Digital Love

I've never been a huge fan of digital art, but I think the work featured on Experience the Planets really shows off the passion of these artists. As a fan of sci fi, I can appreciate the content, but what I enjoy the most is seeing an artist's imagination and creativity at work. You can buy these prints from the website as well, but before you click on to the site, prepare yourself for the "experience" (aka the music, which I would normally hate, but somewhat enjoy in this context). Experience the Planets

JB

BUILT

My wife and I purchased a Cannon DSLR camera about two months ago, and have been loving it. I had wanted one for use with school and work projects for quite some time, but we had never been willing to take the jump (in price/class/bulkiness) until recently. But that's not what this post is about. I hate how every camera bag looks like a camera bag. We have searched and searched for a descent camera bag that is functional, yet doesn't make us targets for camera theft when traveling. While this bag isn't perfect, I love the design sensibility that went into it's construction, and that goes into everything that BUILT makes.


Truth be told, since purchasing this moderately priced bag, we returned it. It's honestly too big for people like us who just want to carry the camera- no extra lenses or flashes or any other fancy gadgetry. But that doesn't make the bag any less noteworthy. If you're looking for a great looking, well made bag that looks more like a man-tote than a standard black Cannon bag, check out more here.

JB

Breathe

My husband gave me this print by Nikki McClure for Christmas. It moved me deeply because, at the time, I was napping daily with our 3 month old son, Leo. I soon discovered the rest of her work, which is equally inspiring.

From her website: "Her work depicts the virtues of hard labor and patience, which is inherent in her process as well as in the images themselves: weathered hands washing dishes, people sweeping, mothers caring for their babies, and farmers working the land. But there is also a large element of celebration, of taking the time to roll around in the grass and get wet from the early morning dew. The need for all of us to lay down on the ground, grab hold of the earth, look at the stars and dream. She magnifies the importance of simple things, like the change of seasons, slowing down the world for a moment so we can actually taste it."

Nikki McClure is also the illustrator of the fabulous children's book "All In a Day" - perfect spring reading :)

Happy Easter weekend, everyone!

KL

Macbeth

I love this shirt from Macbeth, their logo is just so simple and clean. Not a huge fan of all their products, but I thought this shirt was noteworthy.


JB

Lone Star State

Let me just say that I haven't always been a fan of Texas. I've only been there twice: both times to Houston, and both times in the dead of summer. Enough said?

But lately I've had a love affair with Texas. Here are five reasons I'm smitten with the lone star state.

1. Joslyn's blog, Simple Lovely. Joslyn hails from Northern California, but she and her family have made their home in Dallas. I'm not a big blog reader, but I have to admit I read Joslyn's blog religiously. As I told her in an email recently, she manages to be down to earth and glamorous at the same time, which in my book is a winning combination :)

2. Paloma's Nest in Austin. We ordered Leo's first Christmas ornament from their Etsy site, and it's destined to be a family heirloom. It's so perfectly simple. Thank you, Caroline! By the way, if I was planning another wedding, I would be all about Caroline's wedding stuff - check it out.

3. F is for Frank in Dallas. My husband gave me this Stingray Chest Plate for Christmas. It's even more stunning in person. Designed and handmade by Dallas designers Shannah Frank and Casey Melton. I want EVERYTHING.

4. Austin. Broad, I know. But it just seems like there's so much happening in the Texas capital. Art, music, ENERGY. Sam Beam of Iron and Wine lives there. There's SXSW. (And did I mention Sam Beam lives there?)

5. Last, and definitely not least, Leah Duncan. I was introduced to Leah's work by my dear friend, Sarah, who gave me a set of her cards for Christmas. We were looking for some art for our living room at the time, and I immediately knew Leah was my gal :) Her work is beautiful, and whimsical, and I'm a huge fan of her color palette. As it turns out she's also a total sweetheart, and she worked tirelessly getting me just the right set of prints for our house. (The wall looks beautiful, Leah :))


p.s. When I finally make it to Austin, I'm staying here :) PERFECTION.

KL

Sleep

You know sleep is precious when you have half the West Elm bedding catalog up on your inspiration board :) I'm seriously loving all the simple graphics and mix of bold and subtle colors. And is it just me, or did West Elm hire a new, incredibly talented stylist? Because these photos are GORGEOUS.

Especially loving these classic stripe sheets in grey and green.



KL

Scroll Away

As much as I dislike Nike, I have to admit that this site is designed really well. I'm still trying to figure out what is so cool about it (as well as how they've made it feel so natural), it must have something to do with how it feels interactive, although all you're doing is moving the mouse.


I don't agree with all of the message on this site, but it's definitely worth having a look. The simplicity of the site is really what drives the message, there's nothing else there to clutter it up- love it. Check out the site here- Nike Better World. Don't get stuck watching the video, scroll all the way down first.

JB

Prefab Homes

As this blog evolves, I'm beginning to understand that it's more about aesthetic appreciation than strictly design. So, in that line of thought comes the next blog post. My wife and I have been looking at our options for buying a home in California, and the options are both overwhelming and generally disappointing. Thankfully, there are some good looking options for buying a new home that don't include living 10 feet from your neighbor, mostly found in prefabricated housing. One company that has particularly stood out in our search for modern, clean-lined, prefab housing is mk designs. I am a particular fan of the Breezehouse (seen below), but wanted to share the video from the process of the Solaire house literally unfolding on a concrete slab (see link below).

I'm impressed by not only the design of their houses, but also the way that they economically package and efficiently build these homes on site. Understanding that there is a lot that goes into preparing a plot of land to get to the point where mk designs' crew can show up and pop your beautiful house into place, the building process is incredible and fast. Check out the video at mk Designs website.

JB

Photo Album

In the world of iPhoto and Flickr, the idea of a physical photo album seems outdated. I remember looking through my grandparents photo albums, the yellowing acetate overlays sticking to the photos and becoming brittle from years of sitting in drawers. While this may happen to this stylish freestanding photo album in another forty years, at least it will look cool all the way there.

Clean, simple design that functions standing on it's own as an art form, folded out like a book, or spread out in an accordion fold (sweet way to look at the album as a whole). Check out more inspiring home accessories from Better Living Through Design.


JB

Portland Timbers

As a soccer fan, I've been impressed with the way the MLS teams have chosen names for their teams over the years, often relating the team name to something historically significant from the city. One of the newest teams to enter the MLS is the Portland Timbers.
Beyond their great logo (seen above), colors, and ideal location, the team has put out an incredible ad campaign to promote the team's inclusion into the MLS. Using local people as their subjects, the campaign shows these ordinary (and therefore interesting and unique) people posing with tools of the lumberjack trade. No words, just the image is enough to communicate the message. Nice work, Timbers design team!


JB

Alphabet Book

My wife and I received a subscription to a great magazine, titled GOOD for Christmas. Each issue focuses on a particular topic or area of the world, in which "good" is being or can be done. In an issue featuring New Orleans, an article about "Love Letters: Visual Index of New Orleans." Most of us read, or were read alphabet books as a child, something similar to what's seen below (also great design, by Steve Mack).
The Visual Index of New Orleans is not exactly a book to read to your children, showing fluffy and cute animals that correspond to the letter of the alphabet. As you can see below, each of the letters correspond to an important aspect of the New Orleans culture (as well as the alphabet, of course). I'm posting this because this work is visually inspiring, connecting the image to the letter in a very interesting ways. This page is "C is for Crawfish."


If you're interested in reading more about this article click here, or to receive a free copy of The Visual Index of New Orleans, contact ness@iamalwayshungry.com

JB