verre-y cool necklace II

i came home today and found this beautiful necklace:



waiting for me in a package on my front porch. many thanks to two lovely friends! who incidentally have been reading my blog; you guys are so great!

the necklace came from the Clay Pot which i definitely want to visit next time i am in brooklyn!

sf haunts

design*sponge guest blogger sfgirlbybay has posted her favorite sf haunts here. check it out if you will be here soon - or if, like me, you are here already.

happy earth day!
consider planting a tree - or several - to offset your carbon emissions. or get a terra pass.



finally, in both the spirit of earth day and of design - check out Green with Glamour. As, the proprietors say: "Go Green. Stay Stylish".

like no other

check out this ad for the bravia sony tv - set in the streets of sf.



the creators were aiming for a "really simple, visual celebration of color" and i think it worked. how about you?

strong shapes

strong shapes always attract my eye. clear outline, confident color choices, self-assured forms - i think these are central to what i like and common to many of the designs in which i find inspiration. the works of henri matisse, kelly wearstler prints and wall paper (not to mention her outfits on top design), the jersey of doo ri, port2port press letterpress, arabian geometric patterns - all of these have strong and striking (to me) shapes.

for instance, The Piano Lesson, by Henri Matisse:



geometric forms, such as this wallpaper from kelly wearstler, are strong and clear; they pop!



or how about the french dot wallpaper from Nama Rococo?

or these, from flavor paper:



strong shapes can be visually arresting for more than just visual pleasure. the work of kara walker - who works in cut outs - is striking but also draws attention to social issues in a firm, yet not hit-you-over-the-head way.

Kara Walker's installation for the School of Arts at Columbia:



an heir to matisse's cut outs? This is his Two Dancers:





finally, i am also finding inspiration in doo ri - these shapes are not geometric or fixed but arresting in another way - a swoop of jersey cloth where you'd least expect it:


photos: Luis Bañuelos Aréchiga

go threadless

my husband worked hard on his threadless submission... take a look and vote for his submission if you like it... then browse around - fun to check out and vote on the various designs..

if you are looking for just plain old good design - and less cute slogans, again i really recommend poketo.

book cover art

my dining room has a large, white blank expanse of wall - which i've been contemplating for a while now. our first attempt to fill it failed but now i think i may be on to something....

all posters below available from well allposters.com


Art by Vanessa Bell



Art by Michael Farrell


Art by Alvin Lustig