Custom Keds

I know, I've promised to show you something I've been working on for a while now, and hoped to have done a couple weeks ago. But, of course, that's not done yet. I HAVE found something super cool today, though. Did you know you can customize Keds shoes? I don't mean just pic the color of the panels and the trim. You can upload images to be printed on the fabric. It's quite cool. I have friends who like to have little get togethers where they decorate Keds. But this....just imagine the possibilities. I really like something along the lines of the red ones in the picture. Someday, I'll get around to designing myself some shoes...

(Image from HabitForming on Flickr)

28 Weeks

It's true. I'm 28 weeks as of today. That's like 6 months and something. Wow. Time flies! So, this isn't the most flattering pic...it's hard to get one of those taking pics of yourself with a camera on a tri-pod in a semi-dark room against a dirty wall wearing a color that just makes you look bigger. Oh, and the shaddow. Didn't want to bother making myself a decent light source....but it really accentuates the belly, no? But hey. When you're pregnant, you get to look big, and you have a reason. And don't ask what I'm looking at. No idea. I probably just didn't get my head turned all the way before the timer ran out. So, because of requests, here's a pic for those of you who are too far away to see the belly.

Early Bird

This week I've been working on something that I'll hopefully have done next week so that I can share with you. So, since it's been a while and I still haven't caught up on some other things I've done, I wanted to share this.

Back durring my letterpress class, we had an assignment where we had to pick a zinc cut image from the collection and create a project from that image. So, this is what I came up with. The early bird gets WHAT?! I used wood type in different fonts for the title, and then hand set my thoughts on the matter in wood type:

A worm? Who wants a worm? I certainly don't. Okay. I know the old saying tries
to motivate us all to get up early because the early bird gets the first pick of
food for the day. But my eggs and orange juice will still be in the fridge, no
matter when I wake up. I don't think I'll wake up early if it just means that I
get a worm. But thatnks for the advice.

And there you have it.

Happy Chair

Today's project: bring new life to an old chair. Last year when I started getting pieces together for my space/studio/office here in the basement, I found a stool at the D.I. that I brought home, sanded, and made mobile with casters. As much as I love my stool, and even though the super-soft cushion is the perfect color of green vinyl to go with my space, I'm going to have to retire it. (By retire, I mean I'll probably just pull out the casters that make it the perfect height and use it as a spare chair...because I just can't part with it.) Mike has told me since the beginning that my stool is unsafe and that I'm going to fall off it and hurt myself, and although I personally haven't fallen off it, I've witnessed just about every other person who has sat on it either tip and almost fall, or completely fall off the stool. I won't name names, but you know who you are! Here's the stool:

As much as I love it, I love my new chair even more. I was browsing Craig's List the other day and spotted the chair I've been looking for: an old school adjustable counter- or bar-height chair with a footrest and back. Kinda looks like a lab chair or something. Here's the before:

Sorry for the tiny pic. I always forget to take the before pic before I start working. So you have the Craig's List pic followed by a pic after I disassembled the chair. It was an icky brown colored vinyl for the cushion and the back, and the metal was a creamy tan/beige color. Not the best. Mike thought I made him stop to pick up a piece of junk, but took it back when he saw what a couple cans of spray paint, a yard of fabric, and a couple of hours can do. Let me just say that Rustoleum spray paint is super awesome. I LOVE this fabric! Matches my decor of white, green, stainless steel, and light wood to a tee, not to mention my retro-ish details I've added around the room. Green makes me happy!

Still alive....

Alright. It's been....more than a while. As most of you already know, Mike and I are expecting a baby girl in August! So, January, February, and half of my March were spent mostly either near the toilet or in bed. We'll just say I wasn't feeling to well. But, I'm happy to report that now that I'm halfway through the pregnancy, I'm feeling great again and my need to make and do things is in full swing. But, before I get into that, here are a couple pictures:

First, we have the profile showing us a cute little nose, and second, a hand. I like the hand because, as Duppy pointed out during the ultrasound, the baby is signing an L, and it almost looks like "I love you." She was quite excited to think the baby knows sign language. We didn't argue with her.

So, I've been working on lots of different projects, slowly, over the last little while, and hopefully over the next littler while I'll be able to post about them all. For a quick preview, I've been working on organizing and decorating my "space" in the basement, made a poster-ish thingy for Mike, created vinyl patterns for my Ikea Aspviks, deciding how I'm going to decorate Baby's and Duppy's rooms, and starting on making stuff for the rooms. There you have it. That's an update in a nutshell!

Ornament Swap Ornaments

I know, I know. It's been almost two weeks since Christmas, so no one really wants to see more Christmas ornaments, but I said I was going to post about them. So, here they are.

Triangle Pouch from swap-bot user "Calendula."

Mini mittens from "gidgeflibbit."

Felted snowman from "nysa."

Two headed dear from Jane Wynn.

Red felted ball from "etiecke."

Golden snowflake from "MonkeysInk."

Felt tree from "dianedundee."

Paper Bird from Paper Lady Invites.

Dear Crossing! From Zebula Designs.

There should be one more, but I never received the 10th. I don't think they got sent out. It was fun to participate, and I think I'll try and do it next year too. I think the mini mittens might just be my favorites.

Oh Wow.

So...it's been a month. And I'm very sorry about that. But I think I at least have good reason. And, to maybe make up for it, a lot of what's been keeping me busy (and by that I mean being up til 4 AM multiple days in a row) is fun stuff I can post about. I'll make a quick list and then post about each over the next few days.

• Ornaments for the ornament swap
• Deck of cards paper sample
• Letterpressed perpetual calendar
• Packaging assignment
• Filling orders (people buy stuff for Christmas...imagine that!)

I feel as though I'm missing something. Probably because now that I have that written down the list looks a bit short. However, I must say that those four things didn't have to be as hard as I made them, but now that they're done I'm glad I did because the end results are...well, you'll see.

Anyway, I'm glad it's all over so that now Christmas can start!

Ornament Swap

I'm so excited! I just found this today, and luckily today is the deadline, so I can participate! I get to make Christmas tree ornaments and send out 8-10 to people assigned to me, and then I receive 8-10 in the mail from different people. How exciting is that! I'll be sure to post pics of my ornaments and all that I receive.

Also, swap-bot, the site where this swap is hosted, hosts many other swaps that anyone is able to participate in for free. Check it out!

Happy Little Dishes

I was at the D.I. a few weeks ago (the main thrift store here in Utah), looking for something else, of course, but came across a great find at the bargain price of $2.00 total. These four little bowls make me so happy! I know, three pictures of four bowls is a little excessive, but I can't help myself. I LOVE them! I've decided to keep the goodies for my inspiration wall/note board in them.

• #1 contains white chalk (yes, it's invisible at the moment)
• #2 contains my happy little magnets
• #3 contains push pins
• and #4 contains graphite shavings from my drafting pencil (no, not for the wall)

They now live lined up along the wall in the middle of my desk. The perfect color and the perfect size. Quite useful and visually pleasing at the same time. They look great stacked inside each other too. Sigh. Why do I find such small and simple things so wonderful?

Letterpress Project 1

I mentioned in an earlier post that I am taking a letterpress class this semester. I love it. It's a lot of work, and very time consuming, but it's great none the less. So, today I want to share my first project. Being the first, there were quite a few guidelines/restrictions we had to follow. First, the paper size and type was determined for us. It was a very thin sheet, not leaving room for much impression, and the size had to be 4x5. We could only use black ink, and only text. The text had to be set by had and original. We were to choose an object that has some significance to us, and then write 50 words, describing it. See if you can figure out what my object was.

The text reads:

Six surfaces form the solid shape; faces the same size, 12 edges the same length. The colors call, asking to be grouped. I twist and I turn, hearing the familiar friction of plastic on plastic as each small square moves to become one with the other 8 of its color, creating solid faces. Once such a mystery, now so simple to solve.

Now, for those of you who don't know what it means to handset type, let me paint the picture. Each little letter is a piece of type. The type is stored in a case, which is basically a divided drawer.You guessed it. You have to line up the little pieces, add spacing between words, and leading between lines. Takes some time, but gives you some appreciation for what people used to do back in the day. When there's a letter that's worn down, you have to replace it. If you run out of e's, you have to run it on the press twice, once for the first half, and once for the second. The particular typeface I chose, Twentieth Century, has a lot of smashed type, so I spent a lot of time replacing the little letters with tweezers. And I mean little. The first part is 6 point, and the bottom two lines are 8 point. If you want to see how small that is, type something in 6 point, print it out, and imagine cutting out each individual letter and that letter sitting on a piece of lead that's .918" tall. Tiny.

Books.

I know, it's been a while. I was doing so well...for about a week. But here I am again. Lots has been going on with school and at home and such. So much to do! I'm working on quite a few different projects, some for school, some for family and friends, and then also on getting my studio/working area up and running. I'll post about all of those, but for now, I'd like to introduce you all to something that is completely awesome.

Amazon has wish lists you can make public. I love it! I think everyone should log into Amazon and create a public wish list of all the great books they want so that when someone is completely lost when it comes to getting you a gift for, say, Christmas or your birthday, they can all go there and get you something you really do want. Yay! All you have to do is search for the person's name, and voila, there's the list. If you have a common name, it helps to add a few details. There's another Leah with my last name in CT. I'm not alone.

Ok. So, just when you thought that's all there is to it and that's as good as it gets, don't worry, it gets better. You can "get a wish list button" which will somehow or another let you add things you want from other websites too, not just Amazon. I'm not sure how it works, but they explain it here. I haven't done that yet, but I think it would make life easier for people! Anyway, if you're interested to see what books I'm currently salivating over, view my wish list. Or, if you're feeling adventurous, just go to amazon.com and see if you can figure it out. Don't be scared. It's easy. I'll even give you a hint: click on "gifts and wish lists" at the top and then type my name in on the right. As easy as that. I think I'll go add more books now.

ABC Poster 8

I think today will be the end of the ABC poster marathon. I've found a lot that I love, but I think it's time to move on. I'll post about more as I find them. Today I'll end with two posters by Creative Neesh, in Sydney.
I love the coordinating style and colors of the two posters, with the images representing the letters and the repetition of the images representing the numbers. Each is available in a variety of other color combinations as well. Creative Neesh doesn't state how the posters are printed, but I like them all the same!

ABC Poster 7

Today I've decided to post about two posters by Isak, who has an awesome website and an very cute blog. The first poster has an illustrated childlike feel, with an illustration of an occupation that begins with each letter. On the website you can find a fun description of the poster.

The second poster quite charming with different shades of brown and different sizes for the letters, and a crisp aqua color added in with the clean illustrations, which seems to be an Isak signature color, giving a pop.

Be sure to check out the other cool stuff on their website! Lots of great finds.

ABC Poster 6

Today we have another letterpress poster found on Etsy. You can find it in the shop Handmade Impressions. I think the different sizes and typefaces work great together. Can i just say I LOVE wood type? So beautiful. I'm planning on using some in my next assignment for my letterpress class. I'll post it when it's done.

ABC Poster 5

Today's poster I find quite interesting in any different ways. Not only does it look really good and different, but it's creative and has a lot of thought behind it. First, it makes use of a different printing method called a photogram. Each letter is formed by objects that not only form the shape of the letter, but also begin with the letter they represent. For example, the "S" is formed with staples in the shape of an "S." I love finding things around me that can look like letters when you are looking for them. Here's an example of something I've done:

If you keep your eyes open, all sorts of great shapes and images appear right in front of you, in places you'd never expect!

ABC Poster 4

I stumbled upon this poster on oddhero the other day. It's the font "Tower" by Mario Feliciano, a Portuguese type designer. Yes, once again we have orange. I think the font is nice, and I really like the layout of the alphabet. If any of you have $400 to buy this, have at it! It's an edition of only 100 (which means they're only printing 100 of them, for those that aren't familiar with the term). I also like the Aachen Bold poster on the same site. The giant E with all the little letters of the alphabet fitting inside. I really like the composition.

ABC Poster 3

Here's another poster I really like. The style is quite different than the previous two, but I like it all the same. It was designed by Mike Davis of Burlesque Design. The illustration style reminds me of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books written and illustrated by Roger Hargreaves. I love them.

ABC Poster Number 2

I've come to love Etsy. For those of you who don't know what Etsy is, it's the online marketplace to buy and sell all things handmade. If you haven't yet, be sure to check it out and see what you can find. There's a little bit of everything and something for everyone!

This poster is letterpressed, which is another one of my recent obsessions. I love the added element of texture the letterpress adds. Sycamore Street Press offers this wonderfully simple poster in another color combination, but I'm partial to the orange. I love the simple yet playful rendering of the animals.

ABC Posters

Lately I've been obsessed with ABC poseters, so I think I'll share a few with you, perhaps one a day for a week or so.

First, I'll start off with this lovely poster from Petit Collage:

I love the colors (although it comes in two other color schemes I love as well), and the red created by the overprinting of the orange and pink. Isn't it great? I'm planning on redoing a little girl's bedroom pretty soon here, and I'm thinking of using the orange, pink, red, and yellow color palette. Very bright and happy, just like her.

Hear ye, hear ye!

Dear world:

I've started a blog. For those who know me and blog in this dear state of Utah, this blog will not be an ordinary blog simply about me and my family and wonderful personal matters. Nay. I hear by swear to create a blog without focusing on these details, but to let the beauties of the world around us be the center of attention. Yes, a blog about pretty things, both natural and man made, in the real world and this cyber world we now have at our fingertips. If I stray from my purpose stated here, I give you all permission to leave me nasty comments and remind me what I have sworn to do.

Thank you, and have a good night.