music to listen to

i just started using this tool, let me know what you think. if it goes over well - i'd like to do it every week. i'm pretty excited to share my favorite songs of the moment; they are what inspire & motivate me.

craigslist finds

if i had one more chunk of space to spare in my 580 sq ft apartment - i'd buy myself a sideboard/credenza. will you buy them instead?

small wicker credenza/cabinet, $40; wicker sideboard/bookcase, $250; swedish teak buffet, $875; mid-century dresser/credenza, $100.

new obama print by scott hansen

new print for the obama campaign by scott hansen, one of many artists for obama. i think it's gorgeous & a great change from the obama profile we're seeing everywhere. on his blog, hansen was quoted saying that the finished draft was, "a psb file weighing in at 2.77gb with nearly 1000 layers…the most complex, largest scale work i have ever created."

found via quipsologies

etsy wednesday

oregan-based artist & graphic designer, yellena sells prints of original mixed media pieces at her etsy shop for $20. her work is highly textured & detailed, i also love her color choices. yumm.

for more information check the following:

- etsy featured seller
- blog
- website
- shop

new prints in the shop

check em out, just posted this evening. 5x7 digital prints - $8.

the lab - add it to the blogroll

this is where i'll be tomorrow from 6-8 at velocity art & design in south lake union. this is the second edition of the lab, "blogging in seattle," & is open to all design bloggers & creatives alike. it'll be a meet, eat & greet with northwest bloggers who are now on my blogroll:

elaine from decorno

mary from shelterrific

megan from notmartha

paola from mirrormirror

vain - hair.shop.art

vain is my favorite place in seattle this week. this salon - boutique - gallery is on 1st ave in belltown, located in a fantastic old brick building. it's late & i have to go to bed soon, so i'm giving you a bullet list of why it's the best place to get your hair &/or makeup done.

• there is a fireplace surrounded by great mid-century furniture in the waiting area.
• a full supply of affordable, local goods (shirts, hats, jewelry & paper goods).
• they feature all stylist profiles online so you can pick the best stylist for your hair type.
• bijou is an amazing stylist. plane & simple - best haircut in seattle. bijou cut most of my hair off on my first visit; she took the time to look at pics with me & offer suggestions. on my second visit i wanted to go even shorter, but got cold feet - she was right there to convince me that we could do what i wanted without any pressure or hesitance. i'd like to continue to go off about how great she is, but you should just book her for your next cut.
• makeup artist on staff, christine - they often do free sessions on saturdays. she finally taught me how to use brushes & get smoky eyes in a way that i feel comfortable with.

image from vain

makeup brush carrier

i've discovered the magic of using makeup brushes. this means that i needed something to store & carry them all in; i bike to work most days, which means my makeup comes with me. i decided to create a simple carrier & post a tutorial - it seems like it's been a while.

what you need:
1/2 yard of fabric (lightweight)
needle
thread
pins

instructions:
1. cut a 13" x 32" rectangle & 15" x 2" strip of fabric
2. fold rectangle in half with right sides facing in
3. fold edge c up 5.5 inches. place your desired brushes & pin the appropriate gathering for them to fit in section c. With the brushes & pins in place trim edge a. this should create a slight angle that will allow for the extra fabric.
4. unpin & unfold fabric. sew a straight stitch down sides a & b. turn right side out & iron.
5. fold a .5" hem on edge c & sew a straight stitch.
6. bring edge c (now hemmed) up 5.5" toward edge d with the hem facing in.
7. stitch side b - now 10" - with 2 parallel straight stitches
8. sew straight stitches in appropriate intervals for your brushes (1.25 for eye brushes, 2 for blush or larger brushes) reinforce the top & bottom of those stitches.
9. iron strip into thirds & do one straight stitch down the center of the tri-fold (catching both edges)
10. fold edge e over twice toward the exposed edge, stitch.
11. pin unfinished end of strip just below the hem on side a.
12. stitch side a - now 10" - with 2 parallel straight stitches

helpful hints:
1. have your brushes on hand to ensure the right fit

i have posted pics of the entire process along with captions that repeat these instructions. you can also open a larger version of the pattern below by clicking directly on it.

small designs 08

via boing boing - these flat pack homes were designed by bsb designs as a solution to the housing shortage in south africa & were the winner of the aia's small project award 2008. the prefabricated homes can be assembled with 4 people, 1 screwdriver & 1 awl - all for $1500.

gotta love great design, in all forms, for all causes.

new prints - animal stitches

i am hoping to get these printed & in the etsy shop soon. i may go back to one color for each print so that i can screen print or stamp them.

please remember that all original designs are property of stilldottie designs.

the future of my hair

sharp look from facehunter. this is where i want it to be, color & cut. i know bijou can make it happen (more on that later).

blonde redhead home tour

via domino magazine, you can take a look into the light, textured & beautiful home of amedeo pace and kazu makino (rock duo, blonde redhead). can't you feel the sunny breeze?

sighhhhh

craigslist finds

a nice collection of side chairs for you today, various prices & styles.

red vinyl windback, $45; chair & phone table, $40; modern armchair, $300; green leather chair, $1000.

beach baby

a quick bit of flickr fun from millie motts. she has great sets of found pictures from bridal parties & travel to advertisements & babies.

etsy wednesday

i tell you - my favorites are racking up faster than wednesdays. today i bring you two of them.



these lovely resin rings are made by molly proctor, a jewelry maker based out of asheville, nc. these big cocktail rings will run you about $30 & are guaranteed by the seller. she also has a nice flickr collection.

















i am also having uncontrollable swooning sessions over this amazing collection of buttons & cabochons at antique veggies. ohhhh so pretty - the colors, the textures & the photography. collections of 4 to 12 for $3 - 5.

waddy armstrong

waddy armstrong is a new find via design*sponge today. waddy showed at the surtex show in ny & received his degree from the savannah college of art & design in savannah, ga back in 1999. waddy has been showing steadily ever since. the work is so beautiful & colorful - it makes me instantly happy - he's a new artist i love.

add it to the blogroll

jewelry maker, etsy seller & lovely friend of a friend, annie is my latest addition to the blogroll. besides that, she sells a lot of great goods (from jewelry to notecards) in her shop at imogene & sells her handcrafted jewelry in her etsy shop, imogeneandannie.



i just recieved the above notecard from her shop as well as this & another that isn't listed anymore, but pictured here.

sunny days

i had set some goals about posting about a new place to visit or shop every monday. my place today is seattle when it's 80 & sunny. i spent all weekend outside & am feeling happy about a little sunburn on my arms & back. friday really started all of this with dante's & an outdoor lunch, a work party & nas at the showbox sodo. saturday started off with a sunny breakfast, a bike ride around lake union, 3 wonderful hours on my favorite people's (craig & ragan) boat & happy hour on teresa's roof (where she fed us well as usual). it was a wonderful day filled with sun & great people. sunday was the best kind of summer day - lots of random meetings. the day started in the park with divya & rachel, moved to the farmer's market with teresa, natalie, divya & i, coffee outside at top pot, pedicures & meatsticks (sometimes you just need one), a bike ride to ivars with marques, chris, justin & yachi (joined by the d, g & rachel) & finished up with a cool down on lost episodes at marques's. phew.

items of note & highlights:
- the house boats on lake union are so great. lots of character & color
- lake washington is kind of cold, but not as bad as i thought
- teresa has an amazing roof view & is one of my favorite people to be fed by
- on summer evenings, the seattle sky has the most amazing tone & feels so warmly lit
- the farmer's market is back & i couldn't be happier
- ivar's has great happy hour full of oyster shooters & fish & chips
- my bike is in intensive care. i am in need of a new one asap

i am working on uploading a slideshow. for more pics

poppies & fromage

my first trip to the broadway farmer's market was a success. there isn't a ton of variety yet, but i did make away with these beautiful poppies, heirloom tomatoes, chard, arugula & fromage blanc from mt. townsend creamery.

cheers to sunny sundays at the market.

lovely patterns

as i sit & daydream about a life of creating patterns for textiles & wallpaper - i find samantha hahn to be great inspiration.

fred flare

i love fred flare & read the blog most days. until today, i had never bought anything. until today, i had not seen the sprinkle heart ring.

i lied - after seeing how expensive shipping was - i went with one from stoopidgerl's etsy shop.

swedish girls are amazing

i went to see el perro del mar, lykke li & anna ternheim last night at the triple door. it was one of those shows that blows you away; you expect that it will be good, but you rarely expect that it will resonate in your body & soul. i highly recommend that you check out all three of these artists. incredible. really. incredible.

leave it to the swedes to be beautiful, talented, quirky & have great style. i especially love the living room in lykke li's video above. it's confirmed - sweden will be a major stop during my european vacation.

miss lulu photography

what a stunning flickr set by miss lulu & the teaspoon shortage. vintage, modern & oh so sexy.

craigslist finds

some more lovely vintage finds - image a new living room with all this yummy mid-century stuff.

wall unit, $350; gondola couch, $600; silver floor lamp, $78; long bench, $100.

etsy wednesday

the intuitive garden carries a variety of hand drawn & made resin jewelry. these earrings make me miss normal piercings, but her whole midair series is beautiful. the shop carries everything from pendants & necklaces to badges, earrings & rings. prices are great, from $12 to $38.

amy stein

amy stein is a teacher & photographer in new york city. her work makes you laugh & think about life; it feels very clean, yet full of emotion. just love it - crisp with beautiful color palettes. her portfolio right now showcases images of animals interacting with humans & human scale, children in harlem on halloween, women with guns & america's relationship with highways & interstates.

add it to the blogroll

coco+kelley is a sweet site. she is a great resource for interior, art & fashion. you should also visit her etsy site for vintage finds & her dad's restaurant, rialto pasta bar, in fremont for a spicy meatball.



it's nice that is another great collection of art, photography, books, music & film.

leather button ring

i saw something like this in my lucky magazine & was really excited to make one for myself. i had an old sterling silver ring base lying around that worked perfectly. i'm pretty sure that you could use a more standard ring base as well. the leather buttons i had were a bit off in size, so i lined & glued a bit of hot pink binding tape around the edge (which is not as noticeable in person). i then used needle nosed pliers to pull the metal button hook from the back of the woven leather button & secured it with super glue to the ring base. it's a little loose still - i may have to find a stronger adhesive. i just love it though.

my pinkie really is that crooked.

all city coffee

i stopped in to all city coffee for the first time on saturday night to pay a visit to the atomic lead stop on the georgetown artwalk. the shop is beautiful, the cofee fantastic & the interior details had me entranced - i often dazed out because i was admiring the texture of the lamp shades. it looks like there is one in pioneer square as well, their interior space led me to swithyco furntiture. steve withycombe is a furniture maker & fabricator that is a co-owner of the coffee house. his work (in my novice opinion) feels mid-century meets industrial; he often uses found & discarded materials.

behance action method

this came in the mail yesterday, my new supply of the behance action method products. let's face it - it's sexy office supplies. every ounce of it was well designed, from the cardboard box it arrived in to the actual product.

the method is actually really interesting & something i'm hoping to practice.

peony lust

i can't get enough of them. as i was indulging in my lust over peonies yesterday i found this flickr pool, appropriately titled, peonies. the image above is one i found a few months ago when searching for inspiration for a mural, it is from new zealand artist jennifer harmes. her peony collection is just beautiful; she also has a collection of magnolias & roses. i'm not sure if her stuff is attainable - but i want it! photos below from flickr user sprigglet & stylist rebecca thuss. you should definitely check out her website for all things pretty; her portfolio includes wedding design, set decoration, table settings & much more. her work is absolutely out of control. start humming "did you ever know that you're my hero, you're everything i wish i could be"

maditi - polaroid on flickr

polaroid is very popular right now - not to mention - the film is going out of production. the pictures produced feel vintage & romantic or spontaneous & strange. this flickr stream is by maditi, beautiful stuff.

i'm not sure why or how it took me so long to realize how amazing flickr pools are.

craigslist finds

some great danish & vintage pieces for your bedroom. i'm not ready to commit to a bedroom investment, but you should grab em.

eames x style side table, $75; cane headboard, no price; eames headboard, $120; vintage lamps, $60 obo.

copenhagen cycle chic

this is why i want to move somewhere dense, urban & flat. may is bike to work month & i've joined in the game; our work assembled a team of 8 taking the group health challenge. the problem with biking to work (or anywhere for that matter) in seattle is that it's a pretty intense ride, up hill for a least half. i end up lugging my clothes & make up with me to work in a huge backpack & needing to clean up once i get to work. i wish i could luxuriously ride into work in my pencil skirt, heels & purse - ohhhh to casually bike to work.

copenhagen cycle chic has some of best pictures of the bike culture in copenhagen, denmark. i want to go.

domestic wall decals

wall decals came up in conversation a couple weeks ago when i helped move a friend into their new condo (yes - concrete floors, 14 foot ceilings, the perfect base for dramatic decals). i remembered back to a certain wall decal & it's european website that had a greater variety & was less known than blik. after the idea faded, so did my memory. today - it is back in my life.

domestic has so many wall decals to chose from, playful, sophisticated, dark & awesome.

etsy wednesday

monkey powered is run by helen dardik, an illustrator & designer. her prints feel vintage, fun & crisp. most prints are $24 & digitally printed on velvet art stock. she also has a lovely blog, orange you lucky to check out.

add it to the blogroll

i've been bursting at the seems waiting for tuesday to roll around & to share these with you.



she was my etsy seller a couple weeks ago, i got her lovely print in the mail a few days ago & have been enjoying daily doses of her blog, treasuring ever since. an atlanta based artist & graphic designer, she features a lot of great artists & design finds.









i love me some seattle bloggers. stacy has a great one, la boudoir, where she shares all things interior, fashion, design & seattle.