library inspiration

Since I started making folded sculptures from unwanted library books, I am drawn to anything that reminds me of libraries. It's a cloudy day here in Austin, so I thought I'd share some library related finds.

• my books on display at Finch
• amazing round vintage glasses from Atticgoods
• the Pocket Library of the World's Essential Knowledge from Multer
• vintage mint green bookends from funkeyfinds
• beautiful letterpress library thank you from simplesong
• Eudora's Library fine art photograph by Susana Raab

red yellow blue

I came across these fabric swatches on inchmark. I love the slight variations in this primary color palette and how the swatches work together as a grouping.

i love MUD

I am obsessed with MUD australia's beautiful porcelain dishware. We carry their hand made line at Finch in Austin and I constantly play with the color samples. Pigment is added to the porcelain at the slip stage to provide colour depth. Clear glaze is then applied to the interior of each piece leaving the exterior with a vitrified stone-like surface that becomes smooth with handling and use. The dishes have a wonderful delicate feel and the textural contrast between the interior and exterior invites you to continually touch, hold, and interact with them.

desk buddies

My workspace is full of little bits ranging from Bolivian miniatures and Matryoshka to gold painted cowboys and indians. I came across these wonderful plastic "desk indians" on Happymeat's flickr photostream. I love to see what objects other people collect and keep close by.

beautiful displays

I am so inspired by these photos: color, composition, and styling. I aspire to arrange my home and bus guss like these photographers. Just lovely!

graphic inspirtation: wood type

I am a huge fan of anything letterpress printed. There is just something about the texture and dimension created by the relief printing process. Movable wood type is inked and pressed to produce beautifully printed letter forms that reflect the entire process.

i heart pistachio

Right now, I'm loving anything pistachio. Check out these beautiful creamy green items.

felt necklace by 3FUN
lace bag by tortillagirl
vintage romper from BillieGoatVintage
flower hair pins by Nomsa

mmm cookies

from my kitchen : pistachio, apricot, oatmeal cookies
Originally uploaded by fred_fred

I found this photo on flickr and really liked the composition and color. An exciting bonus is that the recipe is included! Click on the photo to make these pistachio, apricot, oatmeal cookies.

new! paint by number note cards

I just added note cards to my etsy site. Each card transforms the original paint by numbers into abstracted scenes and color forms. Recipients a can frame or display the card as mini artwork.

hot summer

It's another hot summer day in Austin, so I'm thinking about taking Beans down to Barton Springs to swim and cool off. This is a 1962 photo of my mom when she was 9 with her mother by the pool. I found this in one of her old albums a few months ago and I had to have it. I just love their swimsuits and matching swim caps. Thought I would share it with everyone on a hot day.

road trip essentials

We are heading north for a road trip from Austin to Minneapolis in August. I put together this etsy collection to inspire fellow road trippers.

• Little swedish horse keychain from i.klee designs for our road trip to the land of the scandinavians.
• Classic striped tote for all the essentials from bayan hippo.
• 1950s Revere Eye Matic Camera from Sweet Love Vintage to capture curiosities along the way.
• Great pocket size mini notebook perfect for on-the-go notes and sketches from erinzam.
• Long hours on the road require nifty tortoise shades from Chico Hearts Lola.

retro pens

I love love love this retro pen set from kikkerland. The color palette is so lovely. I recently got a hold of 30 old ball point pens at a garage sale and they look terrific, however most of them don't write. They would make a great display, but these kikkerland pens are beautiful and usable!!

objectified

Tonight we went to the Alamo Drafthouse (an Austin institution) to see Objectified, a documentary film about industrial design. It was so great to hear designers talk about what industrial design is and what it means to them. The film illustrated the design process and the important role design plays in our daily lives. I would definitely recommend Objectified to anyone interested in design, especially those who I've tried to describe industrial design to and failed miserably!

Maija Louekari

Finnish illustrator and designer, Maija Louekari, creates brilliant and bold patterns for apparel and home decor. I saw a posting about her on grain edit, but instantly recognized her designs produced by Marimekko. Check out more of her beautiful work here.

new items

I added a few things to my etsy site today. This is one of the tiny villagers standing alone, displaying a wonderful color combination. I hope you enjoy!

etsy love

some things I'm loving on etsy today:
wheel thrown porcelain vase by ceramic pix
vintage ball canning jars from high street market
retro inspired airmail envelopes by found paper co
coral blue corsage brooch by aalicia accessories

diy shelving

In a couple weeks, we are moving into a new apartment so I've been reevaluating the furniture we have. Right now, our apartment has a built in unit for our tv and what not so we need something free standing in the new place. I came across a how-to for a simple console on Design Public's blog. This basic, modern design seems like it would be pretty straight forward to build and cheaper than something from Ikea. Plus, I'm always looking for an excuse to go to Home Depot.

lovely pillows

Sally Nencini's lovely london double-decker bus pillow caught my eye while perusing etsy. Her soft, lambswool cushions display great patterns on the front and bold, wide stripes on the back. Check out her shop for more.

an austin july 4th

I just wanted to share some fireworks from the south 1st street bridge in Austin. We brought our doggy, Beans, along for his first 4th of july experience and he was quite worried about the whole thing. The photo posted of him was taken before the show began, but as soon as it started he was hiding behind our legs. Poor pup! Well, now we know he's not a fan.

get crafty

Here's a great d.i.y. project I can't wait to make. Get crafty and make a your own recycled t-shirt necklace by hopping over to Instructables.

Happy 4th of July

check out more great vintage clothes at persephone vintage.