Oh Joy!

ohjoy.com

It's been a long time coming folks. My new website that incorporates all of my work into one place is finally here...

{oh joy} philly home for rent

We have about a month till our move to San Diego (eek!). And, we have one last thing to take care of on our list...renting out our beloved home that we have lived in for the past 4 years. It's a 978 sq. ft. 2 bedroom/2 bath high-rise condo with huge windows, gorgeous light, amazing views (you can see the art museum on one side), and looks almost like new. Available August 1st for a long-term lease. If you're looking for a rental in Philly and would like more info, please email me at hello[at]ohjoy[dot]com. Thanks!

{ps. cat not included}

oh joy + dwellstudio {sleep in style} contest...

I rarely have giveaways over here at Oh Joy! But this is a VERY special little contest with a prize from one of my favorite home decor companies of all time, DwellStudio. ONE lucky reader will win a full bedding set I've picked out: One Duvet Set (choose from Hedgerow in Saffron, top left, OR Chinoiserie, top right) + One Draper Stripe Sheet Set in Ash + One Paloma Saffron Pillow. A total value of almost $800!

We thought this would be a fun way to combine my love of home and fashion. So, to enter, choose your favorite DwellStudio pattern from their site (does not have to be a pattern shown here), then find a clothing item or accessory online (ie. a dress, bag, jewelry, shoes, etc..) that complements your chosen pattern. Leave a comment with the 1) the name of your chosen Dwell pattern, 2) a link to your matching fashion item, and 3) your name and email address*. Our favorite combo will be the winner of this amazing prize shown above! Entries are due by 12pm EST next Friday, June 5th and the winner will be announced the following week. Good luck and have fun!

*please be sure to type your name and email in the body of the comment not just in the field forms...thanks! **you can also choose to type in your email address as: name[at]email[dot]com. ***sorry, limited to US residents only!

{UPDATE: Please do not post more than once. Entries only appear below 50 at a time, so you may not see your entry, but we do receive every one..so no worries!}

joy: version 30.0

 
Well folks, today I've officially turned the big 3-0. I'm really looking forward to this decade and all the things it has to offer. In celebration...a birthday photo with my amazing parents a very long time ago...

best. gift. ever.

Over the weekend, hubby threw me a surprise early birthday party to celebrate my upcoming 30th birthday next week. When I showed up to the restaurant and shocked to a see a bunch of my favorite people there, he pointed to my place setting which had THE bird vase from Saipua in Brooklyn! I have been in love with that birdy forever, and when Sarah blogged that she was selling them, I contacted her to try and buy one but it turns out they were all sold. The last one she sold went to my husband who had already been in touch with her to buy it for me. See noted bird above filled with an arrangement by a local Philly florist...{Thanks to my amazing husband and Sarah for the awesome covert operation!}
Best gift ever.

mini moving sale...

Not design related, but I'm slowly clearing through my closet to clear out things before we move. So I'm selling things as I go and listing on Ebay...see them right here. {I'll be updating on Twitter as I add more to the batch!}

oh joy! survey + velocity giveaway

 

With the end of the year approaching, I wanted to take a chance and thank you all for your support and for reading this blog for however short or long you've been visiting. I'd love to get a better sense of who you are and what you do, so I've put together this little survey (which should take no more than 5 minutes to fill out) and hope that you'll take a few minutes to answer some questions. As a little thank you, I'll randomly select 5 readers to win a set of Doileez by Modern Twist accompanied by a Joy to All card by Egg Press...all thanks to Velocity. Winners will be randomly selected after the survey ends this Saturday. Click here for the survey which will close on Saturday, December 6th at Noon EST. Thank you again for your support! {And big thanks to Velocity for the fun giveaway}

mini me

I have fun little snippet to share with you today. The newest Fall issue of Martha Stewart Weddings is all about ways to personalize your wedding day. So if you take a look on page 146, printed on top of the decks of playing cards, are photos my husband and I when we were kids! It was a fun surprise to see how the team at MS Weddings ended up using our childhood photos for this story. Thanks guys!

{photo by MS Weddings}

two years ago...

...I married my best friend & boyfriend of nine years...it feels like we were just kids when we met! In celebration of our anniversary today, here are a few images I picked out to share with you. I mostly remember this day through photos as it seriously just flew by...in the best way possible, of course. I love how happy everyone looks.

{photos by karen wise}

happy friday + a sunny move ahead...

I have some exciting (and also scary) news! Next summer, we're packing up the apartment, the studio, and our cats...and moving to sunny San Diego! Yes, it's true. East Coast mouse is moving to the West Coast...at least temporarily. My husband's job is taking us there for one year beginning summer of 2009. To start prepping, we're heading there next month for a short vacation and to start scoping out neighborhoods.Yikes!

If any of you have advice, thoughts, or suggestions about great areas to live and rent an apartment for that year..I am all ears and would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to leave a comment here or email me directly to: info{at}ohjoystudio.com. Thank you in advance!

{photo of Balboa Park at sundown by Seven Bridges}

happy friday + my very own set of keys

Have a great holiday weekend everyone! I'm going to take Monday off to catch-up from my week away and will see you again on Tuesday! Some friends got me these porcelain keys I've been so in love with for my birthday..I love them! Thanks guys!

happy mother's day!

...to all you moms out there and to mine! {photo of me and my mom...sometime in the early 80's}

oh joy! for bluelines

Fun news! I'll be guest blogging (one post a day) over at Bluelines (Blueprint Magazine's blog) for the week. Everyday this week, I'll update my right side bar under "Oh Joy Elsewhere" to link to my the newest post over at Bluelines.

contact oh joy!

GENERAL INQUIRIES
To contact the Oh Joy! blog please email hello{at}ohjoy.com.

PRODUCT SUBMISSIONS
We are happy to receive submissions about your product or artwork. Oh Joy! mostly covers home interiors and decor, paper goods, artwork, fashion and some personal accessories. {We do not cover children's items - sorry!} If we do decide to post about your work, we will respond within 3 business days of receiving your email. Although we will try to respond to everyone, if you do not hear back within one week, then we encourage you to submit your work to another site that may be more inline with your products.

We love to post things that are new and have yet to be seen elsewhere or on other blogs, so if you've recently been featured in another blog or submitted to another blog, please note that with your submission. Also submissions that are NOT mass emails typically get reviewed more quickly.

We do NOT offer paid editorial coverage.

Submissions can be sent to: hello{at}ohjoy.com AND please include the word "SUBMISSION" in the subject. Please include a few small (low-res) jpegs of the product with your email. If we need larger images, we will contact you for them.

ADVERTISING
Ad spots are available in 120x120 and 120x240 sizes. A variety of advertising packages are available. Email hello{at}ohjoy.com for reader stats, rates and availability. Please include a link to your website when inquiring.

OTHER INQUIRIES
Career Advice & Business Questions
I get a lot of emails asking about various aspects of starting a design business, product line, and/or blog. I am happy to answer your questions or provide advice if I can. For advice on starting a product line, I HIGHLY recommend reading Craft, Inc. which gives a great overview to all aspects of a creative product-based business.

Oh Joy! Interns
Oh Joy! Interns MUST be currently enrolled in an undergrad or graduate program and live in the Philadelphia area. Intern positions for the Winter 08 and Spring 09 semesters have already been filled. Our next intern position will be available in the late Summer or Fall of 2009 for students living in the San Diego area (where the studio will be moving to). You must be a graphic design student to apply.

Philly Neighborhood and Shopping Questions
For some basic info. about Philly (where I currently live) or for recommendations of design shops, restaurants, or my favorite shops, check out:
-My Philadelphia Design Guide for Design*Sponge
-A Philly design tour I gave with Home Companion Magazine's Worth a Trip.

happy friday + new patterns at home...

As the temperatures have cooled off over the past couple weeks, I've been eager to make simple changes around the house. I've been moving framed prints around, swapping this for that...and recovered some things in new fabrics! The Tana Lawn fabrics I posted about last month are now new {reversible} pillows cases...and our mid-century Danish chair has a fresh new fabric...a custom Fish Scales print by Philadelphia designer Lauren Rossi. Oh, and that's Bruce the cat - he likes to be in almost every photo. Have a great weekend!

{Custom Scales print on chair by Lauren Rossi, Tana Lawn fabrics from Purl.}

modern letter project

If you're interested, the Modern Letter Project asked me to be part of their interview series which is up today. Thanks Youngna!

happy friday...at last...

Phew...it's been a long & crazy week for me over here. There's been slew of new & exciting things this week....both amazing and a bit overwhelming at the same time. Thanks for all the nice comments about the new Nantaka Joy site as well as the Daily Candy mention yesterday!

So, I leave you with this image of some new items hanging over my desk. I try and switch up things on display every so often...and, those Make It blocks have certainly served as a nice reminder this week. You can see more of my favorite things over at Philadelphia Home where I was included in a story about collections. Have a great weekend!

{items in photo: print by Julia Rothman, vintage wooden apple and Make It blocks from Three Potato Four.}

we all need a little vacation

It amazes me what a little time off can do. After a week away, I am back and feeling refreshed...ready for fall and all the new things coming our way...here's a bit of a painting/print I bought from some local townspeople on the way to Chichen Itza...

what's in my bag

Thanks to Peggy at Figments for asking me to be a part of the "What's in Her Bag" series. You can see and read more here...{And, speaking of series, stay tune next for a new series I'm trying out along the lines of this post from earlier in the week...}

my sneak peak

Grace at Design*Sponge just posted some photos of our apartment for the D*S Sneak Peaks. Thanks to all the artists whose work gives our walls such life! You can see a few more photos here...

{some details: the blue wall is painted in a pearlescent paint by benjamin moore which gives it a great color & shimmer at night. The bird pillow cases are by Dwell and the grey ones behind it are from Variegated, along with various artists' work above the bed. left to right: photo by Karen Wise, bear print by Camilla Engman, Yumi Yumi print, couch print by Jessica Ritter, Abigail Percy print on kraft stock, camel & birds by Foxy & Winston, and another Jessica Ritter print.}