Five for silver, six for gold

A few bits and bobs that caught my eye recently. Clockwise from top left: organic fine silver post earrings with iridescent sparkles from Tiny Galaxies; blueberry petite druzy pendant dipped in gold from SMVdesigns; dull pewter snake print ballerinas from elehandmade; and gilded bronze tiny twig hairpins from Woodland Belle.  

Flickr Favorites

I almost let March get away without posting my Flickr favorites!

(Source: tom_tom)

(Source: allencompanyinc)

(Source: brianwferry)

(Source: little gold poppy)

(Source: ya qiu)

(Source: Jerry-Lin)

Tuesday Playlist

Collage

I made the first collage shortly after the New Museum opened a few years ago; I loved the architecture of the building as well as the advertising campaign that accompanied it's opening. Droga5 created a logo based on the elevation of the building, and that shape became like a window or a keyhole, offering a sneak peek of what was to come. Those "windows" were repeated (sometimes with images inside, sometimes as cut-outs) on billboards, in subway stations, in department store windows, in newspapers, magazines and websites. It was simple and clever, and it worked--because everyone was talking about the New Museum.

The second collage is again about repetition of shape, only this time with a mobile by Tim Rose for F. Dorian and a photo shoot that I think came out of Marie Claire magazine. I like that she's casting technicolor shadows on the wall (reminds me of the red and blue cellophane in old school 3D glasses), and the embroidered pattern on her dress echoes the red orbs of the mobile. If anyone's curious, I think the dress is by Erdem.

On Seeing (take 2)

(via Lotta Agaton)

Happy Friday

(Source: State Library of New South Wales collection)

I'm a sucker for all things cute, and that includes tiny girls in tiny dresses hugging their Scottish terriers.

What's everyone up to this weekend? As usual, my brain is buzzing with about a thousand creative things I want to make and do, but finding the energy and time management skills...well, I'm still working on that part.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival starts in DC tomorrow and will continue for a couple of weeks. I haven't decided whether I'm going this year. The trees are very pretty, but it can also get very crowded, which for me, takes away some of the beauty and peacefulness of walking in a sea of pink trees.

There's also an art exhibit I've been dying to see for a couple of weeks now; if I can get over there and take some decent photos, I'll post about it next week.

Hope you all have a fun weekend!

Table Lamps

You can never go wrong with classic table lamps made of wood and white ceramic. These shapes are timeless and would fit in any decor style, from modern to traditional.

For the record, I'm a big fan of mixing up styles of furniture and accessories in artful ways. For example, the cracked ceramic lamp from West Elm (top left) would, of course, be at home among similarly shaped mid-century modern furniture, but what if you set it on a rustic side table made of reclaimed wood? Likewise, the Anthropologie lamp (top right) would fit perfectly with updated Queen Anne chairs or cottage style furniture, but why not place it on a metal nightstand in pool blue?

Clockwise from top left: Ceramic Cube lamp from West Elm; Simplicity lamp from Anthropologie; Mid-Century Modern Danish lamps from Phat Dog; Morse lamp from Crate & Barrel; Modern Square lamp from Atomic Attic; Buenos Aires lamp from Jonathan Adler; Chalet lamp by Lawrence McRae (available from All Modern Lighting).

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Last week, I won these lovely earrings by Portland jewelry designer Destiny Ray in a giveaway hosted by Bubby & Bean. I'm super excited as this is my first time winning anything. Well, I did win a $5 gift certificate to Ben and Jerry's when I was 19, and it came with a small stuffed Chik-fil-A cow that had their "Eat mor chikin" slogan on its side. But that hardly compares to these beautiful handcrafted silver earrings!

They are lightweight, the perfect size, and can easily be worn either casual or dressy. (I wore them with a 1960s-esque mod style black dress.) To see more of Destiny Ray's jewelry, visit her Etsy shop here.

Tuesday Playlist

The first song by Beck should be "Lazy Flies" not "Lazy Files" - haha. Whoever typed it in misspelled it, but grooveshark won't let me change that. Or maybe I just don't know how to do it. Anyway, hope you enjoy this week's Tuesday playlist!

1960s Advertising

I could look at these images of 1960s print ads all day. The bright colors and graphic shapes are infinitely more interesting to me than a lot of contemporary advertising.

What do you think? Do you prefer modern digitally enhanced print ads or old-fashioned, hand-illustrated advertising?

(Source: all images from Pink Ponk)

Huset

I love these cute modern children's goods from Huset. The colors and patterns are a bit retro, reminding me of things I owned as a kid. And the photo styling is excellent, as always.

The Year My Voice Broke

I thought I'd do a post on The Year My Voice Broke because it is finally available on Netflix. I first saw this film about 15 years ago and fell in love. It's a coming-of-age story about an awkwardly romantic teenager named Danny and his best friend, Freya. Set in 1960s Australia, the backdrop is starkly beautiful, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the plot interesting. But perhaps more important in a coming-of-age film, the tone never ventures into maudlin territory (a trap many of its peers often stumble into), and the pacing feels just right. Also, Noah Taylor (Danny) is perfect and probably the biggest reason I have watched this movie many times.

Here are a few screenshots in random order. Don't worry, no spoilers here.

The Year My Voice Broke is the prequel to the more widely seen (and fantastic) Flirting, in which Noah Taylor returns to star opposite Nicole Kidman and Thandie Newton. A third installment was planned but never filmed.

Ume Blossom Hairpins

I ordered these cute, handmade ume blossom hairpins a while ago from Oriental Designs. They are the perfect accessory to make a messy bun look somewhat presentable, especially on days when I don't have time to dry my hair. Check out the shop here.

Tuesday Playlist

So here's a new playlist using grooveshark. I actually think playlist.com was a bit more user-friendly as far as modifying the playlist once you've made it. But when it comes to the number of songs, grooveshark can't be beat. I rediscovered a bunch of blasts from the past that I haven't listened to in ages. This whole making playlists thing has become a bit of an addiction. Consider yourself forewarned.

Color Inspiration: Spring Greens

(Source: Nina Ricci dress in Vogue - I think from Sept 2007)

(Source: Anthropologie catalog)

(Source: Anthropologie)

(Source: Noah's Blog)

(Source: Succulents Galore)

(Source: sevenbc)

(Source: baddestbiitch)

(Source: GlitzGlitter)

(Source: Sara Paloma)

Happy Friday

(Source here)

I think if I had seen something like this when I was six years old, my head would've exploded. It's like a dream.

I hope your weekend is filled with laughter and rainbows and candy and everything good.

Siiso

Here are a few paintings and prints from one of my favorite etsy shops, siiso. Yangyang Pan's beautiful mixed-media paintings are brimming with texture, movement, and kaleidoscope colors. In contrast, her abstract botanical prints are more delicate, with sweeping lines and pastel washes of color. But all of her work shares a sense of liveliness, of things growing and evolving. I've been eyeing her shop for a while now but simply can't make up my mind which piece to buy.

To see more of Pan's artwork, visit her etsy shop and her website.

Bunnies! Bunnies! It must be bunnies!

There's a drastic shortage of real bunnies (and other cute animals) in my life, so I have to make my own. These little guys are in the shop. A twitter pal told me the pink one looked "sweet like a sugar cookie." I take that as the highest compliment!

Also, if you get the reference in the title, there's a good chance we're soul mates.

Tuesday Playlist

Thanks to all the people who recommended grooveshark to me; I will definitely use that site for the next playlist. They seem to have a lot more options. (I had already made this mix earlier using the other site). Hope you like it!

Hey Peeps, It's Diorama Time!

It's that time of year again. The Washington Post is hosting its 5th annual Peeps Diorama Contest. It should come as no surprise that I love dioramas and have been a huge fan of this contest since it's inception. Here are a few of my favorites from years past:

"Up" by Michael Chirlin and Veronica Ettle

"Creating a Masterpeeps" by Phyllis Mayes

"NightPeeps" by Melissa Harvey

"Goodnight Moon" by Mary Lea Harris

"Where the Wild Peeps Are" by Margaret Cooney and Adam Matuszeski

"Charm City Roller Peeps vs. DC Roller Peeps" by Hilary Christian 

"Rosslyn Metro Station, Friday 5 p.m." by Maria McLeod and Phil Bauer

"Peep Art" by Ilana Greenstein and Jane Dokko

"The Birds" by Linda Parker Gates and Brooks Wilson

"Nightmare in Pink" by Peter Byer

To see more entries from 2007-2010, check out the Peeps Shows. And if you want to enter yourself, there's still time; photo submissions are due March 14. You do have to be a local resident to be named one of the top five finalists, but anyone can enter for a chance to be featured in the online galleries and possibly the Washington Post Magazine.