i.shot.the.blog

new horizons

2009-09-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

i have news. you can read more about it here.

it's a dream that has been brewing for years. excitement is an understatement.

anyways, there are new horizons and they are the only a few days away kind. yeow!

today

2009-08-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

i head north for a funeral.

i loved her, i did. but i haven't felt anything yet since i heard the news...

i don't know what that means.

speaking of bearded men...

2009-08-06T23:16:00.000-07:00

apparently i'm in quite the william funk right now. i just stumbled across this lovely in one of the hundreds of firefox tabs that i have open right now (and have had for days).

its a beaut. enjoy.

[here's a clean version if you don't feel like dealing with the chatter.]

bearded men & their music--

2009-08-06T10:29:00.000-07:00

it's often hard to beat.

especially this one's.

sure, a few others beat him to the punch,

but seriously, get this ditty and tell me whose is better...

that's what i thought.

tonight!

2009-08-04T08:17:00.001-07:00

i will be here:

watching this:

hanging five • 7pm • la paloma • come!

PS: if anyone can tell me who this song is by,
you will get an extra special hug.

sorry im late.

2009-08-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

its probably a safe assumption that most 'beginnings' don't have the most perfect start. but at least it's a start, and that is the real hard part i guess. so for that, a high five is earned.

all i can do from here is take the next step into that cold water.

below is a clip i found in my accidental wanderings yesterday. at first glance i was simply in love with all of the brightly colored pillows, but after 5 seconds, the music swept me away...

i think this is something my friend dan would like.

Sorry I'm Late from Tomas Mankovsky

im not sure exactly how he's connected, but somehow
the filmmaker, tomas, has something to do with this
which may be the coolest thing i've seen in a while.

i've concluded that i like how this tomas character thinks!

how the day sounds

2009-08-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

this day has the sounds of --
new routines, and new beginnings.

How The Day Sounds by greg laswell.

it was about time for a new "song" in my life.
and lucky me, i get to choose it.

happy sad songs.

2009-07-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

i love jens lekman. my favorite song is "a sweet summer's night on hammer hill." the beginning makes me feel like i'm in the middle of that dancing in the streets performance at sea world in the late 80's. the middle feels like i'm in the midst of all of my favorite people at a mid-century high school dance. download it for free here.

moving on to today.

today i am a fan of this song and its sad parts that sound so happy.

Alexander Girard

2009-07-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

the internet and i most definitely have a love hate relationship.

it's true.

hate it : 'cause it's nearly 11am and i still

haven't gotten much "real" work done

love it : 'cause it really is a crazy web of awesomeness

and i get to stumble upon new friends like

now, i'll admit--i should have known about alexander long ago {though my design history is fading}, as he worked closely with the likes of herman miller and the eames {who i love!}

here are a few new products a la house industries in his honor:

a beautiful memory game & some amazing wooden blocks that i would love to call my own.

if you want to see some of his gems from the past

you'll have to do more research of your own.

funny thing is--i stumbled upon all of this

while looking at this beaut of a bike:

now tell me that's not a web of awesomeness...

dear & yonder

2009-07-02T09:49:00.001-07:00

i'll be at the 7pm showing tonight, with my dear friends liz & greg.

check out these lovelies:

i'm pretty dang sure...

2009-07-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

that i spoke with either my soul mate or my twin

on the phone the other day.

[edit: but i've never met him}

reasons i love gmail

2009-06-28T21:47:00.001-07:00

there are plenty [of reasons] as i'm sure you well know, but here are just a few of my tops:

{ random quotes! }

{ random tid bits }

first of all, i can never hear or see the word hooray enough, and second, how can the title "spam fajitas" at the top of your email not trigger a small chuckle or two? i mean really. (i have a hunch that extra salsa is a must on this one though)

{ LIGHTNINNNG! }

enough said.

{ funny happenings }

this is my paul walking on dan's paul's face.

this weekend

2009-06-26T13:36:00.001-07:00

this weekend i am going to this:

this:

and this:

and i'm pretty dang happy about it!

[ ps: sorry for the lack of posting. i think i just have so many things

i want to post about that i end up posting about none of them.

we will resume shortly :) don't you fret, nah!]

another Angle

2009-05-11T13:55:00.000-07:00

i thought the cover of the latest new york magazine to land on my doorstep {the interiors issue} was as good as it gets.

...and then i opened it up :

those lines are killer. pure awesomeness.

{cheers to new york mag & the design glut gals!}

she couldn't help but sing...

2009-05-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

i was listening to a song this morning (it's the first song here) and all i wanted as i listened was to be dancing in a field with these boys:

and as i let the words sink in, it began to remind me more and more of this post--which whether he knows it or not, continues to bring me back to where i want to be with each re-read.

as much as i think that i am trying to surrender [ideas, wants, fears, etc], or that i even know what that looks like, i just plain don't. i need constant daily reminders to stop flapping my wings so hard, to stop struggling to the shore and to just let go and be.

i think these lines will be my new mantra:

come tortoise, standing still
go hummingbird, my will
come tortoise, stumbling blind
go hummingbird, my eyes
come tortoise, empty hand
go hummingbird, my plan
come tortoise, undefined
go hummingbird, my mind
come tortoise, letting go
go hummingbird, i know
come tortoise, come and die
go hummingbird, my I
goodbye, I
goodbye, I
bye, bye, bye

there's a line earlier in the song that says: "there's a movement in our stillness." i love that.

because really, surrender is the greatest gift i can give myself right now. there is movement in it.

{ i'm ready for the rest of my holiday at sea }

twenty-six

2009-05-07T10:21:00.000-07:00

last summer there was a roadtrip. and on that roadtrip there was a list made. since summer is fast approaching, i figured i would post it here to help track my progress...

{ • = done / @ = needs attention }

• start a blog
@ learn to surf [work in progress]
• bike to encinitas [change to: just bike more]
• host a BBQ at my condo [still working on my grilling skillz...]
@ learn the guitar [this one is desperate of attention]
• READ! [i have a few books going, but need to make a priority]
@ learn to sew
@ go to the drive-in
• make some kick-ass business cards
• ROADTRIP! {take one & begin planning the "biggie"}
• start collecting look-a-likes [yes, but now get some contact info!]
@ enter a photo competition/get published
• start a gratitude list [now, stick with it]
@ [start] doing something with my hands each week--paint, draw, collage...
• approach a cute stranger and say hello... [room for improvement]
@ go to sea world at night
@ become a woman--buy perfume.
• san francisco trip!
@ get motorcycle liscence
@ ride a horse [missing those days...]
• visit shirley and leo
@ camp at san elijo
@ shoot 3 senior portraits by sept/oct
@ monday night BINGO in encinitas
@ visit SRF gardens
@ star-gaze on the tennis courts

and the bonus, but most important of all:

• listen to my gut more

[i realize that this one will never be "complete"
and that all i can do is my best for that day.]

something new & something blue

2009-05-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

no im not getting married--just stating the facts of the day.

here's the new part :

i went to the thrift store and saw these two lonely crates of old books {BIG fan of old books here} hanging out under the table. i decided to pay them a little attention, and boy were they worth it.

"$1 a piece? ...with that kind of charm i'll take 13! thanks."

i carefully selected my 13 based on cover, illustrations, and advertisements. my favorites were '41-'43. they had both cover (right above) and ads (below) going for them.

there was a book from every year ranging from the 1930's to the 1970's at least. rarely do you get the chance to see the progression of a single yearly publication [this being The American Rose Annual] over nearly its entire existence. i saw the opportunity for a little design history lesson and took it upon myself to carefully rearrange the crates in numerical order.

it was interesting to see when the cover styles changed, how the typography of the advertisements progressed, and when the number of photographs began to outweigh the illustrations as technology advanced. i probably would have added a few more to my lot, but my education was rudely interrupted when some missus decided to come over and practically steal half of the books out of my lap!

you know the economy is tough when you need to wear padding to make it home from the thrift store in one piece. i'm sure i'll see the rest of those guys on ebay tonight.

heres the blue part :

a new office chair!

she's pretty. easy on the back. and a lot skinnier so as not to maul my precious map [which i shall speak more of at a later date]. funny that those $12 feel sooo much more well-spent than the 100 some i spent on the fancy desk chair that i hate.

it's true when they say things just aren't made like they used to be...

the city

2009-05-06T17:18:00.000-07:00

as promised, here are some snaps from my wanderings up north...

on tuesday morning i hopped in jen's car [thanks jen!] and headed west. the drive was beautiful. on monday i had realized how much i miss the trees in northern california. and the fields. there are good fields there. i made a stop in davis for nostalgia's sake [and a bagel] and headed on down to good ole san fran.

on my way i stopped off to see a few dear friends. which always puts a smile on my face. liz and i wandered around oakland for a bit which proved to be full of charm and treasures. tacky dive bars, cool old signs, closed down burger joints, and free books! i picked up a few of those and we continued our wander...

{you probably want to click for a bigger version of this one}

just so you know, my initial reason for the trip was basically to kill 2 birds with one stone--

birdie 1: see a show at the Fillmore [i'd been having quite the withdrawals]
birdie 2: see the cold war kids [if you know me, that needs no explanation]

unfortunately neither of these ended up happening, but luckily ally and i woke up on wednesday with smiles on our faces and ready for a new day.

various maps were drawn--accurate or not--and we made our way to the city, dropped off the husband, and hurried over to our first destination of the day :

EDEN & EDEN is a lovely shop that ally had been telling me about for months. rachel the owner is the nicest, and i enjoyed experiencing her idea of neat things and how they should look in a space. i even picked up this great piece from my favorite city across the pond.

neat, eh?

more wandering ensued, as well as picture-taking video-making as we made our way to visit jeff. jeff is an amazing artist and sign painter who i have been admiring ever since i stepped foot in my first Mollusk in venice a while back. [if you don't know already, you will soon learn that i have a bit of a thing for type]. i had emailed jeff before i headed north asking if i could stop by his shop and chat for a bit, and he was kind enough to oblige.

both ally and i were struck by his openness and his humility. he even invited us to lunch with him. we had a great chat over thai food and headed on to our next destination: the sunset.

when we weren't walking to the parking meter for the 50 millionth time, we were either thrifting, exploring the strangely beautiful Paxton Gate & Paxton Gate Children's stores, or falling in love with the Curiosity Shop.

i think lauren & derek [the owners] are some of my new heroes as not only have they created an awesome store, but they have also published a neat book with my favorite publisher. ever.

the day was getting on in hours and we still had to make it over the hill to mollusk. i had already been to their other 2 shops, so i had to go to this one too to make my experience complete.

it was worth it.

i mean, what is not to like, right?? beautiful boards, rad books, TREE HOUSES! the guy there was great--very friendly. he quickly earned the name cathy [read: chatty cathy] as he kept using fancy surfing lingo all the while ally and i just nodded and smiled.

we finished off the day with some fancy macaroons. times 2.

it's crazy to think that that's pretty much ALL we did in an entire day. somehow all of our quick stops turned into extended stays. it wasn't until the end of it all, that we were struck by just how nice everyone we had encountered throughout the day was. everyone was super open, willing to chat, etc...there wasn't a sour one in the bunch.

i don't know if i've ever had a single day like that before. we both walked away inspired: inspired about art and inspired about people.

new york. new york.

2009-05-05T12:02:00.001-07:00

if NY wasn't so damn cold i would live there.
and i would go to things like this.

who's who in the show:
jesse - seattle summer teacher/mentor
devon - current manager
jeff - new friend from SF
peter - interviewed me for a job
andy - lives down the road
scott - part of my blog comma
alex - just plain rad
thomas - rad times two

i <3 MOLLUSK

fun found fonts!

2009-05-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

(i love alliteration, btw)

im sure you have realized by now that my idea of "blogging" comes in sudden obsessive bursts followed by long drawn-out silence. i don't deny it. and now that we are on the same page, we can move forward with this post...

so last week i went to "the city." which city you ask? why, san francisco, of course! it was part of a lovely trip i made to the northern part of our state with the intention of filling my heart with good friends and soulful music. the first was accomplished to a degree higher than i had ever imagined, and the second, well, we just wont talk about that.

anyways, while i am getting my act together with the rest of the images, here are some samplings from my wanderings to tide you over...

dreaming...

2009-04-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

lots of things have been floating around my head lately.
things about life and people and roads and faith.

i'll write more here as it all starts to make sense.

but for now, i'm thankful for wise old words
that make me want to read again, encouraging friends
who believe in me when i can't and mostly for

DREAMS...

time for some MEAT.

2009-03-10T16:48:00.001-07:00

some day--some very special day--i will use these. and smile.

i already am at the thought of it.
{yes these are invitations, and yes there are more where they came from!}

{EDIT: below is some additional meat-mania for your enjoyment}

such as one of my favorite books:

i must confess that i havent actually cooked with it yet,
but i have admired its design many a time. the details are great...

and the "rules" are even better.

it's amazing how many meaty products are out there...
such as band aids and shower curtains
{both of which i have used at one point in my life}

ally's friends actually have an entire blog called Feats of Meat
{now tell me that typomeaty (get it??? like typography?!) isn't somewhat spectacular}

trust me, i haven't always been obsessed with meat.
it is simply a joke between college roommates after hearing the
ever-inspiring words to the "meat shower" song...

after which we were never left the house without a meaty sticker or two.

an ode to [orange]

2009-03-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

we've got new friends in the office...

and unfortunately these had already been purchased
by the time i got there...

i am loved.

2009-03-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

i stumbled across a folder of images that i had collected throughout college, and this one made me smile with remembrance as soon as i caught a glimpse. i have no idea who took it, where it came from...nothin. i do know though, why i initially loved it so much...

font & turf, that's why.

if i could get my hands on that font....well, there would be no words. and for some reason--to me--life automatically looks better when there's some short pile synthetic turf lying around.

but besides my funny fascinations, the image really does have some great color and perspective of its own. dontcha think?

i'm lovin' this tunnel of love.

Catch A Tuesday

2009-03-06T15:30:00.000-08:00

apparantly i'm all about the specs lately, as i just got done
enjoying a trailer for oliver peoples' 2009 line...
{thanks ally for the tip on that one}

the campaign stars zooey deschanel & matt costa
{secret: i have "adventured" under the name zooey before...
in honor of her fabulous style and lovely voice}

... and is directed by autumn de wilde.
{as you can tell from these screen shots, she's def got some talent in there...}

enjoy the entire campaign trailer here.

i actually didn't notice all of the great color toning until i was
browsing through my screen shots after the fact. love it!

someone's home

2009-03-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

i stumbled upon this piece while helping my parents clean out the garage a week or two ago. it's hard to pass up a beautiful 35 year old pen & ink--especially when it was created by your own uncle. he gave it to my mom on her 22nd birthday.

you wouldn't know it today, seeing him rush around his busy brewery restaurant, but when he had the time and space he was quite the artist.

the present.

2009-03-02T11:35:00.001-08:00

thomas campbell's new film is premiering at la paloma {fri & sat}.
you can pick up tickets at patagonia in cardiff.

(look at those nice alaias)

word is that these fine fellas will be there, so you should too!

re:define

2009-03-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

"Drive" is one of my favorite shows on FUEL. i've been recording it lately so i can listen while i work. not only is it guaranteed to have a R-A-D soundtrack, but mike is solid and i always come away inspired. here's a quote i jotted down the other day:

a skateboarder is an environmental artist.
a curb is not a curb.
a skateboarder redefines his or her environment...
for if you can redefine your environment,
you can redefine anything.

i'm still letting that one float around my brain for a bit...

new specs

2009-03-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

i was super impressed with these guys from the very first time i saw their site. everything is slick--the product, the branding, the packaging, the photography...

everything. it's quality.

i've been searching for new glasses for months (i seriously think the people at europtics were starting to get annoyed with me for coming in and never buying anything). anyways, these guys ended up being perfect (and totally affordable too!). thanks to chip for hooking me up.

R A E N just moved into one of my favorite corners of the world next to 42nd & orange (who deserve a post of their own at a later date).

and we just started carrying their line at Patagonia, as well ... super stoked.

Likeables {with BONUS survey!}

2009-03-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

this weekend m & i decided to head south and do some exploring. and what a perfect day it was... part of our wanderings included stumbling across a lovely sink FULL of wooden type (there were a few lead gems in there as well). i was in heaven. i searched and searched for my lovely little letters until my fingers were black with ink. it was amazing.

i built my own personal alphabet with something to remember this past year and something to inspire the coming one...

needless to say, $2 a pop later, i am still smiling.

. . . . .

: SURVEY :

(see buck book ends pictured above)

Do we want to:

a) keep them au naturale
b) lacquer them some annoyingly kitsch bright color such as yellow or aqua

... og tel saw i

2009-03-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

yes i'm filing. yes it's confusing.
that's about all i know to say about that.

whistle while you work

2009-01-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

my room was in desperate need of a little tidying up...
so in the process of organizing {and mostly procrastinating}
i decided to give myself a photo assignment to keep my attention.
although the sun and the moon both got a peak at this little project,
it was tons-o-FUN!
{PS: don't ask where i get half of this stuff}

{not pictured: new tool belt}

{please note the banana flute & mr. mustache}

{tie me up! untie me!}

BLOG • COMA

2009-01-05T22:26:00.000-08:00

things that make me happy...

Heaven on Earth
{NY? check!, Venice? check! ... SF? comin' right up!}

new bff's that i have yet to 'officially meet' : jeff, tyler + ando.

pictures on pictures.

been goin' steady for years now. it's love.
[thanks lou!]

and this is me come summer.
[ala t.w.]

feelin' good.

2008-11-20T22:31:00.000-08:00

made a little nook in the corner of my room, and now i can breathe...

excuse me, i love lou.

2008-11-19T09:53:00.001-08:00

Lou Mora, that is...especially the personal work in his portfolio here. i told him it's sweet like candy.

it's true.

it all started here.

2008-11-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

which led us here, and led us to wonder who these fellas are... after spending too much time here and here, we ended up here:

[thanks adam]

consequently, i have also found myself browsing this, this, and this.

and all in all, i feel inspired.

love is a funny thing. but i like it.

2008-11-19T09:21:00.000-08:00

You Bore Me

You bore me. So be it.
I bore you and enjoy doing it.
Let us learn to bore each other
without worrying about it.
You act all shy around me,

and that's your prerogative.
If I act shy around you,
it's because you're pretty
and I want to kiss you.
I wish I were Canadian.

If I were Canadian,
I could be boring and
get away with it. You'd say,
This man is from Canada.
He bores me. He acts shy.

He wants to kiss me.
And you would let me
kiss you not only on the lips
but on the cheek, neck,
shoulder; belly, maybe?

Because I would be Canadian
and have scruffy hair
and big eyes. But, alas,
you bore me, too. You
act like you're from Michigan.

--Aaron Belz

Captain Keno's | revealed

2008-11-19T09:16:00.000-08:00

yes, we were keno's virgins. but virgins we are no more.

it was amazing. low lights. cheap food. friends we wish we knew. and enough giggles from the corner to last you a week.

cap'n, we will return.

[click for larger view]

act : sept 22

2008-09-18T08:09:00.000-07:00

if life were less hectic right now, i would most definitely be here:

throw me the statue

2008-09-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

so last night i went to a show. you know, it's only been a mere 3 days, but it felt like i hadn't been to a show in ages. i think i just needed some quality time with my dear friend the casbah.

i'm not sure what all i want to say about it except that it was exactly what i needed.

i've never been in a room so sparsely occupied, and cared less about so obviously being alone. i felt secure.
and i've never smiled so much during a set (except for maybe on sunday). i felt happy.

and you know what else? the jury is still out, but i think guinness may be my new beer of choice. watch out.

so in honor or last night, here is a treat for you:

Throw Me the Statue - My valuable huntikng knife
by lablogotheque

it may or may not be surprising to you that this little video is filled to the brim with things that i love. here are a few:

the ferry ride from bainbridge to seattle • seattle (it deserves its own bullet point) • clapping (can never get enough of it) • xylophones • scruffy boys • water • colored railings • large block print • take away shows • la blogotheque (familiarize yourself!)

my hero's pants

2008-09-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

there are no words...

thank you kendra for the tip on the satorialist!

his photos are amazing, and the fashion is next to...nothing.

where do i find streets like this?

sweet

2008-09-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

like sherbet.

love brain

2008-09-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

everyone's got it.

i came across these pillowcases and almost died--they are so amazing.

(i love type so much. if i could swim in a pool of letters, i would.)

jason munn of the small stakes is one of my favorite poster designers. here is his take on the subject:

and lastly, a non-mushy look at our favorite four letter word:

jesus on wheels

2008-09-07T15:46:00.000-07:00

so, on a most wonderful adventure around venice beach a couple weeks ago i stumbled across this sign:

duh. did you even have to ask the question???

i wonder if he would roll around town like this...

...and just to clear things up. if i were to travel from one place to another with tiny wheels on my feet, i would definitely do it like this lady:

and NOT like this one:

new favorite designer

2008-09-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

i saw this image on the field notes photostream. the nifty yellow business card caught my eye, so i did a little googling and and found mister tim lahan's website.

he is officially my new favorite designer. i love his style, especially some of his logo work. plus, we share a similar love for old signage and vintage type.

50 sad chairs

2008-09-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

why is trash so beautiful?

i would SO buy this book.

the color of all colors

2008-09-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

BLACK.

first of all, this is the slickest design ever conceived.

second, can you say WINE IN A CAN?!
(i already have my brown bag ready.)

...and it seems i still have my eye on this little collab:

see my dress

2008-09-04T09:42:00.001-07:00

simply amazing.

who knew the salvation army had it in 'em?!

dear color...

2008-09-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

why can't i get enough of you?
thanks etsy.

one potato, two potato...

2008-09-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

three potato FOUR!

um, can i have it all?!

thanks.

the sleeping giant...

2008-09-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

is waking from his slumber...

watch out.

Grace : Seattle

2007-01-03T22:46:00.000-08:00

i.shot.the.blog ... and the blog won!

2007-01-03T22:30:00.001-08:00

hi. my name is lauren, and i take pictures.

i decided that it is time i finally give this whole "blogging" thing a shot.

here goes...