Monday 27 August 2012

Loooove it

        I came across a few things just now on Pinterest and thought I would share quickly. This flooring is made from wine boxes. I LOVE IT and want right now. The second image is of a re-purposed window made into a table.





Sunday 19 August 2012

The Chalk Board Wall

     As you all know, I have trouble sometimes thinking out of the box. It is a big thing for me because as a designer, you are trying to create an original space (or I am anyways), if a client is going to pay the big bucks... you had better have some cool ideas. This is where this idea comes into play- A chalk board wall. I know you may have come across it before.. but I love it. I'm wondering if you would just use chalkboard paint, or if this would have to be installed? I think chalkboard paint would work; I think I am going to try it/look into it.









Monday 13 August 2012

The bad blogger and the bad designer

      Ok, so I've been a bad blogger and designer have abandoned ship lately. I find that when I'm not working I become un-motivated and don't look into design things as much as I should. You would think that as a designer, when you don't have design work to do, you would take the time to do some research. Apparently not. 
    As a quick update, I just got hired at a different job which I'm totally pumped about. It sounds like the perfect "dream job" right now and I hope it works out this time. *Fingers crossed*. 
   With this being said, I'm going to try to make a better effort to post more and get back into researching design related things. I was at a party this weekend and was asked "So, as a designer, what are the design trends right now" and I didn't know how to answer that. I'm not one for design trends anyways, because lets face it, interiors can get very pricey and if your spending dollas, you don't want to be over your space in like two years. That being said, its not that I like traditional things (infact I despise traditional) but I do love modern spaces. Here are some images of super modern spaces that I LOVE. Next post's assignment is to look into a design trend for right now, because lets face facts here... I should know this. 











Thursday 26 July 2012

Plan #1

     Here's the plan. Recently as you know if you have been reading along, that I'm trying to think of ways to make some extra money. Here again comes thinking outside of the box that I talk about so often. I've had a few ideas... but the one I think I'm going to go with is lace knitting. I don't think many knitters take on lace knitting because a)it takes time and b)it can get complicated. I love it; I think its fun and challenging and I'm always up for a challenge. I was thinking of some really nice light mohair scarves, and some cowls, and a while ago I knitted up a very nice (and surprisingly warm) lace throw. Here are some inspiration images:




Not what I had in mind, but super neat idea!










Sunday 22 July 2012

Biscotti making, rain listening


Here are some suitable songs to listen to today, while you read:



            As of late, I've really had the urge to create things with my hands. This started last weekend I think when I was feeling a little down and a little sick with what has been going on the world and how busy people are and how little things don't seem to matter anymore sometimes. I think this all spiraled from being up north a few weekends ago when I had time to just be somewhere without thinking about work (or lack there of), or anything else that is going on right now. It was nice to just sit on the dock with the fresh air (and trust me, up north air is SO much fresher/cleaner then the air that I breathe on a daily basis) and read a book and think about nothing. That being said, when I got home, I kinda hit the wall. I just wanted to be back up north again where things seem to be going at a slower pace and where people aren't texting while walking their dog, or dressed to the nine's to go grocery shopping. I think this need to create things with my hands has come from that weekend. Last weekend I made a pie, dough from scratch and all, and during the week I picked blueberries. Today, while I was reading outside it started to rain (I was covered with a roof on a porch). I decided rather then to go inside, I would just sit there and listen to the rain and read. I knew that inside, the TV was on, the air was blasting; I was not interested. I read outside until I felt satisfied then came inside to bake muffins. It was so gratifying to do something so simple. Muffins where ready and out of the oven and I still felt like doing more. I moved onto chocolate anise biscotti. I'm one of those people that always has to have music on, no matter what is happening, but today, I just opened the window, and baked to the sound of the thunder and rain. Someone in the house turned on the TV to watch more news coverage of an incident that recently happened and I couldn't take it. How dare you ruin my biscotti making, rain listening time with your stupid news story that has already received enough coverage. I'm trying to do something positive with my day, and here you are plunking yourself down in front of the TV to watch another hour of this awful news story that I now have to listen to. I opened the window wider so that the sound of the rain and thunder would drown out the news lady and the horrid story. I think there is something to be said about doing something productive with your hands. It doesn't happen that much any more I don't think. Why bake biscotti when you can just go to Starbucks and buy some? Why knit a scarf when you can just buy one? The list goes on. I feels good to me- it just feels good, and that's all there is too it. It slows me down, when I'm submerged in a society where everything is go go go. 




*Image not mine, I don't know where it came from
*Image not mine, I don't know where it came from

The chocolate anise biscotti I made (I have yet to try)


Monday 16 July 2012

If they can do it......

            Hello all. A few things to say today. Because I was recently laid off from my new job that I really enjoyed, I now have a lot of spare time on my hands. TOO much spare time. I am not good with too much spare time, infact I'm only good with minuscule amounts of spare time. I'm one of those people who ALWAYS has to be buzy. That means that I'm knitting while watching TV, reading a good book, or have to be doing something productive at least 90% of the time. In the summer it's ok to be laying on the beach for a day I guess. When I'm not working, I feel useless and like a total loser and bum and like I'm not being a contributing member of society. I feel like I'm not my best self because I'm not doing something that I love and I'm just doing little things at home to make up the time. This time, I've tried to make the best of the time that I have off (even though it has been a major struggle). 
         With all of this being said I've decided to use my other creative abilities and think of ways in which I can make some extra money. I must say, I'm a really good knitter, and baker. How does one realistically make money off of this though? I looked into a festival that is going to be at the end of August so that I could sell some of my knitted items... and calculated that I couldn't do it this year because a)Its to expensive ($400 for your booth) and that would mean that I would have to sell 13 items at $30.00each which brings me to b)I don't have 30 items to sell and won't before the end of August is over. So I couldn't do that one. I then decided that I should be teaching some knitting classes...I've thought about this before but never went through the motions of actually trying to do so. I've put up signs (the kind with the tabs at the bottom with an email/phone number on the bottom) and I also created a facebook page as well tweeting (tweet-ing?) about it and facebooking about it. So far, one potential taker. Doesn't anyone want to learn how to knit?! I've now decided that in the mean time, I'm going to knit several "lace" pieces and try to sell them. Knitting lace is a)Very pretty and b)I don't think a lot of people do it so I'm hoping that if I make enough things people will be interested in buying them. I also thought about making a few baked items and selling them at the outdoor market once a week. Thinking off all of these things makes me feel like a crazy person, like what am I doing?!
           This post is getting much longer then intended by the way. I really came here today so share with you a few people who are "independent artists" as I call them, who are just doing their own thing, doing what they love, doing what they are good at, and making money from it. If they can do it, why can't I? WHY can't I? That seems to be the problem/question. WHY can't I. Check out these artists who have seemed to be able to figure it out. (I feel bitter).

Jenna Rose:
http://jennarose.ca/








This girl seems to know how to make some extra dollas on the side with her knitting. Here is a scarf of her's:


(May I also mention that this girl doesn't at all look like she wants to be wearing that scarf)




Cute lockets



*Note: All of these artists can be found at White Elephant (A GREAT store that is worth checking out). Everything in there is handmade by an independent artist. Check it out: http://www.whiteelephantshop.ca/




Tuesday 10 July 2012

1950's Photographer

     Today at work I was asked to do some research on 1950's design as there may be a client, who's a photographer, looking to design her photography studio in a 1950's style. In doing this, I came across a photographer named Vivian Maier. 
   I found some inspiration in this and thought it would be interesting to design a wall of black and white images by Vivan Maier against a coloured wall so I began looking at some of her photos. May I also note that I love the 50's (not like tacky diner style 50's with poodles and black and white checkered flooring) but just the whole ideal and lifestyle of the 50's. To me her images really captured that time. 
     Vivan Maier has an interesting story (don't worry I will make it short). She was a nanny (who grew up in France and moved to NY, and didn't have a lot of money) but loved taking pictures in her spare time. She took thousands of pictures during the 50's and for decades after (100,000 to be exact) and stashed the negatives in a "locker" that she had at her apartment. In 2007 they were discovered at an auction two years before she died. What I like most about this story is that she wasn't trying. She wasn't trying to be a famous photographer, she just loved taking pictures.. and they are amazing.
Here are some of her photo's:


*Note: ALL photos are Vivian Maier's and come from the following link-
http://www.vivianmaier.com/