How much do I love doing dishes?

I am obsessed with my sample of Caldrea's dishwashing liquid that sports the scent "Ginger Pomelo".  Of course it's by the same company that created my favorite Mrs. Meyers Clean Day products.
Although I thought that Mrs. Meyers was already a bit of a "designer" cleaning product that only sometimes will I splurge on, Caldrea is the high end line. Seriously? Yes. And I'm hooked. Not only do these companies have beautifully designed labels, they have sweet smelling scents. Ginger Pomelo is grapefruit, Asian ginger and and sweet basil. I want to wear this smell. It makes me so happy!

Former blue chip marketing exec Monica Nassif pays homage to her mom, Thelma Meyer in this fabulous midwest success story. Celebrating the season, Mrs. Meyers is offering an Iowa Pine Holiday Hand Care and Candle Set. You betcha! A female owned business with ties to Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, this entrepreneurial endeavor is a great inspiration.

Printmaking with Kids

While I am not inclined to take on such projects everyday, today was a holiday for us all as the boys were out of school and I was playing hooky. I absolutely love all things related to printmaking and had been waiting to dig into this EyeCanArt kit given to the boys on their 5th birthday. Yes, I waited until age 6, but it was worth it.

The monster designs were independently crafted by each of the boys, with some assistance on the cutting and overall strategy. We rocked this out in two stages (design-cut and glue, then print), and based on some of my project edits, we executed it a little bit different than the kit recommends. Mainly, this is due to the fact that I misplaced the proper papers included in the kit. {I stored them flat between books, and am baffled as to where they are.} It still worked with a tweak or two and was marvy for an inaugural attempt. {The main issue is that I used very thick tag board to build the design on, and more thick pieces for the design-including the soft foam sheets}.


I dug up some of the tools I had on hand for linocuts, including some super old orange speedball ink and a large brayer. This helped because we kept one brayer mainly for the ink, the other to burnish the image. I loved using the kraft paper for the boys images, as they were somewhat tribal in design and it made a nice contrast. Mine are ancient, from PaperSource, though I couldn't find them on their website just now.

Monster by Max

Monster by Beck

She's Back!

I am thrilled to say that Green is on board for their re-order and I've just stocked their shelves with holiday goodness from Truly Fine Design. Carlos Franco has rocked his new space, and I'm ever so proud to be their featured paper designer. Love, love, love their store decor and can't wait to see what they do for the Museum's holiday trimming...

Inspired by Kate Spade

I've always admired Kate Spade. At first, it was really from a business sense. How does someone create something SO simple--a black nylon bag--and charge SO much...just for a name? That's savvy. Then, as her business developed, I grew more and more enamored with her design and sense of style. We share an aesthetic for color and whimsy, modern mixed with vintage. I launched Truly Fine nearly two years ago and later found her line of paper goods. I love her sense of humor and think the partnership she established with Cranes a smart move.


After creating mini "hosting" and "guesting" guides for the holidays I discovered her little book trilogy--Occasions, Manners, & Style. Lovely illustrations and well written. One of those moments where I actually wanted to BE Kate Spade. Finally, she has a fun part of her website called "Behind the Curtain" and the design of it is SO chic! I love the layout, the color, everything. It's a poor screenshot, I admit, but wanted to include just the same...


She is a creative modern woman whom I admire still--an entrepreneur and style icon who continues to inspire me in all that I do.

Forget Before, Here's the After: Breakfast Nook

I guess I was on holiday most of August. Miss me? After popular demand (from my mom) I decided to share the images of my mini remodel. Unfortunately, I must have archived my photos of the kitchen as it was when we bought it. Grrr. It's so nice to have Before and Afters. I've held off long enough though and am sharing now. The paint is Decorator White, Premium by Behr and the table is from IKEA. This will have to do until I inherit a small fortune and can afford a real Saarinen. Sigh.

Our kitchen still sports a rockin' 80's tract home decor--complete with oak cabinets and (now) crumbling brown grout and oatmeal colored tile--but this little upgrade will inspire the rest of the re-do at a later date. In the meantime, I'm pleased as punch. I love this happy place and the boys eat breakfast there everyday while I make their lunches. Yay!

Special thanks to my dad for spending many a weekend building this out....

Not Damien Hirst

I came across the most awesome blog yesterday...it's essentially a riff on the famed contemporary artist Damien Hirst. Hirst, known for pushing limits on the age-old question "what is art" is portrayed here in the most fabulous tongue in cheek way.

All "works" are titled with a (faux?) Hirst quote. This one was particularly rich...

"The fear of becoming fat expressed in the joy of being colorful"

"49 peanut M&M's of green, orange, blue, brown, yellow and red color which are sold in a mostly yellow bag on which it also writes that "To avoid suffocation, keep bags away from babies, young children and pets." that I bought at a gas station on my way to the train station where my mother was waiting for me on a white plastic windowsill" on a photograph.

I'm intrigued and sickened by Damien Hirst, and that is why this fake Damien Hirst blog is so amusing to me. Cheers, and yes -- "you got to love art!"

Death to the Pen!

Oh D'Nealian, my first cursive love.

I recently read an article in Time Magazine, Mourning the Death of Handwriting, by Claire Suddath. It was a bit disheartening, because I did not get the impression that she was truly mourning the death of handwriting...more like, pondering the death of handwriting. The Gen Y author admits to being a sloppy scriber. Passively accepting that we've traded "artistry for efficiency," Suddath shrugs her shoulders...like, whatever. Gen Why?

Yes, Cursif IS pretty. And so are the other fonts here on Noble Rabbit.

She chronicles the changes our society has made in the past 100+ years, delivering us to a moment in time where script is deemed "pretty & cosmetic." But isn't it okay to be pretty? Isn't that what we value intrinsically? Here, it seems a more fitting a description of a Bonne Belle lip gloss. I'd like to see the letters transcend "pretty", become beautiful in their original glory with the curves and swoops that inspire words themselves to hold weight and carry meaning. With proper penmanship even a simple grocery list becomes a heartfelt momento. XOXO scratched in red is tiny love note. Even the words that come out a bit wonky (is that an e or an l?) exude a bit of mystery and spontaneity.

Quirky Handwriting Sample via Azaz

A handwritten note--with a scratch or scribble where you made your mistake--means so much more than a cryptic text or a casual email. Besides, isn't it good exercise for your digits? I challenge you this week to hand write a note, make a list, craft a memo. To anyone...your bestie, your mum, your hon or your sib. To you! Use the whole page. Use ink.