If you’ve flipped through a magazine or perused the blogosphere recently, no doubt you’ve come across press for San Francisco shop March, and rightly so: owner Sam Hamilton redesigned her shop in 2011, turning the focus from antiques to kitchens and housewares. The space is cheery, bright and full of stylish and craveable product. (I simply had to see it, and so March was Stop Number One on my recent trip to the Bay Area.) What you may not know is that the graphic design work for March, which I’m equally smitten with, was created by San Francisco studio Design is Play. I love the totality of their identity work, from the double “M”/circle logo for March, to the letterpressed hang tags, to the packaging for the March Pantry line (clever reworking/tweaking/update to Gotham).  The result is a label so pretty, you feel like you’re bringing home a small piece of artwork instead of a jar of kosher salt. Perfect.

all images courtesy of design is play: march pantry photography taken by kirk amyx

To mark the 20th anniversary of SMS texting, Moleskine has launched an SMS notebook for analog texting. Introduced at Milan’s Design Week, Pietro Corraini’s idea is simple and appeals to the kid in all of us: choose from 56 messages (“I love you”/”Call Me”), select the desired distance from markings on the cover (up to 17 ft), pull back on the elastic, and shoot. Brilliant, and no need to wonder if your message arrived – you will know. Watch Moleskine’s SMS in action below. Produced as a limited edition and available at the MoleskineStore.

images from moleskine.com; video from moleskineart’s youtube channel

ᔥ protein

I’ve been obsessed with Scalamandre’s Zebra print forever, so I was thrilled to find J. Falkner’s Leaping Zebra notecard set. The cards come with vellum envelopes which allow the zebra to shine. Perfect.

scalamandre photo via morrison polkinghorne; notecards image from jfalkner.com
↬ real simple magazine, may 2012

After a very warm March, April has been cool + a bit of a letdown. (Sorry, April, but it’s true.) I am so eager to start outdoor living season, and the forecast is not coöperating. I’m hoping that things turn around this week in time for Cinco de Mayo.

While I wait, here are a few of my Flickr favorites from April:

1. Untitled
2. Crystal ball
3. weathered
4. By the Bay
5. and how are you doing?
6. sunday night porch.
7. BACKGROUND::SET-UP

Bring on spring!

invitation suite

The Friends of the Public Garden, dedicated to preserving and enhancing Boston’s Public Garden, Boston Common, and Commonwealth Avenue, is hosting its annual Green & White Ball, in conjunction with the Taj Boston, this May. Felix Doolittle was charged with designing this year’s invitation suite – I think it was the perfect choice, as illustrator Felix Fu captures the Public Garden, one of my favorite places, in glorious detail. (I’m wishing I were in Boston right now.) For a deeper look behind the scenes of Felix’s creative process, visit the newly launched blog, Felix Doolittle Sketches, which includes more photos of his illustrations for the Green & White Ball.

close-up

concept sketch

final illustration

images courtesy of felix doolittle

I need pretty storage items to encourage me to get organized (and declutter), and I’ve had these pretty boxes from Hay on my mind ever since I spotted them at Oh Happy Day a while back. The colors are sweet yet serious, and the inherent challenge of getting them to Chicago from Copenhagen makes them all the more appealing.

1. box box desktop in female, 2. box box in female, 3.  blocks, in assorted colorways

all images from hayshop.dk

Ici, located on College Avenue in Berkeley, is an ice cream shop that’s full of charm. Opened in 2006 by former Chez Panisse pastry chef Mary Canales, no surprise that the ice cream is top-notch as well. Ici uses all local-sourced, fresh ingredients. We stopped by on our way to SFO, and my affogato (made with Blue Bottle Coffee) was the perfect treat to end our visit.

sweets: wrapped and ready

menu items: framed + hung with ribbon. sweet.

if you live in the bay area, follow ici at twitter for the daily flavors!

Looking for a last-minute Easter gift? Head over to the bookstore and pick up a copy of Our Farm. I had a chance to peruse it recently at a bookstore in Mill Valley, and was captivated by Robert Rahway Zakanitch’s illustrations, based on animals rescued from factory farms who live at Farm Sanctuary (located in New York and California).  Author Maya Gottfried tells the animals’ stories in poetry. Read more about the book (and get a glimpse of the pretty artwork) at the Our Farm website.

image from ourfarmbook.com

name card mini book

I am always on the lookout for simple + pretty ways to stay organized, and MochiThings is a new favorite source. An amazingly wide variety of practical, well-designed products.

mini cash planner

daily schedule sticky note

184 planner (inside view)

images from mochithings.com (photos link to product)

April is here, and I am itching to start outdoor living season: last week’s vacation to San Francisco and Napa made my love for spring (and temperate climates) all the more apparent.

While I wait, a selection of March Flickr favorites:

1. untitled
2. Moon
3. march 11
4. cheers
5. this morning
6. untitled
7. untitled
8. Primo Passo Coffee Co. ~ Santa Monica, California

And for my proud mama moment, the photo at top was taken by my buddy on our SF trip. He’s uploaded a few photos to Flickr, too.