This simple diy from Fellow Fellow employs an old idea to create a romantic "candlelit" town. Isn't the top photo gorgeous? The best thing about this diy is that you can use virtually any photo. It's fun to experiment with different types of images to get different effects. Just make sure to use a battery-operated tealight candle (obviously, mixing open flames with paper is never a good idea).
Still making cards to send with orders from my shop.
I'm no gourmet cook (and don't aspire to be), but I did make a choice as of the new year to try to eat healthier--less sugar, more vegetables--which inevitably means cooking more often. Here are a few things I've made recently: whole grain pasta with spinach, tomatoes, walnuts, and parmesan; quiche with zucchini, tomatoes, and swiss; and balsamic rosemary chicken and peppers.
P.S. I realize I only captioned two photos, but the rest are self-explanatory, I guess. Feel free to make up your own captions in the comments. :)
I've come across these vintage Works Project Administration (WPA) posters every now and then, and I love the bold colors, graphic shapes and silhouettes featured on many of them. About 900 of the 2,000 created between 1936 and 1943 have been digitized and are available for download on the Library of Congress website. I spent quite a while on Saturday perusing the archives...such a wealth of inspiration.
I always love Orla Kiely's designs and the Pre-Spring/Summer 2012 lookbook is no exception. Her style somehow manages to be both feminine and a bit tomboyish at the same time, always with a retro vibe and a fresh color palette. If I could, I would dress like this every day. What do you think?
First on my list of things to do this weekend is finish watching this film! It aired on PBS in December, but I only ever managed to see about half of it. But good news! The entire film is available online here. I can't wait to see the rest of it because it's the kind of film that gets you excited about design and all the possibilities we have to make the world we inhabit a little bit better. Did you know that even though Charles Eames is widely referred to as an architect, he dropped out of school and never got his license? Obviously, he didn't let that hold him back from changing the face of design forever, with the help of Ray of course, and all the other talented folks in their studio. Even if mid-century design isn't your thing, there's a lot to take away from this film.
So, what are you guys up to this weekend? It's my last chance to see an art show I've been wanting to go to forever (and by forever, I mean a couple months), but wind chills here are supposed to be downright miserable, so we'll see if I can muster up the stamina to make the trek. I've also got a few projects to work on for the shop. Hope everyone stays well and warm! xo, Mary
I came across this fun tutorial for origami stars from bloomize the other day. I love the idea of getting lost in a pretty pastel galaxy, especially when one has to contend with dreary winter weather outside. Why not make your interior world whatever you want it to be?
To all those who got a message saying "This blog has been removed" earlier today, I have no idea why that happened, but everything seems to be working now. It was really scary, actually, because I was completely locked out of my google account (email and everything). Fellow bloggers, take a minute today to back up your blog (Sonya wrote a handy how-to if you're not sure how to do this).
Today has been eventful to say the least. Also, it snowed!
I wanted to share my card from the truly talented and super adorable Ren. You can see last year's card here. I love the overlapping washes of kaleidoscope color and the elf-like creature rising from the ether with Merry Christmas hair, no less!
I still haven't taken down any of our Christmas decorations or cards, so this one will be proudly displayed too. I guess if I had a house, I'd actually have to worry about those kinds of things lest I embarrass my neighbors, but that's one of the perks of living in an apartment building with an odd lot of characters. I can only imagine what goes on in other apartments, but I have an idea that Christmas decor in January is tame by comparison!
These book covers designed for Penguin by Angus Hyland are beyond gorgeous and somehow so fitting of Virginia Woolf's writing. I have many of Woolf's books already, but I'm so tempted to buy these and donate my old copies to the library. I'm loving this trend of redesigning covers that's been going on the past couple of years. What do you think?
