Ahh, Sunlight

Finally, the sunshine is back! It's been so dreary here in Brooklyn lately. I feel ten times more alive when the sun is out. These chandeliers we saw at an antique store in Cape Town would look beautiful in a sunny high ceiling space. Ahh, sunny high ceiling spaces.

Must Have Rugs

I cannot get rugs off the brain these days. We have the show coming up in a few weeks - and I've become obsessed with the idea of having a graphic rug in our booth. I have no idea where this is coming from or why. Maybe it's my personal longing for a cool rug in our bedroom? After 1000 people have walked on it in four days, will it still be a new rug? Because I'm actually thinking about this. And why shouldn't I be? I really don't want to buy something that will just sit around until next year's show - or worse, just get tossed immediately afterwards. I went to Home Depot this weekend to look at rugs - but after drooling over the Madeline Weinrib ones at the ABC Carpet Warehouse in the Bronx just before that, I was depressed. So, here I am. Stuck in a rug debacle.

Loving these rug options above, clockwise from top left: Madeline Weinrib, Riva; Dash & Albert, Sail Stripe; Dash & Albert, Tattersall; West Elm, Petal.

Life in Flight

My friend's sister Tracey wrote & directed Life in Flight - a movie that was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival. We went to the premiere last night - and I could not get over how this was her first time writing and directing. Amazing. Afterwards, she gave a Q&A (by far the coolest part of film festivals I think) and she described how she developed the four main characters almost as the same character to show how fear affects our lives - whether we run from it, run towards it, are paralyzed by it or are oblivious to it. A pretty cool concept.

The film is showing three more times this week, so go check it out. You can read more from Tracey Hecht on the film here.

Fridays with John: the Mother of videos

I posted a few weeks ago about an interesting music video that I'd found by the Norwegian group Röyksopp. I think this one for their song Eple may be even better. A seemingly simple combination of panned still photographs yields a pretty great result.



I quickly researched the making of this video and it turns out it was made by the venerated London ad agency Mother in collaboration with a video graphics house. Even better yet.

Hope you like it. Have a great weekend.

More Friends

PB's friends are here! Welcome, Ellie & Birdie.

This card most definitely captures how I feel about some of my very favorite people - totally unselfish and complete life savers.

Texture

I thought I'd post a few 'texture' images that we took in South Africa - since we took about a million. We were very camera happy tourists. I didn't one thing to pass me by without being able to hold on to it forever. Mission accomplished.

New Love for the Liner

I was never a big fan of liners. And maybe this comes from shopping for invitations at the Party Nook my whole life. But you know the ones - shiny, pukey colors, bad graphics. I shouldn't be so harsh - it's not the liner's fault he's been mistreated in metallic for so many years. But it's time for a makeover, Liner.

Liners really should be like a good accessory. An oversized ring, a headband, some fun colored flats. They're not the main event, but they make the whole look come together. I am so excited about our new liners! And I cannot wait to share the whole look in just a few (short & crazy) weeks at the National Stationery Show.

Latest & Cutest

This is our latest little friend PB (that's Mr. Polar Bear's nickname) for our Greetings line. I love him.

Thanks to Traci for helping to bring our little guy to life!

PB will be joined on our site by another new friend later this week. Stay tuned!

Wallpaper City Guide - and Hand

For our trip, I bought the Cape Town Wallpaper City Guide. I had never bought one of these guide books before - but I'm positive it's the prettiest guide book I've ever seen - and had some good little spots for us to check out.



One noteable place was this cool shop/cafe/hair salon called Hand. I was immediately drawn to these outline drawings everywhere. What a simple, non-cluttery and effective way to display the pieces for sale. I was pushing for John to get a hair cut so we could stay longer. He didn't go for it. :(

If you're planning a trip to one of the 60 featured cities, I'd highly recommend picking up one of these little books - if not for its highly selective list of hot spots, then for a visual break from the other bigger, heavier and uglier guide book you'll be lugging around. Check out the list of cities here.

Little Angel

Ever since my mom passed away 10 years ago, my sisters and I have had a special fondness for angels. We each have a little collection of them. I knew this one had to come home with me. I love my little South African Angel.

Home Sweet Home

The best thing about returning home to an empty fridge is this Pumpkin Apple Walnut muffin and latte (still on the coffee kick) from Blue Sky Bakery. Mmmm.

Goodbye Cape Town

We leave Cape Town today to start our two day travel back to the US. Being here has been unreal, and I wish I could stay longer - like a year longer.

Posting hasn't been the easiest, so I apologize for the spottiness. We'll be in full swing when we get back.

Until then, three photos above: Tokara winery chocolate packaging; woodpile at Tokara winery; ladies at the top of Table Mountain.

Goodbye Cape Town - and thank you.

Cape Town

A few from yesterday's drive around Cape Town: View from the lighthouse at the Cape of Good Hope. African Penguins at Boulder Beach. And one of the many Dr. Suess-looking plants.

This place is magical - unlike anywhere I've ever been. I could stay here for a very long time.

Ironman

Just a quick pic from South Africa. Our friend Jen completed the Ironman yesterday, looked strong the whole time and at the end, she said it was the most fun she's ever had. Amazing. More to come.

Sendoff Peek

So much for the big unveiling! Here are a few more bits of invitation pieces. I cannot wait for you all to see the finished work. I'm leaving for South Africa today - but I hope to be posting from way over there - all S. Africa related things, so stay tuned. And have a great weekend.

The Present Moment

It's been a cool month since I've brought up Oprah - so here we go again.

I'm reading her latest best book ever - A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle - and I thought I'd share a passage that I dog-eared. (Click the image for a larger view.)

I was up working late last night when I mentioned to a friend that I was nervous about getting everything done before we leave tomorrow - and she said, "just remember that life happens when you're busy making other plans." And as Tolle says, when you're trying to get somewhere in the future "you are never fully here because you are always busy trying to get elsewhere."

So my little mantra these days is all about presence - being okay with what is happening now.

If you don't know of A New Earth, I'd highly recommend reading it. Oprah also conducts a super duper world wide "classroom" with Tolle on her website. She may sing her praises too loud and too deep, but she's got something here.

Sneak Peek

I told myself I was going to wait until the show to unveil our wedding collection in its entirety. And I am. But I could not resist showing just a little peek at one of my favorites. This one is so elegant. I'd be tempted not to send in the response card just so I could keep it. (I'd call, of course:) Brides need responses!!)

Color Inspiration

We're exhibiting at the National Stationery Show in May for the second time. With it just around the corner, (May 18-21) I've been thinking a lot about our booth - the layout, the materials, how we'll be displaying our cards and how we should showcase our brand new wedding album. I think I want to keep it pretty spare this year - not sterile or bland. It has to have life, and it has to have a clear personality. But I think I was way too caught up in the materials last year. This year, I'm all about clean, neat, sharp, & simple. To help achieve that, I started a folder of inspiration - snapshot above. Can you tell I'm feeling the springtime bursts of color? I'm hoping to capture some more booth inspiration during our upcoming trip - and also hope to be posting from way over there too!

South Africa bound

This Thursday, John & I will be traveling as far as we ever have - to South Africa. We're headed there to cheer on our dear friend Jen as she takes on the Ironman in Port Elizabeth. And then along with Jen's mom and sister, we'll head over Cape Town for a few days after the race. We've been so wrapped up in the Ironman part of the trip (thinking about it now gives me butterflies for her) that we don't have many definite plans once in Cape Town. So - I'm hoping maybe someone has been and will have suggestions for us. I still cannot believe we're going. Perhaps making a few plans would help it all sink in:)

Not Quite Calligraphy

I took a calligraphy class at NYU Continuing Edu. shortly after moving to New York because I thought it would be cool and I have a thing for handwriting. But I was disappointed. The 45 degree angle of the nib, the lined paper we all used in kindergarden, the precise spacing of letters and making sure all the repeating letters were the same size and shape. Ugh. I couldn't deal. It was way too uptight for me. Afterall, I'm the art major who used plungers in her year-long senior thesis! I'm all for having a vision and seeing that through, I just don't need every single movement of the hand to be so painfully calculated.

(side note - I had no idea I had such strong feelings against this calligraphy class until three seconds ago when I finished that above paragraph. geez.)

So - I've decided to get out the old India Ink again and give it another whirl with the calligraphy pen. On my terms this time. And it's so much more fun! I love the stark contrast of india ink on white paper. And the ink blots that occur from - wait for it - having too much ink on the nib! My teacher would have me doing 100 rows of a's right now. Forget it! This is way more me.

SPAM

I get at least 30 spam emails a day. (How does this happen with all the spam blockers these days??) Linzie Hunter must get her fare share of spam too. She's the artist behind the piece above, Boundless, which takes language from her spam emails. Probably the only cool thing about spam. Buy this print for $20 over at 20x200. See more of Linzie's work here.

Flying Quietly

In high school, we had to give a "senior assembly" where we'd give a 10 minute speech on any subject of our choosing. Having just had a horrible plane experience, I gave mine on fear of flying. To this day, I am haunted by that flight over 10 years ago when the oxygen masks fell as the plane tried to stablize its cabin pressure and the flight attendants cried. It was a total nightmare - and most of the time, flying to me still is. I've tried many methods to try to calm my nerves - but nothing has worked quite as well as these noise-cancellation headphones. John got them for me recently (probably to save his arm from being squeezed off), and they have made all the difference in the world. While I wouldn't call the skies "friendly" with these puppies on, and sure, I kinda look like the pilot in them, I cannot imagine ever flying again without them. They aren't cheap, but if you're a bad flyer too, do your aisle a favor and pick some up.

Simply Vera print ads

I'm loving the colors and feeling of this print ad for Vera Wang's line Simply Vera.

The Pursuit of Design: Alan Dye

I recently came across this interview with designer/"brand enhancer" Alan Dye - now Creative Director at Apple. I know some of his work from my time at O&M and admire what he went on to do at Kate Spade. I love hearing people talk about their work and this one's a good one. Check it out here.

[still taken from Design Matters Live interview, courtesy of zoom in online]

Pheeew!

I've just spent the past couple days in a panic that I had re-torn my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) which I had torn playing lacrosse in college - but an MRI just yesterday confirmed that I had just bruised the bone. HUGE relief!! But the stupid knee still hurts, and I won't be able to run on it for a few weeks, at least. And - I had just confirmed with a few friends that I'd be running the San Francisco marathon in August. Arrg! So now that I can't run, all I think about is running, and this article in the NYTimes about the runner's high doesn't help. I'll be over here with an ice pack all day.