hand-printed pillows

i've been busily printing pillow covers this afternoon, trying to complete a wholesale order before i leave for boulder on thursday morning. i'm loving this new direction i'm moving lately toward more textile work-- i really have to get my butt in gear and order some fabric from spooflower with my designs. i can't wait to see how my other patterns look on fabric! i think the contrast between this hand-printed variety and the digital designs will be really nice. or maybe it'll be weird and disjointed who knows.

ps-- these are now available in my etsy shop, too! go snap them up! they look even nicer in person.

the glory of wallpaper

as i've mentioned before, ryan and i are starting the process of trying to buy a house (eep!!), and one of the things that makes me the most excited is that i would get to put up wallpaper. oh, to have walls that i can treat however i want! it will be a dream come true.

these are some of the wallpapers that are catching my eye this morning.
[above: by jocelyn warner]


[above: by ferm living]

[next 4 papers: from funkis swedish forms]

[above: by florence broadhurst]

new gocco series

as i mentioned yesterday, i am working on a new series of gocco prints, and i have 3 out of the 4 to show you today. they are framed in chunky white frames and are inspired by my new love of typography as art. i am so excited to be using my gocco printer again-- instant satisfaction when you can quickly make a whole pile of prints!

i've been thinking a lot about positive affirmations in my life lately-- it's always good to have visual reminders, in my experience. these little prints are a way for me to remind myself of the good in the world and in myself.

do you need a little reminder? perhaps you have the perfect spot in your house/office for one of these prints, to remind you of the good in you?

the 'everything will be alright' framed and unframed prints are available in my etsy shop right here, and the others will make their way into the shop in the next few days. they are available framed and unframed. (unframed just $7! framed prints are $40.)

if you see one that you like but wish it was printed in a different color, let me know! i can print one especially for you.

as always, please do let me know what you think-- i love getting feedback form you, my dear readers!

type as art

[by i am still alive]

lately i am really into typography as art. i'm sure you've been seeing it around. there is the poster above, which i first noticed in a photo of lisa congdon's apartment.

and there's this one, which was made famous after gracing the pages of domino magazine:

[available at village]

and then there's this one, also in lisa congdon's apartment (i swear, i don't know how that woman ever leaves her house-- it's so colorful and perfect!!)

and victoria's keep calm and carry on posters


and design for mankind's inspiration poster

and this one by paraszpinak

and then there's my new little project. this is the first installment. it is a 4x4" gocco print in a chunky white frame.what do you think? there will be 3 more to come, but i'll have to keep you in suspense for now.

this one is available in my etsy shop, framed and ready to go! check it out! and do let me know what you think-- comments are much appreciated.

stay tuned for a {creative history} post later today!

amazing fabric by

i'm making some new pillows for our couch, so i've been scouring the sites this morning (purl soho, repro depot, j caroline...). i found this fabric designed by tina given at j caroline and am drooling over it. it's not right for the pillows, but i'm trying to think of another reason to buy a couple yards of it.

here's the fabric i ended up choosing:

white chestnut branches by joel dewberry at j caroline.

i'll be sure to post the results as soon as i make them!

beauty on the table

ok, i am in love with these dishes. they are by rosanna, and i found them on a new (to me) blog called the bedlam of beefy. this collection is called mondo, and i am drooling over it. d-r-o-o-l-i-n-g.

i also love these:

mmmmmmmmmm......preeeeettyyyyyyy........

i want...

some of you may have seen this poster over on lisa congdon's blog (in a photo of a wall in her house), but as i was browsing fffound this morning, i came upon it again, and i love it even more right now. the poster is by anthony burrell (who lives in kent, england), and i just may have to order one of these.

hope you all had a nice weekend! ryan and i went to charlotte, nc to drop off some work at a new gallery (yeee!), and we stayed with renee (you know.... wolfie and the sneak...). best part of the weekend: ROLLER SKATING! i am not kidding. we all went skating on saturday night and it was a blast. i was a roller skating machine when i was a kid, and i'm back in love with it, thanks to renee and charlie. woo!


ryan and i also went to the mint museum of craft and design, so i'll post some pics of that later.

happy monday to you!

origami

i am thinking about origami this morning.
i want to learn how to make paper cranes.
i read somewhere on some wedding blog (sorry for the vagueness-- i can't remember!) about a couple that had 1000 paper cranes as part of the decoration for their wedding, and as i start to think about planning my own wedding, i really like this idea.

i also like the idea of hand-making paper lanterns.
i will post more about these 2 things soon.

(images, in order, all from flickr: here, here, here, and here)

i am not a paper cup... but i look like one

ok, so i just saw this cup. while i appreciate the idea of turning something that people normally throw away and becomes waste that goes directly into landfills into something more permanent and reusable, i am wondering why someone would want to design something that looks exactly like the throw-away version, but is made out of porcelain?

i mean, i get the idea-- it's awesome to reduce, reuse, and recycle-- and it's clever that it looks just like a paper cup, but if i saw someone walking down the street carrying it, i'd just think something like "there goes another person carrying a paper cup." and i know we're not supposed to care what other people think, but i believe you subtlely influence people by the choices you make-- like, people notice when they see someone walking down the street holding a blue (or red, or whatever) travel coffee mug, and maybe it makes them think, "hey, i should use one of those, too, because it's better for the earth." and yes, i'm sure the cup could be a great talking piece while you're standing in line at starbuck's waiting to get your latte poured into it, but i'm just not sure i agree with the message it's giving. i know it's just a cup, but why not make it look like it's not disposable? subtle messages, people. being eco-conscious is cool. we don't have to try to hide it.

{i hope this didn't come off as preachy or pompous, because that's not how i intended it.... i'm just passionate about the environment.} :)

{image vie bb blinks}

sequin art

i am thrilled by this piece by kristin moreland called "high above it's all clear..."
those sequins blow my mind. kristin hand-sews all her sequins and beads, and her technique was adapted from the Haitian textile art form of drapo.

i have an undying love for sequins, and this is at the top of my list as far as the little shiny pieces of delight go....

see more of kristin's work here; it is all for sale on her site!

a new project!

slugs slugs slugs...

to break myself in to my new (and slightly more cozy than the last one) studio, i've been working on a really fun new project: coasters!

they are all hand painted and each different, and they're just like little tiny paintings! (4x4" each) i'm having such a great time with them.

and, i'm discovering that the strange (and large) bugs here are actually good for something other than freaking me out: they've become inspiration for my work as of late. :) yay for bugs!

i will be taking better and more interesting photos of the coasters in the next couple of days; they have to get a shiny coat of resin first!

then the next step: into the etsy shop they go! and onto the website. keep your eye out....

ants and cicadas and birds!

flowers and peacock feathers

flowers and leaves and such

love is blind

love these pull down shades from love is blind! (via bodie and fou in the uk, via little willow.)

i would actually love to see that tree shade at the top as wallpaper... it would look so lovely on my front wall that is crying out for a pop of something. i know there are some tree wallpapers out there... something by cavern home perhaps? i'll have to conduct a search. i'd love something in a two-toned green color scheme.... results of the search later!

i'm off to atlanta this afternoon for more fun and adventuring...
on the list to visit today:

belly general store


providence


little 5 points area

beginning to explore in atlanta

yes, i ventured into the big city by myself today, and it was quite an adventure! i think georgians drive at least 10 miles over the speed limit at all times. me and my little 4runner were being passed left and right!

i got to visit some of the shops and galleries i've had my eye on (thanks to some suggestions from fellow bloggers, as well as good ol' google, and design*sponge's atlanta design guide), and i took the requisite photo of both the CNN building and the coca-cola building.


here is a view of peachtree street as you're traveling towards buckhead:

(i haven't gotten into the really ritzy or unique parts of buckhead yet. this weekend i plan to check out some of the different areas, as well as make me way east to decatur...)

but i did go to the beehive co-op, which i loved....

the way their jewelry was displayed was marvelous-- they had these niches in the walls with branches stuck inside to hold earrings, and they had all kinds of small standing trees holding jewelry in other niches. it was fabulous.

one of my favorite things i saw were cara gilbert's ceramic pieces. gorgeous!

i also made my way to city issue, which is a great shop filled with an ever-rotating collection of great vintage things for your home. i bought an adorable little tangerine-colored planter that i want to put herbs in and sit on the little sill looking into our kitchen from the living room. (photos will be shown once i've planted the herbs!!)

they had these great kartell chairs, modern yet retro feeling, that i would love to do something with, but its the kind of thing that if i brought it home, ryan would not be happy. boo for boys with different senses of style!


i also discovered bennett street, and the tula art center, which is chock full of galleries and working artists' studios.

to my delight, the naomi silva gallery (in the tula art center) showed carolina sardi's work, of which i am a huge fan. her pieces are magnificent. so that was a definite highlight of my afternoon.



bennett street also has an extensive antique market. i know nothing about antiques, but i think it might be fun to browse the shops for fun finds.

on my way hope i got stuck in the horrendous traffic that atlanta is notorious for, at 3:45 in the afternoon! don't people generally work until 5 pr 6? there are so many people crammed into this area with too few highways, and it is mind-boggling to me how people deal with it every day. i guess maybe it's because i come from bike-riding/walking/jogging/eco-conscious-land, boulder, colorado. :)

oh, and here is how my day started:


while quietly drinking coffee on the back porch, i noticed a giant freak slug crawling through the leaves. i was fascinated- i've never seen a slug that big! so, of course, i googled slugs in the southeast, and discovered that they are in fact quite common, in all their giant grossness. i had no idea slugs could get that big. ah, georgia. how i'm beginning to love thee.

light up your life

i'm sure many of you saw this this morning over at poppytalk, but i couldn't resist posting about it as well. these patio lanterns are simply gorgeous. and inventive! it makes me want to host a backyard party just so i can make some lanterns like this! you can see more images and ideas for lanterns at sunset magazine.

fabrics galore!

these are from purlsoho.com. i will be ordering some of these fabrics soon!