unruly-things

I seem to forget what day it is quite often. I go on all day thinking that it's another day, and even confuse myself as I did yesterday. I even took my 366 photo as if it were wsw.
thanks to those of you who helped me with my little favor yesterday. I really appreciate your comments. I've been thinking of adding a new feature to unruly things for awhile now. tomorrow will be the first installment. stay tuned for what it is!!
in the meantime, I'm busy up to my earlobes. work-work and fun-work. also, dlb and I are going to DeVotchka tonight at the Wonder Ballroom. I'm excited... but in a way I'm sort of not. thinking about the things I have to do and staying up late on week nights really bugs me. I'm so old. a few years ago, I was partying every week night. now I can barely stay up past 10 and can't remember what day it is!! ;)
so until tomorrow, please stop by white space wednesday and participate in the white space goodness flowing in the group pool.
{photo by storygoil}

a dear friend of mine is having a baby this summer. I've been searching high and low for the perfect baby gift. I've planned to check out some stores in Portland this week and next, but in the meantime I've been looking for ideas online. while browsing the cool site Modern Tots, which has lots of great toys and clothes for newborns, I came across these mobiles. a little while back I participated in a mobile swap and had a lot of fun making my mobile. I've been considering making a well constructed mobile for her and these really gave me that kick of inspiration I needed. now to decide what animal to create!
{from modern tots}

as you may have noticed, I'm in the process of updating my website. previously, sunali design served as a hosting site for my portfolio, filled with work created by me. the site needed to be updated and basically, I just didn't feel like it really "fit" what I was all about. so, I'm excited to announce that this summer, sunali will now be dedicated to product and custom design. in the meantime, I'll be hard at work creating new things for the shop and updating my website.

speaking of the shop... yesterday I added 14 pre-designed headers to the things available at sunali creations.
these are pre-designed headers which can be customized with your blog name and title. you are free to suggest color changes or simply go with the colors provided. I will only make minimal changes to the illustrations, so what you see is what you get! if you are interested in a header, email or convo me on etsy.
so! over the course of the next month or so, I'm going to be super busy with shop updates and site changes, along with a much needed vacation to Florida. I'm planning on exciting things and I'll be sure to post some sneak peaks along the way.
I'm excited... are you?

one thing I need to do is update my business cards. another thing is this cute card carrier.
{from lauren merkin, via life at 123 house }

if you don't mind, your opinion is requested and appreciated.
thank you!

I'm really in to animal illustrations lately and since I've always had a thing for vintage advertising and posters, I fell in love with these. while these prints by Ken Bailey aren't actually "vintage" the illustrations are still reminiscent of the vintage advertising style.
{from ken bailey}

I love love love these sandals from Matt Bernson. perfectly perfect for summer.
{from mat bernson}

I simply can not wait:
to sleep in tomorrow. I need sleep.

I really hope:
my darn cats don't wake me up.
{they pound on the door every morning a 5am. those rats}

I'm growing closer everyday to:
100/366.
1000th post to unruly things.
{special things are being planned!}

I'm looking forward to:
thrifting.
lucky 13 and stumptown tart.
working on things for the shop.
organizing things. {photoshoots, meet ups, etc}
warmer weather. soon please?

happy friday my friends!

{photo by destiny}

a few weeks ago, the sweet and talented Amy contacted me with a special request. she was putting together a cookbook for her ward relief society and needed some illustrations for the cover and category dividers. I said that I would be delighted to help her and started brainstorming ideas for cute drawings that she could use for their cookbook. while the original drawings that I created were in black and white, here's what I came up with for the cover and category dividers. I decided to color them in, just for fun.if you are interested in any custom design work, please contact me for rates.
alyson.jg {at} gmail.com

I really like the feel of his photography.
{from nicholas lorden}

last night I made this for dinner. I don't normally rave about food that I've cooked on my blog but this recipe has got me raving. I frequently haunt Smitten Kitchen and am always inspired by what she has to say and of course, what she is cooking. everything that I've made from her blog has turned out delicious and most I've cooked more than once. but in particular I wanted to highlight the Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup that I cooked last night.
first of all, since I don't eat meat, I used Field Roast's Smoked Apple Sage "Sausage" instead of the Portuguese linguica sausage that the recipe calls for. I often buy these sausages to add to pasta sauces or top on pizzas. since the recipe gets it's usual flavor from the linguica sausage, which is spiced with paprika, garlic and other spices, I added 1 tbsp of paprika and 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper to the soup to achieve the essential spice lost from substituting sausages. I followed everything else in the recipe.

and it tasted SO good.

I love making soup and do quite often, but of all the soups that I have made, only a few make it to the table a second time. this one has proven to be a winner. it's hearty, it's perfect for a cold rainy day, and it's super easy to make. see the recipe here.
{from smitten kitchen}

I really like this idea for a DIY desk. I told dlb that once we have a house of our own, I'd like him to build me a desk like this but not as my main desk, as the impromptu desk where my laptop would sit and I'd write things or sketch. I wouldn't dream of putting a giant monitor on a desk like this. it would be perfect in a foyer in a sunroom. ah.... how I can dream.
{via design*sponge}

"every true artist has been inspired more by the beauty of lines and color and the relationships between them than by the concrete subject of the picture." - piet mondrian
{from april anthropologie}

for all you film shooters out there, I've been thinking about hunting down a film camera. I'm really enjoying our camera, and I've been told some of my digital shots look a bit like film, but that's just not enough... I'm still curious and intrigued I guess. hopefully, this summer when dlb goes back to Idaho, he'll dig out his Nikon FM10 and I can shoot with that. but with spring on our heels and long sunny days ahead of us, I'm itching to get out there with a sturdy film camera and start shooting. I've heard good things about a few, {Pentax K1000, Nikon F, Olympus OM-1, and others} but I thought I'd ask for your advice, experience, etc. using a vintage film camera.
{image from hello_winnie}

I love this series of drawings from etsa sketch. each of these one of a kind, ink-outline drawings is combined with cut outs from comic book pages from the 60s and 70s which create their secret identity clothes!
{from etsasketch}

not that I really want to be thinking about wearing any more wool right now, but isn't this coat cute? I love those buttons.
{from decades}

thanks to reader, Alicia, for cluing me into this video. The Story of Stuff follows the path of the products that we use each day and really puts all of our "stuff" into perspective. it's twenty minutes long and definitely worth the time. so kick your feet up and be enlightened.
{from the story of stuff}

Chelsea reminded me that the Farmer's Market is now open downtown. buying food locally is not only good for the environment, it's fresher than anything in the supermarket and it's good for your local economy. buying directly from family farmers helps them stay in business. plus, an experience at the farmer's market is always fun. pick up some flowers, fruits and veggies, fresh bread, and other local treats. dlb and I are planning a trip to the Saturday Market down by PSU this weekend.
take the opportunity to be eco-friendly and find some delicious produce and visit a farmer's market this weekend. ride your bike there and don't forget your reusable shopping bag! Local Harvest is a great site with lots of resources to find a Farmer's Market in your area.
{image from monitorpop}

stila is my favorite line of makeup. not only do they have great products, but they are dedicated to being environmentally friendly by providing minimal recycled packaging, natural ingredients, and refillable compacts.
{from stila}

investing in reusable shopping bags is one of the easiest things that you can do in an effort to becoming more green. not only are they super convenient, but they are smart too. these bags from Baggu come in a lot of different colors and are offered at a pretty fair price. and they don't contribute to that growing collection of paper bags under your sink!
most grocery stores are beginning to offer reusable bags at the check out for a pretty cheap price. we've got a bundle of the Whole Foods bags, but I kind of like how small and compact these Baggu bags fold up. I could throw a bunch of them in my purse. that way they wouldn't be accidentally left at home.
{from baggu}
{an example of a large company going green? Whole Foods is going plastic bag free today and they will no longer be offering plastic as an option}
{want a little more perspective about the growing problem with consumer waste? Chris Jordan, a photographic artist, has compiled images portraying everyday items that contribute to the growing problem of waste on our planet. his series, titled Running the Numbers, really puts it into perspective. 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the US every five seconds, can take thousands of years to break down in a landfill.}

don't pre-rinse your dishes. hang dry. go vegetarian. buy local. invest in your own coffee mug. plant a tree. Wire & Twine give us 50 easy ways to start saving the planet. pretty simple, if you ask me. I have to admit though, I've tried the quick shower and first thing in the morning is difficult to speed things up. but I'm all up for cutting down on junk mail! check out their green line too.
{via swissmiss, from wire & twine}

happy Earth day! since today is all about Earth awareness, I thought I'd focus my posts today on environmentally friendly products and easy ways to go green. I'd say that looking back on where I was this time last year, I've made a strong effort at being more green. I'm conscious of my footprint and I'm making an effort to leave as little as possible behind. it can be difficult and I must say that I'm not 100% perfect when it comes to being eco-friendly, but it makes me feel better to know that I'm making an effort to become a better person for our Earth.
so with that being said, today... start thinking GREEN!

thanks to Jenny for reminding me that Impulse Seattle has the best wardrobe ideas. one click to their site today and I realized that I've got everything to create this ensemble but that short sleeved boyfriend cardigan. anyone got any ideas for a less expensive version than the one shown? this outfit looks absolutely perfect for work.
{via wiksten, from impulse seattle}

it really amazes me how quickly the weekends can pass by. what amazes me even more is how much faster time seems to fly by the older I get. when I was little, time felt like an eternity. weeks felt longer, months took forever to pass. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but now... time flies by quicker than I can blink.
this weekend I:
went to dinner with my man.
caught up on some work.
shopped.
got caught in the rain. almost.
hit 85 on my 366.
set up a fairy tale.
drank some good beers.
watched a beautiful sunset.

it was a nice, quick, whoosh kind of weekend.

and I'm off to a great start this week. first thing this morning I:
gave myself a scalding water burn on my right hand. I've been using the left one most of the day, but having it on ice has made a vast improvement.

hope everyone has had a good start to their week.

I'm a little bummed that:
it's not going to be gorgeous this weekend like it was last saturday.
we've got SNOW in the forecast.

I'm really really REALLY excited:
and anticipating the arrival of these.

I finally watched:
Dan in Real Life last night. and I thought it was amazing.

I've decided that I need to:
update my inspiration board.
{I'm very inspired by hers}
focus on getting work done.
{I've been in a creative procrastination for the past weeks, and I really need to perk up}

I can't wait:
to see what Jenny unveils. it's sure to be fantastic.
for DeVotchka next week.
to wake up with out an alarm tomorrow.

and more than ever:
happy friday to you. I'll be dreaming of warm, white sand and beautiful orange sunsets while counting down the days for my Florida trip. less than a month, can't wait to see everyone! :)

{photo by matt caplin}

can you go 24 hours without your computer? honestly, I think it'll be a toss up whether or not it's easy for me. it just means more time in the sun {providing that it doesn't rain} or more time for reading {providing that I have some good reading material} or more time for new beers {cheers to that!}
but I'm giving Shutdown Day a shot.

can you? if so, what will you do? if not, what is keeping you glued to your computer.

I speak very highly of Frye shoes though I can honestly say, I don't know that I've ever looked at their handbags until today. just like their shoes, these bags look very well made and are super cute.
{from frye}

Michelle DeCourcy, the claim to fame designer of Norah Jones Grammy dress on the night she could barely hold all of her awards, is hosting a Spring Launch Event tonight at her shop in NW Portland. a bit late notice, but the event is tonight, April 17, from 4-8 and includes music, hors d'oeuvres, sparkling wine and best of all, 20% off!
{from michelle decourcy}

last week I said I was really into primary colors. here's some animal inspiration from my latest flickr favorites.
{pukapuka, 奶茶, untitled, untitled}

isn't it nice when an email marketing team sends you a captivating email with hardly any product focus? kate spade are wonders at this. and this is spoken from someone who's job description includes, designing email blasts focused on product to be sent out twice a week.
the new arrivals are pretty fun and boy do I love garland.
{from kate spade}

the lovely Rachel of Buttons Magee has opened her shop today with some of her lovely photos. her images are very beautiful and I love the way she captures a moment. check out her shop here and the rest of her beautiful photos on her flickr stream here.
{from buttons magee}

another one of the things on my "must have for summer" list is this pair of Frye flats. I've been eying these since before I even wanted to think about letting my feet go with out giant wooly socks on them. they look quite comfortable and a little sporty, with enough tread for days spent walking in the summer sun.
now if only I can convince dlb to let me get them...
{from zappos}

Erin Fetherston wowed us with her video of her 2006 autumn/winter collection with the short film Wendybird, starring Kirsten Dunst. it started off with the haunting tunes of CocoRosie and showed rebellion and lovely clothes. Dreamy Wander, starring Zooey Deschanel, is a bit long but filled with the same wonderful imagery, music, and dreamy colors.
{via cherry blossom girl}

I'm really enjoying creating things for other people. it's such a great feeling to create something that someone not only loves, but puts in a place that's like their second home - their blog. it's the thing that reflects the most about them, and it's where we get our first impression of who they are. that being said, thank you again, ladies, for choosing me to create a header for your blog.
here are some new designs that I've been working on over the past few weeks:Dianna of Whatever Dee Dee Wants is a super sweet gal who just announced some exciting news on her blog. she and her husband are expecting!
Jessica of Ruched creates some amazing quilts and jewelry. she blogs about her creations and findings.
Jenny of Wiksten is a uber talented lady who designs the cutest tops and dresses. her style is great and her fabric selections are always so perfect. check out her winter 2008 colletion here.

and... since I've been doing headers for so many lovely ladies, I thought it time to change my own header. besides, spring is a time for a fresh look. as always, if you are interested in a header for your blog or etsy shop, or any other custom creations, send me an email or check out my shop.

part of the inspiration for my upcoming shop update has been collections and collected items. the past few times that I have gone on a walk, I've gathered up a few items that caught my eye. I arrange them at the end of the walk in an artful way and snap a picture. then instead of picking up my collected items and stuffing them back into a bag, I leave them there. I hope that someone walking down the sidewalk, or beach, or dirt path, will come along my collection and smile, because as it made my day collecting each little thing, hopefully it will make theirs as well.
to see more of my collections and collected items, click here.
and stay tuned for shop update news in the next weeks.

I like these bright and colorful tees. perfectly printed for summer.
{from bbw}

we had our first taste of summer this Saturday in Portland. highs in the upper 70s and bright, warm sunshine. the warm weather made me realize that I'm in need of some summer clothes - light weight shirts, shorts, tank tops, and light breezy dresses. all day I regretted my choice to wear jeans, then rushed home and threw on a skirt and flip flops. it's funny how weird it felt to put on flip flops again, especially since I wore them everyday for practically my whole life.
{from fossil}

I'm:
...so tired. but the Avett Brothers were well worth the late night.
{if you have yet to see them in concert, you should. it's definitely a treat.}

I couldn't be more happy:
that today is friday.

I really like:
this tea towel. {via design for mankind}
this print.
this fox.
and this fox.

I'm getting nervous:
about my clicking speed for Radiohead tickets tomorrow.
{both pre-sale events sold out in seconds}

I'm craving:
butternut squash soup. {my sixth and final time cooking it this season}

this weekend, I'm looking forward to:
playing with this.
frolicking in tulip fields.

happy friday!
{photo by me}

thank you, swiss miss, for making me giggle on this unusually busy thursday.

{secretly, I dance every time I hear this song too. and sing really loud}

holy moly, these look incredible. and I don't even like potatoes that much!
{from smitten kitchen}

and you know what that means! check it out.
{photo by famapa}

I'm big on the idea of non-traditional weddings. that being said, I've thought that a non-traditional ring would be perfect for me. ever since I first saw this ring a month or so back, I've been entirely intrigued with it and with the beauty of grey diamonds. I like their uniqueness.
{this ring is labradorite, but at first I thought it was a grey diamond}
{from sundance}

lately, I've been really inspired by bright pops of blue, red, and yellow with hints of green. I've noticed these colors showing up in my photography, illustrations, and inspirations.
{from forever 21}

I am ever fascinated by bird nests. thankfully, Denise tipped me on this amazing article from Audubon Magazine. it amazes me how the birds, or tiny architects as the article states, know exactly which sticks, leaves, feathers, and other items that they collect, will fit perfectly into their remarkable nests.
{from audubon, via d.sharp journal}

I love big chunky pendants and necklaces. especially when worn with a simple scoop neck top and jeans.
{both from anthropologie}

and
colored eggs, fields of tulips, bare feet, and messy braids.

things I love lately.

Radiohead announced the remaining dates for their North American tour today. and guess who's opening for them?? Grizzly Bear! I couldn't be more excited. ticket go on sale April 12.

update: Grizzly Bear will only be opening for them August 3-15. Liars will fill in the rest of the tour. bummer. I like Grizzly Bear, but I'm still psyched for Radiohead one way or the other.

{via pollstar}

on Saturday I had my first taste of Gocco and I loved it. I created this image using 7 different fonts to display the alphabet. I kind of wanted to explore my options and learn the process with out being too detailed. the white ink didn't turn out super great, but I still think it looks cool. I love how easy it felt and I loved how quickly I got it. I still have some things to figure out, like drop outs and ink coverage and how hard to squeeze down to get a good print, but Gocco really is great. it's small and compact and fairly an easy clean up. I feel like I'm armed with a method of printing that I think I'll really grow to love.

I love scholastic things like bright red apples, brown #2 pencils, and graph paper. these mugs would be great for an elementary school teacher or that student at heart.
{from fishs eddy, via particular aesthetic}