Mind blowing

Installation work by Katie MccGwire. Absolutely stunning.

Lou & Vanessa

Lou Doillon is a perfect mix of wit and charm, the epitome of Vanessa Bruno's Spring 2010 line. This short film brings a smile to my face.

Type Inspiration

Gorgeous type inspiration this morning from Sheaff: Ephemera. I need to make a type backdrop for myself and pose all my products in front of it--soo nice. While I love a chunky letterform, my favorite of this bunch is Brown Light Artillerary. I have a lot of hand lettering to do this weekend, so this was a perfect find.

In other news, our house has been invaded by two of our favorite boys, Paul and Kyle. They're out to help Ben finish building out his salami and sausage shop, Salt and Time. Today they are installing a huge cooler--the curing room. I know waaay too much about salami now.

I'm working on lots of fun, new products for the holiday season--can't wait to share with you guys.

Living in a Sea of Linens

I stumbled upon a new favorite blog, Nothing is New, by Kelly Rakowski. Hello, Belarusian textiles! You just made my morning. I want to cover my walls with these and sleep in a bed piled high with the extras. They remind me of the Palestinian textiles I studied at school, and grew up with all over my house. One day I hope to own a loom so I can make my own. That will happen on the same day that I finally grow my hair long.

Donna Wilson

The work of Scottish designer Donna Wilson always captivates me. Quirky, funny, and elegant. It makes me want a knitting machine and cashmere yarn.

Living for the weekend

This is where I'll be spending my weekends for the next two months. To say I'll be counting down the weekdays would be a serious understatement.

Dreaming of Labels

Working on a freelance project this weekend and my mind is swimming in vintage labels. A bit rusty, but I wouldn't say no to one of these. Photo via The Dieline, my new favorite site.

Eatable and Many Orders

Normally I don't post about fashion here (I have another blog for that), but this morning I stumbled upon an amazing Japanese label called Eatable and Many Orders. I know, I know, that name makes little sense to me either, but who cares when you get clothes like this? I'm kinda obsessed, and now only want to wear shades of white. My bedroom is like this outfit--all different shades of white and ivory and cream and oatmeal. It's comforting. Thanks to 2 or 3 things I know for the tip-off.

Scent Bar

Scent Bar in Los Angeles. Why didn't I know about this when I lived there? I dropped some dough on samples last week that are simply divine. I have a freakishly accute sense of smell, so I wonder if walking into a place like this would send me into overload? It's worth a shot.

While I love having a signature perfume, I also want a shelf in my boudoir to hold an array of these beautiful bottles. So very pretty.

A good weekend

We spent Saturday in Marin, visiting friends in Inverness at the J.B. Blunk residency. After a quick tour, I was ready to move in and get working in the studio. This trip made me really miss having a more regular studio practice. As a designer I sometimes feel stuck on that sticky fly-trap tape between the worlds of commerce and art. They often coincide, but lately it's been all about the day job and less about the real job at hand.

Homemade lemon marmalade by one of the artists-in-residency, Gemma Holt, sitting in the kitchen window.

Resurrection Fern

I've been knocked out pretty hard by a cold. Just starting to shake it off. These crocheted pieces by Resurrection Fern make me smile.

Organizing

Some organizing inspiration from Camilla. I'm planning a major closet overhaul this coming weekend and I love the idea of these wooden knobs climbing up the wall to hang my jewelry.

Happy Holidays!

Two posts in one day--amazing! I just wanted to say happy holidays to all my friends, new and old. I saw this photo on Yokoo's flickr this morning and it just made me smile with Christmas cheer. I'm a big fan of her work, and thought you might like it as well. Hope you all are enjoying some hot apple cider, a nice tree, and friends close by.

Your Message Here

The dynamic duo Shauna and Stephen (of Something's Hiding in Here) have a rad installation piece in the windows that face the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, PA. They've invited readers to submit a message, and they'll post a new message each day on their hand built wooden sign. Today my submitted message got picked and placed in the window! I love this saying from the opening song of the Mary Tyler Moore show. It has helped me keep my head above water on many occasions when the cards seemed down. How'd you like that mixed metaphor?

Here's a shot of Stephen changing out the sign. To submit your own message, just write a comment on the project's blog, Your Message Here. All photos courtesy of SHIH.

Geemo @ Bubble Show

While I was in NYC I spend some time at the Bubble trade show, which was so fun. Lots of wonderful designers, and among by favorite was Heroes Will Rise, who create this amazing toy named Geemo.

Geemo was a huge hit at the show, as you cannot not have a blast playing with it. Sold in Geemanisms of 6, Geemo's flexible magnetic limbs grab and repel each other in unpredictable ways. As Geemo comes to life in your hands, you can build, discover, create, and imagine with this new species of toy. It's made in Japan for kids' 3 years and up and is available online.

Fashion on a Saturday morning

I woke up early this morning and have spent the last hour flipping through my new favorite website, HEL LOOKS, a Helsinki-based street fashion blog, a'la Fruits. I love street fashion books, and used to flip through Teen Vogue for their feature "Street Fashion around the World". Here are my two other favorite sites for street fashion:


Street Pepper
Covering street fashion from Amsterdam to Zurich, with 22 cities in between. I love that you can easily compare hipsters from Seoul to Berlin. Whenever I browse this site, I find myself wishing for different weather in my own town.


The Sartorialist
Covering street fashion in NY, Paris, and Milan, this site is much less "those crazy kids", and much more "walking Vogue spread". Just as it's my goal one day to be featured on Design*Sponge, my best friend Kathy's goal is to be featured on The Sartorialist. I think we're gonna make it after all.

Rose Garden

View from my studio door. I sat on the top of our stairs staring at the original stained glass window this afternoon while stuck on an invitation project. I'd been wading through a maze of flourishes lately and the simplicity of the glass helped reel me back in. There is a bit of damage from past earthquakes, but everything (including the leading) is original to our house. From the outside you'd never know we had this hidden gem.

Orchard of Cotton Ball Trees

It has been a topsy-turvy week, and it's only Wednesday. Here's a moment of calm to carry us all through to Friday-- an orchard of cotton ball puff trees. We spotted these on our way out of Rumsey and had to stop to get a better look. Walking through the orchard felt like I was in a scene from my favorite movie, "Dreams" by Akira Kurosawa.

Capay Inspiration Board

Collecting and sourcing materials and colors for K+B's event this summer. Oranges from the orchard helped us draw out a floor plan. This farm is an amazing well of ideas. More photos to come in the months ahead.

Hand drawn Type

For a bit of type inspiration, here is an amazing video called "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz", created by Job & Roel Wouters and recorded in Amsterdam at studio Xelor in early 2008. I first saw this on a post @ High + Low a few days ago and have been dreaming about it since. On the right is Job Wouters, on the left is his 4 year old nephew Gradus.

I do a similar exercise with my type students on the first day of class to help get them loosened up. It also involves lots of paper, india ink, and big brushes. I'm envisioning recreating this video with my niece, Audrey, and hanging the finished alphabet on her bedroom walls, or in the large stairwell of my home. Now I just need to come across a ream of nice paper that won't yellow in the sun.

You're #1

Roost

I saw the Roost catalog for the first time last night and I fell deeply for all things dark wood, porcelain, bamboo, and made to look like a sea urchin. I was crestfallen to learn there was a $500 minimum order, and of course one is supposed to be reselling these items, not simply decorating your house with them. Although if I switch careers and become an interior designer, I think decorating my entire house in Roost would classify as a tax write-off, no?

Interiors in Anarchy

At the beginning of the new year, the New York Times Home & Garden section featured a new book titled, "Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy" (Abrams Image). Compiled and photographed by Abby Banks, the book tours readers through punk home across the United States. I haven't seen the book yet, but feel a bit conflicted about the topic and wonder who it's marketed to. I agree with the author that it's important for these homes to be documented, as they're in a constant state of flux and contain an honest history of the punk movement and those that are changing it. But I wonder if this is going to show up in Urban Outfitters within the year.

When I saw the photos I immediately thought of Mike Brodie's work, a.k.a. the Polaroid Kid. Mike travels around via train hopping and documents friends and folks he meets on the journey. His life is a bit of a fantasy to me, one that I like to dream about, but not actually act out. It's crusty punk at it's most authentic; a creative life lived outside of the cultural norms. It's a commitment I admire on one hand, but the inner goody-two shoes in me wonders about the relationship these folks have with their families, and how they shifted so far away from what we'd typically think of as a normal life.

I spent my college years hanging around punk homes, going to shows, and having travelers like Mike crash in my home as they went through town. I was by no means a punk, as I'd rather listen to Belle & Sebastian moan gracefully than hard-core bands scream at me. But I was immersed in the straight-edge scene nonetheless, through my social circle and activism. It's an interesting identity shift, to go from being a straight-edge vegan college punk to a grownup creative professional that eats organic chicken paired with local wine. In their late twenties and early thirties, many of my friends (myself included) are making that change. Sometimes it's hard to let that rebellious youth go, and then you stumble upon Brodie's work and fall in love again with the insight he brings to that life. I would love to see a book/album documenting an oral history of the people featured in his work. (all photos by Mike Brodie)

Tim Walker

Do you ever come across an image and think, "Now, how did that get out of my head?" I stumbled across Tim Walker's photos and thought, "Man, I wish that came out of my head!" Mr. Walker is a well-known fashion photographer and I'm sure I have clipped some of his pages from Vogue unknowingly. These images combine several of my visual interests into one beautiful mishmash. It's a Royal Tenenbaums camp out mixed with an Old Man & the Sea drunken fairytale mixed with a slightly dark children's parade. That last image has my mind spinning with ideas for an upcoming wedding I'm working on.