Art vs. Craft this weekend!

I plan on supporting my community's crafters and artisans this weekend. Yay for shopping local!

It's been almost 2 months!

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I haven't posted since September 29. I have to get back in the groove because the images in my desktop 'inspiration' folder are really piling up. I'll try to do a few a day.

I love each one of these invitation designs for the bold graphic styling and the beautiful hand lettering. Sorry - I don't know where I found these!

Your Lovely Places Blog

Photos from my recent trip to Colorado with Chris made it on the "Your Lovely Places" blog. Yay! I had a picture up once before as well.

Paper Display

I love how this designer used paper to create a product display for their storefront. Perfectly fitting for a paper store as well, no?

It's been awhile...

Here is some of the visual candy that has been collecting on my desktop. Yikes - it's really piled up, so I'll just pick a few faves. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things! (This post is per my #1 and only blog fan Chris' request) :)

I liked each of these photos for their creative styling. Not only are the lovely products showcased and photographed well, but you can tell a lot of care and thought went into the story the artists wanted to tell with their imagery. The suitcase gives me an idea - creating a doggy-bed with a vintage suitcase and some cool fabric - just have to find a way to secure it so it stays open and doesn't snap shut with Milo inside!

Loving this idea...

This is so sweet - I think it's actually a wall decal/graphic, but you could make one yourself by just cutting the spines of your favorite magazines. It would be fun and interesting to look at when you have a captive audience (like the bathroom) :)

Little Milwaukee

I just love it when people come to this city, and love it as much as I do! Although some of this dude's entertainment selections wouldn't be my first choice, I love that he explored a few different neighborhoods and found them equally as good if not better than other cities I admire. Milwaukee truly is a gem, and sometimes I take it for granted and long for something bigger and better - but honestly, it is a wonderful, beautiful, and fun place to live! There's always somewhere new to discover - a great restaurant, a new boutique, even an emerging neighborhood. Those are the bones of any good city, and this one certainly doesn't fall short. Yay for Milwaukee!!!

Thinking about product packaging.

One of the things I've been thinking about lately is how to creatively package miscellaneous stationery items in a way that is creative, environmentally responsible, and stands out from the crowd. There are so many great ideas out there. I've been going crazy over design*sponge's National Stationery Show coverage this past week (maybe next year I'll actually be able to go?) When I met Grace (of d*s fame) in Chicago a few months ago at the Biz Ladies Meetup, she said that honestly it's kind of unnecessary to attend, as so many blogs and sites have such great coverage, and really do all of the sifting for you. Still - so many paper products - all in one place...sounds sort of heavenly. I know- so dorky! Plus - I get overwhelmed when there is too much selection. But I would just love to see how the booths are styled, how the products are bundled, and personally meet some of the vendors I would potentially be using to stock my shop. Here are just a few cute ideas - I especially love the one with the textile/burlap-ish bag. That's sustainable, right? If you are recycling discarded bags? Love it.

Color Coordination

I love color coordination. Don't these photographs (found of Susan Gower's Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods via decor8) just make you want to dig? I think I normally first know the color of something I envision or need, and want to hunt from there. That's why I love the search by color feature on etsy, for example. And I love when stores organize their clothing by hue - so easy, so organized, so convenient! Some stores (Forever 21, for starters) - make my head want to explode. Too many items - too little order. I walked past my image in a mirror while shopping with my dear Allison there one time and saw a deep crease embedded in my forehead - shopping like that literally gives me wrinkles! So - I'm making a mental note now; thoughtful, planned store organization. Seems logical.

It's been awhile...

...so I will just use this opportunity to clear out my inspirational eye-candy folder on my desktop. My good friend Laura and I are talking about sharing a booth at the next upcoming Art vs. Craft show, and since she is working with re-purposed clothing for her end of the deal, I'm thinking a lot about fabric and other vintage materials for a stationery series. I love all of these pieces, by different artists (all found on etsy) - I think it's time to start hitting up the local thrift and vintage shops in town to hunt for some eye-catching fabrics!

Treasures from the weekend...

The teacups are from Goodwill - I can always find something I 'need' from there. And meet Arnold, Beatrice, and Tom - our new friends who came to add to my already fierce bird obsession. :)

Splashy Storefront

Although I would rethink the colors and actual design for myself, isn't this a fun, attention grabbing storefront? Very unique and a great way to hide an unsightly exterior. From Henry Road in LA.

Almost forgot this one - which I love!

And what a sweet family. I love those random typographic letters in the bg - I think I feel the start of a new collection coming on...it's the graphic designer in me. I can't resist letterforms - what a dork!

Some Fun DIY Ideas

These would all be very cool in a home or in a store setting for a variety of uses. Always with DIY projects I love thinking of how I could use them but revamp for my own preferences/needs. I especially love the wall calender w/photos. So much inspiring stuff out there - yay internet!

Color Palette

Just thought this was pretty (the deep chocolate brown, pale blue and variety of greens) - wanted to share.

A Little Something for the Graphic Designers.

Gotta love these Pantone stairs! Perfect for a studio space. (Or my store.) Duh.

Various bits of eye candy.

I've got to get these up so I can take them off of my desktop! I love each of these rooms and spaces for a variety of reasons. Sheesh - with all of the interiors I collect imagery of, C and I were discussing whether or not I should just go into interior design. Well - I love to look at well designed spaces - not so sure I'd want to actually create them. Might take all the fun away from looking. Hopefully I'll just keep archiving everything here and it will help influence the look and design of my store someday. Anyway - enjoy!

I Heart This Idea

I couldn't resist. Isn't this bedroom from someone's Parisian loft (sigh) lovely? I was reading The Style Files this morning and saw it - I think the imperfection in the heart and the way the photos line up adds so much character. So sweet! Sometimes it is hard for me to break the mold of lining things up perfectly, making sure everything is nicely matted and framed (so many photos are sitting in boxes or piles because they haven't found a matted frame yet) - I just need to be more whimsical. Do you think Chris would go for the heart idea? Hmmm...maybe a more manly shape.

Seriously?!

What. Are. These. Shame on you, Urban Outfitters! I cannot believe these even exist. That someone made them and though, "Hey! Maybe I AM a good footwear designer!" And they are $150.00. They look like flip flops crossed with a fencing uniform, wrapped with a broken purse strap my mom might have had in 1984. I bet we'll see them very soon on someone like Mary Kate Olsen. Ugh.

If You're Going, to San Francisco...

There is nothing really store related about these - I just wanted to share. These are so gorgeous and of my favorite city ever, San Francisco - I'm going to dig through all of the thumbnails when I have more time (ha!) to see if any of them are somewhere I've been in the city - if it's in my budget (ha- ha!) maybe I'll splurge on one...

Location, location, location.

This is one of the big hangups for me as far as starting my tore. It determines everything! Who the customers are, what they will be hoping to see in the store, environment, overall everything! So needless to say, it's something I think about a lot. Chris and I talked consistently about Bayview - there isn't really anything like the shop I envision on that side of town, and there is so much cool growth going on in the neighborhood. I also think the people that reside there would appreciate the idea behind the store- lots of environmentally friendly products and a unique spin on your typical stationary store. But THEN I saw this listing on craigslist, (I think it's the storefront to the right) - and what's not to love about an Eastside location? I'm practically obsessed anyway with moving back to that area, and this is a really cute little storefront on Oakland Avenue. Lots and lots of pedestrian traffic, and a good mix of ages, cultures, and in general just lots of different people. So I ping pong back and forth and all around Milwaukee thinking where the perfect spot would be because if I don't have the perfect spot, I won't sell a single item, no one will come, I'll go bankrupt, and my head will explode. Welcome to my brain. :)

Nice Package :)

I couldn't resist that title. But really - aren't these amazing? There is just nothing that compares to gorgeous packaging. I keep a folder on my desktop and collect all sorts of "good design" imagery for inspiration later. It can't hurt and I think it will help me when it comes time to design all of the packaging elements of my store. Someday... (soon?)

I just noticed these are almost all food packaging. I see a trend!

Why Chris Should Let Me Paint Our Bertoia Chair White

Because look how cool it is! And we have that rug underneath!!!

A Little Bird Told Me...

It has become apparent that I have a strong affinity for anything having to do with birds. So, needless to say - I think this gift tag from Tiny McSmall is lovely! It combines two of my favorite things - pattern and...birds. It would be nice to have tags like this on the bags in the shop - maybe something that they could reuse on a gift of their own. Passing the beauty on, so to speak.

Welcome, Booker & Harlo!

The newest of the dog pack! These are so clever and will prevent you doggie owners from being startled awake in the middle of the night when your beloved new friend feels the need to shake it like it's hot, making their tags all clash and clang together. From etsy seller Contrabandstudios. I want one too (and that german above!) Congrats Allison & Kate!

I want to do this!

I'm sorry - I don't remember where I found this, but I love it! It would take me forever to decide on a quote though - I'll have to start now. Definitely something sleep , rest or peace related I think.

Vintage Card Catalog

Wouldn't this be a cool way to store extra inventory? The display items could be on top and above it and the extras could be filed below (with other fun goodies stored in random drawers for little suprises and to encourage purchasing on a whim). I'll have to dig through some craigslist postings to see if I can find any of these!

A couple storefronts.

I always like to collect images of storefronts, just to see what other people are doing. I like the Opalia Flowers sign, and I like the layered textiles hanging in the window in the Kimera picture below. Lovely!