Brand Design Photography & Styling Clarity Consulting

Julia Rothman: illustrator & pattern artist




If you haven’t heard of Julia Rothman, Brooklyn-based illustrator, I’m so glad you’ve stopped by today. I’ve seen her work here and there, and every time I’m sucked into her artwork looking at all the little details. Her blog (Book By It’s Cover), that strives to gather all art related publications in one place, is among my favorite.

Read a great Interview with Julia via Grain Edit.
Buy The Exquisite Book here.
Preview all of her new patterns!

doe-eyed wall art: margaret keane



Finally. A beautiful pair of reproduciton Margaret Keane painting are hanging on my wall. Tracked down in the basement of one of my favorite vintage shops in town, these two painting fit perfectly in my living room. The first piece titled, “The Thinker” is of a little doe-eyed boy sitting at a desk.  The second piece titled “Left Behind” is of a little doe-eyed girl peeking through a hole in the fence with her kitty cat near by. They are precious and I’m so glad I’ve finally found a pair in good condition at a decent price.

Learn more about Margaret Keane–>

super 8 style anger management

A few weeks ago I went to see the movie Super 8 with the mister and ever since I’ve been randomly stumbling across some really great movie clips. I later discovered that a majority of them we clumped together under the Super 8 Group on Vimeo. Ever since I discovered this plethora of super 8 films I’ve been jumping from one video to the next. This particular video won me over with the awesome track by the Vivian Girls and anger management inspiration 😉

[vimeo 14513646 w=515&h=290]
August 2010, Barcelona
Directed and Photographed by Oriol Barberà Masats
Art Direction: Laura Martín
Production: Alba Fernández, Balbina Sardà, Sibila Estruch.
Make up: Gina Ros
Music: Vivian Girls
Cast: Laura Martín, Elayne Moldberg, Natascha Wiese.

flea market flop / GIVEAWAY winner announced




The boy and I woke up early to make our way to a flea market about 30 minutes south of St. Louis. I hadn’t really heard any reviews about the place, but some things (flea markets, antique malls, thrift stores) you just need to try and see what happens. That’s what we did and oh boy….what a flop. I felt like I was walking through a junk yard. The boy would argue that it wasn’t THAT bad, but I think he was in denial. It was also a good 100 degrees and extremely dusty. Let’s just call that the cherry on top.

I think I had envisioned walking through rows and rows of vintage greatness, and when the only things I found were 15 year old Barbies with no clothes on, and VHS collections, I was instantly bummed. I envisioned walking away with a mass amount of wonderful photos that documented this ‘amazing’ adventure. booo. This is yet another reminder that you should NEVER set expectations when you are thrifting. Treasure hunting isn’t easy.

Congratulations to Brooke of Bright Wishes! She has won the little blue book carrier from my online shop, Market203! One lucky girl.

my boys in fields of green





My boys and I frequently visit our neighborhood dog park and each time we stop by there are new people to chit chat with and old friends for Porter to run around with. You can tell it’s a place where he’s truly happy and we love seeing him all giddy, ears flapping in the wind. I included a picture of the ducks as an update…Porter is still scared of them. Go figure!

food styling/photography with Katie Davis






*all images were pulled from Katie’s Blog. Click image to visit more of her work on her blog!

One of the first blogs I ever found, What Katie Ate, stole my heart with beautifully photographed food and table settings (based out of Australia). She makes the pickiest eater, like myself want to step outside our comfort zones, just to get a little piece of what’s she puts together. Her work is slowly getting recognized and I don’t doubt she’ll be everywhere in a year or two. She some more of her recent projects in the links below.

See the Design File interview with Katie.
Watch a video of Katie talking about her career on Facebook.
Flip through a 250+ page online magazine put together by Katie (pure amazingness)

Enjoy your Saturday!

friday finds & favorites // 24

What a good week! I’ve been waiting for the universe to shift and a little light to be shown my way. I can only hope for this feeling to stick around. Counting down the days until my vacation to Portland OR.

[vimeo 17188504 w=515&h=290]
Thanks to The Selby, we now have a great process video of artist, Tom Sachs.

[vimeo 22861096 w=515&h=290]
Congrats to Grace Bonney and her upcoming book release for her blog Design Sponge.

[vimeo 25576639 w=515&h=290]
Thanks to Gillian over at Etsy we have this beautiful video to watch. I strive to tell the story behind all my projects just like this guy!

1. Now that you’ve seen Grace’s video of her upcoming book Design Sponge at Home, go pre-order your copy today! ORDER HERE

2. Apartment Therapy never fails to steal my heart with their DIYs. This reclaimed wood table is perfect and totally doable!

3. One of my favorite new blogs! Nordic Design blog showcases the best of Scandinavian designs.

4. I would love to own one of these Anderson’s belts. So colorful!

5. Portland Parks artprint by Jon Macnair via Society 6

6. Work.PlacePDX is a blog that documents the best of Portland’s creative spaces. It strives to understand the creative process and where all the “action” takes place. I must say this is an amazing idea!

7. Are you looking for a FREE workshop to attend? Go on over to Daily Imprint to check out their workshop called “How to Create a Successful Online Business”.

8. Another amazing home decorating post by Mandi over at Here’s Looking at Me Kid. She talks about decorating your tightly-spaced hallway!

9. Before and After with buffet from IKEA. Go Decor8! It’s so pretty.

Happy Friday lovely reader! I hope you enjoy your holiday weekend!

on cherokee street




Walking down Cherokee street is most likely going to be an entertaining little stroll. This area is booming with hispanic culture and is slowly being taken over by a growing art scene. (print making studios, art galleries, unique shops/cafes) The streets are dirty, the passing music is load with rattling bumpers, and there is enough graffiti to turn the streets into colorful walkways. You never know what you’ll find out there, but I’ve grown accustomed to… great mexican food, a diverse cultural scene, and the need to wash your hands.

wish list (I'm sure you expected this)

I think birthday’s make it double OK to make “I WANT THAT” kind of lists. Although I know I’m not going to buy all these things for myself turning because I’m one day older, it is fun to put together, dream a little, and then buy one thing for yourself. Maybe it’s OK to buy all these things for during your the entire birthday month, or in my case..the month following??? Who’s making up the rules around here anyway.


*click images for original source of product*



*original source unknown / if you know…let me know*

FYI: I share birthday with Sandi over at Adalou and Anika over at A is For Anika

the big 2-5


Today I turn the big 25. I’v been kind of freaked out about this one for some reason. All the others were easy, carefree, and passed quickly. This time around it feels like I’ve suddenly been put on a timeline…hurry, get this done..go, go go. I suppose today is no different from yesterday, but I’m predicting big things happening this year.

Instead of making another list for myself of things that need to be accomplished by a certain date (ex: 26 things I’d like to do before I turn 26) I’m going to write down 24 things that I accomplished during my 24th year. Looking back and compiling this list has made me realize that I really did get a lot done this year. Go me!

1. Brought a puppy into our household and made it through the puppy woes.
2. I started to read more books. About a book a month seems about right. (that’s good for me and my short attention span)
3. I grew my vintage collection and tossed out a lot of old “placeholder” items.
4. I started this blog half way through the year. I must say I’m hooked and I won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
5. I’ve taken on several freelance project and gained some extra cash in the process!
6. I got a promotion at my day job. I’m no longer considered “entry level”.
7. I’ve gained a few pen pals, some from across the globe.
8. Through blogging I’ve been able to meets so many great people. I’m amazed at the expanse of the blogging community.
9. Crazy me has even started my own small business. Who knew THAT was going to happen!
10. I started my first quilting project. I’ve somewhat lost momentum, but hope to jump back on it soon.
11. Grew my hair out. I will NEVER cut it short again.
12. I stopped caring about being tan. All the years leading up to this past year have been spend soaking up as much rays as I could. No time for that anymore and surprisingly, I don’t mind.
13. This is going to sound weird, but I took off my toe ring. I had the same exact toe ring on for 9 years, and the only reason I wore it was to see how long I could go. OMG!
14. I started going to yoga to try and relieve my regular headaches. It’s been working.
15. I started going to a chiropractor on a regular basis to also help with headaches. It’s been working.
16. I bought my digital SLR camera and re-taught myself the basics of good photography.
17. yes…I read the twilight series and liked it.
18. I’ve been growing my record collection and it now contains some classics from my grandparents basement and my father’s childhood.
19. I tried eating green peppers and cucumbers, two things I’ve never liked, and somehow my taste buds have evolved enough to make them taste good now.
20. I’ve completed more entire television series than I’d like to admit.
21. I’ve carried the same purse for the whole year. This is an accomplishment for me considering I’m kind of a bag lady.
22. Found a crazy amount of ‘heads-up’ pennies. Still waiting to see if it meant anything.
23. Made some really great friends through my job at the advertising agency. You know you’ve made good friends when you miss them while they are out on vacation.
24. Got to know St. Louis on a real personal level. We’ve been here for 2 years now, and it’s finally feeling like home.

I have a feeling 25 is going to be life changing!

* Yes that above image was my birthday cake…that I bought for myself…because I can….and I wanted ice cream, lots of it.


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