Fingerprint: Call for Entries

Fingerprint is such an inspirational book. When I'm designing I'm constantly trying to get that little touch into my designs to keep them from looking too "computery" even if I don't have the luxury of screen printing the piece... or sewing it, stamping it, etc.

Entries are due October 15th and are FREE! You can download the entry form here or here.

via mint and HOW.

it's here!

Guess what was waiting for me when I got home from work on Friday evening?! My yudu came in! (lucky me & lucky-clients-of-mine, I can't wait to use it on Annie & John's reception invites!) Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to use it this weekend. But we did catch the the Domino tag sale. It was quite picked over but we enjoyed the outing anyway.

I hope all of you Mommies out there had a relaxing Mother's Day! Have a beautiful Monday, darlings!

yudu // I did it!

I've been longing for a gocco printer for years. There has always been a good reason to buy one but never a good time (financially) . I have an addiction to printmaking; anything I can do to emboss, stamp, rub, press, transfer an image or type onto a surface makes me, in a sense, high. I'm constantly on the look out for anything that can help me do this. You know those rubber date stamps the librarians used in elementary school... I bought one of those on Monday. I couldn't help myself.

Ever since Amanda mentioned yudu I have been intrigued—could this be the answer to screen printing in my tiny studio apartment? Last night I finally took the plunge (we got our tax return in this weekend!). So, if I'm working on your wedding invites or if you've been thinking about talking to me about baby or graduation announcements, I will soon be able to screen print at will!

*thanks, Caroline for the yudu advise!

Family Tree Illustration

Staying in the vein of vintage photos, I did this collage-style illustration for an editorial last month. The article was about teaching kids about family history & helping them to create their own family tree.

*photographed by Paul Johnson

a little something.

A gift to someone important's family...something they called, "the best Christmas gift they could ever receive."





It was more about the contents of the little books I created than about the books themselves... But I felt the contents deserved a little something more than a nice envelope.

I made 10 total. I did use an inkjet printer for the inside, and ran the muslin "title" through the printer as well I sewed the bottom of the pages with a machine...so, they aren't entirely "handmade" (but I like to think that their pretty close).

I love.

ooo. This just makes me happy. There isn't much that I love more than simple & beautiful debossed paper. Preferably just white. so simple. so subtle. so perfect.


*Dear Santa, please send me a press for Christmas this year so I can make pretties like this.

from Yellow Owl Workshop...also, so lovely!

Buy in Bklyn!

If you're in the greater Brooklyn area tonight you should swing by all the local shops in Park Slope. They will be open late with fun specials. Get the specifics here.

*it's happening again next Thursday, December 11th, too.

Made with hands.

I have approximately one million projects that I want to do before Christmas. Things ranging from making stockings to handmade Christmas cards...ornaments, gifts...the list goes on. It's December 3rd and we will have family or friends in town (or we will be out of town) basically until January. No time for all of that. So for the things that I can't make as gifts etc, I will do my best to buy handmade. Did you take the pledge?

Just to get your brain thinking handmade this morning I'm going to share some of the work by the fine folks at Wonder Thunder.

I love Wonder Thunder's new pillows & the octopus accident baby t-shirt has always been one of my favorites!

I've also had my eye on a set of these practical little veggie bags for a long time...I would be the raddest girl at the co-op if with these bags for sure! (they "out-lawed" grocery bags awhile back but we buy almost everything in bulk so the small bags are still a real problem!)

You can find all of Wonder Thunder's wares here, on etsy.

Check out Lindsey's handmade suggestions here.

Christmas Stockings // etsy round up!

It's J & my first Christmas together as a family. (all together now..."Awww!") So we need some stockings! I've used the same stocking since I was about 4 years old. I can remember my Mom sewing the sequins onto the classic red & white stocking to spell my name. (My sisters got the shaft, theirs were glued on with Elmer's! They say you change your parenting methods after your first child...this is one of the times I got the good end of that! thanks, Mom)

Since we aren't going home & I have no idea how we will do a tree (itty-bitty living space!) The stockings are pretty important. I want something that will last & be easy to match with in years to come. (aka: nothing too trendy or funky)

Some of my favorites that I've found on etsy.
(above: by a modern.)


love the little animal designs on repurposed fabric by 3rd Life.

eco-felt made from recycled plastic (wow!)
left from rikrak.
right from exlibris handmade.

also eco-felt with cute bird & branch accents by beckaboo.

traditional & hand knit by ahnalee marie. (& these are lined inside so Santa's goodies won't poke through!)

Last but not least (I think these are my favorite, just our style!) A somewhat shabby-chic feminine version made out of a repurposed quilt with pretty buttons. & a more masculine one made of an old army blanket, embellished with a woodsy-branch design. Both by sydg.

*gonna get J's opinion on what to do...will have the big decision soon!

New York Public Library designers series

oh the inspiration!
incase you haven't heard...


via design*sponge

Mustachio!

At the end of last week I started the mad search for the perfect quick & homemade Halloween costume & this caught my eye on sfgirlbybay.

and the costume was born! I made my "mustache on a stick" out of cardboard wrapped in some black cloth, hot glue & a dowel rod...photos coming soon!

mustache on a stick by something's hiding in here via sfgirlbybay.

Closet "Studios''

Of course I dream of having a studio space to call my own. Where I don't have to put the sewing machine away to pull out the laptop, or go find the cutting mat and lay it on the floor because I have my printer on the table...you get the idea. However, I think this city-dweller could be satisfied with one of these fun & functional closet spaces found on sfgirlbybay by pinkshirtsandcarwrecks.


now...to convince J that his oxford shirts need to find a new home...

last minute details...

Some brides may (or may not yet) know that no matter how much planning you do ahead of time things some how slip off the radar & at the last minute, someone will get your back. BUT, that's why you have bridesmaids!
I was finishing Nicole & Josh's programs last week and asked if she ever ended up finding a guest book...she hadn't. While I would never claim to be a guest book extraordinare, I think it came out alright & the designer side of me was so pleased that I got to use some of the mountains of pretty paper I have laying around + match the book to the programs + play with some ribbon binding! Some of the other "maids" came to the rescue as well with the hand-crafted pens (pictured), a hand-sewn garter with a little something blue (sorry, no pics of it!) & it was a family affair putting together some georgous fall-inspired center peices!

The wedding was beautiful & came together perfectly. Even if the dress had to be re-fitted (again, last minute), they gave the groom the wrong tux, & the Unity Candle was lit...um...backwards for the ceremony...but, this couple is truly strong, they just laughed and rolled with the punches!

*Don't you love the orange calla lillies for a fall wedding! They looked amazing with the black ribbons and dresses!

please excuse the blurry photos on the guest book...I had to photograph it at the reception (with questionable lighting & after a glass of wine...) but the writing on the inside is the same Robert Frost poem from here.

O Fall, how I do love thee!

I'm getting jittery just looking (and drooling) over these lovely fall images at Matthew Mead. It seems everyone has been feeling autumn's arrival...(even if it's just with football games, for my Texas friends!) I was at Target yesterday and it's just evil the way they have the Halloween candy displayed in giant monster-mouths! (Did I say "evil" because I meant awesome! I did resist, for the record.) It's only September people, can't we hold off on the Halloween stuff for a few more weeks!?

I'm thinking a fun, fall-inspired project is on the horizon...not sure what (I am liking the funky wall art above via Matthew Mead)...but with this much excitement I must do something!

What are you doing to celebrate the fall, even if you can't feel it yet? Are you working on any fun recipes or projects?

*I already bought a pie pumpkin for baking and cooking...I would cook with pumpkin year around if it wasn't kind of faux pas.

top image by me.
bottom image via Matthew Mead.

DIY // trashcan + faux bois

faux bois: french, "fake wood"
savvy?

My bathroom trashcan was charcoal-grey, metal and rock-star-fabulous. And then, there was the big move & it got crushed. Yesterday evening I was at my local TrueValue and picked up a few materials for a DIY I've been dreaming about. (it's because of this. ever since I saw it, I've wanted to play too...) As you can see, our bathroom is bright white on...bright white. So things have a tendency to look really stark in there. I needed something with a little warmth and a little texture so here's what I did...

Materials:
-1 cheap trashcan (the more simple the shape, the easier it will be to wrap)
-1 roll of wood grain contact paper (approx: $3.99)
-X-acto knife or scissors whatever you're more comfortable with
-ruler
-cutting mat (if you go the X-acto route)

Measure your can's vertical height, add one & a half inches to that number. Mine was 14" tall so I cut 15.5" strips of contact paper. You need a little extra to tuck under the bottom to keep it seamless to prevent peeling.

Make each strip somewhere between 3-6" wide...your call

I laid my strips on vertically, starting at the top so I could smooth the extra under the can easily.

Just layer the strips on, the great thing is the wood grain looks seamless no matter what you do!

*note: watch out for bubbles, you'll have to go back and smooth them out!

Inspiration for the Weekend // Handmade Nation

really rad.

You should check out the interview with Faythe Levine (DIY, craftster extraordinaire) in the NY Times as well, it's very cool and worth the read! The documentary, Handmade Nation, debuts in 2009. Ms. Levine also has a book out, co-written with Cortney Heimerl, Handmade Nation: the rise of D.I.Y., Art, Craft & Design.

must fight the urge to bust out the sewing machine right now and do other work...pooh! But maybe I'll go to the library this afternoon and see about that book...

ps: Ms. Levine's band, Wooden Robot, did the soundtrack for the movie, pretty. freakin. rad.