al fresco

on this hot summery day, i came across these playful images which made me smile. from taschen books- top: photo by josef heinrich darchinger from wirtschaftswunder. bottom: photo by david lachapelle (text reads, "This is a picture of my boyfriend, who could not be bought) from soul i-d

mati rose

wonderful illustrations by mati rose available for purchase in her etsy store, suspect shoppe
or check out mati's blog

wow...dreams become reality?

i absolutely adore this brilliant link, which i found here, which she found here! makes me think of a bjork music video

new camera

inspired by camilla engman's amazing photographs on her blog (if you have not yet looked, you'll be hooked), i asked d. for an upgrade for my birthday. i love it... particularly the way it captures color and light, like in this sunday morning sock-putting-on picture. i can't wait to play with it more.

betsy walton

i was turned on to betsy walton's art by a mention of her on fine little day...i keep starting to write something about them but really i don't think at this point, barely caffeinated, i could do them justice (speaking of doing them justice, click to enlarge them to fully appreciate each one). in a meagre attempt to appreciate, among other elements i love the way colors play off each other and off transparent spaces...and how the idea of borders and boundaries translates to the human, natural, structural variety...more powerful to be not-filled-in. oh geez i'm blithering like a true unintelligible gemini. i'll stop now. but....many of her pieces are available for purchase as prints on her etsy shop!
website
etsy shop
flickr

droog birdhouse

right, i mean birdfeed, by marcel wanders, available here

freedomwig is back!!!

martha rich's painting-a-day project is back for a second year! this totally makes my day. we have two of her pieces and i think she's just the bestest (thanks to kstreet for turning me onto her work!!). can't wait to keep checking back to see what she's up to this summer
freedomwig 2

cat solen

two videos by cat solen. top: at the bottom of everything by bright eyes: bottom: guitar man by cake

papaver vert

a great etsy shop with gorgeous colors of hand-felted bowls and vases.
or visit the papaver vert ("green poppy" in latin and french) blog

teph's yellow rabbit

his long ears are temptingly chewy

yumdiddlyicious

my friend christine just turned me on to a great food/design blog, sweet fine day. the creators, jenna and mark, a designer and pastry chef (respectively) chronicle their oh-so-inspirational brooklyn-based family life with two girls and gorgeous foods. they operate an etsy-based bakery, whimsy & spice, and if the drool-inducing pix of their concoctions are indicative of the taste, i imagine their treats to be heavenly indulgent. i want to lay my head upon a giant one of their handcut chocolate marshmallows at night. packaging is equally confectionary. they even have a special father's day sampler box which includes Hazelnut & Chocolate Whisky Sandwich cookies..mmmm.
check out their blog
their bakery website
their flickr (totally pavlovian reaction)
or jenna's design site

welcome back

oh where oh where did my blogging days go? i like to think i've been on sabbatical in the blogging department. the truth is i had a bit of bloghaustion, a bit of the ol' writer's blogck. so i took a little time to get out from under the glow of the computer and out into the world for a bit... and suddenly rube is growing up so fast, i'm hesitant to miss out on much. so despite us all being sick for a bit, i've been lolling with the rubester in sunshine, making some big shifts with the bidness, catching up on a giant pile of paperwork, having a mini vacation with my favorite husband in the big apple (above: david and i playing karaoke with the light fixtures at our hotel), reading some books for the first time in two years, testing out my new camera... nothing so earth shattering but very happy good stuff.

so now i think i'm back in the swing... i've missed the blog world and am so happy to get back to trolling for inspirations in a variety of nooks and crannies.

moving/not moving

ruby is the constant variable

the beginning of the making of...

a living room sans tv and computer. because i saw that oprah show when a family "unplugged" from tv and computers and actually began to talk to each other (the kids, literally, were in withdrawal--ugggh). what will we do in there? play, listen to tunes, read, draw... we'll keep you posted.

tickey smickeys

please check out our friend kris' really fantastic music, subnyms the tickey smickeys and los tiquismiquis.

kris, who now calls spain home, was kind enough to make the trek out to see us this weekend, and infuse us with his unique brand of infectious inspiration (gracias, amigo). this music is equally infectious great stuff...i wish it was mobile so i could listen to it out in a field under the stars, or on that porch in camden on the lake. but alas, i'll bask in the glow of my computer as i listen...above is kris with ruby about two years ago...

here is a good place to start

dOOOOOOlphin

etsy find

birds from simpli jessi

orange kid room

by steven harris architects
via remodelista (via ohdeedoh )

bunch o new links

on the left, including one for pieces,, a home furnishings shop in atlanta. bottom pic is from decor 8 post about the store and owner, lee kleinhelter.

making it lovely

i came across a new blog, making it lovely, via decor 8.
nicole balch is the owner of pink loves brown, a design studio offering everything from paper goods to pocket mirrors to brooches. she also is a creative wiz and mastermind of her own blog, which chronicles- amongst other things- her progressive (and very quick--how this woman has the time!) her extensive DIY redesign/reno of her oak park, IL home. i love the subway tiles she used in the kitchen




look at the wall of her studio! enviable organizational skills! and you've got to appreciate a woman who does a blurb solely on breadboxes





and best of all, she does brilliant mockups of her ideas on the computer and inspiration sheets for each project, as she whittles closer to the end goal

i've been checking out vintage candy boxes on ebay...
doesn't this box look like a block of nougat???

two great new (to me) blogs

follow studio is edited by jessie doherty, who owns a graphic design + paper goods studio in sydney, australia. above: some lovely ebay picks by jessie



happy cavalier is the creation of karen cavalier, an industrial designer living in seattle. above: a post about artist jim lambie

m. design interiors inc.

i came across this fantastic interior designer (based out of southern cali) in the decor 8 blog. beautiful, hollywoody minimalism and the most gorgeous of silhouettes and sophisticated colors. love love love it. biggest inspiration i've seen in a while. eclectic yet each piece and color makes the most of the one beside it. if anyone knows where to find the stellar deco chandelier in the dining room set-up, i'll be your friend forEVer

see more work here

pottery barn gets funky

flipping through the pottery barn and pottery barn kids catalogs yesterday, i noticed they lightened up a bit with some interesting patterns, graphics and shapes...particularly in their outdoor collection and kids stuff. love this olivia bed. very sweet and french