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this fabric makes me so happy! you know when you see something and it's perfect! this stuff is so awesome! and i have to have it. especially like this chesterfield it's on. thank you rosa for sending me the link. i asked her where she got her fabrics for her beautiful crafts and she sent me this link. i think even if i just order some to make some pillows for my own couch. i am so happy!
i need help. my workspace is in disarray. i would really like to find a better "set-up" (thanks, ava). found this design lesson which i like the idea of in above picture (those are even my chairs). but i can't really build that while renting. i'm thinking of converting this larger closet we have into a workspace but of course have power issues to deal with. i like thinking these things out though. reminds me of the barbie days. this space is a real inspiration.
this postcard has always been my favorite in the family collection of old photos. thanks to mom for hanging onto them after all these years. the jasper park lodge was and is a beautiful place in a beautiful setting. we visited jasper yearly as a kid, as one of my dad's sisters lived there. i just love the decor of this lounge, it's so eclectic and somehow works. the rugged log structure and refined persian carpets, the wicker and the not so politically correct wildlife mountings. an interesting space in a different time.
going through my old photo collection, i found this old postcard written in '43 from my aunt nora to my grandma asking her to send the potatoes by heated car. i never really thought about this message till now for some reason, it wasn't registering in my brain. (i guess i was always more interested in the photo on the other side of a little girl approaching a bear). thinking about it though, can you imagine how long it took to get those potatoes? one had to mail this postcard. then that postcard had to get there, and then once received, one sent the potatoes. and why a heated car? were there unheated cars? doesn't a heated car sound more expensive than buying the potatoes at the local market? i must ask my aunt about this. i've always loved this vintage postcards link for reference on styles and fonts. and rosa has some links to some postcards of a different kind and postcardman is another one with cards from around the world. i especially like the french india ones.
also a big thank you to redcurrent for her post on the bag issue and all her glorious links - thanks kath!
typecon2005 is on in new york this week. topics include typography and design for publications, graffiti and tattoo lettering, blackletter typography, the work of eric gill (beautiful works by the way), design education, calligraphy, and type in motion. what i'm looking forward to is the official typecon flickr pool. hopefully there will be some great shots from that. and for those that are in new york but can't make the 9 to 5 seminars, there's font hunt. a typographic scavenger hunt from the people at fontshop.
on the side - a type foundry from canada. (no freebies - but nice). and here's a link to identifont the real "name that font" identifier. oh - and i saw some free fonts there!
secretly i've always wanted to be a surfer. honestly i've always been terrified to actually do it. but for some reason the whole lifestyle has always lured me. perhaps it's from all those gidget reruns i watched as a kid. the closest i'm going to get these days i think is this table, another one of my favorite things. found at room and board
hurry up (if you think you have the talent) as the mariner's museum in virginia is holding a surf-board design competition. deadline july 20th - a little short notice. graphic artist god and surfer david carson is the judge. (via josh spear).
i was wondering what type of flower this was that i noticed laying there when i took this shot. i was going to pick it up but it just looked so nice there i didn't want to disturb it. when i got home and uploaded the shot and took a closer look, i found out it was a man-made (fabric) flower. it made me think of this quote:
"the meaning of things lies not in the things themselves,
but in our attitude towards them.
antoine de saint exupery
i'm still here - somewhere in lisbon (virtually anyway) hee hee. this place just keeps pulling me in further and further. don't you just love these chairs hula girl? (photo by catarin costa cabral found here via rosa.
(sidebar: hands up if someone should invent a key for the "link" coding; doesn't it drive you insane?).
i found some links here and there and haven't had time to organize but am excited about them and deserve a mention.
a new blog i found that has some cool links on it here. (check out the "amen tracks" a history about some hip hop loops). rosa sent a link to maria keil's illustrations. more vintage illustrations by tom eckersley. and cook some curry for dinner by watching this video at the crash test kitchen - some aussies in canada.
thank you to rosa for her link to the metropolitano de lisboa today. i took a look and was taken into the "art in the metro". what beautiful tiled art work. specifically i am attracted to maria keil's work who designed artistic wall coverings for the lisbon underground for a 25 year period.
i would also like to direct you to rosa's artwork. i'm in love with #276 and #279. lindo!
on a heavier note - i don't want to talk about the metro without mentioning and thinking about those affected by the tragedies last week in london and to express my deepest sympathies. i wish this world could figure out a way to resolve issues without use of such barbaric and cowardly means.
interesting link from the infamous kottke the other day on variations of the letter "m" or metro logos in other words. i always like a link to logos to keep as a reference of inspiration. funny, as i was choosing which ones i wanted to capture to show here, i noticed i chose a lot of asian and south american logos without knowing (just picking what i liked; ok and the obvious eastern european). you can see what's influencing me these days. notice the sad sack of a logo for vancouver's "sky train" as we call it; (bottom row, second in from right); it was designed for the expo '86 world's fair we had here and really needs an overhaul. here's a video interview with a real logo master. and how magazine has some great links for inspiration here.
sidebar: deviant art is holding a competition to design a logo for a number of well-known bands. read info at wired.
caban is having a great summer sale with this picnic rug
and these cape outdoor floor cushions.
i howled when i read this article in our local community paper about all the other refreshments out there rather than the same old same old. got to try the "chin chin grass jelly drink" (from taiwan) which apparantly "looks like (according to staff writer michael kissinger), coagulated motor oil and tastes like mesquite and banana with a hint of cold tea" or "pony malta, a malt beverage or a great name for an indie rock band." i can only imagine how this taste test party went. i'm actually digging some of the packaging. article directly here. (photo by adam proskiw).
if you like neon lights then vancouver is and was the place to be. unfortunately some of the old ones have disappeared but we still have a wonderful assortment and you can see them here and go here on a neon light bus tour. one of my favorites is the picture above of the ovaltine cafe on the downtown eastside. (digital image courtesy of canada's digital collections program)
our city is taking an open-minded approach to the realities of graffiti in the big city and has started a mural program bringing graffiti artists together to create a legal way to paint. rather than just bombing these guys are creating an atmosphere where the taggers are interested in being more artistic. veteran artists such as crewz, fx and virus were to appear for this weekends mural contest. four winners would win a thousand dollars each. we went down yesterday to have a look and arrived just after it was all over and took a few good shots which i hope to post throughout the week.
yippy-ki-yay! watch the best cowboys take on the best stock in the untamed fury of the wild west. yes folks, the calgary stampede starts today (only an hours flight from here) and there's so much to see and do. if you can't make it personally they have a ton of fun things to do online. try out the nickname generator for wild western nicknames like "molly lurking coyote smith". or check out the calgary stampede tv and don't miss out on the virtual visit. whatever you do - you have to go at least once in your life! don't forget to pick up some wallpaper on your way out.
this photo i took yesterday down at the beach reminded me of david carson (beach culture/raygun magazine fame) so you can imagine how excited i was to find out he was coming to toronto in september to facilitate a two day creative workshop! woohoooooo! (thanks ky for the spelling of that word!) i happen upon his site from time to time for some inspiration and was thrilled to see this. oh how cool that would be to go. to view a new video interview with david click here. inspirational!
me and jo, a local mid-century furniture retailer just emailed their summer sale features and this "stunning" 60's danish teak table popped out at me. i love this store and am always excited when they email their new stuff. they even deliver to the states so if you're interested take a lookie.
we went to see the tall ships last night that are in our harbour this weekend. i thought i'd get some good shots of these nautical pieces of art, and although impressive in person they just couldn't be translated that way through my camera (i need a new camera so bad). instead i found this lifeguard station which pulled me in. it's funny how the most unplanned things can be the most interesting.
you can't do anything but dig this artist's work. there is so much going on here - and soooooo loving the scrolls going on in the lettering and then there's the colors (wow!). thanks to port2port for the link - these ladies are hip hip happening!
love this photo from absolute zero degrees i just received showcasing their latest wallpaper designs. it reminds me of my times at the lake as a child. great shot. great photoshop skills and cool wallpaper!
such a cute little rv for some fun camping times. made out of aluminun or fibreglass these little gems are just asking to be hauled into the great white north. love the fun colors, like orange crush or mellow yellow and cherry - or just go with the jolt grey one i custom-made on-line above. so fun and so easy to pull. happy trails! (via port 2 port)
kate pierson of the b-52's has set up the "mod-est of mid-century design motels" in the catskill mountains near woodstock, ny. check out this very kitschy site with a full tour of the interiors done up in some meadow marvels. need to take a road trip.
today is canada's birthday. in celebration, i've made a little "oh canada" collage with all things canadian. if you click on the image it will take you to my flickr site which will explain what all these things actually are. here are a few things i dig about canada:
cbc tv and radio
granville island a nice place in vancouver
montreal the best city
national film board excellent films
virtual museum of canada a little canadiana
calgary stampede yippy ki yay!
canadianisms
culture canada more canadian culture
maple leaf bacon the best
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