Monday, March 30, 2009

La Vie en Rose - Yvette Inufio

I can't get over how gorgeous Yvette Inufio's photostream is. The above mosaic is just one of her amazing sets, called La Vie en Rose. I also love her set of Still Lifes at Home. Best of all - she also has an Etsy shop. This is my absolute favorite photo. If all goes well, we will be moving in a few months (more on that later). I might need to get a print as a house warming present for myself!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

"Friday" Find - Kelly Neidig

I love all of Kelly Neidig's paintings in her Etsy shop kelcan. I generally love square art, whether it is a photo or painting- a square is infinitely more satisfying to me than a rectangle. Add to the shape the gorgeous colors and the subject matter and my heart goes pitter patter.



Saturday, March 21, 2009

I Thought I Was New Here

I can't express how excited I am that my husband's first book of poetry is coming out this year! It is being published by BlazeVox Books and now has a page on their site.

I helped my husband set up his blog/website today, where you can find most of his poems, reviews, and information about the book. Now, instead of a running list of his work on my sidebar, you will see a new button that will take you right to his site. In addition to his site, I also got to design the cover of the book using a photo from NASA that my husband liked, which was so much fun.

I will keep you up to date about the progress of the book. It will be on Amazon and some other places when it comes out. I can't wait to hold it in my hands!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Friday Find - Liz Mathews

I love these! Clean lines, bright colors and modern, nature inspired graphics. Perfect. These gems are from Liz Mathew's shop.

Clockwise from top left: Field Teardrop Pendant, Vines Teardrop Earrings, Scallop Oval Pendant

And she's having a spring sale, 40% off!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Day Tripping - Salem

While the rest of the country celebrated St. Patrick's Day today, here in Boston we observed Evacuation Day which meant no work for me! my husband, his mom and I went up to Salem, Mass to poke around and enjoy the bright (yet brisk) day.

I took this photo in Derby Square Bookstore. Stacks and stacks of books filled every inch of space, with just a trail through the piles. We walked away with 4 half priced books and a 5th free book. There is just a little crack between the books to make your purchase. A must-visit for any bibliophile visiting Salem.

In addition to shopping, we did a little historic site seeing. We went to the burying point and saw some very old graves. The skull and wings was a very popular motif. That and vases with willow branches.

We has some lunch (I got a great sweet potato and caramelized onion soup) and popped into the gift shop at the Peabody Essex Museum, but were too out of steam for a full visit. Next time. You can see some more salem photos in my photostream.

Back to work tomorrow. I love evacuation day. Funny how it happens to fall on St. Patty's day in a city where 20% of the population claims Irish heritage (the most in any city in the country). What a coincidence! ;)

Monday, March 16, 2009

Afternoon Cuppa

Just for fun, me, my husband and his mom went to have the afternoon tea at the Four Seasons in Boston since she was visiting. We all love tea, and I am crazy for tiny sandwiches. It was super fancy and extravagant, but so much fun.

There were scones and banana bread on the top plate, which I meant to photograph as well, but I was flustered because right before the food came, Dwyane Wade walked in and sat down at a table near us. Now, obviously I am a Celtics fan (even though I don't watch a ton of basketball) but Dwyane Wade is one of my favorite non-Celtic players and I stared at him with my jaw on the table as he walked by, completely star struck and bright red. I guess if you are going to bump into a celebrity it would be at the Four Seasons.

Anyway, after deciding not to bother him while he ate I refocused my attention on the amazing tea treats. There are some more photos of the tea sandwiches and amazing desserts below. If you have a birthday or special occasion coming up, I highly recommend finding a fancy pants hotel that serves afternoon tea to celebrate. It feels like a real treat!



Sunday, March 15, 2009

Pinhole Happy


These are a couple pinhole pictures I took last weekend. It has been a while since I used my pinhole camera. I broke it out because I have been in a card funk and haven't liked any of my designs lately so I thought doing something different might help.

It was fun walking around my mom's house taking pictures. Sometimes the snow was up to my knees if I fell through all the way. Now most of it must be gone, thankfully. For years all I did was take photos, and then I got to a point where I was so critical of myself, such a perfectionist, and put so much pressure on myself that I couldn't take pictures anymore. It became so cerebral it wasn't fun. It was like I strangled the creativity out of me when it came to photography.

What is that anyway? I am better now about creative stuff now and take it easy on myself, but I am just now getting back to photography a bit. It is fun again, which is nice. Have any of you ever done that? Over thought your art and/or craft so you just had to walk away for a while?

Anyway, you can see more pinhole photos at my flickr photostream. I will be working on some wedding photos to match the save the dates I did recently, and I am excited about them. That will also help get me out of my card funk. That and spring!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Talking 'Bout My Jen-eration

I just got around to catching up on a few blogs and saw Design*Sponge's post on jen11. I found this particularly interesting:
...each artist will be sharing their work, as well as contributing to a visual dialogue about this particular generation of women born with the same name (more than a million children were named jennifer in the course of 15 years, leading business publications to refer to them as “the jennifer demographic”)
I had no idea I was "part" of a demographic. I knew there were a lot of Jennifers. The name Jennifer was the most popular name in 1978, the year I was born. But I am not a Jennifer I am a Jenifer. The answer to the prompt "First name?" given by the pharmacist/customer service representative/phone company/etc is "Jennifer with one n" and then I wait for them to back up and delete that second n which they automatically typed when they heard Jennifer.

I am simultaneously of a group but set apart. Its an odd sensation, maybe only because my name is a derivation of such a popular name. When I asked my mom why one n, she said she just wanted my name to be different. The irony which I point out is that in being different she picked the most popular name of my generation and took out one letter. But it makes me smile thinking of it. I can almost see it as a desire by her for me to be someone that would fit in and be well liked, but just unique enough to stand out from the crowd.

I like my name, despite spellcheck telling me it's wrong every time. And surprisingly I am not the only one with one n. There is even one in the jen11 show, Jenifer Altman. I have met at least one other Jenifer in person and, oddly enough, there is a hallmark across the street from my work called "Jenifer's Hallmark Shop." I was so excited the first time I saw it I went in and I asked the woman behind the counter if she was Jenifer with one n. She was not. Nor were the other three women I have asked since. But I still hold out hope.

So what's in a name?  What's in a name that is simultaneously rare and shared by a demographic?  I don't know for sure, and in the end it may not make too much of a difference since everyone knows me as Jen.  And that is something I do share with jen11 and all the other Jennifers.  Unless of course you're a Jenn. Jenn with 2 n's? Now that just doesn't make any sense ;)

PS - given that one of the three show locations is in New Hampshire, my home state and current neighbor to the north, you can bet I will be checking it out this April. It looks like a great show!

Friday, March 6, 2009

Friday Find - Sick/Feel Good

Todays finds reflect my current state and my aspirations for the near future. They are my yin and my yang, they are yellow, and they are both very fun.


Thursday, March 5, 2009

Lemonade Award!

I have had a bit of a challenging week. I am sick, work has been busy, and I have not been wearing my crafty pants. But on Tuesday, Kerry at tryst totally made my day by awarding my blog a lemonade! Yay! Thanks so much, that was the boost I needed to bet my but in gear and back into my crafty pants.

Rules for the award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate 10 blogs that show attitude and/or gratitude.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on a post.
5. Nominate your favorites and link to this blog.

Now to spread the love...
CarrieCan - inspiring design observations
The Peach Tree - gorgeous jewelry and impeccable taste
poetic home - vintage decor inspiration
The Hungry Gringos - adventures in food and tasty recipes
oline in the city - witty and wry observation
oh, hello friend - lovely finds and designs
Celestefrittata - beautiful bookbinding
The View From Here - curator of craft and art
Oh So Beautiful Paper- everything paper
tryst - pretty things that make everyone smile
I don't know if I am allowed to nominate my nominator, but I am doing it anyway ;)

Thanks to Kerry for the moral boost and to all the people I am nominating for providing daily inspiration!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Printing Away the Winter Blues

After not doing any printing for almost a month, I got back to business and printed a friend's save the dates today. On yet another grey day with 10 to 15 inches of snow in the forecast (after all the snow had just about melted!) printing these bright and fun cards cheered me up.

Every year I forget how tired and gloomy I am by the end of winter. These cards reminded me that brighter, sunnier times are ahead.