aviary in austin

our last day in Austin was last Sunday - Easter. we didn't have high hopes that shops would be open, but took a shot and called Aviary to see. one of the shop's owners, Marco, answered and said no the shop wasn't open but that he'd open it up for us whenever we wanted to swing by.

and so we did and had a blast checking out all of the gorgeous goods, including cards and prints by Umlauted, an Austin based print shop. these are some of my favorites:




i also loved the jewelry by Sampagita and the fun kids products by Offi and the moderngoods china (see below for a pic)...

even more than the goods, though, we loved the company! marco made us espresso and sat us down at the bar in his store for a good long chat about his career as a photographer and shop owner and what its like to run a small business. like kathryn at homegirls, marco seemed just so happy to be doing what he's doing. really inspiring.

thank you marco for everything! you rock.

home girls

in austin, we made a special trip to visit home girls and boy was it worth it.



welcoming us with a great big smile: kathryn blanchard, one half of the mom-daughter team behind this fascinating store full of beautifully refurbished and recycled furniture.

i was really taken with this chair (only $65!) that kathryn is in the process of re-upholstering in what sounded like a fabulous fabric:




kathryn told us all about their reasons for starting the store; "wanting to do something fun and something happy" i believe she said. and happy and fun abounds at this jewelbox of a place.

kathryn and sarah, i am calling you when i get a house!

awesome austin

last weekend, my friend ashley and i hit the town of austin texas hard. we had a great time and, we both feel, did the town proud - going to tons of live shows, tasting every mexican morsel we could get our hands (mouths?) on and, of course, visiting the super super shops. it was, in short, my kind of travel destination heaven. sigh.

one of the best things about this place is that cool stuff is around every corner. for instance, this:




upon turning a corner on the ut campus, we came across this sculpture called "Penetrable" by Jesus Rafael Soto. you could walk through it, were invited to do so by the signs... and it felt so funny - like you were moving through thicker air or kelp or seaweed. as ashley said (i think!), it kind of makes you think more about the space you inhabit.



it also looks so freaking cool.

stay tuned - tomorrow i will post about 2 of our favorite shops in austin and their fabulous and friendly shopkeepers...

rose and radish sale

rose and radish is having a great big in store sale this weekend! discounts get better throughout the weekend (45% off on sunday)... if you are in sf, check it out!

Image courtesy of Rose and Radish

landscapes

over the past weekend, i came across a couple of landscapes that made me pause.

one literal: the work of huettl landscape architecture

loved their olive grove at the sf garden show. so peaceful. here's a shot of some of their other work:



fascinated by contrasts as always, i like how they juxtapose tough concrete with the hazy greens of olive trees and grasses and water sounds (take my word on it on that last point)

Image courtesy of Huettl Landscape

should i ever have the opportunity for them to create a mediterranean garden for me in the hazy future, i'll take it.

a second landscape - that of a nama rococo print spied in rose and radish.



i left it in the shop but thought better and ordered it (the last one i was told!). but watch her wallpaper and other prints. this was a splurge but it was sort of a special celebratory weekend so it was (i am going to tell myself this) in order.

Image courtesy of Rose and Radish and Nama Rococo

modern economy

i just was reminded that the next modern economy sale will be taking place on april 12 in sf.

looking at the participating designers list, i can see there will be lots for people buying gifts for babies!

genius and hilarity

genius:

for anyone who loves open flames but worries just a teensy bit that someone exuberant will kick em over, these candles from vessel.






hilarity: photoshop diasters via a cup of jo

i realize these might be so super hilarious to me b/c i work in marketing and get paid to really try not to do stuff like this. really.

twice as nice

paris and great graphics = 2 of my favorite things ever.

i just got a nice dose of both over at design*sponge where grace showcased some of the graphics from Saul Bass's children's book Henri's Walk to Paris. here are some of my fave images and you can see the rest here. enjoy!

white elephant

via more ways to waste time, i see that this weekend is the oakland museum's ginormous white elephant sale. looks worth checking out for antiques, mirrors etc.



white elephant baby toy above available from oompa toys - to continue the baby theme ;)

oh baby

a new little girl is among us and, in her honor, i wanted to show off her super stylish crib set:



dwell studio really knows its stuff. now you can get similar dwell goodness for babies at target too.

ventura

i really dig this new (i think) display font, ventura, by Dino dos Santos:



i like how it is old looking and fancy but also legible and clear. you can buy it here. i think i will.

la familia green

last weekend, i visited friends in minneapolis and, on a visit to letterbox, came across the stationary line la familia green. love its quirkiness and irreverence. and they sure do a nice, not icky, cat card. this is important b/c i have some serious cat people in my family.








Images courtesy of La Familia Green

tulipmania

i have never met a tulip that i didn't like. that's just how it goes around here. however, i am not sure i've ever been as bowled over by tulips as i am by these:





they were from the lovely nancy via the french tulip. molto bello.

letterpress for valentine's day!

i haven't been at all (am i really ever?) organized about valentine's day this year but with a few hours to spare yesterday found some great cards from some of my favorite press shops. not sure why monkeys figure so prominently is my faves but, anyhow....

from egg press, the hearts collection which is on sale through 2/14:



from hello lucky, a menagerie of sorts:





from lizard press:



from dutch door press:



and many others at pancake & franks!

super soft

i've been chomping at the bit to show these ultra-soft hand-knitted baby shoes from bloesem:



does anything get any more darling than these? i am honestly not sure.

i found them on bloesem's etsy shop back in december, ordered them (they flew all the way from irene's hands in kuala lumpur!) and gave them to nancy yesterday... so now the cat's out of the bag and it is time to share.

so soft and wonderful, they are ideal gifts for new babies - especially for the small feet of the many winter babies we are having this year. i hope irene will make some more!

belgian beauties

it's been too too long! i've got the usual string of excuses BUT i've been continuing to stuff my idea folders full of images and inspiration and have a few project ideas (many new baby related - yet another new baby arrived 2 days ago! yay baby Harry!) bubbling in the back of my head.

but for the moment, check out these belgian drinking glasses from Henry Dean (that i found on my new blog addiction Remodelista):



speaking of belgian drinking, we tried out The Trappist - a belgian beer bar the other weekend with our Belgian friend Charly and his wife Francis. now that was fun and the beer glasses festive (though not quite as ethereal as these), especially by the end of our 12 glass tasting. next up: the Monks' Kettle!

with belgian beer bars popping up all over the place, the SF bar gods truly must have got the message the Charly was back!

what i've been up to recently

.... has been making my own letterpressed holiday cards. i am happy with how they turned out and extra happy with the sense of peace and fulfillment that the process of creating them gave me.









a ps: so i can't count, apparently, and didn't make enough. so i apologize if you are reading this and happen to be someone who'd expect a card from me and didn't get one - i am SORRY!

bloesem for kids

i am kind of behind on this (it is not the newest of news, but still great news!)...bloesem has introduced a new blog featuring great design for kids. i am looking forward to reading this! super topical for my life right now (4 babies of friends coming in the next few months - woohoo!)

a t-shirt christmas

inspired by the shower onesies (see below), we came up with a new project for our family at the holidays. we have a bunch of traditions already: trooping through the woods to pick out our tree (yup, we totally still do that), going to a church service where they have a candle light service (real candles) plus all the good carols, and making christmas cookies for santa of course.

but why not add another? everyone got up from in front of the tv and laptops and got together over the dining room table to decorate holiday 2007 t-shirts.



it must be my inner art teacher... i can't get enough of watching different people approach and execute a project in their own unique style.

above is the back of the shirt b made. love it!

sights for sore ears

arrgh - work is being done on our house today (hello symphony of drills and saws + unannounced water shut off) and it is driving me nuts. (i am working at home today. of course.) so, i am not feeling very patient/able with uploading images or anything at all techincal today. i also really need to do my postings on the computer with photoshop but sigh that is just not going to happen right now. however, here's some very cool stuff to look at:

*Sara Burgess's (of Central Office of Design) Miniature Cut-Out Books
I saw one of these (the Book of Bugs) on display at the San Francisco Center for the Book this year - they are truly stunning works of art. Be sure to scroll down to the Apple Tree illustrated book. i was reminded of this b/c i went to the Holiday Fair at the SFCB yesterday and saw so much great printwork (Dutch Door Press, Lizard Press, Paperflirt, Aviary Press, Boxer Press and Green Chair Press - just to name a few).

*the relaunch of the magazine Culture & Travel featuring an article called "A Spice Odyssey" with gorgeous (gorgeous!) photos shot by my cousin Kathryn Parker Almanas. she is my cousin, it's true, but i am not just being nice. the lady is super talented. check out the Winter 2007 issue next time you are in a bookstore (her spread starts on page 100).

*and finally, a string of baby onesies we created at the baby shower i gave a few weeks ago. setting a bunch of semi-strangers loose on blank white baby outfits (for a very loved by all parties little baby) with stencils and fabric paint is such a great way for everyone to meet/interact. i loved seeing the different directions everyone took. here's a sampling: