andrew bush and ali loves curtis

{image via alc}

i just found one of the greatest posts ever ... on a very nice blog might i add. this photo series focusing on envelopes, by a mr. andrew bush, gives me that funny feeling inside and i just can't get enough. you can jump directly to the envelopes by clicking here.

thank you ali!

mankind mag

i would highly recommend taking a look at this fabulous new magazine from design for mankind. you may download it for free on the dfm blog.

art class

{artist christina vantzou via the shiny squirrel}

i love many a handmade item, and i don't think that is much of a surprise to anyone reading right now. i also love the resources that have been popping up all over the internet to promote new artists.

{artist denise simon via the shiny squirrel}

so i believe a new project is in order. i will call it - art class - and i hope everyone will attend. there will never be homework but suggestions or links are always appreciated. it will be a weekly post, occuring every monday, highlighting a different venue that works tirelessly to give us something wonderful to put on our walls - or wherever we please.

{artist betsy walton via the shiny squirrel}

and so here it is, my first link in a series of links ... the shiny squirrel. this website is dedicated to giving young and emerging artists a voice by offering them monthly shows, artist showcases and gallery pages. it is quite the visual treat and very affordable. enjoy!

i want this

{images from the hsj shop}

the third piece in a series of ten pinhole wonders by heather smith jones avaiable in her etsy shop. i would like all ten actually, they would be perfect on my new blue walls (which aren't blue yet ... but soon).

a glorious monday

it was hard to tear ourselves away from the wonderful city of san francisco, but we did, yesterday around 4.30. driving south on the pch, a good four hours after we originally planned on leaving, we took our time and enjoyed the scenery. i had never made the trip to or from san francisco in a car, or actually from anywhere other than the east coast, so it was lovely to see the places i keep hearing about from my parents, half moon bay ... santa cruz ... and that was it. unfortunately highway 1 was closed due to fires just around monterey and we had to cut back over to the less charming, but still beautiful route cleared by the 101.

i am back now and in full wedding invitation mode. i have to get these things to the printer this week or else i am not sure they will ever actually make it to their recipients. i am having a horrendous time making up my mind on the last item in our set. there is going to be one piece, let us call it a cover, that will have something other than text on it. i am thinking a silhouette of sorts, something natural and not too crazy. the goal is to make it slightly reminiscent of the save the date and we are again going to use a blind stamp, only this time on black paper.

anyway to make a LONG story short ... most silhouettes make me want to gag. i have found a few that tickle my fancy and am hoping that i am able to finally wrap my head around the concept and get it done.

above and below are some of those non- saccharine silhouettes that i love so much. found via {frolic!}. they were created by a lady who goes by the name sophi leblanc, and her illustration work is simply fabulous.

{all images via sl}

and i'm off

{image courtesy of nga classroom}

i am heading out a bit early today in order to pack up the car and get ready to leave this small beach town for the big city. mas and i are heading to san francisco for the weekend to meet up with some friends we haven't seen in almost a year, so needless to say it is going to be a lot of fun. i am leaving you with this painting by wayne thiebaud, and artist who spent most of his adult life in sf, because it makes me happy.

enjoy your weekend everyone and i will be back on monday.

hooray for martha

i can't believe it, but i actually had to read a blog to hear that the new martha stewart wedding magazine was out. wow - i need to leave the house a bit more. a big thank you to brooklyn bride for giving me the heads up - i am out the door and on my way to the store in mere moments. but for now, if you are like me and have failed to pick up said reading material, you can hit the highlights on the website. and the best of those would by far be the anatomy of an invitation section.

{images via martha stewart weddings}

i think i'm in love

one of my new favorite places to read about interesting things (or fonts and design) is the ministry of type and i am head over heels smitten. the crown alone is enough to make a girl swoon but the variety of the posts and the fact that every once in a while you read that you are looking at redrawn images which were made in order to "understand them better" just seals the deal.



it was there that i found these wonderful stamps that make me feel a twinge of guilt for my excitement over the previously mentioned eames variety (though i still love them very much). above, an israeli stamp collection depicting three environmental concerns, and below, one of those redrawn projects discussed previously, a polish collection of planets and various jet-propulsion devices.


thank you ministry of type, i had a wonderful time. until next time.

open yourself up to your friends and family

... or at least that is how the clever minds behind sub-studio describe their hinge cards. silk-screened by hand on 100% recycled card stock and just super cool. after you check out the rest of their store, and maybe even their website, follow the links over to their blog and you will find some more wonderful inspiration.

necessary maintenance

we moved in nearly two months ago now and i have yet to mop the floors. most of our belongings have found their rightful homes, but it is the little things that are starting to drive me nuts. i am taking the rest of the afternoon, popping in a harry potter movie (for some reason it always motivates me to clean), and putting all the little things away. we have finally agreed on a paint color and the goal is to paint tomorrow morning before we speed out of town in the direction of san francisco. but before my beige walls can turn a lovely cerulean i need to get organized. for now enjoy this wonderful illustration by edel rodriguez found at the ispot and i will be back with more tomorrow.

the look of letterpress

just to be clear, this is going to help with the look of letterpress, there is no way to actually duplicate the feel of letterpress from a font set. however, i think i might try to incorporate one of these fonts into a project i will be working on soon and actually have it letterpressed.


the font portfolio (found here) even includes six rectangle sets, three circle sets, one line set and a bevy of other shapes to make your digital document seem a lot less ... digital.

bird, bats, and bees

{image of Tom Price's bird house via PHILLIPS de PURY}

there is a wonderful link over on the domino blog for an auction that will be taking place this friday, in london, which benefits Adventure Ecology's Sculpt for the Future Foundation. the premise of all of the artwork is particularly clever ... make a dwelling (for a bird, bat or bee) using only materials that would be used in the creation of an art show. my favorites are the Tomoko Azumi bird houses which are constructed using recycled auction catalogs.

{images of Tomoko Azumi's houses via PHILLIPS de PURY}

poppy delight

some pretty poppy hair pins to brighten this oh so foggy morning.

{images via foundling ... pink and peacock}

notebooks

{braille blank notebook via branch}

when i was in college i constantly had a moleskine on my person. i would NEVER be caught without it, and i used it all of the time. i would either scribble notes or jot down thoughts and sometimes even create lists (i have never been much of a list maker). but in the past few years i have completely stopped carrying around anything that can be written in. i think it might have to do with the insane convenience of new technologies that allow me to carry everything i might ever need (information wise) on one device. but, not any more. i think i may revert back to my analog roots on this one and start back up with the notebooks. now if only polaroids were going to be sticking around.

a thank you

i just wanted to say a quick thank you to my friend classic bride for posting our Q+A session. what an honor it is to be on your blog! i think i speak for more than just myself when i say that your blogging is an invaluable resource to us brides-to-be.

if anyone is so inclined you can see the interview here.

blog love

i just found a great new inspiration resource in blog form - not shocking, i know.

check it out here

{illustration by lisa dejohn via lilla rogers}

the blog is kept up to date by the lilla rogers studio, a representation firm for illustrators, wonderful illustrators. filled with their artist's work as well as other bits and bobs, such as licensing information and even job opportunities, i am going to go ahead and say this is one of those don't miss out on kind of links.

a little on the heavy side

i have to admit that i pick my wine by the label. for the most part things turn out well enough so i see no reason to change my method, at least for now. that being said, i love the new fat bastard label, found on the dieline. it is not a complete departure from the previous label just a slightly more modern edge and a hint of humor to keep things fresh.

oh joy! on sale

i don't live in a very large city ... scratch that ... i don't live in a city. it is more of a town really. a nice small town with a couple of cute stores, but nothing really to write home about. so when i get whiff of fabulous goings on around the internet i am just slightly more excited than i would have been a year ago ...





oh joy! has just posted new collections available for purchase right here. thanks to grace over at design*sponge i may be able to scratch that itch that has been building the past couple of weeks.

good morning ... or um afternoon

{image courtesy of kate spade}

it has been a busy morning after a long weekend. as promised the temperature has fallen back into the 60's but sadly the sun has disappeared as well. hence the need for brightly colored and quite wonderful card from kate spade.

calligraphy ... everywhere

even on your umbrella? in fact yes. bernard maisner, the absolute master of calligraphy has just introduced a line of umbrellas covered in his beautiful script. i would say a-z is my favorite, but the rest are pretty snazzy, with maybe one exception. the red umbrella covered in love is just a bit too saccharine for my taste.

{images from of bernard maisner via ruby press}

hand crafted books by allison wilton

--

{images via allison's website}

just amazing. found while combing josh spear. the second set of photos is from a book of emoticons ").

i don't know if it is lack of sleep ... i saw my first launch last night, which means we didn't get home until two and then were up bright and early to start the day at 7 ... or the previously mentioned heat, but i just cannot stay focused. i start one thing and then almost immediately find myself doing something else. case in point :

{photos via shopbop}

this wonderful bag can be found here and is designed by these guys. i love a big bag, and i love the multiple handle options. be sure to check out their website - so cute.

{ oh, it was the rocket kind of launch that kept us out so late}

something cool for a hot day

so it is absolutely beyond hot here today. it is just after ten in the morning and i am reading (in disbelief might i add) that it is 92 already. ugh. i live on the coast, the always cold coast. i don't have air conditioning and do have a lot of electrical equipment that prefers the more temperate 67-72 degree range. the good news is it looks as though the heat wave will break shortly after the weekend is over, which means perfectly pleasant beach weather on both saturday and sunday for MAS who has been locked in an office all week, and back to normal on monday for me.

for now though i am looking at this painting by michael brown, a professor at scad atlanta, and imagining nothing but cool breezes.

{photo via shopscad}

a definite find over at shopscad, there isn't a single painting by him i wouldn't love to have on my walls. i have always had a soft spot for oils, and we are currently lacking in that area ...

paper butterflies

{images via fly}

head over to fly and check out the rest of the images and post on the carlos armorales installation at the philidelphia museum of art.

some serious etsy love

so as it turns out, when you are a non-pro web designer like myself there is a bit of downtime. this is mostly due to my incompetence, but can also be attributed to my lame internet connection. i am pretty sure this is my last self-update to the business site (thank goodness).

while i was waiting for various files to make their way through cyberspace i happened upon the most wonderful etsy shop maybe ever. it is nothing paper related but a must see all the same.

{pictures courtesy of cocotte couture via her blog}

cocotte couture, based in barcelona, and completely handmade has made it up to the number one spot on my next to be purchased list. the fabrics are perfectly sophisticated while the designs teeter between elegant and playful. horay! i love finding new places to purchase wearables.

cevd.com

i am going to be spending the rest of my day attempting to update my business website. i have a few new samples that are going up ... woo hoo! i'll be back tomorrow, or if all goes well, later this afternoon.

the pattern foundry

a good pattern is hard to find, and if you are like me, impossible to make. i have at times been known to trace, in illustrator, patterns from wallpaper i find and use them for backgrounds, but i just don't have the brain power it takes to actually create a working pattern. i tried to pattern paw prints once, it was a disaster ... so, thanks to print & paper, i have found a new source for some amazing patterns.

the pattern foundry is a treasure trove of patterns that are licensable to anyone for nearly every purpose imaginable, and an interesting website to boot.

{all images courtesy of the pattern foundry, via print & pattern}

maybe just the living room

i have found it, the color i am willing to paint over in two years (well a little less now). there is a giant wall that wraps around the dining room, and then enters into the living room that i wanted to paint kelly green. the idea was quickly nixed by MAS (the nixer of most paint ideas, but not all which is another reason i love him). however he did come up with a counter offer ... navy. at first it was ok, but after i brought home about a million navy paint chips i discovered it just wasn't going to work. that is when all of the paint plans were put on hold, i starting looking at wallpaper, and then decided to throw in the towel all together. but no longer, because i can say, this is going to be our wall color.

{photo via {this is glamorous}}

i am going to tone down my painting ambitions and keep the project to this one wall. i am going to then take the recommendation of east side bride and make some fabulous drapes out of a most wonderful treasure patterned fabric or maybe the tuuli in black + white, both by marimekko, and neither the exact fabric she was so kind to recommend, but found on the website she linked me to.

{photos via finnstyle}

i am giving myself two weeks to at least have everything purchased, and then another two weeks to have it completed. i'll keep you up to date on my progress.