I just got my Lonely Planet London 2010 guidebook in the mail. I can’t wait for February! I plan to visit my good friend Kendra who is going to King’s College for grad school and studying film (you can check out her amazing labor of love HERE). Next item on my to-do list is to get a copy of my birth certificate and my passport. Baby steps to London…

Picnic at Hanging Rock (Weir, 1975), an Australian film about a group of girls on a Boarding School trip to Hanging Rock. Taking place in the Victorian era, not only is this movie unsettling and eerie, but it’s also delightfully beautiful – a combination that makes this movie a must-see. (And, who doesn’t love black tights with white dresses?)

“I know that Miranda is a Botticelli angel.” - Mademoiselle de Poitiers

“A surprising number of human beings are without purpose, though it is probable that they are performing some function unknown to themselves.” -Marion

“Miranda knows lots of things other people don’t know. Secrets. She knew she wouldn’t come back.” – Sara

“Madam, something terrible has happened.” – Mademoiselle de Poitiers

Just something I wanted to share on this mellow Wednesday. It’s gloomy and cold outside, but warm and calm inside. Here are the Born Ruffians performing Little Garçon, one of my favorite songs off of their Red, Yellow & Blue album. It gets groovy around 1:52… wait for it. This version is a bit different than the album version, still good though. Enjoy, and happy Wednesday.

I just realized that July 10th marked my 3rd year writing in this little blog. It’s been so much fun. Cheers to many more years. To those who have subscribed, thanks so much for reading!

And to add sugar to my sweet tea, the Olsen twins decided to drop by to help celebrate the occasion. As my good friend Jane likes to say, “Let’s get crunk!” Happy Friday, everyone!

Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929) is without a doubt one of the most visually inspiring films I have ever seen. It’s a big statement, I know. But it’s the truth.

As I have mentioned in this blog in the past, I am a huge, HUGE fan of Soviet Avant Garde, particularly, the work of the Stenberg Brothers (who created both posters for this film, seen above). These men, along with Vertov, in my opinion, pioneered experimental collage in the visual arts world.

Man with a Movie Camera is a silent documentary film that serves the purpose  of showcasing day to day life as is. No narrative, no actors, just a celebration of the proletarian soviet lifestyle. An objective view through the kino-eye, also known as the film eye. Kino pravda (“film truth”) was the result of this type of filming. Vertov believed that the kino “eye” revealed a hidden truth that could not be seen with the naked eye.

“This new experimentation work by Kino-Eye is directed towards the creation of an authentically international absolute language of cinema – ABSOLUTE KINOGRAPHY – on the basis of its complete separation from the language of theatre and literature.” – Dziga Vertov, 1929

Check out this groundbreaking film for yourself at the Castro Theater this Sunday, July 18th at 2:30pm, $12 in advance, $14 at the door.

Oh yes… OH YES! It’s happening. It’s free. It’s at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Hopefully the weather will be a lot nicer than the last time Renegade was in town. And hopefully I’ll see more of my favorite crafty people IN THE FLESH! The crafting world has its share of celebs as well – “you better believe it” – as my Dad likes to say.

Anyway, we’re two weeks away! I have a lot of friend/family birthdays coming up. I can’t wait to see what I can find.

(Photo Credits: weheartit)

I’ve been living in my apartment for about 9 months now, and I’ve been decorating it at a snail’s pace. Today, I decided it’s time to take a big(ger) leap towards making it a place that is visually stimulating and inspiring by making some pillows.

I did a little visual research this morning to get some ideas. I know that I really love typographical pillows and fabrics, so that will definitely be on my to-buy list. But here are a few other ideas I thought were kind of fun.

We’ll see what I come up with! Happy Saturday, everyone!

As I may have mentioned in the past, I love working on side projects here and there. I currently work as an in-house communications designer for an organization in San Francisco and I love it. The fun thing about working on side projects is that it gives me a chance to exercise the muscles that I am not using on a daily basis at my day job.

Not every side project goes as planned, unfortunately. We’re all human, right? Sometimes one area of your life becomes incredibly demanding and it effects other areas, which is fine. That’s the way life works sometimes.  That was my issue with this project. And as a result, I fell behind on my deadline and whipped this flyer up faster than I’d like to admit. Not at all my best work or as sexy as I would have liked it to be, but the client loved it. Was I lucky? Am I just a great mind-reader? Maybe both. Or maybe neither. I think it’s just as important to document failures (or, failures according to me) as it is to document successes. Regardless, I learned a lot from this experience. Anyhoo, on to the next project!

A few months ago on my little stroll to work from the bus I saw the Spring Issue of Paper Magazine laying on the ground. It was in perfect shape, and I’ve always been a fan, so it became MINE.

I immediately tore out the editorial section because the photos were GORGEOUS (and as you can see from my scan, I am a sloppy tear-er). But anyway, the spread was absolutely well done and inspiring.

I showed them to my roommate. I scanned them. And then I forgot about them… until Sunday night when I was cleaning my room.

Then it was like Christmas all over again. So pretty.

And I couldn’t leave this little guy out. More fashion mags should use puppy models.

As you can see from this quickie collage I threw together, Chandra and Andy’s wedding was beautiful, well-planned, and left room for us to get a little crazy (especially on the dance floor – please note the comfy shoes I changed into, photographed above). It was a great weekend and a day we’ll never forget.