ASK

DIY hardware store jewelry

2012-01-10T18:36:00.002-05:00

Love this trend and I needed to post some pics here because I can't Pin to pinterest straight from this blog. Ahhh!

SUPER packaging

2010-07-21T15:17:00.008-05:00

Today, my Creative Director brought in a little show-and-tell. She dropped a bag at my desk containing a variety of boxes and other sample materials from Dr. Nicolas Perricone's latest line of products: SUPER.

Look at this stuff. Beautiful work both in design and messaging from Toronto design firm, Concrete. Bright, modern, fresh, simple and clear. What shelf appeal! I would definitely pick these up.

The website is where you really start to see the bright, bold and simply FUN brand come to life. Here, Concrete has combined the simple typography, vibrant colors and vector illustrations of the packaging with photography and motion.

A Super boutique scheduled to open July 2010 in Berkeley, California launches a global boutique expansion plan into Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, London and other major cities around the world. Super is also scheduled to launch exclusively at all Sephora stores nationwide October 2010 and online at www.getsuper.com.

Hey, wanna SWAP??

2010-07-20T23:55:00.007-05:00

I recently came across this job posting on Craigslist in the section for 'art/media/design' jobs (no, I'm not really looking, but it's kinda fun to poke around on there). The headline grabbed my attention:

Swap: Our Killer Office Space for Your Design Skills

Hmm... interesting. A few things went through my head:

1. What a freakin' rip off. Why would I offer my hard-earned skills for a freakin' crappy office chair (actually, the chair isn't even mentioned)?
2. How KILLER is this office space? I mean ... I might consider going freelance if you've got views for miles, concrete floors, crisp interiors with splashes of color, a gym a la Equinox and beautiful landscaping. Oh, can't forget the roof deck for lunches and happy hour.
3. Wait, no. How the eff do they expect you to live in the most expensive city in the U.S. if you're donating your time + skills for a freakin' cube. The cube better damn well come with a shower, a bed, kitchen, laundry room ...

ANYWAY, the posting went on to explain how they came to the idea for a swap!
"We were just about to post for a part time designer when it dawned on us – we have this amazing new office space that we just moved into. With an extra private office. Why not trade it for some design time? So here we are. We’re looking for somebody to give us a few hours a week [blah blah blah]. We will likely need additional time above and beyond what is agreed upon, which we will of course pay for."

OOok. So, basically, you're going to give me a place to SIT in exchange for my time and skills. Hmmm... but ... couldn't I just work from home or a coffee shop and get PAID for my time?

But they're being generous because after all, they ARE offering to pay after they go above and beyond that "agreed upon" design time. I can just see how this would pan out. "Well, it's just ONE more hour... we are letting you use the kitchen sink afterall."

OH that reminds me. They included a description of the "killer" office space:

About the office: It’s the entire 13th floor of the historical Hobart Building on Market & Montgomery. Smack dab on top of a BART station. We have a private kitchen, bathroom, video game room (with Wii and PS3) and lots of comfy space. Plus we’re pretty chill to hang out with if you get bored being in your beautiful private office with sweeping views of downtown.

Did you get that?? RIGHT ON TOP OF BART. Holy shiiiiit. AND a PRIVATE kitchen and bathroom. And OMFG!!! VIDEO GAMEZZZZZ.

It goes on to explain that they're looking for a rockstar with expert knowledge of Adobe CS, HTML, CSS, SEO/SEM, JQuery, PHP, design principles, blah, blah blah.

---------------------------

I REPLIED!!! I was SO excited by the possibility of this killer office space that I just had to reply ASAP.

To: jason@creativemerch.com
From: askdzign@gmail.com
Subject: Hey! I have a swap idea ...

Yes, I did. And he replied: "We didn't say anything about a couch..."

Snoopy's Daily Dozen

2010-03-24T15:38:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, I was browsing in one of my favorite neighborhood vintage shops (I rarely buy anything, just enjoy looking at all of the mid-century finds) The Other Shop, and I came across this spiral bound oversize book called "Snoopy's Daily Dozen: 12 Physical Fitness Exercises". Drawn by Charles Schulz and printed by Hallmark in the 1960s, the book features 12 pages of Peanuts characters engaging in various exercises such as the "Inch Worm Walk" and "Halloween Hop". And of course Snoopy is there to interject with his little quips throughout.

I had been wanting to give my personal trainer some sort of "thank you" for being generally awesome and working with me to reach my personal fitness goals, so I quickly snatched this up!

A little more research on Google led me to find that this was produced in the early 60s when John F. Kennedy led a Call to Physical Fitness. He "pushed to strengthen the President's Council on Physical Fitness" and "started running advertisements encouraging people to exercise. Influential figures signed up to back the initiative, including Charles Schulz". (via http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21938059/). The JFK museum in Boston recently exhibited the "Daily Dozen" in their exhibit "Shaping Up America: JFK, Sports and The Call to Physical Fitness".

Another item from the exhibit (borrowed from the JFK Museum website)

We do not want our children to become a generation of spectators. Rather we want each of them to be a participant in the vigorous life.

John F. Kennedy

What I do

2010-03-04T21:10:00.008-05:00

For my parents, friends, family that still don't know "what I do" as a Graphic Designer, it is many things, but broadly, I design "stuff" to clearly communicate a message. That "stuff" is delivered to me in many forms—a creative brief that simply describes a lofty concept for a logo; a badly formatted, multi-page Word document; scribbles of lines with which to "make an ad"—and the list goes on.

Many times, I have to re-create graphics or charts to accompany a document. This is done for many reasons. First, I want to ensure that the graphic maintains the same "look + feel" as the rest of a document which means using the same fonts, colors, etc. Second, there are many times when the graphic provided does not do a good job of visually communicating the message. In that case, it's my job to re-interpret the data and create a new visual representation to better illustrate the content. Lastly, I want to reader to WANT to read the graphic! So there are times when I can infuse the data with an element of fun (also goes hand in hand with my second point).

Two graphs or charts that I re-designed today serve to illustrate these points.

BEFORE: Completely unreadable if you're interested in the actual data. The 3-dimensionality has made it almost impossible to tell where the points for each age hit on the numbers. Because of this, it also fails to do a good job of visually comparing the volume of the difference between the salaries for "high school diploma" vs. "college degree"

AFTER: Nixing the 3-dimensionality really cleaned things up. And rather than using two solid, over-lapping shapes, I used a heavy line and a solid color. This really serves to provide a strong contrast between the two sets of data and allows a quick and easy visualization of the difference between salaries over time.

BEFORE: Readable but boring.

AFTER: Fun and visually telling. Uses graduation cap icons with dollar signs to visually convey the amount represented by each degree.

A Love Affair

2010-02-15T14:51:00.007-05:00

The Valentine's Day garden brunch was a lovely success. The weather was absolutely perfect; high of 60-something, not a cloud in the sky. The hummingbird made a showing and the guests brought delectable goodies. I slaved away all day Saturday, running to the flower mart, preparing the décor and making scones, cupcakes and slicing things. And I loved it! Sure, my feet were sore and I was ready to collapse by the end of the night, but I knew it would all pay off when the sun came up on Sunday.

Here are some pics from the preparations (click on any for larger version):

Champagne flutes tied with tissue paper pom poms. Ceramic dishes ($1.99 each from Ross) filled with white cane sugar with flowers and cinnamon candy hearts placed down the center.

Flower centerpieces: (L) Glass cylinder with a red-checkered kitchen towel placed along the inner circumference, tupperware container inserted in the center and filled with water, flowers to finish. (R) China tea kettle filled with flowers.

All set! Cupcakes - Sprinkles Red Velvet mix available from William Sonoma.

In the morning, it was time to set the table and hang the larger pom poms from the surrounding princess flower trees:

For the table setting, I used alternating red and green napkins/kitchen towels with my grandmother's gold-rimmed wedding china set on top. The finishing touch: cut out tissue paper hearts topped with a candy heart (in Spanish!).

amor, dulce, mi novio, todo mio, guapo !

And then of course, there was the food. I prepared deviled eggs, a fruit salad, scones, roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus wrapped with neufchâtel and proscuitto (thanks to Alex for getting those prepped!).

Alex brought a gorgeous quiche, decorated with a red pepper heart! Christine delighted us with gluten-free bread stuffed with mascarpone and freshly made strawberry jam (made by Alex) and Jackson made soft-boiled eggs with english muffins. Needless to say, no one went hungry.

A tasty strawberry champagne from Danielle for our cupcake dessert topped it all off!

V-Day Brunch Inspiration

2010-02-10T15:14:00.015-05:00

I'm hosting a Valentine's Day Garden Brunch this Sunday and am so excited to take advantage of our beautiful patio and the opportunity to decorate with some frilly, pretty things! The magnolias and other small white and highly fragrant flowers (the name is escaping me) are beginning to bloom and the ivy, palms and mossy brick are lush after the recent rain we've had.

I already have plenty of ideas regarding decor and will take some photos of a couple of things as I put them together, but I'm also loving this beautiful tablescape, created with woven streamers. So simple, fun and bold. I think I might just layer a bunch of different tablecloths / curtains we have lying around to make a patchwork floral, but if that doesn't work out, I may try this (via Apartment Therapy).

I'm also thinking that I'd like to make some tissue paper pom poms to hang in the trees around the perimeter of the garden. Here's a how-to for these from Martha Stewart Weddings. If you have money to spare, you can also purchase them on Etsy from PomLove.

And then of course, there will be flowers. I want to check out the SF Flower Mart on Saturday to see what's in season and affordable but I'd like to find some Quince blossoms. I also always fall for a beautiful bouquet of Ranunculus.

As for the food ... I can't give everything away!

Keisuke Serizawa Calendars

2010-02-08T15:38:00.011-05:00

Years ago when I helped to clean out / move my late Grandmother from her condo to an assisted living community, one of the things I grabbed for keeps was a series of Japanese prints. I wasn't sure what they were at the time, but I noticed how delicate the sheets of paper were and how each was printed with a different design.

Turns out, the sheets were part of a calendar — each sheet was printed with a different month of the year. Other than that, I didn't have any more info. I figured they were pretty old and I stashed them away in a box somewhere. A few years later, I framed two "April" prints (my birth month) and gave a "February" print as a gift to a friend.

Today, I visited the Tortoise General Store online and came across a new, smaller version of the calendar along with a description that includes a history of the calendars!

Copied from the Tortoise General Store listing:

"Just after the end of WWII, Keisuke Serizawa's first calendar for 1946 appeared. It was stencil dyed in 12 sheets of a hand-made-Japanese paper. Under the occupation by the United States, this calendar became popular among high-class officer's wives in U.S. Forces and was devised as a Christmas gift for people in the U.S. Since then, he had kept producing new calendar for 40 years until he passed away, and still even now, this calendar has been produced with existing patterns. It is popular not only in Japan but also all around the world still now.

This is printed version and the size is smaller than the original one to fit on a desk. This technique of dyeing a pattern with a stencil is original of Keisuke Serizawa, and in 1956 he was specified as a Living National Treasure according to his achievements of "stencil-dyeing"."

I will try to get around to taking some photos of the calendars I have as I'm pretty sure they're some of the oldest editions.

Back to the grind

2010-02-04T18:07:00.010-05:00

First day at the new full time freelance gig in downtown SF.

The view from one side (windows all around the office provide a 360 view of San Francisco). I've started a blog called Everyday East Bay featuring photos of this view. It's an off shoot of my friend (and designer) Chesley's Everyday East River featuring shots of NYC's East River as seen from her studio in Brooklyn.

I've been trying to get back to eating really well. It's been a cinch to stay on track while at home with not much else going on and time on my hands to go to the grocery store whenever needed. I've been like one of those Orange County Housewives—15mile bike ride in the middle of the day on a Wednesday? Sure!

I was really good this morning about making breakfast and packing a lunch before leaving the house. Of course, then I left the lunch behind on my bed, but that's beside the point. THEN I got the grand tour of the office and discovered precisely where the temptation lies:

Help Haiti Rise

2010-02-04T15:51:00.002-05:00

Show your support for Haiti and get a cool t-shirt or poster designed by Mike Fretto of Silent Citizen. All proceeds benefit Partners in Health.

Charley Harper and Rex Ray

2009-10-16T18:09:00.005-05:00

Shows recently seen about town:

Charley Harper at Altman Siegel

Rex Ray at Gallery 16

Contemporary Needle Art

2009-10-13T16:04:00.005-05:00

I went to see my doctor this morning and was so excited to walk into the lobby of the building and recognize the knitted artwork of Emily Barletta. Her work was all over the blogosphere this past year and it definitely caught my eye.

It is currently being shown as part of a group show;
Stitched, Looped, and Knitted: Contemporary Needle Art.
Featuring Emily Barletta, Lauren DiCioccio, Laura Kamian, Aliza Lelah, Ruth Marshall, Lacy Jane Roberts, Lisa Solomon, Esther Traugot, Marina Vendrell.
September 21 - December 4
The Mills Building
220 Montgomery Street
San Francisco CA 94104

I snapped a few quick pics of Barletta's work and the pieces of a few of the other artists featured:

Emily Barletta

Lauren DiCioccio

Esther Traugot

The Art of the Film Title

2009-09-23T13:26:00.018-05:00

At last year's SF International Animation Festival, I caught a showing of PLAY: The Art of the Animated Film Title by Design Films . It was a series of film title sequences from the 1950s to the present, designed by the likes of Saul Bass, Maurice Binder, Jakob Trollbäck & Co. and many more. I've been holding on to the program for almost a year now, with the intention of looking up the films again. So I've decided to list them here for you along with clips of the sequences found on YouTube or links to where you can watch them elsewhere online.

The Programme

The Man With The Golden Arm (1955) Saul Bass with Pacific Art and Title

The Seven Year Itch (1955) Saul Bass with Pacific Art and Title

Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) Saul Bass with Animation, Inc., and Shamus Culhane Productions

Damn Yankees (1958) Maurice Binder

The Pink Panther (1963) Friz Freleng; DePatie-Freleng

Charade (1963) Maurice Binder

Arabesque (1966) Maurice Binder

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) Wayne Fitzgerald (CUT TO 1:50)

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) Art Clokey

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) Richard Williams

Every Home Should Have One (1970) Richard Williams

Max Dugan Returns (1983) Wayne Fitzgerald and Bob Kurtz

The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit (1998) Robert Dawson and Aleksandra Korejwo

Monsoon Wedding (2001) Jakob Trollback with Jasmin Jodry and Laura Ljungkvist; Trollback and Company

Ça Se Soigne? (Is It Treatable?) (2008) Olivier Marquezy and Stephanie Lelong;

Monsters, Inc (2001) Susan Bradley

Catch Me If You Can (2002) Olivier Kuntzel and Florence Deygas for Nexus Productions

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) Jamie Caliri, Todd Hemker and Benjamin Goldman

Juno (2007) Gareth Smith and Jenny Lee; Shadowplay Studios

Dwell on Design and Virgin America

2009-06-29T23:58:00.004-05:00

It's been SO long since my last post, but I hope you've been following me on Twitter. I've been MIA on this blog in part because of all of the prep work for this past week... which was complete madness down in LA! The entire Dwell team trekked down to help make this year's Dwell on Design conference a success. If you missed the show, take a look at Dwell.com for coverage on SOME of the stuff that was happening. Unfortunately, I missed all of the panels, but the show floor looked great and I did manage to make it to some of the homes on the home tours, so I will be posting those photos on Flickr soon. Keep an eye out!

Now that I've caught you up on that business, let me share with you one of my favorite finds this weekend that had nothing to do with the show! We flew on Virgin America and I just fell completely in love with their animated and illustrated safety video. It's such a creative and humorous approach to an otherwise monotonous and repetitive topic, that I had to use the awesome new video capabilities on my iPhone to record a bit of it to share.

It was produced by Anomaly (NYC) with animation by Wild Brain (San Francisco).

Tweet, Tweet

2009-04-28T23:47:00.011-05:00

Micro-blogging a la Twitter has completely taken over my life. OK, that might be a tad drastic, but I'm at least a little bit addicted. So, in honor of Twitter, I bring you Twitter-themed Etsy finds.

Cotton Tweeter Bird $6 from SimplySoftStiches

Fail Whale Charm $6 MindPandaCharms

@me necklace $25 CouchObjects

Tweet Flat Cards (set of 4) $8 Dozi

Acrylic Bird Ring $15.80 SophieHillArtist

16 Vinyl Bird Stickers $4.50 Linotte

Felted Birdies $6.50 / each Sheasy

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T17:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Earth,
I love you. Thanks for being you.

My birthday is coming

2009-04-15T14:55:00.008-05:00

Acceptable birthday gifts include (but are not limited to):

1. An iPhone. I am probably the only design dork who still does not have one. Sad. Though you might want to just give me a gift certificate because I've heard through the Twitterverse that a new one will be out in June.

2. This puppy.

3. OR this one.

4. Visits from friends.

5. A sound machine - haven't been sleeping well with all of the street / house noise

6. A TRIP! Anywhere!

7. A road bike. Mine is cute and works well as a commuter bike, but I would love to go on longer weekend rides and it's just not going to cut it. I'm really intrigued by these bamboo bikes by Calfee Design, as bamboo is a really sustainable material. But they're certainly not cheap.

Design Find : Urban Spectacles

2009-04-01T12:46:00.007-05:00

I discovered this fine spectacle-maker awhile ago but am just getting around to sharing his work with you, just in time for my upcoming birthday (hint, hint)!

Urban Spectacles are designed and hand made from a menagerie of materials, but primarily from assorted varieties of hardwoods, by Scott Urban, an artisan based in Chicago. Urban seeks to re-elevate the art of eyewear. As stated in a recent newsletter, "the optical industry is filled to the brim with garbage, row after endless row of trash" and Urban is setting out to change that.

He currently works one-on-one with clients to create a completely custom and original pair of specs—a process that entails taking detailed measurements of the head and face, sketching out designs, choosing the type of wood, and finally hand-carving the frame out of the block of wood.

Though that might soon change. After attending a recent convention in NYC, Urban was inspired to endeavor to create his own small scale line of boutique eyewear "based upon quality, good design, beautiful material and all around 'badassitry'". While he expects to return to creating custom frames at some point in the future, his immediate focus for the next few years will be on designing, creating and establishing this new brand.

So essentially, if you want to get your hands on a pair of his custom specs within the next 6-8 months, get in line now! You can contact Scott at scott@urbanspectacles.com

Twitter Gallery : Matte Stephens

2009-03-27T12:09:00.006-05:00

This week's featured artist in my Twitter Gallery is Matte Stephens of Portland, OR (@matteart on Twitter).

I adore his work - from the cute, happy subject matter and bold abstracts to his consistent color palette. Be sure to check out the interview Grain Edit did with Matte that offers more samples of his work, peeks into his home, his process and where he finds his inspiration. To purchase *affordable* prints and originals of his work, visit his Etsy shop.

Images copyright Matte Stephens.

Apartment Therapy : Flickr Find : DIY Parasol Light

2009-03-25T17:51:00.004-05:00

Wow I'm so famous today! ;) Another post on Apartment Therapy featuring the antique parasol I rigged up as a lamp shade in the hallway.

My favorite comment so far is the hater who said "oh my god, 70s.... ick". Really? I don't really see that when combined with the Victorian details, antique table in the entrance and modern coat rack, but to each his own! It's not as if the place is full of lava lamps and black lights!

Apartment Therapy : 4 DIY fabric ideas

2009-03-25T12:28:00.004-05:00

Check it out! My use of fabric in my home is featured on Apartment Therapy LA. While the pics aren't suberb (I just sent whatever I had on hand—literally last night before the post went up today) and the kitchen featured is my old, dumpy kitchen in Boston, it's still fun! Thanks to BethZ at AT.

Food : Sunday Night Dinner

2009-03-23T20:11:00.008-05:00

I had a couple of friends in town visiting yesterday so we walked about the city and took delight in some of the finer things in life : relaxing and eating!

I have many more pictures to share, but for now, this is a tease from the feast we cooked up last night. My roommate had made a trip to the Ferry Building where he picked up some specialty mushrooms from Far West Fungi so while he was preparing them for a crostini appetizer, we grilled up some shrimp that had been marinated in a ginger-soy-lime sauce. Also on the menu was halibut, ravioli, a t-bone steak rubbed with olive oil and thyme, green beans, carmelized onions and a nice, fresh, California-grown salad. MMM mm good.

I also picked up this Hey Mambo Sultry Red at Faletti's market (which is bankrupting me, by the way). Of course the label and super cool wind-off cork had something to do with my choice. What can I say, I'm a visual learner. If you ever pick one up, be sure to read the story on the back of the bottle.

Twitter : Gallery

2009-03-20T17:48:00.006-05:00

I'm now using my Twitter background as a gallery space! Each week, I'll feature the work of a different artist - design, painting, illustration, photography, etc. - (with their permission). After the week is over, their name will be archived in a list that I'll update on the left hand side of the page.

It's just for fun and experimentation - see if anything comes of it. Free promotion of work that I enjoy and want to share!

This week's feature artist is Meg Hunt and her fabulous new pattern of cycles and birds. I also really dig her llamas. Follow her on Twitter @meghunt.

Street Art : ???

2009-03-18T19:43:00.004-05:00

I've been noticing some random signs around the city, labeling and commenting on construction materials. At first, I thought they were a form of street art and were connected. But after discovering this blog, Enough with the plywood and this article on the matter, it's clear that the first sign is an isolated work by some North Beach activists who are unhappy with the site of the boarded up building.

The second one is interesting ... and actually very political, referencing both a controversial chemical used in warfare — most recently used by Israel (though they were US-made shells) —and the "Angel of Death", Josef Mengele. The Nazi physician has recently been in the news in regard to the speculation that he is responsible for the unnatural concentration of twins that has occurred in the community of CÂNDIDO GODÓI, Brazil.

It took a bit of internet digging, but I found some more info about this second sign on Tales of the Freeway Blogger (an activist who places signs about the war on freeways around the country). Visit the site for more pictures and to read more.

Photography : Psychic_Heart

2009-03-18T14:13:00.007-05:00

It's been my intention to blog about the gorgeous photography of Psychic Heart (Nina Westervelt) for quite some time now. When I first started getting into Holga photography, I came across this picture of hers (above) on Flickr and immediately fell in love with her square beauties. That led me to the rest of her photostream where I discovered that she does a lot of fashion, behind-the-scenes and celebrity style photography - that you're not likely to find in US Weekly. Her medium format shots offer a unique peek behind the curtains of NY Fashion Week that leave me begging for an encore.

But that's not it. Her "everyday life" shots are just as captivating.

For more, visit Nina on Flickr.

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

2009-03-12T17:21:00.013-05:00

Work in progress: A couple of rough logo treatment ideas for our Home Tours in Brooklyn this May (in conjunction with BKLYN Designs). We have Home Tours throughout the year in various cities so we'd like to come up with some branding that will be applicable (and flexible) for the entire program.

This was fun (I love creating patterns), but doesn't really work for Home Tours. Maybe Tommy Hilfiger would like to buy it!

Under My Umbrella

2009-03-11T19:16:00.004-05:00

This past weekend, after spending a nice afternoon basking in the sun at Dolores Park, I added a few things around the apartment. First, I dug out one of my vintage Japanese umbrellas that was previously owned by my Grandmother. It has been sitting in a box since I acquired it, waiting for the perfect spot to shine. And now it illuminates our entrance hall.

I simply rigged it up there with some plastic zip ties! Quick fix that made the lighting feel much less harsh and more welcoming.

My third roommate finished moving in and with her, came this bookcase that we placed in the kitchen for cookbooks. My donkey's tail cactus (yes, that's really the name) looks great on it, along with the large green vase I found for $5.99.

Off The Chain

2009-03-09T17:40:00.006-05:00

6 ways to accessorize with lovely linkage.

Chain earrings from LittlePurls.

Chain of command necklace from NeaWear

Linked headwear from Litter.

Vintage Wells Fargo Casket Tag from TheHandofFatima.

Knit gold rope chains by Yokoo.

Leather links from Handle & Spout.

Sita Sings the Blues : stream + download FREE

2009-03-06T19:37:00.005-05:00

Awhile ago, I posted about the animated feature film, Sita Sings the Blues by Nina Paley. This post is to let you know that it's still amazing and still not to be missed and is now available for streaming and downloading (hi res - with a small $$$ donation) on REEL 13. Go watch it and support independent film!

Pinball Publishing : Designer Card Series

2009-03-05T20:34:00.008-05:00

Oooh! Another surprise came in the mail the other day! (I love getting mail ... if you want to send me something, I'd be happy to provide my address!) Portland-based Pinball Publishing sent me a set of their designer card series which are beauties! They feature various papers, inks and printing techniques as well as the lovely art from a selection of talented peeps. They're fun.

The card on the left here features the work of Brooke Thompson. And on the right, Lisa DeJohn.

Here we have Kate "Consumption" Bingaman-Burt whose work you can find at Obsessive Consumption and What Did You Buy Today? And in pink, birds by Ian Lynam.

Detail from Brent Wick's bunny card.

More great art for my office walls. Design by illustrator Carson Ellis.

Other cards not pictured here include art by Melani Brown, Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co., and PatternPeople.

Street Art of Matthew Rodriguez

2009-03-05T18:50:00.006-05:00

Fabulous specimens of street art by Austin-based artist Matthew Rodriguez (here on flickr). These popped up about a week or so ago. I've been wanting to take pics but it's been rainy. Today it was nice out so I walked to work and captured these along the way.

They appear along a stretch of blue wall constructed along one of the most destitute parts of downtown's Market Street. It's suffering from a string of closed businesses, homeless people and drug addicts littering the streets and just a general feeling of neglect. The forlorn candy corn are saying what everyone (with half a brain left) is probably thinking as they walk through this area. "Geez this is really sad and depressing." But the rainbow says "clap yo hands" and offers us some optimism!

And a surprise! While I had noticed the other pieces from the bus, I wouldn't have seen this character if I hadn't been walking. A nice transformation for the otherwise sad-looking stump.

While Mr. Rodriguez still executes his street art, he also puts a lot of focus into his painting and collage work. You can see examples of that work online at Rare Gallery or on his personal Flickr site.

The NEW Dwell.com

2009-03-05T13:12:00.010-05:00

I'm pleased to have been a part of the fresh + clean redesign of Dwell.com which launched early this morning. Our own amazing team at Dwell had a lot of help from the great folks at Hot Studio.

BLOG landing page - viewing option 1

Pages that I designed—based on Hot Studio's work on the rest of the site—include the BLOG landing page, which features the ability to switch between viewing the posts in an image-driven format with a preview of the text in hot yellow or viewing in a list format. These options for viewing content are a theme that is carried throughout the site—on the HOMES landing page, the user can choose between viewing a grid of 8 photos or viewing 1 large photo and navigating with arrows to view the others. It's a great way to showcase our beautiful photography—something readers of Dwell have always appreciated.

BLOG landing page - viewing option 2

I also designed the content for the PLACES landing and detail pages.

PLACES landing page

PLACES detail page

And lastly (for now) the PEOPLE landing page. While the site launched with this version of my design, I actually designed it to be flexible and we plan to switch it up from time to time.

PEOPLE landing page - version 1

PEOPLE landing page - version 2

Other great features include the multimedia section which switches from a white background to a black/dark grey color scheme—to better showcase the photos/slideshows and videos that can be found there.

There are more pages that have not launched yet—this is just the "beta" version. There is much more work to be done and lots more to see, so stay tuned. In the meantime, please explore and leave your comments!

Old and new

2009-03-04T18:24:00.002-05:00

My vintage type drawer: in its old home in the bathroom of my Boston apartment, and in its new corner of my San Francisco living room.

Living room improvements : pillows

2009-03-03T15:45:00.005-05:00

I recently made pillows for the couch. I think I still want to make more, but this is a start! Rather than purchase pillow forms from a fabric / craft store, which seemed pricey ($15-25 each at the stores where I found them), I purchased a couple of pillows with removable covers for approx $5 a piece from Ross (similar to Marshalls or Home Goods) and simply used the forms from those.

The fabric is from the Patricia line by Ikea.

A More Perfect UniOn : Barack Obama

2009-03-02T19:26:00.004-05:00

I recently received a sweet prize in the mail: a small, beautifully designed booklet featuring the speech given by Barack Obama on the 11th of March, 2008 in the midst of the Reverend Wright controversy. This lovely work was designed by Sam Potts Inc. and sent with "Best wishes for a new year, a new administration and a new era". Thank you!

Parson's Pureaire Kitchen

2009-02-26T13:36:00.005-05:00

A reader of Dwell sent these images in. They picture a vintage "closet" kitchen that was in the home they are remodeling. Unfortunately, it doesn't "go" with their plans for renovation, but it's so gorgeous and in beautiful condition, they'd like to find it a good home. I think it would be ideal in a little guest cottage or suite. Or in a small studio/one bedroom.

SF update

2009-02-17T17:51:00.004-05:00

If you're feeling a little lost lately because I haven't been posting, this is for you! :) I've been very busy. We're in the midst of redesigning dwell.com and it's a big job! I also took a four-day jaunt to Boston to make sure my friends there hadn't forgotten me. And in between, I'm still getting to know San Francisco and getting my new apartment settled. I've thrown two birthday celebrations and have our guest room all prepped for visitors! I'm also getting more settled in at work. Here are a few corners of my "office".

Rapper's Recession: the gold teeth have got to go

2009-02-09T02:28:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, I missed the Grammys tonight. So I was just catching up. Can someone please tell me what is up with T-Pain's grill? This has to be the funniest thing I've read in awhile, via Starpulse (and no, I don't read that on a regular basis):

"Yo, my hip-hop brothers, some words of wisdom: these are hard times. Don’t know if you heard, but we’re in a recession. People are losing their homes. Folks’ retirement funds are tanking. People are pawning their jewelry for gas money. It’s time to reel in the bling. The days of ’90s excess are over and out. All the gold ropes and gold teeth have got to go. You need to trade them in for cash and then hold on to it. Stuff it in those high-tops until the banks are safe again. No more shopping sprees. No more Hummers. No more Cristal. Back to basics, folks."

Get your paisley on.

speaking of Love...

2009-01-29T18:02:00.002-05:00

A modern day love story.

A Thousand Words from Ted Chung on Vimeo.

Trend : LOVE in the bedroom

2009-01-29T02:18:00.005-05:00

Maybe it's because we're all seeking more of it these days with so many depressing things happening in our world, or perhaps it's just because "all you need is love", or maybe it's simply another manifestation of the current obsession in decor with typography. Any way you put it, LOVE is IN in 2009.

CandiMandi's headboard featured in this post on Apartment Therapy.

Love pillowcases by Lush Design

Photo and pillowcases made by Danske

New Blog : Craigslist Pix

2009-01-26T01:07:00.003-05:00

I started a new blog. I know, perhaps I should work on making this one more popular / successful before starting a new endeavor, but this new one has a specific focus. It will feature collections of pix of furniture found on Craigslist! They will be collected according to certain themes - pretty pix, ugly pix, funny pix, pix of _____ or _____, etc.

Check it out here.

Sprinkles

2009-01-21T20:53:00.005-05:00

Did you know that the famous Sprinkles cupcakes joint has a mix available at Williams-Sonoma?! Actually, to be precise, they offer a variety of flavors: red velvet, chocolate, vanilla and lemon.

I had planned to make red velvet cupcakes for my friend's visit this past weekend (perhaps inspired by this DesignSponge post), so when my coworker turned me on to these mixes, I was SOLD. Booked it to WS that night and picked up a couple of flavors.

The word "mix" is deceiving these days. I sort of imagined I'd just be adding water, and wha-laa! But no. That was not the case. It is still quite an activity and took me several hours. However, the result was WELL worth it! They were amazing and tasted just like the real thing, if I may say so myself. And more importantly, we had a lovely evening.

Celebrate

2009-01-20T20:39:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite pics from today ... I think from MSNBC but I could have it wrong :/ oops. Hah.

And other favorites from the New York Times slide shows.

Buh-bye Mr. Bush.

And I'm off to celebrate at the FunkyTown Inauguration Skater's Ball ... yup, that's right. Roller skating / boogie to old skool funk (while the inauguration plays on screen, of course)! Because you know the new First Family likes to skate together!

Craigslist Dig

2009-01-19T16:35:00.004-05:00

Here's a find for you ... though I bought the exact same cart (along with 2 other pieces) for $200 and they are asking $395 for the one piece :)

Mine is pictured here. At least now I have some more info about it.

Change is good

2009-01-17T00:33:00.003-05:00

I have added a couple of things to the sidebar of my blog (to the right of this text).

The first is a subscription widget. Subscribe to me! I just started using Google Reader which is amazing and I highly recommend it if you read more than 2 blogs (or would like to have the time to do so). It allows you to see updates / new post titles and have the option to read the feed complete with images from all of them almost simultaneously. You can also star things you like and create your own tags to categorize things for easy reference. Sharing things is easier too. Here's a post on ThisYoungHouse with more info and the "getting started" video.

Next, I've posted a Twitter widget featuring my latest Twitter updates. Follow me on Twitter! I haven't been using it much but as we all know after the recent plane crash photos that were first posted by a Twitter user, it's where it's at!

Lastly, I posted a playlist. This feature is possible via ILike.com which is another great social media site but for sharing music recommendations, playlists, concert alerts, etc.

coat rack : installed

2009-01-16T02:04:00.010-05:00

I thought I would be installing this thing the day after bringing it home, but it turned out to be a little tricky. OK, A LOT tricky. But totally worth it!

The "project in a bag" comes with 16 "Y-shaped" hooks, pegs and tons of connectors in 4 different configurations so you can design your own rack.

It's kind of like Tinkertoy (which, by the way costs over $30 these days!!), but for adults.

And the "instructions" were just as fun to decipher.

Image found on LeoJames blog.

STEP 1: I started by laying out my desired shape on the floor. This actually took me a couple of days. I had an image in my mind of how I wanted it to look, but the first time I sat down to tackle it, I got really frustrated when I realized it was going to be harder to bring my ideas to life than I had previously expected ... what with all of the different connectors and such. Too many possibilities!

STEP 2: Next, I separated the design into groupings of 4-6 that were a little easier to carry to the "construction site" and to hold up to the wall to make markings for holes. I had to do this on my own which definitely made it more challenging. If you have someone around to help, I highly suggest you involve them in this step. Hold up the entire configuration to see where on the wall your design should start/end. Alternatively, I suppose you could measure the design while on the floor and mark on the wall ... I guess I'm just bad at planning when it comes to those things and am too anxious to see it in place :)

STEP 3: Screwing all of the pieces in place is the final step. Anchors are provided for anchoring this into the wall. I started by anchoring / screwing in a configuration of 3 on the left and then built on from there with more measuring.

The end result (I'll try to take better pics when there's daylight):

From the entrance:

It ended up being a bit uncentered, horizontally, and I didn't install it correctly according to what I had laid out on the floor ... it got screwed around somewhere along the lines... but I do like how it looks from the entrance ... as if it's winding around that corner.

stuffed shrooms

2009-01-14T19:39:00.007-05:00

I've been really busy this week and so the blog has taken a back seat, but here's some food for you to look at! Actually, the point of this is to show you that I still need silverware! I wish I had a gaggle of readers because I would ask them to send me in 1 piece of silverware per person and then I'd have a fun collection from around the country! I have steak knives and china though!

Pear, walnut + mozzarella stuffed portobella mushrooms,
picked up at the SF Civic Center farmer's market

HOW TO: get a shiny floor, lose 5 pounds and become your landlord's favorite tenant!

2009-01-10T19:57:00.012-05:00

I don't think I paid much attention to the kitchen floor when I initially looked at my new apartment. Just thought, oh black and white floors, that's kind of cute. After visiting a couple more times to show the apartment, I noticed that it looked dirty but thought it would be cleaned up before move in. Well, I was wrong and upon moving in, quickly decided it was something I would have to tackle ASAP. I just hated looking at it every time I entered the kitchen and it made the whole room feel dirty. Not my ideal cooking environment. (click pics for more detail)

The once (I imagine) shiny black and white floors had come to be a dull and dirty drag after years and years of wear without the proper care (or so I'm assuming). A simple mopping every now and then is great, but once the wax has been worn down, it's not going to help much.

Before stocking up on cleaning supplies, I first did a quick test with the scrubbing side of a sponge to see if getting through this build up would even be possible:

CHECK. The "tan" square was starting to look white again.

So I headed to the local hardware store, picked myself up some basic supplies: Lundmark Floor Wax, some latex gloves, Scotch-brite scrubbing pad, a sponge and some Magic Erasers I thought might help.

From there I was ready to put that good ol' elbow grease to work! I started off using the Magic Erasers and the result was looking good (dirty suds are always a good sign!) but I realized that they were not going to cut it. I needed something that wasn't going to wear out so quickly, had a little more "teeth" to it and was overall more efficient (the erasers were leaving streaks of dirt if I didn't apply even pressure).

So I abandoned that approach and used the Scotch-brite pad from there on out. Good move. The marks and grime on the floor definitely required more of a "buffing".

Half and half progress shot:

Post buffing:After scrubbing—and mopping over and over as I went along—the entire floor on my hands and knees, it was finally time to apply the wax. This is the best part because you finally get to see that the floor CAN be shiny and that all of the work was worth it! I actually applied about 3 coats of wax and think that I still might go over it a 4th time.

Drum roll please:

The overall effect is very satisfying. The whole room looks much more inviting and of course, CLEAN :)

She + Him, album of the year and Zooey's blue studio

2009-01-08T16:33:00.007-05:00

I got the most recent issue of Paste Magazine today (thanks Stacy!) and what group was featured on the cover as "Album of the Year"? None other than She + Him (you may recall my previous post about them). "Produced with touches of girl-group splendor and arranged with a dreamy, old-fashioned vibe, She + Him's debut couldn't be more adorable".

And LOOK! here's Zooey Deschanel's studi o! (Domino Magazine) She's so cute, but I feel like her studio looks a little too "old" and traditional. But then again, Paste did call say her music had an "old fashioned vibe" so I guess it fits.

Girl Effect video

2009-01-08T14:37:00.002-05:00

Great type + motion video.

it's all yellow

2009-01-05T18:51:00.015-05:00

Love it or hate it, the color for 2009 is Mimosa Yellow. Yes, this is "old news" in the blogosphere but it keeps popping out at me. While browsing Ikea for a storage cabinet to place in the bathroom, I found myself wishing I needed a yellow sideboard instead because the TROLLSTA is prrretttty, although definitely "trendy" looking. But I could easily fit the Ikea KRAMFORS sofa in Myrby Yellow into my decor.

I also like this use of yellow paint on the walls of Sarah's home (featured here on Apartment Therapy). It looks like more of a mustard yellow, but I like how it adds some color without taking over the room.

I was reading in bed last night and found myself thinking about how I might add a burst of sunshine to my room. I really like the gray color on the walls and how it complements the brown furniture and pops of brighter colors, but perhaps yellow above the picture rail would be fun? I cheated it in Photoshop for these pics, and I think I'm liking it ...

Of course being the Craigslist hound that I am, I had to see what yellow things I could dig up there. Here's a taste of the yellow out there:

I'm digging this palette right now, so maybe I'll go for it, eventually. There are other things we need first though, like a microwave.

MORE craigslist love

2009-01-04T21:26:00.004-05:00

I have to say, I have superb luck with craigslist ... now if only CL could bring me a boyfriend, then we'd be in business :)

Anyway, today I scored this mid century dresser for $100! I wandered through A LOT of vintage / used / consignment / thrift stores the other day and the cheapest dresser in the style I was looking for was $150. I was getting a little discouraged because there hadn't been anything good on craigslist either, mostly just a lot of the same stuff from Ikea. But last night I found this beauty and I managed to snatch it up this afternoon before anyone else could get their little hands on it. Yay! No more living out of a suitcase!

design me a coat rack

2009-01-04T02:38:00.006-05:00

I ended up purchasing 2 rolls of this window film, similar to what I had referenced in this post but from Rare Device, (awesome SF design-y shop owned by Rena Tom + Lisa Congdon). But unfortunately, because the windows are sooo tall, it would have taken 4 rolls of it to sufficiently mask just the bottom half of my bedroom windows. And I just can't justify spending over $100 on windows in a rental that already have perfectly good blinds.
So I went to return them, but since they only take exchanges (not a surprise for a shop like this), I HAD to find something else ... hmmmm it's hard to NOT find something else! I already had my eye on this "coat rack" (pictured above), so I'm waiting for them to get the gray in stock. It will be an almost even exchange for the window film. It comes with 16 Y-shaped "hooks" and you can install them in a variety of ways to create the shape / design that suits your needs.

corners of my { new } home

2009-01-04T01:38:00.003-05:00

Ikea panels

2009-01-03T15:54:00.005-05:00

Since posting the other pictures of our living room, I've since hung panels in the windows to slightly mask the fact that our view is a bit unfortunate. They are the Anno Inez by Ikea. I love Ikea curtains / panels because they are SO LONG (and much more affordable)! These windows must be 7+ feet and the panels extend to the floor.

Now what to do about that lamp shade? I am considering spray painting it white. Any ideas?

And in my bedroom, I treated myself to these Anno Unni panels, also Ikea. I'm not yet thrilled by the set up in this photo. I think I need to hang the curtains on the outer sides - where the panels are - and have the panels closer to the inner trim, and overlapping (with curtains). Not quite sure yet.

I love how the birch trees seem to grow from the hardwood floors :)

bathroom

2008-12-30T22:30:00.007-05:00

I'm sure you're all dying to see my bathroom. So now you can! who hoo! I LOVE it! It's spacious, clean, water pressure is amazing, the sink is new and pretty, the tile is nice ... if you ever saw my last bathroom, you'd understand why this is a HUGE step up!

And I'm in love with the decor, if I may say so myself :) White, gray + red and a bit of black. The poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" is a British design from WWII. It was designed to be hung during times of extreme crisis + fear in order to encourage people to continue with their daily lives. You can buy them from sfgirlbybay here.

The cabinet is Ikea. I bought the back part from the "as is" section. Then I just purchased the glass door, shelves (both at 1/2 price) + feet to add on. Total, approx $40. The fabric that I lined the door with is also from Ikea. The design is composed by flipping/repeating the number "2" (I believe in Helvetica).

i need silverware

2008-12-30T20:32:00.003-05:00

The past few nights in my new place have provided some interesting meal times. I don't have any silverware or plates yet and every time dinner rolls around, it seems I'm too wiped out to bother going out for plasticware. The first night here, I didn't have my stuff out of storage yet so this was my homemade utensil for eating the Indian food I had delivered:

Yes that is a "spoon" cut from a SOLO cup!

The past two nights, after the delivery of the rest of my belongings, I remembered I had a spork. And a pan to heat leftovers in the stove (no microwave).

mattress disease

2008-12-30T15:35:00.003-05:00

When I was "researching" mattresses, I read all about how mattresses are sprayed with fire retardant which is filled with toxic chemicals; think rat poison. And clearly, the "off-gassing" of these chemicals can make people sick. Well I don't think it's all made up because I suddenly have an itchy throat and eyes ... and it almost feels like the back of my throat is enlarged, making it harder to swallow and talk. Yesterday I also woke up feeling nauseous but I attributed that to something else that comes once a month. I felt this way yesterday morning but by the afternoon, after walking around outside and such, it had subsided. Now I feel awful again. It could also be due to all of the paint fumes. This place is just a giant headache! I guess I just have to hope that it goes away in a few days.

Before purchasing my mattress, I asked the woman at Ikea about the "off-gassing" and she said that Ikea follows the strictest guidelines set by CA and Germany in the production of their mattresses. And she said something about how the fire retardant is "organic". I'm not sure I believe her now!

home . SWEET . home

2008-12-29T03:39:00.006-05:00

I can't tell you how nice it is to be HOME! Finally, after almost 4 months, I have a place that's mine. It's a huge relief to know that I don't have to move again anytime soon.

And it's so nice to have all of my things in one place again. I know they're just things but they really do help to make me feel "at home". My sublet was comfortable and the roommates friendly, but it still didn't feel like my place. The room felt cold with just some boxes in a corner and a bed in the middle of an otherwise big, empty room. It just felt like I was staying at a friend's house for 3 months. Some people don't mind living like that but for me it is uncomfortable. I guess I like to "nest" :)

(Did ya notice the beautiful mantle in my bedroom? Sorry just had to brag!)

Need to infuse this living space with some color because there is an awful lot of dark wood but it is beginning to come together. My arch lamp finally has the right place to shine! The high ceilings and huge windows in this place are amazing. They make me feel small!

show me to my bed.

2008-12-29T02:33:00.005-05:00

This bed stole 4 hours of my life. Probably more like 10 if you count all the time I spent at Ikea.
Hopefully it gives me thousands of peaceful hours back. And it looks pretty nice, right? Well don't let those beautifully woven bed slats fool you, I had to do that all myself. Thank you Ikea for always testing our patience in reading bad infographics. I will report back on the comfort after the back pain from moving stuff—or more likely, from building Ikea stuff—subsides.

I decided to get a latex mattress after reading tons of disconcerting stuff about polyurethane foam mattresses (off-gassing for one thing). But there are so many funky smells in my apartment right now (it was just painted) that I can't tell if this mattress smells. I guess they all have to be sprayed with fire retardant which is not good for you. I would love to be able to afford an organic mattress but unfortunately they are pretty pricey.

more CL love

2008-12-22T00:39:00.001-05:00

My new lamp, thanks again to craigslist. Isn't it gorgeous?!

my pre-holiday weekend

2008-12-22T00:20:00.004-05:00

Was probably quite a bit more calm than what most people are accustomed to. Mostly just a whole lot of this:

I did all of my wrapping and shipping last weekend so that was all out of the way. Here's a preview! I'm very "anti" the typical Christmas wrapping paper. I do really like plain brown paper with nice ribbon, but this year I thought I'd use those single sheets of paper sold at paper and art stores since all of my gifts were on the smaller side. It's a little more pricey and not really budget friendly or practical if you have a lot of large stuff to wrap up, but if you're wrapping smaller items you can get 3-4 gifts done with just one sheet. And it packs a punch!

craigslist finds

2008-12-21T02:00:00.006-05:00

What did people do before there was CL? Today I purchased these three tables from a gentleman who kindly delivered them to my apartment. I wanted to wait until I move to start buying things, but if you see something, you just have to snatch it up before it's too late!

This cart is a beautiful piece. It can serve as a side table / plant stand, display cart, etc. and then turned into a long table for entertaining.

The four foot bench you see pictured will look really cute with some cushions on it for extra seating. And the coffee table is also a really beautiful piece. Nicely made and very sturdy with a "lip" around the edge.

22 beds in 2008

2008-12-21T01:24:00.006-05:00

I got to thinking the other day about how many different beds I've slept in this year ... I know that sounds weird, but I was thinking about moving again and how my new bed will be my third one this year. But then I thought, what about all of those other beds I slept in this year during my travels and the nights at friend's houses? It's bizarre to think about. There was the week or so I spent in Connecticut at my mom's house, the hotel in Barbados, the house in La Quinta, CA, the home in Scottsdale, AZ, the 2 different homes in Los Cabos, Mexico. Then there was the home in Hawaii and the few nights there camping in my tent. There was a couple of nights at a hotel in NYC. Then there was a night or two at Lori + Justin's house, a night spent on the couch at Stacy + Catie's, a night at Kim's, a night at Carolina + Erik's, a couple nights on the couch at Ang + Paul's place. Then the road trip up the coast from LA to San Francisco - 3 separate hotels. I also spent a few nights here in San Francisco at Jackson's place before moving into my sublet where I'm currently staying. I'm probably forgetting something in there somewhere. That adds up to 21 different beds when you add in my last apartment in Jamaica Plain. 22 if you count the new place I haven't moved into yet.

I was actually thinking that it was too bad I didn't take a picture of each of those beds for a 2008 bed series! So I decided to start taking a picture of my bed every day right after I get out of it. Maybe it will be stupid or maybe it will end up being an interesting look at something you don't generally pay much attention to. Who knows? Most likely I'll forget to take a picture one day and the whole thing will be ruined!

While we're chatting about beds, I was shopping for some Christmas decorations for my desk at work and decided to purchase some white lights. They were buy one get one free but they only had one package of white, so I thought I could find a fun use for some pink lights. I would not normally ever decorate like this (the pink wire looks atrocious when not lit up during the day) but since I'm only here for another week and it's xmas, I thought it would be cute! It reminds me of the Madonna Inn. I'd love to sleep in one of their beds :)

my xmas wish list

2008-12-17T15:15:00.011-05:00

I absolutely cannot wait to move into my new apartment (next week!), but there are a lot of things I'm going to need and I love home decor so pretty much everything on my wish list is home-related. These are the visions dancing in my head right now.

Marimekko Tuuli shower curtain in gray from FinnStyle for my new bathroom.

Ikea Malm bed in oak veneer and Ikea Anno Unni panel curtains for my bedroom. I can't open the shades in my room—ever—because I'm at street level. But I think I could hang these a few feet from the top of the tall windows, to allow light in and still have privacy. BUT I'm not sure how see-through they are since I haven't seen them in person.

Or window film by Emma Jeffs or Tord Boonjte to give the appearance of a frosted window. Never have to use blinds or shades again! I guess I could go with a cheaper plain option from Home Depot, but these are so pretty!

A great article with more links to designer window film.

New bed linens including new comforter that doesn't shed feathers!

http://www.velocityartanddesign.com/bedding-linens-c-252.html
http://2modern.com/modern-furniture/Bedding_2
http://www.designpublic.com/shop/bedding

hello goodbye : DIY

2008-12-14T03:17:00.006-05:00

Inspired by Kate's DIY project on Design*Sponge, I decided to make my own version as a gift for the roommates I've had during my first couple of months here in San Francisco. I'm just subletting, but they've been incredibly warm + welcoming and I'm really appreciative. They've really helped make my transition to life on the West coast a friendly and comfortable one.

Rather than spelling out "goodnight", I went with "hello goodbye" which I thought was just more relative considering how short my time here has been (at least in the grand scheme of things), but also thought it would make a nice sign for the entrance. And of course it's also a great Beatles song and we are located right at Haight-Ashbury.

I chose to forgo the printing + tracing + planning that Kate's step-by-step calls for and instead just pulled up the phrase on my computer screen and eyeballed it. Turned out pretty good, right? I think I have a pretty good eye and a good sense of typography though, so if those two things aren't your forte, you may want to refer to the more detailed steps.

Let there be light. Instead of attaching a lightbulb as Kate did, I just plugged in a string of white Christmas lights, balled them up and stuck those behind the canvas! I guess I like instant gratification and I didn't have a hanging light, 2x4's, saw or a staple gun on hand, so this will have to suffice!

Next I'm going to make the same thing for my new apartment. But might try it in an orange-red OR dark gray so that it looks less harsh in the daytime.

Holiday Greeting from Dwell

2008-12-12T18:21:00.002-05:00

The video I created for Dwell's holiday greeting. Enjoy!

Orla Kiely for Target

2008-12-11T21:38:00.010-05:00

Orla Kiely is known for her bold color and graphic patterns found decorating stylish bags, home accessories and more. Now she has lined up with Target to bring us a fun and energetic line of products at great prices. Yay! The line includes houseware and home décor items such as kitchen accessories, dishware, media organizers and more. I just wish they had done a line of bedding! Expect to see in stores and online this winter.

“My designs are based on quality and practicality,” said Orla Kiely.

“Through my partnership with Target, I am able to share this vision with a much
broader audience, providing them with great design at a great price.”

backseat driver

2008-12-11T21:00:00.007-05:00

Everything - including this blog - has taken a backseat lately because I've been meeting up with potential roommates left and right. It's a little stressful knowing that I've signed a lease on a 3 bed (oh, I guess that's new news too) and now need to fill two rooms before rent is due Jan 1. It's been really repetitive ... saying the same things over and over but it's also been kind of fun meeting random people from various walks of life.

In the meantime, Thanksgiving weekend happened. Since I was here, I had a pretty low-key weekend reading and exploring. I walked all the way through Golden Gate Park, to the beach and back. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. So have I convinced you to come visit yet? This is gonna look pretty good when you're climbing over snow dunes to get to work!

On another day, I walked to Japantown to check that out. Not much of interest there, however I have since been back to go to the Kabuki Sundance theater which was really nice. You can choose to sit up in the balcony where you are eye level with the screen, have a little table and can enjoy a glass of wine with your film.

I saw MILK, with Sean Penn, which I HIGHLY recommend you see. I guarantee this thing gets some awards next year. It's about the gay rights struggle in San Francisco (and in the U.S. in general) in the 70s. But it's extrememly relevant still today and whether you're pro or against gay rights, it's a great film.

SF vistas

2008-11-24T19:55:00.002-05:00

The view from the top of my street. The Golden Gate Bridge is visible far off to the right.

Viewing the city from the Observation Tower at the De Young Museum.

Warm day in Dolores Park with a crystal clear view of the city.

Beautiful architecture at every turn.

And diverse foliage.

Sita Sings the Blues

2008-11-14T20:13:00.006-05:00

In moving to San Fran I wanted to be sure I got out and about as much as possible ... particularly to enjoy art/cultural events—even if that meant doing things by myself—which it certainly does when you only know a couple of people!

So when I found out that the San Francisco International Animation Festival was going to be happening, I checked it out and purchased tickets for a couple of the showings. Last Thursday was the opening night and the feature was a film entitled Sita Sings the Blues. I went in not knowing much about the film or it's director (and writer, designer, producer, animator), Nina Paley, aside from what I read on the website. I was completely blown away.

In this 82-minute feature, Paley employs the use of 4 main styles of animation and at least as many types of narrative, including song, to tell the story of an ancient Sanskrit epic Ramayana, creating a textured, visual feast. She also manages to tell us a true story of her own heartbreak that relates the ancient tale to modern times.

There are innumerable elements to this piece. Paley uses everything from montage to digital vector art to "cliche" cartoon elements (sing-a-long and graphic expressions such as "BANG!") to hand-painted art in order to illustrate the story and reference her various sources of inspiration. You can see the genie of Disney's Aladdin in the digital rendering of Rāma and Betty Boop in Sita. Her hand-painted work clearly draws from Indian folk art. All of this combines to keep the audience enthralled and engaged not just in the story but in the art itself.

Perhaps my favorite element of the whole piece is the incorporation of Annette Hanshaw's songs from the 20's. Absolutely genius. It's just wild to see how Paley is able to connect all of these pieces to create a cohesive piece. Ancient Sanskrit epic, jazz from the 20's and a story of divorce in the 21st century.

Verterra Dinnerware

2008-11-13T13:35:00.006-05:00

I just found out about this product called VerTerra. This is similar to a couple of products I talked about in this post over on No Trash Challenge. Everything is "sustainable this, sustainable that" lately so it's no wonder that products like this are popping up everywhere. While I think it's pretty cool that people are developing materials made from unconventional sources, there's a fine line between the sustainable aspect and it still being all about consumption. "Buy this to be sustainable and environmentally friendly". I think it's smarter to buy things (preferably used) that are durable and will last a long time rather than buy something new just because it's biodegradable or produced in an environmentally friendly way.

Despite that, this product is neat. It's made from fallen palm leaves from plantations where the leaves would otherwise be burnt. Though I suppose if we want to get specific here, the palm leaves are sourced and formed into plates in South Asia ... so once you factor in the fuel / transportation it takes to get them here, I'm wondering if that all negates the environmental friendliness altogether? And it's also not really that fresh an idea. They've been making plates from plants in places like India for a long time.

Anyway, the deets on this product from their brochure/website:
VerTerra is all natural—chemical/bleach free—made with only two "ingredients", the palm leaves and water. They are non-toxic, 100% compostable and naturally biodegrade in 2 months. They're microwave, oven (to a certain temp) and refrigerator-safe.

At $12 for a package of 10 plates, will you be trying them out at your next party?

Nelson bubble x3

2008-11-11T15:59:00.003-05:00

What's better than one Nelson bubble? Three!!!
Three times as good. Three times as bright (well, not necessarily). Three times as beautiful (definitely). Three times as affordable!

GOOD Magazine / Motion Design

2008-11-06T20:14:00.002-05:00

Good Magazine, in collaboration with VolumeOne put out this awesome motion reel about the cost of war.

O-O-O-O-O

2008-11-04T23:39:00.004-05:00

OBAMA!

A heartfelt, sincere, uniting, beautiful speech, given with ease and grace that brought everyone to tears.

I have to say that I'm still in disbelief. I just can't even believe this HAS HAPPENED in my lifetime. But it's beautiful. And while it is historic that he is our first Black President, this election was about much more than that and I hope that the news will talk about this in a broader sense—and not just focus on race!

Tonight in San Francisco it's a clear night, the stars seem to be twinkling a little brighter and the copters are chopping up the air!! It's almost 11PM and it sounds like there's an army in the sky. I wish I could record the noise for you. I feel like I'm living at an army base. Maybe there's a big party somewhere that I'm missing.

HAVE SOME

2008-11-04T19:25:00.001-05:00

update : life

2008-11-03T17:53:00.010-05:00

Well it's a rainy, chilly day here in San Fran. A little gloomy but it's OK because I got 4 tickets to the sold out She + Him show tonight at Bimbo's 365! I don't even have 3 friends here to invite!

Anyway, I love the area where I'm working. I'm at the intersection of Chinatown, Little Italy + the Financial District in an area known as the Jackson Square Historic District. It dates back to the California Gold Rush — in fact, the alley where our offices are located is called Gold St. Walking tours full of hipbelt-wearing tourists regularly congregate outside of our windows. The Transamerica Pyramid looms overhead.

And it's a great place to go out to lunch! Sure beats the Prudential food court. Today I had Udon for lunch. Last week we had Viatnemese, Chinese, Mexican and Indian. I'm getting extremely spoiled.

That hot pink and white thing on top is a thin slice of kamaboko: a halfmoon-shaped fish cake. It tasted as weird as it looks and I think it gave me a tummy ache.

My cube is beginning to look a little more fun. Today I ordered this letterpress print by artist Dan Funderburgh. It's printed on recycled paper and ALL of the proceeds go to the Obama campaign. Since I don't think I'll be able to vote in this election (believe me, I'm pissed: I've requested my absentee ballot twice and still nothing), the least I can do is make a contribution to the campaign.

I also added this lively, bright screen print (meant to be wrapping paper) by The Magnificent Chatwin Brothers which I found at the store Eden + Eden that I mentioned previously.

Happy Halloween : Sustainable Caskets

2008-10-31T13:09:00.003-05:00

In honor of Halloween, I thought I would share this modern & sustainable casket by UONO. It's available in 14 different colors (with individualized colors available through their "Haute Couture" service), is fabricated from untreated jute and eco-resin and is biodegradable within 10-15 years. It's also appropriate for cremation. From the website: "The high-gloss varnish is water-based and ecologically harmless."

New Music: She + Him

2008-10-28T18:09:00.004-05:00

Beautiful combo : She { Zooey Deschanel } + Him { M.Ward }

You might recognize her name and face from a slew of movies and TV appearances (my favorite of which was her character on Weeds) but here she debuts with M.Ward on an album that delivers "that 70s California sound".

I hate the History Channel

2008-10-25T20:52:00.004-05:00

Not really, but what do you know? Tonight I was watching a little TV, flipping channels and came across the History Channel. The program was "Mega Disasters" and the feature tonight was the next big earthquake in San Francisco!

Of course I knew prior to moving here that it has been predicted that SF will be hit by a major earthquake at some point in the near future, but watching that program was not at all comforting. Watch video from the feature here.

What really terrifies me, is to think that I could be alone and *really* scared for my life if a disaster like that struck. And they kept saying in the feature, "it could happen at 9AM tomorrow". So evil!

Against the grain

2008-10-24T17:38:00.007-05:00

Objets d'wood are so hot right now!

I love the contrast between nature and technology that a lot of these products convey.

Natural protection for your iPhone from Miniot. Carved from a single piece of wood { oak, padouk, cherry, mahogany, walnut } and engraved with your monogram or personal message. Also available for your iPod Classic.

Watches from Nixon remind you that there's more to life than being on time!

Eco-friendly style from iWood. Do you care about the planet but want to look cool too?

And disguise your laptop in a natural skin (wood veneer) from iamhumannow.

And for a quick, FREE fix, throw a woodgrain texture up as your desktop wallpaper!

Etsy talent : Tinctory

2008-10-23T16:44:00.003-05:00

The work by Eva of Tinctory reminds me of the smocking on the little dresses my mom made for me when I was teeny tiny. Eva makes them all by hand, using mostly recycled silk. One more thing to add to my Etsy wishlist!

What are you hoping for?

2008-10-23T12:03:00.005-05:00

My new cube / office is great — a lot of space and walls on which to hang fun posters and such. But right now I don't have any fun posters because everything is in boxes on the truck. So this morning I was browsing online a little bit, looking for one of those colorful and graphic Obama posters to order when I came across these free printable posters on Hyperakt!

They are FREE to download and available in 5 different colorways and three sizes: 24"x36", 11"x17" or 8.5"x11".

The image shown above also makes for a pretty nice wallpaper for your desktop.

the new flat (at least for a couple of months)

2008-10-21T23:54:00.003-05:00

My bedroom (!!!):

Luna:

The garden view from my room:

The red roof next door that looks beautiful in the 6'oclock light:

The wedges of buildings seen from the back porch:

Garden of Eden

2008-10-21T18:26:00.009-05:00

Today on my lunch break, I went out to check out a store I've only walked by twice but have already noted as evil temptation: Eden+Eden. It even has a tempting name. From the window, I spotted a few things that could easily find their way onto my new desk:

They also have some fun jewelry.

The shop keeper happened to have stepped out (my wallet thanks you), but next door I found AREA San Francisco, another cute shop run by John and his sweet pup, Finley. Area carries modern design for the home and garden. A great place to find a gift for a someone with a modern sensibility (don't worry, I'm sure they sell gift certificates).

On my way back to the office, I spotted a sign that sparked my curiosity: Carrots. I wandered in to find myself amidst racks and racks of ridiculously gorgeous clothing. They showcase hand-picked pieces from the collections of some of the most exquisite designers such as Peter Som and Stella McCartney as well as some up-and-coming designers such as Richard Chai (who perhaps shouldn't be referred to as "up-and-coming" any longer ... especially considering he recently designed a line for Target—isn't that a sign that you've "made it"?). While I don't think I'll be shopping there anytime soon, it's still great to see up close and personal what designers are putting out there right now.

dim sum & mos def

2008-10-18T14:54:00.006-05:00

My favorite part of San Francisco thus far: Chinatown. I went to get my hair cut Friday at my new salon, Elevation, which is less than a block from the Chinatown Gate, so I figured I'd stroll through and get a bite to eat. Of course I had to check out everything before committing. There are a million options from the all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet complete with an announcement being blasted from the front door (no thanks) to fancy sit down restaurants. I went with a casual dim sum shop.
After that I browsed some of the Chinatown tourist shops just because they're so much fun! I didn't buy anything ~ my photos will suffice. But expect gifts from Chinatown this year!

As always at this time of year in any city, there are too many things to do on the weekends. It's a great problem to have but sometimes it's a bummer to have to pick and choose when you'd like to go to everything! Yesterday I had the option of going to the Red Bull SoapBox Race or a free concert in Golden Gate Park. Anticipating a huge crowd at the race and the probability that we probably wouldn't even be able to see much, Jackson and I ended up going to the concert. After all, how often can you see Mos Def for free?

One thing I've noticed in the past few days about San Fran ... the style! It's great. Everyone looks so good. I normally feel a little weird about taking pictures of people on the street, but I caught a couple things yesterday at the show.

The SF adventure begins.

2008-10-16T21:19:00.007-05:00

My things have shipped off and as of this morning, they were in Chicago, getting ready for the trip out to Oakland. I have to say, that if you ever need to make a significant move like this, I highly recommend U-Pack / ABF. They have been fantastic. Everyone from the U-Pack customer service to the ABF truck drivers to the terminal operators. They've all been friendly and helpful without even the slightest edge of impatience.

And so I have also shipped off and landed smoothly in the Upper Haight. I'm staying with a friend for the first few nights in town but should be able to get into my sublet this Sunday.

I spent my first—beautiful, though almost TOO HOT—day in San Fran just casually walking about, hopping from one place to the next with no real agenda in mind. I started off with coffee and breakfast on colorful Haight St., which really doesn't "wake up" until 11 or so, and then found myself walking amongst the towering trees of the Panhandle—a park built atop shifting sand dunes.

At the end of the Panhandle, I encountered the California DMV. So I figured it was a good time to transfer my license and become an official resident of California! Of course sitting at the DMV is always a lot of fun.

I failed the written exam the first time. I think they got me on some San Fran-specific questions that had to do with parking on hills and driving down curvy streets. But I passed the second time around and am now official!

After that, I NEEDED to eat. So I took my first MUNI ride (well, first as an SF resident) and headed down to check out the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero. And wow. YUM. I think I just died and went to Gourmet heaven! It reminded me of Quincy Market in Boston, but a much more selective version.

After checking out all of the options, I finally decided to go with a little Mexican from Mijita. Fish taco and chips w/guac.

A long day out and about. More adventure to come!

Lasts ...

2008-10-13T10:59:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, my mom surprised me by pulling up to my yard sale with my baby girl, Riley. Ok, so she's not such a baby anymore, but she's still so sweet. Of course then I had to ditch the yard sale, leaving everything out for free, and enjoy an afternoon in JP with my mom and my pup.

But considering her age and family history—both of her sisters have bone cancer (we know this because they are owned by my Aunt & cousin)—this may have been the last time I will ever see her. Sad.

On top of that, it was my last fall in New England and my last time out and about in my lovely neighborhood of Jamaica Plain. At least for a long time.

I'm definitely going to miss living here. It's been such a nice place to call home for three years.

And lastly, last night was also my last night sleeping in my big green house.

The current state of things

2008-10-09T21:27:00.004-05:00

Are messy. Funny how our lives sometimes mimic what's going on on a much larger scale.

The world is a messy place right now. As I was hanging a YARD SALE sign up today, which lists "shoes" as one of my "for sale" items, an old man with an overgrown beard and awkwardly fitted clothing came up to me and inquired about them. I said to him, "I'm sorry sir, but they are women's shoes." And he was disappointed. He looked down at his feet and said, "I'm practically barefoot here". He went on to tell me about how "back in the day" he could go to the department store and get a pair of shoes, but now they are a hundred bucks or so and that on an income of $600, he can barely make ends meet already. He said he was doing better when he was on the street—which he was for 6 years, until 2007.

It made my heart break a little. I told him that the thrift store was right down the street, but he says he goes in there every day and they don't have any. I would have taken him to the shoe store and bought him a pair myself if I weren't already in a tough place with money—with moving and all.

Here I am, moving from my cheap, comfy house and decent-paying job to the most expensive city in the country—for which I had to pull money from my savings. Is this the smartest move I could be making right now? Stay tuned!

Drowning in corrugated cardboard

2008-10-08T06:39:00.003-05:00

Today, my 28' trailer is being delivered for me to start packing it up with all of my things. I can't believe this is really happening! After a little bit of research and getting some quotes, I decided to go with ABF U-Pack. I was really close to choosing Pack & Ride because they had exceptional customer service—one of the owners called me personally and talked me through everything, then when I told him I was choosing U-Pack he called again and offered me a lower price. Unfortunately, they just don't have enough out there about them in terms of customer reviews (positive or negative) and for a move like this, that's what I needed to see.

I had contemplated getting a pod type of container delivered, also offered by these companies, but it is more expensive and you are limited to that space. With the trailer, if I end up needing more than the 6' of space I had quoted, I can take it for approx $150 per additional foot. Not bad. I can also use less space and deduct accordingly. Seemed like a win-win deal. And they also will leave the trailer at your house for several days (like the pod), so you can slowly pack it up rather than have to do it all in a few hours.

And it *supposedly* should only take 5-10 days to get to Cali.

So, I'll let you know more (hopefully positive) news once this giant gets delivered and then sent on it's way next Tuesday.

San Fran : 2nd most sustainable city

2008-10-02T12:59:00.005-05:00

While Boston was named #6 on SustainLane's ranking of the most sustainable cities in the U.S., San Francisco was named #2 (behind Portland, OR)! Yayy. I knew I'd like living there :)

I'm proud (of my new city) to say that they were the first in the nation to ban plastic bags at major grocery stores. They also plowed city hall's green to create a vegetable garden and called for a policy promoting urban gardens and fruit-bearing trees on street medians (though I'm not sure how that would mix with car exhaust).

SF was also named
#1 in Waste Management
#1 in City Innovation
#1 in Energy & Climate Change
#2 in Planning & Land Use
#4 in Water Quality
#4 in Green Economy
#4 in City Commuting
#5 in Air Quality

Unfortunately, it's ranked at #47 for Natural Disaster Risk, due to its position on the San Andreas Fault and risk for tsunamis.

Annnnd #50 in Housing Affordability !!

Experience Wii Page Takeover

2008-10-02T11:51:00.003-05:00

If you haven't seen this awesome "page takeover" (it's not a real takeover because it's a "fake" page), you have to check it out:

Experience Wii YouTube page takeover

my new 'hood

2008-09-30T21:57:00.004-05:00

At least for 8 weeks while I find something more permanent.

Right smack dab in the middle of The Haight. A few easy blocks from Golden Gate Park, too many cool stores (at least on my just-having-moved-budget which will be zilch) and a "bohemian ambience". I'm looking forward to living here during the build-up to the November election.

Dexter : Season Premiere

2008-09-28T23:09:00.003-05:00

So the season started tonight. How can you not love a show about a serial killer with such an amazing title sequence? It's brilliantly edited / directed art. Makes you crave a hearty breakfast with a side of ... blood !

Did you see it? You can catch it every Sunday night on ShowTime 9PM EST.

finished "scarf"

2008-09-27T22:12:00.003-05:00

I had intended to make a real scarf but when I realized that I had made it too wide to be successful with the amount of yarn I had, I decided to instead make a cowl thing. This can also be worn a little tighter around the neck and tucked into your winter coat so your neck stays cozy. A neck warmer.

Moving Sale

2008-09-27T01:38:00.003-05:00

I don't even know if anyone aside from my mother reads this ... but in case there is anyone else, I'm selling off a whole lotta stuff! Please view my Flickr album here for details on what's available. There is still more to come but I may as well get started!

The "big" pieces I'm selling include my 1930's antique dresser from an estate sale and a beautiful drafting table.

new hobby : knitting

2008-09-27T00:46:00.003-05:00

I haven't knitted in forever. But all of my browsing on Etsy inspired me to pick it up again. And when I went out to the Fabric Place earlier this week, it was the perfect opportunity to pick up some needles and yarn.

So I'm working on something for my friend Lori. Shhhhhhh.

Isn't the color purple-licious?

did you know?

2008-09-25T14:48:00.005-05:00

That there are buffalo in Golden Gate Park?

I just learned this today. One thing to add to my "to see" list when I get to San Francisco.
Yes! I'm moving to San Francisco!

Fabric Place sell out

2008-09-24T07:52:00.005-05:00

If you live in the Boston area and like fabric, crafts, etc., then you best do yourself a favor and head out to Framingham ASAP! The Fabric Place, right near the Framingham commuter rail station (and another location at the Woburn Mall) is selling off all of it's inventory—including store fixtures—because they are going out of business. Everything is currently 25-50% off and prices will just continue to drop. But don't wait too long or all of the good stuff will be gone.

If you like Amy Butler fabric, there are bolts and bolts of it available at unheard of discounts. I think they mostly had designs from the Nigella and August Fields collections. I considered buying some up and reselling online, but I know it would just end up sitting around unused.

Additionally, there are tons of window treatments, sewing, quilting and knitting supplies, upholstery fabrics, etc. so now you have plans this weekend!

Etsy talent : Ash Hilton

2008-09-22T21:11:00.006-05:00

Too many things to blog about! But that's a good thing ~ means a lot of talented people. Of course it also means a lot of beautiful things I want to buy! At least everything I'm showing you here is hand made, by independent artists—as opposed to mass produced in China.

So anyway, back to that talent. I found myself browsing around on Etsy again (I went back to purchase that chain scarf from Yokoo) and came across the work of Ash Hilton.

What caught my eye was this ring—which, it turns out, is actually 3 separate rings, stacked. LOVE! Adorable, simple little fruit shapes in a brushed metal look. Very cute.

What I also like about Ash Hilton and his work is there is a lot of care taken to be very environmentally and socially responsible. He tries to be as efficient and low-impact as possible which means not only recycling scraps of old jewelry but also taking the time and effort to research the origin of his metals and sourcing from the most responsible and local sources.

Visit his Etsy profile or personal site for more info about a "closed loop" or "ethical metal" that he fabricates himself.

And if you don't know anything about "conflict diamonds" or other issues with mining, the movie Blood Diamond (with Leonardo DiCaprio + Jennifer Connolly and also nominated for 5 Oscars) is an entertaining way to start skooling yourself! But don't let the education stop there.