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I took a little break from blogging so I could work on some new prints. Here are a couple of them that I am pretty proud of. I love the florescent pink and I can't seem to stay away from gold! They will be available for sale very soon. What's next? Some holiday cards and more prints, so stay tuned!
No matter how the current economy is or isn't affecting you, it is important to cut down your expenses and save money for rainy days. Here is a list of things that my hubby and I do to save money.
1. Cook at home. For a while we either ate out or ordered take out every single night and we spent about $200 a week, just on dinner. Now I try to cook every single meal at home, I even bake muffins for breakfast! I work from home so I can eat all 3 meals at home. Now I spend about $100 per week on groceries for not just dinner, but also breakfast and lunch!
2. Wash your own wools. Dry cleaning is so expensive and environmentally unfriendly. Sweaters are really easy to wash, just soak in cold water with a bit of detergent, gently wring out the excess water and lay it on top of a towel, then roll it up like sushi and press it down to get all the excess water out so it won't drip all over your bathroom floor. I washed 6 sweaters over the weekend, and I saved about $40, plus they smell great!
3. Cancel Premium cable and land line. The only person who calls the land line is my hubby, I don't ever watch movies on those premium movie channels and I can rent all of their original series (which I don't really watch anyway) on DVD. We now save about $100 a month on services we didn't really use!
4. Public transportation. I don't ever take the cab unless I'm with my hubby. But we now have a new rule to only take the cab when it's late at night, otherwise, stick with the train or the bus or walk. We can save at least $50 a month by taking fewer cabs (I'm realistic, there's no way we can stop taking cabs!)
5. Join museum membership. Our MoMA Dual membership costs $120 a year, but 3 trips to the museums makes up for the membership (it's $20 admission per person), we go about 8 times a year so we save $200 a year. Not to mention the members-only previews, and the discounts you get at the gift store!
6. Make your own coffee. It used to be an addiction of mine to go to Starbucks with my co-workers. I used to go at least twice a day meaning I spent about $7 a day on coffee. Nowadays I make my own coffee which is much more delicious and cheap, even with the best beans at Whole Foods (about $11 a pound that lasts more than a month) So coffee alone I save a whopping $200 a month!
7. Knit your own winter accessories. It is way fun and it's the best gift for your loved ones. One year I even knitted my hubby a button down vest with shawl collar!
8. Online coupon codes. I was getting a pair of boots online and before I submitted the payment I searched for a coupon code for that particular store, instead I found a coupon code for another store that carried the same shoes with a $50 off coupon, of course I opted for the store with the coupon, plus they offered free shipping and free return (very important because you don't want to spend $10 to ship back the shoes if you decide to return them).
image: wonting, I did the illo for a magazine in 2000.
I'm into the "outdoors-woman" style this fall, instead of splurging hundreds of dollars for the designer's interpretation of the look, why not go to the original sources for a fraction of the price? I love Pendleton wool fabrics, especially their classic Glacier Park blanket with the four color stripes. But as a throw for our living room, I would go for this blue and brown plaid number.
I'm also CRAZY about their line of bags, some of the patterns are a little too Southwestern but the red and olive one is subtle and looks so cozy for fall. The leather tote bag looks super cool, it's got all the details of a high-end designer tote bag but with a reasonable price tag. 
I dig the basket purse look, but not as extreme as Jane Birkin in the 60's, maybe these Nantucket basket purses would do, and the French market basket is a perfect alternative to a canvas tote bag! 
And can you believe these high-top espadrille sneakers? I MUST have them! I don't care that they are not winter shoes because they are just so perfect!
sources: vintimage.com, indiantraders.com, pendleton, simplynantucketbaskets.com, quelobjet.com
We went to MoMA over the weekend and as usual the blockbuster show (Van Gogh) was jam-packed, but this little show by Lucy McKenzie really stole my heart. For her debut exhibition at MoMA, McKenzie, with the help of textile/fashion artist Beca Lipscombe and illustrator Bernie Reid, transforms gallery space into a turn-of-the-century setting for the display of her own paintings and prints, which were recently acquired by MoMA. Lucy wanted to create a room-environment because her paintings are intended to be displayed in a decorated room, she went back to school to study trompe l'oeil painting for this installation. It is not hard to be upstaged by the beautifully decorated faux-room, but Lucy's wit in her works made this installation so enjoyable, I had fun looking at her paintings as well as the stenciled carpet and curtains. Check out the conversation with Lucy, Beca, and Bernie on YouTube.
images: MoMA, YouTube
I took a little break from blogging so I could work on some new prints. Here are a couple of them that I am pretty proud of. I love the florescent pink and I can't seem to stay away from gold! They will be available for sale very soon. What's next? Some holiday cards and more prints, so stay tuned!
No matter how the current economy is or isn't affecting you, it is important to cut down your expenses and save money for rainy days. Here is a list of things that my hubby and I do to save money. 
My home office is in my living/dining room which is not very pretty to look at. I'm trying to find a partition that lets in sunlight and is made from sustainable material, so I found this Nomad Modular System. It is made from recycled double-wall cardboard that lets you adjust the configuration however you like to fit your space, Each set comes with 24 modules, enough to make a 4.5 square ft. wall. I like how once it's disassembled it is flattened and is 100% recyclable, the same way you would recycle cardboard boxes. However, I am not sold on the look, maybe it's because the samples shown on the website are not my favorite, but I do see the potential and it might work in my apartment.
photos: mioculture.com
Amy Hunting's patchwork furniture series not only is interesting to look at, it is also very environmentally friendly. The collection is made of wood waste and off-cutes were collected from factories in Denmark, the pieces were put together to form a wood patchwork before they were made into furniture. My favorite is the lampshade featured in November's Monocle magazine that first caught my attention. 
I'm into the "outdoors-woman" style this fall, instead of splurging hundreds of dollars for the designer's interpretation of the look, why not go to the original sources for a fraction of the price? I love Pendleton wool fabrics, especially their classic Glacier Park blanket with the four color stripes. But as a throw for our living room, I would go for this blue and brown plaid number.
I'm also CRAZY about their line of bags, some of the patterns are a little too Southwestern but the red and olive one is subtle and looks so cozy for fall. The leather tote bag looks super cool, it's got all the details of a high-end designer tote bag but with a reasonable price tag. 
I dig the basket purse look, but not as extreme as Jane Birkin in the 60's, maybe these Nantucket basket purses would do, and the French market basket is a perfect alternative to a canvas tote bag! 
And can you believe these high-top espadrille sneakers? I MUST have them! I don't care that they are not winter shoes because they are just so perfect!
I am crazy about this German-born, London-based jewelry designer. I love the surrealist humor and utilitarian quality in his work, like the clear bangle in the silhouette of a watch simply adorned by a couple of sprockets in gold, and how original is the hair comb necklace?! I WANT the ear cuff, it's just a simple pearl and you hook it over your ear, but these days I could really use the magnifying glass necklace! 
photos: husam el odeh, klimt02.net
We went to MoMA over the weekend and as usual the blockbuster show (Van Gogh) was jam-packed, but this little show by Lucy McKenzie really stole my heart. For her debut exhibition at MoMA, McKenzie, with the help of textile/fashion artist Beca Lipscombe and illustrator Bernie Reid, transforms gallery space into a turn-of-the-century setting for the display of her own paintings and prints, which were recently acquired by MoMA. Lucy wanted to create a room-environment because her paintings are intended to be displayed in a decorated room, she went back to school to study trompe l'oeil painting for this installation. It is not hard to be upstaged by the beautifully decorated faux-room, but Lucy's wit in her works made this installation so enjoyable, I had fun looking at her paintings as well as the stenciled carpet and curtains. Check out the conversation with Lucy, Beca, and Bernie on YouTube.
images: MoMA, YouTube
I've been there recently, I actually got off the ferry (most tourists stay on the ferry for the scenic ride, it's free!) and went to see the 911 Memorial sculptures. These 2 thin sculptures designed by Masayuki Sono represent postcards sent to the 9/11 victims, but I think they resemble wings that are about to take off and reach the sky. The walls of the sculptures feature plaques that bear each Staten Island victim's name and a profile in silhouette which is a really beautiful way to commemorate a loved one. The Staten Island 9/11 Memorial is located along the North Shore Waterfront Esplanade adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
A few weeks ago I posted about my dream of curating a Gocco group show and a reader from Scotland wrote me about this super talented gentleman named Nigel Peake. He is very good at drawing buildings and maps with very fine details, and I really like the way he adds little splashes of watercolor to his Gocco prints (below). Go to his website and his blog to see more of his work now!
images: nigel peake
Over the weekend I went to DWR's Tools for Living store in Soho and I saw the coolest stationery products by Craft Design Technology from Japan in an unusual seafoam green (bold move!) and a great logo. So I went home to check out their website and thought the pictures looked far too familiar, then I went to their corporate site and ah-ha! Tyler Brulé is a co-creator of the brand. I love almost everything that Tyler Brule does (see evidence here), so I guess that makes me a fan. Their website is also top-notch, I love its industrial look and the line drawing of the products!
photos: craft design technology
Went to MarMarCo in Shoreditch London and instantly fell in love with these lovely ceramic biscuit-shaped boxes, at the store they used them to hold salt, how cute! As a bad blogger I didn't take any pictures of the store but found these in-store shots from Wee Birdy, great blog, btw!
photos: weebirdy.com, marmarco.com
