new blog love : the mid-century modernist

I just discovered The Mid-Century Modernist. It's officially my new favourite blog. So much there to love.

Image from The Mid-Century Modernist

(via The Donut Project)

more wooden things : vers iphone cases

Gorgeous. Yummy. Want one. Who would like to buy me one this Christmas?

Images from Vers Audio

the martha stewart show : the brooklyn episode

I must admit I don't watch Martha Stewart's show regularly. When I work from home, the television is rarely on during the day because I find the chatter and noise distracting when I'm working. When I was invited by my friend Jenna from Whimsy & Spice to watch the taping of the Brooklyn episode, however, I was thrilled. Nearly everyone in the audience was from Brooklyn. I had no idea it was airing live! It was great to see all the local Brooklyn business owners and Brooklyn Flea vendors featured on the show. If there was going to be one episode I would be happy to have seen, it would be this one. Go Brooklyn!

Watch all the videos from the Brooklyn episode here. Below are behind-the-scenes and set photos I took last week before and after the show.

(If you watch closely, you will spot us in the audience. I'm wearing a green dress with a black cardigan, tights and ankle boots sitting be the aisle next to Jenna and her husband, Mark ;)

If you haven't already tried the yummy goodies by Whimsy & Spice, you need to check them out now.

a case against UGGs

Just say 'NO' to UGGs.

Rarely do I rant on my blog but this instance, I had an irresistible urge to do so. So here it goes...

I thought the popularity of these boots would wane after one season. Maybe two. I was wrong. After achieving mainstream popularity, they won't seem to go away. I realize they have a history with (and were originally designed for) surfers, they are apparently very comfortable and they do sometimes look cute on 'tween'-age girls. Personally, I cannot think of another pair of shoes that would make me feel less sexy. Actually, I take that back. Crocs rival UGGs for the top spot for the list of shoes I would also never be caught dead in. But that's a blog rant for another day.

UGGs might be worthy of being worn around my apartment because they look like bedroom slippers to me. There's no good reason why a grown woman (like myself) should ever leave home wearing a pair. It would only make me feel as though I had completely given up on a desire to look/feel stylish or sexy. Besides, why on earth would I ever aim to dress like every other mall-crawling, Britney wanna-be out there? I live in New York. There are just endless (and more fashion-forward) options for boots out there.

Sorry loyal UGG lovers. I am just not a fan.

That is all.

sexy airline advertising : air france (of course)

This might be the sexiest ad campaign ever done by an airline. I spotted it only recently in Vanity Fair. I love the way Air France conveyed the glamour and sophistication of Paris. It's so simple, restrained and a nice evolution from their previous campaigns. Well done. Is it any surprise that only a European airline would get away with anything this sophisticated? Somehow it's harder to imagine an American airline doing anything like this.

Anyone know who designed these?

All images from Air France.

for children and the creative process

This adorable and brilliant animation for a Dutch children's charity imparts some great ideas not only for children but for anyone of any age. The messages are particularly pertinent to the creative process. It's simple, clever and well done. Watch it here.

via Motionographer

inspired : shadow box art

It's been quite a while since I've been inspired (nor have had time) to hand craft anyone a gift. What started out as an idea for a greeting card turned into shadow box art. I didn't think to document the finished piece until I wrote yesterday's post on The Nabokov Collection.

To give you a bit of a background: I wanted to create something meaningful for a certain special someone who recently had a birthday and had just returned from a big sailing trip to remote islands in the Bahamas. He came back lamenting being back in the city, missing the peace and beauty of being on a sailboat, far away from his laptop, civilization and everyday stress. He showed me a map of his sailing route and details of his recent adventure.

An idea started to form. Initially, it was going to be a simple hand made birthday card. Then I remembered that I have hidden in a cupboard, some sand and sea water I saved in a water bottle from my last beach trip to the Philippines. I searched online for images of old maps of the same area (older maps are just more beautiful than new ones). I found a silhouette of a sailboat and included his initial on the sail. I found a vial-like-bottle to contain the sand and sea water. The last element was a tag with an image of the Caribbean Ocean (one of mine from a previous trip to Mexico) on one side and a message on the other. I was thinking of this as a kind of "In Case of Emergency" box that would normally hold a fire extinguisher. The message instead reads: IN CASE OF A SEA DEPRAVATION EMERGENCY OPEN JAR.

I really enjoyed the whole process and asked myself: Why I don't do this more? Good things can come out of a limited budget with a little inspiration. Below are photos of the finished piece. I hope this would remind him of his trip and that a little piece of it would always be within reach.

Photos by Catherine Mangosing

the nabokov collection

John Gall of The Design Observer asked a group of well-known graphic designers (like Chip Kidd and Michael Bierut) to design their own version of a Nabokov book cover within a specimen box (entitled The Nabokov Collection). Apparently, Nabokov was an avid butterfly collector. Great concept and beautiful work. See the rest of the collection here.

This reminds me to photograph a very recent personal project I did (as a gift). That I will show next...

All images via The Design Observer

i heart turtlenecks, i do.

My affinity for turtlenecks started in my high school days in Southern California. Oddly enough, it was a place that never really saw a real winter. I was part of the gang of New Wavers, (Pre)Goths and Mods who wore a lot of black clothing, Doc Martens boots or pointy patent leather flats and rode vintage Vespa scooters to school everyday (really). I would never be caught dead wearing bright hypercolor belly-baring half shirts, anything in a pastel color (I still don't!) or anything considered "mainstream."

Well these days I don't crimp my hair anymore. The things that stuck with me since the 10th grade are my cat-eye liquid eyeliner and wearing turtlenecks! I found a couple that I love this season (I always do). I love the variations on the original. The shoulder details and modern shapes. I'm now ready for winter, at least my wardrobe is.

Reiss Lola sweater in grey melange

Reiss Nolita sweater in black

Karen Millen Biker Roll Neck sweater in black

st. jude's modern british

I just discovered these artist-designed fabrics and book covers by St. Jude's Modern British. How adorable are they? What great colors too. Everything is hand done in England and all the artists/designers are involved in the creation process. Lovely!