unruly-things

I'm all set with a fresh new banner.

and oh yea.....I'm off this wkend to the International Cosmetics, Esthetics, and Spa Convention in Las Vegas to stand at our booth talking to clients about newsletters, brochures, or window artwork. there are lots of vendors there, makeup vendors, body wash vendors, microdermabrasion demonstrations, and massages. sounds glamorous, but it's not really. it's my third year at the trade show, and I'm so Vegas burnt out. plus the high tomorrow is 102. I'll be back in full force on Wednesday. until then...

new cute things from J. Crew. I'm in love!!!!
{images from j. crew}

last night, dlb and I went to Sushi Alive to celebrate our one year anniversary. a good friend recommended it, and it was fabulous. the atmosphere was dim and very modern. the sushi bar was huge with lots of fish. we started off dinner with a bottle of Nigori Sake. then we ordered two rolls, the Volcano and the Snapper Rock & Roll. both rolls were very good, and spicy. we topped dinner off with red bean and green tea ice cream. the two came served in a martini glass, with a sprig of mint and a little bit of whipped cream. when mixed together the taste was so delicious. note: if you haven't had red bean ice cream, go get some this weekend. it's amazingly good.
I loved every minute of dinner. and afterwards, we dragged our slightly sake buzzed bodies out to the car, still tasting the last bits of ice cream on our tongues. we'll be back to Sushi Alive for sure!! thanks again for the recommendation J!
{image from Flickr, we forgot the camera. go figure.}

this combination of cute white shorts and bright colorful tops from Lucky Brand is so perfect for summer. I especially love those bermuda shorts!
{images from lucky}

I've always loved shells and shell colors. I once wanted to paint an entire wall with iridescent colors to mimic a mother of pearl shell. I love these things in pretty shell hues.
{images from urban outfitters}

I'd been meaning to post about day lab before, though I never got around to it. run by Amy Shutt, day lab features independent designers and small companies. I love these particular items from the day lab selection.
{images from day lab}

he winks at me.
he cracks my back every morning, and thinks it'll make me taller.
he talks like Moose Cat.
he eats anything and everything I cook for him, and loves it.
he pushes me at the gym.
he jokes about not loving me with a big grin on his face.
he gets excited about chocolate stout.
he lets me be silly around him.
he watched the whole season of 24 with me, all while making fun of it, but secretly, he started to like Jack Bauer.
he holds me, kisses me, and loves me.

today marks one year that dlb and I have been together. honestly, it feels like I have known him much more time than one year. I couldn't feel luckier that I have met someone who really really completes me. he is my best friend. he is by far the most amazing man I have ever met and I would give the world for him. I love you babe! here's to many more. <3

{image by me, info from wikihow}

the work of graphic designer Patricia Zapata of A Little Hut is so unique. the combination of stark white with bold textures is so lovely. I love the way she uses tiny strips of "recycled" mail flyers and glues them together. visit her blog here, her etsy shop here.
{images from a little hut}

dlb and I were cleaning house this weekend, and found the Room & Board catalog I'd ordered a couple months ago. I had briefly flipped through it before, but I don't think I really saw how great the company is. I have really had my heart set on a dark gray/black or off white/linen colored couch for some time now. with over 200 different fabric styles in stock, ANY item can be customized and upholstered to individual style. and the chairs, beds, storage cabinets, etc are simply fabulous as well.
{images from room & board}

I love the outdoor furniture and home decor from west elm. it makes me dream of having a home on the water where I can have afternoon parties all summer long.
{images from west elm}

ahh...back to work from a nice, long holiday weekend. I seriously dislike the feeling of going back to work after a holiday weekend. especially when the days seem to be shorter and shorter. being that it was a three day weekend, instead of playing all weekend long, which I would have loved at the time but regretted this morning, dlb and I actually did some errands, some chores, and some goodwill, alongside fun, sun, and friends.
relaxing on friday.
137.5.
blueberry pancakes with blackberry maple syrup.
cleaning my trunk.
thrift store deliveries.
gooey pizza and yummy beers.
beachin' it sunday for what seemed like a never ending adventure.
choppy waters and bruises. {seriously T, I look like I've been through battle.}
new spice jars, powder, and mascara.
room & board
dreaming with my spray bottle by my side.

it's been a busy week! I've been working on putting the finishing touches on my first set of greeting cards and note pads. and being that it's a holiday weekend, work has been busy too! here are a few things that inspired me this week. have a lovely weekend!! s'more cupcakes. the simplicity of small square design. this packaging. neapolitan, hardwood floor, letterpress, and polka dots. wildflowers.

I love the shoes and photo stylings of Beyond Skin. Beyond Skin has an eco-chic line of footwear. the collection is cruelty-free and non exploitative to animals, humans, or the environment. that means, they're cute and good for the environment!
{via style will save us, images from beyond skin}

more gray knit dresses. perfect for long summer days on the beach. from jane's closet.
{images from jane's closet}

since it seems I'm not the only one who's in love with birds these days, I thought I'd post some of my recent paper favorites.
1. plant the card and it will grow! wildflower seeds are embedded into the paper.
2. custom square tags.
3. pretty pink birdie gift tags.
4. birdie print envelopes and stationary.
{this post is especially for you, Andrea! your comment inspired me to post about birds.}
{images from etsy}

it seems as though lately every print or note card is catching my eye. I love the style of these letterpress cards from pressure. the simplicity is wonderful. and I love how each set is tied up with an adorable contrasting ribbon.
{images from pressure}

these kitchen towels from Sweet Pea Handcrafts are so colorful and fun! I love the fabric choices and color combinations.
{images from sweet pea}

I looked over the review of the stationary show on design*sponge, and I was utterly amazed, in love, impressed, and dying to purchase lots of beautiful greeting cards, prints, and note books. I love these greeting cards from Binth. I love their freeform design style. since yellow has quickly become one of my favorite colors, of course I fell in love with these particular prints.
{via design*sponge, images from binth}

I love these prints by Bernadette Sipkes of Sugarloop. the patterns and birdies are so cute.
{images from sugarloop}

I checked out my etsy favorites today to see if there was anything new listed. Alicia Bock, probably one of my favorite favorites, listed some new prints in her shop over the weekend. these beach prints are so nostalgic. they remind me of when I was a little girl, running down deserted beaches, covered in sand, salt, and sun.
I'm going to miss the beach.
{images from alicia bock}

more and more I'm inspired to learn how to letterpress. I love the look, I love the feel. I love the work of Kansas City, Missouri letterpress studio, Hammerpress. the design styles are so vintage-retro, and the color combos are great.
{images from Hammerpress}

I literally had to peel myself out of bed this morning. I wasn't ready to end my weekend. I loved everything about it.
highlights:
celebrating milestone birthday's with a good friend and witnessing her first keg stand.
baking gluten free cookies and smooshing oh-so-fudgey frozen yogurt in between them.
new spoon.
new magazines.
new t-shirts.
ordering paper for my soon to be printed note cards.
creating the coolest scratch pads ever.
movie/sushi night with dlb.
grouper wraps, sun, sand, and planter's punch.

yesterday I finally broke down and bought the stuff to make ice cream cookie sandwiches.
they are oh-so-yummy.
they are chocolate chip with vanilla fudge frozen yogurt.
and they are all organic.
and gluten free.
and guaranteed to be gone by morning.

the above: neutral living space. simple jewelry. peg boards. birds. nature.
and: rain poems. bold floral patterns. free-form illustration. green tea mistakes. boxing girls. enthusiastic co-workers. portabello mushrooms. rum baked bananas.

happy friday. and happy weekend.

I love the simplicity of the Michael Stars collection. I'm not sure that I ever knew that there was more to the collection than "one size fits all" shirts. these dresses are so adorable. not only do they look incredibly comfortable, they are also super fashionable.
{images from michael stars}

I love this purse. I love those bronze shoes. I love love love that little red wagon with flowers in it. I'd love to walk right down to the saturday morning market, toting my lotta bag, carrying my wagon along behind me, while searching for the best flowers, fruits, and veggies.
yep. that's how it would be.
{image from lotta jansdotter}

how cute would these shoes look with jeans and a white t? I wouldn't have expected anything less from Levi, the king of jeans. I love the styles of Levi's 1853 shoes for women. the leather looks so soft, the delicate stitching and buckles are prefect, and the colors are oh-so-cool.
{images from Zappos}

...to make ice cream sandwiches. there's just something so great about a big ball of ice cream smooshed between two gooey cookies. they're like tiny little sandwiches filled with joy. yum.
{photo from flickr}

ooo la la. I could not have been happier to come upon this discovery while checking out fourtysixth at grace this morning. American Vintage is a French brand that conveys a feminine approach to vintage styling. I am in love. I always post about my love for neutral colors and layering pieces, well, American Vintage, you've just hit the jackpot. it's slightly familiar with the soft touches and vintage feel, though I'm looking forward to seeing more.
{images from American Vintage}

I've always loved letters, monograms, initials, and pretty much anything else that has to do with alphabet letters. here are some of my most recent favorite finds: z is for zebra, alphabet gift cards and gift tags, whimsical glasses, and crayon letters.

I visited a friend's blog today to discover some amazing news about the newest Radiohead cd which is set to release later this year. here's what green plastic had to say about the mannequin head shown in this picture of Thom York in his studio:
"it's actually a rarely used form of recording technology called "Binaural Recording". microphones are built into a fake head made of material that mimics how soundwaves pass through the human body. the two main openings, the ear canals, create an exact replication of how humans hear the sounds in real life. basically, on the new album, you'll be hearing some of the tracks, mainly piano, as if Thom was playing it in the same room as you."

incredible. thanks for the update T!

white dresses are perfect for summer. while browsing the dress selection at Saks Fifth Avenue, I noticed that they have a lot of white dresses. I love how elegant and simple a white dress can be, and how easily you can dress it up or down. these are some of my favorites.
{images from saks}

the Spring line from designer, Dace Moore, is filled with clean lines and well constructed details. I love the simplicity of the line. it allows for a lot of interpretation and layering. not to mention, the photo styling is enough to make me want everything on the site. shop her line here.
{images from dace}

some pretty little red things from Anthropologie.

being a designer, I'm always on the look out for fresh ideas. I'm attracted to clean, simple designs, as much of my work reflects. I stumbled across this business card set on Flickr from the Graphic Design Bar. it seems like a lot of business card designers these days are going for the simple designs, less common shapes, and more unique ideas. though some of these are a little unpractical for fitting in your wallet or business card holder, the design and creativity is at the utmost of cool. check them out here.

I just walked outside to meet dlb. he forgot his lunch at home, and since I left after him, I snagged it and put it in our fridge at work for safe keeping till he could come get it. as I was standing outside the door waiting for him to drive up, I felt a tiny drop of water on my foot. I looked at the ground and realized that there were lots of tiny droplets burning into the hot pavement. as I continued to stand there, the droplets increased in quantity, and somewhere in between catching dlb's eyes and running to his car, it started to rain. soon enough, tiny drops turned into big splats of water. welcome rain. we haven't had rain in probably over a month. so seeing the rain fall, was almost like opening up a package of gourmet cookies complete with icing and sprinkles.

well...almost.

the Free People Travel Swap is officially underway! swap information was emailed this morning and ideas are rolling through my crafty mind. the Travel Swap is intended to create something beautiful for your partner that is inspired by travel. I've already got a pretty good idea of what I'd like to create, though these images are very inspiring. read about it here.
{images from flickr and etsy}

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend. whether you were able to be with your Mother or Grandmother, you sent them lovely presents, wished them love and happiness, or you are a Mother yourself, I hope that Mother's Day was filled with joy, laughter, conversation, memories, and of course, good food! just seeing how my grandmother beamed when she opened her little box of recipe cards I made for her was so nice. I could just picture my mom's face when she opened her package too.
my weekend:
stair stepping.
veggie burgers with avocado.
tall grass.
new world.
shopping - new dress, new shirts, new shades for dlb.
laser pointers.
fly bar with friends.
shrimp on the barbie.
painting wind chimes.
conquering the monkey bars.
sketchbook.
notecards.

today is a day to celebrate mothers everywhere. celebrate who they are, where they've come from, and what they've done for you. celebrate how much they love you. celebrate their beauty. and celebrate being a woman. Happy Mother's Day!
this is one of my all time favorite pictures of my Mother. she looks so soft and beautiful.

I love these photos from 3191. it makes my Saturday morning just that much brighter. not to mention, it gives me an incredible urge to purchase yellow flowers and yellow shoes.
{images from 3191}

reaching objectives.
discovering something new.
remembering things I hope not to forget.
researching to find answers.
creating for happiness.
using the unused box of crayons.
singing new music that sticks in my head.
hoping for fun, friends, food, family.
buying something new.
dying for rain and wishing the smoke would clear.
needing time to speed up.
dreaming of mountain bikes, new couches, bigger beds, and rocky coastlines.

giving you an au revoir.

these vases from Pottery Barn make gorgeous centerpieces. they are the perfect size to show off one gorgeous stem or a whole bunch of flowers. so this Mother's Day, pick some fresh flowers, or let her bring her prized garden indoors.
{images from Pottery Barn}

I love the vintage feel of these pieces by it's your life. the delicate combination of gold with pretty turquoise and bright white is so simple yet so chic.
{images from it's your life}

10. she always knows just the right way to solve a problem.

I hardly ever wear make-up. maybe just a little powder and mascara for work, and if I'm going out, I'll add a little eye shadow. but when I go into the make-up department or stroll into Sephora, I'm always drawn to the stila display, typically stocked with pretty pinks, shimmering metallics, and lots of matte neutrals. stila is the perfect option that lady who wants just a hint of color on their face.
{images from sephora}

I've always been a fan of Banana Republic. there is just something so feminine and delightfully clean about their clothing. the new line is perfect for gorgeous summer days, complete with cropped shorts, light airy dresses, and exotic prints. I've always been able to find great, modern pieces at Banana for my Mother. their clothes are perfect for women everywhere who love to be in style and classy without looking like they're trying too hard. too bad I'm not working there anymore to get that fab-u-lous discount!
{images from Banana Republic}

Anthropologie kicks it into gear for summer with a fresh new line of bathing suits. cute prints, fun embellishments, and sexy styles. I have to say, I've never been a huge fan of the one piece, though after browsing through some of these styles, it's looking a lot better.
{images from Anthropologie}

I posted about Ashley G a month or so ago, and I was happy to see her as the feature etsy artist today! her work is sooo great. the yellow in this print is incredible!
about her new work, she says, "I'm really excited to announce the seventh print in the "HELLO" series. On the first of every month I release a special print celebrating the new month while helping a great cause. For the entire month of May $5.00 of every "HELLO May" sold will go to charity. This month's charity is The Humane Society of Missouri."
fabulous!!!
and oh my goodness, I'm in LOVE with this print.
{image from ashley g}

yesterday, I finally got the chance to head up to Michaels to check out the Martha Stewart Craft collection. I have to admit, though there was a lot of really cool stuff, I was a little disappointed. maybe it's because I was picturing aisles and aisles of crafty goodness. but anyway, I did find some very very amazing things: self-adhesive ribbon for packaging, great wrapping paper and tissue colors, and gorgeous eyelet note cards. I also found a great box, actually called a specimen box, that will perfectly display the recipe cards for my Grandmother. I plan to buy some pencils or colored pens to place inside the box next to the cards. it's a perfect fit! and ok, ok....I didn't buy the floral lace punch, though I saw it, and want it so badly. imagine all the little things you could make!!! I'd go punch crazy.
{images from m.s.c.}

here's a sneak peak at what I got my Mom for Mother's Day. it's all boxed up and ready to be shipped out! <3

I love these two images from Flickr user, velco. actually, I pretty much love the whole set. I love the way he catches every mood and feeling with each shot. these pictures are not directly dealing with Mother's Day, or Mother's for that fact, but I think these two images capture each particular woman's beauty.
it's photos like this that stick in my mind. I saw these pictures last Friday, and had saved them to my desktop, planning to post about them, but wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to say. velco has a way of making each person he photographs beautiful and unique. the photos are so inviting, it's almost as if you could say that you knew the subject in the pictures. every time I see pictures like this, I long for some like this of myself. just simple beautiful photos.
{images from velco, post via port2port}

thanks to Andrea for the tip about Artichokes & Co. they have the most gorgeous flower arrangements, perfect for any mother. they're unique, colorful, vibrant, and I'm sure smell lovely. Artichokes also has a number of other things like cotton pjs, bath and body soaps, and yummy candles.
and I just love the name Artichokes. how cool!
{images from Artichokes & Co.}

I made snazzy recipe cards for my Grandmother for Mother's Day. they are a simple design and once folded in half, are 3" x 5". perfect for those oh-so-delicious meals by Grandma.

I love this photo family tree from Martha Stewart Crafts. it's such a great idea. I love the simple leaves and little branch.
what would be even neater, is taking this idea, and showcasing Mom by collecting photos of her to show her beauty. maybe a picture of her when she was pregnant with you, or pictures of her when her hair was long and wavy. whatever you might come up with.
{image from Martha Stewart Crafts}