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Productively Pretty
2007-10-26 19:08:00
An unfortunate tragedy often befalls my desk. Its seems destined to become the haphazard catchall of life. Paperbacks to paintbrushes, disorder abounds on all surfaces left unconquered by sticky notes. End the avalanche in your in-box and decimate the deluge of office supplies. Here are some tips and tactics to bring simplicity, beauty and efficiency to your work space.Color Code of Conduct. Consider assigning a color to different sectors, subject areas or projects. The violet {1} here denotes my philosophy course.Save the Date. Simple, white, printed-at-home, monthly calendar pages allow you to see the whole season at a glance. Neatly tack a three month tier {3} to the bulletin and keep a pen handy to add events and reminders. I also print a duplicate set {2} to carry on the go.Designer Labels. I never miss an opportunity to play with fonts and practice penmanship – labeling steno pads {5}, spiral notebooks or storage containers {4} is an easy way to add design and clarity to you...
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Tea for Two
2007-10-20 01:10:00
I spent one gloriously lazy summer afternoon skimming the pages of the 1922 edition of Etiquette, and I emerged from my languid stupor fully resolved to resurrect Miss Emily Post’s delineations of debutantes, invitations and afternoon teas. It was quite simply, a most amusing undertaking, for a certain Miss with far too much time to accomplish far too little during the blissful weeks that follow semester finals. Behold dear reader, the fruits of a sugary and indulgent little endeavor, perhaps at home amongst Gatsby and Gershwin, delightfully fanciful, shamefully superfluous and sweetly celebratory of a lovely friend’s nineteenth birthday.Let them eat cake.Regrettably, any form of entertaining coaxes forth a culinary conundrum, for the kitchen is most certainly not my domain. The solution is a “menu� that is simple and light yet surprisingly satisfying. Small details of presentation can be added with ease, from neatly cropped, crust-less sandwiches to delicate mint leaves sus...

|Muse|um: Landscape + Architecture at The Getty
2007-10-14 20:45:00
Amidst this weekend’s crisp fall weather and underneath it’s clear blue skies I returned for yet another visit to The Getty Center. Perched in the Brentwood Hills of Los Angeles, it is home to the J. Paul Getty Muse um as well as research and conservation institutes. Though a frequent destination of mine for art history research papers, its noteworthy offerings extend far beyond the paintings and sculptures of it’s galleries. It is a truly an ethereal place, with modern exteriors of imported travertine and a spectacular view that sweeps from the Pacific’s shores to the local mountains. Decorously displaced from the dirt and din of city, this opulent piece of paradise seems to float above it all. Gaze upon the grounds and architecture captured here, over several visits by a photographer friend, Brett Inman of InmanPrints.Photographs are the intellectual property of the cited artist.
More About: Architecture , Landscape , The G

Good Things Come in Pretty Packages
2007-10-10 02:25:00
I am notoriously guilty of seeing the gift for it’s garnishes. And I just can’t help supposing that packaging is a present of its own. It follows quite simply then, that the joy I take in pretty presentation should extend to the ribbons and wrappings that dress each and every little curiosity I craft. So without further ado, some highlights, past and present, from the shop. It’s not hip to be square. Puns aside, I am so taken with the gentle curves of rounded shapes. I especially like the way the oval Natural Historie tags contrast against the rectangular repetitions supplied by the printed “paper bands�, envelopes and art prints. Less refined than their elliptical cousins, quirky little dot stickers punctuate paper bands and the occasional envelope.Printy in pink. A little repetition is good sometimes, especially when it takes the form of a pretty pastel pattern with a simple, understated leafy design. Paper bands add a finishing touch to miniature boxes, translucent env...
More About: Things , Pretty , Good , Ages

Set on Stoneware
2007-10-06 08:55:00
Drawn to it’s clean lines, I couldn’t resist adding this simple white stoneware bowl {4} to the array of little catchalls that mill about on my desk. I’ve never quite had a passion for pottery, but this little find led me to rediscover it’s variety and unpredictable beauty. A little Etsy expedition yielded some spectacular finds for lovers of beauty and practicality. Whimsical polka dots in robin egg blue adorn the fresh yet rustic bowls {1} available at JD Wolfe Pottery, while Ceruleanblue’s spouted pourer {2} is dazzling in a pure and clean palette. And, who could resist this Pretty Little Leaf Plate {3} from Sumiko, in a lush green glaze and so perfectly proportioned? Oh so many pretty and imaginative uses await these fabulous little finds.Photos 1,2 and 3 are the work of the cited shops, respectively.
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A is for Anthropologie
2007-09-27 02:50:00
Like the droves of female bloggers before me, I am absolutely smitten with Anthropologie . I just had to file away this lovely little ad campaign that appeared in their online storefront a few weeks ago. For me a fall wardrobe is synonymous with textbooks, old brick libraries and lecture halls, and what better way to capture the essence than with these scholarly outfits. So artfully composed, in such somber yet elegant tones, they are perfectly accented by colorful little details. Biology's creamy floral specimens blossom against yellow-green and Writing's "burnished orange" pumps add a subtle flourish of their own. Coincidently, History's smart navy frock happens to be my favorite.Images are courtesy Anthropologie.com.
More About: Polo , Logi

Through a Rose Colored Glass
2007-09-17 18:45:00
Introducing the latest creations bound for Natural Historie. I am so inspired by architecture – there is nothing quite like an old building. Maybe it’s their tendency toward superfluous beauty. Or maybe it’s the enduring appeal of traditional architectural forms. Pediments, spires and columns will never see their aesthetic demise. Whatever the reason, flipping through my sketchbook from two years past I came upon a pen and ink drawing of the Western façade of Notre Dame de Paris, and I’ve been meaning to reinvent it all summer. So here they are, my Rose Window Notecards, cleanly printed in black on white, but unexpectedly bedecked with a little extra sparkle.
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Recovering Pretty and Practical
2007-09-11 21:54:00
Love it or dread it, when fashion calls so does the ironing board. But whether you grab the iron somewhere between shower and breakfast, or painstakingly primp your dresses and blouses, you’ve probably thrown a faithful companion by the wayside. My little ironing board was the one that was in want of a fresh new garment, so at last I’ve replaced its thin, scorched broadcloth cover with a stripped drawstring ensemble sewn from sturdy cotton and twill tape. 1. I couldn’t find a cover for an ironing board of this size in any store, so I resorted to making my own. I cut a pattern, about four or five inches larger than the perimeter of the board in order to sew a large hem for the twill tape drawstring. 2. Finished drawstring, tightly tied on the underside of the board. 3. The finished project. 4. While I was at it, I spruced up the board itself (made of wood) with a fresh coat of white paint.
More About: Pretty , Erin

Cordially Invited to 1811
2007-09-08 07:24:00
If you count Miss Elizabeth Bennet among your dearest literary friends and secretly nickname your beaus Mr. Darcy, then Regency House Party is an affair you won’t want to miss. Stop perusing the worn pages of Austen’s oeuvres and put aside your tattered volumes of Wordsworth and Keats - at least long enough to watch a PBS living history event.Airing in November of 2004, following the precedents of Manor House, Frontier House and Colonial House, among others, Regency House Party sends ten modern men and women into a world of protocol, propriety and devious decadence. These twenty-first century time travelers escape to an English country estate and assume the titles and social rankings of their 1811 counterparts. Recreating a nine week summer house party, they engage in strategic matchmaking, coy flirtations and the pretty pettiness that defined the age.From ball gowns to personal hygiene, from gas lamps to chamber pots, the day-to-day aspects of a bygone era come alive. These in...
More About: Cord , Dial

Tag Line
2007-09-04 04:15:00
I love the sheer versatility of paper – creating the patterns and prints, embellishing with original motifs, and turning it into a dimensional product. New additions to the paperie at Natural Historie were inevitable. And at last they are here - the first in my new line of original tags.Little Notes from the Studio:1. It all starts in the sketchbook, my favorite of all little black books. I usually work in black ink for versatility. The pink floral pattern in the background of the Luster Tags started as a black and white drawing, so did the chandelier image (shown). The bird image in my Robin Egg Tags began as an ink and acrylic sketch.2. Now technology takes a turn – just a little scanning, editing, layering, cropping, arranging, and color manipulation and viola! A finished digital tag.3. Finally a printed sheet of tags is cut by hand, carefully punched with a mini hole punch and strung with soft twine.
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Glorious Restoration {Part Two}
2007-08-29 01:25:00
Did you miss {Part One}?It’s rather an Eliza Doolittle of end tables, scavenged ragged and unbecoming from the Covent Garden gutter, unsightly, unseemly and rough around the edges (in the most literal sense of the word). But now it debuts freshly sheathed in glossy white, ready for the romance of screened-in porches and Victorian sunrooms, so perfectly suited to dwell alongside white wicker chairs and clean white linens. Snapshots from the restoration: 1. Glossy finished tabletop 2. Behr high gloss enamel in Ultra Pure White, 1� nylon brush for details and 2.5� nylon brush for table top 3. Fully restored table 4. Super fine steel wool (#0000) for smoothing surface between multiple coats of paint
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On Pins and Needles
2007-08-28 05:13:00
If you’re like me, you probably need a thimble for every finger. My state of affairs rapidly worsens when I sit down at my mother’s old Singer - my domestic nemesis. The bobbin thread always seems to contort itself into a heinous knot, my stitches waver drunkenly across the fabric and my sorrowful, tangled mess usually yields no more than a needle snapped in two. Thankfully, even a novice of the needle can manage a pin cushion. My attempt, fashioned from sturdy cotton remnants, is cheery in chocolate and brown stripes. It’s fresh, clean, simple and modern, and just might inspire a second sewing venture.
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Good Things Come in Little Envelopes
2007-08-21 09:04:00
I just finished this darling little batch of miniature envelopes for my Etsy store, Natural Historie. I started using historical and geological maps as backdrops in my photography to reinforce themes of history and natural history. Now I’ve moved the pattern to the foreground and the results are lovely, old fashioned and whimsical. So perfect for notes, place cards or gift tags.1. Little works in progress; printed cardstock cut to size and scored 2. Finished products; petite envelopes and single cards prettily packaged 3. Detail of button closure; hand stitched miniature buttons and twine 4. Finished envelope
More About: Things , Good , Envelope

Fresh and Floral
2007-08-20 18:56:00
For this duo of gallery width 12 x 12 canvases I chose a calming light blue paired with fresh bright white. The motif was inspired by the silhouetted look of photograms, also called photogenic drawings (2. Center). I love that such an old fashioned photographic process yields such clean and modern look.1. Finished acrylic paintings 2. Inspiring designs 3. Sponge brush for even paint application in background, small round nylon bristle brush for details, drawing pencil for sketching outline and palette
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Glorious Restoration {Part One}
2007-08-16 04:48:00
There it was in a flea market with a circa-1800 copy of Moore’s Poetical Works resting upon its nicked and dilapidated tabletop. It was two hundred pennies shy of free and utterly hopeless. A decorative molding that had once encircled its round rim was lifting off, forsaking an ingrained layer of dried wood glue, and its overall shabby state had been hastily remedied with a coat of beige spray paint. But spotting this little end table was love at first sight. Snapshots from the restoration: 1. The toolbox 2. Removing a thick layer of dried polyurethane from pedestal foot with wood file 3. Sanding wood putty repairs on tabletop 4. Pedestal base partly sanded
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Good Im{press}ions
2007-08-15 06:20:00
Certainly your stationary says a great deal about you, but with this variety of letterpress goods why stop there? Indulge in a pretty sampling of paper goods with historic flair, textural beauty, color and design. These charming selections are items I like from sellers at Etsy.com – a lovely destination for handmade goods.1. Sunshiny Yellow Letterpress Flats by Press ure2. Orange Hedgehogs Letterpress Coasters by PaperedTogether3. Letterpressed Vintage Ship Cards by EMprint Press 4. Blue Scroll Letterpress Cards by Blackbird PressThe layout above was compiled using in the photographic work of the cited Etsy artists.
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Stitch Simple
2007-08-14 06:04:00
Whether you’re just not as stitchery-savvy as your great grandmother or you’re simply short on time, these little project ideas are as easy as they are beautiful. Embellishing store bought items is as effortless as threading a needle – try sprucing up plain tea towels, trimming the edge of bed linens or adding a motif to a canvas bag.Resources, Tips and Shortcuts:1. The bird template used to embellish my canvas bag (shown) can be downloaded as a PDF file at marthastewart.com. There are also additional cross-stitch project ideas and introductory cross-stitch instructions.2. Making uniform stitches, evenly sized, spaced and placed is somewhat difficult – especially if the fabric you are working with does not have a distinct weave. I find it easier to trace a pattern onto thin tissue paper. The tissue paper pattern can then be pinned in place on the fabric you will be embellishing. Simply cross-stitch directly over the tissue paper – in essence sewing tissue paper to fabric â...
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Sense and Sensibility
2007-08-12 10:46:00
Romanticizing history is a lovely habit of modern cinema. Renditions of the past flicker on theater screens purer and simpler, at once rustic and refined, complete with organza ball gowns, demure puffed sleeves, ethereal walks through forested dales and the solitude of gray dawns. Quite frequently, after brief episodes of contrived misfortunes, ironic misunderstandings and condemning circumstances, the plot line slows to a halt at an onslaught of happily-ever-afters and tidy resolutions.But there is something poignantly real about the bittersweet ending, too often cast aside in favor of the trivial giddiness of the knight and white horse conclusion. It does not purvey the myth of poetic justice – for we do not always get what we deserve – but renders a portrait of true resilience. For Miss Austen, resilience is courageous and resolute, a woeful sacrifice of romance for livelihood.Image courtesy of 2 Entertain, Production Company, Becoming Jane.
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