:: lifting up a dreamer ::

5 years ago this week i was in california, on tour with REM. it was a dream (that i've never even thought to dream) come true. it was the perfect introduction to california - los angeles, santa barbara, berkeley and irvine. the weather was amazing in each city. (a little cold for my liking near the bay, but it complemented the overall experience.) the company was entertaining (in so many ways) and our talented southern hosts were hospitable and incredible.

there is a certain kind of night that takes me back to the rock-lined bowl in the hills of santa barbara. the night that it all hit me. the night that i took in my fortune, the music, the lights and the weight of it all like never before. we were on the eve of an election. the message was clear. the response was mixed. the inspiration heavy and i carried it with me. 5 years later, on certain special nights, i still carry it with me.


i'm loving the following pieces by alvin diec. cheerful, but not frilly. clean. uncluttered. quirky. there's a "retro" vibe about them. well, except for the fact that they echo the oh-so-current fail whale.

alvindiec.com

"lifting up a dreamer" (the fail whale) by yiying lu
yiyinglu.com

:: for my mom, obviously. but for my dad, mostly ::

lyrics to the entire song:
pray God you can cope
i'll stand outside
this woman's work
this woman's world
ooh, it's hard on the man
now his part is over
now starts the craft
of the Father

i know you've got a little life in you yet
i know you've got a lot of strength left
i know you've got a little life in you yet
i know you've got a lot of strength left

i should be crying but i just can't let it show
i should be hoping but i can't stop thinking
of all the things we should've said that i never said
and all the things we should've done that we never did
all the things we should have given but i didn't
oh, darling, make it go
make it go away

give me these moments
give them back to me
give me that little kiss
give me your

i know you've got a little life in you yet
give me your hand, babe
i know you've got a lot of strength left
give me that pretty hand
i know you've got a little life in you yet
ooh, show me you understand
i know you've got a lot of strength left
my loved child
i know you've got a little life in you yet
whatever you need
i know you've got a lot of strength left
give me your hand
i know you've got a little life in you yet
give me your hand
i know you've got a lot of strength left

i should be crying but i just can't let it go
i should be hoping but i can't stop thinking
of all the things we should've said that i never said
all the things we should've done that we never did
all the things that you wanted from me
all the things that you needed from me
all the things i should've given but i didn't
oh, darling, make it go
make it go away
just make it go away

"this woman's work" by kate bush (sung by maxwell)

:: my favorite single ladies.es ::

:: for the tarzan in you ::

i love this idea (via Once Wed) for a wedding, child's room, play room, garden party, cook out...just about anything that could use a playful & pretty addition!

rifledesigns.com & oncewed.com

:: mine, too ::

postsecrets.com & postsecrets.blogspot.com

:: truth calling ::

my sister (of kelley smith style) sent me a link to art & light's blog today and it didn't take me long to know why. this little gray & yellow number is calling my name! and if i knew someone in greece, i would certainly recommend the blue & white one to the right.

wingodesigns.com & wingodesigns.blogspot.com

:: whether the weather ::

last night i was watching pursuit of happyness and noticed, in the section called "running" that i was very uncomfortable. i couldn't get past the fact that it was 80something degrees outside (here) and will smith was running around the city (not this city, on that day, mind you) in a full pantsuit and wasn't sweating. for all i know it was 50 degrees while he was running about and he was quite comfortable.

today - on this chilly and overcast day (yes, we've had a major temperature switch!) - i look at the following ella blue picture and i think how cold these little girls must be in their flowing sundresses and how icy that water must feel (despite the fact that the temperature was in the mid-high 70s in washington, where/when this picture was taken). i bet if i'd seen this yesterday, on such a hot august day, i'd be envious of that cool breeze blowing in from the water, wishing i could be on one of those boats.

[unfortunately, the ella blue studio is down and the photo is no longer available.]

:: une fille comme moi ::

yay to finding another new potentally favorite blog! thanks to the Sartorialist for pointing me in the direction of Garance Dore where i was greeted by this picture, which illustrates what i want to look like and feel like and how i want to appear every day. (not in a literal translation - i'm not a big fan of shorts and my thighs are entirely too wide (relative to the rest of me) to wear rolled denim shorty shorts and i think that summer scarves are, while a lovely looking accessory, utterly absurd.)

but the feeling, here. the feeling, the style, the look. that's what i want. always a lover of white t-shirts, i like the rolled sleeves echoing the rolled cuffs. and the long wavy hair and the crossbody bag. i positively adore denim, white, brown and gray together! i would turn the shorts into jeans, change the scarf into some other gray something, and add navy blue (a wrap perhaps, because i always need a hoody or sweater). easy enough, right? but i wouldn't feel like i looked like this. and that's what i want.

:: graffiti the world ::

"graffiti the land with skyscrapers. graffiti the sky with airplanes and satellites. graffiti the minds of children with your man-made laws. graffiti the world, I saw the writing on the wall." [from graffiti the world by rehab]

i almost want to re-learn how to knit so that i can take part in the clever revolution (cleverlution?) known as YARNBOMBING. hilarious. creative. beautiful (perhaps more in concept & purpose than execution). tacky. awesome.

maskerade.blogsome.com

:: when turtles fly ::

i want one of these

which makes me think of these

click images to purchase or see videos

:: thinking (of) pink ::

one of my favorite bloggers has been diagnosed with lyme disease and has had to cut waaay back on her fantastic design & craft projects. it's been a long time since pink has consistently posted on her blogs but with this news, it seems the posts will be even more infrequent and that just makes me sad.

her stories are hilarious. her writing is funny & succinct. her eye for cute vintage goodies is great. and her love for all things pink is incomparable!

casapinka and pink mohair were 2 of the first sites i started regularly checking and they're still on my "must check" list each time i go blog reading.

some pink highlights
stories:
prepared.
houston, we have a tampon, er, problem.
diaper down.
placido crush.

projects/pictures:

casapinka.typepad.com

:: imitative marketing ::

i was at walmart the other night and noticed that the great value ice cream cartons stood out from the black breyerses and the yellow mayfields more than usual. as i moved along and noticed that the great value magic eraser boxes looked a little more generic than mr clean's (yes, it is generic, but it LOOKED generic) and the granola bar boxes were more noticeable than i remembered them being.

and then it hit me - walmart is copying publix

and i like it.

while i don't think walmart's new packaging is as attractive as publix brand's (it looks like an incomplete thought), the general design concept is there - plain white background with a color image of the product, usually off center to the brand's name. i could go on with my assessment of the new look, but this blog i found when searching for images really sums it up, so why be redundant? though normally a lover of sans serif - of the less vs the more - in this case i agree that in the logo branding alone a little more sh/c ould have been done.


and while i'm at it - also from under consideration's 'brand new' - i love the use of windows in this packaging. very cute & clever.

:: which wood i do ::

inspiration for my guest bedroom wall.

i had initially envisioned gray white washed beams, but after seeing these photos from the talented Kyle Hale, i'm thinking re-purposed shipping pallets and an old painted window.

kylehale.net & kcandsara.blogspot.com

check out more of the wedding pics from KC and Sara's blog. what a terrifically creative idea to frame an outdoor wedding and make it feel more intimate than wide open.

love.

:: handsome smile wearing handsome shoes ::

there will remain a part of you.

:: simply attractive ::

i love the design of publix brand products. crisp & clean. there's something so retro in the simplicity.

a stark image on a white background with a bold strip of color to set apart different things in a particular category. that's it. purely eye-catching.

imagine if all brands used publix's design technique - if the entire store was filled with items like these - it'd be such a visually relaxing and peaceful place. (and yes, perhaps boring & totally impractical. but sometimes i welcome boredom in this day of "signs, signs, everywhere are signs.")