making me happy

1. The nexus of the three surfaces beneath my feet in the above photo.
2. These Pregnancy Announcements. My cheeks hurt from laughing with Jamie Anne.
3. Feist writes a note and Feist does a fun live show. (Via Frolic and Les, respectively.)
4. The Case of the Beady-Eyed Binky Caper.
5. Discovering an unused Christmas gift certificate to Nordstrom. It's burning a hole in my pocket. I'm currently eying these. Am wishing I had a gift certificate for these.
6. Wilco on Letterman last night.
7. Lane went swimming in Elizabeth Taylor's pool. Or was at least invited to.
8. "We come in doing cartwheels" and other brilliant phrases that make up "Australia."
9. I get to go to Idaho again. Hurrah! And get one more Saturday.
10. Stormy skies in the forecast.

Wishing all an un-laborious Labor Day. Cheers to you!

fun and funnie

The days--and especially the nights--are already getting cooler. Summer, I'm going to miss you. On that note, here's a good double-size summer postcard of Port Dover, Ontario. It was sent July 25, 1947.

Dear Sherrie,

Finally got a card big enough to tell you all about our trip. I am writing to you from Niagara Falls. We went to see them last night. We saw them with the white lights on and the colored. When the colored lights were on it was really pretty. This is a picture of a beach I was on . I guess we will leave Canada today. I just got through taking a shower. It sure was fun. We saw a milk cart pulled by one horse. It sure was funnie.

Write soon,

Lola

unni rand curtains

These new Unni Rand curtains from IKEA might be nice(r) in small doses. Perhaps chopped up to recover a seat cushion or used to make covers for decorative sofa pillows?

something old something new

I'm have a crush on this graphic little "something old something new" bag constructed from (what used to be) a wool blanket. It was crafted by design duo ZO. Makes me rethink some of those not-so-chic blankets slung over sofas at the family cabin.

And the insides of these li'l guys are even cuter.
Thanks for the introduction, Bloesem. I think this one was your favorite, too.

argininosuccinic acid 1995

This is one of my favorite art postcards. It's of Damien Hirst's "Argininosuccinic Acid 1995." I saw it once at the Saatchi Gallery in London.

An adventuress with a passion for knowledge who is fun to do just about anything with, perhaps my friend Missy (of Tangled and True fame) will remember me dragging her there. I think we strolled across Abbey Road on the way home.

A similar Hirst pattern was once applied to some saucy Manolo Blahniks. But this one's gloss household paint on canvas.

i love typography (and other cool blogs)

I learned via Robby that Smashing Magazine made a compilation of 45 Excellent Blog Designs. Somehow, "A-hearts-C" didn't make the cut (hehe), but the results are fun to browse. I'm no graphic artist but my favorite, due to both subject matter and general design, is this one called "I Love Typography" by John Boardley. It's even better once you're on the site.

reflections and school supplies

Today I am tired. I know you're supposed to be all refreshed and ready to take on the world after the weekend, but I didn't do an adequate job of stocking up on R&R. I'm blaming it on my career choice. Stories take me hours longer than I plan. And then I get tired. And spacey. And even moody. But maybe what I need to be is more picky, and a bit more demanding but I've never been much good at that. At least not the demanding part.

For a pick-me-up, I need to reflect on some of the weekend's good things, since I never got a chance to reflect on the those that happened before Friday, like I usually do.

1. Goodbye kisses on the world's softest face. Max, I'm gonna miss you.
2. Finally!: a Saturday with Curtis.
3. Buffalo wings at Porcupine Grill.
4. Holding a still-itty bitty person named Olivia. And laughing with her fun parents.
5. School supplies. These things make me unusually happy, and I finally located a notebook of graph paper that will rival my last one. I like thick pages.
6. Tigers blood with cream: shave ice is thee taste of summer.
7. Formidable clouds and the sweet smell of rain.
8. There is still leftover wedding cake that hasn't spoiled. But it's almost gone.

Guess it's a good thing I never accepted that position on Wall Street. :)

wedding snapshots

These are a few shots of Lane & Britton's wedding. I feel a little silly blogging about it without her permission but she probably doesn't mind, and I can't ask her as it's likely she's currently basking under the Mayan sun.

Yellow is the color of Lane's life, and if she had her quirky-and-lovable way, each of those sun-colored days would be complemented with something as sweet as a marshmallow Peep. And as many friends and loved ones as she could possibly pack into a 24-hour period. Don't worry; Brit got his Funfetti groom's cake (thanks to Jamie Anne, who made it look cute as a button and taste even better) and petite cut-glass bowl of Jujubes.

Congratulations, lovebirds. As Curtis would say, "Here's to 2007's Unstoppable Love Force." (Good toast, babe.)

ann on saturday afternoon

My lifelong friend CJ married Ann, which means Ann is my friend now, too. (My friends always marry neat women, lucky for me.) She also agrees to be my muse from time to time.

Didn't she look cute on Saturday afternoon?

1971

The cool vibe from vintage-inspired posters like this from Scott Hansen of ISO50 make me want to head to the beach. Or to the '70s. I also like this one and this one; such nice doses of shape and color.

hello, snail

I've got a thing for snails lately. Not the kind I see oozing around Mom's garden, but the illustrated, embroidered and stuffed animal kinds. Or would it be stuffed insect? Or Gastropada?

These cards from Robot Candy caught my eye. Lots more here.

making me happy last week

1. An entire Flickr group dedicated to Bento. (Thanks, Jackie.)
2. Allison's family photos.
3. Sabra won, and graciously. Love this quote: "It's a popularity contest, and I hate to ever, ever be fake. Toward the end, I kept thinking, I don't ever want to put off the impression that I'm not being myself.'' A good philosophy, right?
4. (Little) visitors from Michigan.
5. Seeing some favorite blogging peoples in person. See here, here and here.
6. 400 chocolate-dipped marshmallow Peeps.
7. This blog of found things; a visual wonderland.
8. Bari Zaki's B'Zaar. (Thanks, Black Eiffel. I love these).
9. Wearing yellow shoes on a nice sunny day, with a radiant bride and handsome groom as the stars of the show. Lane & Brit's wedding was lovely and classy and also loads of fun. Love to see old familiar faces and dance like nobody's watching.

connector pens

Today on Your Heart Out we selected some of our favorite back-to-school-ish products to share with readers. I'm in love with these Faber-Castell Connector Pens: sculptural, colorful and handy. I also love the Orla Kiely mug and would like to use it for holding all my pens that aren't "connect-ready."

Plastica sure knows how to pick 'em!

rimbaud on a tee

I'm not a big T-shirt wearer but this design called Pense Pas Bete by Adrien Baptiste caught my eye. I would love to see it applied to a poster or postcard. It illustrates the writing of rebellious French poet Arthur Rimbaud. Luckily, one Threadless blogger decided to offer a bunch of translations.

I don't always agree with Rimbaud (I don't necessarily think that my death will be the best moment in my life), but here are some lines that I like, and so much prettier in French:

La vraie beauté est si particuliére qu'on ne la reconnait pas pour la beauté.
Real beauty is so special that it is not recognized as beauty.

L'art se dessine à travers le regard.
Art is created through a look (or eyes).

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lart calendar

It's been fun to watch so many 2008 calendars emerge. I think this one by Lart Cognac Berliner for Little Otsu is the most unusual I've seen yet. I like that it can double as a map and poster, and also that it looks hand-colored: playful and useful, all in one. The back resembles a homemade botanical print---might be my favorite part.

Front

Rear

More detailed pictures over here.
See everything else Little Otsu is brewing up over here.

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yardwork

Dear Mom and Lane: Thanks for making me work in the yard with you last night. I had forgotten how much I love getting my hands dirty. And also that I'm kind of good at yardwork, as long as lifting lots of heavy objects isn't part of the deal.

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another day, another journal

Am a big fan of these limited-edition Mateo Ilasco journals at Beklina. Am also of big fan of Mateo Ilasco altogether and wish to be so creatively accomplished.

Love this portion of her bio as I can sorta relate since I'm a tad nostalgic, myself:

"My work expresses a penchant for old-fashioned methods, humble and experimental materials, manual design, and physical craft. Of course, up-to-the-minute technology is cool, too, but somehow I just can't resist the sound of a clickety typewriter or the scratch of a tonearm touching down on vinyl. So it should be no surprise that while many make a dash for a website with all the interactive bells and whistles, I've looked a bit backward instead. Proactive in my old school mission, I designed this website with a low-tech slant (read: I like making patterns using symbols)."

bent on bento

Don't these bento boxes make you want to go camping? Or just back to school? I love the one in the middle.

making me happy

1. These impossibly cute cupcake holders scouted out by Lane.
2. When it comes to choreography, Mandy Moore is the jam. Exhibit B.
3. Sitting around a table at dusk with a handful of women I adore.
4. The design of these totally awesome sunglasses.
5. Making my first little Lisa Congdon purchase on Etsy. (First is the key word here).
6. Artsy and cool book project Julie participated in.
7. Cool website: ColourLovers. Made just for me. Thanks, Bob!
8. Sale, sale, sale at Topshop!
9. The cool, modern vibe of this ring.
10. Chelsea recommended this five year diary. I like it.
11. The blue-green water at Cliff Lake. I look ready to drift away.

glass lamps

Thinking one of these glass lamps from Brocade Home would do my nightstand some good. Am wishing I had left a little room for some purple in my life (or house), but I might have to go for clear.

friendly reminder

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Just a friendly reminder from UNIQLO.

loves color

Sometimes something speaks to you, and you don't know why.

I've always liked what I call "test color strips": gradients of color in bubble form that decorate the bottom flaps of boxes of granola bars and cold cereal---used to test CMYK separation. I'm less interested in that separation and more interested in the way they look. The four perfectly-colored spheres and the precision they demonstrate work as visual candy on me. (Kind of like these little guys I had totally forgotten about.)

For the same reason, I get hung up on the piece of paper that the printer spits out after you insert a new print cartridge. Currently, one of these test prints is hanging as a "decoration" in my workspace. I also get a little thrill when an image like this pops up on the TV screen. And seeing color testing in the margins of a swatch of fabric or a piece of patterned scrapbook paper is quite enjoyable, too.

A little bit ago, I became obsessed with the pages in this book simply because page after page features nicely-colored bar graphs. I don't necessarily need the information it provides, but I knew this illustrated encyclopedia had to be mine. With its bright colors, basic design, and element of exactness (graph paper included), it was after my own heart.

Here's to enjoying life's little pleasures. Even if it just means peeking at the bottom of your Special K in the morning. Or finding happiness in the moment wherein your favorite program is shut off and the color bars appear across your TV screen. Actually, I don't think they do that anymore.

But sometimes I wish they did.

making me happy

1. Two videos: Chocolate (via Maggie Nicole) and All Through The Night (via Celeste). The stomping slinky with long eyelashes might be my favorite.
2. Oh me oh my: Bluelines likes my li'l office!
3. A new itty bitty baby named Olivia with a full head of hair.
4. My friend Brad is turning into quite the photographer. I like this one.
5. This whimsical pola set by Eshu and Maditi. I adore them together.
6. Lane is here. And Jamie. And Grant. I love a "full house," even though they aren't staying at mine.

That's the short list for this week. Hoping you have a nice weekend.

vintage office

I might have accidentally wasted a little too much time looking at items resulting from a "vintage office" search on eBay last night.

• Gummed labels: cute and old-timey. I might want them just for the box they're packaged in. These are currently $4.99.
• Justrite rubber stamp set: Sure I could put it to good use. It's $8.99.
• Railway mailboxes: Could possibly work as storage. It's only $9.99, but you have to live in Minnesota to get your hands on it.
• Presto one-hole punch: I'd like to use it as a paperweight. It's going for a whoppin' $4.99.
• Wooden block calendar: a steal at $8.59, at the moment.
  

eBay drives a hard bargain! Still looking for ways to feel at home in my home office....

dear kate

Dear Kate Spade: Could your wonderful styling make your fall collection any more appealing? Loving all this schoolgirl color, especially plum and gold. Thank you for helping me to look forward to the end of summer.

{Image via Kate Spade.com}

the great dead sea

Cool, old souvenir postcard from the Great Salt Lake. I love the saturated colors, and the "if saltbag added" postage bit makes me laugh. So strange!