goal...

I have always been intrigued by screen printing... its a skill I would like to learn in my lifetime. I saw this book via Sia Grafica, Print Liberation:the screen printing primer. Other than a good place to start to learn more about screen printing, Print Liberation looks pretty rad from what they have on their website.

Elle Decoration Apr 08

While reading the latest volume of Elle Decoration (the UK version of our Elle Decor), I found a few things I wanted to share :)

1) Habitat : really cool, but not available in the US. We'll have to work on that. Interior / exterior, etc.

2) one of the feature articles- 'Yellow Fever' -documents a Paris apartment's re-do based on this white / grey / yellow combination we've been RAVING about for months! :) My question is: design aside, where is there any sign that someone actually LIVES here, or for that matter, COULD live here? I want to see this combination and this sense of attention to detail in an apartment that provokes you to live like a normal human being. Can you imagine how the designer would shudder at the sight of a pair of shoes left in the corner, or someone's toys left in a pile in the middle of the floor? Lord help us if there were a real plate or a bottle of ketchup on the table..

Bottle-Cap Re-Use Project

I check-in on some of the first-year's blogs from time to time to see what their working on in Iarc and because I like to see how their projects vary from person to person. They did a project recently where they had to use bottle-caps to re-make an everyday item. I checked a few that were pretty weak- won't name names...- but this one was AWESOME. It's a lamp-shade and whether it's just a great photo or if it really produces this look, I think it's sweet. Nicely done.

the kurv

this is the chair, but definitely not in our office..

We rotate different chairs / pieces of furniture in the front lobby of our office, and I get the sweet job of choosing those rotations / pairings. We just recently got one of the kurv chairs by karim rashid in a white leather from our nienkamper + icf group rep- it's surprisingly comfortable and an eye-catchers against a minimalist-revived cotton mill-exposed brick-original column scheme in our office here.

3-form's parametre

I just met with the rep from 3-form the other day where he went over the whole binder, finishing on a new material they're developing called parametre. It's a 3D paper screen that stretches to about 14' tall. It's fastened at top and bottom with an incredibly strong magnet (i pinched my fingers trying to test it out..) and comes in a few patterns and a few colors. He says its indoor/outdoor, but in the middle of my thorough testing process (playing with it) I was able to tear it, meaning adverse weather conditions could do a number on a panel of this stuff. INDOOR however sounds great- it's basically made of paper, but it's the same paper used in Fed-Ex envelopes, meaning it's fairly durable.

IKEA warms up

As I was looking through IKEA's website in preparation for a trip over there this weekend while in Atlanta, I came across this scheme for a living room- pleasantly surprised by how cozy-warm it seems without seeming ugly and frumpy. As a collector of vintage finds with a variety of wood tones amongst them, I think this red color (to compliment the wood tones and the white/gray scheme I'm trying to pull-off) might be the color of my new bedroom!

Wal-mart does Baby Mod

As I was looking through Apartment Theray's ohdeedoh, their nursery section, I saw this dresser, a compliment to the matching changing table and crib. The kicker? These are from WAL-MART! Now, there have been times in the past when Wal-Mart has surprised me with a cute lamp or two, but for the most part, they're not even close to being the design-worthy match to Target I think they'd love to be. This furniture, however, gives me hope.

That said, as one of my coworkers put it, "Looks aren't everything- probably made of paper by small children...looks good in the picture, though." (Some of us aren't huge fans of Wal-mart, clearly). Thoughts?

kate spade strikes again

I think there must be some mix-up. I have completely fallen in love with just about everything kate spade, but somehow don't have the money for it... I think the stars are out of alignment or something...

Here are two samples of kate spade dinnerware (available at Macy's) and while I love them both, the top is a bit much for me. I am, however, crazy about the bottom- such a pretty design.

kate spade 'gwinnett lane creme' dinnerware

kate spade 'belle boulevard' dinnerware

urchin vases

These vases by wrapables are so fun. They would go perfect with the anthro teaset that I adoringly covet!! I found it via hostess with the mostess she suggested them as a centerpiece. I think they would be delightful against a brightly colored wall like the photo or in the bathroom.

This calls for a trip to Japan!

Klein Dytham architecture created this beautiful Leaf chapel... and it is all green! located within the grounds of the Risonare hotel resort in Kobuchizawa it gives off a thought of serenity.

If you use it for a wedding chapel, the steel veil lifts as the brides does to reveal a beautiful pond. check out more pictures here.

i draw pictures all day

I was checking out our marketing department catalogs the other day looking for images and found Veer. They sell stock photo, illustration, and type. But they are just general lovers of design. they have a small merchandise section with some pretty cool stuff, t shirts, sketchbooks, jewelry, cameras... but I especially love these sketchbooks! says it all right?

Baby Carter

This past weekend I met up with some favorites for a busy day in Greensboro. It started with a baby shower for my friend, Ali, and ended with a night out, catching up with old faces.

Ali is seven months along, and while I'm still terrified of children and the possibility that anyone our age is taking that leap of faith, she really is going to be a great mom. She's excited, prepared (as much as possible) and has a great support system behind her- I can't wait to see how this little boy turns out :)

courtesy of meghan joyce- love it.

seven months of pregnant

riverhouse

This past weekend I got a real taste of Texas. literally.... meat meat and more meat. I went down to Gruene (pronounced green) for a lil R and R by the Guadalupe river.

We hung out on the dock, tubed in the very cold water, bbq-ed more than i have ever seen, watched the cows (and birds) go by and took a trip into town for a bit of boot stomping and singing at the oldest dancehall in Texas, Gruene Hall.

We even brought home some Texas wine!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures... you can see more on my Flickr' site. Thanks Sean and Shannon for getting married and bringing us all together and thanks to Davis for hosting at his awesome house!!

Bon Voyage... and thanks for coming!

no photos allowed in gallery so here are a couple in the lobby.

As it was Brandon's last night in town we wanted to do something fun. Aside from the all day shooting bonanza him and Ben had at the range yesterday (we are in Texas!). Conveniently Thursday nights are free at the Dallas Museum of Art!! It was my first trip there and it was very cool... much larger than I expected too. My two favorite exhibits were the Stanley Marcus (founder of Neimans) photography exhibit and the study on decorative accessories (naturally).

The Photos from the Stanley Marcus exhibit were really groovy in every sense off the word, there were some very nostalgic pictures and although they were mostly of family and friends they captured time. His use of color was really great and there was one in particular i loved of ladies at a cocktail party in the 60's. You can buy the book here.

The study on the decorative accessories was mostly pottery and dinner ware but it was neat the way they laid it out in a timeline fashion. unfortunately it had no info up because they were still installing the exhibition.

There was also live jazz, cocktails and food in the lobby. The sun was setting and the lighting was really beautiful... hopefully a perfect way for Brandon to end his trip.

Moving this summer!

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while- new project at work + house-hunting and I've been SWAMPED! Even though we're not moving until late May, we're picky and extremely anxious about this stuff- still used to apartment-hunting in a college town where the open units filled up faster than the classes, we've been looking for a new rental since about January.

We've looked at... at least a dozen townhomes and condos and started narrowing in on what we really wanted. We finally found something, negotiated a lease agreement, and we'll be signing within the next week!

Although I love where we live now, moving + a new home can be fun... especially in that immediately after we move and get settled in i'll be bringing home THE PUPPY!!!!! (due to be born april 4).

dallas world aquarium

busy busy week already!! Brandon is in town so we went to the Dallas World Aquarium on Sunday. a lot of hanging out and lots of good eating has been going on since he got here on Saturday.

the aquarium is pretty awesome and it is privately owned. that's a very impressive collection for one individual. I do believe it is almost comparable to the awesome aquarium in Baltimore! i think my favorite this was the tree kangaroos and the manatees. i highly recommend this outing to anyone in the Dallas area.

fabulous friday

beautifully composed photograph from the sartorialist. have a great weekend!

Poulsen

We met with the Louis Poulsen rep a little back and he showed us a couple of REALLY nice fixtures- one of which is the Collage Pendant. I love this piece (when used correctly) and someday (SOMEDAY!!!) will find a way to make use of it.

UAP

I've grown more and more familiar with UAP (Urban Art Projects) out of Australia in searching for interesting sculptures, furnishings, and the whole sha'bang for streetscapes and exterior projects.

They do interior and exterior installations, artwork, exhibits, etc- you've really got to check out their site to grasp the idea, but this one is a quick favorite of mine.

More Jessica Claire...

I know I post her photos up here and there, but this one is amazing. The amount of color she manages to get out of her photos is insane.

bronzealicious

I had to do a little bronze round up for work... i thought i'd share. Nothing like a lil metallic to brighten up a cold friday. Snow in Dallas!! can you believe it?!?!!

goose hat

sfgirlbybay has an unexpected guest today, Jessica Gonacha of Deluth GA. It is a fun article and you should check it out if you have a minute. I especially love Jessica's goose hat print on her etsy site. love it...

funky chunky

from Marni

I have a slight obsession with chunky leather platform sandals right now. It all started with a rockin pair I spotted by Marni. Here is a round up of others I found that were just as cool... all a lil outta my budget. So i'll keep dreaming... and looking for an affordable one (or sale!)

top two are from nordstoms, bottom left is a pair of Louboutin's and the bottom right is YSL via Barney's

excuse

Or any reason at all to buy this paper from martha stewart. I need a craft.

Postales del Sur

via postales del sur

I think I mentioned this before, but one of my (boulder) co-workers is taking a 1-year leave to travel throughout central and south america with his wife, seeing the sights, exploring and contributing however he can to the rest of the world.

If my memory serves me correctly, today is the day they were / are due to leave, so on that note, Good Luck, Jon! You can read his posts as he chronicles them (whenever possible) on their blog, Postales del Sur. I'm so jealous!

Some Kind-a Gorgeous

I'm typically the girl buying whatever's on sale when it comes to cosmetics and whatnot- shampoo + conditioner in bulk and on sale, blush / eye anything on clearance and from a drug-store, etc... However, there are two things that I really love and end-up splurging on:

1) Some kind-a gorgeous foundation from benefit.
I'm not going to rant and rave as though their paying me to do this, but... it's good stuff.

2) Head Rush by bed head- "shine adrenaline"
I, like most girls, wasn't blessed with that perfectly straight hair or gorgeous curls- I survive by way of my flat-iron, and realized shortly after discovering it that my hair breaks pretty easily with the help of that heat. This spray is light enough for my hair that it helps that a bit, gives it a lil extra shine, is really fine- not heavy and thick like most, and I like the smell :)

I know erin swears by a few of these things- I've personally shopped-down lip balm by Kiehl's with her, watched her grip onto dandelion (powder from benefit), and heard her swear by mascara by dior(?)- so I guess we all have our vices.

Craigslist

Looking on craigslist for anything from apartments to furniture is always a little bit hit-or-miss. Great location for me doesn't mean great location for someone who's DYING to find that ideal lot to park their trailer, right?

Same thing for furniture. Looking through the listings tonight I found two VERY similar headings:
1. 1960's China Cabinet
2. 1960's China Hutch

Check out how different these actually ended up being:#1 : on sale for $200



#2: on sale for $140 (ironic because I HIGHLY prefer this one!)

not feeling so hot today....

After a long night with my friend 'the john' i have collapsed on my couch for a long day of moaning. The gingerale helps a little. I wish I had one of these cute hot waterbottles to rest on my head and warm me up.

Sleeper-Sofa

FINALLY a nice sleeper-sofa that doesn't look like it's as old and frumpy as your neighbor's grandma!

Saw this on the mid-century modernist... doesn't look all THAT comfortable, but they never are, right? If you're trying to get a good-night's-rest, stay home- sleeper sofa's are part of the experience :)

Keilhauer Calendar, 2006

In 2006 Keilhauer put out a monthly calendar, full of resolutions. Some of my coworkers in Boulder kept it and were kind enough to share it with me while I was out there- some of them are hillarious- here are my favorites:


. I will not let my blood pressure be affected by TV shows that make it look like you can do a total renovation in 24 hours.
. In spite of current trends otherwise, I will find a way to keep all of my clutter... in my minimalist apartment.
. I will not believe that any color other than black is "the new black."
. I will remember that not everyone knows what I am talking about when I say 'sense of arrival' or 'focal vistas.'
. I will realize that I am not fooling my client when I say, "we can try that."
. I will simplify my life by discarding books and articles I have on simplifying my life.
. I will have a new-found tolerance for people who call me an interior decorator.
. One day a week, I will bravely not wear a watch.
. I will spend more time considering my selection of holiday gifts than planning how I will wrap them.
. I will stop nodding my head in agreement to references of artistic movements I have simply never heard of.
. I will stop using ringtones as a form of self expression.
. I will not gawk in stunned disbelief at someone who doesn't recognize the names Prada, Citterio, Starck, Commes des Garcons, or Karim.
. Eclectic is not a word I will use instead of "oops!"
. I will wear color.

Emily's Chocolates

the last fortune: "Times of need are not enough to prove your friendship."

I got a Valentine's Day Package from my twin sister two weeks before February 14th. She plans ahead...

Inside there were a bunch of 'goodies' including Emily's Dark Chocolate Covered Fortune Cookies. I tried to pace myself with them, only giving a couple away and saving the rest for bad days, but today I (sadly) HAD to eat the last one. The box alone was adorable, let alone the fortunes and fact that they were all individually packaged inside... and they were SO good.

I think it was one of my favorite Valentine's Day presents ever- sure beats the last couple of years!

being 'professionals' :)

one of my favorite images from the Global Views catalog

One of the fun things about having graduated is seeing what everyone is up to professionally (and personally) now that our "on-campus" bubble has popped.

I just received the Global Views catalog from erin- we don't do a whole lot with residential accessories, etc, but we put together a lot of vision books and are always looking for imagery to help build the character of a concept, visually.

Thanks, erin!

a visual sampler

new site design

previous site design

I check-in on the i.arc first year blog.folio from time to time, and have a few people's individual pages bookmarked, as well.

A while ago I posted about a few students' blogs that I displayed their abilities pretty well, or that showed a decent amount of attention to the design of the BLOG and not just the work covered there.

There's one person's site, 'a visual sampler,' that I liked before, and I THINK i like it just as well, now. At traphic signs we're still working on ideas and designs for the header of our page- something we keep putting-off, but liz brown is getting the hang of this kind of thing (not that we have, we've just seen people who have done really well with designing their sites- keeping up with mk, design*sponge, drewB, and of course, suzanne buchanan!).

A Visual Sampler not only seems to have a good way of keeping her page really simple and neutral, but has some pretty decent work (especially for first year) displayed, as well. I'm particularly fond of the scale figures- why waste time with detail? They're just there for SCALE!

St. Patrick's Day Planning!

last year (that's me + erin on the bottom)

two years ago- that's erin + me on the left + center

Tonight we started planning for St. Patrick's Day- I know it's not one of the major holidays, but it is DEFINITELY worth celebrating well :)

Last year we were celebrating Katie's single-status, and the year prior (I think?) we were among the many in Savannah, GA- the second-biggest St. Patty's Day celebration in the USA.

This year fingers are crossed for spending time with old friends + warmer weather!