String Gardens

Now I'm no gardener. I have a plant (Larry) that I've managed to keep alive for a year and a half (he's a trooper) and I'm now officially growing pumpkins (because I let one rot from last Halloween), but when it comes to growing things I'm clueless. Not to say that I don't wish I had a well planted yard or a bountiful garden or a sun porch full of lush green plants, just that I'm lost when it comes to such things. So I'm certainly not pretending that I'll be figuring out these little beauties any time soon, but you definately should. Because they're amazing.

These are the work of Fedor using string, moss, grass and bowls as the base and then suspending the plants. They're so fun and whimsical—just what we need. If you figure it out, you let me know.

Camilla's Morran

You may remember awhile ago I introduced you to Camilla of Studio Violet? Well, she's a lovely Swedish artist and she has a funny little dog named Morran. She's recently been on vacation in Spain and France (like you do) and her little pup was lucky enough to accompany. She's taken some really fun pictures of her enjoying the travels and I thought they'd be fun to share on this drizzly Tuesday (is it drizzly where you are?).



That's one lucky pooch!
Camilla has done some lovely art with sweet Morran in it.


Be sure to check out Camilla's blog and site and Flickr set and then go hug a (friendly) dog!

Little Drifters

This story starts with a man named Lenny who builds these little wondrous boats out of random pieces of nature he finds (leaves, sticks, flowers... you remember nature right?). Anyway, from what I can gather he's been doing this for years and has a lovely gallery on Flickr to inspire you and I to do the same.



Amazing and gorgeous right? Can you imagine sitting by water already feeling happy because you're sitting by water, but THEN floating towards you comes one of these little beauties? Ecstasy. The picture just a little bit above on the left with the little boy stooping reminds me of Where the Wild Things Are. They're that kind of magical—don't you think?
The story then continues with a man named Jeff who has a rather amazing blog called Booooooom. You're probably much cooler than me and have heard of this fun art community (since apparently there are over 2.5 million page views a month - dang). But I came across it through my love for you is a stampede of horses (another amazing art blog). Anyway, back to the story of Jeff. He was inspired by Lenny to coordinate a world wide event asking people to build their own little drifters and send in photographs that he would share on the blog. He's in Vancouver and thought it'd be fun to invite the area to a picnic and day at the water where people could admire each others lovely creations and meet new friends and enjoy the summer. What a good idea! Here are some of my favorites that were submitted to the site.


Fun huh? There are some really lovely pictures of the Vancouver picnic that you'll for sure want to check out. Sorry I didn't find out about this sooner or you could've submitted your creation as well. Go make one anyway - send me the picture! You and I can admire it.

Meet: Mary Kate McDevitt

Good morning friends! Today I'd like to introduce you to a very talented woman name Mary Kate McDevitt. She lives in Portland (where else?) and is quite the busy little bee. She's an illustrator/designer/reseller of vintage awesomeness. Her mini "to do list" chalkboards and clocks have been featured on lots of blogs and she's featured in the August/September issue of Ready Made magazine. Here are some of my favorites of her work:

Don't those little chalkboards seem much less daunting than a random post-it? I might actually get some things completed!

As an artist/designer trying to find my voice, I really appreciate that her commercial work looks so much like her personal art.

Her illustrations are really silly - which you know I love! The top three are from a children's book about characters from mythology at an elementary school. I absolutely love "Medusa's makeover party". Check out her work on her site/blog/etsy shop/flickr stream. Have a good weekend!

Over the Bed

For some reason I've always had a bit of a tough time with the space over the bed. You have your headboard and then what? It's an awkward space, usually between doors or nightstands with other walls in need of something as well. I don't know why it's a mystery but I don't think I've had anything on the wall above my bed for the past 6 years. This ends now people! And just in case you're wondering what to do with your own room, I thought I'd share some ideas.



The pretty fabric and "smith" are from my archives and I wish I could tell you where they're originally from, but I just can't. Enjoy them anyway! Here are the rest of the sources: polaroid heart // shelf // canvases // mirrors // birdcage mirrors // vintage arrangement on purple // paper airplane // banners // arrangement // love (technically a headboard but so, so cute I had to share it)

This American Life

I adore the radio program "This American Life" (you too?!). I love Ira Glass, I love the music they choose, I love the stories. I love it all. I'm not super familiar with the television show (mostly because I don't get Showtime), but what I've seen of it I love. Of course a show as beautiful as this would produce beautiful merchandise and tour posters and product design, so I thought today we'd enjoy a handful. The first three shots are of our beloved Ira from the television show.



Visit the shop of TAL to purchase some of these items and to see what else they've got available. And don't forget to subscribe to the podcast (for FREE) on itunes. It's so, so good.

PS. The squirrel is from here and use to be available on a t-shirt.

Bar Carts

Mad Men was not a disappointment last night—as slow and subtle as usual. It's so easy to romanticize the era, even with all of the debauchery and political/social/relational nastiness. I still love to watch it. But it always makes me want a Brandy Old Fashioned. If I had a stocked bar, I'd definitely deplete it on Sunday nights. Which is part of the problem. The other part of the problem is how expensive it is to keep a home bar. All that said, if I entertained more or had more money or it simply was more important to me, I'd love to have one of these delightful bar carts stocked with beautiful liquor bottles and funky, retro glasses and all the bar tools they make. It's such a fun little piece of furniture.


The trays and tables are great, but I love the idea of a rolling cart full of liquor. No matter what room you're in, you can just keep pulling it behind you. And it's easier to bring outside with you for those late summer evenings.
Pictures via Restoration Hardware // The Jewish Hostess // Honey Living // Maison 21 // Noel Marie // Anh-Minh