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