Rust Designs

Daughters

2011-05-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

I came home from walking our dog the other day and this was waiting for me. My daughter made it just for me. Not only is the coolest handbag anyone could possibly want, she scented it for me. So not only will I look awesome, I'll smell so good too. I hope you all have have a lovely Mother's Day and that you're lucky enough to have someone like my daughter in your life.

Crazy Days

2011-05-04T09:00:00.004-04:00

So how have your past few days been. Crazy right? With the capture and killing of America's no. 1 most wanted to the pomp and circumstance of the royal wedding. Hopefully you'll have time to put it all in perspective. In the meantime I thought I would share a bit of our spring break. We had the opportunity to go to Palm Springs, which is located in the desert due east from our home in Pacific Palisades. It's known for it's amazing mid century architecture, and I wasn't disappointed.

While there we check out Joshusa Tree National Park Have you been there? It's like landing on a foreign planet. Rocks everywhere, and not just any kind of rock, huge rocks that are beautiful and round and ever so inviting to climb. Photo above is the park while we were standing on a rather large rock. My husband likes to boulder, that's him with the huge pad on his back.

Want to go and experience Palm Spring in style? Check out this rental and you can stay in Frank Sinatra's pad for a mere $2600 a night. But then you do get to rest your head in the same house as Frank.

Too much stuff

2011-04-29T16:51:00.000-04:00

The past few weeks have flown out of control out the door. We've been busy working on our new site, which has had one thing after another go wrong? Not quite the word but not go well. Working out the kinks has been complicated. Too much time waiting for someone to get back to me about one bug then another in the system. At any rate that is enough complaining. It's just about done and I hope it will be worth all the work. In the meantime as I sit here waiting for some one to get back to me I found this great article about a fashion show for dogs, put on by FIT students.

Queen of Egypt

2011-03-31T09:00:00.001-04:00

Read anything good lately? I just finished Cleopatra by Stacy Scheiff. Did you know she died before her 40th birthday and her only husband was her younger brother? She had children with Cesar and Mark Antony. She was amazing and powerful and the Roman's were terrified of her. The book while not a page turning was really interesting to read and really very timely with all the events in North Africa today.

Old Bess

2011-03-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

We've been in LA for a bit over a year now. Hard to believe how fast that went. When we decided to move here we made a very a very conscious decision that we would try and live with one car. One car as far as I was concerned was one car too many. I love the freedom of public transportation, but I've managed to live in places with awesome public transit, NY and Paris and passable transit, San Francisco and Minneapolis. LA doesn't begin to have barely passable public transit and I live too far from my studio to walk. Eventually I'll move my studio a bit closer to home in the meantime my husband is pretty tired of biking to work in the rain.

The car hunt is on. The second car hunt. We've had Old Bess for 10 years and love her. She's a fabulous VW Jetta, fun to drive and oh so zippy. Best thing is that we own her. The thought of another car payment isn't a happy thought. I'd rather go on a fabulous vacation. With 2 children and a dog, the were kind out growing the Jetta. As I tell my husband the children won't be shorter next year. Here's what we're thinking about;

but what I really want is this;

Isn't it cute? We saw these cute little Fiats while we were living in Paris and I feel in love with them best thing is they are actually making their way across the Atlantic next year. My favorite has a cream exterior and two tone red and cream interior.

The Saga Continues

2011-03-17T09:00:00.001-04:00

Getting ready for the show includes so many factors from the booth design to the all important product and back to our website. We've had our current website since the store opened in '06 and while we've changed the look and added new products over the years, the guts behind the store has remained the same.

A lot has changed since '06. A crazy amount has changed and while I've never been unhappy with the cart system I currently have it does lack a bit of flexibility. A major issue has been managing our wholesale customers. We never really developed a system for it since it was never a focus for the business. Well NYIGF will change that, at least that is the hope. Don't get me wrong our retail customers are still and will always be incredibly important, we just want to add wholesalers into the picture. So for the past 2 weeks I have been looking at every major cart out there, and I mean looking and developing stores withing the trial versions. I tried; BigCommerce, Volusion, and AmeriCommerce. Just to name a few. I finally settled on Pinnacle. Why? It has all the shinny new stuff I want like, wholesale customer options, access to design code, mobile store integration, just to name a few. So far it's heads and shoulders above the others in terms of designing the store. I'm not a web designer and don't really want to have to pay someone every time I want to change a photo on my site, so it's really important that it's easy for me to do and not too time consuming.

The new store will be open by the 22nd and will have the glasses pictured above for sale, at last! Fingers crossed anyway. May be some bumps in the road between now and then. We'll keep you posted.

The Application Part Deux

2011-03-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

The application went in the mail yesterday. We found out that all new applicants generally are referred to the "Newest" division of the show, so we're not holding our breath for a spot in Accent. But wish us luck anyway! The photo above is our application. We had to include photos of our work, booth design and a bunch of written material. We gave a lot of thought as to how it would arrive in NY and how we would make it stand out against all the envelopes. They were very specific about the package not being over-sized or containing any actual samples. We thought a flat box sectioned off might do the trick. Have you noticed our revamped logo? I'm pretty pleased with it.

Since we've not done a show for this line we had to design a booth for the product. Our concept is a birch grove just after the sun as set. The booth will be dark, hopefully playing up the white plates, a bit romantic, which we feel reflects the product. We'll have trees in the booth and display product on the trees. You get to watch us build those trees this summer.

Unexpected Gifts

2011-03-04T09:00:00.036-05:00

I didn't mention the best gift I've received in some time. My husband cleaned our refrigerator. I must add it was rather disgusting, and he did a fabulous job. I'm thinking there must be a better way then getting grossed out and complaining about it. Do you have a system for keeping yours clean?

While on the subject I thought I would share a few refrigerators that I thought were kind of cool. The one above has a built in draught beer system

My husband and I really wanted the Smeg above for our house in Minneapolis, but were talked out of it by our architect. He thought it would not help with the resale value, since most people want huge versions. I thought they were so cool, but at the time they weren't available in the US. Now they are and come in a ton of colors. Best part, in my book, is the built in wine rack.

The Application

2011-03-03T09:00:00.006-05:00

March 11th is the deadline for our application for NYIGF. We are applying for the Accent on Design section of the show which is juried division of the show. Ideally we'd have it there long before the deadline, but that's just not how it's working out. For the application we got to gather the following;

·        Your company information (Bio or About Us section)
·        Product/booth photos (from a past show)
·        A sample of your customer list
·        Wholesale price list
·        Any press materials you deem appropriate

Considering there are 100's of thousands of applications it's important that ours is the best that it can be. It's been some time since I've done a show so I'm more or less starting from scratch. We've got to design the booth and present it in a way that is beautiful and expresses our style. The photo above is of the plan, and several elevations of the booth. We decided instead of drawing it we would make a collage. Next week I'll show you the finished collage along with what we are sending in. Wish us luck!

Cause it's easy

2011-02-28T09:00:00.001-05:00

Are you into slightly nicer stuff than what RiteAid and Walgreens has to offer? Have you checked out the beauty bar? Man I do sound like a sales person. I tried them out for the first time the other day. I kind of like shopping without someone leering at me. They have a decent selection and it comes without the leer. Best thing is that my package arrived at my door the next day. What about you do you like this sort of service?

Happy Friday

2011-02-25T09:00:00.016-05:00

So I thought I would end the week on a rather bright note. What do you think of these pillows by SJ Guest? I'm thinking leave it to a Brit to put a teapot on a pillow. Colors are ever so fun and would add a dash of excitement to my sofa.

What do you think? Ready to do any spring refreshing?

Should I go?

2011-02-23T12:24:00.000-05:00

So for the past few years it's a questions I've asked myself; Should I stay or should I go? This year I decided it was time to go. Where you ask? Well to the gift show of course! We've decided we could no longer avoid the market so come August you find us sweltering in New York. And we thought it would be great fun if you came along for the ride. In between now and then we'll show what it takes to put one of these babies together. From the application process all the way to the finished booth. This week we're pulling together our application and I'm trying to figure out how to present all of the press I've received. It then occurred to me that I've not updated that press page in some time.

I will do my very best to post every Tuesday with NYIGF updates. I've got big plans and I'm super excited about the new product we're in the middle of developing.

Surface View Two

2011-02-16T13:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever checked out the murals over at Surface View? They are amazing, you could find yourself lost there.

We have a HUGE and really really ugly mantel in our living room. It's granite and there is no painting it as much as I would LOVE to. Since we're renting the house our options are rather limited, but I'm thinking some sort of mural might work. What do you think?

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T11:53:00.000-05:00

Are you a fan of Valentines Day? Me not really. I fail to see the romantic side of it all. That being said I know a lot of people love it. Did you see my post on hot chocolate? Good last min gift idea if you need one.

I've always thought a balloon could take me away. Turns out I was right. How cool is that!

Have a wedding in your future? Check out O Joy's post, fabulous dresses, and not just for the bride.

Creative Resumes

2011-02-10T12:41:00.002-05:00

With the economy on the rebound, yea, it may be time to start looking for that dream job. I hire people from time to time and thought I would share a few tips for those of you thinking of looking.

When I post a job on Craiglist, I literally receive 100's of resumes within the first couple of hours of the post. I'm a small business without health insurance. My husband who works for a larger business with a really nice hiring package receive thousands of resumes within hours of a post. How do you stick out of the crowd? It's not as hard as you might think.

Just ask yourself the following questions;

Did I write a well thought out e-mail response? This is your cover letter, don't bother attaching one none of has time for that. DO NOT respond to the posts in the familiar, we don't know you don't assume we do. Using Dear and To Whom this May Concern will go miles
Am I really qualified for the job?
Did I read the ad correctly and respond to it specifically. Yeah, you could write a form letter and not bother to adjust for each job posting, but we can tell and if you can't be bothered than neither can we.
Did I run spell check and proof read my e-mail and resume?

These may seem like very elementary suggestions, but I can't tell you how many resumes I don't bother looking at because of them.

So you managed to get your resume opened, how do you keep my attention, so I that I pick up the phone and give you a ring? Make it interesting, make it relevant, make it pretty. I'm not saying all resumes have to look like Kate Nadolskis and Francis Homos, it might not work for your particular industry. Interesting, Relevant and Pretty will work above all proof read and then have your mom, husband or your best friend proof read it.

Here are a few interesting and helpful services I found for those of you on the hunt or thinking of it;

For those of you just starting or that can't wrap your head around writing a resume there are resume building services here is one and here is another
Sample resumes can be found here
You could go nuts here with all the free stuff they offer.

Good Luck! And let me know if you've any specific questions.

I did something really stupid last night

2011-02-10T12:40:00.000-05:00

Yes, I really did something really really dumb last night. I decided to pick up a cast iron pot, that weighs about 10lbs without anything in it. I had just finished roasting a chicken in it, the oven was set at 475 degrees (a great a super fast dinner my dad taught me). Picking up the pot without oven mitts yes, you read that right without oven mitts. Funny when you do something that stupid, I couldn't figure out how to put it down. So I've got 2nd degree burns on 5 of my fingers, 3 on my left and 2 on my right.

Here is what I learned;

running very cool water over the burn really does help, do it immediately!
keeping an ice pack on the burns for several hours kept the pain at bay
First aid kit, have one ( I didn't and my husband was out of town ) I do however have one at work and the burn cream does work.

Busy Busy

2011-02-09T14:54:00.002-05:00

working like little bees here today, and we're able to post what we had planned. Sorry Sorry. We'll be back tomorrow, promise!

Lunalux

2011-02-08T11:37:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I've had a thing for wonderful stationary. Yes, I've been a fan of letterpress, it's fabulous. The market seems to be completely saturated with it some of it wonderful and a lot of less than that. Jenni over at Lunalux has been cranking out the fabulous kind since 1993. Her store and studio were not far from my studio in Minneapolis. We even talked for a while about doing some Rust Design letterpress. Don't you think the photo above is is fabulous? I just bought mine.

Disposable

2011-02-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

It's no secret, I hate disposable dinnerware (if you can even call it that). I hate the entire concept, forget about the fact that it's horrible for the environment, the thought of eating off of something that presents your food, something you worked hard to make, in the worst of ways. There is nothing like the sound of china, the good stuff or the less than good stuff, it's 100% than plastic or paper. That being said there are times when carrying around chinaware is less than appealing. For those occasions you should check out Warsa. WASARA is a 100% tree-free product made from bagasse (sugar-cane fiber), bamboo, and reed pulp — all of which are agricultural waste byproducts. Added to the mix is a trace of a water- and oil-resistant agent.

Eating dinner under the stars may seem like miles and miles away, but sooner than you know it, you'll be back under those stars with a glass of wine in your hand and music in the air.

Warm Happy Thoughts

2011-02-04T14:37:00.000-05:00

As the sun sets on your work week, I hope you're able to get out and enjoy the world around you.

If you find the air too cold outside I hope you're able to cuddle up and relax with your favorite animals furry or not.

In the meantime I'm sending you all some warm California sunshine. Winter will end, and you'll get to feel the sun on your skin again.

Black and White all over!!

2011-02-04T14:36:00.001-05:00

One of absolute favorite cookies in the whole world, The Black and White Cookie. There was a bakery in my old neighborhood in Brooklyn, that had the best Black and White cookie. Sadly the bakery is gone, sometimes gentrification can be bad. I can't tell you how excited I was today, when I ran across Schwartz's bakery here in LA. It's been some time since I've had access to this earthly delight. Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode?

Have you added?

2011-02-03T12:08:00.000-05:00

There is an interesting conversation going on over at the NY Times regarding who contributes more to Wikipedia. The survey they are siting suggests that less than 15% of the contributors are woman. I found the article interesting. Check it out if you've time and perhaps add a little to Wikipedia.

K Studio

2011-02-03T11:22:00.001-05:00

K Studio, have you checked them out? So cute, what a great gift for a growing family. They have all sorts of fabulous pillows and my favorite;

Modify the design to fit your family. I think the designs are so sweet without being too cute. They also just won Best Collection over at Accent on Design. How cool is that!

Online Shopping

2011-02-02T12:51:00.000-05:00

So what do you all think of Lands End Canvas? I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised the first time I saw this new venture. The spring catalogue arrived in my mail box to yesterday and it's filled with easy classic, but not too high mom jean looks. What do you think? Have you given them a try? I've always been a big fan of Boden ( did you know they have a brand new maternity section, very cute), for my daughter and myself, but hasn't J Crew been knocking your socks off lately?

Images thanks to Lands End and the cut Heart shirt can be found at J Crew

Hot Chocolate how I love thee

2011-02-01T12:54:00.000-05:00

I love hot chocolate. I love so much that I look forward to having cool days in the summer so I can drink it year round. Everywhere I travel it's the one thing I try. There is a lot of crappy stuff out there but more importantly is all the good stuff. This month over at City Bakery in NY they are celebrating this lovely elixir with a month of different flavors. Yum, at the end of the month I'd surely weigh another 10lbs so it's a good thing I can't walk over and grab a cup or two.

For those of us out of walking distance from the City Bakery here is my gift to you;

Over on JRD's Facebook page we are giving away a mug and the VERY best instant hot chocolate ever. Yes, it's instant and good. For those of you that don't win one of the 3 mugs I'm giving away here is the recipe for the hot chocolate. It makes enough to last a week or if you're hard core and drink more than a cup a day, well you might want to double the recipe.

Best Ever INSTANT Hot Chocolate;

I adapted the recipe from one of Alton Browns. I found it too sweet and wanted it to be more chocolaty here is my version;

1 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa (dutch process, if not you might want to add more sugar)
8 ounces of your favorite chocolate I used a mixture of 70% dark chocolate and 60% dark chopped really fine.
2 ½ cups powdered milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper or more to taste
Hot water

Directions;
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat water.

Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely. This also works great with warm milk or with an additional nightcap.

National Pie Day

2011-01-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

Did you know that yesterday was National Pie Day? I had no idea. An old friend and former roomate of mine kindly informed me of this lovely day. She has a wonderful blog for all of you bakers out there. She also happens to be a designer/illustrator, so it's a really fun place to check out. For some reason I wasn't able to post her pie, so I went with a traditional american pie that happens to be british.

How cool is this place

2011-01-24T12:13:00.000-05:00

I could spend hours OK honestly I did spend at least an hour roaming around this amazing site. It's chock full of inspiration and projects galore. I'll let you know what I end up doing at some point, for now I'll save it for a surprise for the next few weeks.

Wouldn't these cupcake wrapper change your ordinary cupcake to a wonderful valentines surprise?

New Year Better Blogger

2011-01-20T17:08:00.000-05:00

I meant to end the year really well with a great post on fabulous things I've seen. The days passed then weeks, then it was 2011. How does that happen? Well it's a new year with a new start, and while I meant to start the year off towards the beginning of the month, I am happy that I am at least back to blogging before the month is over.

So what's the news over at Rust Designs? Well first up is we are in the middle of our very first Facebook contest. We are giving away over $200 worth of Rust Design product. Cool right?
Check it out if you've the time, you might win! Think of the wedding gifts or gifts for yourself.

Oh and before I forget, for all you hardcore Facebook people we launched a store right in Facebook, now you don't have to leave the site.

So with my new year I thought I would share new things I've discovered and few old things I love;

Frances used to work over at Country Living Magazine and has an awesome blog where she shares here own personal style, which I might add is rather lovely.

Going away but don't want stay in a hotel, you've got to check out Boutique Homes. Just fun to wander around the site.

Have you ever checked out Seltzer Studios? Such great stuff you'll wonder what happened to the last hour.

That's where I leave it for today. Great stuff lined up for the year so stay tuned, promise I won't go running off into never land again.

Sometime ago I had this cat...

2010-08-16T16:18:00.000-04:00

I once had a cat
His name was Malcolm
We called him M
and emmie

He was a great cat.
He knew where to take a bath

He knew where to stay cool.

How to jump high

Where to hide.

Yes, he was one cool cat.

Malcolm died some years ago, but I loved these photos of him and thought I would share.

Then, now, here, there.

2010-08-03T15:42:00.000-04:00

In 1993, I took a trip. I took a trip with myself and my bike and a few clothes. This trip was down the coast of Italy via my bicycle and across the boot via train with my bike to Brindisi to Greece via ferry where I continued my biking.

I needed a break and to figure out what to do next in my life. It was a great trip and it feels like a life time ago and yet not that long ago at the same time. Beyond my own personal growth and journey it amazes me how much the world around me has changed. When I left on this trip no one had cell phones, email or the internet. I planned my trip by going to the Italian tourist office and looking at maps, and by the seat of my pants. I didn't know really where I was going or where I would spend each night. I just took the risk that all would be OK and it was, more than fine it was fantastic.

I do that, just sort of fly by the seat of my pants, I don't know how to do it any other way. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. What about you?

The images are two pages from the journal I kept at the time of the trip. I've been back to Europe more time than I can remember since this trip. It seemed so foreign to me then, now it feels like home. I think I feel this way because of the internet, I can keep in touch with all my European friends so easily and look at the weather in real time in Paris. How cool is that.

If you bother to try and read my pages, you'll have to excuse the spelling errors. That hasn't changed I just have spell check now.

Don't you want to visit?

2010-07-26T11:32:00.000-04:00

If you've a chance check out this slide show over at the NY times. A fantastic house in upstate NY. The crow bedroom is particularly fabulous.

Few Things

2010-07-13T15:27:00.000-04:00

Besides working like a maniac to get orders out in a timely fashion here are few things we did around the house to surprise our children who spent the past 2 weeks with family on the east coast.

This table is a knock off of one I saw years ago. We made it with left over lumber at home depot and I've quite a collection of these tubes from packing material. The silver inserts come out and can be filled with water or whatever. The top is black board paint. My Katie loves to draw on everything. I thought by 5 she would have grown out of this but no. So a table for her to draw on.

Katie wanted butterflies and flowers on her wall. Her name in the flowers was my idea.

She really wanted a canopy bed, but she's stuck with the bed I had as a child. It's about 150 years old and really small. Perfect for a little girl. We added the netting for a canopy when she wanted one.

Owen is going through a WWII love right now. He wanted bombers on his wall. He knows the names to all these planes, I don't. So his mother painted them for him. I hope he likes them. I can't wait to see their faces. Owen's room was white before he left. He wanted black walls or lime green, we compromised to the color of the sky.

Work of Art - Photos - Artists' Shocking Revelations | Bravo TV Official Site

2010-07-02T12:51:00.001-04:00

Work of Art - Photos - Artists' Shocking Revelations | Bravo TV Official Site
Have you been watching this on Bravo? What do you think? Reminds me of my first year at Parsons. The projects the time lines, little to no sleep, ahh the crits. Good times. I hope it does expose more people to the art world, now that would be great TV.

Empowerment

2010-06-29T17:41:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's been a long time. June is generally very busy for Rust Designs and this month was crazy busy. I'm painfully short handed and like most small business owners I'm afraid to take the risk with more help. Which means there is a lot less time for me to do the things that I love about owning my own business, and blogging had to take a back seat, the very last way back seat as I powered through everything necessary to keep my business going.

One extremely empowering task I took on was rewiring my own kiln. I've been married for nearly 10 years and if my husband wasn't around to help I've had other men willing to take over. Well not this time. I'm in a new city and we don't know a soul. I tried hiring someone to fix it, either they wanted to charge a crazy amount of money or didn't return my calls, and my husband is out of town. Tired of waiting on a man, I did it myself. AND it works! Yes, I'm feeling fabulous. More later this week on what else I've been up to.

Fontainebleau

2010-05-11T13:09:00.000-04:00

While we were living in Paris we had the opportunity to visit so many places that I had been wanting to see for some time. But I must admit that Fontainbleau was never on my list and for that matter neither was Versailles. Both amazing castles, but most tourists visit the more famous of the two, and really that is too bad. Reason number one Foutainbleau is free and Versailles costs a lot, secondly it is amazing if you want to see a palace with all the pomp and circumstance really you can't go wrong. Most importantly the crowds don't swell to the point of popping the way the do at Versailles. It is also full of surprises, like the photos I posted here. There was an exhibition of the evolution of design going on. Boy oh boy was it fun.

The toilet, look how far we've come.

Chairs chairs chairs the stories you could tell, just look how you've changed.

All of this in a palace with doors like this one below

Crazy.

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

2010-04-27T12:21:00.000-04:00

Here are a few including my family tree
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and another

To Recycle or not to recycle..

2010-04-20T18:16:00.003-04:00

That is the question that has been weighing heavy on my mind as of late. Many customers over the years have requested I provide a gift box for the mugs specifically. It was not an option until recently when the company I buy my shipping boxes from started making them. Prior to that I would have had to have them custom made and no one was willing to pay the additional fee that would have added to the cost of the mugs. Now the question of recycling comes to play, I'm now receiving my mugs boxed in sets of 4. I wasn't using the boxes because quite frankly they aren't pretty, BUT my landlord doesn't recycle and I through away more paper last week than I care to admit. I was horrified and feel I need to take a bit more responsibility for my own waste and that of my business. The question then goes out to my customers how do you feel about receiving products in boxes that have clearly been used before or just don't reflect the product you're receiving?

Want one? Not a paper cup that is.

2010-04-20T11:00:00.001-04:00

I think this cup is wonderful and whimsical. I've loved it since I first saw it, but I've not purchased it. It lacked my need for hmm, ornamentation. I can't help it, white is beautiful, but white and black is classic and beautiful. So it hit me like a bolt of lightening the other day. What the cup needs is my name and my order, so I can walk into my coffee shop, hand them my cup with the info on and get my order, and do my part saving a tree. What do you think do you want one too? Of course with your order and your name, while the world seems over run with Jessicas I doubt many of you are ordering my coffee free item.

Is it time?

2010-04-08T11:18:00.000-04:00

So I'm not one of those women that has a hundred handbags or even 10 handbags. I can't be bothered moving keys and wallet, I'd always forget something and either lock myself out or be standing at the cash register and realize my wallet was in my other bag. No I don't change my bags in and out for the season. My bags do have to function. I hate design that doesn't function. Since I have tendency to put bags down and leave them behind I've been a fan of messenger bags for years and years. Back in the day I could only find actual messenger bags, but now there are tons of choices. Here is what I'm thinking about. Above build your own from Timbuk2

This one from Sea Breeze Studio on Etsy. Not over the top girlie but, you know girlie.

This one which is a big departure for me since I don't think it would be over the shoulder friendly, from Hayden-Harnett. So it takes me almost as long to purchase the new bags as it does for me to tire of it, it will be a few more months before the purchase takes place. Let me know if you've seen any great messenger bags

Expanding Family

2010-03-31T11:19:00.000-04:00

Whaa whooo! I'm an aunt for the second time. Welcome to the world Eli Rust. Thought I would share the love and offer 20% off all my birthday plates. Offer isn't valid with another, cause this is a huge deal and it will only last until April 10th. Please use code yeaeli at check out.

Travel Memories

2010-03-29T21:34:00.001-04:00

I so love this rug. Love the graphic nature of it and how can you not like the Eiffel Tower? Found it via Designers Block at Masion du Mode

Stuck in Traffic

2010-03-25T13:28:00.000-04:00

For the first time in well over 10 years I'm commuting. I've had the luxury of working from home. Which of course has it's positive and negative sides. I was tired of coming into work and finding my desk a mess and the constant interruptions. Of course the positive side is the commute. Rolling out of bed and into work was lovely. Today I get to experience the dark side of the commute. A car stuck in the shop and living in a city with little to no public transportation. Leaves me waiting and missing a day at work and so wishing Los Angeles had decent public transit.

So all you experienced commuters how do you work around being without transportation?

Design Job

2010-03-23T18:53:00.000-04:00

Anyone in Los Angeles looking for work? I'm looking to replace a fabulous assistant who didn't make the move with me out to LA. She was great so there are some pretty big shoes to fill. Some of the many things she did for me were, shipping, designing for web and product, production, telling me I'm crazy. If you know of anyone please let me know. Bridget you were fabulous!

Yummy chocolate, yummy gift

2010-03-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

For whatever reason my son asked me to make brownies yesterday. He's never asked before, and who was I to turn him down. So brownies I made and as I was mixing up one of my favorite recipes it occurred to me that this would make a fabulous gift. I know it's important for a lot of people to not only give a beautiful gift but one that is thoughtful and above all personal. OK, we know I do personalized dinnerware, but what if you've got a friend that loves chocolate. How fun to add your favorite recipe for brownies. I've had lots of people tell me they buy the mugs and add to the gift their friend's favorite tea or coffee. Wouldn't you love a gift like that? So here is my gift to you all today. My favorite brownie recipe, and trust me I've tried a LOT. Thank you Julia for this one;

The key to this recipe and if you like the crunchy top on your brownies and a moist interior (this is not a cake brownie) is to really whip the eggs and sugar. Whip 'em good. Use good chocolate but don't bother with awesome $8 for 3 ounce chocolate. I think it's best with Ghiradelli, if you really like chocolate use th 70% caco if you like it a bit sweeter go for 60% that's what my son likes and what I did above.

I love this cookbook. Everything I've tried has been yummyish.

Rut I am in..

2010-03-04T14:24:00.000-05:00

Not going to lie, I'm in a rut. Feeling paralyzed by all the things I need to get done but haven't and all the things I need to get done but can't for one reason or another. This is not a happy place, but lets not dwell on the unpleasantness of it all and get the hell out of it. So how do I get out of a rut?

Change: something, anything, routine, paint color, just a minor change can inspire...

Eye candy: Shopping baby, just French style for me which means I do a lot of looking and touching but little buying. Don't like to buy when I'm in a rut because for whatever reason it makes me feel worse. I go to stores that are out of bounds price wise to keep me from opening my wallet and stores that have beautiful things that just make me feel good for walking in the door.

Walk/ look at nature: Must admit this generally works the best but is the hardest to drag my sorry butt up and do. Luckily, I've a dog that requires some activity and thanks to her I've come up with some of my favorite designs.

Wish I could come up with a top 5 list, but that's it for me. How do you get out of your ruts?

Above image is thanks to http://kr.blog.yahoo.com/jaehwoo

What is UP?

2010-02-26T12:29:00.000-05:00

As the days turned into weeks and thankfully stopped at weeks, this is what has happened in my studio: Once I found a space the furniture and equipment needed to be shipped from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. Which was on hold until we found a place to live, since my studio in Minneapolis was run out the carriage house in our back yard. So 3 long weeks later my studio equipment arrived. Can't tell you how happy I was when I opened the HUGE box my kiln was shipped in to find it in one piece. The above photo is day one.

Day 2 unpacking. Half the day unpacking my house the second half my studio. It went on like this for a week. Oh, good times..

Day 7, my favorite. My little kiln is up and running!! My big kiln is still in Minneapolis so that production could keep going while the move was happening. I'll have to ship it via freight in the next 2 weeks.

Day 8 my phone and internet installed. Day 9 day, my phone and internet are dead. Yes, I love AT&T especially when they said, "We can be out there sometime tomorrow between 8AM and 8:30PM", which were my appointment hours the day before. No, that is just not OK, and don't you think the phone should work for at least 12 hours, before I have to pay for a repair? "Oh no madam, if it's broken inside we can't control what happens on the inside of your premise and you will have to pay a $50 repair bill." Hmm but AT&T just installed the jack yesterday.. and so the conversation went. Lucky for me on Day 11 my phone and internet were miraculously working. Took 3 phone calls to cancel my appointment with AT&T. Got to love it.

Pigeons to Peligans

2010-01-28T16:03:00.000-05:00

Ch Ch Ch Changes is the running mantra for me for the past 6 months. Some fantastic and wonderful others nothing but complete stress and frustration. Due to production issues that just weren't being resolved without my presence we decided to make the tough decision to come back to the US. I'm hoping to put the pieces back together of my business. Of course it isn't as simple as coming home and fixing. We rented our house and my studio for a year and my husband would have to find a new job, so we would have to start from scratch, new city, new state, new school, new everything. Relocation I'm tired of you.

So here we are in Los Angeles, where my husband found a job he is really excited about, where the sun shines and the mercury doesn't drop to -20. It will take another couple of weeks before things actually fall into place and begin moving smoothly. My studio should be up and running in the next 2 to 3 weeks and I'll be done with changes for a while.

Jardin des Tuileries

2009-12-09T05:57:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago as I was strolling through Jardin des Tuileries. I decided to stop and check out these guys. I'd seen them a couple of times before but didn't have the time I needed to really check them out. I've never walked by them without someone touching, looking and or wondering about them. They really are quite fabulous. So what are they? Well they remind me of creatures I used to make out of tinfoil when I was little, but oh so much bigger and grander. They were created by Ugo Rondine for the Louvre as part of their outdoor sculpture series. Each of the heads represent a month. How fabulous is that? Above is July.

April

November

They were wonderful.

Holiday Eye Candy

2009-12-08T08:19:00.001-05:00

Wondering around the streets of Paris this time of year is a fabulous feast for the eyes. Every shop window has a holiday story to tell.

Notre Dame is right around the corner from the main police station in Paris and if you're an American living here you get to know it pretty well as it's where you go to deal with all your visa hmm, yes crap. At any rate my husband and I were there a few weeks ago and as we were leaving what did I see but this huge tree being decorated in front of Notre Dame. I had to show my children, I thought it would be close to what Rockefeller Center has to offer. Alas my son, "sucks, not nearly as good as Galleries Lafayette." Yes, he may becoming french after all.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

Ahh, the holiday season is upon us, isn't it? Paris has been getting ready for months. My children are wondering when it will snow. Lights are all over the city. It's beautiful. I'll do my best to share the experience with you. This tree is brought to you by Galleries Lafayette. It's amazing since you can walk right under it and look way up at the huge presents floating in the air.

Villa La Rocca

2009-12-04T04:58:00.003-05:00

Part 2 of my fun day was the Villa La Rocca which was designed by Le Corbusier in 1923 for a Swiss art collector.

It was my first time in a Le Corbusier building. It's one thing to see photos of architecture and design and quite another to visit and use the products. Since so many of his buildings are photographed in black and white I never thought about the color he used in his architecture. Not a white wall to be seen.

Promise the wall isn't white but a lovely soft gray. This wall is where and amazing collection of cubist painting hung.

The details are there, the details are simple and wonderful.

The kitchen it is something I could do without. Designed in a time when people had help. It was tiny. The irony not lost, as a simple home designed with simple materials still required full-time help to run it.

Love the view and contradiction in styles.

All the walls had the history of paint on them. So cool to see.

Here is a bit of info on the house by Le Corbusier himself;

"The Villa della Rocca" or, to be precise, the villa belonging to M. Raoul La Roche, built adjoining that of Albert Jeanneret, in Square du Docteur Blanche in Paris. The expression "Villa della Rocca" was meant to suggest that, with building materials used for working men's houses,we had succeeded through invention and proportion in creating an undeniable architectural event. The villa housed Raoul La Roche's famous cubist collection. These twin houses marked the appearance of a completely new "architectural polychromy": white, black, red, blue, pink, ect. Architectural polychromy is a specific event; it is the natural and - for an inquiring mind- spontaneous consequence for the "freeplan" introduced by concrete and steel and by the "biological" conception of modern architecture."

Back in Action

2009-12-03T09:12:00.000-05:00

It's been a crazy last few weeks. The downside to running your own business is that often you spend time just that running a business which can be downright boring and painfully stressful. The upside is that after 2 weeks of trying to figure out a solution to a problem we've been experiencing since I've arrived in Paris, I finely had a bit of time to go and do something fun. And fun I had! First off to Galerie-Musée Baccarat where I got to see Baccarat's fabulous and totally over the top crystal housed in the most amazing space. The above room is encased by a painting by Gérard Garouste

Time Out the guide says,"Designer Philippe Starck has created a neo-rococo wonderland in the former mansion of the Vicomtesse de Noailles." All I can say is yes, yes indeed he has. I stood in this ball room which remains unchanged from the time the building was built. I stood in this room as a lovely voice wispered in my ear of all the famous artists that once passed through, from Salvador Dali to Picasso. I have a thing about walking with ghosts.

From the Ballroom to the Gallery where I was surrounded not just by amazing pieces of craftsmanship but also a wonderful space to experience them.

Yes, the room really looked like that. Light bounced, Images reflected. It was amazing and wonderful.

Spirit Lifter Jump starter yummy maker

2009-11-16T08:15:00.000-05:00

Need a little get up in your day, a little something to look forward to, a little slice of heaven, bit of France in your day, here it is, the yummiest possible caramel on the planet. OH so very good I could eat these til I popped. They deliver.....

Happy 103rd Eva

2009-11-13T08:34:00.003-05:00

If you don't know who Eva Ziesal is please check out this video. It's her 103rd birthday today and she is still creating work. I had the good fortune to meet Ms. Ziesal while in Germany working in Villeroy & Boch. She was a lot younger then, and a force to be reckoned. She is amazing and has been my inspiration. She is what I strive to be.

Decorative Arts Museum

2009-11-09T05:17:00.001-05:00

Last week was one of those weeks were no matter how hard I tried to make things work correctly they seemed to come out incorrect. I'm glad the week is over. I'm ready to start fresh with new solutions to a problem I've had since taking on this adventure. More of that when things are completely hammered out.

In the meantime I managed to find the photographs I thought were lost of my last visit to the Decorative Arts Museum here in Paris.

The pieces above and below were my favorites of the dinnerware I came across in the museum. Why you wonder, well mainly because I have thing for art that's been influenced by the eastern world. I love the detail and pattern involved. It is represented so differently than the way the we and the Europeans have done it and continue to do it to this day.

What I love so much about these pieces is how the cultures are literally overlapping one another. They are truly timeless, with a little modification here and there. I personally am not a fish fan, in terms of icons in my designs and would use another figure or none at all. I still find them wonderful and will keep them in the back of my head for something in the future.

They were both designed and I believe painted by Albert Louis Dammouse who was around between 1848 and 1926.

Oh, how I wish this light fixture was as beautiful in the photograph as it was in person. The shades are different colored flowers, red, yellow and green. Completely and totally beautiful. Just growing right out of the ceiling.

Next up detail from the same room, of a table that was designed to go with the ceiling fixture. Leafs scattered across the table, like they had fallen from a tree. So hard for me not to touch.

Slightly better but sorry not great view of the table. The room and it's furniture were designed by Nancy Bruxelles in 1904. The beginning of the new movements in art and design. You can begin to see how important craftsmanship is to the design of all these objects. Which was the fundamental believe to the Arts and Crafts movement. Ah and the kick off to all that followed..

Merci

2009-10-28T05:46:00.000-04:00

The plan was to do a post on more of what I saw at the decorative art's museum, but all my photographs magically have vanished. Don't know if it was a small child or the wonders of technology. So here is Merci instead. The much talked about concept store. Marie-France and Bernard Cohen, founders of the children's clothing boutique Bonpoint, decided to put their retail skills to good use, while raising funds for charity.

Many descriptions of what lays inside those two doors have been thrown out there. All I can say if you like home design and clothing you won't be disappointed. For me the store was more about the experience than the actual products in the store. Beautifully merchandised without being particularly special. That's not to say there aren't wonderful special things in the store there are, loads of them. Absolutely worth a visit next time you're in Paris.

Monday Windows

2009-10-26T05:54:00.000-04:00

Crossed over to the left bank on Sunday and strolled through the neighborhood. What did I find? But this lovely window that belongs to Le Prince Jardinier. Perhaps if gardening stores were more like this window I would be more inclined to garden.

Walking a little further...

There is nothing like a Chanel window. Or at least there wasn't today. Couldn't get a better image do to the fact that the sun was shining and I won't complain about that.

I just loved the details and yet the suit was so very simple.

Now this is something I could really see in my future dressing room, its by Roche Bobois. Someday I'll have a dressing room that's just the right shade of pink with just the perfect furniture. I imagine my dressing room will be more about the space and light then about the clothes that will occupy it.

Decorative Arts Museum

2009-10-23T09:12:00.000-04:00

OK so I have to admit I couldn't wait until next week to go to the Decorative Arts Museum. One, I was dieing to go, Two, do every get to the point where there is just too much going on in your head that you can't think straight? Well that pretty much describes what's going on with me right now. Too much stuff that I'm unable to influence or control so it's time for an escape. And escape is what I did. The next time you're in Paris if you've not been to this museum you must go. If for nothing else the view. I got to stand and look out this window for as long as I wanted. There was no one else there.

I got to see the most amazing collection of home design that spanned the centuries, basically alone. One or 2 other couples might have wandered by but that was it. I absolutely loved, LOVED the arms sticking out of the wall above. If I had cropped the photo a bit differently you would never have guessed those were done in 1650. They hold candles. Sorry the image is crappy no flashes permitted.

Fast forward to 1971 you'll find this amazing La Boule, by Helen von Boch. When I was in college I had an amazing opportunity to go to Villeroy & Boch's factory in Mettlach, Germany, for the summer. I and a handful of students from Parsons went to the factory and put our designs into production. Villeroy & Boch then sold them as limited additions in their stores throughout the world. It was amazing experience for everyone, but I diverse, can't help it every time I see the name I'm reminded of the experience. What I didn't know then was that Helen von Boch was such an amazing designer. Villeroy & Boch is still a family business (they started in 1748) and we met most of the family. I wasn't able to find much information on her but I did find lots of her work. Another example is here

Next week I'll show you a little more of the amazing work I saw.

Past to Future

2009-10-21T08:16:00.000-04:00

My next visit to the Louvre was the decorative arts spanning the Renaissance to amazing work Sévres started churning out in the 1800s. I can't help it I'm drawn to dinnerware. There is something so amazing about seeing plates people ate of off nearly 600 years ago. I admit most of what I have here were more than likely in the Renaissance china cabinet and used for special occasions, the key word for me is that is was used. The dinner plate above was painted in the very early part of the Renaissance 1450.

I personally love these two, and could very easily see them modified for today's consumption.

How cool is this? It was painted according to the famous Raphael painting. I find it so amazing that artists have been borrowing (bit of stealing here and there) from one another since the very beginning. I realize of course that this particular subject has been a theme for more than a few paintings, but what I didn't realize was how often those famous paintings were translated onto other media like ceramics or textiles. This particular plate was done around 1525.

I'm a huge fan of this whole series that took place in the Renaissance and continues today in Italian ceramics. Again these are mostly copies of master paintings and portraits done during the Renaissance.

This is a floor tile. A floor tile! I mean imagine how amazing that would look. Wouldn't take much revision at all to make this piece contemporary.

Finish up more the more recent work of Sévres or the Kings China. These pieces where done in the 1800's. Again with the portraits. I believe these where original works, as Sévres took great pride in not only the quality of the product it turned out but the artist themselves.

Next week I'm off to the Decorative Arts Museum. One whole museum devoted to stuff people used dating back to the middle ages. I can't wait!

Lovely Days

2009-10-19T11:41:00.000-04:00

The plan was to show you Galeries Layfette's windows this morning. David Lynch has done a series of dreams in the windows. They are amazing but impossible to see on any day but Sunday since tons of people are checking them out. So down I walked to Galeries only to find their windows covered with sales signs. Hmm I though you were only permitted to have sales in Paris in January and July. It was a lovely day in Paris and the city is meant for walking so that is what I did.

The holiday lights are going up all over the city. I've never been here around Christmas and I am so excited to see the lights, this being the city of lights and all..

What a cool bag I found in another window. This is an actual hand bag from the 1940's.

Down and past the Louvre and through the Jardin des Tuieries I walked and discovered this floating bed. Yes, that is life sized.

And onto the Champs Elysees where I walked and walked. Saw these lovely French boys. Oh if only you could see, the one to the right has on blue shoes and yes the guy on the left has a red scarf to go with his striped shirt. They made me smile as I walked behind them. I'm sure they thought I was stalking them as I was very close trying to listen to what they were saying. OK that's a bit creepy but I do it all the time trying to improve my French.

Louvre

2009-10-15T10:03:00.000-04:00

I decided to venture down to the Louvre the other day. The place is totally overwhelming and for that reason I generally avoid it like the plague. But since I have the luxury of time on my hands I am able to go to one section at a time, which really in my mind is the only way to enjoy a museum. So off I went to to see Napoléon's apartment.

The photo above is a close up of the walls in one room, which was silk and embroidered. Can you say Donald Trump you ain't got nothin on Napoléon! Below is a shot showing more of the same wall covering.

OK I'm sure there are plenty of you out there thinking big deal hand embroidered silk wallpaper big deal we have that in our bathrooms. Well check out the ever so understated light fixture below, that was in the hallway. Notice the gold trim, just what we all need.

Or perhaps you enjoy slightly more decoration on your walls, I mean really Napoléon you could have pushed it a bit more, with the Greek inspired Christian imagery.

He loved those Greek gods but was sure to keep them in the Christian faith. So much gold so much silk and carving, it blew my mind away. It's crazy to think the Louvre was once home to a lot of people. Next time I'm off to see some amazing ceramics.

Sundays

2009-10-13T04:45:00.000-04:00

Sundays are the best days for window shopping here in Paris. Nothing is open and only the hardcore shoppers are out. Which means I get to spend a lot of time drooling over the beautiful displays. I thought it would be fun to post windows here every Monday. I know I know today isn't Monday and I missed all of last week. The stress of being away from the hands on aspect of my business has thrown me into a tail spin. First a horrible cold and now my back cinches up every time I sit for more than 5 seconds. I know boo hoo for the girl in Paris. Lesson learned for me is that I just can't be so far away from the heart of the beast. In the meantime I am here and back or no back I'm going out and exploring this amazing city.

This particular shop I found while wondering around my neighborhood not realizing at all how far I had walked. Or what bit of Parisian history I had stumbled across.

The shop sold table top items, mostly giftware like vases and candles sticks. But what the store mainly sold were fake flowers. Amazing fake flowers. They also have real flowers but for those of us shopping on Sunday, we just get see the fake puppies. The whole front of the store is just filled with color and fake flowers.

The store is Trousselier and it located in the 8th arrondissement 73, Boulevard Haussman. It's a family run business that's been around since 1877. It originated as a flower business catering to funerals and of course celebrations such as weddings. It's expanded over the years including doing a bit of floral design for Channel. How cool is that and I just wondered past it one Sunday morning.

Beauty

2009-10-01T09:01:00.002-04:00

This past week has been a bit rough here for my business. Having always done everything myself handing over so much of it to others is a bit rough on me. I don't have total control anymore so I'm trying my best to let go and see the beauty I'm surrounded by daily and enjoy it. As the sun sets everyday I for the first time in a very very long time get to see sunsets.

As I sit and watch the sun go do down I'm learning. Learning about French wine. All natural or bio or what we call in the US organic, is huge here in the wine industry. It's really easy to buy a very good bottle of bio wine for less than $20. You may even be able to find a lot under $10, I just haven't found that store yet. Most of my previous wine drinking was from parts of South America. I love the deep rich reds of Chile and Argentina, but you can't find those here not easily. So I'm learning about French wine and taking it day by day.

Windows

2009-09-29T04:32:00.000-04:00

A favorite pastime here is window shopping. Can you blame anyone when there are fabulous windows like this one? This was taken at Printemps,(check out their site for views of the city) fuzzy furry things are everywhere here in Paris.

How fabulous are those ankle boots?

yogurt

2009-09-25T09:14:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite things to do is go to the grocery store. I'm sure at some point this will get old but for now it's an adventure. My favorite isle is the yogurt isle, yes isle, and mean whole long isle is filled with yogurt. My goal is to try everyone, lucky for me I love yogurt. The yogurt is mixed with pudding here or perhaps that's normal I don't know I've shopped in a coop for years and don't step foot in the big stores. The last time I tried a canned pudding it was so absolutely disgusting that I can't believe I actually took the risk here. Well let me tell you I'm glad I did cause it was yummy to my tummy. The photos above are of my favorite brands so far. We should have these in the US or at least the Gu. Which is the best not homemade pudding I've ever had. And yeah, I know it says it's pot de créme, believe me it's just really really good canned pudding.

Waiting

2009-09-24T09:56:00.000-04:00

This morning was spent waiting in a crazy lone line to finish up our Carte de Séjour, or a residence visa for France. You begin the application process in the US, which I nearly pulled my hair out getting done. Three days before we were scheduled to leave for France we still didn't have our visas which meant we didn't have our passports. Thanks to a lot of help from family and our local French representive in Minneapolis, we were able to stop in Chicago on our way east to pick them up.

When we finely got to the front door of the building my husband turned to me and said, "see that wasn't too bad only 45 minutes to get to the door." OK, I think waiting 45 just to enter a building is bad, we stood at the entrance for another 30 minutes before being permitted in. Once inside it did go quickly, but we were of course short some documentation, my birth certificate as well as my husbands. Oh my, when was the last time you needed yours!! Going to fun getting my birth certificate to France.

All I could think of, while waiting besides thank god it's not raining was lunch and then a visit to A l'Etoile d'Or, which came so highly recommend by David Lebovitz, who happens to have a fabulous blog about eating, living, drinking in France. It's one of my favorites to read even if you don't live here, perhaps more so. At any rate, I was looking forward to testing the chocolate he recommended by Bernachon. Not to mention the yummylish caramels, I'm a sucker for both. Well I wasn't disappointed, too good for words.

BHV Department Store

2009-09-23T05:24:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my daughter and I took on yet another department store, BHV or Bazar de L"Hotel de Ville. Really just BHV. I was on a quest to find cheaper art supplies, which are sold in departments stores throughout Paris. Once again disappointed, by the art supplies not the store. More craft than I need but great for children's art supplies.

Beyond the lack of serious art supplies the store was absolutely amazing. What department stores were like in the US perhaps 20 years or more ago. This store felt like a mixture of Sears and Bloomingdales. We wandered around 2 floors. I really wanted to check out the home improvement section. I love wandering around Home Depot, just to look at all the stuff, and I thought how cool it would be to wander around a French home improvement store, which happens to be in a department store. We never made it to that floor, but what I did see, if I wasn't so overwhelmed I would have taken a ton more pictures.

Here is my daughter picking out her favorite sink. Man on man if you could have seen the sink collection. Makes me want to buy a house and start a new project, something I swore to myself I wouldn't do again after finishing our house. I loved the sink floor which started off as a lingerie floor which slowly led into the bath department with towels then bath accessories, then the actual bath rooms. Yummy.

Smells

2009-09-22T06:17:00.000-04:00

Funny the things you don't think about. My family is going a little nuts with the smells of all of our detergents and soaps here in France. We generally go for unscented stuff in the US and we're having a problem finding it here. Our first night in our apartment was hard because of the smell of the sheets, not that the smell is any stronger than what US companies use it was just so very different. Everything from the soap you wash your hands with to toilet paper smells so different and mostly not a smell that any of us are particularly fond of. The French seem to really like strong floral scents. In a few more weeks this will become a part of our life, the smells will be normal to us. In the meantime the quest for unscented detergents is on.

Mango

2009-09-21T09:51:00.001-04:00

So truth be told I'm not a huge clothing horse, so it's not surprising that I'm more than a little behind when it comes to new stores. This one isn't so new, but I've been living in Minneapolis for almost 5 years and they aren't the first to get fabulous stores. Today while on my way to Printemps to check out their fabulous bedding floor, I stumbled upon Mango. I have to say I could have bought just about everything in the store. I found it fashion forward to the perfect degree not so forward it was made for teenagers with horrible quality, but not too expensive and of pretty good fabric. The site is fun to navigate with lots of ideas on how to throw an outfit together.

Art Supplies

2009-09-18T03:40:00.010-04:00

In deciding what to take and what not to take with me to France I choose to leave my art supplies at home, thinking I could purchase new supplies in France, since most of my stuff needed replacement anyway. The problem is we really don't have any contacts in France, art supplies are not covered in most guide books and I needed to draw like yesterday. So where did I go? Well Sennelier of course. They've been around since 1887 in the same location, people like Piccaso shopped here. Kind of cool right. Well you pay for that coolness, and you pay a lot, I'm thinking almost twice what I would have if I had gone to a less cool place. Well that's for next time...

The above photo is of the shop. It's the building with the green awning.

Here's what I got for about $90

The walk home was lovely over the Seine and through the Louvre.

More yummyness

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking instead of eating a pastry a day perhaps sketching would be more fun, although I really can't decide both are so pleasurable. At any rate the above quick sketch is from a bakery a block or so from my son's school. I walk by it twice a day and let me tell you the window is fill with the most amazing little treats. Speaking of my son, it was his first day of school today. I'm dieing to find out how it went. He was so nervous, not speaking French and not having any friends to say hello to, I'm stressed for him too.

What I tried today

2009-09-17T04:40:00.000-04:00

So I'm wondering do I try a pastry a day? I could. I'm sure I could try one a day for a year and not repeat. But should I? One a day or one a week it could be a project. Well at any rate here are those that I tried today. Not a huge fan of the green one, which I of course have forgotten the name and I have yet to try the opera. That in it's self is a project trying an opera at the bakeries in our neighborhood, I think we have at least 5 within one block of our apartment. The eclair good but not great, I think I've a quest.

Skinny Paris

2009-09-16T05:13:00.000-04:00

There have been many theories regarding the French and their figures. Is it the food the genes, I say no way, it's the stairs. The many many stairs that you must climb everyday to go out and buy food which you must carry home and back up those stairs. My husband decided not to go out the other day just because of the stairs. I'm sure we'll be used to them in a few weeks, but we still have to climb them and burn baby burn those calories.

Happy 5th Katie

2009-09-15T07:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my daughter's 5th birthday. Can't believe it. We moved to Minneapolis when I was 9 month pregnant with her. She was born exactly one week late. 2 weeks after we moved into our house, that I managed to completely unpack and set up, she was born. I was crazy. I like this birthday a whole lot more. No unpacking and a cake from a bakery in Paris. Life can be good.

Can't believe

2009-09-15T07:07:00.000-04:00

Did you see the movie Julie and Julia or was it the other way around anyway, there is a line in the movie where Julia Childs tells her husband she can't believe she gets to live here. I totally get it, I can't believe it either. Losing myself in the streets is such a pleasure. And I finely get know what lies behind those great doors than line the streets of Paris, for me now it's home.

First Week in Paris

2009-09-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

Our first week in Paris. Landed safely managed to get our enormous load of luggage to our temporary apartment and then again into another taxi and into the apartment where we will live for the next 6 months. We spent the week getting used to the time change although we are still having problems getting the children into bed before 10pm and waking late in the day. I imagine that will all change once they are in school next week.

First up was a visit to the Eiffle Tower. Both my children were so thrilled to go. Although I've been to Paris many times it was my first visit the famed tower. Truly hard to belief that it was meant to be torn down. I never realized the detail involved in the iron work.

The line was long, and the weather not perfect.

But the view was amazing.

Life's Adventures

2009-09-06T22:04:00.000-04:00

Here it is the night before we embark on one our biggest adventures with our children. Excited yes, apprehensive yes! The adventure? A year in Paris of course. Our visas arrived in the nick of time, well truth be told we had to beat on the French Consulate's door for them and pick them up in Chicago as we drove back East. We had to say farewell to our beloved family dog at my father's house in Virginia and drive up to Connecticut to pick up our children were they had been spending 2 weeks at their other Grandparents home, while we packed up our house. Our house we rented to 3 girls, which we hope we take good care of it, as we just spend 5 long years renovating mostly with our own hands. It's taken a lot to get the business in a place where I can operate it from overseas, still a bit stressed over all things that can go wrong and being so many time zones away freaks me out a bit.

So why did I take this leap of faith? Uproot my children my husband and myself? I've been dreaming of it since my first trip to Paris 23 years ago. Life is short and as I age and learn just how short it is I can't go on thinking I will do it one day. It has to be today so here we go.....

Happy Monday

2009-08-17T13:35:00.000-04:00

Thought I share this weekend's bounty from the farmers market. Don't you just love late summer flowers! Too bad the color and smell don't translate.

The Road to Paris

2009-08-13T15:17:00.000-04:00

The road to Paris has begun. First stop was renuining our passports check.. easy. Next stop road trip to Chicago and the French Consulate for our Visa.

We saw lots of cool stuff along the way.

Beautiful Family Farms.

Fields of sunflowers basking

Children relaxing... (not worry seat belts were on all)

and then we arrived

where the ceilings are painted like this

and the lobby looks like this

and a girl can feel like a princess

We spent a lovely 36 hours enjoying Chicago and supplying the French Consulate with the miles

of paper work they require. Fingers crossed they will arrive in the next week.

Paris should I go or should I stay....

2009-07-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

Ah.. Paris. I've been wanting live there since I was 18 and I took my first trip overseas. I fell in love, head over heels in love and have been wanting to go back ever since. Well it's over 20 years later and my husband and 2 children have decided if not now then when? So off to Paris we go. We leave the first week of September. So much to organize, school, work, house and list goes on and on. It will be an adventure running my business from a foreign land. I don't speak French, but have always wanted to. Wish me luck and I'll take you with me.

Green Stuff

2009-07-24T16:31:00.000-04:00

So a gardener I am not, but garden lover I am. Some day, I imagine I'll have a beautiful green patch, but for now I have a hard time keep our very very small lawn looking well like a lawn. I thought drapping of this pretty ordinary looking evergreen was amazing. Transformed a plant into icing on a cake.

Guthrie

2009-07-21T20:59:00.000-04:00

Minneapolis for whatever reason likes to take risks with it's architecture, more so than an other city I've lived in which include both in NYC and San Francisco. I'm particularly found of the Guthrie which is a theater. Another thing that may or may not surprise you is that this town is full of theater, I believe it is only second to NYC. Back to the architecture, the above photo is part of the Guthrie and you can go up to this "bridge" which will suspend you over the Mississippi River, how cool is that? You're not really over the river it just feels like you are.

Farmers Market

2009-07-13T11:50:00.000-04:00

Ever since the early 80's when Frank Gerhy introduced the world of Deconstructionism to me, ( used ride past his house in Santa Monica with crazy regularity ) I've had a thing for raw architecture. It's so main stream now that our local Farmers Market in Minneapolis is housed in this fabulous space.

We love to bike down here and spend our Saturday Mornings, eating fresh food and the yummiest little doughnuts ever.

Pinot Noir

2009-07-10T18:01:00.000-04:00

I like wine. I'm no aficionado but I'm learning with every new bottle. Last summer I discovered that I really like a nice Pinot Noir, I particularly like it in the summer as I generally prefer a red wine but they can be too heavy for my taste in the summer. Enter Pinot Noir, ever so complex and lovely but not too velvety for hot summer days. This bottle was ever so good. Please note that my taste in wine generally stops at the $20 mark which is where this one hovered. Not to say I wouldn't buy a more expensive wine, but then I need to know that I will like it. I love discovering something new in a bottle. And for tonight? It's hot and humid so I'm thinking something chilled, like a lovely Rosé, not sweet but dry and cool. Yes, that does sound good.

Frustration

2009-07-09T12:42:00.000-04:00

How do you deal with the angry people in your life? We occasionally have to deal with frustrated customers here at Rust Designs, mostly because we live in a society that has immediate to instant expectations. If these needs aren't meant then frustration and anger ensues. The beauty of our product is that it is not instant, it does require thought and time. Not everyone gets that and as a result they become frustrated and angry.

In thinking about this post I googled "angry people" and got this lovely image thanks to career-heights.blogspot.com. Do you realized how many sites there are out there to help you deal with angry people? We all hate dealing with them and I personally hate being one, what a day or in some cases a week killer.

What I'm wondering is when did this happen. When did instant become better than thoughtful? When did the concept of craftsmanship get replaced with "will ship within 24 hours". I'm not saying there isn't a place for that, and I would be the first one to tell you how exciting it is get something sooner rather than later, but there needs to be a place for thoughtfulness we can't continue to buy crap and throw it away. We're running out of space.

OK enough from me.

Happy 4th

2009-07-06T15:57:00.000-04:00

I hope you all had a fabulous 4th of July and were able to enjoy your friends and family. We've been busy here, wrapping up our new holiday designs.

Pierced glasses

2009-06-23T13:28:00.000-04:00

Does this freak you out as much as me? Pierced glasses?

Change

2009-06-22T15:57:00.000-04:00

For as long as I've known my husband we've dreamt of moving to France and learning the language. He speaks it a little I speak it next to none, no matter how hard I've tried. When is the right time for such a change? We are seriously thinking of doing it this fall. Wouldn't that house be amazing to spend a year?

Mac Motorcycle

2009-06-10T12:07:00.000-04:00

Is this a gorgeous machine or what! via coolmaterial

Comme des Garçons

2009-06-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

I know this bottle isn't new but as I was checking out the Comme des Garçon slide show on the NY Times site I was struck by it's beauty in the simplicity of it.

Carfish

2009-06-08T12:45:00.000-04:00

Fish or car. The ad is beautiful. I think the car is kind of fun, but I'm a fan of the small car despite having 2 children.

Glove Chaire

2009-06-04T13:09:00.001-04:00

I so want this glove chair from Conrans. It would be ever so lovely.

The Art Institute of Chicago

2009-06-04T11:16:00.001-04:00

On of the great side benefits to my visit to Chicago last weekend was The Art Institute of Chicago. I've been wanting to go for some time but every other visit to Chicago didn't afford me the time. Well this time I made an effort to get there. Have you seen the new Modern Wing? It is amazing. The gallery layout makes sense it is easy to go from place to place without getting lost (this is a major bone I have to pick with the Walker)

While checking out the new wing I was able to see one of my favorite artists Cy Twombly, he's one of the most influential artists of our time. He was one of the first artist to incorporate words into images. Something so main stream now that you'll find it in just about every graphic image out there.

Chocolate Baby

2009-06-03T16:45:00.001-04:00

It's been a long hard day here at Rust Designs, kiln isn't firing correctly, just lost a huge load of orders. I would like nothing more than to lose myself in some of Gearhart's Chocolate Located in Charlottesville, VA. It has some of the best chocolate I've ever had, all of it hand made slowly they way it should be made.

Holiday Progression

2009-06-01T13:18:00.000-04:00

Are you a traditionalist when it comes to your holiday colors? I know the holidays are no where near being around the corner but they've just about past here in product development land. While I love the tradition of the holidays and the color, I'm thinking of pushing it a bit this year. What do you think?

Country Living Event

2009-05-28T11:19:00.000-04:00

Interested in learning more about starting your own business? Are going to be in Chicago this weekend? Then you must register for this event. There will be all sorts of experts there to answer your every question, you can even pitch your product to the people at Country Living for a chance to be in their magazine. I will be there along with the other 2009 Country Living Women Entrepreneurs. What do you have to lose? Register here

Wallpaper

2009-05-27T10:55:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the latest issue of Wallpaper? It's about China. The cover is a piece by Ai Weiwei The sun flower seeds are actually made out of china, the material. China was invented in China and to this day continues to be one of the best sources of porcelain in the world. It took hunderds of years for western Europe to figure out this elusive material. It was never really perfected here in the US due to our soil is so different. Lenox has its version which is more of a cream base not the porcelain that most people think of as china. When I did my own slip casting or production of the actual dinnerware not just the design I imported the actual slip from France, pretty expensive. I also had a local guy who made slip just for me but it just didn't have the same quality of the imported slip.

How do I do it?

2009-05-26T16:58:00.000-04:00

I've had lots of request via e-mail and Facebook regarding my process. While a lot of it is proprietary there is a wealth of it out there on the internet free for the taking. Decals can be made in a number of different ways, silk screening, laser and of course the old fashion way by hand. If you chose to make your own decals silk screening is the only way to have more than one color and requires a certain amount of skill, but anyone that is good with there hands can figure it out. This blog has a huge amount of information for anyone that is interested in learning more.

Pretty Easy

2009-05-25T11:48:00.000-04:00

Setting a table for some is great fun and if you're Martha Stewart or a protégé it is not just fun but a necessity. I'm neither of those, but I do love sitting down to a lovely table and my children love it too. We eat together every night, except when mommy is too tired and we have TV dinner night (which my children really love). When the table is set the mood is set but I don't have the time or energy to fuss about it be being perfect. So I thought I would share two easy settings.

The above setting says spring to me. We have the luxury of lilac in full bloom now so that is the center piece (I remove it when I eat, because I find the fragrance to strong) the runner I purchased from Target last spring, the napkin rings my daughter makes constantly. They are beads on a pipe cleaner. I thought they were fun and spring like. That's it.

Next even easier

There is nothing more elegant than a white table. This is an antique damask table cloth my mother seems to hoard them. She finds them in second hand stores flea markets, garage sales. The draw back of course is ironing, which I hate, and who has the time. To make it a little easier I make sure to pull the cloth out of the dryer before it's completely dry, and let it dry on the table. Not starched and pressed but good enough for an informal dinner. I used the same Lilacs and when it's time eat I would replace the flowers with the candles that are on the plates.

I happened to have these great little globes from CB2 but a votive candle on a small salad plate would be lovely too.

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2009-05-21T12:24:00.001-04:00

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