small shoot

Small's winter issue is out!
Click here to see the story I worked on.

Here are some my shots of the process...

ideas

getting to hone my mess making and vintage kite crafting skills



attempting the first flight outside of little bean






the raft

particularly fond of this little girl

Oh to be stranded with only nature, kites, flags and extremely beautiful clothes to entertain. I think I'm going to try that with my girls.

happy thanksgiving

image via stylist Lili Dialo


image via Anders Gramer

I'm taking the rest of the week off so I can adequately focus on the traditional series of food fests otherwise know as the gluttoness Thanksgiving weekend.

Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again.-- Romeo

Merry eatting!

nest

photo by Chris Everard

Today I've been busy with my much neglected domestic duties...seriously if laundry were cash I'd be a bazillionaire everyday.

what a weekend

This weekend my Madre was visiting us so that meant...

lots of fabric time with her and...

image via toast

loads of relaxed, spontaneous nights out with my man--so great.

o

o

I also found a new book I must read via Design Files

60. Innovators Shaping Our Creative Future is a "celebration of sixty visionaries in art, design, fashion and other creative fields. This landmark publication celebrates creative makers and thinkers who are redefining the way we and future generations will experience the world around us. These artists, photographers, architects, fashion designers, product designers, street artists, curators and writers enrich our visual culture, our planet and our lives. A group of international experts from twelve fields of creative practice – from fine art and photography to graphic design, architecture and ecology – have each selected five people who are making significant contributions to the way we experience life and visual culture."

Parisian photographer/street artist JR

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto's Final Wooden House in Kumamoto, Japan.

La Boca del Lobo (2006) - paper installation by Brooklyn-based street artist Swoon, in collaboration with Alison Corrie and Polina Soloveichik.

So exciting!

friday -- my architect

After yesterday's post I was thinking about what turned me onto architecture. First influence...my hubby, he isn't an architect but should be (he is the one with the initial and greatest architectural interest). Second... another great documentary, My Architect.

After seeing this film and getting a sense of the passion and artistry of Louis Kahn and his work I went to one of his buildings, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Through the film, I was made aware of details within architecture in general as well as the specific space of the Kimbell. When I was standing inside and outside of the Kimbell, reflecting on the different aspects of light, space and line that were previously unknown to me, I was completely amazed by the beauty and complexity of the structure and the space that it created.


Rent the fabulously made movie + go to the amazing place = blow your mind.
Even if you can't visit a Kahn building, the film (made by Kahn's son) stands alone as a great experience.

More interesting architecty viewing, Sundance channel's Architecture School. I really enjoyed watching the students and the process of design and construction.

from the website..."The show follows a group of students at Tulane University's prestigious School of Architecture as they submit competing designs for an affordable home in Katrina-battered New Orleans. The winning model will be built during the course of the school year and put up for sale, enabling one fledgling architect to begin his or her career with a high-profile splash."

I hope you get to watch or read something interesting this weekend, have a great one.

design -- the big d

Look what's happening right here in River City...
with a capital C that stands for cool. -- adapted from Musicman

o

o

o

oo

oo

o

o

oo

o

o

o

o

o

One of my favorite architecture websites, Arch Daily, posted about the most exciting addition to the big D's cityscape. The Winspear Opera House and the Wyly Theatre are the new superstars of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. Here they are in all there fine design-ness...

o

the Winspear

o
o
o
oo
oo
o
o
oo
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
oo
oo
o
o
oo
o
o
o
o
o

o

o

the Wyly

o

o

o

o

o

oo

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

All this right down by the Nasher and the Dallas Museum of Art.

Great architecture and museums does a cool city make. --yoda

explore

Isn’t flying the most amazing thing? I confess a constant struggle with a fear of flying. The night before a flight, during takeoff, landing and whenever the flight is turbulent I can’t help but picture my fiery death. However, once the plane is at cruising altitude and the ride is smooth, I can’t get my forehead off the window. The scale and wonder of the earth below is intoxicating.
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

I'd love to fly off to L'Isle sur la Sorgue in France and stay here...
















o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

and shop some flea markets...

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o o
and eat these.

o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o o

But today I’m going to summon some of that same french flea market browsing bliss as I’m off to some of my favorite local hole-in-the-wall consignment stores to find some items for the winter window display for Little Bean, and a chair for the finest Texas sis-in-law. And I get to do all this with my favorite crazy lady,



o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
my mom—isn’t she fantastic.

Dream big, explore locally.

nest -- books

For me much of my craving for home/interior design is satiated by our local library.

I can rarely get my hubby to go with me because he is somewhat embarrassed by the amount of books I try to check out. Between my stack of home/design/art books and my girls stack-o-books, it is a small production to get out the door and to the car. I have found some of my all time favorite interior books via the library and I want to share my number one pick...


Home (British version) or The Family at Home: Love. Life. Style (US version) by Anita Kaushal. I have the British version because I lived in London during college for four months and therefore consider myself at least half British and heir to whatever coolness they produce.

I love her undecorated, livable yet beautiful and meaningful style. This book is my token wedding present, I wish I would of had it from the beginning. I LOVE this book. Please check it out.



This is a peek inside Anita's home.

o
Speaking of books...last week on Man Shops Globe they found some beautiful recovered books from the 1920's which got me thinking about covering some more of our favorites.

I like these cloth covered notebooks from Toast.

Here is a little project my girls and I did for their dad for Christmas last year. One of his favorite books is Brothers Karamazov. I told the girls the story had three Russian brothers and a priest in it and to draw something along those lines. I enlarged a photocopy of Russian text and found some images of old Karamazov covers and this is what we came up with...


It was a fun gift to work on together and my hubby loved it.

Oh and here is a peek at the photo shoot. Have a great Monday!

weekend loop

This weekend was biz-EEE! I was up most the night Friday happily finishing the props for my first prop styling gig with the magnificent small magazine. Early Saturday morning I loaded the car with all my handmade and salvaged goodies as well as my little girl and we left for the photo shoot. The shoot was especially nice because my youngest and blondest girl got to be in some shots as well. (I'll post more about the shoot post production). After the shoot I headed to my local park to set up for my church's chili cook off and as soon as the sun set we were off to watch my oldest and most dramatic girl sing and play in her first open mic night downtown. And now it's Monday!

Here's a wrap-up of some of my favorite things from my favorite blogs from last week.

From Dress Design Decor, I could spend a whole day/ week /month finding & consuming dessert based on design.

The style files posted on Pinch and I love-luv-love their furniture, style, look, everything...especially the lighting.

From Dezeen, I'm so impressed with this memorial called the Tree of Knowledge by m3architecture out of Australia (what did I tell you about them monopolizing cool). I'm convinced that we need more memorials everywhere. What a fantastic way to employ artists and infused more art and design (with cultural and historical significance) into our cities and our lives.

Design sponge posted about Annie Coggan and her Eudora Welty’s garden yellow chair. So inspiring, I love it! The chair is part of a series and I can't wait to see the rest. I started a fabric based design on my great grandmother's chair from the late 1800's about a year ago. This week I'm determined to do some chair work of my own!