Pulling from the past

I love old photographs, especially family photographs. There is just something more innocent and comforting about peering into a world that is some how linked to your life now. I enjoy how this forces you to question about the content and the connection.

My mother's side of the family was vastly different from what I am. She grew up in, what I believe was, a two bedroom house with her parents, and two of her four siblings, without an indoor toilet until she was almost out of high school. They heated their house with a wood stove. My grandmother made mom's dresses for her out of empty flour sacks. They used to milk their own cows and sell the cream every week. They killed chickens, ate fresh eggs and had more of a connection to the land that I will probably ever know, and they did this all because they had to.

That sort of living, in all reality does not exist anymore in the same form in this country. I'd be lucky if the chicken who laid the "organic" eggs I ate yesterday have ever even seen more than artificial lighting, a wall and thousands of her counterparts. Only if I made the obvious effort to march myself down to the farmers market would I hope to see something even remotely close. I think I read that only 1 to 2% of our population are farmers... there are more people unemployed and in prison. I don't think I've ever wished so much that I could grasp onto this something, this unfamiliar life slipping away.

 

I ♥ Europe: Switzerland

Diptych selects that pretty much sum up the Switzerland trip. Enjoy.

♥'s for Monki

I discovered this wonderfully quirky Swedish clothing site over the weekend called Monki. I insist you go there directly and check out the fabulous introduction animation showcasing their November styles.

I must mention that I am so enamored with their illustration and animation, and the art direction to showcase their clothes is different from anything else I've seen before. If only I could get my hands on a magazine issue and drool.

In love with this

Scandinavian Christmas

I was looking through some more interior design sites / inspirations and came across a few winter Scandinavian inspired shots via Norske interiørblogger, Bo Bedre and Emmas Design Blogg. I love the idea of planting a tree instead of cutting one. And I'm absolutely in love with how many interesting and simple ideas one can use to create a Christmas space (even if you don't have tree).

Why I heart scandinavian / nordic everything

Came across Kim Holtermand and Ditte Isager awhile ago in a sea of amazing talent from this area of the globe. I love the stark simplicity and eeriness to Holtermand's work, while Isager's compositions are just absolutely intriguing and unpretentious to look at. I adore how pretty much anything I've seen from this region; design to photography has this same sort of quality to it.

 

For the fashionable cold weather lovely

Well today is a snow day! It is absolutely ridiculous outside for a Seattle day. All I can think about right now is how cold it is, and how cold I am. Our poor tiny excuses for wall heaters just can't handle this, so to pass the time I started thinking about clothes.

A couple of things have caught my attention this winter, and I think all of them are a recycled, updated version of fashion's past. I've been wanting a turban since I saw them in August. When I found quite a number of gorgeous ones on the The Future of Frances,  I decided right then and there that I definitely had to have one (and pretty much the outfits as well). I think the Jersey Turban would look so unexpected, but lovely paired with the military-inspired coat from Dear Fieldbinder. 

No. 1 Jersey Turban, The Future of Frances. No. 2 Wool Epaulet Coat, Dear Fieldbinder.

More Selby ♥'s

Well its absolutely ghastly out there. Snowy blizzard-ness. But I'm not going to let it scare me...

I just had to share a few modern inspirations from the Selby that I adore before I trek out into the darkness. Enjoy.

Why I absolutely heart the Selby

Well its snowing ❄ ❄ ❄. I was secretly (well maybe not so secretly) hoping for a snow day ... but alas.

All is well however, because I got a lovely little email from the Selby.

I love, love, love the Selby as a constant source of inspiration. Many of these homes are so eclectic and so interesting, but so personable I find my inner dialog shouting, "I can totally do that!".

This morning they posted new photos of Andy Spade, Creative Director and the design Kate Spade in their New York home.  I am completely in love with all their random little collections, and the sheer volume of stuff they have, and how they somehow make it all work harmoniously together in a very classy sort of way.

Gifts for the Urban Lumberjack?

I feel like I'm on a roll with gift guides. Its just so much fun to "window shop" and not necessarily buy. I  suppose you could call this urban lumberjack ... really not sure... its got an urban twist, so it definitely not just lumberjack... Or you could just call it woodsy? On any account, this time of year and fortunately this season, has brought with it warm cozy sweaters and plaid everywhere. I quite love these Bunny Ear Muffs from The Future of Frances on etsy although I don't think I could handle buying them (as I love bunnies alive more than on my ears). I also found the Bjork boots and Nordic leggings on Need Supply (I know, I know I can't stop pretend shopping on this site).

I also was quite taken with the Downeaster sport wool plaid bag, and even though the idea of wearing real fur sort of grosses me out, the faux fur trapper hat does the trick potentially. Enjoy!

Gift Guide for the Urban Gardner

I know its crazy, but its this time of year where I start to think about gardening. Specifically I start thinking about what I plan on growing next year.

Tubtrugs look pretty awesome as an multi-purpose bin for gardening, laundry, etc. These would be perfect for dumping soil and maybe even toting the occasional laundry load.

The other thing I've thought about for quite awhile, since I saw a post on Design*Sponge back in April, are seed banks. Baker Creek Heirloom seeds is housed in an old bank and sells over 1200 varieties of seeds, many of them heirloom in variety. With such success of my heirloom tomatoes last year (bought from Tonasket, WA), I'm chomping to get started again in multiple veggies, for next year.

But in the meantime, since much of this will need to wait, why not try a terrarium? Grow Little has some gorgeous shots of terrariums. While it wouldn't be possible to order one of these all the way from France, why not make one for your friend as a holiday gift?

Why I heart an ode to vintage sci-fi.

I've always always had a soft spot for science-fiction. Its probably because as a kid I used to always cuddle up next to my dad on the couch, Friday nights at 8 pm to watch Star Trek (I remember vaguely the original) and then more specifically Star Trek: The Next Generation. So when I came across the series that Kahn & Selesnick created I was ecstatic. Much of it has obviously been digitally photoshopped, but still well done.

Along that same vein, these photos also reminded me of a short film I saw awhile back called Connected. The synopsis describes it as set in the distant future, Connected is a story about survival and greed with a post apocalyptic wasteland as its backdrop. Survivors of an unknown disaster shuffle through a desolate landscape, as it quickly becomes clear that not everybody has the strength to survive.
 

I heart Nick Cave

Working on creative concepts for work I stumbled across some lovely juxtapositions of Nick Cave's Sound suits and fashion, title Creature Couture . This mixture strangely checked off all the boxes of multiple likes. And mean come on, its Nick Cave. No do not respond with "from the Bad Seeds?" otherwise I may need to lay the smack down ... if you still don't know what I'm talking about ... google and the entry "Nick Cave Soundsuits" is your friend. If you want to see all this lovely stuff in the flesh, SAM is doing an exhibition in March of next year, so keep your calendars open.

Photography by Ted Sabarese, found via Behance.

For the Love of Hair

I've always loved how long hair looks. I've had this fascination with the texture of hair since I was a kid, and coincidentally its compelled me to draw it (and for a long time sport my own version of that look). There is something ultra satisfying about the end result to spending so much time on each strand. That's why I was enthralled when I came across Hong Chun Zhang on Booooooom. Her work is so delicate and so considered, but so grand.

Two blogs I love

While on lunch I'd love to share two blogs I'm addicted to.

Animalarium is fulfilling my animal illustration addiction. After trolling through I discovered a beautiful post about Andy Warhol's illustrator days... and... a post on Millions of Cats (a childhood favorite of mine). I love little surprises like that!

Did I mention that Book Worship is packed full of beautiful little book design jems?

I ♥ Europe: Spain

I just got back from a lovely vacation in Europe for two weeks (my first time ever, teehee!).

Did you miss me?

I missed you ... beautiful Seattle.

While gone we specifically hit Barcelona, Spain, various cities in Switzerland and Italy. It was fabulous to get a sense of the food, the smells, the sounds, the history, the fashion, design and the art.

First things first. Can I just say with all honesty that I ♥'d Barcelona's Metro?

The Metro is an extensive network of electrified railways that run underground in central Barcelona and above ground into the city's suburbs. I was so incredibly impressed by the ease of use as well as the information graphics.

Don't speak Spanish (or Catalayn in this case)? Not a problem. I known maybe a handful of Spanish phrases and had absolutely no problem navigating my way through it ... not to mention that the metro's graphics (and much of the design I saw related to it) was just really really easy on the eyes.