Current Obsessions: After the Storm

First and foremost, thinking about the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and about the looming election:

• Here are two ways to donate to victims of Sandy, courtesy of Brownstoner.

• Sarah and Julie got a preview of these quilts, on view at MARCH SF though January 7th.

• Admiring the house visit of Dutch knitwear designer Nanna van Blaaderen from Freunde von Freunden; photographed by Mathieu Garnier.

• We’re thinking ahead: Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas.

• Christine has been contemplating Old Is New Again.

• Trying to decide if we like the design of Steve Jobs’ yacht.

• Checking out photos of Reese Witherspoon’s Ojai home, currently for sale.

• Alexa has been mixing Triple Crown Blackberry Jam by Inna Jam into yogurt almost daily this week.

• Inspired by Christine’s post, our friend Adam sent us these images of cats’ paws in the bricks of his 1890s Arts and Crafts house. Ancestors of Mr. Finch’s cat Sydney?

• For those in Austin, Texas, Synonym Journal and Domy Books is holding an event on Saturday, November 10.

Meanwhile, on Gardenista:

Above: Janet’s obsessed with potting benches—guess what “10 Easy Pieces” we’re going to feature next week?

Above: Michelle went to painter Duncan Hannah’s new show, The Infatuationist, at Modernism in San Francisco, and admired the artist’s work up close. Lost Moorings (L) is one of Hannah’s series of imagined book covers. Chabrol (R) offers a compellingly intimate glimpse into strangers’ lives. The exhibit runs through Dec. 21. For more, see A Painter at Home: Duncan Hannah in Manhattan.

Above: We’re getting a jump on the holiday season with our Winter Gardens Pinboard. Follow us, and we’ll repin one or more of your images.