Oh Joy!

{uppercase} currently loving...

It's been a few weeks since the last "currently loving" series, so I'm happy to have a photo from the typography-loving shop owner of UPPERCASE Gallery in Canada.

WHO...Janine Vangool, graphic designer & owner of UPPERCASE Gallery located in downtown Calgary, Canada.

CURRENTLY LOVING...
my new (old) red 1956 Royal De Luxe typewriter that I found on ebay (for a deal!) These Royals were solidly built and it still works well. I use it to make price labels in my store. I am also looking forward to the "Chains" exhibition starring poet Derek Beaulieu who has made visual poems out of letraset. He brought in this preview piece a few days ago. I am also currently -- and likely perpetually -- infatuated with vintage flash cards, which I am collecting for an exhibition that I hope to organize for August/September of this year. It is called "Old School" and celebrates the aesthetics of early- to mid-20th century education. I will be sending out packs of vintage school ephemera to artists so that they can create work for the show. If anyone is interested in participating, they can send me an email with a link to their portfolio. And last, but not least, is the Petite Pattern Book series. These Japanese books have pattern upon pattern of royalty-free artwork, beautifully presented within the books and conveniently archived on cds. I look forward to incorporating some of these patterns into my design work.

{mateo ilasco} currently loving...

WHO...designer, illustrator, and writer, Meg Mateo Ilasco of Mateo Ilasco 

CURRENTLY LOVING...
ideas about organization and filing (although i'm a pretty messy person), primary colors, stripes, sculptural wire, texture, overlapping lines, and old school technology.

{images above, left to right, top to bottom: rock and indexed book from Filing, Marimekko Kulkue poster by Maija Louekari at CB2, vintage computer images from Core Memory, and "Unera" wire sculpture by Antonino Sciortino.}

{lauren alane} currently loving...

A great set of visuals in one of my current favorite color combinations from crafter Lauren Bradshaw...

WHO...Lauren Bradshaw of LaurenAlane, a lifelong crafter from Winter Park, Florida. 

CURRENTLY LOVING...
Gray and black with pops of color or sparkle. While I used to gravitate towards wearing patterns all the time, I've had a lot of fun wearing darker solids and dressing them up with a touch of color, or my grandmother's sparkly vintage jewelry. Using gray and black in our home has also made it feel a bit more formal, which I really enjoy. I still get a daily dose of pattern from my Orla Kiely purse, but I'm really enjoying the gray and black solids for now.

{Images above, left to right, top to bottom: "The Great Debate"by Philadelphia artist Hayley Carmo, Gem Field Dress from Anthropologie, vintage buttons from an estate sale, my grandmother's bracelets and ring, plus a new thin gold Divot Ring from Brooke Medlin, and Patricia and Pernilla fabric from Ikea.}

{perfectbound} currently loving...

Just in time for  Valentine's Day, here's a currently loving image from Julie at Perfectbound...

WHO...Julie Doan, one half of Perfectbound and graphic designer from Winnipeg, Canada 

CURRENTLY LOVING...
Rosy hues and prints. Perhaps it's because of a certain holiday coming up, but I'm loving bits of pink and red. I find them best when bright and saturated or in a fun and fancy print. They're also my main go-to for switching up an outfit with a little button or pin. It's easy to feel the love with these colours around you.

{items here: 2 Knockout Shows postcard from Hammerpress, Peony screenprinted card from Sarah Parrott, vintage scarf covered buttons from Pamela Barsky, red tiles paper sheet from PaperSource, bakers twine from Martha Stewart Crafts, and red flower pin from Foundling.}

{jill bliss} currently loving...

It's been a few weeks since I've posted a currently loving image, so here's a new one today from artist & illustrator Jill Bliss! I was lucky enough to stay with Jill at her house when a few friends and I were in Portland a couple weeks ago. Jill's home and studio are filled with so many great pieces..here's a sampling...

WHO...Jill Bliss...a native of Northern California who recently transplanted to Portland, Oregon. Jill has run Blissen Studio in its various forms for seven years. Whether designing limited edition paper goods and accessories or fine art pieces, all of her work reveals a fondness for combining fabric, paper, and other found materials.

CURRENTLY LOVING...
new sunny yellow kitchen walls, vintage fabric picked up this past weekend, my succulent plants that won't die no matter how much i neglect them, small terrarium/planter of live and dead plants and a mini japanese ceramic house, malin necklace from beklina, limited edition natacha matic porcelain brooch from bijoux jewelry {no longer available}, and stackable vintage dishes bought in l.a. last month.

{julia rothman} currently loving...

WHO...Julia Rothman, a pattern designer and illustrator located in Brooklyn NY. She is also part of a three person design company called Also and writes about nice books on her blog Book by its Cover.

CURRENTLY LOVING...I started a wedding groom collection a while back because I like how the little men look in tuxedos. I used to have them out on a little shelf but now that I am engaged it feels weird to display them- like I'm wedding obsessed or something. So I decided to put them away in a box but I do miss them. Also I am loving my new spice rack and two new hands(left) I got in an antique mall in Iowa this past holiday. The other two glove molds were a gift from Matt and Jenny (my Also partners) and the little metal box is from an antique store in Hudson, NY. All this stuff currently sits on my kitchen table (for lack of space) so I get to look at it every morning while eating my cereal.

{lisa congdon} currently loving...

I love this start to the first "currently loving..." of 2008 with Lisa Congdon's gorgeous collection of mini photos...

WHO...Lisa Congdon, San Francisco-based artist and co-owner/gallery director at Rare Device.

CURRENTLY LOVING...Tiny vintage one inch photos. I collect them at antique malls and flea markets. Someday I am going to do something amazing with all of them when I have over 500! I love how delicate they are, the expressions on the faces of the people in the photographs, the sepia tones of aged film. Mostly, I love the way they look hung together.

{cupcake bakeshop} currently loving...

WHO...Cheryl Porro of Cupcake Bakeshop blog. Each post features a unique cupcake recipe created by Cheryl and accompanied by her own photography. She is a software quality engineer by day and baker for hire by night.

CURRENTLY LOVING...aqua as an accent color, especially with red, fishnet stockings, and family.

Aqua has been showing up all over my house and usually with red - on my cupcakes, in home accents like this Kate Spade dinnerware and in my daughter's wardrobe, like in these Roobeez baby shoes and this Janie and Jack dress. I can't get enough of it. I am loving fishnets. I have them in black and nude. Having recently given birth I am feeling less than sexy. A little fishnet peaking out from under my jeans is just enough to help me get over it. And of course, family, as a long-time single and busy woman, I was not prepared for the joy that marriage and motherhood would bring. It's pretty awesome.

{design*sponge} currently loving...

WHO...Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge.

CURRENTLY LOVING...Lady-like fonts. I've become obsessed with fonts lately - every time a new Veer catalog comes in the mail I imagine how letters and post titles would look written in each style. Lately I'm loving anything that has a feminine, hand-written feel to it. Veer's Burges, Feel and Marmalade types are my favorite. And of course the one that inspired my current craze would be Blueprint's logo type.

{Photo of Emerson's in Brattelboro, Vermont.}

{three potato four} currently loving...

WHO...Janet Morales of Three Potato Four, who runs the online shop with her husband Stu Eli.
Their online shop is filled with things they  love and think beautiful stories can be told through the complimentary mix of modern and vintage objects.

CURRENTLY LOVING...the mix of old and new together (which make cozy spaces).
This space in our home is of a wall of our office/shipping room. Items here include a glass
chickadee vase, Stendig wall calendar, vintage pitcher, and our packing tape!

{small stump} currently loving...

It's been a while since I've posted a "currently loving" image, so I'm thrilled to be sharing today's piece from Jill of Small Stump. From now on, I'll be posting a image from this series on Fridays so you can end the week with a bit of inspiration and a beautiful photo. Now, to Jill...

WHO...Jill Pilotte of Small Stump. In addition to her own line, Jill is also the Artist and Design Gallery Curator of Rose and Radish in San Francisco.

CURRENTLY LOVING...wood, white, warm...
This is my current dining table centerpiece and I love the combination of soft, hand-made, pieces and warm, woody textures. My growing collection of felted bowls and containers are perfect for displaying little groupings of objects. A small tree sits inside my favorite felted pot made by Papaver Vert, and I set some mini pine cones on a white pod from Project Felt. I often use little slices of logs as display pedestals for really special pieces like these Coe and Waito porcelain acorns (available soon at Rose and Radish). The little pile of crocheted balls are made by Relishdress.

{rare device} currently loving...

WHO...Rena Tom of Rare Device in San Francisco (opening this Thursday!)  and Rare + Fine in Brooklyn.

CURRENTLY LOVING...teal and mustard in a big way...
...my house is filled with reds and oranges but lately I've shifted to deep, beautiful blues and gritty yellows. Even small doses of these colors really cut through the muddy tones that I also love. There are three paintings by David Huffman, a small drawing on color-aid paper by Robert Gutierrez, a photo taken at a San Diego beach by my husband and printed on fiber paper by me, an ink drawing by Lisa Congdon and a wishbone by Something's Hiding in Here. I am still going to add a few more pieces to this wall!

{rebecca thuss} currently loving...

WHO...Rebecca Thuss...award winning photo-stylist, creative director, wedding designer and crafter. This former Style Director of Martha Stewart Weddings and first Editor and Style Director of the premier issue of Blueprint currently runs a multidisciplinary photography and graphic design firm, ThussFarrell with her husband Patrick Farrell.

CURRENTLY LOVING...my plastic ponies...
I have many (too many) collections of quirky things, but there is something about my plastic horse collection that has me feeling inspired recently. I usually have them spread around my loft; sometimes I use them in whimsical dinner party centerpieces. However, a few weeks back I gathered many of them up and gave them a nice home on the shelves above my desk in the office. Isn't there something so lovely about a collection of silly objects that makes you grin? I guess it's the little girl in me, but toy horses are just super fun.

currently loving...

...beaded fabric..bright reds/oranges mixed with neutrals...

{kate spade sequined jocelyn bag, vintage beaded clutch, and cupcake bowl}

{abigail percy} currently loving...

WHO...Abigail Percy, jewelry designer in Glasgow, UK...known for her gorgeous botanical-inspired jewelry

CURRENTLY LOVING...I am still loving wood, deep toned wood especially....and now, come Autumn [fall], Conkers. It is [wood] the one thing that does not get old for me...timeless, classic, warm, wonderful. I think it's true love, actually.

{fly} currently loving...

WHO: Philadelphia designer/illustrator/blogger Andrea of the Fly blog...

CURRENTLY LOVING...my inspiration board made of cork tiles where I've pinned up some of my favorite findings: fun business cards, little screen printed and letterpressed goodies, a hand-painted scarf from India, and pretty papers...

{amy eldon} currently loving...

WHO: Philadelphia designer Amy Eldon: of the Seamsters blog, Moonblood tee shirt line, and Printfresh textile studio.

CURRENTLY LOVING...my new husband wearing one of our new Moonblood shirts...inspired by my love of all beautiful things in nature, ponies, ferns, and spider webs...

{please note: the "currently loving..." series are images submitted by designers and artists I have asked to participate. the artist whose image is shown is listed in the header and also in the text above each image. the only time an image or objects are mine are when no other artist name or info is listed...}

{jenny vorwaller} currently loving...

WHO: Jenny Vorwaller, jewelry designer of Queen Things

CURRENTLY LOVING... travel momentos and memories.  this past year i've been traveling in south america, along the way i've been collecting artisan made items, photographing and journaling my experiences.

{pony hair tote handmade in uruguay, jane iredale moonglow which is multipurpose & so perfect for travel, designing (and wearing) delicate gold jewelry inspired by nature, taking polaroids with 779 film binoculars for the view out my apartment here in buenos aires, filling up my take me too book by lovely design, two wooden hands from an antique shop in rio de janeiro, brasil.}

{lisa solomon} currently loving...

WHO: Lisa Solomon, Bay Area mixed media artist who also dabbles in crafty wares in her online shop Underdog Ink.

CURRENTLY LOVING... Being inspired by travel :: behind the scenes peeks :: repetition :: stacks
& piles :: order :: color coordination :: the mundane world

{stay tuned tomorrow for some brand new work from Lisa}

{style me pretty} currently loving...

WHO: Abby of Style me Pretty and Abby Jean.

CURRENTLY LOVING... inspiration boards. This one is called Vintage Chic with Splashes of Color.