josh cochrane

josh cochrane is an illustrator, based out of los angeles, that i stumbled upon a couple weeks ago. his work is detailed but seems really clean & easy to grasp. his work ranges from editorial to advertisements; his clients include the new york times & hornall anderson (seattle based marketing & design firm).

the thing i enjoy most about cochrane's website is his blog. he takes the time to walk through the thought process or tell a story explaining each project he is working on. the voice in his writing is as if he were a friend giving you a tour through his home office.

i'd like to buy the above print, but i'm not quite sure where i would put it. maybe in my hallway with a hook below for my umbrellas.

lavender & weddings

as a handmade part of a gift for justin & yachi (who got married a couple weekends ago), stina & i joined forces for these sweet little lavender sachets. i received a big bunch of dried lavender from a coworker in august & decided to hand grind the lavender & use for sachets. after getting the lavender ready all i needed to do was:

1. cut 4 - 3.5"x3.5" squares of fabric (embroidery done at this point)
2. sew .25" hems on one side of each square
3. take two of the 4 pieces with patterns facing & sew .25" seams on the three, non-hemmed sides to make a 3"x3" pocket (repeat 3 for second sash)
4. flip right side out & fill 3/4 full with lavender
5. sew along the seamed edges (i did 4 scattered lines) to close the pockets

park(ing) day in seattle

my firm created a park(ing) space in south lake union. the event was done in coordination with rebar & the trust for public land, a part of park(ing) day 2007.

see us on youtube!

playlist of today

here are some of my favorite songs of the moment:

the knife - heartbeats - deep cuts
bat for lashes - prescilla - fur & gold
cut chemist - the garden - the audience is listening
feist - i feel it all - the reminder
arcade fire - keep the car running - neon bible
glue - never really know - catch as catch can
jay-z - heart of the city - jay-z unplugged
ghostface killah - be easy - fishscale
blue scholars - sagaba remix - the long march ep
common ft lily allen - drivin' me wild - finding forever
kanye west - the good life - graduation
fujiya miyagi - collarbone - transparent things

apartment therapy

i sent in some photos of my window & dining area of my place to apartment therapy for suggestions. i got some good advice from the people of at san francisco & readers; it looks like i may have some work to do. i'm not quite sure i want to paint, but have been thinking about replacing my dining set for a while.














don't i have anything better to do?

good life

i haven't bought kanye's newest cd yet, because i've been slightly annoyed with the 50 cent hype & have also been disappointed by stronger, the young folks remix & can't tell me nothin'. but this song & video featuring t-pain is soooo tight. he's back on my good side, i might have to buy the album tonight.

i'd like to addthe kanye track, homecoming ft chris martin to my playlist. thanks casey, "fireworks over lake michigan."

magnets & such

i've been meaning to get something to display pictures & prints above my desk. while at home depot i decided to pick up some 8" by 5" galvanized steal panels to complete the task. i simply used mounting tape to attached the panels to my wall & it seems to be sturdy enough to hold my stuff.

you are not amy winehouse

seems that pointless flowcharts are all the rage. i find the one above particularly funny, seeing that she cancelled the show i had tickets too. booo.

gold birds

i bought these yesterday on ebay. i love tacky wall hangings & was blessed with discovering the keyword syroco during one of my morning blog rolls. i'll have to have them in my hands before i decide if they go above the tv or above the bed... yeah!

free smock apron pattern and tutorial

my dear friend divya likes to make food, i like to make things...so an apron seemed the most appropriate gift. this apron was inspired by an apron made by my great grandmother for my mom, way back in the day. it was passed down to my sister & i snagged it from her to make replicas. it turned out really cute; i used a creme fabric with brown polka dots & hot pink bias tape (my first time & i was really happy with what it can do).

this is a simple project, it is a solid piece of fabric with very little detail work. here is my attempt at a tutorial so you can make your own:

what you'll need:
1 yard fabric (washed)
2 packs of single fold bias tape
button or snap

to make:
1. trace pattern on the back of fabric & cut out
2. shoulders - sew left side dotted lines, front to back, together (front of fabric facing one another), repeat with right side
3. sew bias tape along all solid edges of the remaining fabric (see becka's project journal tutorial)
4. sew button or snap on the left back panel (x) with an opposing snap or button hole on the opposite back panel (l)





















more pics including some updates.

i have created a pdf that is 50% of the true size & can be printed at 200% at any printer company. click here to download the pdf.

you can also see my other patterns & tutorials here - take a look for your next project!



UPDATE: Vote for my new company, Iva Jean on Daily Candy's Start Small, Go Big Contest. I need your votes today and everyday through September 14.

I'm so excited to be one of three finalists for the Daily Candy Start Small Go Big contest and hope that you'll help me become the Grand Prize Winner. The Grand Prize Winner receives a day in New York City with industry leaders and mentors (Jonathan Adler and Sara Blakely, the founder of Spanx), as well as the boatload of press that goes along with Daily Candy. Please help me and my bike fashion and lifestyle company Iva Jean make it!

Here's how it works:

1. You go to http://www.dailycandy.com/startsmallgobig
2. Click "Vote" and choose Iva Jean under the Fashion Category
3. You will have to enter your email, but I promise that they won't spam you or target you obnoxiously - it's just how they keep the voting honest
4. Vote once a day from August 22 - September 14
5. Forward this email to your friends and family

I can't explain what an opportunity this is for me and Iva Jean. Please help me win this thing!