InSOMnia: internet things that keep me up at night

Found between the hours of 11pm-2a

i was recently on an alexmill team photoshoot in dumbo - and i got to talking about my bad habit of going to bed at 11p but scrolling on my phone til 2am.

“It’s called inSOMnia!” shouted Joseph Krauss, my friend and our on set wise guy photographer. “You should keep a running list of all the things u find and share.”

So ladies and gentleman may I present to you inSOMnia. All things cool strange and beautiful found, bought, and saved between the hours of 11pm and 2am👇

1. surrealist jewelry from Paris - @samuelfrancois_jewelry

i've always appreciated dramatic jewelry but i have a particular soft spot for small surrealist jewelry - I just love how “old” and “ancient “ samuel’s pieces feel.

samuel francois is a fashion editor, jeweler, and self proclaimed procrastinator (which i love). he sculpts his wax models by hand and then works with a craftsperson to enamel each piece. wow!!!

it's the themes and the patinas he chooses that give his pieces a fun seriousness I really enjoy - I really love all the fruit pieces! I mean gold tangerine peels! 

2. an excellent edit of art - @folesdog

i've been following this account for a while - I remember one night while scrolling and this painting by Tom Thomson popped up - Tom Thomson (a canadian painter) is one of my most favorite painters  - but I hardly ever see his art appear on insta. when i saw it on @folesdog, i knew i could trust his edit - an immediate follow for me.

Tom Thomson. A Canadian painter from Toronto - like me. Little known about him - he died when he was only 39. Only five of those years were spent as an artist - making quite possibly some of my favourite works of all times.

the rest of Folesdog's account is full of similar paintings - simple , often quiet,  full of beautiful colours and a really good mix of artists - some well known and others less - a bit of education is always good while aimlessly scrolling I think 

another work i found and loved. J.E.H. MacDonald. He founded the first major canadian art movement. him being canadian was a coincidence. that said, i do find i’ll meet canadians and instantly hit it off - only to find out they’re canadian after the fact. apparently that sixth sense applies to art work too.

3. well designed winter boots - neos overshoes

on a recent trip to alaska I took a plane tour of Mount Denali with K2 Aviation. we had to put on these boots for our glacier walk- they were super light, great treads, water proof and very cool looking - you just step into them with your sneakers or whatever shoes u have on - velcro and no laces!

i ordered myself a pair at 1am as soon as i got back to the hotel.

my new neos. a perfect companion to your regular shoes - just slip them on. hoping (praying) they'll be perfect for a good nyc snowstorm  

4. a therapeutic cake account - @birdhousebakeshop

im not a huge fan of reading too much on instagram (I def prefer to just stare at photos) but I really love reading birdhouse bake shops descriptions that accompany the beautiful pics of their slices of cakes- both the words and pics are so mouth watering , dreamy and 💯 soothing.

@birdhousebakeshop. if u know me, u know i have a sweet tooth. that apparently applies to pics too.

i order a cake to the alexmill office at least once of week. bird house is based in edmonton, so i can only try via my ig saves for now. if you’re looking to try a cake irl in nyc, you must try fromlucienyc. lucie is french and makes her cakes not too sweet - just like the kind she grew up eating.

5. fantastically fun kitchen ware - @goldenrabbitenamelware

a few weeks ago I posted this pic about fav my late night summer snack of cantaloupe in bowl. I got as many comments and questions about my spoon and table cloth as I did about the melon -

the cantaloupe pic in question. u can read all about it in my grubstreet diet here. i was mostly scared people would come after me for admitting to buy a $50 cantaloupe but apparently they were most concerned about my sister making reservations in advance instead. lol. it was my first foray into internet trolls. and im ok with it.

Later that night in bed I went about answering all the inquiries…starting with the spoon. It’s an enamelware spoon from golden rabbit…i just love the speckle design.

 golden rabbit enamel ware. I have a full set of the teaspoons, cereal bowls and a colander. it makes eating just a little more fun.

6. handmade Hawaiian quilts - @hawaiianquiltsbypat

   the table cloth in the above melon pic is a small hawaiian quilt. I picked up in honolulu about 10 years ago - I love how graphic, storied and unfussy they are - you can find similar ones on this account i follow @hawaiianquiltsbypat

im always on the hunt for special small-batch pieces - especially if they’re handmade. these quilts are made by Pat Gorelangton in Hawaii. the bio says 7-8 stitches per inch - it’s that extra little detail that i know makes it good

There you have it. Six strange beautiful and cool things I found scrolling the internet between hours at 11pm - 2am. what are some of your favorite late night finds? comment below - i am listening!

xs