Flowerful

Cheerful designs for a blustery gray Monday morning! Tote bags, pillows and wrap by Brie Harrison.

A Nice Birthday Present!

I have some exciting news today! Yes, it's my birthday, but in addition to that... one of our holiday cards is featured in Woman's Day magazine! This is their special "Best Ideas for Christmas" issue, on newstands now. It's jam-packed with recipes, crafts and gift ideas; I highly recommend picking up a copy to get in the holiday spirit.

The Card Smarts feature recognizes several fabulous stationery companies and recommends cards by personality type, such as folksy, traditionalist, jokester... One of my favorites is the suggested "Happy New Year" card for procrastinators. Our Happy Holidays retro dots pattern card (below) is the pick for "If you're a modernist".

Oh, Amy

Did you know that crafty cupcake-creator and bizarro-homemaker extraordinaire Amy Sedaris has a new book out? Known for the same crude but wonderful humor and dry sarcasm as her brother David, Amy's tongue-in-cheek book title - Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People - comes as no surprise. I have Amy's first book, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (images below), and it never ceases to make me giggle and guffaw. There's a great interview with Amy over on the Etsy blog; check it out right here.

Going Tribal

I have a bit of a predilection for all things folksy, boho and ethnic. Whether it's Mongolian/Persian/Thai/Indian/Peruvian, I love it all. The handiwork that goes into these types of pieces always amazes me, and it has a certain perfect-imperfection that machine-made textiles and goods just don't have. This aesthetic was also the inspiration behind my global weddings invitation line for Fine Day Press.

So, of course, these bags by Dazzling Lanna are on my hit list. The handmade ethnic totes are constructed using vintage fabric from Thailand and India. Many of the bags are made from vintage Hmong baby carriers. Visit her etsy shop for lots more wonderful bags.

Peg and Awl

Wouldn't a bunch of these Peg and Awl candles create the perfect subtly-spooky Victorian-esque vibe for a Halloween party? I'm fascinated by the slightly macabre woodland creatures - like the tufted-tailed porcupine who adorns a wooden desk caddy - and bizarre medical imagery.

Using antique decoupaged illustrations and reclaimed 19th-century wood, this Philadelphia-based husband and wife team loves finding old things and making them new. Their look reminds me of my childhood in Savannah, a town most well-known for its historic homes, ghost stories and famous cemeteries - a great place to celebrate All Hallow's Eve!

Marni-Love

Gilt Groupe is having a sale on Marni today, yum. It's still well beyond my budget but that doesn't stop me from admiring these fab garments and punchy accessories. Wouldn't that green chain link necklace take a simple outfit to a whole new level? Yes, it would. Hmmm, the calf-length sock with heels look is a bit tricky to pull off, no?

Radio, Radio

Here is some great graphic inspiration to brighten up a rainy Wednesday. Spotted these vintage transistor radio packages recently on The Dieline; love the color combinations and excellent typography. You can see more at the original post, right here.

Happy Monday!

Wow, it is a perfect, super-mild fall day here in NYC. I'm skipping out of the office for a few hours this afternoon to accompany my dear friend and bride-to-be Christy, along with her mom, to some bridal boutique appointments. I am sooo excited! Here's a few bridal looks that are getting me in the mood:

Kicking it off is this amazing flower-adorned number from Amsale, from this gorgeous wedding just posted on Style Me Pretty today.


Middle row, chiffon layers from Marchesa (l) and Vera Wang (r) via New York Magazine
Bottom row, fabulous frothiness from Pronovias

Holy cow.

Austrian product/interior designer Florian Pucher studied under such design greats as Zaha Hadid and Rem Koolhaas; his limited edition LANDCARPET project won the Elle Decoration International Design Award for best floor covering, 2009.

This project just fascinates me... Each carpet was inspired by aerial photos of a particular region (Netherlands, Europe, USA, and Africa), and is composed of colored shapes at different heights, creating a mini-landscape. Personally I am drawn to the "Europe" palette - shown here at top, and bottom two photos - but I am also loving the neutrality of the Africa carpet (directly below) and the pop of purple mixed in with the color blue tones in the Netherlands version (middle).





In other news, I'm stepping up our advertisement out there in the blogosphere; I'm thrilled to have a brand-new ad over on Poppytalk, one of my favorite blogs! Check it out below:

New! Letterpress Gift Tags

I've been a busy little bee tending to the etsy shop - check out our new letterpress gift tags! They come in four different designs - two holiday and two "all occasion". I had a lot of fun designing (and photographing!) them; they're perfect for adding an extra little something to a birthday or holiday gift. These tags are also great for jazzing up homemade gifts, like a mason jar of your custom lavender body scrub or your grandma's apple butter or whatever it is you make...

Holiday Card Sets are up!

Whew, it is shaping up to be a busy day for me, with lots on the to-do list. After my hearty bowl of oatmeal (with agave and cinnamom - yum), I'm diving right into work this morning.

A bunch of holiday card sets have been added to the etsy shop, for your pre-holiday shopping pleasure! Hope you all have a happy Monday.

Dying from the Cuteness...

How **adorable** is this packaging for 8th Continent Soymilk? It's not often that I use the word "adorable" to describe food products, but it seems suitable here... I'm just enthralled with the retro-yet-fresh color palette and cheerful, slightly Alexander Girard-esque illustrations by UK illustrator Ben Javens for BBDO West. And the website (screenshot at bottom) is even cuter! Who knew soymilk could be so fun?

You can read a bit more about the redesign, and see the old packaging, right here on the blog Brand New. It really shows the impact a design overhaul can have on a brand.