black and white photography

sometimes a black and white photo really strikes me. this one is by helen levitt, and i think it's just wonderful. see more of her work here, at paul kopeikin gallery in los angeles.

paper mojo

the discovery of a new paper store is a thrill! paper mojo, based in pennsylvania, popped onto my screen this morning, and i could spend hours browsing and deciding which papers would be the best to purchase and what i would do with all of them. their selection of japanese papers is outstanding, and they also carry a nice selection of tools and supplies. can't wait to place an order!

cool artist... sylvia hommert

i sort-of love these paintings by sylvia hommert. i'd like to see them in person. sylvia, come to boulder with your gorgeous work!!

(see her work at julie baker fine art in nevada city, california)

sevya... fair trade from india

ryan and i discovered a great store yesterday while walking around pearl street here in boulder. it's called sevya, and it's all hand-made, fair trade, incredible stuff from india. jewelry, pillows, quilts, scarves, you name it, they have it, right down to hand-woven grass window shades!

we're trying to convince ourselves that we have floor space for one of the amazing hand-
block-printed rugs we founds...

read more about sevya right here, and prepare to be inspired by design from afar!

lori buntin

i love the look of painting where the images in the foreground are in silhouette and the background is bright and vibrant. i saw lori buntin's paintings months ago and didn't write down her name, and have been searching for these images ever since! i finally found them-- at william havu gallery in denver. another cool thing about the paintings is that some of them are tiny (like 7x7") while others are fairly big (4 feet square). see more right here.

owls in the morning, owls at night

these little owl cards are just adorable! made by etsy seller susie ghahremani (aka: boygirlparty), and only $12 for 6 cards! a steal if you ask me...

{her website is great, too}

absoluut... pillow covers

i am truly in love with these vintage-inspired pillow covers by amsterdam etsy seller absoluut.
i am getting into spring cleaning and complete house redcoration mode with the recent warm weather here in boulder (finally!!), and these would brighten up our ugly couch in a big way. next step: new couch!

check out absoluut's shop right here, full of great stuff.

{via bloesem}

rock, salt & ice

i like this piece by anya gallacio at blum & poe in los angeles. it's made of rock, salt, and ice, and weighs 34 tons. how'd she do that??

free hugs

for those of you who have not seen one of the many free hugs videos posted on youtube, check out this one from beijing, china. for some reason it almost made me cry, even though i've seen a number of these videos. something about one of the people smiling ni the middle of it. what a great idea.... whoever you are that began the free hugs, if you ever read this: you are wonderful.

(this is an image from a different video, not the one from beijing, but i wanted a good photo...)

drooling over maison georgette

could this be any more gorgeous? thanks to joy, who posted about maison georgette today-- each piece is made from a large random piece of fabric, and no two pieces are the same. so cool in our age of mass production.

i might move tofrance just to be on the same continent as these beauties.

...wild over fonts

just wanted to share this great font site: dafont. The best part you ask? They're free to download! Free to use! Isn't that great? There are hundreds f them, too, so it's endless amounts of fun to look at. enjoy!

book week at print & pattern

marimekko (examines the finnish design company and its designers)

from a window display at magma, london's best graphic design bookshop. (why don't i live in london???)

from cath kidston's book, print (a guide to using pattern in the home)

wallpaper (by lachlan blackley)- features 5 of the current top designers. i must have this book.

from textile designs by susan meller & joost elffers

oh my, i just hit the blog jackpot, and i think i'm going to have an empty wallet after i buy all these books recommended on print & pattern this week. i saw a post about the book week on design*sponge, but hadn't had a chance to check it out yet, and now i want to run straight to the bookstore to look for these amazing design books! too bad it's 6:45 am....

enjoy! i'll post actual photos when i get these inspiring books into my greedy little paws!

the wonders of friedensreich hundertwasser

i saw this on the new york times art & design page and was immediately taken by the buildings. sort of dr. seuss-esque in my opinion (one of my faves of all time...)

see the full slideshow on the new york times website.


incineration plant in osaka, japan

hundertwasser’s trademark tile columns at the quixote winery

"forest spiral" building in darmstadt, germany

happy valentine's day

yes, i know it's a commercial holiday, but i still love it. i made valentine hearts for ryan and hung them all over the house before he woke up this morning. he loved it. later i'm making strawberries dipped in chocolate as a surprise when he gets home from his mcat course... yum!

new blog discovery!

i just discovered wise craft, a great blog by blair peter in the pacific northwest.
this week, in honor of valentine's day, she is posting about things she loves in her life every day this week. what a sweet idea. check out her blog here.