etsy time!

well almost, these will be up for sale in the shop tomorrow!

marc lowery

an illustration by marc lowery to keep you going until the ink dries on my new cards for etsy ... stay tuned i will be back at 5 pacific with a peek.

heather jeany

i know these invites are making their rounds on various blogs but i just couldn't help myself. they are wonderful and so perfectly matched to the event. i would take a look at the wedding photos if you haven't seen them already, they are definitely some of the best i have seen ... maybe ever. {originally found at ead, same goes with the invites}

to see more of heather jeany's invitation sets check out her flickr set. her etsy site is worth a visit as well. and speaking of etsy, expect to see some more goodies going up on my shop today and tomorrow!

catching sun in a jar

i am thinking about outfitting our porch with a few of these guys. we have recently purchased some actual porch furniture and are hoping to be enjoying the cool evenings out there soon. but back to these jars. how incredibly clever to have a solar powered night light, and i love me a decorative mason jar or two. available at urban outfitters.

nothing like a little tardiness

{antenna by wilson hsu}

{tangled up in blues by sarajo frieden -
and you must check out her website}

i am so sorry for not posting art class on monday, and then again on tuesday. it just wasn't in the cards. i am going to make up for it right now though. this week i have picked thumbtack press and they are just awesome. their claim to fame? affordable prints ("we're cheap without looking it") and "starving artists." you must go, i know there is some whitespace on your walls just begging for a splash of color.

{untitled 6 by irana douer}

{passage way house by penelope dullaghan}

{wes by gina triplett - oh how i love little bts}

l.a.m.b. handbags

{l.a.m.b. signature wakefield tote available here}

i am really digging the bold patterns today and this bag is no exception. somehow i need to figure out how it is going to make its way to my doorstep ...

cartolina

sorry for the break in posting, it was a very crazy weekend which led to a very crazy early week. i am back now and have some absolutely lovely cards to share with you. from the wonderfully exquisite company cartolina come some absolutely amazing cards. i love the use of colors and patterns. they are pretty much the exact opposite from what i typically design, which only makes me love them more. also if you happen to have a bit of extra time i would recommend heading over to cafe cartolina, a lovely blog by the lovelies behind cartolina.

out until tuesday.

i am running out of town right now for an unexpected sad occasion. i won't be posting again until tuesday afternoon.

my very first etsy sneak peek!

to see more pictures or to purchase my very first item listed on etsy click on over. i'll keep the shop updates coming here on the blog so keep your eyes open. oh an in case you were wondering the cable guy still hasn't shown up, but they promise it will be soon. i can hardly wait.

si scott

first alyson fox, and now si scott, oh dear my head may explode. i found the first image here and you can purchase it here, but the rest of the images my dears are from si scott's portfolio site. which by the way is AMAZING!





posting for the rest of the day is going to be spotty at best. the cable man is on his way over to give me the real version of high speed internet. farewell dsl, the times weren't very good and i am glad to be giving you up. i am hoping for a smooth transition and internet that would classify as speedy even in a big city. if i am not back today i we return on monday with photos of my gocco wonders. until then.

alyson fox

beautiful illustrations by alyson fox.

calligraphy?

{images via design*sponge, designed by and for chase simmering}

i am a huge fan of calligraphy. i love what it can do to an envelope. but it is just not appropriate for every invitation, especially the more modern and graphically oriented invites that are popping up everywhere. with all of the fonts out there, why not? i have one bride right now that is having her handwriting turned into a font so she can address her envelopes that way. it is going to be such a wonderful and personal touch.

it is all in the shoes

shoes, oh dear me. i can't for the life of me pick a pair of shoes to go with my dress, my wedding dress that is. i know i don't want ANYTHING that could be considered bridal. i want a bit of color, and i always thought blue would that little bit. but some people are taking issue with blue as it is not represented at all in the wedding. so ... i decided to look around just to see what else was out there in greys, olive greens, nudes and maybe even black. here are a couple of my top runners (more or less in order) but i kinda need to figure it out since my first fitting will be happening in the next couple of weeks.

reem acra, spring 2009

i love the colors. i love the designs. i am beginning to wish i had seen these a while ago ...

i can't say i would actually wear a doll on my head, but i could imagine myself with a yellow skirt, or those gloves and floral decoration from the top image. the gingham would be a pleasant surprise to see coming down the aisle and the purple boots and hot pink tights are just fabulous. why can't i find these reem acra beauties anywhere but here **update** so the lovely blogger over at percy sales events posted these a few months ago and linked them to me! thank you. (i would have striken the "but here" but couldn't find the line through the text button, does anyone know if that exists on blogger???)

and p.s. my dress came in yesterday! i found it while still living in chicago so it hasn't actually made its way to me yet. after 7 months of waiting i find myself a bit giddy about the thought of its arrival. funny this is all going to happen, really soon.

{originally found while pouring over perfect bound}

rosebud designs

i freaking love these!

found at the rosebud designs etsy shop. oh and in case you didn't see it, design*sponge did a sneak peek of elana's home, and it makes me re-think the blue. but then i think about MAS coming home to pink walls, and i go back to my original plans.

doug wilson

i know that these have been making the rounds, but really everyone needs to see them. the vernacular typography polaroids are created by mr doug wilson who is the designer/letterpress lover/ university professor/photographer type ... in other words quite interesting ... and can be found here. these photos have been taken over the past four years and are mostly of hand painted signs found all over the united states. i love the slightly washed out colors, and seeing them as a group kinda makes me want to cover a wall in polaroids.

{thanks to sfgirlbybay for the original heads up}

hand lettered wonders

{american sheet music found with many more over at duke university's library collection}

i found these while on an inspirational search for a new invitation set i'm designing. they were just too interesting to pass by.

designed by family

a great graphic design and art direction ... family. found via another family that i admire, the post family.

elizabeth anne designs

something exciting is happening over at elizabeth anne designs today ...

those lovely ladies have been tirelessly working on their new library focused on helping brides everywhere feel a little bit more confident about the vendors they choose. i just spent some time looking around, and must say they have compiled the most comprehensive list of vendors i have ever seen.

good job girls!

threadless

{someday by lim heng swee}

i am taking a slight departure from the norm on this one, but i just couldn't help myself. threadless is one of those amazing companies that just makes you smile. their parent corporation, skinny corp., has a pretty rockin' website, which i would definitely recommend checking out, and then a couple of their sister companies are just as cool but not as well known. for example naked & angry (MAS an i used one of their wallpaper designs for our first wallpaper project).

anyway ... i don't think it gets more independent than allowing an onslaught of designers and non-designers alike submit ideas for new t-shirts and then have them printed up. it is just an excellent way to build a community around design, and that is actually what they have done. so head on over to threadless and stay a while.

it is only monday ...

{photo via sweet paul}

but i am wishing it was friday and i had weekend plans to go somewhere nice and green and eat pie. oh but the reality is i am only beginning this week and i have much to do until i may even begin thinking about friday. i am 90% done with our wedding invitation, and that 90% has made its way to the oh so sweet and understanding printer. however this last 10% may very well drive me mad. i quite seriously only have until tomorrow to finish it so at least i am nearing the end.

hello gocco

i spent the weekend playing with my new best friend ... my large format gocco. we had a grand time together and i am so looking forward to our next meeting.

i will be posting images of all the work my new beloved and i are doing a bit later in the week.

it is hard to believe but ...

i would like to announce that this is my 100th post! i am so excited for my next few hundred i am practically jumping up and down. just thought you should know ").

i will be back with regular posting on monday, have a fantastic weekend everyone.

i am liked!

i just had to let everyone on know that i have been added to one of the coolest directories around! i couldn't be more excited that alltop has added me to their pages. i am beginning to feel like i really belong.

graham & brown

it was about a month ago that i swore i would start and finish painting my living/dining room wall in four weeks. well those weeks have apparently come and gone and the only thing i have to show for it is a bajillion paint swatches taped to the wall. next week though ... MAS will be out of town and i will have the entire week to get my act together.

at this point you may be asking yourself what this story has to do with graham & brown and well ... it has nothing to do with them. however i was just putzing around looking at wall coverings, i have a friend searching black and white wallpaper that she will love and her boyfriend won't hate (side note i think she should go with this), and while looking for said wallpaper i found :



paintables by graham & brown!

what they are - heavy duty wall coverings that claim to be perfect for problem walls, ceilings and any other semi-flat surface you can find. they have a 3-d pattern on them which you proceed to paint over. my favorites are the victorian effect covering (pictured above) which is modeled after the traditional tin ceilings you see in really old buildings and then the small squares (picture below).

i am now thinking back to three years ago when MAS and i were on a mad search for tin ceiling tiles to cover our walls in and then paint over them with an almost black kind of grey. oh we searched high and low for an affordable, or even just decent, option and couldn't find one. to think it was here all along ...

frank chimero

{states above in order : california, colorado, illinois and texas. i am kinda hoping a georgia print will be out soon, it would complete my collection}

hi frank, i'm christine and i am kinda digging your state series.

i first found this gentleman while hanging out at A CUP OF JO and reding this post. when i continued on to his site for further enlightenment i was intrigued. his work, as i assume is the same with the man himself, has a wonderful sense of humor and a keen eye for kerning. i particularly love his state series, for sale in his shop, but the rest of his portfolio is fresh and clean and definitely worth a look.