WOW HEY WHAT

Rhuby

2011-07-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of elaborately made cocktails. New and interesting flavored spirits are quite exciting for me, so I'm kind of thrilled about Art in the Age's new liqueur: RHUBY. It's rhubarb flavored! Art in the Age already make two successful liqueurs, SNAP (gingerbread) and ROOT (it's root beer, but also think sassafras and birch bark). Both are fantastic.

The real reason I thought to post about this was because I love their artwork for everything, but it seems I like the product just as much.

"Like ROOT and SNAP, RHUBY is based on a centuries old Pennsylvania recipe and is totally unique in the marketplace. There has never been anything like it…at least not since 1771. This is the year Ben Franklin sent John Bartram America’s first rhubarb seeds. Bartram proceeded to make a delicious garden tea with rhubarb, beets, carrots, lemon, petitgrain, cardamom, pink peppercorn, coriander, vanilla, and pure cane sugar. We took this recipe and turned it into a spirit!"

They have a few recipes here, although I'm not sure when it's for sale. Hopefully I can find it soon!

USA! USA!

2011-06-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Via DesignSponge

A beautiful map design, titled American Flags Map from These Are Things.

I love the delicate lines, zig zags and crosshatch used to designate states. And of course the little flags! This is a great piece of simplified design, it would look great anywhere. It's a limited edition print of only 100, sold for $99. Should I get one?

Their shop has many more map prints for sale.

Sweet Paul Magazine

2011-06-13T13:32:00.001-07:00

I was reading the PopSugar app on my phone and they linked to an online magazine called Sweet Paul. The cover of the new summer issue was so amazing I had to read the rest. It's awesome! Paul Lowe is a food and prop stylist and all around cool and crafty guy. The magazine is filled with great stuff (144 pages actually!). It's like a younger and hipper Martha Stewart Living, I'm sorry Martha.

Here's a link to the new issue.

Barton Hollow

2011-06-06T21:14:00.001-07:00

While I'm on the topic of music, I'll just add that I'm absolutely obsessed with Barton Hollow from the Civil Wars. Do yourself a favor and listen to this over and over and over.

Codes and Keys

2011-06-06T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been loving Death Cab for Cutie's new album Codes and Keys. It's not as sappy as their previous album Plans, so that's good. It has a more electronic feeling and I'm liking it more and more each time around. And you can download it on Amazon for $5!

Karl Lagerfield for Diet Coke

2011-05-26T14:33:00.001-07:00

I love these Diet Coke cans designed by Karl Lagerfield. They're unfortunately only sold at Harvey Nichols. The simple patterns are beautiful. I wonder if I could get my hands on them. Diet Coke isn't my drink of choice but you better believe I would but a ton of these.

Also 2 soda posts in a row, what?

Found on The Dieline.

Barritt's Ginger Beer

2011-05-23T07:04:00.001-07:00

I am a huge fan of ginger beer. I've tried and enjoyed lots of different brands but always failed to find the king of ginger beers: Barritt's. It has been brewed in Bermuda for over 100 years and is the original ingredient in a Dark and Stormy (also originated in Bermuda).

I've yet to see it in any retail stores, it seems like they only sell wholesale. But yesterday I came home from work and there was an entire case waiting for me.

Thanks to Rob, who surprised me with this perfect drink. Barritt's is made with real cane sugar and I was amazed to taste the difference from regular processed sugar. It's so clean, sweet, just a little spicy and extraordinarily refreshing. Add vodka and fresh squeezed lime juice for a Moscow Mule!

Svpply

2011-04-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

I've found a new, awesome time waster. It's called Svpply and basically you add items that you want. It's like pictorial collection of things you'd love to buy. The website design is simple and only focuses on the images, there is no text until you hover over the picture. It's so easy to add to your collection and everything is linked right to the website for purchase. It's fun! If you start one, my name is wowheywhat.

Pinata Man

2011-04-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

This picture from Confetti System reminds me of my boyfriend:

He made this pinata costume to wear during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Amazing!

(P.S. I'm trying to get back in the blogging game!)

Baaad

2010-12-04T16:40:00.001-08:00

I'm a bad blogger.

Unicorn Tears

2010-10-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

Source

So Long Sweet Summer

2010-08-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

I painted two happy and positive signs to put in our bedroom. The bottom frame refuses to hang straight, but that's ok!

The white painted walls in my apartment can be such a drag, so I bought this tapestry from Urban Outfitters to make the bedroom much happier.

After seeing Willie Nelson in July, I was able to spend some awesome time with my dad. He has a fantastic garden and gave me some zucchini and cucumbers to take home.

I've wanted paper straws for a long time and finally bought some from Etsy. I love these straws so much! They make any drink look super fun.

Without Cabinet

2010-08-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

Without Cabinet by Helmut Smits. Materials used: books, TV, lamp, speakers, record player, video cassettes, CDs, LPs, cassette tapes, binders, boxes.

Coffee Cups

2010-08-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

"Susan Jane Belton continues her consuming interest in logo-emblazoned, take-out coffee cups by lovingly rendering studio portraits of these contemporary icons." Link

Lego

2010-07-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Pilot did this ad campaign for their new ExtraFine pens. Lego characters with lots of gnarly tattoos.

Telegramme Studio

2010-07-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Very very cool screen printed poster from Telegramme Studio in England. They briefly mention "getting the hang of" the color overlays, which I'm sure is difficult. I love the assortment of typography and little illustrations of the gold brick and bell. Cute and eye-catching!

Sound Of Design

2010-07-22T06:40:00.000-07:00

Via Boing Boing: Sound Of Design redesigned album covers in a beautiful flat minimalist style. "...feels like a lovely melding of 1960s Penguin Books minimalism with a bit of 8-bit sensibility."

All 21 albums can be seen on their Flickr page.

Pinhole Camera

2010-07-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

"This one of a kind handmade pinhole camera is crafted from a reclaimed, spray painted iPhone box. It is designed to take standard 35mm film just like a normal camera. It has a built in advance reel as well as rewind reel. This enable you to shoot a picture, advance to the next frame, use the entire roll of film, rewind it back into the canister and take it to the drug store for processing!"

From Etsy user Engrained, a cool pinhole camera made from an iPhone box. $80.

Canon Rebel T1i

2010-07-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

I finally bought a new digital camera after having a point and shoot for many years. It's a wonderful Canon Rebel T1i and I still don't know how to use it. Reading the manual isn't very fun but I'll do it.

The picture is of my sister, the shirt I bought her, and the large cup holder sized pockets she found. Look forward to my new professional photographs!

Hand Made Shoes

2010-06-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Don't you NEED these shoes? They are hand made from etsy seller spirocreations. The only reason I haven't bought them is because they are $225. Very expensive, but they would be my favorite shoes...

Design*Sponge

2010-06-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

I read Design*Sponge just about every day. There are plenty of reasons to love this blog, but especially for the Before and After projects.

One from today totally caught my eye:

If I ever have a furniture project I'll need to figure out this distressed paint look.

Slick

2010-06-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

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Mary Blair

2010-06-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

I was reading A Beautiful Mess earlier and she posted some images from Mary Blair. Aha! Her illustrations were so recognizable to me but I never knew her name. She has a beautiful children's style, formed from her career with Disney.

She was a pioneer in creative color styling (it's hard to imagine a time like this!) and a trailblazer for women in the male-dominated art world. Mary did lots of work outside of Disney, some of which is lesser known, but is all amazing.

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Conan

2010-05-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

This weekend Rob and I will be seeing Conan O'Brien perform at the Borgata in Atlantic City! We're big Conan fans and coincidentally were going to be at the beach for Memorial Day weekend. Atlantic City is just over the bridge from where Rob and I are staying and we're quite excited.

Beverage

2010-05-19T08:25:00.001-07:00

I've been a ginger beer fanatic lately. When I go to grocery stores I scour the soda aisles for different kinds but have been mostly seeing the same 5 kinds. I usually mix it with citrus vodka and lime juice for an invigorating cocktail, but have just found a great way to double my daily ginger beer intake.

Orange juice and ginger beer mixed together is a refreshing way to start the day, try it out sometime.

Doodle

2010-05-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

Drawn at wallpaper-size, scaled down. Just a little drawing in Illustrator.

Country Music

2010-05-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a best friend of mine, I'll be seeing Willie Nelson this summer with front row tickets. Who knew that Amber being in the Willie Nelson Fan Club would be so beneficial to me?

Interior Design

2010-04-22T09:30:00.001-07:00

This is too clever. It sort of makes me want to play the Sims again.

Source

Collecting

2010-04-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

I've always admired collectors. It takes dedication and patience, two qualities I've never really had. My only two collections are unicorns and wine corks.

Flickr user Sarcoptiform has a few everyday objects that he collected and photographed:

All Good

2010-04-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Everything is blooming right now, and soon the Ginkgo tree outside our apartment will be nice and full. Lancaster has lots of streets filled with pink, white and green blooming trees... it's the prettiest time of year.

This ring was hiding for me in an Easter egg, thanks to Rob. The bunny is the cutest!

As promised, I made those Easter cookies:

They turned out to be pretty AND delicious. Luckily I still have a few left.

Easter Eggs

2010-03-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't been using these vases for fresh flowers since summer, so I threw a few cheapo plastic Easter Eggs in them! It brings some color to our kitchen table.

This week I'll be excited to make these cute Easter cookies that call for dyed coconut shreds as Easter grass. Check back for those pictures next week.

Ice Cream

2010-03-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Source

I'm no ice cream fanatic, but this looks quite edible.

4 Eyes

2010-03-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

Q: Where'd you get those sunglasses?
A: Roots Market, 2008

Cupcakes

2010-03-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

While I'm aware of the cupcake's annoying recent rise in popularity, I can't help but share Hello Naomi's cupcake creations. She does more than just the traditional cake decorating methods of frilly icing patterns. The soft color palette is so easy on the eyes, I could look at her Flickr sets all day.

She does a few of these sets, like the robots, which are quite creative. She has sets of Super Mario Brothers, Legos, Space Invaders and a few more. Definitely worth checking out.

Fig

2010-03-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Fig's publication design has been steadily impressive over the past year. Lancastrians pick up this free magazine because it has information about local events, venues and lots of restaurants. It's essentially ads for these restaurants, but the thing looks good.

They've been passing out these little "Lanc" cards that are a cool keepsake. I don't know who their main designer is but I'm a big fan.

You can easily peruse their latest issue (here) in an easy Flash interface.

Glennray Tutor

2010-03-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

"The paintings of Tutor are like life after a glaucoma operation. A whole new vision is given to us."

-Barry Hannah, Author

For my 101st post, I'm going to show you some of Glennray Tutor's paintings. He's a photorealist painter with an obvious liking for marbles, jars, hot sauce and other objects often repeated in many paintings.

Check out his gallery for more paintings. The subjects are childlike, whimsical and just plain old fun. I don't have to iterate his talent, that speaks for itself. One of his paintings was even hung on a wall in The Blindside.

Spring and Food

2010-03-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

It's going to be nearly 60 degrees here in Pennsylvania for most of the week, what a great weather surprise! Daylight Savings Time starts in 6 days (more sunshine!) and the season of Spring starts in 13 days. I drew a little ice cream cone to get us all ready for this exciting time of year!

- - -

Many of my friends got together last night and grilled up many steaks:

Have a great day!

Crazy Heart

2010-03-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

I saw this movie last week and it was great, especially the soundtrack. Jeff Bridges was a highly believable has-been country star named Bad Blake. Of course I have a major soft spot for country music and was impressed by Jeff Bridges' ability to sing these songs. It's almost the right season for me to listen to country music. Just in time.

Hot Pocket

2010-02-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

Justin Perricone uses typography to show all of the ingredients in a Ham and Cheese Hot Pocket.

Snow

2010-02-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

It snowed last night, and once again left Lancaster city in this quiet quilt of fluff. Snow falling has always been my favorite sound, the sound of nothing that muffles everything else. It's best out in the country where you can really start to feel like no one else in the world is alive. Holga cameras capture that haunting solitude perfectly:

Sources, in order: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.

Rain in NOLA

2010-02-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

Well I'm going to Mardi Gras in 12 days! Rob and I will be with my brother, his boyfriend and a big group of great people. New Orleans is such a cool city and I'm excited to bring Rob for his first time there. Pompob on Flickr has this great set of rainy days photos in the French Quarter.

While this looks beautiful, I'm hoping for sun and a mid 70's temperature.

A strip club and crawfish joint... welcome to New Orleans.

One of my favorite things is being able to walk the streets with alcohol, as long as it's not in a glass bottle. Pennsylvania would be quick to arrest a person for that.

There's a little sign under "Pat O'Brien's" advertising mint juleps. The perfect southern drink, along with an early morning bloody mary.

I can fondly remember getting 2 bottles of Jim Beam from Matassa's Market.

This isn't quite in the French Quarter, but the swamps are beautiful. Rob and I are excited to hang out in swamp country on our visit to the Big Easy!

Red and Pale Yellow

2010-02-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

And not one picture with french fries and ketchup:

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Pink and Blue

2010-02-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

I've been having a lot fun with Multicolr Search Lab's Flickr search by color page. You decide on the colors and it pulls images from Flickr that match your search. It's amazing seeing 50 thumbnails of all different photographs that look so similar because of the colors.

Source: romdos

Source: mrjorgen "Which socks should I wear today?"

Source: otherthings

Source: Stefan

Source: Thomas Hawk

Source: Scout Seventeen

Expect a few more of these posts, I'm being entertained.

Playing Cards

2010-01-30T16:40:00.000-08:00

What a handsome set of playing cards, for sale at Park Life. Ok, they're $175 but such a fresh re-design of the old royal characters.

Summer Fair

2010-01-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

To remind you of warmer days, I'm posting a set of carnival photos. Carnival, summer fair, amusement parks, they're all similar. I've always had an affinity for carnival photography. It's easy to see why: the white and rainbow light bulbs, vintage rides, good memories and so much color. This is one place where I actually like over saturation and Photoshop coloring.

Source: IrenaS

Source: IrenaS

Source: Gallery G

Source: GBrosseau

Source: MissyV110

Source: Bomobob

Source: racheljan

Source: EllenJo

Current Event

2010-01-12T16:32:00.001-08:00

Christmas

2009-12-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas is in a week and here in Pennsylvania there's a snowstorm! I think we already have 12 inches on the ground and it's not supposed to stop snowing for another 12 hours. Since I can't go anywhere, I figured it would be a good time to update on all of these Christmas-related things:

I bought 99 cent stockings from Target and cut out our monograms from felt. This was a fun and really cheap craft that I can re-use next year (if Rob is lucky).

On the way to New York City with the Yanchuks, we saw this crazy car.

My adorable Santa Clause mug!

We didn't get a Christmas tree, so I made a little Christmas tree garland for the living room. I just used scrap material (from wrapping paper, cardboard, felt and a Forever 21 bag).

Paper Cuts

2009-11-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Helen Musselwhite is a British artist who uses paper as her craft. She's created hundreds of images from cut paper, many of which are woodland scenes. I think these would look good hanging in any part of the house, especially a child's bedroom.

Birds

2009-10-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

I made a wallpaper of twin birds, currently not speaking to each other. Click on it for the full size.

Swiss Cheese Makers

2009-10-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

From swissmiss:

The Book about Swiss Cheese Makers began as an editorial project for a journalist friend. "I expected this to be an agricultural trip, meeting people who make a living through the production of cheese in a more or less industrial way," Scheffold confesses."But far from it: I met unorthodox lateral thinkers, visionary fellows, modest canny and successful people living and working in some of the most spectacular landscapes of Switzerland. Some sell their products abroad, inventing a new cheese every other month, some work exactly as they have learned from their fathers, now sometimes just selling to hikers visiting their remote location by chance. But all of them seemed to follow an individual vision they are not willing to betray for growth and money."

“Swiss Cheese Makers“, by Fabian & István Scheffold & Vizner, Switzerland

Andy Warhol Photography

2009-09-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

The Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York is displaying 70 of Andy Warhol's Polaroid photographs. They were taken between 1977 and 1983 and feature some familiar objects. Hype Beast has a few more of the Polaroids, but check out the Kasmin Gallery to see all 70! I love these.

Paul Kasmin Gallery
511 27th Street New York, New York
through January 10, 2009

Folded Photographs

2009-09-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Abigail Reynolds is an English artist who created this "folded photograph" series. I'm usually good at realizing how art was created, but I'm not entirely sure how Ms. Reynolds put all of this together. I commend her on her ability to plan something like this.

Finn Juhl

2009-09-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

Finn Juhl (what a great name) was a Danish furniture designer, industrial designer, and architect, and also one of the primary figures in the creation of "Danish design" in the 1940s and 1950s.

Two of Juhl's sofas will be reintroduced to the market by Danish company OneCollection. Both designs are from the early 1950s and are great examples of Juhl's style.

I'm not sure on the cost, but expect for it to be out of your price range. Love these sofas!

Fred Flare

2009-09-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Fred Flare is an online store (and now have a real storefront somewhere in NYC) with the cutest things for sale. They have little coin pouches shaped like french fries and cake and jewelry with castles and treasure chests.

Today I came across this reversible sweatshirt. How clever and typically cute of Fred Flare!

Wedding Blogs For Daily Life

2009-08-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I got into reading wedding blogs. This is unusual since I'm not engaged or married. My boyfriend thinks it's weird. But what I like about them is the constant display of creativity at its finest. The weddings featured are young creative couples who would only naturally use that talent for their wedding day.

There are a lot of reasons to look at these blogs if you're not engaged or married. The wedding details can be used for so many other events, parties or just daily life.

Flowers are the number one reason to look at these blogs. There are cute ideas for arrangements that you can use in your home any day of the year.

Because flowers are centerpieces at weddings, the new ideas never stop. I love the use of these old tins for vases.

How about the idea of using a hollowed out short log for a vase? Very cool, I especially like the carved initials.

I like these homemade cards, they could be used for any occasion!

Cute little stitching, it would make a good Valentine's or Anniversary gift.

If you're the kind of person that has dinner parties, this is a great twist on traditional name cards.

Well I always love creative stationary.

I'm all about this outdoor setup. Food is something I didn't focus on this time around, but wedding blogs are awesome for recipes and food styling.

Favorite wedding blogs: Green Wedding Shoes, Once Wed, and 100 Layer Cake.

Birthday

2009-08-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Rob's 31st birthday and I think I had a nice day for him. He's not a birthday person so I just wrapped up his presents and didn't plan anything for dinner. We ended up making pizza and drinking scotch and black cherry soda/whiskeys!

Here's a little craft idea. I had a gift bag and a gift to put in the bag, but no tissue paper left over. Lucky for me, the liquor store had just put my bottle of wine in a nice brown paper bag. I cut the bag into thin strips and crumpled them up to use as filler to hide the gift. I think they even sell this stuff at craft stores, but you can so easily make it yourself.

I made a little cross-stitch to encourage Rob's good mood for the year.

This banner didn't take long to make and it was so cute. String, colored stock paper, tape and glue!

Country

2009-08-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

I spent Friday night at my Dad's house with him, my brother (Ian), Ian's best friend (Mike) and Rob. We all live in urban areas now and had a great time just being in the backyard. Hopefully someday I will grow a garden like my Dad's. It's not too big but he has packed so many vegetables and flowers in there.

Rob standing amongst some landscaping. I'll mention that tomorrow, August 11th, is Rob's birthday. My favorite dude will be 31!

Houses

2009-08-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Via Design*Sponge:

The husband and wife bloggers of Sweet Juniper! live in Detroit and are interested in its constant decay. I've seen many photosets of abandoned houses in the Detroit area, but this one is a little different. It's a collection of houses that the writer says are "feral" and have reverted to being wild in nature.

There are more pictures here. I've also had a lifelong love for abandoned houses and buildings. Most people do, it's fascinating to see a structure left behind for whatever reason.

Mamma Mia!

2009-08-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

My lunch today: vanilla bean ice cream and an assortment of berries.

Food

2009-07-29T16:14:00.000-07:00

I just had a great little snack/dinner of brie and apple slices, our local Lindendale goat cheese and nectarine slices and a Stoudt's Pale Ale. I can't believe my boyfriend doesn't like cheese.

Also, Gaby you need your own cute blog please!

Tin Can

2009-07-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

Just a little illustration I did over the weekend. Know what else I did this weekend? Went to IKEA! There will be pictures of our purchases soon.

Pie Lollipops

2009-07-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Luxirare had the great idea of making mini pies into lollipops. I love miniature foods just like most children do, so this is super cute to me. They posted a very detailed step-by-step of how this was done. The beautiful photography almost has me tasting these as I sit here. There are four flavors: blackberry, apple, banana and pumpkin.

Postcards

2009-07-23T08:39:00.000-07:00

Full Table has a collection of vintage postcards. I've always been attracted to these because of the simple illustrations and showcase of American pride.

Niagara Falls, New York. The water has become a rainbow.

Greetings from Marysville, Ohio. A simple road curving through the trees.

Washington, DC. It's amazing how clean it looks here.

Blue Mountain Interchange, Pennsylvania Turnpike. There are a surprising number of highway and turnpike postcards. It was such a source of American pride. This is also funny because the Blue Mountain Interchange is in my hometown of Newville, PA.

Somewhere in Florida. A piece of paradise in America.

Some 1960's architecture from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in front of a beautiful sunset.

Jacksonville, Florida. I can't believe the underdeveloped land.

An amazing street in Palm Beach, Florida.

NAMI

2009-07-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Syoin Kajii is a photographer with a new book out called NAMI, the Japanese word for wave. Lens Culture did an interview with him and says "He is a young Buddhist monk ... watches the water patiently, waiting for a moment of surprise." NAMI is a series of photos of waves around the shores of Sado Island in Japan. "The coast of the Island is about 270 km, and I choose places to photograph based on the information from weather forecasts or news from fishermen."

The result of his patience captures the beauty of never-ending and always-changing turmoil of the ocean. Syoin's talent lies in his ability to capture both the sinister and playful views of the waves.

Lids

2009-07-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

Jack Bresnahan is a 3D design student who created lids for ordinary tin cans that transform them into something useful. As always, the best ideas are ones that make me say, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Currently they're just prototypes for a student project and not for sale. He could make a buck off this idea.

cetkowski

2009-07-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

One of my graphic design classmates from college is selling some really cool stuff on her Etsy shop. Liz's 3D plushie work is most unusual and she's a very talented illustrator.

A Plush Narwhal

Hand silk screened zipper pouch

Check out what else she's selling and add her to your favorites!

Snack

2009-07-14T07:28:00.001-07:00

My favorite snack: brie and thin apple slices on Bagel Snacks.

Bill Cosby

2009-07-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

Andrew Salomone made a portrait of Bill Cosby out of Jell-O shots. It looks amazing, what a great idea.

July 4th

2009-07-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

This was a really quick and easy craft idea. I painted a Ball jar where the glass was raised. Then I put a purple votive candle in the jar so it could melt down.

Last Christmas I made salt dough ornaments and Rob made these. The first one is him riding a Saint Bernard and holding an AK-47. The second one is a devil holding two smiling heads. I love these because they're beyond weird.

A table in my living room with a few cute things on it.

Well-presented mochas from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I spent the 4th of July on a boat in Michigan with my brother and some other great people. The fireworks were set off in the water and it was a beautiful time.

Tomorrow I'm getting a haircut. I'm mildly ashamed to admit that a pair of scissors haven't touched my hair in over 2 years. It's amazing how little effort I put into my appearance. So obviously this haircut is long overdue and I'm very excited! Perhaps I'll show the results tomorrow.

Light Breakfast

2009-06-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

David Sykes created this cool breakfast scene out of balloons. Sausage, eggs and... I don't know what the other stuff is, but feel like I should.

Bee Line

2009-06-29T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have a thing for tall skinny jars, so I think Bee Line's new honey packaging (designed by Kym Abrams) looks simply perfect.

New Things

2009-06-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

I have two new flower vases that were just plain old bottles. This is a giant Squirt grapefruit soda bottle.

This is a wine bottle that looks like a science experiment.

I painted beer bottles (there's a theme here) that I don't really know what to do with yet. Rob painted the top one with his favorite creatures on it.

This is my second temporary desk. It's an old work bench from my Dad's basement that I've been using as a TV stand for the past three years.

The Indian man watches over our front door.

Our toothbrush holder from the kids section at Target.

For your entertainment: my hair is long.

Amazing Tic Tacs

2009-06-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Behold: this neatly stacked (unopened) box of tic tacs:

I've never seen such a thing.

A Few Pictures

2009-06-12T11:17:00.001-07:00

Rob baked me a Funfetti cake after I finished my last classes to officially graduate college.

I thought it was the nicest and best-looking cake I've ever seen.

Our apartment isn't entirely unpacked, but the kitchen definitely is.

We made a big breakfast on Sunday morning, complete with a bacon cross.

My favorite straws.

My favorite dish!

And for those who haven't seen this before: A nice drawing Rob made of him riding a shark that is biting me in half.

Trendy Information

2009-06-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is oddly true, I've recently seen lots of Venn diagrams as vehicles for humorous anecdotes.

Butter Dish

2009-06-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm no longer terribly busy everyday! I'll just update quick with a great whale-shaped butter dish that I expect you all to love.

From Delight.com.

New Apartment

2009-05-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I'm in the process of moving so expect regular updates to resume next week. Rob and I found a nice apartment in a nice area of the city.

We have some great tile in the kitchen.

Our first night in the apartment: eating pizza on a card table and sitting on lawn chairs. It's fun!

Amputee

2009-05-20T14:35:00.001-07:00

I've been doing a few illustrations in this style and am liking it. This is based off an image from a book of medical oddities, rarities and disfigurings. Unlucky dude.

Oh...

2009-05-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Jell-o

2009-05-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Richard Perez had the task of re branding for Jell-o. "Description: The re branding of Jell-o sought to re-instate the classic feeling of joy and happiness the gelatin dessert has brought to generations before without relying on nostalgia. By introducing a cast of fun styled characters and a visual vocabulary that feels fun and fresh, the new Jell-o identity burst with vibrancy and joy. The simple graphic fruit characters, bright color-palette and naive typography make the brand feel playful and pop without feeling too saccharine or like a Saturday morning cartoon."

I love the results. The new color palette and little characters look great. I'm always a fan of faces on objects, especially a Jell-o mold.

With Cheeseburgers

2009-05-18T14:23:00.000-07:00

William Hundley is a photographer with some interesting sets on Flickr. My favorite is the With Cheeseburgers series. Something about it just really cracks me up. No explanation needed:

Shelby

2009-05-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

Normally I don't watch those children's pageant shows, like Toddlers and Tiaras. I find them to be weird and I always feel bad when the little girls cry when mom gets crazy. But today I watched a few episodes (embarrassing, yes) of Little Miss Perfect on WeTV and it was hilarious! They focus on two girls per episode and they all seem to be happy and the families are just ridiculous.

So, my favorite girl was Shelby. As you can imagine, most of the families are wealthy and obsessed with looking good. Not Shelby's family. Her parents are really poor Florida rednecks and her mom looks like she would be her grandma. She wakes up at 3:30 am to work in a factory. They have hundreds of reptiles and the mom smokes tons of cigarettes inside their house. Somehow, little Shelby is beautiful and really seems like her strange parents stole her from a rich family.

They even made her dress up like Bindi Irwin and brought a snake onstage.

Vintage Kitchen Appliances

2009-05-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

From Automatic Washer's collection of kitchens restored with vintage appliances. This is from user Unimatic1140:

Love those colors and that striped floor!

Justin Richel

2009-05-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

I came across Justin Richel's work through A Print A Day. An image of thousands of little cakes really caught my eye. I love the aesthetics of creative and colorful baked goods and that's a lot of what Richel's work is all about.

The majority of his work either involves baked goods, birds or presidents. And lots of stacking elements.

These are various stages of his piece called Globe, it's really cool:

And for good measure, Rainbow Abe! It's for sale on Etsy for only $10!

Jublin

2009-05-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

Justin White goes by the name Jublin for his work. He's a great illustrator with an equally great sense of humor. These are two of my favorite things he has done recently:

This one is called Hot Dog Fever, awesome!! I actually ate a hot dog for lunch but he wasn't gnarly like this hot dog.

Make Me A Sandwich As Fast As You Can is self-explanatory and would make a great print to hang in the kitchen.

He regularly updates his Flickr and can find out how to purchase what he has for sale at Jublin.com.

Some Dudes

2009-05-12T17:26:00.001-07:00

Pictured above: myself and my significant other, Rob. He's smiling on the inside. This was after my design show on May 1 on the first floor of the very unfinished new location of the art museum. My first non-boy article of clothing with the wonderful lumberjack pattern.

Now You Can Read About Design

2009-05-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a new design for my design portfolio website (ALANABERRY.COM). It's my first flash website and think it turned out pretty good, except it doesn't work in Safari for some reason.

I've been looking at a lot of craft and design blogs lately and want to join in on the fun. I had this blog as a place to upload albums for people to take, but that is technically illegal and I was getting tired of being threatened with legal action. Being crafty and being a designer is my favorite thing in the world though, and now that I'm out of school I hope to have more time for personal projects.

Keeping up with a blog is hard work.

I also have a big collection of pictures saved that have caught my eye. Unfortunately I don't know where any of them came from and won't be crediting anyone for their hard work. If I want to be a REAL blogger, I have to credit people, so I'll work on that in the future.

An introduction of things I like:

A room with a circular window and lots of books, it seems like a modern Lord of the Rings house.

A belt made out of Camel cigarette boxes.

In general I love lomo photography even though I've never picked up a lomo camera.

I also really like weird drawings with funny words that are usually done by skateboarders who are also artists.

Outerspace is a favorite place of mine. This picture was taken by high school students who attached a digital camera to a weather balloon and sent it into the atmosphere.

Old vans from the 1970's and 1980's are way cool and I've always wanted one. I have a sick collection of these images.

I made a bunch of things for my senior portfolio class this past semester, but this might be my favorite. It's a pack of greeting cards with a little deer pattern on it. I'm thinking about selling them on etsy.

This is another thing I did for my portfolio class. It's a self promo to send out to prospective employers. I sewed an egg out of felt and put a book in the back with examples of my design work. It says "Crack Me Open!"

I'll be working on my format and will start showing projects I'm working on so check back!

WELL

2009-05-11T11:24:00.001-07:00

i keep getting in trouble from all sorts of people for posting these albums. it's quite a hassle and only a matter of time before i regret this illegal activity. but now that it's summer i might feel like livin' on the edge again.

ryan adams has been posting these videos called "ryan's world" to youtube, it's great. in the latest one he does a terrible, terrible joke rendition of one his most beautiful songs. silly dude, best dude. fully support his marriage to mandy moore.

Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen (2009)

2009-03-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen (2009)

I've never been a giant Cursive fan, but this new album is pretty good. It definitely sounds like Cursive, there aren't any surprises, but it's a solid album. Not all bands get better as time goes on, but these guys are lucky enough to be one of them. So if you like Cursive you should be very happy about this.

Also I totally hate how depressing this album cover looks. It's totally ruining my blog's aesthetic.

Similar Artists: Saddle Creek bands

Willie Nelson - Naked Willie (2009)

2009-03-23T15:28:00.000-07:00

Willie Nelson - Naked Willie (2009)

Willie Nelson's best songs from '66-'70, done the way he always wanted them to be recorded. Back then he was just starting and had to listen to the producers. But now he's Willie Nelson and doesn't listen to anybody.

"Gone are the strings and gangs of back-up singers. Gone, in fact is most of the production that always "ruined" the songs. Naked Willie is a new collection of 17 vintage RCA sides - spanning 1966-1970 - FINALLY the Willie way."

I'm Back Ya'll

2009-03-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is my triumphant return to "music blogging." The hiatus was because my computer's guts melted in June and I got a new Mac in December. There wasn't any good music coming out but now there is, so I'm back! And with 3 albums!

I used to have a good following and that was cool so tell your friends about wow hey what!

Enjoy my short and poorly thought-out reviews:

Steel Train - Trampoline (2007)

Trampoline is their second album and came out in in 2007 but I just heard of them recently. It's cheerful and packed with great songs. There aren't any bad tracks and they're all unique enough to keep your attention. Apparently Steel Train has a folk rock background, but Trampoline is definitely more pop. Sometimes they're compared to The Format.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (2009)

I checked this album out because Jason Isbell was a guitarist for the Drive-By Truckers from 2001-2007. His own music is less ridiculous and more solid. He's alt-country with strong rock and blues elements. The slower songs, like "Cigarettes and Wine" bring out strong alt-country emotions. "No Choice In the Matter" reminds me of something Otis Redding might sing.

Matt & Kim - Grand (2009)

Matt & Kim are catchy as hell. They write fun anthems and will for sure put you in a good mood for the summer like the Billionaires and Alphabeat did last year. They have a similar sound to Tilly and the Wall but are less gay. So download this album to get you ready for fun warm weather shit.

-

2008-06-18T08:25:00.001-07:00

my processor melted. blog suspended.

*

2008-06-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

look, i'm sorry. school ended and i haven't been on the internet a lot. give me a few days to have this up and running again.

Russian Red - I Love Your Glasses (2008)

2008-04-29T07:29:00.001-07:00

01. Cigarettes
02. No Past Land
03. They Don't Believe
04. Gone, Play On
05. Hold It Inside
06. Nice Thick Feathers
07. Kiss My Elbow
08. Take Me Home
09. Walls Are Tired
10. Timing Is Crucial
11. Just Like A Wall
12. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

She's from Madrid and has a bit of a Regina Spektor feel to her, but less nuts. I can't find too much information about her. Outstanding tracks are "Cigarettes" and a srsly beautiful cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Also she's really really pretty, so there's a higher chance of her gaining some popularity this year with this album.

myspace (to check out her pixXx)
download

Santogold - Santogold (2008) Advance

2008-04-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

01. L.E.S. Artistes
02. You'll Find A Way
03. Shove It
04. Say Aha
05. Creator
06. My Superman
07. Lights Out
08. Starstruck
09. Unstoppable
10. I'm A Lady
11. Anne
12. You'll Find A Way (Switch & Sinden Remix)

"The future of music, today" - Rolling Stone 10 Artists To Watch. "Singing in a haunting, sensual wail...she adds a layer of softness to an unusual mix of synthesizers, dance hall rhythms, and percolating new wave" - NY Times. "Future-pop princess...next big thing" - Spin. "Santi White is Santogold...the collaborators and players may change, the sounds may shift, but at the center is one woman's indelible vision" - The Fader. SXSW / Coachella shows, 2007 tours with Bjork, M.I.A., songs featured in Entourage, Grey's Anatomy, Grand Theft Auto.

Edit: Sorry, Mediafire took it down :(

Yelle - Pop Up (2007)

2008-04-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

01. Ce Jeu
02. A Cause Des Garcons
03. Dans Ta Vrale Vie
04. Tristesse/Joie
05. Mal Poli
06. Les Femmes
07. Tu Es Beau
08. Je Veux Te Voir
09. Amour Du Sol
10. Mon Meilleur Ami
11. 85a
12. Jogging
13. A Cause Des Garcons remix
14. A Cause Des Garcons remix

She's french, obv. This came out in August of '07, but it's a French import so it's taken awhile to gain popularity in the US. You should probably get this if you're trying to stay on top of what cool songs are playing at dance parties. You may have already heard "Ce Jeu". It's all in French and surprisingly that doesn't bother me at all. RIYL: Crystal Castles, Justice, New Young Pony Club.

download

The Billionaires - Really Real For Forever (2008)

2008-04-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

01. The End of Summer Song
02. High School High
03. I Love You Mother Nature
04. Eighties Movies
05. Pass the Bottle
06. NY Cab
07. Butterflies
08. Cold Day
09. Trophy Home
10. Confidence

Cool songs about cool stuff like summer, nature and drinking booze. Girl/dudes singing. Great happy springtime music. Despite my inability to describe how good music is, this is a really good album that I highly recommend.

download

The Matches - A Band In Hope (2008)

2008-04-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

01. AM Tilts
02. Their City
03. Wake the Sun
04. Darkness Rising
05. To Build A Mountain
06. We Are One
07. Point Me Toward the Morning
08. From 24C
09. Clouds Crash
10. Between Halloweens
11. If I Were You
12. Future Tense
13. Yankee In a Chip Shop
14. Proctor Rd.

This is really catchy shit. They remind me of Tally Hall in the way that every song has a different sound to it and it's all really fun. A standout track is "Wake the Sun". It's one of those songs I'd want to put on every mix cd I make, if I made mix cds.

download

Langhorne Slim - Diamonds and Gold (2008) (Advance)

2008-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

01. Spinning Compass
02. Rebel Side of Heaven
03. Restless
04. Sometimes
05. She's Gone
06. Colette
07. Hello Sunshine
08. Diamonds and Gold
09. The Honeymoon
10. Tipping Point
11. Oh Honey
12. Worries
13. Hummingbird

This album doesn't come out until April 28th. Amazon is calling it a self-titled album, but I have it as "Diamonds and Gold" so who the fuck knows, Amazon is probably right. Sorry, whatevz. I saw Langhorne Slim open up for Rocky Votolato and he was fantastic. His wardrobe led me to believe he was teleported from the 1880's.

"You could write 2,000 words on Langhorne Slim's banjo and upright bass wizards alone. His tracks are so down-home cracklin', as is his voice (in an extraordinarily wonderful way). Slim's fun, gospel-fied, punk-grass will move you and get you movin'. Cameos from the Pedal Steel, the Accordion and the Trombone elevate the songs. In addition to Slim's furious strumming, the listener is treated to heavy doses of Rhodes, Hammond b3, Ragtime piano and drums!!"

download

what

2008-04-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

"I'm honored to have Heidi's support and I want to assure her that I never miss an episode of The Hills, especially since the new season started." Presumptive Republican nominee for president John McCain, folks.

what?