choose the soft option

so my friends andy (the lady vanishes) and troy (the explorers club) just finished a music project...the soft option..check it out...actually check all these links out...nice tunes from atlanta

please....

could i please be a design*sponge intern???? thanks.

best day ever

so yesterday, after a long morning/afternoon at a seminar on budgeting (aren't you proud, mom?) and after getting to the post office to pick up my package two minutes after they closed (ugh... probably the collected correspondence journal i just ordered), i decided to do a little exploring around my neighborhood. i don't do enough of this, and there are so many cool shops and restaurants all around the east village and lower east side - i don't know the area nearly as well as i wish i did...if only i didn't have to work a full-time job...

anyway... i stumbled upon two amazing stores...

first up is Wendy Mink jewelry on the lower east side. there is some absolutely incredible jewelry in here, and the store itself is styled so beautifully. Each case has a different color scheme for the jewelry, and a different theme within each. absolutely gorgeous.

then, even though i was running late, i couldn't help but step into the next store when i passed by it. it's called John Derian, in the east village. probably one of my favorite stores i've ever been into. it's hard to describe why it's so amazing, but there are some great decorative items in there. but what steals the show are the plates that John Derian makes. he takes vintage prints that he collects and decoupages them onto the back of a glass plate, platter, paperweight, bell jar, etc... i couldn't resist the one called "tree of life" - with beautiful calligraphy forming the shape of a tree, with the fruits of the spirit hanging off of it, and birds flying nearby. it's now hanging proudly in my room. that's the only thing i bought there yesterday, but i would have taken one of everything in that store... everything about it is beautifully done - from the shopping bag and tissue paper to the sales receipt - i will most definitely be back soon!

details of my plate...

then to top the day off, i went to a She & Him concert at terminal 5... the only way to describe this concert was... CUTE - Zooey Deschanel is the lead singer, backed by M.Ward and others, and it really was just the cutest concert i think i've ever been to.... so fun!

so it was a great day... now i'm so sad the weekend is almost over.

rosebud design studio

rosebud design studio is based out of new jersey, and has some really cute stuff.... but i fell in love with one thing in particular: a collected correspondence journal. I absolutely hate throwing out letters and cards that i get in the mail, but i eventually do because i get tired of random cards laying around (especially with my tiny room). but this notebook has pockets that you can label and keep all your old correspondence in one place. genius! - you can buy it at her etsy shop here. i just bought mine... so feel free to send me letters to fill my new book!...

the small stakes

Jason Munn has a design studio called The Small Stakes, which has some pretty fabulous concert posters (including some glow-in-the dark ones!) here on his website...

he also designed several t-shirts/posters for several of my favorite bands for the Insound 20, a collection available for pre-order now. great design AND great bands!!!

alabama chanin fabrics

Alabama Chanin (formerly Project Alabama) has a line of fabrics which are just beautiful. Their fall/winter 08-09 catalog is also gorgeous. Alabama Chanin is a studio based in Florence, AL that produces beautiful clothes and products for the home. the artisans that make the products are from the area....a lot of them used to work in the textile factories that were in and around Florence, most of which have fairly recently shut down... a great way to revitalize an area, and to embrace southern culture.

staples for city living

So the past couple of days, I have heard much about Urban Standard, a new coffee place down on 2nd ave N in Birmingham, so today during lunch I thought I would head down there and check it out. I loved it, they serve breakfast and lunch...coffee...cupcakes...they sell ribbon, vintage jewelry and letterpressed cards...B Lesch went with me and said the chai latte was wonderful...leeanne you would be all over this place!

feist + sesame street = cuteness

how cute is this???

save the honeybees

haagan dazs loves honey bees...and their new flavor of ice cream with honey is delicious! check out their site in efforts to save the honey bees

Andrew Bush photography

Andrew Bush takes great photographs of everyday things - my favorite is his series of envelopes, here. there are some really interesting envelopes. and i love how simple all the photos are. oh, i would love to have a billion of these framed and hung on my wall in a group.

my guilty pleasure

t-minus 7 days.... season 5 woop woop!

a year of mornings

ok, holly, you've put pressure on me to upload some things to the blog today. I hate to knock Daisy out of the first blog position, so I think I should make her my photo... 

anyway... this is such a cool book that is coming out soon...  it's similar to holleeanne because it's two friends keeping in touch while they live across the country from each other. they each took a photograph of their morning every day and shared it. they've compiled their photographs into a book now, and it is coming out this fall... i may just have to buy it!... you can preorder it here.

daisy

hi / grrrr

liberty of london

liberty of london's flagship oncept shop opens this week...the shop looks amazing


























at calico and ivy you can order an assorted pack of liberty of london fabrics

pitu

so i discovered this font today from an e-mail newsletter from fontshop...i think it has such a nice elegance with its flourished but still has readability

wedding marathon: pete and sarah nell

pete and sarah nell's wedding...was a wonderful weekend to be apart of...from a sweet bridesmaids lunch to toasts at the rehearsal dinner that would make you cry...to the best reception i have been to yet

her uncle gene glass took these photos, her aunt julia glass did the flowers and table arrangements, they were so awsome and very grand and took the lanark pavillion to its glory

i did invites and programs, etc...and also a website

wedding marathon: michael and ali

this past week i have been to four weddings, all which were wonderful...ali got married on the 5th at the oaks in montgomery...here are a few pics from her wedding

charles smith was her photographer and ali put everything together herself, it was beautiful...very martha :)..and her dress is her mothers

vintage wallpaper

so this site has tons and tons of vintage wallpaper and vinyl designs, you can buy them, but they are also great inspiration for color palletes or pattern designs

birds!

i keep seeing these little handmade birds, and i think they are so cute...i just found this lady, ann wood, who makes them...click here to visit her site and make sure to check out her blog too

winnie the pooh illustrations

the classic illustrations of winnie the pooh and friends, illustrated by E.H. Shepard, are so beautiful and simple, line is drawn with much life and skill and color is added so delicately...so much could be learned by observation...click here to veiw a whole library of images