Application time!

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! The Second Storie ladies and I have been moving full speed ahead with plans for this year's indie market and it's going to be amazing. If you've been procrastinating putting in your application, well, stop! The deadline for applications is this coming Monday, August 2.  Seriously, get moving! And tell your friends :)

You can get your application here.

photo by chickydanger

New designs

I just added a few more invitation designs to the signature collection and included them in the shop. I've been working on some website updates, too, and those will hopefully be live by the end of the week. Fingers crossed!

A photo and a link: Blu

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Ok, so this video by Blu is pretty much mind-blowing.

For your Friday

I could have posted more. I probably will at some point.

Herb & Dorothy

HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb & Dorothy on Vimeo.

Last night Jake and I saw a screening of the film Herb and Dorothy and I was so inspired. It is a documentary about two average people (a librarian and a postal worker) who spent their lifetime collecting minimalist and contemporary artwork. Obsession might be a better way to describe their style of collecting. To see such passion and love of art reflected in such unassuming collectors was incredibly heartening.  My favorite part of the film was having the opportunity to look inside their small apartment and see just how they lived with the art. It was hung in every available inch of wall, suspended from the ceiling, and drawn directly on the bathroom wall. It wasn't collected as an investment or for noteriety. Art was collected to be lived with and loved.

The next time you call me...

OMG, this one almost made me fall over. Why isn't my name Pandarr?

A few more...

MinxShop

With the Gift Fair looming in my near future I've been daydreaming about what I am going to wear to it. I think these pieces by MinxShop are fantastic and perfect for such an occasion. Anna-Marie decribes her clothing as "An exploration of luxuriously wearable dresses, shirts, and skirts designed by me and inspired by antiques and adventure." I love antiques AND advanture :) Her styling of the photos is just perfect, too!

It's a foodie day

It's been awful trying to find the time to cook lately. So, I've been trying to find easy and delicious recipes that Jake and I can make (or sometimes that Jake can make himself). This aged cheddar and apple melt from She Eats Bears looks incredible and is going to be added to our repertoire. We've also been eating quite a few pizzas and this lemony zucchini pizza tops my list. I've actually made it with fresh ricotta from our local cheese shop and it's amazing. Any suggestions for easy meals out there?

almost time

I've been keeping an exciting new collaboration under wraps for a little while now and we're almost ready to launch! Can't wait to share more details :)

Extra Seed shoes

We've had some killer heat in the studio lately and I've taken to wearing flip flops most days. These eco-friendly flats from Extra Seed are just beautiful and look so comfy! The soles are made from recycled car tires tubes and the outer shells are made from scrap materials.

I'm pretty sure that by my vacation posts you think I've been slacking off. Not quite :) I'm gearing up to launch a few new wedding collections (sneak peek above) and I'm officially headed to the New York International Gift Fair in August. And even our trip to California was driven by business and learning some new techniques. I promise that more regular posts are coming soon.

Monday pick-me-up

Katie Sokoler is pretty awesome

Yes, she really is and her blog is pretty great, too.  I love how ridiculously sweet her street art is...thought bubbles, colorful footprints, happy shadows. All I want to do now is head to Brooklyn and start hunting for her work!

Botany Factory

My old intern recently sent me a link to the Botany Factory, which makes the sweetest terrariums I think I've ever seen. I'm seriously in love with them!

Driving the coast

Venice Beach ::: Exactly what you think it would be like - a little seedy, street performers, tourists. And thanks to a friend, we had one of the best meals of the whole vacation at Gjelina's. Totally awesome.

Santa Monica ::: Same as above, but add in gymnasts, an amusement park, photo booths and women riding bikes wearing strappy heels.

Los Angeles ::: Streets lined with palm trees, crazy-expensive cars, rodeo drive, Hollywood, killer houses, Mullholland Drive at sunset.

Southern California

The weather in San Diego has been really overcast the past few days, which has given us lots of time to explore southern California. We spent part of a day hiking in the Anzo-Borrego Desert and I don't know if I've ever been so hot in my life. The trail and views were beautiful, but we didn't quite make it to the end of Hellhole Canyon Trail. Then we followed up with a drive to Laguna Mountain and had frozen burritos on the steps of the lodge (hiking in the desert makes you very hungry). We got to hike for another couple of hours and then watched the sun set from a lookout point.

The shadows above are: noon in the desert, YMCA on a small hill, and right at sunset