Photo courtesy Burning Bones Press

Dennis McNett constructs huge 3-D mobile art

Dennis McNett, one of the nation's renowned printmakers, practices the tedious, time-consuming art of carving. Most of his works are huge and have a graphic basis in '80s skateboard and punk rock culture; they are frequently described as "surly."

He also specializes in large, mobile pieces such as the Wolfbats he is currently exhibiting across the country as well as a Viking ship replica he displayed in Philadelphia last year.

Living in New York City since 2001, McNett has come to Houston to construct his first mechanically powered piece, an art car for the 25th anniversary of Houston's famed Art Car Parade. He will be working with Burning Bones Press in the Heights, who is assisting McNett with the construction.

McNett will also give a lecture at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Art Car Museum as part of this year's Art Car Parade activities.

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Did last fall's Missoni for Target launch whet your appetite for retro 1970s design with a modern Italian flair? Are you thinking about relocating to Manila, Philippines in the near future? If you act fast, you could be in luck--MISSONIHOME for Acqua Livingstone Tower is a total Missoni interior design experience, and the very first residential Missoni-branded operation in the world.

Harper's Bazaar recently reported on this property in Manila, which boasts 645 units for those who want to live "a Manila-by-Missoni way of life." In the brief HB article, Missoni marketing director Vittorio Missoni sells the MISSONIHOME vision, calling it "a celebration of life...an experience of happiness, excitement, beauty, creativity, style, and elegance."

Let's take a sneak peek at all this luxury ... and the price tag.

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Crickets come in green or blue with dozens of add-ons, from refridgerators to roof racks.

As the weather heats up, one Houston entrepreneur is preparing to market a cool little trailer that will make enjoying the great outdoors a bit more comfortable.

Garrett Finney is the architect behind the adorably minimalist Cricket Trailer, an "un-RV" designed and manufactured in Houston, in a factory just south of the Galleria. The Cricket, which was on display at the 2010 Lawndale Design Fair, was named one of Art Attack's Top 5 that year in architecture and design. But only in the last couple of months has it been available for purchase.

Finney, a former space architect with NASA, said he wanted to make a camper trailer that took the outdoor and recreation vehicle industry in a new direction. He said his experience working on the International Space Station helped.

"I had this expertise in living in small spaces, and I had this history of interest in the outdoors," he said. "People are buying the biggest thing they can afford instead of buying the thing that best suits their needs. People are not buying a house on wheels. The whole point is to have an adventure."

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By now you've surely heard about Pinterest -- the self-curating social site that turns everyone into a magazine features editor. It's often thought of as the lazy man's Tumblr, or, more accurately, Tumblr for chicks, thanks to all the pins devoted to wedding planning, DIY crafts and baking. And while everyone follows Etsy, West Elm, Nina Garcia and whoever else is on this list (where's the Pinterest board on who to follow on Pinterest?), we decided to check out what our fellow Houstonians were up to. And out of the 10 million registered users, we bring you these five who are showing you how it's done. And two of them are dudes.

Robert Boyd

This prolific blogger, who covers the Houston arts scene over at The Great God Pan Is Dead, keeps the conversation going on Pinterest. Already photo-heavy on his Web site, he adds even more here, with images from his blog, others he's taken around town and elsewhere pinned on such customized boards as "Art I've Seen and Liked," "Graphic Design and Illustration" and "Comics I Like." Recent pins include photos from Richard Serra's show at The Menil Collection. A prolific reader, too, Boyd also offers his recommendations on books. Try and catch up.

Sarah Pope

A self-described photographer, artist, teacher and cook, Sarah Pope pins about all of the above on her 28 boards. There are odes to her art and photo inspirations, love to breakfast foods, home design, dance imagery, vintage finds and, our favorite, "Deep in the Heart of Texas" -- all things Texas, from shirts with the state map on them to color graphic posters of our fair city.

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If high fashion seems a little too pretentious and self-important, this fashion show might be right up your alley. Fashion fans seeking a more whimsical way to approach haute couture should check out the Halloween & Party Expo on Saturday, January 28, at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Award-winning event designer-turned-instructor Carmen Ballering creates sculptures and haute couture fashion from uninflated latex balloons, and you can see her work firsthand at the Balloon Couture Fashion Show -- the first of its kind at the convention center here in Houston.

Ballering is based in Miami and has been working in the party industry for more than 20 years. She is an instructor at the Event Decorating Academy in Miami, a school she founded for artists to learn all aspects of event decorating from fabric draping to centerpieces to floral design. Ballering is a multi-award-winning balloon artist and decorator whose couture fashion designs have been featured on runways and on television.

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Photo by Meredith Deliso

Just a small sampling of what the Contemporary Arts Museum's gift shop has to offer.

Museum gift shops aren't usually known for their good taste -- think boxy, stiff T-shirts, garish magnets and easily breakable key chains tied to whatever forgettable exhibition is currently on display. As you do your holiday shopping this season, though, don't rule out these Museum District stores -- you might be pleasantly surprised by the craftsmanship and charm of their offerings. In fact, we broke it down for you based on type of person you're shopping for.

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Whether it's a Motel 6 or a Four Seasons, the experience of jumping into a freshly made hotel bed signals the height of rest, relaxation and comfort. Of course, there are hotels that take comfort to a whole other level: spacious bathrooms and showers, flat-screen televisions, hell-yeah minibars and killer views.

We went to three swanky Houston hotels (The Alden, The Hyatt and The Magnolia) to see their VIP-level rooms. Now, you can gawk at them, too.

Check out more photos after the jump (all photos are courtesy of the hotels except where noted).

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Photo by Mel B

The '80s were undoubtedly an uncertain time in fashion; a terrible mix between the tail end of ABBA-esque disco pants and the beginnings of Nirvana's dirty grunge uniform. It was a bipolar fiasco filled with poly-blend prints, and thanks to all our hipster friends, we have seen a bit of a revival. Anisette Davis, a new up-and-coming designer in Houston, says that her '80s revival will not be a reminder of our embarrassing elementary school photos, but will brighten and enlighten our moods.

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Courtesy of Rice Design Alliance

Grace House

In this economy, you hear the word "downsize" a lot. And that word tends to have a negative connotation, invoking dreary images of yard sales, moving vans and trading in a 5,000-square-foot home for a shotgun shack or basement apartment.

But living in a small space doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, designers, architects and homeowners are finding ways of making the most out of a small amount of space, getting the most bang for their buck, if you will.

When we heard that Rice Design Alliance's 2009 home tour focused on small houses, we went knocking on their door to find out how people live in a sub-1000-square-foot environment. It turns out, they can live quite well.

Here are six of the coolest, smallest homes in Houston. Some of these are, in fact, larger than 1,000 square feet, but they're still a far cry from that 6,000-square-foot luxury mansion.

6. 5011 Blossom Street

Courtesy of Rice Design Alliance

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Photo by Richard Payne

Houston House Lobby

Houston House is in the middle of a $10 million renovation, but that's not keeping the historic high-rise apartment building from showing off its luxury living spaces. In September, the building will offer tours of four apartment homes, each designed by a local up-and-coming designer, according to a release.

The designers that will be featured on the free Houston House Salutes Emerging Designers tours are 29-year-old graphic designer/interior designer/Analog | Dialog blogger Chris Nguyen; 31-year-old interior designer Kristen Johnson; 33-year-old freelance designer Richard Sanchez; and 31-year-old architect/designer/abstract artist Saba Jawda.

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