Monday, April 26, 2010

birds nests in your hair

hi there, friends. i hope you had lovely weekends and a good start to the week. sadly, posts will continue to be light as i attempt to keep swimming in the treacherous seas that are grad school at the end of the semester.

however, i wanted to share this awesome letterpress poster from studio on fire first.

i love the entangled lines that make up the design. so beautiful and delicate. and the chinese proverb seems particularly poignant to me these last few days.

“you cannot prevent the birds of sadness from passing over your head, but you can prevent their making a nest in your hair.”





check out studio on fire's letterpress tutorial over here.



Saturday, April 24, 2010

polaroid love


lemonade in a mason jar.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

perhaps i need a vader mask



feeling a bit like this sad vader today. in fact, i wish i could put a mask over my face, cross my arms, and pout in the corner.

its been a rough start to the week.
my car broke down and spent all day monday trying to get it towed from charlottesville to richmond and to a mechanic. and its threatening to be seriously costly to fix.

my little kitty-love ran away last night and spent the whole night out on the streets. the worst part? i didnt even notice for twelve or so hours until it dawned on me that she was being awfully quiet this morning. i was in tears, frantically calling her name in the street when she came running back, whining for her breakfast. im a terrible cat mom.

i received a total jerkface lecture from my major professor today. i'll spare you the details, but i will say that it was totally unwarranted and rather ridiculous. still, it made me feel like a bad student and total failure. i cried in the departmental bathroom after and looked like a puffy eyed asshole all day.

finally, its the last few weeks of the semester and the things to do are piling up much quicker than i can accomplish them, causing panic attacks and the urge to run away to mexico.
or maybe buy a darth vader mask.

anyhow, i give you this woe-is-me laundry list not to elicit that much sympathy (i know i know, it could be much much worse), but to say that posts will continue to be light this week. and maybe next week, until school calms down and my inspired, happy, less sad vader self returns.

xs and os.

ps. alex brown's fantastic sad vader is available at 20x200. so good.

Friday, April 16, 2010

right now

via
craving a tall glass of iced tea or mint lemonade.
geeking out about the abstract expressionist stamps i just bought at the post office.
they're way too awesome to waste on lame bills.



via
wishing i could see this film.
tempted to buy a new camera for all the summer adventures that are quickly approaching.
enjoying le loup's most recent album that i apparently missed out on until now.



via
considering slacking off for the rest of the afternoon, laying on the roof in the sunshine, painting my fingernails spring break pink again, and basking in this glorious april weather.
ahh, friday.
hope you have a lovely weekend, friends. xo.

ghostpatrol

how awesome are these pencil sets by aussi illustrator ghostpatrol? so charming and original, i'm smitten.
see more of his work here and here.













Thursday, April 15, 2010

long lost friends


i went for a long walk through hollywood cemetery this morning. its the most lovely and peaceful place on an sun drenched day in early spring. trees blooming, big fat robins singing, the river rushing by. i collected a handful of lovely old southern names that have been bouncing around my head ever since.

cornelia,
eugenia,
winnifred,
lena,
imogen.

i like to wander the shady hills of the cemetery and wonder who those women were. sometimes i think of them as long lost friends and imagine inviting them to a tea.
but, the best name, my favorite long lost friend today? lettice lee.
i bet she went by lettie.



Wednesday, April 14, 2010

picture it


this looks like bliss.
from photographer bethany obrecht.
via

biggie vs xx

cant. stop. listening.
the xx have definitely been on my spring soundtrack these last few months.
i'm even more addicted now that a friend introduced me to wait what's album "notorious b.i.g. vs the xx."
oh hot damn. two words: so good.



Tuesday, April 13, 2010

chad hagen












oh my. i'm really loving these nonsensical infographics by artist and designer chad hagen. on first view, they appear to communicate data through appealing graphic design, but in fact, these images are really just masquerading as information. instead, they cleverly trick us, while actually communicating ideas about nonsense and, well, beautiful design.
love them.

ps. 20x200 has several of mr. hagen's prints available for bargain prices. score!

Monday, April 12, 2010

look up

it was another beautiful weekend, including the first trip to the river this year, lots of delicious food and drink, bike rides, blue skies and sunshine.
took this polaroid saturday on a walk through oregon hill.
goodness, i love springtime.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

girl crush


i cant seem to get enough of florence and the machine these days. they've definetly been all over my late winter/early spring soundtrack. i listened to this interview with her this morning and fell even harder for the lovely florence. i dont know if its her firey red hair, her darling british accent, or the fierceness with which she sings, but i'll admit, i'm a bit smitten.



Wednesday, April 7, 2010

oh hey, motion.


i really love stop motion animation and learning about the invention of photography and its history. i teach an art history survey course that covers the renaissance through contemporary art, and my favorite lecture is the one i gave today, on the invention of photography.
its so nerdily exciting!
anyhow, i always end the lecture by talking about eadweard muybridge, and english scientist who was interested in using photography for motion studies, and i make my students watch this clip, which is essentially the world's first stop motion picture.
just thought i'd geek out and show you guys because i think its super neat.
theres a great story behind this bad boy (including former california governors and a $25,000 wager!) so check out muybridge's wiki. its pretty good.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

beware of the octomonster


i can't remember where i came across this image, but 1. i really love it.
and 2. i'm totally feeling like that crazy monster right now.
(its a been a too-much-to-do, stresser of a week already.)
actually, i wish i were like that octomonster because perhaps then i'd have enough hands accomplish it all?

anyhow, i'm all out of clever thoughts or interesting ideas, but here are a few not so interesting notes:

1. i made this peanut butter granola last night. it turned pretty good. however, i do think the recipe could use some honey. its tasty awesomeness with a dash of milk and sliced banana, though.
2. we hit 90 degrees here today and this little glimpse of summer is making me wish for a pool and a white wine spritzer. bad.
3. this mini summer is also throwing me for a loop in terms of wardrobe. i'm having a hard time adjusting... what does one wear in this heat?
4. the weekend, however, looks like its going to be amazing. like mid to high '60s during the day and sunny amazing. lets fast forward to friday, shall we?

Monday, April 5, 2010

what's the secret password?


kate bingham-burt's newest drawing, 500 worst passwords is pretty awesome.
i can see the flaw in 'password,' but whats wrong with 'einstein?' or 'startrek?' what about 'naughty?' i kinda like that one. anyways, i breathed a sigh of relief to find that my secret word didnt make the list.

i first came across kate's work at an opening at 1708 gallery about a year ago. i've been following her obsessive consumption project since, and in all, find her work really interesting and clever.
looking forward to checking out her book, which should be hitting shelves any day now.


the calm before the storm


it was a lovely weekend.
as hoped, it included lots of down time, porch time, good friend time. sunshine, bike rides, italian food, bourbon slushes, lots of sleep.
fresh flowers and homemade coconut macaroons with orange zest. yum!

amidst all that loveliness i did manage to get a little work done. but, perhaps i ought to have been a little more productive, because i have a doozy of a week coming up. yet, i figure theres something to be said for making a little headspace before the storm, no?
it is april, after all, the nicest of months.

Friday, April 2, 2010

oh hello, weekend.


there is a big fat bummble bee buzzing outside my open window. the afternoon light is flooding in and the birds are chirping.
it sounds like the perfect, languid afternoon to follow what's been a busy week.
i plan on taking it easy this weekend. riding my bike, sitting on some porches, and hopefully taking in some sunshine and a few walks with my polaroid.
happy friday, lovelies. what are you up to?

Thursday, April 1, 2010

love, nancy


a letter from nancy spero to lucy lippard in 1971.
(two hugely influential women in the feminist art movement.)
love it.