Paper Yum

I'm in love with these assorted papers from Mieke Willems in Belgium. They have an online shop and ship to the U.S.; the papers are small...origami-like sized squares. I've got a hundred ideas for the uses of the paper but can hardly bear to cut any.

Soap

Hi friends!
This weekend we were visiting Chris' family in Connecticut...we decided to head over to Greenwich Avenue to do a little holiday shopping. While at Kate's Paperie (of COURSE I had to go there!!!) I saw these gorgeous packaged soaps and picked a few up. Not only did each smell AMAZING (and unique!); I love the packaging. The label design is sophisticated and I especially love the different patterned papers. These ones shown are tiny mini bars (great for part of a gift bag or something like that) but there are also giant bars. You can get full bars or a gift set of 6 mini bars HERE.

Show and Tell Tuesday

Show & Tell Tuesday is my chance to show you some favorite objects around my home and why I like them.

My first Show & Tell Tuesday item is a rather simple one. While Chris and I were roaming around Florence, Italy last year we happened upon a great stationery shop. It was filled with hand-made and hand-printed papers...all with beautiful patterns and colors. It was a dream for me! I was scared the flat paper would get completely wrinkled and ripped on my trip home, and when I happened upon this great clip wrapped in my favorite paper there...well, I was sold. This is a clothes pin covered in 2 bits of board wrapped in handmade paper. I love the saturated colors in the pattern. It now sits on my vanity table in my bedroom so that I can admire it each day. This souvenir enabled me to have my favorite paper without worrying about ruining it in transit...and it's also a useful item I can admire for years to come. Who else wants to share in Show & Tell Tuesday?

My flock

Well, it's hard finding the exact paper I wanted to cover the insulation panels in my studio. Everything was either over the moon expensive or out of stock. ARG! I was in Paper-Source last night and found this silk paper that is flocked with this curry yellow pattern. I didn't see it on the online shop though. I bought a sheet to test it out and see if it could be seen through when placed on our silver insulation (and you can't...Yay!) so I think I will go ahead and buy several sheets. Since we aren't putting up walls (i.e. "finishing" the basement) I need a way to make it look more inviting and cozy in my work space down there. We need one more coat of paint and then I'll install the sheets of paper over the silver panels on either side of the window...the silver reflective surface is not my idea of inviting. I also bought some curry-colored solid wrapping paper to layer in if needed...which I think it will. Well, off to get back to work! Have a great day!
P.S. The show "Wicked" was really good! It got a little too shmaltzy during some parts which made me want to poke my eye out, but other than that I enjoyed it.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Well, it's tomorrow, but I figure I'll write today. As you can see, the China is ready for the fabulous meal to come. Chris and I are hosting Easter and having my parents, my brother, my Aunt, and my cousin come over for the day. Chris is making a roasted Rosemary and Garlic leg of lamb with mushroom risotto and salad. I'm avoiding the lamb and sticking with the risotto myself. We're excited. Today means a massive cleaning of the house (which I dread) but it will be worth it.
This past week I went and had a web design tutorial session with Camilo; and it was fabulous! I learned so much and have a good handle on my website redesign. I've got a bunch of it done, but the portfolio section is the largest part and is yet to be started. Yikes! I went to a paper show with an associate/friend of mine and it was very interesting. The theme of the show was on "green" environmentally friendly paper practices, etc. It was so informative. One thing we as designers can do is select papers that are FSC certified and use printers that are FSC certified. This indicates that the paper used to print comes from a forest which is well-managed according to strict environmental, social, and economical standards. These forests are sustainable and made for the purposes of producing paper so that the forests key to our world's survival are protected. This issue with paper production now goes way beyond just being recycled. The papers now are so beautiful. You would NEVER know they were recycled. There's so many lovely choices now in the recycled/green side of things and the prices are almost the same. There's no good reason to NOT choose FSC Certified papers...it's a win/win. In order to find out more; just ask your printer or paper vendor. It's a hot topic right now and is likely the way all paper is going. You can find out how your choices impact the environment by checking out www.papercalculator.org. It's so fascinating at the HUGE impact one little project can make. Play around on that website; you'll see what I mean! As a designer I always wonder how I can have a positive impact on the world in some way. This seems to be the area where the choices I make matter. For the sake of my future children I have to take this seriously. I'm realizing I have to educate myself on these issues because nobody is going to do it for me. Have a great weekend everyone!