Donna Wilson's Lovely Knitable Furnishings

Saw Donna Wilson's work as part of a poppytalk post form the NYC gift show. Very much loving this pillows! Check out more of her work here.

Color Cuts by Heather Moore

I love paper cut outs. I need to get these into my curriculum! Love the idea of them being on paint samples too. Check out more of Heather Moore's work on her blog skinny laminx

Kitties show off Beautiful Decor

Taking a little breather from the sweatshop to find inspiration ( or really just giving in to my short attention span today) and I found this great post on design sponge in her sneak peeks called best of cats. I love how these photos work so well with showing off the cats environment. Here are some of my favorites. Check out the whole post here.

Power Styling..60's style

You know I have this fascination with power lines and I believe their beauty to be quite vulnerable. Looking on my favorite blog grain edit, is a treasure of a find, a review of Power Styling: Future Power Structure Concept Book. Its premise is:

In 1964 United States Steel called upon the nation’s electric utility companies to reconsider the current look of our power stations and transmission towers to be both functional and beautiful. Two years later, Henry Dreyfuss and Associates were commissioned to investigate possible design alternatives, and I believe they were documented in a book entitled “Power Styling” which was produced by United States Steel in the mid-to-late 1960s.

I love these structure illustrations. Can we only imagine if they came into fruition?

Schoolhouse Electric Co. lighting up my Vintage!

I went to get my hairs done the other day and happened to fall a pond an interior design magazine and noticed these great retro lighting fixtures in one of the pics. I wrote down the resource, Schoolhouse Electric Company, and looked up the web page. I have always had this fascination with retro style lighting fixtures especially from the 40's tot he 50's. These remind me of the old fixtures from our school before they dismantled them and put up those horrible fluoresce lights. The story is great...read all about here...here are some of my favorite designs. Now to save up for that new kitchen light!

before and after school renovations from design sponge

A good friend of mine is in the process of buying a house with not a lot of money. Got me searching and being amazing of how many houses are for sale in the B-more area under $100,000. Course you can also imagine the state that they are in. So in search of before and after renovations, I have to applaud angela tullier and her husband adam in their very hip renovation of a home that hadn't been changed since 1958, except for the vacancy prior to their purchase of four years. Check out the entire post here on design sponge...I'm really loving the colors of the bathroom as well as that kitchen!

Hmmmm....mural in the house time?

Now that I have my house all to myself and have been turning painting ideas into installations....I stare at my blank walls of color all over my house trying to imagine the perfect line drawing, painting, text for each. Saw this on Apartment Therapy this morning and had to post it to remind myself that I can so this. Great house...good article on James Nestor's home ...read here.

Favorite FInd of the Day

I've been quite busy these last days writing curriculum and making tons of items for a future show in DC..info to come soon...and of course this blog tends to suffer from my busi-ness and short attention span. But I have been absolutely loving grain edit and his finds and have to share this one which comes from we made this Blog on the Olivetto Lettera 22 Manual. What a beautiful work of art.

Art Star Coming Very Soon!

So sorry about lack of posts. This is the hectic time of HSA, AP's and other no child left behind horro stories of school tests and nonsense routines. These weeks really drag me down and then I have to find hidden energies for making! This weekend coming up is artstar in Philly. My first tie and I am SO EXCITED! I've been crazy making more pleasted birdy bags, pillows and small pouches and clutches. If you're in the Philly area, please stop by. Do some early shopping here for the Artstar vendor lists. Here are some of my favorites:

SaraSmedley's line of butcher’s aprons are inspired, in part, by aprons worn by her grandfather when he cooked.


Alison Tauber, a graduate of the textile & surface design program of the F I T in New York Citystarted her own line of screen printed clothing and housewares in the spring of 2008. With her eponymous line Alison strives to create art that is beautiful, comfortable and usable.


Spread the love is meant to do exactly that – spread the love – one little doodle at a time.These doodles definitely take me back to one of favorite design styles of 60's saturday cartoons and kids decor!

Design as If you Give A Damn!

I saw Cameron Sinclair speak last night at MICA and I feel I have to share this with as many people that I can...I was amazed! I am constantly knocked over by the hope and humanity and positive outpouring of these contemporary hero's. Obama gave me tear jerking hope that I never thought I would experience in my life time. That is so sad to even admit it. Last night's lecture by Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architects for Humanity spicked my puch of hope even further. Here is Sinclair's talk at the TED awards that is so worth spending 23 minutes watching. It makes want to do something way more than my little birdy contributions to the world...but perhaps find a better way to imsprier my studnets to get involve and mae a difference. And that it can all happen with DESIGN!
TED AWARDS

What's UP with Matt Stephens

so...you remember that bib I love from when I was a little one under my Aunt Anna's Christmas Tree....those amazing images form the early 60's ....and here it is, from one of my favorite artist...Matt Stephens.






I'm diggin' these felt figures too! Let's hope for some good spring sales so I can purchase a print soon!

Swink Direct Mail

I've been trying to spruce up my shop and have been trying to think about my branding techniques...meaning I'm looking every where to determine what catches my eye and what elements I could begin to bring into my "look". I've been playing with color for my new spring banner and I'm working on new business cards for each season. Notice my last post with my new banner and sale avatar...still working on the pixilization on my etsy site...any help please?
Anyway, I saw this post on grain edit a while ago and it keeps coming back to my mind, reminding me to post it. I absolutely love unique uses for paper in which we with to pass on our info.Give me a reason to hang on to this and not recycle it...This beautiful promotional piece is from the Swink design and branding firm. It completely reminds me of the cardboard toys we used to get in cracker jack boxes or even high end everyday toys, like our 50' cardboard Barbie house! Now...what can I do to get one of these sent to me?

Tigerlily Patch at ACC

I am a bit tardy of my ACC posts....only 3 days away. Opens this friday to the general public....two of our BEST members are selling their wares as new exhibitors this year at the ACC craft shows. Alison of Tigerlily Patch will also be there. Her beautful jewery is the talk of BEST at all ofour shows. So go look for her! I'll be there with my two day $20 pass!