love me some vintage. dresses.

every year the laf likes to round up all the graphic designers into one place and award the best of the best in the designing biz. the addy awards. happily, this year has a vintage (40's-50's) theme, which means i get to dress up in some awesome old clothes. so while i already have a dress and some shoes in mind to wear for the big show, i always like to browse my favorite online venue, etsy, for some inspiration. so, here are my picks... (please note that these dresses are not all my size or in my price range... it's just wishful thinking on my part)

this one is my favorite. great find from StelmaDesigns that i wish i had found before my wedding. i have dreams of having a big, fabulous anniversary party someday - and i'll be wearing this (or something very similar).

pretty little number from metroretrovintage. not sure this one is fancy enough for this type of event, but it sure is cute! would love to pair it with some bright yellow heels and a red cardigan. reminds me of carrie of s&tc during her vintage phase. 

frilly red from Thrush. this is one of those that i would have to try on before buying. cute, but not very sure about all the frills. i would also opt to wear a fluffy petticoat underneath to make the skirt flare out. now that's the secret to making your ankles look skinny...

bubblegum pink and ruffles from yummysailor. this dress would be absolutely perfect if it were green. like avacado green. or kelly green. or chartreuse green. you get the idea. i would also consider ditching the sheer sleeves and adding little cap sleeves. while i'm not too big of a pink person, this would be fun for a night out.

to gocco or not to gocco

so after many long years (okay, like 2) of pining for my own personal gocco printer, i finally find one that is at a reasonable price. doug says go for it. i say yay. and we're both happy.

but now, well, something just has to ruin my good mood. i present yudu, by provocraft (maker of the cricut express). it seems that at least someone has been listening to the upset crafters who have been petitioning for riso not to shut down their doors. now, i don't know all the details, but it seems that you can burn and reuse (unlike gocco) these screens (which are around 15"x9", instead of the 3.5"x5.5" print you get from gocco). it also looks like a cleaner and much more efficient way of making screens and printing. no more one time use bulbs. no more buying new screens with every new design.

i know that i sound whiney, but seriously. why couldn't these have come out like... i dunno... a month ago? does anyone want to buy a gocco and some brand-spanking-new supplies?

zombies and love.

i must admit, i don't often look at the treasuries on etsy unless they are featured on the front page (shame on me, i know). this plate just so happened to be featured today, and i couldn't help but think what a great V-day gift it would be for my zombie-loving husband. we have quite the collection of zombie movies (not to mention a series of books and graphic novels by laurell k. hamilton). anyway, enough rambling. go check out foldedpigs and her quirky dinnerware. maybe some of her cockroach plates will keep me from over-eating...

and in other non-zombie news, have you heard? domino is shutting it's doors. very sad indeed. i  seem to be cursing my favorite magazines when i purchase a subscription. first blueprint, now domino... what is the world coming to?

a few books.

i know i haven't posted many books lately... so here are a few recent ones. 

gray is certainly making a huge comeback in everything from fashion to home decor. and why not? it's neutral, looks great with just about any color, and can be warm or cool - depending on what colors you combine it with. i've really been leaning towards some grey stuff in our living room, to go with our new purple couch! actually found some great pillows at target yesterday... 

the honeycomb design came from lisa's save the dates, and i think it looks awesome with the gray. i also really like the cutout effect with this book, it gives it a clean, modern edge.

can't really say much about this book, other than it was kind of a 'rush' book for someone you may or may not know from the big screen...

another fun book with this awesome green paper. i think i would wallpaper my entryway in this stuff if doug would allow it. though i'm guessing our kitchen is probably enough green for one house...

hope you all had a wonderful weekend! i've got some things i've been putting off (what's new?) that i need to take care of before monday rolls around...

love me some letterpress.

almapottery was features on etsy's front page treasury today, and i just had to take a look around her shop. she's got some unique ceramics... including little dishes and bowls, sushi sets, jewelry, small sculpture, and gocco prints. i absolutely adore these letterpressed pieces though. they are unique, functional, beautiful and have type all over them. what more could you ask for? 

photo from almapottery

labels.

i love sweet little labels. and while i enjoy designing most of the things that go in our home, it's nice to be able to just print, cut and enjoy. poppytalk had a set of free downloadable labels right here. If you scroll down, they have a bunch of other free downloads for you to decorate your home with. enjoy!

pillow talk.

silkscreened pillow by joom

now that we have a new couch... i've been wanting to make some pretty pillows to go on it and tie in some of the other colors of our living room, without looking to match-y. while i have some fabric i could work with... i don't have anything quite as pretty and fresh as these pillows i found on etsy recently... i'm really looking for something fresh and clean - with lots of white in it. i really wanted a white couch... but with a black dog, i just don't know how well that would go over. but, i love our new one, and i'm ready to accessorize a little more now that we have something a little more permanent.

in other exciting news, i'm getting a gocco printer!!! found someone on etsy that wanted to get rid of hers, so i'm waiting patiently for it to arrive in the mail. maybe i could gocco some pillows...

leafy pillow by countrylane

polka dots pillow by robinseggpink

screenprinted pillow by skinnylaminx

hearts.

one thing i love about etsy is the hearts function. you can 'heart' an item or a shop, and it saves it in your favorites! i love that because i don't have to make a list (which i would probably lose anyway) and others can view my hearts (and get gift ideas!). i like to save things that i think my friends or family might enjoy... sometimes just things that i get a kick out of. here are some of my recent 'hearts'. some of these have already been purchased, but i wanted to share them anyway. 

starting from the top left and moving clockwise: journey journal, by crackeddesigns | live letterpress poster, by hijirik | cicada necklace, by chainchainchained | original polaroid collage, by ethanollie | nomi journal, by theaybecees | hot camper potholders, by originalsbylauren | vintage wooden cow friend, by padywaak

ahhh!

so exciting!!! after months of searching craigslist and local thrift shops, we finally bit the bullet and looked around at some 'grown-up' furniture stores. we found just a few sofas and sectionals that we liked, most out of our price range... and then we found this! you probably can't tell from the photos, but it's a dark plum purple. i never thought in my life that doug and i would agree on a purple sofa, but alas! it was delivered this afternoon, and i am so excited! still not quite sure that it goes with our peachy walls, but i'm sure we'll find something that will work. will post pictures if we decide to paint... have been discussing possibly going 'greige' or a light bluish-gray. 

it's quite large, but since we didn't get the entire set (sofa, loveseat, chair + ottoman) i figure it'll be okay. also not sure that i love the colored pillows it came with... but again, i'll figure something out. it has so many pillows! i'm still trying to decide whether i like it with fewer (above) or all of them (below). so... now we're trying to find a new home for our previous couch. know anyone who needs a small, rocking, reclining loveseat?

it seems that...

*UPDATE*

it seems that the cpsc has finally made some decisions regarding the thrift and consignment stores... you can read about the changes here. according to this new document, clothes, toys and other childrens items will be allowed to be resold, as long as it was not a formerly recalled item or is known to have exceeding amounts of lead. maybe there is some hope for the handmade...

original post:
this new law is finally getting the attention it deserves. click here for an article from the LA TIMES about thrift and consignment stores and how they will be affected by the CPSIA. i wonder how many lubbock stores have heard about the new law coming into effect next month? probably not many. if you have no clue about what i am referring to, you can check into an old post here.

as a constant thrifter, i am appalled and saddened that if this goes down the way everyone says it will, all the gently used children's clothing, toys and books will have to be removed from thrift and resale shops. i don't have any children, but if we ever did - i would purchase most if not all baby and children's clothing used or handmade! i'm sorry, but in my eyes they just grow too quickly to be constantly purchasing brand new items. and to know that it may not be an option in the near future is... well... frustrating to say the least. in the disposable world that we live in... the words reduce, reuse and recycle are finally becoming mainstream in a way nobody expected. tons of perfectly good clothing and other items will be thrown in the garbage... now how green of a world will we live in then?

little bo peep image from nicolemorse.

love the cutting.

okay, so i love paper, obviously. my husband says that i am obsessed with it, and he's probably right. after lindsey's post about yulia brokskaya, i started to pay more attention to the different ways paper can be manipulated... their shape, texture, movement. enter: elisita. found her via d*s this morning... her 2d and 3d papercuts are gorgeous and imaginative, and i dream about hanging them in shadowboxes in my living room. (she has an etsy shop in case you're interested) this is something that really interests and inspires me, and i hope to learn more about the history and techniques of papercutting. i am already a pro with the x-acto blade, so why not?

resolutions.

so... i normally don't make resolutions. why? because i hardly ever follow them after the first few weeks. or days. but... there are some habits that i really do want to get rid of and a few things i'd really like to change, so here goes. 

1. clean out my closet.

i have tons of clothes that i don't wear anymore that i just can't seem to part with. i know, i know, i really need to take them to a consignment store or thrift store - or just put them on freecycle. that being said...

2. get organized.

i hate clutter. but it seems to take over every inch of my life. i can't stand it anymore... something has got to be done. i want to be able to find something quickly and easily instead of praying that st. anthony will show me the way.

3. get healthy(er).

so nobody's perfect, right? right. well, i'm going to try to be more perfect about the things i put into my body. i still don't think i could do the whole vegetarian thing - though i've really considered it. that doesn't mean that i can't eat more veggies though. and... i'm also going to start working out more. i don't have the metabolism that i used to, and let's face it - it's only going to get worse if i don't do anything about it. enter: wii fit. it's fun, and i'm actually sore the next day after spending some time on it.

4. read more.

i used to constantly have a book in my hands. i devoured novels like they were cookies. or diet coke. i started sifting through my collection the other night and realized how much i missed my favorite tales. so, i'm going to make it a priority to read more instead of plop down in front of the tube.

5. try new things.

i have lots of things that i want to try out and/or try to get better at. soap-making. crocheting. knitting. would love to letterpress. embroidery. sewing in general could use much improvement. learn more about photography. hmmm... lots of other things. maybe these could stretch out over several years...

6. save more money.

doug and i have actually been pretty good about that this year, but there's nothing wrong with having a little money stashed away for a rainy day. besides, we're looking at actually purchasing some new furniture (hopefully soon!) instead of just window shopping and wishful thinking...

so, now you know what i want to improve on this next year... what about yourself? here's hoping for a wonderful 2009, can't wait to see what happens!