cake & pie

Everything old is new again

Aside from attending the RISD alumni sale I got to walk around campus a bit and check out old stomping grounds, which was fun. There was much that was the same, but just as much has changed in six short years.

The RISD "beach," a grassy knoll where students lay around when the weather is nice, was just the same, although I could swear those trees in the back are taller.

Dexter House on Benefit Street, where I lived for three of my four years at RISD hadn't changed a bit.

The Chace Center being built on South Main Street across from the Design Center, is one very big change. Scheduled to open in September 2008, The Chace Center will be an extension of the RISD Museum, as well as a student center, exhibition space, and house freshman foundation studios. It will also be the home of a new site specific installation by RISD alum  Dale Chihuly, which I can't wait to go back to see.

I was most impressed by the new Fleet Library downtown. When I graduated in 2002, FleetBoston Financial Corp. had just donated the historic banking building that would become the new library. The library had been in a charming old building on Benefit Street with wood floors that creaked with every step you took...it was nice, but very small, and not really what I considered an intensive study space. The new library is in a word— breathtaking. I could have spent hours there, when I only had a few minutes. It is an amazing combination of modern, durable, sustainable design, mixed with the ornate features of a 1917 banking hall. (I forgot my camera in the car when I went in, but the above photo you'll find with others in a brochure on the new library that can be downloaded right here.)

My one regret in going to RISD was that I was not a little older and wiser when I went. You take so many things for granted when you are 18...but I am very happy to be able to go back and visit the RISD community now. At 28 I have a profound appreciation for it as an institution and can't wait to see how it continues to transform.

Beautiful things

I had an amazing weekend in Providence. The weather was a little chillier than I'd packed for, but the RISD alumni sale was awesome. The semi- freezing temperatures prevented me from taking any really decent photos at the sale, but cold aside, I finally got to meet Laura Su of Prismera Design, and fellow '02 alum Heather Guidero. I've been a fan of both of their jewelry designs for quite sometime, and their work is just as beautiful in person. I couldn't resist these earrings...

(Left) Dogwood earrings by Prismera Design can be found in Laura's online shop. (Right) Doily hoop earrings by Heather Guidero come in two sizes—I went for the smaller pair, but both are lovely—can be seen on Heather's website. She also has an etsy shop. (Photos: left from prismeradesign.com, and right from heatherguidero.com)

I spent most of the day at the sale, when not running into buildings to stay warm, hanging out at my friend Yvonne Boogaerts' table. A multi-talented sculptor, painter, and designer, Yvonne showed a series beautifully layered, graphic paintings and mirrors. Yvonne also just opened a show of her paintings at the Kate Spade store in Greenwich, CT. as part of Art to the Avenue—definitely worth checking out if you are in the metro area.

I will post more in a bit about my little tour of the old and new RISD...lots of exciting things are happening.

Société Anonyme

I got a very early start to my day today, which left me time to finally make it over to the Frist Center, in downtown Nashville, to check out the Société Anonyme: Modernism for America show. The show has been up for quite awhile, and actually closes for good on Sunday...so I was very happy to have just made it in time!

Société Anonyme was organized in 1920 by Katherine Dreier, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, as a vehicle to promote modern art in America. They held exhibitions, concerts, and lectures that included some incredible artists—Jean Arp, Wassily Kandinsky, El Lissitzky, and Kurt Schwitters, to name a few.

I saw so many beautiful and inspiring things today. I, of course, couldn't take photos in the actual exhibition, but below are some images from the exhibition catalog, (on sale for $22 in the Frist Center shop!)

Lithographs by Jean Arp.

There were several dimensional collages by Kurt Schwitters—a few were small scale made with layers of cut paper (left,) and others were much larger assemblages of wood and paint (right.)

Some of my favorite pieces in the show were actually flyers, posters, books, and magazines produced for Société Anonyme—I can't resist all that gorgeous typography.

Cover of Broom, by El Lissitzky, 1923. Check out that February in the 3.

If you are in the Nashville area this weekend I highly recommend seeing this show. Otherwise you can find out more about the Société Anonyme at the Yale University Art Gallery website, (the exhibition was organized by Yale and is heading back there to be shown again in the fall of 2010.) Have a lovely weekend friends!

Off the shelf...

There are a number of books in my designer's library that I pull off the shelf and open again and again, so I thought I would share one of them with you: Trademarks and Symbols of the World by Yusaku Kamekura.

Published in 1965, it is nearly 300 pages of symbols, collected by Mr. Kamekura, that run the gamut of themes and usages. What I love about this book is its purity. Most pages are just black and white. The collection was put together before there was an internet, or a computer program capable of generating gradients or unnatural filters. Most of the symbols are what the designer who designed them was able to produce with their hands—a refreshing concept for someone who sits at her computer most of the day. Some of the symbols are very simple, (which is not to say they were easy to design,) others are more complex in form. As a whole, it is a collection I find continually beautiful and inspiring.

Sadly this amazing book has been out of print for quite awhile, but there are used copies available here and there. You might even find a copy in your local library. In my opinion it is a volume definitely worth seeking out.

Goodbye print?

It is a sad state of affairs when two gorgeous magazines bite the dust in a matter of months. First, House & Garden...a constant source of design inspiration, beautiful color palettes, and daydreams; and then the fledgling Blueprint—which I had become very fond of—it had a little bit of everything for everyone...sigh.

I picked up the last issue of Blueprint a few days ago and saw this fabulous jewelry box/wall hanging project inside. I have seen similar things before, but I love how they used knobs to hang bracelets and necklaces, and the box is deep enough for smaller bowls and boxes to sit inside. This would be a perfect way to prevent my cat from knocking my jewelry on the floor... hang it up in a pretty box far from reach. Another project for my to-do list. Thank you Blueprint!

Pillow anyone?

I was just catching up on some blog reading and saw on design*sponge that Julia Rothman has a new line of pillows out at Urban Outfitters!

There are three different pillows to choose from. Find the other two here and here. Congratulations Julia—they look amazing!

Images from urbanoutfitters.com

I'm back

Thanksgiving was just lovely, however the day after Thanksgiving I found myself sick in bed battling a cold...my first in 3 years...I suppose my luck had to run out sometime. The battle is still on, but I am attempting to get some things done and eventually rejoin the civilized world of people who wear clothes other than pajamas and comb their hair.

The ornament assembly line is about to commence, (sneak peak coming soon!) I have also finally finished my holiday card designs, which, I am sorry to say, will not be letterpressed, but will be printed offset and available in sets of 8 in my etsy shop soon after Dec. 1st.

I went with a typographic snowflake theme...simple and graphic. Each card has a few small snowflakes on the inside and says "happy holidays."

I am a big believer in not stressing out at the holidays, so hooray for offset printing! I will make letterpress cards part of my New Years resolution. I'm pretty sure they were part of my resolution last year, but why dwell on that?

knock wood

Quite literally. Design*Sponge posted prints by Christine at Wonting this morning...so I clicked along to her Etsy shop to check them out, and when I did i found this:

Yes, it is wood to knock on! Awesome gift for just $18...love it. I completely need one on my desk, (which is not wood.) I think what I love most is Christine's hand drawn type that she's gocco'd onto the wood. I have talked before about my mild obsession with all hand drawn typography and this is just fueling the fire!

Craft heaven

I was reading Try This at Home, and saw that Martha has just put out this awesome faux bois ribbon. I have no idea what I would do with it, but I think it's wonderful. So I clicked on the link for the ribbon, expecting to be taken to the Michael's website, but no! I was taken to the Martha Stewart Crafts website, (that I didn't know existed,) where Ms. Martha has put over 500 of her products online.

I know there are those out there who may not be a fan of Martha, but I think she's fabulous. She has such an inventive, creative staff, and I think her products—from her craft products to the kitchen spatulas she sells at Kmart—are really good quality. Check out this 18 piece Goodie Box set...it contains everything you need to package homemade treats for gifts, etc.

I love that the inside of the box and the tissue paper is patterned...such attention to detail.

I also love these pinecone and acorn ornament gift boxes. You can decorate them or leave them plain, and when you are done with the gift giving hang them on the tree.

Alright, I am done with my Martha gushing now. Good evening everyone!

Images from marthastewartcrafts.com

risd|works

I thought I'd start Monday off with a little plug for the alma mater. risd|works is a shop in Providence that features work by Rhode Island School of Design alums. They have recently revamped their website and debuted their 2008 collection.

These pop-out earrings by Melissa Borrell are a little bigger than what I would normally wear, but I think the idea is really awesome. She also has a pop-out pendant available.

I love the concept of this toothpick holder, and practical twist on the classic voodoo doll, by John Cave. Now you can seek revenge on your enemies and have clean teeth all at the same time.

Lastly, I can't resist this t-shirt by Andreu Osika...I wish I had more clients who believed this!

Images from risd|works