Just For Fun: Greeting Cards

You are running late for a birthday party and just realized you forgot to get a card. You quickly run into CVS, all decked out in your party face/attire and dart towards the card section. As you quickly try to find any card that reads "Happy Birthday" there is an obnoxious girl in your way. She has twelve cards in her hands and she is reading and fondling all of them. Within the thirty seconds you are standing next to her, she giggles and even wipes away a tear. GOD, what is her deal, can she back off? Well, that's me and I'm sorry. I have no control. Really, I have a problem.

I love, love, love greeting cards for a few reasons. They have the potential to be oh-so-pretty and creative. I've been inspired by great design seen in greeting cards for various projects. Materials, color combinations, compositions and on and on I could go. Then, of course, they are so incredibly thoughtful. My minor obsession may stem from my mother's greeting card choices for me over the years. Whether it was a birthday/graduation/we miss you card, they always made me so happy (and nine out of ten times I would tear up). So, when it comes time for me to pick a card for someone I care about, I take my time. And if you think it's weird that I gave you a 'Happy Thanksgiving' card, then I apologize...again. 

There are many times when I'm inspired by fun cards. But, there have been instances when I leave the store with nothing in hand. Nothing was designed well-enough or witty enough or sweet enough to buy. And, because of this, I decided I will start designing and giving out my own cards. Now, I will be the first to say I am no poet, so I intend to keep them short and sweet. I'm starting out with simple materials- printing on a high-quality double side matte paper. But, I intend to get more intricate with time. 

My first card (seen above - top is front, bottom is inside) is inspired by my recent European adventures. I love the vintage look of maps. I photographed a globe and played with the idea of foreign stamps. As I create more cards, I will be sure to post them. And if in the meantime I get in your way at the card aisle of CVS, you have permission to shove me away. 

Products I love: Tocca Perfume

Finding a great perfume for me means two things: a unique, lovely smell and phenomenal packaging and product design. Tocca perfumes have both.

My favorite scent by Tocca is "Florence". It is soft, romantic, and sophisticated. With hints of pear, jasmine, grapefruit, and blondewood it has a sweet musk to it, but will not leave you smelling like a candy shop or even worse, a bad flavored vodka. I always get compliments when wearing "Florence", which only make it that much better.

In addition to the deliciously decadent scent, the packaging for this product is utter perfection. The box is a creme color with bronze embedded "doodles". It is airy and chic - an appropriate style for the scent inside. As you open the box you read the words "love yourself" scribbled inside. The bottle itself has a vintage feel with a heavy brass-ish top. I'm a firm believer in surrounding yourself with visually pleasing elements in your home, and this piece does just that.

You can buy "Florence" by Tocca at Sephora for $68.

Constance Spry

Found this on designsponge, one of my favorite design blogs. Constance Spry (1886-1960) was a teacher, "society florist", best-selling author, and social reformer.

It reads:
Do what you please,
follow your own star;
be original if you want to be
and don't if you don't want to be.
Just be natural and gay and light-hearted
and pretty and simple and overflowing
and general and baroque and bare
and austere and stylized and wild
and daring and conservative,
and learn and learn and learn.
Open your minds to every form of beauty.

My first project

Before

After

New Knobs

Old

There is something so special about re-furnishing something old. My last blog played with the idea of pretty things. I feel strongly about surrounding your space with things you like to look at. I took an old nightstand and turned it into something new and fresh all for under $50. I originally bought this nightstand at the local Goodwill shop for around $20.00. I always had the intention to fix-er-up, but like so many things, I put it on the back burner. The whole transformation took a total of 5 hours (including my trips to Home Depot and Anthropologie!) Here's a brief synopsis of my project:

1. Scrubbed it clean. Whether you're painting a canvas, wood, or piece of furniture you want to make sure you are working with a clean surface. Dirt and dust will clump up with paint. So, unless that is the look you are going for, clean up first!
2. Removed the old knobs with a screwdriver.
3. Coated the night stand with two coats of white paint. I used a can of semi-gloss white paint from Home Depot and a new paint brush. Brushes are important! If you are ever going to paint furniture it's worth a few extra bucks to get a higher quality brush to get a smooth coat of paint. The paint and brush together were $24.00. (Lots of paint left for my next project)
4. I left my nightstand out in the sun and let it dry. In the meantime, I drove over to Anthropolgie and bought two new knobs. Anthro has a huge selection of adorable knobs making choosing only one style pretty tough! I went with black knobs with a white etching of a skyline. The skyline reminded me of Florentine architecture. Florence is a city with personal significance and brings me back to a beautiful time in my life, so the knobs were a must. Oh, and did I mention they were on sale for $2.99 each?
5. Thanks to the San Diego sunshine, my nightstand was dry once I returned home. I screwed in the new knobs and completed my first project.

My favorite part about my new nightstand is that it is completely unique. I could have bought something from Ikea for under $50, but there's just no charm in mass production.

A Love of Pretty Things

My first solo design show
April 2010 - San Diego, California

It's in the clothes we wear, the homes we live in, the stores we shop in, and the plates we eat off. It is inescapable - and, I'm so happy it is. I'm talking about great design. I whole-heartedly believe that when one notices and appreciates the beauty in design, one can look at the world as a beautiful, harmonious place. Not all can appreciate, or even notice, good design, and I get that. I have no interest in preposterous things such as...sports. But, for some reason beyond my comprehension, people love those silly little games! Just as watching overpaid football players tackle each other may bring joy to some, I find my joy in a love of pretty things.

It has been 238 days since I graduated from the University of San Diego as a design student. I graduated feeling empowered. I felt creative, innovative, and ready to show the world all I could do. I imagined myself frequenting art galleries, museums, antique shops, and flea markets and finding inspiration in all that I saw. I envisioned myself as an oh-so-sophisicated college grad living in a fabulous apartment, designing fabulous things, maybe even while sipping champagne...why not? Okay, reality check... NOT my life.

But, a few weeks ago I had a small quarter-life crisis. (PS I'm 22) I had just finished a 65 hour work-week and felt drained. I realized 8 months had past since graduation and I had lost that spark I had with design. I was no longer searching for inspiration but instead I was counting down the hours until I could get some shut eye. Who was this person I was becoming? "The real world" is exhausting, and working two jobs doesn't help, but I knew a change needed to happen. So here I am, ready to ignite my design flame all over again. I never lost it, it was just on the back burner. I will make time for all the little projects I've been too tired to work on and will make time for the things that bring me happiness.

I'm bringing back my love of pretty things.