Oh Joy!

That pretty much sums it up... 

{Fabric Friday} mid-century modern love...

Mid-century modern is one of my favorite design periods. I go completely bonkers for the furniture in particular but the mid-century aesthetic as a whole, really speaks to me. After all, Ray & Charles Eames are my design heros. 

When I think about mid-century modern design, the fabric that comes to mind first is barkcloth. Many of the classic retro fabrics were printed on the nubby cotton fabric that was popular from the '50's-'70's. I have a little collection of barkcloth in my klt:fabric stash. I have used it for pillows, & curtains in our house but have also been know to make a few mid-century klt:plushies as well. I have recently started using solid barkcloth for some thread drawing pillows & mini plush because I love the great texture.

{ fabric photos via  Full Swing Fabrics & Tonic Living Fabrics }

These four "retro" prints on barkcloth are some of my current favorites that are being printed today. But of course, you can always find some groovy barkcloth fabrics at some antique malls and thrift stores too. Sometimes the hunt is just as fun as finding it. On one of my last trips to Seattle with Chris, we went to a few of our favorite junk stores on the search for some mid-century treasures. While I didn't find the barkcloth that I was hoping to score, I found a beat up old Eames chair - and boy was that hard to walk away from...  Happy Fabric Friday - hope you have a swingin' weekend! 

{Good Read} Stunning illustrations

I love books- everything about them. One of my favorite things to do is browse book stores. The book design is what really attracts me to this activity. I have my favorite book designers & illustrators and think of them as having rock star status. Admittedly, I have purchased books solely on their covers. On those rare occasions that the books content is as good as the cover, well then we have a real keeper. 

One of my oldest & dearest friends shares this love of design and books with me. She sent Sayer one of the coolest books I had ever seen, for Halloween this last year. It proudly sits on the very top book ledge in Sayer's room and keeps an eye on him. He actually used to call it mommy - because of the glasses (I hope). Jeremy Holmes was the creator & illustrator of the unique masterpiece, There Was an Old Lady, and partnered with Chronicle Books. Recently, I read a great interview with Jeremy in the new UPPERCASE magazine about how the book came to be.

Isn't it interesting that we live in a time where a small video is made to advertise a book? This video is so cool. It definitely gives you the feeling of the book. Jeremy Holmes did an outstanding job on this project. But looking at his portfolio, he is very familiar with doing good work. 

{Everyday Inspiration} Color...

Really, more trains you ask? Why yes, as a matter of fact, I do have a few more pictures of trains to share. While I certainly have a fondness of b&w photos, I am a colorist at heart and love bright punches of color as well. I see inspiration in everything and I particularly take note of colors and textures around me. Being a designer and a mom of a little boy means those inspirations may more often than not, come from something that has wheels and is in the lines of transportation. During our adventure to the train museum, I was struck by many notable colors, textures and shapes. My favorite was  the beautiful lighting in the old train that we rode. The b&w photos I posted on Saturday really showcased the beautiful shadows, but the light created a wonderful mood and color palette. I loved the flags that lined the train's ceiling and flickered shots of color from the sun streaming in the windows. I suppose the rosy cheeks and blue eyes that I was gazing at during our ride may have captured most of my admiration though. 

What gorgeous colors I saw on the outside those old trains. The chipped paint, rusty metal, shadows, and juxtaposing colors sparked my interest. Here is a collage of a few details that I particularly liked and photographed for my sketchbook. I thought Sayer would enjoy looking at them too. 

This saffron yellow house behind the black steam engine with red trim, was stunning to me. The inside of the train was gorgeous as well - painted with a vintage green paint and had black and red accents. It just happened to be one of Sayer's favorites. While I think he liked the colors, he was more interested in the buttons, knobs, and levers to fiddle with. I think we all left our train adventure on Friday with a feeling of awe and inspiration. 

{Music Monday} Let's Colour...

{images via Let's Colour Project blog}

Can you make the world a better place with color? A few international companies think so and they have started an initiative called "Let's Colour Project". The goal is to "spread colour all over the world" by teaming up with different communities to paint buildings, roads, houses, and various public places. I got goose bumps when I watched the short, uplifting commercial for the initiative. It features towns getting all painted up in lapse time photography, to the song,  "Go Do" from Sigur Ros front man, Jonsi's new solo album. It reminds me a lot of the Sony Bravia bouncy ball video to the Jose Gonzalez song, "heartbeats",  that I love so much.

I thought that sharing this video would be a nice way to start the week. Now where is a can of paint....? Happy Music Monday!