Gocco?

After recommending Gocco to a friend who was interested in printing on a smaller scale, I thought to myself, what the heck is this thing? I have found bits and pieces about Gocco in the blog-o-sphere and of course through etsy, but when I sat down to really understand how this thing worked, I found a great info/tutorial on The Small Object that I felt really answered my questions.

Essentially Gocco is a quick and simple, portable, color printing system. It's a combination between rubber stamps and screen printing, and is an inexpensive solution to at-home printing.

Check out a few products that were created using a Gocco:
[Images from l-r: SarahParrott825, phoebe1, Michelle Brusegaard

Wedding Wednesday

I've created a fun new inspiration board of wedding things!

Flickr Group: IKEA Lovers

Ooohh...who wouldn't belong to this flickr group? Ikea Lovers is a great place to find out what other people do with the items that they buy, or just to check out how fanatical people can be! :-)
[Images are from t-b: karly b, fuddmain, sugarpond, supershoppertoo, da nes]

Cute.

The work that tinywarbler creates is just too cute. In her own words....
"i make small, soft animals that are stitched by hand. all designs are made from my original patterns. modern, handmade designs that are ideal for display in a child's nursery or bedroom."
Check out the tinywarbler blog and her other delightful creations!

MS: Treasured Chests

I am slightly obsessed with a well story in the Feb issue of Martha Stewart Living. The story about the jewelry boxes...can we say, beautiful? It's the perfect combination of vintage, feminine, and class all wrapped up. Lovely color palette as well! Perfect for a February love issue I suppose.

Delightful Blogs

I was just accepted into the blog directory, Delightful Blogs!
"Delightful Blogs is an edited directory of stylish blogs for women including shopping, fashion, design, travel, family and pop culture."
To you, the reader, it make not seem like that big of a deal, but I am super excited about extending my audience even further :-)

Right now I am listed under Latest Blogs on the main page, so shoot on over and rate my site! Thanks!

Amy Ruppel Sale Today

I am going to catch my first Amy Ruppel sale today. I blogged about her for the first time a couple of weeks ago, so check it out, even if it is just to look :-)

Is that a rhino?

Animals heads mounted on walls sort of creep me out. However, when I saw this in my Daily Candy email this morning, I just had to share. How clever (even though it still kinda creeps me out)! This is a DIY project for $14 that gives a more humane effect :-)

Wedding Wednesday

It's wedding wednesday and I have created another inspiration board to share with you. I am currently in the stage of finalizing the big wedding players (location, photographer, dress, etc...) however I keep going back and forth on what I want for reception decorations. I know that I have time, but there are so many options to choose from!

Hometown Flavor

This past, chilly weekend, I had the opportunity to go home and do a little wedding planning. I am from a small, small town where entertainment is limited so during a bit of down town I took a trip outside my house to take pictures. I find it intriguing the images you catch yourself capturing in a place that is so familiar. Who would of thought!

Living Etc.

I am a big fan of the British home decor magazine, Living Etc. It's a fabulous place to find modern living and fresh decorating ideas. And like most publications these days, they have great resources on the web as well. Below are a few images from their online gallery...

Flickr Group: Inspiration Boards

I love Flickr and I love Flickr groups! I've decided to create my first series. Once a week I will post about a group I have found and share with you a few photos from it. This week I found the group "Inspiration Boards", a place where people post photos of where they keep things that inspire them. I love the different techniques people use to post their thoughts and findings!
[Images are from (t-b): jenni simmons, new york noodlery, bricolagelife, Angelia*A, and quaint handmade]

Dresses & Veils

A little wedding update! So I have been scanning bridal magazines/websites trying to decide on the perfect attire for my big day. I have narrowed it down to: nothing strapless and nothing with poof. If you have ever gone dress shopping though, that is about all you see. However, with the help of my mother, I believe I have decided to make my own dress! This may sound crazy to some but when you have sewers in the family, the sky is the limit!

Good news is that my mom stumbled across a dress form. She was at the mall when she noticed that a store was closing and they had all of their store furniture on sale! She found my perfect size and walked away with a $25 form, what a deal! Dress forms are probably one of the creepiest things you could have (when you turn that corner into a dark room and see a figure by the window...ahh!).
I have also decided against a traditional veil. It is just not something I ever thought about wearing when I pictured my wedding ceremony...SO!...I am inspired to create a birdcage, french-netted veil. Sound cool, huh? This type of veil is really becoming popular again so hopefully I can find some great resources out their on how to construct it. The veils below are from Something Bold. Love it!

New Amy Butler Collection

Check out the new Amy Butler fabric collection. Due out in April, the color palettes are so vibrant and fresh! Here is what she has to say about them on her website:
"This line is inspired by the vintage modern spirit of my lifestyle book Midwest Modern. With luscious palettes called Ohio Sky and Pink and Orange Dahlias, the colors from this group come from beautiful summer days in my Ohio garden. The mix of organic prints are perfect for fashion, quilting and home dec projects, everything you need to create Midwest Modern style!"

Cheap Chandliers/Lamps

It's that time of year again...Global Bazaar at Target! After digging through a few kitsch items I found these really great hanging lamps. Target has done it again, providing the po-po folks with cool alternatives. I've always admired hanging lamps like these but the price tag has always been outrageous....these guys are all under $100 (now on sale).

A few more...

I've decided to share a couple more photos with you from our engagement collection. I have had a pretty good response, so enjoy!

Anthro Love

I'm not sure if you feel the same way but Anthropologie just gets me. What I mean by this is they always happen to have clothing/decor lines that fit right in with the style trends I admire. If only I made a little more buck each month and if there was a store closer to me then I would be set...or spending too much money and time! Bittersweet..
They have a great selection of dresses with a distinct and unique feminine touch...ideal for bridesmaids! Hmm... :-)Also a great source for pattern inspiration!

Photo Shoot

This weekend Dustin and I broke out our new digital SLR and enlisted the help of a friend to shoot our engagement photos. We went over to Duke Gardens in Durham, NC where we basically explored the garden taking shots here and there. With a little photoshop magic, we pulled out a great collection of photographs.

Orla Fall Sale

I stumbled across a mini-Orla sale at a store in my local mall this weekend that I couldn't pass up! Her fall collection was priced at 50% off. And, in Orla-land, is unheard of!

Closeted Florist

We are having an engagement shindig this evening with some of our long-time friends and I decided to buy a couple of flower bundles from the grocery store last night for decorations. I put my never-ending supply of mason jars to use and created a few arrangements. Arranging flowers is always a treat, so many great colors, smells, and possibilities!

Amy Ruppel

I heart Amy Ruppel. Her artistic style is gentle yet intriguing and I love her color schemes. She is having an art sale on her website Jan 23rd if you want to check it out. You might recognize some of her work from Target...she was the designer behind the holiday marketing this past season. Below are a few of her pieces.

perch! design

I'm a big fan of the ceramic work by Amy Adams over at Perch. Her simplistic and organic aesthetic is very elegant yet at the same time cute! Her work is versatile and allows the owner to choose its function (within reason!).

Above "Zooey": Look at this fun light fixture! Makes me ponder where I could possibly find a home for it?? Maybe the kitchen?
Above "Hobknob": Perfect for pouring yet clever enough to hold pencils on your desktop.
Above "Campy Planters": Clearly the coolest plant holder ever!
Above: Stylish birdfeeder

Echino

Echino is a medium weight fabric that is made by Japanese textile designer, Etsuko Furuya. The patterns and color combinations always make for unique projects. Below are some of my favorite styles that incorporate different types of animals. I love it because it is quarky, fun, yet stylish and interesting at the same time!
You can find these particular fabrics at reprodepot.

art rogue

I'm really loving the work of Matt Mikulla (Nashville, TN). His use of photography, montage, and collage is so engaging and it really allows you to peel back the layers of his creations. Art Rogue is his gallery in downtown Nashville so if I ever make it out to TN I will definitely put it in my itinerary.

Wedding Inspiration

Here are a few interesting ideas I have regarding the wedding. If you can't tell, I'm into orange :-)

Alisa Miller

I found Alisa Miller's work on Etsy this morning and just had to share. Her pieces of jewelry are made from metal and were originally inspired by honeycombs, see the resemblance? I love how she carries over the design to different pieces, changing it slightly, but sticking with the original form.

Print + Palette

Print + Palette Sourcebook 2 is a book I got for Christmas and love it! It is a great resource for vintage yet contemporary color combinations as well as an inspiring handbook for interesting patterns. Below are a few pages from the book.

Adventures in Letterpress

We just received two big packages in the mail full of letterpress goodies that we bought. How exciting! People have been asking us for weeks if our press is up and running but we always regretfully say "no, we are still waiting to on more stuff." Those days will soon be over because we are very close to being stocked up! Check out our new additions...

Above: In this pic we have boxes of business card size paper, ink, lead spacing, quoin, keys, and a composing stick. (clockwise)Aboev: A box full of "furniture" to pack the "chase" so that the type you use can stay in place while you print.
Above: Here is an example of a packed chase.
Above: We were finally able to fill our first type case with the type we purchased! Here is Dustin putting it in the "California Case" one by one!
Above: Pieces of metal type.
Finally done! More to come when we actually start printing!

Improvements

I am constantly changing my mind when it comes to decorating so I am still working on my studio/office space. Over the holidays I made a few improvements that I thought I would share!Above: On a large wide desk, I needed something vertical so that all of my knick knack items could have a clutter-free home, so I opted for a shoe rack shelf from Target. I also re-distributed my two desk lamps further apart leaving my desk a little on the dark side. I decided to bring more light in by running x-mas tree lights along the back.Above: Photos galore :-) I collaged my favorite photos on cork board behind my desk.Above: The beginning of my wedding inspiration board.Above & Below: While I love the storage space under my desk, the clutter look was driving me nuts! So, I bought kitchen curtains and altered them to hang under my desk and hide the chaos!

Location, location!

I apologize in advance for the wedding posts to come in the future. I am slightly excited about the big day and can't help but share the details as they unfold. We have a place! We're getting hitched on the Merle Watson Stage in our hometown. This stage is home to a festival called Merle Fest which happens to be the main event in our small town and in October '08, the home of OUR main event! It's got the rustic feel we're going for and the perfect place to have an outdoor ceremony followed by a fabulous reception. I am so excited for the clean palette I have to work with :-)

Calendar Alert

The New Year brings about the necessity to run out and buy a 2008 calendar...but wait! Be sure to scout out Etsy first before making any decisions. Below are a few of my favorite finds in the calendar division...

Joom

Happify
Elfrida

Something's Hiding in Here

Color Palette

After much deliberation, I believe I have decided on my color palette for the wedding. Any thoughts? Orange has always been one of my favorite colors so I tried to find something that could help offset it in a vintage way with the pale-aqua while also including a neutral brown base.
For a DIY contest over at Style Me Pretty someone created their own flower bouquets from origami! Pretty cool, huh? I decided to try it out and the results were lovely!

Creative Resolutions

I feel especially jolly about this upcoming year so I have decided to create my own list of "creative" New Year's resolutions. Hopefully these will serve as a palette for inspiration throughout the year!

1. Get letterpress up and running (this is the priority considering I have a few wedding invite orders on the way)

2. Purchase more books (I fall victim to putting all of the design books I find on amazon into my wish list and then nothing comes of it!)

3. Take more photographs (my new digital SLR should fix that!)

4. Participate in a local craft fair (I know this a long shot, but maybe if I can buckle down and actually finish making something in some type of quantity...)

5. Focus on blog (I love sharing my thoughts and inspiration with you guys, I am really hoping to take it to another level this year!)

Hello 2008!

After a long and lovely vacay, I am back. I spent the last two weeks visiting with family, relaxing, celebrating, and most importantly...not working. I had the chance to do a little shopping, attend a wedding, open the new year with a bang, and register for my own wedding :-) yay!

For an appropriate introduction to the new year I spent the day organizing what I like to call "my world." I am of course referring to the side of the office where I keep my stuff. FINALLY, everything is nicely labeled and neatly put into place. Maybe this is a sign of a rather productive year, let's hope so!