Now, dear readers, we've reached the end of falling/flying week. I leave you with the cute set of blown-glass carafes shaped like mother and baby birds (sent to me, fittingly, by my mother). It might be sweet to bring them out with red wine (mama) and white wine (baby). By Italian design company Dovetusai.

Don't these look like model cities? Amazingly, they're actually real. Italian photographer Olivo Barbieri shoots from helicopters, but to create the plastic-y look, he uses a tilt-shift lens, which allows him to control exactly what's in focus. "Like in a written page, we don’t read [it as an] image but one line at a time," Barbieri says here. We loved his work so much that we featured it in the first issue of baby Bene.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter, everybody!
(Chocolate bunnies from Vosges, via the Scoop)

Etsy seller Leumie has created six different prints, which combine playful, vintage-style illustration with photos of the Australian coast. What's the deal with this cool diving guy? I was going to email the designers to ask, but then figured that it's kind of nicer to imagine your own story.
(via ma vie en rose)

Whoot Whoot You're Cute ponytail holders by magpies nest, $3.50
Rebecca bird by Ann Wood, $44

Just when you thought nothing could beat a good old game of Twister, they come out with Twister bed sheets. Genius.
(via Swiss Miss)

People with a fear of heights, look away! For brave readers, however, here's a vertigo-inducing shot from Chinese photographer Liwei, who could quite easily qualify as the weirdest photographer ever. (Seriously, how did he pull off this shot? That dude totally fell to his death.) Check out Liwei's nutty portfolio here.
(via I Heart Photograph)

Esther Derkx geniously added images of dancers and athletes to old-school cups and saucers. I love the movement of these images--especially the divers. They would be a bright inspiration on mornings when you're still half-asleep and groggy...
(via Happy Cavalier)

I fly alone a lot when I go to visit friends or family. These pictures immediately bring back that feeling of quietly looking out the window, a little sleepy, a little pensive, watching the planes move around, settling in for a few hours of flight. I'm not in love with all of Michael Neff's shots (some seem flat and almost technical), but these window views do a nice job conjuring up that feeling of calm. Also cool are Zoe Crosher's shots from hotel rooms around LAX here.

New York Times photographer Vincent Laforet takes these amazing shots of New York City from helicopters--an exciting but tricky task. The helicopter's skids and rotors are unpredictable and can get in the way of good shots, he says: "Sometimes everything is moving so fast, you can't really see what you're shooting, and you just hope you get one good frame in there." And don't overestimate the helicopter's stability. Laforet's advice? "Never lean out in the wind."

Doesn't this little bird vase make you smile?

Bene was just named one of the thirty most notable magazine launches of 2006! Alongside such heavyweights as Blueprint and Good, our little Bene beat out over 900 new titles. Thanks to everyone who worked so hard on it. Needless to say, this is a very exciting day in the Bene offices.

I love the grey weather and banal Euro buildings in Denis Darzacq's shots of people falling. The understated settings make the photographs seem straightforward and engaging instead of gimmicky. Apparently, after the Parisian riots in the fall of 2005, Darzacq created this series to show how life is always hanging in a "precarious balance." Apart from their political statement, though, they are also just fun and awesome to look at.

A few days ago, Scoop wrote lovely things about bene! They also featured this amazing wall calendar by JHill Design. Each of the twelve drawings are inspired by the designer's fantasy vacation spots--this blue print is based on the southernmost tip of India.

I'm oddly fascinated by flying and falling. Maybe it's because flying and falling images have such awesome movement and energy. Maybe it's because flying brings up superpower fantasies. Maybe it's because Peter Pan was such a huge part of my childhood. Whatever it is, this week is all about flying and falling. Get psyched! (May seem like a random theme choice, but there's some cool stuff coming up!)

(Photo by Corey Arnold.)

Although we've literally run out of wall space in our apartment, I can't stop buying art that I love. For example, I recently caved and got this camera print. If you're interested, it's sold here in a limited edition of 100; each print is 24" x 26" and costs $35.
(via Hoping for Happy Accidents, via Swiss Miss)

It's my dad's birthday today! One awesome thing about our dad is his hilarious way of nicknaming everyone (and everything) around him. For example, I am Fofans. Lucy is Poohey. Nick is Tiny, Bunny, Tiny-Tutak-the-Famous-Eskimo-Hunter, Nikolaev-the-Famous-Russian-Choreographer and Bundley-Joe-Cool-Rad-Dude-Nick. My dad even calls his favorite fleece "Reddie." I love his nicknames (or should I say code names?) and slang; he always makes us laugh. He also loves to travel out west, grows his own tomatoes and has an amazing answering machine message. We love you, Daddy!

Oh my god, these photographs are heartbreaking. In her political series "End Times," Jill Greenberg seeks to portray children's faces in a future, disastrous 'present day.' I love the photos' emotion and richness, but it's upsetting to think about the babies being made to cry. In fact, there was big controversy surrounding the exhibition last summer--people questioned Greenberg's ethics and even accused her of child abuse.

But her gallery quickly explained that the photographs were digitally manipulated (meaning, the babies never actually cried like that) and released a VERY interesting essay Regarding What is Real in Photography. They say that perhaps Greenberg got such a strong response because she is TOO good at what she does; and that people instinctually believe everything they see in a photograph, whereas they're able to see film, paintings and other media as imaginative constructs. I'd recommend reading the thoughtful essay if you have a second. And, with that, my readers, thank you for reading family week. I hope you enjoyed it! Now onto the next....