Design Evolution

Testing, testing 1, 2....

2012-11-21T06:18:00.002-05:00

I all, I need some help. In case you haven't noticed I've been on an extended blogging hiatus. I returned recently with the renew desire to blog only to find out that my domain has expired. Well this is a major bummer. I'm hoping I can working it out all though I'm afraid that someone may have snagged www.designevolutionblog.com out from under me. Until I (hopefully) work this all out I reverted back to my old blogger domain http://vertigodesignevolution.blogspot.com/. Can you do me a favor and let me know by leaving a comment if you received this post in your reader. I'm trying to figure out if I need to fix my feed settings. This is so not fun, bare with me please :(

p.s. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Look Back & Moving Forward

2012-05-15T15:08:00.001-04:00

Nick and I have made a somewhat crazy decision considering we will be getting married in 4 months. We decided to sell our condo. The time is right for house hunting, the spring market means a lot of new inventory and prices are still relatively low. Of course, before we can settle into our dream home we have sell our condo. Now that the place is officially listed is making me a bit nostalgic. This will always be the first home we ever owned and I'm going to miss it. I decided to pull together a home tour so you can see how our condo has progressed over the past almost 5 years.

I'm going to break this post up into a few otherwise it would be really long. Let's start with the living room. Our living room and dining room are actually one large space. It's nice to have so much space for entertaining but it took me a long time to settle on a furniture arrangement that filled the room well.

I moved around furniture often. Much more often then you can see in these photos. I thought I would spare you the less than successful arrangements.

Here are the photos of the living room from our listing that were taken two weeks ago. Surprisingly the house still looks exactly like this. I feel like I've been cleaning non-stop. Selling your home is hard work.

I've taken a lot of pictures and rearranged a lot of furniture in past 5 years. Stay tuned there is much more to come.

Are You a Framework Girl?

2012-05-02T08:34:00.000-04:00

TaDa! Here is one of the other projects I have been working on these past few weeks. A new online magazine launched May 1st with my illustrations in one of the articles. Framework Magazine, founded by Bria Lear, is a lifestyle publication dedicated to sharing the essentials of stylish living. Framework is the modern girl’s digital guide to personal style for everyday living.

My illustrations are featured in an article titled "Weddiquette" on pages 52 - 61. Go check it out. It's was rather timely for me to be illustrating an article about wedding etiquette. I'm so happy with how the shoes and the wedding bands turned out, I should create paintings of my own rings and shoes to have as keepsakes of the day.

Take a look at Framework Magazine and let me know what you think. There are some interesting articles and I think it's very well written. I am happy to be attached to this new project.

GMCLA & It Gets Better - What I've Been Up to

2012-04-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

I think I owe you a "Since I've Been Laid Off Update" just like I gave you a Wedding Planning Update and I'll have a more in depth one for you soon but for today I just wanted to let you in on a few things I've been working on. Especially since I've been MIA, I promise I have a good excuse.

This past week and half I've thrown myself head first into a PR project and I'm learning as I go. My oldest brother is the Interim Executive Director of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA). How cool is that? Most recently the GMCLA has teamed up with the It Gets Better Project to take the message of "It Gets Better" offline and produce a touring stage production that will include a mixture of music, multimedia, and live theater. At each stop of the U.S. tour performances will be presented in tandem with a weeklong series of community outreach activities to strengthen local LGBT support networks.

Hundreds of hours will be volunteered by the artistic and producing team to create this show, but money is still needed to help fund the show’s development costs. Equipment is also needed to stage and tour the show, including microphones and other audio equipment, instruments, costumes, props, set materials, and road gear to house it all. In order to fund the production the team has created a Kickstarter campaign. The goal is to raise $75,000 and with only 6 days left we still need to raise about $20,000.

I've been busy emailing bloggers and newspapers, tweeting celebrities who are active in the LGBT community, creating Facebook ad campaigns, and reaching out to any connection I have. It's hard work but I have to say, when you are passionate about the project it's very rewarding and doesn't feel that difficult. I'm confident that the goal will be met but we can use all the help we can get so please forward this on to anyone you know who might be interested in donating or writing about the project. Here are the important links:

GMCLA & It Gets Better Kickstarter Campaign

GMCLA & It Gets Better Multimedia Press Release

Want to hear something crazy? I tweeted to Lady Gaga about the project and she actually has the video posted to the Born This Way Foundation's blog. Nice to know that she actually reads what people write to her.

My final plea to you - please pledge, share on facebook, tweet, blog, tumble, add the widget to your sidebar, etc. Thank you!

A Wedding Update

2012-04-05T17:22:00.001-04:00

The wedding planning is coming along nicely. We have a lot of the important vendors booked but there is still a lot to do. The officiant is booked, he is actually the first person we hired after deciding on a venue. Mitch married Nick's cousin was a total riot. We are not very serious people so it will be nice to have a ceremony with a little fun built in. My dress has been ordered since December (sorry no pictures, it's a surprise) and I finally picked out bridesmaid dresses. I swear choosing a dress for my girls was harder than choosing my own dress. Now we can shop for the fun things, like shoes. We have also decided on the entertainment and just yesterday I booked the photographer! Finding a photographer that fit my style but also my budget was difficult but think we are going to be really happy with the choice of Kate Leigh. Her photographs feel very intimate and natural, there are no awkward poses or forced smiles. Here's a few of my favorite shots from her blog.

I have to tackle flowers next and to be honest I'm not sure where to start. I have an idea of what I like but I don't have any experience with vendors so I'm open to any suggestions you have. But please don't suggest Saipua, their flowers are gorgeous but I can't afford them. I also really need to get started with my invitations. I plan on designing them myself (as I did with my save-the-dates) but I would like to have them professionally printed. Aside from those two large tasks I'm sure I have a million other things to get done.

Photo Credit: Kate Leigh

BYW Road Trip Continued

2012-03-15T10:36:00.002-04:00

Remember how I told you that the Blogging Your Way NYC Road Trip workshop was so inspiring that my head was spinning. Well, I wasn't joking. I told you that the only photos I took were the few polaroids I shared but I completely forgot that actually did take a few photos. I thought you might like to see some shots of the light studio and of Holly in action.

The studio was so gorgeous, look at this amazing light!

I've Been Sketching & Painting

2012-03-14T09:28:00.000-04:00

I want to be purposeful with my new found free time so I have been spending a few hours every afternoon developing my painting and sketching skills. I often put a lot of pressure on myself to create something grand so I'm treating these like water color doodles. It's working well for me. I actually finish the little creations that I start and I'm pretty happy with the results. I'm also learning how to use Illustrator right now so that I can create better digital sketches. I'll share my progress with that soon.

Inspiration for the legs found here and for the Geronimo Balloon here.

I am also trying out new mediums. I just recently starting painting with gouache. It's like watercolor paint but the pigment is more concentrated so the colors are much more vibrant. I look forward to playing with it more.

Dip Dyed Curtains

2012-03-12T11:59:00.004-04:00

I've had plain cream colored curtains from Ikea hanging in my living room for many months. I came up with the idea that it might be cool to try and dip dye the curtains to create an ombre effect. Friday I finally decided to tackle the project. What I had in mind was something like these curtain panels:

Gorgeous, right? The final result of my dying experiment was this:

Not quite as gorgeous. I had originally wanted to leave the top of curtains white like the ones in the photo above but I touched them with my dye covered hands so I had to continued the gray color all the way to the top of the curtain. You might also notice that my curtain panels are not exactly the same. I attempted two different dye methods which yielded slightly different results. With the panel on the right I submerged all of it in the dye and then slowing removed the panel so that the bottom would be darker than the top. For the panel of the left I worked from the bottom keeping each section submerged for about 30 seconds. I think I had more success with the second method but should have kept each section submerged for longer periods of time.

I would also like to try one other dye method. I'm interested to see what would happen if I just dipped the bottom half of the curtain in the dye and leave it there for several minutes to soak up the dye and have it organically travel up the panel. In my head it would look really cool but I have no idea how it would actually turn out. Which is why I would suggest experimenting with inexpensive curtains like these (I believe these curtains cost $15 for the set) because I'm not too upset that they didn't turn out exactly as I hoped they would.

Photo Credits: Top Photo - The Connaught Mayfair Hotel, Bottom Photo - Me

Snapshots From My Desktop

2012-03-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

Water color doodling...

Rory Beca for Forever 21

2012-03-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to limit the amount of shopping I do at Forever 21 because, let's face it, the clothes are pretty much disposable. I am willing to break my Forever 21 ban for this new collaboration with Rory Beca. This resort collection is calling my name with its dreamy palette and water color prints. That asymmetrical dress hem is actually growing on me and the sheer panels are sweet and sexy.

Check out the entire collection here.

What a Wonderful Weekend

2012-03-07T10:42:00.001-05:00

The Blogging Your Way NYC Road Trip weekend has ended and I'm my brain is still buzzing from these two creative and inspiring days. I can't thank Holly and Leslie enough for including me in this special event and for having faith in my abilities to offer guidance to their precious students. It was an exciting test of my camera/photography knowledge. I was actually pretty impressed with how much information I did know. Go me.

It was a busy two days so I wasn't able to take many photos by I did bring my newest toy with me and was able to grab a few shots. No folks, these aren't instagram, they are the real thing.

Check out this post by Audrey Smit sharing her experience at the workshop. It's a great break down of the entire weekend and she got some great shots of Holly and Leslie in action.

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway - Winner!

2012-03-06T12:07:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to... Melissa O! You are the winner of the Spanish Steps dress from Shabby Apple. I will be emailing you soon to get all of your information. For the rest of you that entered but unfortunately did not win Shabby Apple is offering a 20% off coupon code until March 28, just enter designevo20off at checkout.

Happy Shopping!

Happy Friday!

2012-03-02T08:41:00.000-05:00

The weekend is almost here and I am particularly excited about this one. I will be spending Saturday and Sunday as a Teaching Assistant at Holly + Leslie's NYC Blogging Your Way workshop. I am really looking forward to spending the weekend surrounded by creative individuals and learning a lot from Holly and Leslie. If any of you are attending this course please let me know so that we can meet.

I actually plan on starting my weekend early. This afternoon I will be visiting the Museum of Modern Art to check out the Cindy Sherman exhibition and this evening Nick and I have tickets to see Richard III at the BAM Harvey theater in Brooklyn.

What are your plans for the weekend? I hope your weekend will be as wonderful as I'm sure mine will be.

A Leap Day Triumph

2012-02-29T14:00:00.003-05:00

I decided to take this extra day of 2012 and use it to tackle one of my prior failures. My first attempt making French Macaroons was abysmal. The end result of my baking efforts was essentially Nilla wafers. Tasty yes, but not macaroons. The macaronage was runny and the pied (or foot) never formed. I blame some of my failure on inexperience and the rest on this cookbook, I don't recommend it. Undeterred, I decided I needed more guidance so I took the French Macaroon workshop offered by the Dessert Truck. It was a great experience and I really learned a lot though the process taught at the workshop was kind of tedious so I was not very confident that I could recreate my classroom success at home.

That is until I discovered this blog - BraveTart. The author totally demystifies the entire macaroon making process and after I read her 10 Macaroon Myths and 10 Macaroon Commandments posts I was ready to tackle the Macaroon Recipe. The results are night and day from my first attempt. I can't wait to try them again. I think I slightly over-mixed the batter because my macaroons could have risen a bit more but overall I'm really happy with the results. It helps when you have some guidance that doesn't make you feel like there is some vengeful macaroon god waiting to thwart you and leave you with cracked or deflated macaroons.

How are you spending your extra day of 2012?

Giveaway! Shabby Apple Dresses

2012-02-28T08:42:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited about today's post. This is the first sponsored giveaway for Design Evolution. I've been approached several times in the past but the products never seemed to be a good fit for the blog. I was contacted by Shabby Apple, an online shop for women's dresses, skirts, and accessories, and asked if I would be interested in a giveaway where one of my readers could win a dress selected by me. After five minutes of checking out the Shabby Apple site I said yes!

With interesting collection names like Mad Hatter, Set Sail, Roman Holiday, and Academia I couldn't resist the vintage dress silhouettes. The dress shapes look like they are flattering for many different body types. I've really been a slacker about getting dressed up more often so this giveaway has also inspired me to pick up a few dresses for myself. Here are some of my favorites:

Besides a large collection of vintage inspired dresses, Shabby Apple has carries a bunch of great skirt silhouettes. I am anti-shorts so come summer I wear skirts often.

Without further ado, the giveaway! One reader will win the Spanish Steps dress pictured in the dress collage above. It is the cream and tan dress modeled next to that adorable red vintage Vespa. All you have to do to win the dress is visit Shabby Apple's Facebook page here and "Like" them. Make sure to leave me a comment letting me know that you've done so. The contest will be open from now until Monday, March 5th at 12pm. I will choose one winner at random. The contest is only open to U.S. residents.

And as an added bonus, Shabby Apple is offering all of you a 20% discount code so you can shop to your hearts delight. Enter designevo20off at checkout to receive the discount. Coupon is valid for 30 days.

We're Tying the Knot!

2012-02-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

After I shared the exciting news that I will be getting married this year I promised to share some of the wedding planning details. The first project I tackled after securing the location was creating the Save the Dates. I knew I wanted to make the Save the Dates myself and when I came across this card I had the perfect jumping off point.

Concept by Christina Moralego
I change the color scheme, fonts, wording, and placement of text but the idea of recipient actually tying a knot when they open the card remained.

It was a fun surprise, family and friends seemed to really enjoy receiving these Save the Dates.

Stitch on Two

2012-02-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

I recently received an email from Kate Maloney Interior Design about a the new decor shop opened on the second floor of their design studio. Stitch on Two, located on 875 Main Street in Cambridge, MA, is filled with an eclectic mix of furniture and antique accessories. Inventory is ever changing so visit often.

The store is open Fridays and Saturdays and also by appointment so contact the shop to plan your visit.

Also be sure to check Kate Maloney's portfolio and her blog The Velvet Fantastic.

Reader Question: Help I'm Doubting My Fabric Choices

2012-02-23T08:18:00.005-05:00

I received an email from a reader looking for help picking out fabric to upholster some recent ebay/craigslist scores, here's what she had to say:

"I recently purchased these wonderful pieces at rock bottoms prices on eBay and my local thrift store. In the proposed setting is a mid century modern navy blue velvet sofa, a brass bar cart, a pair of brass and glass coffee tables and a pair of wooden lamps (without shades). I was initially thinking of upholstering the console in distressed leather and the stools in Schmachers' aquamarine Chiang Mai dragon fabric BUT I'm beginning to second guess myself. Additionally there are NO existing window treatments or rug."

I actually really like the fabric that she choose to recover the stools but I thought it might be helpful to have a few more options. Distressed leather sounds great for the console, I would stay with the original plan for that.

The reader's first choice is the Chiang Mai dragon fabric and I think the coral flowers are a nice compliment to her navy velvet sofa so I stuck with that color combination but choose the Hot House Flowers fabric as my top choice because I liked the cream colored background. Two other options, a suzani and another floral, could also work and are less expensive than the top 2 choices.

With the rich colored sofa and bold patterned stools I thought a textured neutral rug would help bring balance to the space. I've always been a big fan of this pebble rug from West Elm.

What do you think of this fabric options? Which one would you choose? Can you recommend a fabric option for these stools?

Reader Question - What is the Best White Paint?

Delightful Deal - Hammered Aluminum Bowl

2012-02-22T08:51:00.003-05:00

This hammered aluminum ANGENÄM bowl from Ikea designed by Nike Karlsson has a delicious matte black exterior contrasting the glam gold interior and it's only $24.99.

Related Posts:

Delightful Deal - The Perfect Carry-on

Round Up - Petite Accent Tables

The Tippler

2012-02-21T08:58:00.008-05:00

tip·pler

¹ noun

a person who imbibes intoxicating liquor (aka - a drunk)

A Tippler is also a new pub in the basement of Chelsea Market with a cool speakeasy vibe (there is no sign out front) and a menu of innovative cocktails, craft beers, and architecture to drool over.

The space, just recently unearthed after over 100 years, includes locally salvaged details like reclaimed water tower wood and train rails from the nearby Highline entrance.

If you plan a visit be sure to try the Caipasutra - don't let the list of ingredients scare you, turns out garam masala is a delicious beverage addition.

Photos care of thetippler.com

Pretty in 5 Minutes

2012-02-16T18:22:00.003-05:00

I mentioned yesterday that it is important for me to get dressed each morning and put on some makeup even when I don't have plans to leave the house. It's a nice boost to the self esteem to feel some what put together. My morning routine is simple and quick so I thought you might be interested in seeing the products I use. There's a mix of drugstore and more expensive products here. Lately drugstore brands, like Maybelline for example, have been putting out some really great products but there are some high end brands that I think are worth the investment.

Step 1 - Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. I read for years about how this is the world's favorite tinted moisturizer but didn't try it until I received a free sample. I'm sold. I have oily skin but don't feel it's necessary to use the oil-free version. With this product I can skip moisturizer after cleansing and the tint gives a good amount of coverage. I have acne acne scarring and this certainly doesn't cover them all but it does fade them a bit. If I feel like putting in the extra effort I will use my Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage to cover spots.

Step 2 - Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser. The sponge applicator on this product is nice and soft, it's easy to apply, and the coverage is good. This is a new addition to my collection but I really like it.

Step 3 - NARS Powder Foundation. This gives me a little extra coverage since I'm only wearing tinted moisturizer. It also helps reduce my forehead shine.

Step 4 - Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bronze. This product is brand new but it is great. These cream eyeshadow pots rival MAC's paint pots but are about 1/2 the price. I just sweep it across the lid with my finger and the shadow lasts all day. The shade range is limited right now but they're pretty popular so hopefully Maybelline comes out with more colors.

Step 5 - Tart Amazonian Clay Blush in Blissful. I'm in a coral cheek phase. I love this color though this is probably one of those products that you can replace with a less expensive version. These clay blushes come with a lot of beauty claims that I'm not sure I subscribe to, although I do like that they are made without some of the nasty chemicals that are often found in make up products.

Step 6 - Tart LipSurgence Natural Lip Tint. A sweep of color across the lips and then I'm ready for the day. These lip tints are really moisturizing but still deposit a nice amount of color on the lips, not something you often find in a moisturizing product.

That seems like a lot of words but I promise it is all really easy to apply. In fact, most of it goes on the my (clean) fingers. The only tools I use are a blush brush and a kabuki brush for the powder foundation.

What are some of your favorite makeup products? Do you have a quick routine you would like to share?

How Was Your Day?

2012-02-16T11:03:00.002-05:00

I just came across this great free printable from Silverbox Creative Studio via Jennifer Stuart's pinterest. It is intended for children to fill out when they come home from school but I think it could be a great way to track how I'm feeling and what I've learned each day.

Change Can Be Good, Even if it is Completely Unexpected

2012-02-16T08:31:00.004-05:00

This week is becoming Get Personal Week here on the old blog. Yesterday I shared some huge, exciting news and today I have some more life changing news to share. Unfortunately this news is a little less jubilant than yesterday's news. I got laid off from my job this week. I'm sharing this with all of you because considering the current job market some of you may be in the same situation. I thought it might be helpful (for you and me) to share what it's like to go through this process. I named this blog Design Evolution because I intended it to be a place where I would write about the progress of decorating, art, and craft projects and now it can be a place where I document by life's evolution. I have a great support system and a lot of positive energy coming my way so I'm looking at this as the opportunity I've been waiting for to figure out what my passion is. My plan is to pepper in my Day in the Life of the Unemployed amongst my existing content and I'll try to keep the tone light hearted (but I'm not making any promises) so I don't bum you all out.

First up - a plan to keep myself sane:

1 - Get dressed everyday. Sounds simple right but it's really easy to spend the entire day in your yoga pants. I think getting dressed and even putting on some makeup will be a positive way to start the day.

2 - No binging allowed. I had my little pity party yesterday but enough is enough with these darn cupcakes. It's impossible not to have a bruised ego when you get laid off but getting fat is not going to make me feel any better.

3 - Make a giant list of all the things I need to do but never seem to accomplish because there are not enough hours in the day. It will feel good to be busy.

4 - Figure out some kind of daily schedule, I have no idea what this should be yet.

Itty Bitty Cupcakes

2012-02-15T14:40:00.002-05:00

My Valentine surprised me with these adorable Baked by Melissa cupcake bites last night. Two yummy bites so you don't feel guilty trying two, or three, or four flavors in one sitting.

Seriously, How cute are they?!

Last Stop - Venezia

2012-02-15T10:43:00.002-05:00

It's funny, before we left for our trip to Italy when I mentioned that one of the places we would be visiting was Venice everyone's response was "A day and half is all you really need before you get sick of Venice". That was not true for us at all. It may be because it was our departing port which meant we actually had a few days to explore the city at a more relaxed pace. There may be another reason we loved Venice so much but you have to stay tuned until the end of the post to find out what reason is ;)

Venice is all about exploring and getting lost in its twisting, turning alleys. Driving isn't option because there are no roads so we spent all of our time wandering from one side of the island to the other.

Wandering really is the only way you can get around because streets begin and end and twist and turn without rhyme or reason.

Venice has a strange, sordid, interesting history and everything is beautiful. Every dark alley, every crumbling ancient building, it's all beautiful and undeniably romantic.

I loved window shopping at all of the sweet shops. I wish I had a picture of the millions of varieties of home made torrone, they were so beautiful. I brought back some of the pistachio flavor for my dad because that's his favorite but I was kicking myself for not buying more.

Okay I've tortured you with vacation long enough. Here is the real reason Venice will always hold a special place in my heart:

No other city will ever be able to top the awesome, life changing event of getting engaged. Unfortunately this grainy cell phone photo is the only one we have to commemorate the evening but I'll cherish it forever. I think I'll keep the details to myself but I can tell you that it was ridiculously romantic and the most perfect evening.

So what's next? Seven months of wedding planning and preparation. I'm sure I'll share some of it here although some of my family reads my blog so I don't want to give away all of the details.

Related Posts:

I'm Back with a Vacay Update

And the Vacation Rolled On - Capri & Sicily

I'm Back!