work, We simply adjust and move on. A couple of days ago We tried burning a screen using photo emulsion…and it was a total failure. Turns out Her garden shed does not double as a darkroom very well. Undeterred, We decided to make an old school stencil, knowing it would be just temporary. He re-created the image (He’s got mad Rhino skills), We printed it, carefully cut it out with an X-acto knife (She keeps Her blades out of harm’s way in a Sine Qua Non cork–wine is everywhere), and got printing. Once We started, We didn’t want to stop. A paper stencil lasts for just 15 or so pulls and We printed with it until it was mush. Giant cork screws on cardboard, a couple of t-shirts, and ripped out pages of the Wine Spectator and W (they are very cool). Lucky for Us, We’ve got a screen burning connection and will have permanent screen soon. This means cool t-shirts for you. Stay tuned.
When in doubt, just add wine
After all that design work, We’re ready to play. And really, is there a better way to kick off this holiday weekend than a boozy Ice Cream Social. Our dining and wine-ing couple friends, D and M, are throwing the shindig at their house tomorrow. M is a wizard in the kitchen and has been making and freezing homemade ice creams for weeks. “There is an insane amount of dairy in our house,” she told us. Unfortunately ice cream makes Her a little pukey, so We decided to bring a non-dairy frozen treat as our contribution. She found a delicious and easy looking recipe via NOTCOT’s liquor site liqurious.com for Campari and grapefruit granita. How great does this picture from their website look? A scoop of the pretty stuff topped with a splash of sparkling wine sounds divine. He’ll be trying all the ice creams, no doubt, and for a topping We’re also going to bring a red wine syrup concocted from this week’s leftovers (yes, sometimes We actually don’t drink all the wine We open–especially when it comes in a 3L box).
What’s round on both ends and hi in the middle?
This week We’ll be tasting Ohio with Michelle of wine-girl.net. Our blogging buddy Kevin, with whom We co-wrote the Kentucky edition, introduced Us to Michelle and her great blog via Twitter. (So that’s why they call it “social networking.”) This is opening weekend for Ohio wineries, and lucky Michelle gets to pick up her bottles of Harmony Hill wine in person. We’ve heard great things about Harmony Hill and really look forward to tasting the wine. Our collective reviews will be posted mid-week. Ohio will be our 11th state in the Slurpin’ America tour. If you live in one of the thirty-nine states We have left to taste and are interested in blogging with Us, drop us an email, leave a comment on Facebook, or DM us via Twitter. It’s fun.
Ask not what your wine blog can do for you, ask what you can do for your wine blog
There has been an amusing amount of pandering, boasting, and hot air being blown around on all social media fronts about the 2010 Wine Blog Awards. We’ve tried to stay out of the fray of negative rants and mudslinging (even though being called “Swirl, Smell, Slurp, the oral sex blog!” was pretty effing amusing). We’ve also been restraining ourselves, trying to avoid being overly solicitous. That said, We’re very flattered and excited to be nominated. And We want to win. And We would love your vote. If you’re into it, go here.
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The bar drawings look awesome. I want to get in there and start mixing things. (And is it just me or does it look like a giant pair of white men’s undies? Or am I just always trying to get into His pants.)