"the itch"

photo courtesy of Keeping Up with MK

I need a vacation. I'm going to Hilton Head a few times this summer, which is going to have to do it for me... but I could really use a big one. Having grown-up in a really great family, I've had the chance to get to a lot of places with them and see some really, really, really amazing things- fishing for paranas on the amazon river in peru, touring a small swiss town with my cousins and sister, photo ops among the ruins in carthage... my grandparents are sharing their retirement with us, giving us a taste of what good saving can get you.

Next year we (my sisters and I) are going on a 2.5 week trip through the UK to celebrate Erin's graduation from high school, and the year after that we're doing a little private cruise through the islands of Indonesia (did that sound casual? Because I could probably pee my pants right now with excitement..) but this year I'm just going to kick it on the beach... having sweet dreams of trips over "the pond."

Progress

Throughout the last couple of weeks, as Barack Obama has pretty much earned the democratic nomination for President, I've heard, read, watched, and seen a lot of commentary on the subject. It's like everyone that had started to "get over it" is now wide awake and back in the game- both in a good way and otherwise.

I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I also understand that none of these candidates are perfect- can someone please tell me when we've had any in the last 24 years? Exactly. However, as torn as I was in the last election trying to pick the lesser of two evils, I'm totally sold this time around.

I love- LOVE- this poster and it's *subtle* support of Obama. I'd love to have one, but the price on a post-college girl's budget just isn't going to fly... so for now, I'll drool about it.

Vegas Boneyard

A week ago I was in Vegas for a little pre-pre set up and we had some very rare downtime one day. Oh the luxury! Gregg had wanted to go to the Morelli house for sometime and I had wanted to check out the Vegas neon boneyard. We were going to attempt to do both before we had to head to the airport.

We almost didn't get to do either because of the strict appointment policy that both of them have. WE did get to go to the Boneyard because we begged and pleaded and used out god given patience and waited it out to see if there were any no-shows so we could go in. as luck would have it we did.

I took some really rad photos and am really excited about them so I made a lil coffee table book at blurb. You can get one too if you are so inclined. Just follow the link in the column to the right labeled from erin.

River Thames... england denmark

ok... so after my computer crashed (for a week) and I made a quick 4 day jaunt to Las Vegas (more on that later) I am back in Dallas and have the second installment from the england denmark trip.

So we are still on the first day. As anyone who has been to London can tell you, there are quite a few tourist attractions along the River Thames. So we started at the Tower Bridge and weaved our way down until we got to the Tate museum hopped on the tube and popped out at westminster to find Big Ben towering over us. Now we did go on the London Eye the next day.

Nikki + Seth

It's fairly obvious that I stalk wedding blogs, both wedding design + photography, despite the dangerously-far distance I've got before my marriage (part of which includes finding someone TO marry). That said, it's like a movie - it happens, but not to anyone I know... except Katie, but she'd been engaged for 4 years before the wedding and almost 6 months before we got to know each other, so it never really sank-in.

This changed today when Nikki (from i.arc) sent me the link to the dress she'll be wearing on June 7th when she weds Seth, in her grandfather's yard (how cute!!!), and the jacket he'll be wearing, as well. It's like when your friend has a baby- suddenly your group and age range becomes one of them..instead of just the token girl who takes the first leap in that direction (Katie). This girl is totally laid-back and relaxed, so it's completely appropriate that she'd have a gorgeously laid-back and simple dress (courtesy of JCrew) and he'd have a matching seersucker jacket - it's that simple-casual-preppy look that goes so well with a small family wedding. I'm so happy that she's staying true to herself through all of the excitement and tendencies to go overboard that come with planning / hosting a wedding.

M.I.A.

Sorry I've been missing in action- I've been totally overwhelmed with this puppy and the exhausting similarities she carries to a newborn baby... getting up at night, "changing diapers" (aka: house-training + cleaning up mistakes), all of the whining, attention needed, feedings, worrying about a parasite, medications, vet appointments, etc... I'm totally worn-out, but having my family in town for Memorial Day Weekend was the best break I could've asked for. I was definitely heart-broken when they left Monday morning...

my twin sister, meagen, getting to know (love) jane at the park

we took jane swimming for the first time- the "doggie paddle" was too cute for words!

Anyways, while glancing through blogs this morning I came across this wedding from notes from the road. It generally isn't really my style- more lace / details / girly accents then I'd probably pick for myself, but it looks perfect none the less and makes me re-think my dream wedding just a bit. Fortunately, I've got more than enough time to get things figured out, and should probably focus my efforts towards dating for the time-being.

I just LOVE how this cake echoes the style of the dress so well!

back in the USA (denmark-england part 1)

I have returned from my trip and it was a BLAST. i really had fun bouncing around London, Copenhagen and Aarhus with the boys. i took over 560 pictures so you can only imagine, that's what i'll be posting on for a while.

So anyway, I will start at the very beginning (a very good place to start). first was England. one really cool thing we noticed was the art down in the tube (underground) stations. There were some abstract installations, and then some were real ornate tile situations. Here are a few photos of that.

Jane!

I promise this won't turn into a dog-blog... just wanted to put-up one photo of my little girl now that she's home.

It has DEFINITELY been a handful- the puppy that seemed so laid-back is still just a baby and is very easily spooked. Around me + Maggie she's easy-going, fun, loves to play, and sleeps a lot. Around new people / experiences, she's timid and shaky. It's about as close as I want to come to raising a child..

But... she is definitely adorable :) Makes it all that much easier!

travel bottles

I am leaving tomorrow on vaca! whooo who. I am so excited. I am meeting up with one brother and a friend in London then on to Copenhagen to meet the other brother.

I packed on sunday because I was sooo excited. If I had thought about it ahead of time I would have ordered these groovy silicone bottles for traveling. There is nothing worse than using crappy shampoo. Maybe I'll order these for later. It's not like I wont be traveling again soon!! (well not for fun anyway).

down to the wire!

not only do i have a MASSIVE deadline this friday, but I'm also getting ready to bring home a puppy on saturday! this week is going to be a test- one of the most difficult weeks to concentrate, and one of the most crucial weeks for getting the job done.

saturday morning rowland and I are headed to virginia to pick-up the puppy- a beautiful baby yellow lab :) stay tuned for photos!

PreFab Now

Better Living through Design is always pretty interestting. This book is appealing to me because I am slightly obsessed with prefab houses. This one is goin on the wish list.

snowshow '04

I'm looking around for photos / examples of text carved into paving for a project we're working on and some reference imagery, and I keep thinking back to the project from the 2004 snowshow exhibit in kemi, finland- "pure mix" by john roloff + diller & scofidio.

these were squares carved out of the gulf of bothnia (an inlet of the baltic sea) and filled with a strip of LED lights + a brand of purified water. then the respective logos were carved into each square + lit from beneath- it was awesome. you can tell from the earlier progress photo that all of the lights were the same hue when they were originally placed, but as they reacted to the extreme cold they kind of "aged" differently- it was just another part of the installation... made it even more impressive.

that's one of those things I will never forget- sitting ON the baltic sea with other volunteers from all around the world, looking at those lit from within, watching the sunset and pretty-much forgetting about the sub-zero temperatures of a winter ON the arctic circle.

photo credits: the snow show

designer's prayer

one of my coworkers just sent this my way- not sure where he found it, but enjoy :)

how does your garden grow?

I was talking to my mom the other day and she said that for mother's day she would like someone to help her plant her garden. Then I got to thinking about my rut of an outside patio. This is a place that my mom has actually spent alot of time in when she is visiting me (and helped me put the patio part together). And since I can't go to NC for mother's day I wanted to redo my garden, so maybe she can get more enjoyment out of it when she is here. Maybe I will make it more enjoyable and use it too. I have always wanted some herbs.

Now I don't even know where to start and since it is a rental I am skeptical as to invest to much time and money out there. Maybe a modular solution I can take with me? I was looking through a few websites and found this one based out of the UK that does beautiful work. Modular Garden, and although this is not anything close to what I am capable of at this point in time.... I am bookmarking it away for a later date. glorious huh?

cinco de mayo!

not only is today (and will always forever be) cinco de mayo, anniversary of mexico's independence, but it is ALSO the anniversary of katie + eric's wedding! today they're celebrating their one year- can't believe it's already been that long!

so on that note, grab yourself a margarita and toast to mexico, katie + eric!

US Campaign for Burma

If you've ever looked at Keeping Up With MK you might have seen that MK, as well as being an amazing photographer, is also an activist for the US Campaign for Burma. As she recently posted, they've released a new campaign, so far involving some short videos with celebrities. This one is great- a good message that gets your attention with some humor + a familiar face.

when designers have dogs...

Our Boulder office has an office dog- Elmer- this cute, territorial little westie that goes home with one of the partners everyday. Elmer is as old as the firm- turning three this week- and his owner just sent out this announcement on his behalf. Too bad we're out here in Charlotte and can't join in the fun, but soon enough I'll start bringing my puppy in and we'll start to copy on the east coast :)

a lil bling for the office

pencils in white and ocean

File folders: in ocean and grass

See Jane Work has some colorful and fun additions to keep you stylish in the office. A lady I used to work with always had red file folders. Genius i thought... she always knew which ones were hers and they looked good in her office. I naturally would choose blue and green... and right now all the Basics from See Jane work are 50% off!! The above are my choices to add a little bling.

happy to leave it behind...

yay! its the weekend, well 30 minutes and counting. This is the view of my desk. Although I have filled it with things I love, like my antique glove holder from my aunt, green and blue sticky notes and lovely calendar from my cousin Joslyn, I am happy to leave it all behind.

enjoy your weekend!

in need of a laugh

Flight of the Conchords is BY FAR one of my favorite Tv shows. What makes it so great are the songs! duh. so on my Daily Candy today it had the suggestion for their cd to listen to this weekend. I am allll over it. And check out the rockin cover art. who could ask for anything more?

Ashes + Snow

I've mentioned my coworker who is traveling throughout central + south america these days with his wife (for a year, I think), and the blog that they keep to chronicle their experiences.

Recently they posted about an exhibit they've seen- 'ashes and snow' -which has something to do with animals + humans via photography + film. Just the picture they posted makes me want to look into it... check it out.

New Keys!

via jennski on etsy

Amidst the mayhem at work and the excitement of getting a new puppy, we're moving! This afternoon we get keys to our new place- home sweet home for the next 18 months+ -and this evening I'm going to start at it- taping / painting / whatever I can get done!

high school musical

On friday night I accompanied my friend Shannon to the annual musical at Woodrow Wilson here in Dallas. My friend Sean (Shannon's fiance) is the music director there so it was a real treat to see him at work. They performed Sound of Music. It was an incredible show. The caliber of detail they put out for the show was pretty spectacular. The costumes were phenomonal and the talent of the kids was awesome!! I was really impressed. I recommend to anyone to go and see their show next year no matter what it may be because this school puts forth its all to make it a great show.

Now the architecture of the school is a whole other category. They were put on the historical registry and the gothic detail in parts of the school were really impressive. read more about it here.

party this weekend?

Pingg.com is my new fave site for invitations. much better than evite. you can load your own images onto the site to use as your invite and the best part is you can use their surroundsend feature. this feature sends an evite, a webpage for your event and they even have a postcard (snail mail), and text message feature for your event.

I used surround send recently for my friends wedding shower to send out a postcard invite and it gave me a webpage. I was able to use my own art and customize the page. I will put up the image after the event happens because i don't want the bride to see it... ;)

Have a great weekend!!!

brown thumb no more

I have a problem with keeping plants alive. Pretty much, I have the opposite of a green thumb. This is really sad because I really do love plants... and would love to have fresh herbs to cook with. So, you can imagine my happiness when I found these GroBal pots designed by Karim Rashid.

They have this watering system that lets you know when the water is low and you need to rewater them. And like all of Karim's designs the are are fun and colorful in that blobject form.

New Paint

Just wanted to share some good news: we just got an email from our soon-to-be landlord telling us that not only is he okay with the colors we'd like to paint throughout the place, but he's fine us leaving them up when we leave- in the world of renting, THAT IS GOLD!

That means that instead of painting for a year and a half and then having to re-paint the place back to white when we leave, we save ourselves half the hassle. I'm soooo excited! See colors below- mine is bedroom2, fyi :)

Guggenheim : Lithuania

I just came across this post on Prairie Mod about the "Guggenheim Trilogy." Somehow I missed the news that Zaha Hadid was designing the next Guggenheim for Vilnius, Lithuania. I'm sure it's a welcome progression into the story the Guggenheim architecture is telling, but I'm still incredibly partial to the original... thoughts?

ps: am I the only one who expected it to be designed by another frank?

gen 1 : frank lloyd wright, NY

gen 2 : frank gehry, bilbao, spain

gen 3 : zaha hadid, lithuania

Resisting the Urge for More Clutter...

Getting ready for a move always makes me ache for new pieces and finds in the next place... Last night I got in these curtains that I mentioned I'd ordered from Anthropologie- they were on clearance, so I wasn't picky when the only available length was 108", but my GOODNESS they are long! At least they'll pool nicely on the floor...until the puppy tears them to shreds... hmm.

Now I'm in this inexplainable search for a "new" (to me) piece for the house. I'm out of room in my bedroom, seems as though we're set for the living room, and I'm trying to adapt Erin's method of buying things only on her list by refusing to purchase anything that'll contribute to my growing collection of clutter and / or soon-to-be-Goodwill donations.

I'm also relatively out of money and resources, but I can't help but scour craigslist and ebay for the next accent- for instance, wouldn't these chairs look AWESOME recovered in some other fabric? Love the shape...love the price... hmmm.

just in case you wanted to know....

Because I sure did. I found the plates from my unexpected inspiration post a couple days ago. It was on Fred Flare.com. Plates by Thomas Paul.... thanks kelley, your previous post sent me down that wandering path!

maps... (and no im not talking about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

I leant out one of my most prized possesions to Ben last night for his trip this weekend. My NYC pop up map (think joey from friends in London without the 3D landmarks). It is small discreet and even includes a subway map!!

After threatneing him if he lost it, I got to thinking about how I really might have a healthy (or unhealthy) obsession with maps, My 5th year Iarc thesis even included maps as part of the concept! Then I remembered this book I ran accross a while ago via Black eiffel. I think it would be a great addition to my library.

Meanwhile, I am on the lookout for MY upcoming trip to London, Copenhagen and Aarhus! Please let me know if you have any ideas.

New Planner!

Right now I have a plain-old moleskine that serves both as a notebook and a (homemade) planner- pages of monthly grids. I love having everything in one place, but as I've taken less than 6 months to go through the notebook and am now having to transfer to both a new notebook AND a new planner, my system has failed me..

Sooo... I've got things to use as notebooks here- ones that I wasn't AS crazy about and have thus shoved to the side for the time-being. Transferring to a new planner mid-year is something I'm not okay with. Coming from a family that plans trips 2-3 years in advance, I think I've found the perfect solution.

I just ordered this 5 YEAR PLANNER from fredflare and am hoping that it holds up for at least two of the five years - or at least that I don't get sick of it / bored before then.

ApartmentTherapy : Smallest, Coolest Contest

My friend, Aryn, has been entered in Apartment Therapy's "Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest." Check out more photos of her apartment, including a floor plan, and how she dealt with a lack of space- 430 s.f.!!!

Help a girl out and vote for her to help her win some furniture!

Heather's House

This weekend I went over for visit 1 of many (I'm sure) to a friend's house. Heather Miller is one of the girls we went to school with who ALSO settled in Charlotte after graduating and now works for a firm here to support her insanely diverse grouping of hobbies + crafts. This girl does everything from glass-blowing to felting, and has just purchased a 43 year old house to showcase her ever-unique style.

I took a couple mid-progress pictures- she's painting / re-covering / re-finishing almost everything in the house, but still managing to keep all of those great mid-century characteristics that made her fall in love with it. I promised I wouldn't post any pictures until she was comfortable with the "after" shots to compare the progress, but as a hint, she's done-up an entire bedroom around this bedding from IKEA- the wall color, I think she said, is titled "hot." It's hard to see it in the image (thanks a lot, IKEA) but the quilt-covers have all kinds of reds, pinks, oranges, and golds- it's kind of impressive for the price. It's an amazing room- can't wait to see what she does with the rest of the place!

unexpected inspiration

i saw this image in traditional home and well.... i love it. the colors the graphics, the motif. very updated and fashion forward i think. no?

old skool originals

I am contemplating getting some new shoes for working in. flats are a must so i can climb up and down laddars. so i thought i'd throw it old school and go with keds or converse. what do you think?

New curtains!

I think I mentioned this before, but I'll be moving soon- it's not a huge move and it's definitely not a big deal, but it's always fun to have a fresh start- example? I just bought new curtains. I've had these extremely cheap red panels with white shears in my room for while a while now, and they've done their job, but I was ready for a change.

I just ordered these yellow panels, on sale from Anthropologie, and combined with the 'Mysterious Mauve' (grey-purple) color I've chosen, I think they'll look awesome.

I need some help: How do you pick-out a cute, not-boring, grown-up shower curtain?