ink + memory

I've never really felt at home here

2010-11-11T18:20:00.000-06:00

...so I'm going back over here. I hope it's okay,

new lonny

2010-10-11T14:20:00.001-05:00

Lulu De Kwiatkowski's inspiration board & paints.

From the Oct/Nov Lonny.

home in the woods

2010-10-11T11:58:00.001-05:00

I love sculptor Patrick Dougherty's beautiful handcrafted home in the woods of NC.

See & read more here.

new book, want it

2010-10-07T16:31:00.004-05:00

I just received Heath Ceramics' October Newsletter/Email, in which they mention the upcoming release of this book of my dreams, Handcrafted Modern, by Leslie Williamson. In this new book, Ms. Williamson takes a look at the homes of some of her (and my) favorite mid-century design icons. eep.

More about this project over here at Heath's website, including a great Q&A with the author/photographer, and on Ms. Williamson's blog, where she promises to post outtakes (that didn't make it into the book). Outtakes. That didn't make it into the book!!

Here's more about the book from the NYT design blog, and one of Leslie Williamson's gorgeous photos from over there, too.

That's Russel Wright’s studio.

As I scrolled down the NYT blog, I recognized one of the photos; it looks like I have posted about Leslie Williamson before. Apparently I have been a fan of hers for a while.

I love makeup tutorials

2010-09-05T21:37:00.000-05:00

...but Donna's are the best.

***

have you ever done your makeup
and then decided,
you look pretty good,
maybe you should get in your car
and head straight to mexico
but then promised yourself
if you could turn the next year around
you'll buy yourself that leopard bag from mulberry
and that's how you kept going?

limited edition

2010-08-20T14:09:00.000-05:00

With all due respect to the Eameses, I've never been a huge fan of the multi-color Hang-it-All; I really do always wish some of those balls were different colors. Do we alter an Eames design with spray paint to suit our own questionable taste? No, I don't think we do.

Now there's this limited edition walnut version at DWR.

Now that's more my style.

new on etsy

2010-08-19T10:34:00.001-05:00

My husband's photos make our little suburban yard look beautiful.

You can find this lovely day lily print, and a few others (with more to come) in his etsy shop!

embroidered patchwork pillow

2010-08-03T20:47:00.000-05:00

Look at what Laura Normandin's friends made for her baby shower! She writes, "They each embroidered a linen square and then sewed them together to form an alphabet pillow."

Such a great idea.

chance and...

2010-07-29T10:01:00.002-05:00

If you read style blogs at all, I'm sure by now you've been directed to Chance, a new line from Julia Leach, the former creative director at Kate Spade.

I'll post in depth about it later, since it looks kind of awesome, but I just quickly wanted to post a photo of a woman who could easily become a new style hero of mine, Linda Rodin, who is featured in Chance's portrait series section.

I think I need to do more investigating about her as well...

Okay, see ya later...

school supplies for grownups

2010-07-28T11:17:00.004-05:00

I love these book bands from Present & Correct.

And these County Fair series notebooks from Field Notes. (Already got my Illinois set.)

have you made an etsy treasury?

2010-07-23T06:55:00.000-05:00

Inspired by Geninne's, I decided I'd try it. So much fun! I could do this all day.

Point me to yours, please!

long absence

2010-07-22T00:40:00.003-05:00

I apologize for the long "break", and thank you to those of you who were concerned.

Hey, look, here's me in high school vs. me the other day. I've gotta tell you, I am not that disappointed.

I dare you !

:)

I am now off to make a sacrifice or something to the chin and wrinkle gods who have thus spared me (that was the 70s, people, the EARLY 70s.)

I'd wear this

2010-05-03T19:51:00.005-05:00

j. crew

la garconne

chloe at saks (in my dreams)

aos leather

lem lem at j. crew

billykirk at gargoyle

and I'd make one of these myself (photo from wisecraft)

flashback friday - eric carle

2010-04-23T19:59:00.006-05:00

Okay, nobody's bought the pillow yet, and it's payday, for God's sake.

Anyway...

So, yes, I've decided to resume Flashback Friday, since my reader said it was one of their favorite features on the blog ::waves to reader::

I know I've shown you this book before, but that was back when it was snowy. Also, it was 2007? Really? Hoo boy.

From Nature Thoughts: A Selection, edited by Louise Bachelder, with illustrations by Eric Carle, 1965.

I love a nice stack of birds.

Have a lovely spring weekend!

buy the pillow

2010-04-21T20:01:00.001-05:00

Please, someone, buy this beautiful pillow made from an antique quilt over at Liane's etsy shop, or else I will have to, and I really can't. No, I can't.

(click on the photo to see up close just how fabulous it really is)

hi

2010-04-01T23:25:00.001-05:00

The weather's finally how I like it. 80F and sunny. On my way out the door this morning, mixing prints and stripes. Look out, I'm out of control.

this past weekend

2010-03-29T20:10:00.001-05:00

...was a pretty good weekend! I found a couple springlike things...

a vintage Liberty print tie, originally from Marshall Field's...

a vintage seed box...

I know at least a couple of you gardeners out there will appreciate this box.

There was some sunshine, and no snow! My jade plant has just about outgrown his little pot. Anyone out there have any suggestions for a larger pot for this little guy?

And, there was a photo session! Featuring Anna of city|view photography and my mom...

More on that shortly...

imogene + willie

2010-03-25T22:00:00.002-05:00

This video has fashion, decor, a vintage gas station, a good song, a red truck and a dog. How can you beat that? (Photo below not a video link. I tried.)

Don't you want to shop there? Nashville is not that far. From me.

Also, a cute story on their lovely blog about how they were gooped. That's where I found 'em.

do you still use stamps?

2010-03-24T20:34:00.004-05:00

I rarely use them any more. There are still a couple bills that demand a check to be written and sent occasionally. But I never write letters (or send cards. I know, I work at a stationery company, I should be pummeled.)

Here are some new USPS stamps that are so cool I might find it difficult to actually affix one to an envelope.

a way with color

2010-03-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

this girl has it.

gone

2010-03-18T06:17:00.004-05:00

Alex Chilton

terrain

2010-03-06T09:28:00.002-06:00

Some very lovely simple things I would buy from terrain, if I were buying...

Foldable Japanese rainboots

(I know, always with the shoes)

A beautiful willow wreath (I'm not really a wreath kind of girl, but this one looks like birds made it)

Memo pad. No, I don't really need to buy a memo pad (we have some paper at work) but I like this one anyway.

Twig bangle. Not really made from twig, but from oxidized sterling.

Have a beautiful weekend. The sun is finally shining in Chicago...yay!

next winter

2010-02-25T20:16:00.001-06:00

Ha! Next winter, that's pretty funny. In Milan, it's Fashion Week, Autumn/Winter 2010/2011.

It could not be more winter 2009/2010 in Chicago. Fashion week is messed up.

BUT! The socks at Prada today, were amazing. I have never knit socks (I know! Even took a class, still haven't knit socks), but if I knew how, I whip myself up some of these.

Dare me.

beautiful kristen

2010-02-18T20:58:00.002-06:00

at calvin klein today

pringle of scotland

2010-02-15T20:22:00.009-06:00

found on Chic Knits

but, seriously

2010-02-14T16:35:00.002-06:00

Are Chicagoans Really Not Romantic?

happy valentine's day

2010-02-14T11:04:00.002-06:00

If you're reading this, I love you.

:)

(illustration by Tony Vitale)

coat of my dreams

2010-02-13T09:49:00.002-06:00

Okay, maybe not 'of my dreams,' but I accidentally looked at the Sartorialist today, and fell in love with this coat. Can anyone I.D.?

I should make one of those enormous cowls, too. I don't see it warming up anytime soon.

Alexander McQueen F/W 08-09

2010-02-11T21:13:00.001-06:00

"I've got a 600-year-old elm tree in my garden," he said, "and I made up this story of a girl who lives in it and comes out of the darkness to meet a prince and become a queen."

RIP Lee McQueen

thrift report

2010-02-08T06:05:00.002-06:00

a really good weekend for thrifting

2010-02-07T13:07:00.000-06:00

more tomorrow...

shoe du jour

2010-02-05T11:16:00.001-06:00

All the colors are nice, but this one rules. At j.crew.

(9.5, in case you are feeling generous)

pretty ink

2010-02-02T20:14:00.000-06:00

from Amanda Wachob

monday ~ back to work

2010-01-25T05:30:00.000-06:00

Real life Photoshop from wandaaaa on flickr.

50 matchbooks

2010-01-23T06:40:00.000-06:00

Designer-writer Jim Heimann's collection of vintage matchbooks from LA. More here.

help for a favorite blogger

2010-01-22T07:00:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite bloggers, Je Ne Sais Quoi (also known as Iheartfashion) needs our help. Please go here to Wendy Brandes' blog for more info. I really appreciate it.

giuliano fujiwara mens A/W 10/11

2010-01-19T21:59:00.001-06:00

This collection makes my heart pound, and fashion hasn't done that for me in a long time.

giuliano fujiwara fw10 from Soncini Communication Agency on Vimeo.

What do you think? I would personally swoon to wear pretty much every garment in this collection, including the shoes. If I saw that kid in the last look walking down the street, I think I might weep openly with happiness.

More about this collection here. Giuliano Fujiwara website here.

beautiful ink

2010-01-19T20:01:00.002-06:00

Gorgeous, personalized Regency valentines from Betsy & Shana at Hello Handmade. (the link I gave you up there says "sold out", but they really aren't, at least not at the time of this posting).

And Hello Handmade is donating 10% of each valentine sale to the American Red Cross relief for Haiti.

duck bag

2010-01-18T10:47:00.000-06:00

I see a new bag I want everyday. This one's only $18.

Baggu Duck Bag. Available here.

missoni men's F/W 10/11

2010-01-17T22:41:00.002-06:00

Layering knits like it's 1975.

catwalking.com & coutorture.com

feb. '10 vogue

2010-01-16T09:21:00.001-06:00

Jessica Biel and friend by Mario Testino from February US Vogue.

A little more denim & animals in this video diary.

Flashback Friday ~ Back to School

2010-01-15T15:18:00.004-06:00

Some vintage knits from Mademoiselle magazine's College Issue, August 1975 (click to see pages large enough to read):

And, just because it's fun:

Model on left, last photo, below:

Catherine de Castelbajac (photo from TVGuide.com)

Model in center, last photo:

Jane Cullen Walkowicz (photo from NYSocialDiary.com)

a four day weekend

2010-01-14T08:50:00.000-06:00

and new shoes!

busted

cavern collection

2010-01-12T06:09:00.004-06:00

feather necklace

from the website:
"With a primary focus on original, hand-drawn offerings, the collection has expanded to include blankets, pillows, wall hangings and one-of-a-kind jewelry & accessories ... the boutique ... has been carefully crafted using a diverse mixture of century-old reclaimed wood, rusted stell, natural linens, and manila rope."

the shop

seen at for me, for you

collections

2010-01-11T06:02:00.002-06:00

at three potato four

and, my personal favorites

my husband hates rustic

2010-01-07T19:57:00.001-06:00

And I know he reads this blog. Think I could sneak any of these past ~~you~~ him?

That drafting/light table would make the cut I think, if it was still available. There might be a teeny argument over whose office it would go in (mine).

All photos/items from Modern 50 via sfgirlbybay.

LL bean norwegian sweater (not an ad, I swear)

2010-01-07T05:52:00.002-06:00

The other day I saw these thrummed mittens on fieldguided's flickr. Aren't they sweet? (They're from Yarn Point Knitters of Newfoundland, she says.) I don't know how to make thrummed mittens, although I want to. I started searching for "bird's eye" knitted sweaters, or patterns, or vintage sweaters or patterns (even better), and came across a whole flock of bloggers blogging (get it? bird's eye? stop me) about the L.L. Bean Norwegian Sweater.

I had no idea it had been discontinued, but apparently it was, in the mid-90s.

Newly rereleased and, according to the web site, "expertly knit in Norway, just like our famed version was in the 1970s and 1980s".

Some really great images, including this one of the catalog from whence the famed original version came, from the blog allplaidout. One of the commenters over there said the LLBNS is itchy. But these folks from the 80s here don't look itchy to me. Although I don't see her left hand. Does anyone know if it's itchy? I might have to make my own, non-itchy version.

Restless Transplant's version, above. Very nice.

Here it is looking seriously fabulous on the Street Etiquette blog, which I really need to investigate more thoroughly, because it looks like there's some really excellent men's fashion going on over there. Joshua here doesn't look itchy to me either.

There's even a flickr group. (I know it's on LLBean's photostream, but I have a crush on this sweater, so the more photos, the better, I say.)

I'm afraid of the itchy, though. And since I have some commissioned knitting going at the moment, I probably won't get around to reproducing the Bean sweater any time soon. I did find a pattern for bird's eye fingerless mitts, which seem a little more feasible.

Smile for the birdie! (sorry)

vintage signage type @ merci, paris

2010-01-06T11:29:00.002-06:00

Look at the orange M! She's probably hunting for the letters OMG.

In the NYT style section.

Merci

coqui coqui dress

2010-01-05T18:28:00.001-06:00

from le bouton

I love this dress with all my heart, but even if I could afford it, I wouldn't be wearing it for awhile, at least not without a multi-layered battalion of under- and over- garments, and then what would be the point?. 6 to 9 inches of snow predicted in Chicago. Tribune right now says it's 9°. Brr.

ink, by me

2010-01-05T05:52:00.006-06:00

And look, a banner!
+ + +

Here are a couple of my own ink drawings. These two are each about 7" square, on 9" square paper, and were done with a crow quill dip pen.

Detail

These are actually interiors, images of shadows made on the floor by chair legs, layered over (or under, however you view it) a tessellation pattern. I make one pencil drawing right over the other, then fill in the spaces between the lines with tiny ink scratches (that's the fun part!), leaving the pencil lines uninked. I erase the pencil lines when the ink is dry.

sibella court

2010-01-04T06:00:00.002-06:00

I buy very few interiors magazines any more, and even fewer U.S. decor magazines. There aren't many good ones left, are there? I recall buying H&G, House Beautiful, Metropolitan Home, Blueprint, Elle Decor, Budget Living and Domino, and all in one month.

I will pause here for a moment of silence to allow you to mourn the reformatting and/or demise of your personal favorite. ::dabs at eyes::

So, one of the publications that still provides many happy surprises is Australia's InsideOut magazine. After listing the titles I used to buy regularly, the $10 I spend on this one doesn't seem all that excessive.

The current issue on the stands in the U.S. is the November/December issue, which features, among other things, a preview of a new book by interiors stylist Sibella Court, Etcetera: Creating Beautiful Interiors With The Things You Love.

The photos I've posted below are from the website for her shop, The Society Inc. Be sure you visit and click through the many, many photos of her work. I had a difficult time deciding which to post.

All photos from The Society Inc. web site.

I'm not sure if all these photos are included the new book. Still, I can't wait for this book to arrive in the U.S! As of today, I can't find any information on just when that will be, but I've emailed her web site, and will let you know just as soon as I find out.*

To learn more about Sibella, read Aussie blog Design Files' interview with her from last year.

*Sibella just sent me a reply telling me that her book is available in the U.S. exclusively at Anthropologie, and that they have just reordered and should be back in stock shortly.

ink + memory?

2010-01-01T15:10:00.001-06:00

On the third anniversary of my inaugural blog post, I'm starting with a clean slate. Welcome!

(or welcome back, to my regular reader) (I kid)

+ + +

The honest truth is, I found the new blog title riding in the passenger seat as our car inched through Chicago holiday traffic. High on the wall, inside the Belmont Kinkos/FedEx:

Ink & Memory

For your computer, you know?

I think it's a hilarious piece of accidental poetry, so I of course I stole it. And of course I'll explain at some point why I think it works so well for this new place.

+ + +

I have never had a banner, I just never bothered. Do I need a banner? Probably, huh? Maybe later.

+ + +

What I did want to do today was to make sure you saw a couple of new-to-me blogs.

Camp Comfort, from Roberta Jane, "a place for fashion and style news, finds and inspiration." I love her simple and cute inspiration for dressing like I might really dress and can actually afford.

Next, there's a new blog from one of my first favorite bloggers, Lisa Congdon, A Collection a Day, 2010. Looks like it's going to be exactly what it says on the can, and I think it's a fantastic idea, because Lisa's a tireless collector of interesting things. I'm pretty excited about this one.

Another new favorite is enhabiten, from Liane in New Hampshire. Liane's an artist and craftsperson who I very recently discovered through Etsy's Handmade Portraits. Watch the video, and see if you don't fall in love just a little.

I read a lot of blogs, and everything she posts just looks so fresh to me.

I'm just a leeetle bit fixated on this felted wool black cross pillow, below. It's actually kind of painful for me to post it here, with a link and everything, but I am trying to learn to let go or something.

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A huge Thank You to all you readers who clicked on the Knitsquirrel link to this new blog, you are why I'm still here.