ABC carpet and home

ok, so if you have been to this legandary place you know about the 6++ floors of brilliance in the two buildings. You also know that there is a lovely merchandising scheme that keeps you discovering new things around every corner. You are aware of the groovy merchandise from all over the world. But mostly you are wondering when you finally found this glorious land of things for home.... why you had never been there before?

This was the thought in my head as I went to ABC carpet and home while I was in NY. I felt like I was a kid in a grown up candy shop (substitute candy for lovely home and crafty goods and a few pieces of clothing as well!) And there is a kids section too... I am sure they would be just as delighted.

I floated from floor to floor and if I were rich with a place to put anything at all it all would have come home with me... or better yet I would have just moved in. but alas, I brought home a pretty cool wood-cut stamp to try out some new printing ideas from Lena Corwin's book that Ben picked up. How fab is that gieant bowl I dug through to find the perfect one.

Bluejake

In a list of 30+ blogs / sites I look at in the mornings (stalling? broadening my horizons? waking up with some help from some creative people?), I looked through the photos on Bluejake - a NYC photo blog - and came across this photo of some cool graffiti... I love the graphic arrow on the wall - it's the kind of graffiti I referenced during my last semester in Iarc doing my thesis project on a downtown public art museum that used different types of graffiti / street art as wayfinding.



On another note, as much as I (gulp) dislike NYC - I'm way too self-conscious to spend very much time in a city full of beautiful, successful people with attitude - I've walked past the Apple Store on 14th a few times and never gone in. This photo makes me regret that in a pretty big way... next time I'm definitely going take a moment to stop and smell the iPods a la NYC.



And one last photo from their site - this is one of a few of the Glenwood Power Station in Yonkers. I think one of the best attributes to our generation is that we're able to look at the potential in things. I think 8 out of 10 people in our age bracket would look at this building and drop their jaw at how beautiful it is and, furthermore, could be. Appreciating the industrial, raw-edged, straight to the point and rehabilitated aspects of a building both for residential and commercial re-uses seems to be one of the trendy trademarks to our generation - something I hope to get in-on soon...

i'm back!

My apologies for the extended hiatus on posts out of Charlotte - I've been distracted by all of the right and wrong things, but that's life, right?

In checking-back in with the blogging world, I've missed a couple great weddings, in terms of photography. Just came across this one from Mary Kate McKenna- I love the details! I love the style of his suit, and the fact that it is gray, and I love that both of them have this vintage-modern appeal that is totally emphasized by the purple tie and yellow flowers! For whatever reason, the people and the clothing seem a little dated (in a good way) and the style of those yellow flowers with the pop of purple give it that great contemporary flare :) I might be way-off on this one, but I love it none the less.

* PS: check out their rings from Etsy!

On another note, Braedon posted some photos from an all-white wedding he did with Jessica Claire. Both are amazing photographers, which I think was probably pretty helpful to pull-off this kind of wedding. I guess this is one instance where it's okay to where white as a guest to the wedding :) I love it - I hope that someday I can take such an idea so simple and clean and use it in my kind of wedding. Keep the focus (from the beginning) on keeping things minimal, and just go with it. Love it!

[the mercer] kitchen

While I am on the subject of restaurants in NYC, I have to talk about our lunch at [the mercer]Kitchen. First of all the space was incredibly lovely. It was underground but the glass lights from the sidewalk above filtered in the most wonderful midday light. The colors were slightly subdued except the pops of purple grey booths and the orange menu. But the exposed brick and upside down umbrellas were just cool.

Then there was the food, and the presentation. If you like the process of eating (which lets be honest, I love it!) then you will love this place. I got the tomato soup which sounds ordinary but they pour it over lightly grilled sourdough with Parmesan cheese at your table. Delightful.

conveyor belt sushi

The restaurant, conveyor belt in the middle booths surround it

Probably one of the coolest concepts ever! I just got back from NYC and got to do the conveyor belt experience with my brothers who as luck would have it were in town too!

The conveyor belt

Mark (our traveling buddy from Denmark) also happened to Live in Japan for a while and now lives outside NYC so he was the conessieur to take us on the adventure.

Basically the premise is that you sit in a booth (or at the bar) and a conveyor belt circles around with colored plates of 2-4 pieces of sushi on each one. You grab a plate as it passes by you and then are charged by the color of plate that you choose. nothing is really labeled so you kinda have to go on what looks good but is a great way to try new things.... like sea urchin... but that is a whole other story.

our plates at the end

Apparently they have karaoke booths upstairs too... if you are into that. ;)

Fauna Rose Clevell

Craft project!! I was in a bit of a crafty mood yesterday and after getting a little inspiration from the artist in Austin I decided to enlist my little cousin Audrey in spreading the crafty disease.

2 weekends ago Audrey came over and we had a date at Chuy's. while we were there, Audrey drew this rad unicorn on the back of her menu. I decided to make a zany stuffed animal modeled after Audrey's drawing. As seen above.

So armed with my sewing machine, a little ribbon, some felt and googly eyes I headed over to the Taylor household ready to make this unicorn. Audrey redrew the body and head on felt before i cut it out. she even gave the horns ribs... pretty cute.

Audrey dubbed the goofy looking unicorn: Fauna Rose Clevell. If you attemp to try something like this be wary of the very skinny time consuming legs! my reccomendation is to make them shorter. :)

BBQ & Hey Cupcake!

Saturday we took an last minute trip to Austin/Lockhart for some BBQ at our friends favorite BBQ joint Smitty's. And man it was yummy. Aside from the good eating, the signs and original weights and decor added to the charm, then you walk out back and see the ginormous wood pile. It was pretty incredible.

Then we headed into Austin and hung out on South Congress for a little while. Bought a few goodies from Parts & Labour, Uncommon Objects and Lucy in Disguise. The icing on the [cupcake] was our visit to Hey Cupcake! across the street. Now if you haven't been there you have to check it out because once again aside from its general grooviness of being in an Airstream with giant rotating cupcake on top, they have the most delicious red velvet cupcakes. (i hear the other flavors are just as delightful) ... and they will give you a shot of whip cream inside the cupcake for FREE if you are so inclined.

The nest... and happy friday!

image from nbc.com (games start at 7.30-6.30 tonight)

08.08.08.... prosperity as the Chinese say.

I am so psyched about the games tonight. (despite human rights issues I am not so happy about). But you have to admit, although there are farmer's without water so that China can look good.... China looks good. The nest (main stadium) in particular is pretty RAD.

GO TEAM USA!!!

image from nbc.com

for kel...

image via martha stewart

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KELLEY!!!

I hope it is a great day!!

**sorry, i know you wanted to keep it low key. love you!**

cycle obsession

ok, so I am on a bit of a bicycle hunt/obsession (after returning from Denmark), scouring the likes of ebay, craigslist and multiple bike stores to find the perfect (albeit affordable) bicycle. I'll let you know how that turns out.

In the meantime, I have found not only a super Rad website devoted to scandinavian design here in the US, its called Scandinavian Grace, but I also found the most lovely, perfect, awesome bike basket on their site.

Ahhh!

100++ degrees!!

Go for a swim this weekend... it is HOT! or stay inside and check out Brigitte Sire photography portfolio.

i.arc summer 08 thesis critiques

I'm sorry I've not posted anything in about two weeks- my head just wasn't in the game.
HOWEVER : last night I went up to Greensboro to the old alma mater to see the thesis presentation for this year's fifth year summer studio, mainly in support of Whitney :)

The projects looked really, really, really great- I come in to these with a pretty harsh, judgmental attitude- the "in my day we walked up hill both ways..." kind of attitude. But I was actually pretty blown away- especially considering these people only had ten weeks to get the work done. Here are a few pictures of just a few of the 25 projects, and a group photo of everyone involved- students, faculty, etc... Suzanne, of an open sketchbook, was actually one of the faculty this year, and from what people were saying last night, she did an amazing job, so congrats to her, as well :) (suzanne- let me know if you want any of the SIX group photos I have and I'll email them to you!)

proof that things haven't changed : somewhere to sleep within the studio:

rowland and I with our little graduate :)

motivate!

These prints from Orange Beautiful sounded like motivational words of wisdom from my mother. I had to have them. Get them here.

sinfully good....

I just arrived back from Las Vegas late last night. I thought I would do a little recap of things we did when we weren't busting it to finish the black, white and yellow bonanza in time for market.

Here you go:

1. Visited the Hoover Dam

2. Had drinks at the new groovy Sushi Samba at the Palazzo

3. Checked out the model condos for the new LEED accredited CityCenter Las Vegas. They had these rad Chihuly glass sculpture reeds in the fountain outside.

Now I could go on and elaborate about these things but I think a little visual candy will do just fine. You can check out more on my Flickr site.

home sweet....

I am in Vegas right now longing for my own apartment. Or this one....on design*sponge sneak peak from Shauna and Stephen of Something's Hiding in here. If you didn't see it yesterday, you simply must check it out. It is glorious.

FLW

I just got back from Chicago, hence the no posts. Although alot of these trips are all work, no play... we busted it so we could do at least one fun thing while there.

We did the whirlwind tour of Oak Park. Which for those of you who don't know is the Mecca for Frank Lloyd Wright. We barely had enough time (after getting on the wrong train) to go to the Unity temple and FLW home and studio. On the in between, we saw a few houses by FLW on Forest ave.

We saw pure evidence what detail he shows to every project from exterior to interior with the arcitecture to the furniture. Some call this unified fluidity, I call it control freak.

However, no matter what your stance on FLW is, he is a mastermind that gave alot to modern design and he has some truly inspiring design. I absolutely loved the design concept behind the Unity Temple and the experience you got from traveling from the outside into the sanctuary. GENIUS... if you have never been, you must go!

You can check out the rest of my photos of oak park here.

craigslist dresser

If anyone lives close to Charlotte, I think this is a pretty cute little dresser for $60 - it's on craigslist here.

it's wedding season!

Sorry I've been MIA for a little while... besides being preoccupied with this that and the other, it's wedding season and I've been totally absorbed in all of the great photography to be seen from it.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending one of our sorority sister's weddings in Winston-Salem. It was really cute- a Catholic wedding in a really adorable little church, followed by a reception in an art center, I think. It was a very-much pink + orange color scheme and the reception hall was beautifully decorated- the linens, flowers, accents, and decorations all around matched so well. All of these paper lanterns / lights were apparently hung the night before by a few people, including the mother of the bride who has a broken ankle or something! Such a trooper...



I've pretty-much decided that the second I get engaged I'm calling Mary Kate and scheduling my wedding around her availability... you know I stalk these photographer's blogs, but her photos tug at my heart like no other. Hopefully she'll be doing weddings for a long time because I haven't even found someone to marry, but I would have a wedding just to have her photograph it!

Blackberry Pearl

My new car. 2008 Honda Fit sport... I have pure love for it.

Bessie gets sold and retired... but at least they got to meet.