I have long coveted a woodcut that my mother made when she was young. It sits in the kitchen, on a shelf, the majority of its days being hidden by mixing bowls and cookbooks.  i wholeheartedly love that piece, but I have never held a particular affinity for any other woodblock prints. 

I recently stumbled across the work of Jon and Sarah on their etsy site, and felt a sudden connection to the refreshing use of texture and color and it was so wonderful to see the process involved in creating this piece illustrated on the listing site. Although it doesn't hold a candle to my mom's.

Dear Universe

I know you're still working on the dress from a few days ago, but you wouldn't mind if i added this to the list, right?

i've been thinking alot about downsizing lately. less stuff, less space and less hassle would be a great way to start off our new life in DC.  While we can't quite commit to a tiny house right now, we are getting alot of inspiration from the Small Cool Contest at Apartment Therapy.  Now if we could only liberate ourselves from all of our hesitations...

what is this again? ah right, gorgeous. got it. (oh, and i'll take these.)

somehow last night, which was supposed to be a time for snuggling and relaxing on the couch, turned into an upright positioned, adrenaline pumping, anxiety attack when the hubby and i made the mistake of watching the documentary Addicted to Plastic at 11 at night. This resulted in me swearing off fish and nearly throwing away (and recycling) all of the food in the house. luckily i came across this little water company which has got the same kind of idea. unfortunately Boxed Water is Better, but it isn't distributed locally, and my carbon footprint would surely increase if i were to have it shipped to me.  all we can hope is that the idea will gain momentum and we as a culture can begin leading a more sustainable existance.

nothing is more pervasive in our lives than packaging - everything is wrapped and taped and hermetically sealed. we are influenced by advertising and coerced into purchasing products based on how they make us feel about ourselves. Lovely Package   is a site dedicated to showcasing the most inventive and appealing packaging in the marketplace today. and yes, i could be convinced to consume any of these.

working every day with children or around stuff for children, one can get a little jaded when it comes to primary colors. while this may be the case 99% of the time, nothing beats this beautiful shot from the portfolio of wayne vincent, except maybe moving in.

via ffffound.com

i am a sucker for romantic comedies and witty humor. this selection from the sundance film festival seems to fuse those interests seamlessly, while employing a few of my favorite actors. i just cant believe that i have to wait until 7 august.  surely the hours will seem endless.

Dear Universe

I would like to own, and look fabulous, in this. please make that happen.

The Sweet Life

Now the the wedding is drawing closer i find that i rarely look at wedding blogs anymore for inspiration because i know that ill end up getting carried away, trying to take on too many additional projects and second guessing the choices that ive made. when i came across this wedding in the new york times style section i felt no hesitation about my decisions but was in awe of the sweet details that this couple chose (is that a dress made of candy wrappers?)!

haik(sh)u

hey you, pink flower!

stop teasing me with your smug,

casual cuteness!

Ceci n'est pas une blog post

with the wedding swiftly approaching, i am always on the lookout for the perfect tie for zeke to wear. although this one, found at etsy shop TieLab, doesn't quite fit our needs (we are on the lookout for yellow), it does fit into how surreal we are feeling about how it is barely 7 weeks until the wedding!

Next time im in Paris...

the NPR archives are a treasure trove just waiting to be cracked open and rediscovered. I can spend hours perusing the shows, revisiting lost interests and being introduced to new ones. One of my favorite finds recently is this feature with Jim Haynes, an ex-patriot living in paris. Jim holds a sunday night dinner party every week, inviting both strangers and friends to join him. simply contact him to reserve your spot and you know, surely, your experience will be unparalleled.

its a sad day when you find something beautiful and you can't read it.  at least its a visual treat.

Act Locally

the 3/50 project encourages us to participate in our communities by stopping by local businesses and shopping in our own neighborhoods a little more often.  they offer a simple but comprehensive way to ensure that our regions do not lose their character, with just a small amount of effort. visit the site, pay attention and put in a little effort. if we do it, it will happen.

D to the C

although i have been feeling a bit of hesitation lately about our big move, i saw these images over at jill's blog and my excitement was instantly re-sparked. the thought of spending so much of my time in the beautiful Library of Congress made my heart flutter! although i might be too busy looking at those stained glass windows to get any work done!

Graham Crackers

Graham Crackers were always a little bit of a tease to me. Sort of sweet, sort of not, in my eyes they were the poor mans cookie.  As i've grown older, and moved to the town which claims to house where the graham cracker was invented,  my heart has sparked a fondness for those dry, crunchy faux-cookies. The spark ignited a massive flame when i saw this. S'mores for everyone!

by the way...

yum.

Although I do not have a green thumb, i certainly appreciate the glories of keeping lively, green plants indoors.  Generally i stick to succulents - they are easy to tend to and beautiful to look at - but this post from Australian Homehints (their How-to section offers helpful hints on things like folding fitted sheets and getting rid of cockroaches without chemicals) has sparked an interest in me to start to house bulbs inside also. What a treat it would be to walk through the door and have the smell of a hyacinth waft past.

This is not a hallucination. This is the most glorious thing you have ever seen.

Tis the season for tag sales and the like, and since zeke and i will soon be making the trip down the coast, we have been considering what to do with all of our stuff, including a massive collection of records, of which most have yet to even make it out of storage and into the house. Perhaps if i promise him that we can memorialize them on film, i can convince him to at least ebay them...

Making the Move

It is obvious that everyone is become more eco-conscious these days. I myself am allowing bike-ability to weigh heavily on my decision of where to live when we make the move to DC this coming fall. My current homestead doesn't allow me to bike anywhere that wouldn't be filed under recreational, so i have yet to outfit myself with the equipment, but this will surely be my first purchase. 

Enthusiastic Voyeurism

I believe that everyone is a voyeur at heart, and a great way for me to feed my interest in design, household objects, and looking at other people without feeling weird is The Selby. Todd Selby is invited into the homes of interesting people and photographs their spaces, only to share them with all of us.  Is it presumptuous to believe that one day he will be photographing my home?

Natural Beauty

There is nothing as satisfying for me as seeing the juxtaposition of stark white against natural wood.  This bangle set exemplifies that perfection into an every day, wearable object.  Now if only the conversion of the pound to the dollar wasn't so inhibiting....

What the What

it is at a time like this that i could really use my russian speaking sister...

Fabulous

Sophie Cuvelier speaks french and makes beautiful garlands.

Thats all i can decipher.

Urban Homestead

I stumbled across this video on the website of the New York Times Magazine.  In honor of Earth Day, they released a Green Issue, in which they covered a variety of topics including a feature on a family, the Dervaes of Pasadena, California. 

And i thought i was doing my part by shopping at the farmers market.

Haik(sh)u

you're grey and abstract

you are also now on sale

it is a cruel world

why do you tease me

Alan Pinkus Australia

get on my feet, now

Voiceprints

Inspired by Japanese textiles, Australian electronic artist Pierre Proske has created VoicePrints, an experimental computer software that records and analyzes a persons voice and creates an abstract pattern on fabrics which represent a constant loop of the audio captured. The video demonstration featured on his website allows you to see how slowly, the sound fades away and is replaced by new. What a beautiful metaphor for spring. 

A Case of the Mondays

After a recent watching of the oldie but goodie Office Space, i was reminded of the line "Somebody's got a case of the Monday's" and boy, do i ever.  Although my mondays generally allow me to ease into the upcoming week, today i'm feeling a little tired - perhaps it's due to all of the sun over the past few days. 

Never the less, when i take a look at this photo essay posted by the Boston Globe's Big Picture, i am instantly grateful for my Monday. 

A Year of Looking

Over the past few years i have found myself a frequent visitor of the project 3191 Miles Apart, a visual collaboration between Mav, a letterpress maven and Stephanie, a creator of precious objects. Each one lives in a Portland: Mav in Maine and Stephanie in Oregon. Their collaboration began when they decided that they would post a photograph they each took every morning to their blog, side by side, with no discussion beforehand and no description after. When a year had passed, they moved to photograping their evenings.

Unfortunately the original format of their website is down - you can no longer wade through the daily images as you were once able - but while perusing the Anthropologie site this morning, i came across the print version of their project. I would love to have a look through it with a cup of coffee tomorrow morning...

We All Scream for Modernism

Today feels like summer, and if i hadn't sworn off sweets i could surely be convinced to enjoy a cool, refreshing treat. The Coolhaus ice cream company travels around the country in their custom ice cream truck (most recently they were found at the Coachella Festival in California) selling ice cream sandwiches with names inspired by modern architectures most memorable contributors.

Sunny With A Chance Of Cuteness

Nothing is more charming than a summery dress, particularly when it boasts a vintage flair. In honor of the beautiful, sunny weather today, i visited the CandyStore Collective. This site features the work of artisans who work on anything from clothes to jewelry to art, music and "magical things." A dreamy way to pass the time while stuck in the fluorescent box.

Audio/Visual

Japanese artist, curator and designer, Sakurako Shimizu has developed a line of conceptual  jewelry  that creates a wearable image out of familiar sounds, such as these pins which illustrate the sounds YAWN, WOW and ACHOO.  They are such a charming reminder of how we dismiss the every-day, and how magical it could be if we just looked at it in a different light. A thesis project by jeweler David Bizer has yielded the fruit of an inspirational project in the same vein. 

The Sound Advice Project is encouraging kids to avoid drugs by inventing a way for parents to remind their children to make smart choices. Parents are able to choose a short phrase, record it and then customize the bead and cord color on their piece of jewelry to give to their loved one. Of course, there is no reason that this can not be used to remind the recipient of anything simple and true. 

Gold Party

sometimes you come across something that is just so stunning that it can't be ignored. that is how i feel about these, installations, from the website of french artist/designer Caroline Gomez. Although I have yet to become proficient in any language other than English, I don't need a dictionary to translate the beauty of her work. In addition to displaying her work, the site also boasts a shop, where the images of her goods showcases her charming photographic vision.