Comfort & Joy

tumblr tuesday. rainy edition.

2010-08-31T19:24:00.000-05:00

It's been raining a lot here, so I thought I'd pay tribute to the rain with a set of appropriate images. This gives me the chance to showcase a piece of art we own too.

The last piece is a giclée by the artist Michael Flohr depicting Royal Street (in the French Quarter) in the rain. We love it because it captures the true sense of the darkening sky, the wet street, and the warm glow coming from the shop windows.

View all of the full size images here.

made ya look.

2010-01-04T23:26:00.006-06:00

I used FreeTranslation.com to determine that the blogger who originally posted this (in French) over at Fubiz called this design a "very successful execution." Very successful indeed.

MMX. (or the year 2010.)

2010-01-04T00:18:00.004-06:00

This is not a list of New Year's resolutions. I really thought about the person I want to be one year from now, and these little steps will help me get there.

The person I want to be is more of a morning person, so this year, I will initiate little rituals that should make my mornings more appealing, the first of which has been to set up my Google Reader subscriptions and read through them like a morning paper.
The person I want to be complains less.
The person I want to be meets new people and tries new restaurants, new shops and new experiences.
The person I want to be has a house that smells good, so I'll light one of our many scented candles whenever we're sitting around at home.
The person I want to be doesn't have 796 messages in her inbox, so I'll get that cleaned out and under control. I need a system...
The person I want to be has a collection of plants that thrive in her care. I'm not sure what to do to fix that issue.
The person I want to be drinks more water, fruit juice and tea than the person I am right now does.
The person I want to be keeps in closer touch with friends who have moved away.
The person I want to be walks her dog more often and for longer periods of time.
The person I want to be finds the time to read books. (The person I am right now reads textbooks quite often, magazines occasionally and spends entirely too much time flipping through flash cards.)
The person I want to be makes less of a big deal over cold weather.
The person I want to be eats more foods that start out raw and get cooked in my kitchen.
The person I want to be regularly posts to her blog and to Twitter.

So far, I'm off to a good start on that last one. ;)

tumblr tuesday. freak-me-out edition.

2009-05-19T22:39:00.006-05:00

Yes, there is something about each one of these images that just totally freaks me out.

1. The foggy early morning light, the abandoned picnic table, and those owls. Ooh, it just sent shivers down my spine.
2. The way that piercing bright light cuts through the darkness and the shadows.
3. How can something that gives off light be dark and foreboding?
4. Crumbling, abandoned old theater. The perfect setting for an off-Broadway staging of Phantom of the Opera.

You can freak out too here.

tumblr tuesday. retro edition.

2009-05-05T21:01:00.003-05:00

When I was in college studying graphic design, I was obsessed with retro styled imagery like these pics I just posted on tumblr. I'm sure these won't be the only ones I ever post.

buy local.

2009-04-30T21:34:00.003-05:00

I don't remember where I first heard about this idea, but I think it's great. The idea is that you support 3 locally owned independent businesses by spending $50 with each of them in one month's time. And you do that every month (if you can). It can be the same businesses every month or different ones. My husband and I prefer to dine out at local restaurants here in New Orleans – Parkway Bakery, Camellia Grill and Joey K's have been some of our favorites lately. I've also picked up a couple of great gifts at local shops such as Mignon, Agora and Magic Box Toys. Try it yourself in your own neighborhood. For more info, visit the 3/50 project's website.

tumblr tuesday. lonely edition.

2009-04-28T22:42:00.003-05:00

I've collected quite a few images that feel lonely to me. I can't explain their appeal. I don't feel lonely. Maybe it's that many years ago, I would sometimes go all night without sleeping, and there's something about each one of these pictures that reminds me of the loneliness that comes in the middle of the night when the rest of the world is sleeping. (Full size images can be found here.)

tweet. tweet.

2009-04-28T22:11:00.004-05:00

Maybe it's Twitter's influence over me – I find myself thinking birds are cuter than ever. I did a quick Etsy search for "birds" and found 1,000's of items. Here are six that really caught my eye:

1. 8 Notecards - Flavored Birds from SpawnStudio – I love the graphic simplicity of these guys.
2. Joel the Felted Chick from kitchentable46 – I mean seriously, how cute is he?
3. Atticus Finch is My Co-Pilot T-Shirt from inexplicableconfetti – I know this artist. He's a local New Orleanian. More to come on him and his t-shirt business.
4. three bird planters from catherinereece – Love the personalities of these and the other hand-drawn birds in #6.
5. Orange on Off White Blooming Blossom Rectangle Pillow from joom – Nice silhouettes.
6. Bird Stack II (Limited Edition Print) from barkingbirdart

enchanted.

2009-04-21T22:37:00.004-05:00

The visuals in this commercial for a Samsung LED TV are just stunning. It's like a beautiful enchanted forest, and I think I should like to see a whole movie done in this style. It's a style befitting a modern take on Alice in Wonderland. Again, just stunning.

Watch the full commercial on YouTube.

tumblr tuesday. typography edition.

2009-04-21T22:28:00.001-05:00

This week's additions to my image collection on tumblr are examples of my fascination with typography. Check 'em out here.

stay tuned.

2009-04-13T00:12:00.003-05:00

I decided to join Facebook this evening. Good thing I took a nap this afternoon! Building a network of friends in the virtual world takes time. But I've already discovered the benefits of the whole Facebook thing – I saw some great photos of my college roommate's adorable daughter, so I think this is going to be worth it. Now I have to improve upon my own profile and remember to keep in touch with my friends.

layered looks.

2009-04-07T22:38:00.004-05:00

Loving these layered looks over at Shade. Also love that at Shade, they pride themselves on their offering of modest clothing.

Cropped Jacket with Tie
Pleated-Peplum Jacket
Gold Button V-Neck Short Sleeve Cardigan

tumblr tuesday.

2009-04-07T21:52:00.003-05:00

New pics added to my image collection on tumblr – nice brushwork, two spectra of colors, and a laugh. (Yes, spectra is the plural of spectrum.)

chic scents made totally affordable.

2009-04-07T21:12:00.006-05:00

I am really excited to try the new fragrance collection from Glade. I tore an ad for the Sheer White Cotton fragrance out of a magazine, and it has been sitting on the ottoman near the chair I've been sitting in for the last hour. It smells fantastic – very fresh and clean. I always go for these types of fragrances, but after visiting the Glade website, I'm having trouble deciding which fragrance to try first. McIntosh Apple is definitely a top contender. I used to stockpile the Yankee Candle plug-ins in Macintosh Apple whenever I saw them at Linens-n-Things. At the better-than-reasonable prices I've found online, I can justify trying both. I don't have a printer set up here, so I haven't tried this yet, but here's a link to a $2.00 coupon. If I can get it to print tomorrow, I might try the Earthly Awakening too!

(scented reed diffusers and two sizes of soy based candles available in six different scents)

letterforms and logos.

2009-04-07T20:53:00.005-05:00

I think a huge part of why I became a graphic designer is because of logos like these. The serendipitous discovery of a shape that can be one thing and another thing all at the same time – how clever! And when the two shapes are letterforms – even better! It takes a special eye to see things in a way that no other eye has ever seen them before.

via Siah Design – good collection of black and white logos
(I don't remember where I first saw the link. I've had it bookmarked for a while.)

tumblr.

2009-03-31T22:42:00.007-05:00

I've got some new pics up at tumblr. Tumblr is another site people use for blogging. I'm using it as a library to store my collected images. Here's what I say in the intro to my tumblr page – "I find that a lot of images online strike my fancy. I would like to be able to see them whenever I want. Most of them either inspire me or bring a smile to my face. So I'm collecting them here in a sort of digital scrapbook. You're welcome to enjoy them too." So enjoy!

ahhh!

2009-03-30T22:15:00.006-05:00

Just sunnin' on the back porch.
(caption by Godiva)

ann taylor loft – are you kidding with these prices?

2009-03-29T19:36:00.007-05:00

A couple of sale prices at Ann Taylor Loft caused me to do a double-take this evening.
Check out these bargains:

Python Frame Clutch – $14.99!!
Ruffle Trim Crewneck Cardigan – $14.88!!
Gold Bamboo Hoop with Green Stone Earring – $9.99!!

holy hit!

2009-03-26T21:56:00.004-05:00

My sister and her husband, along with two of their theatre friends, are the four in FourFront Theatre. This is their inaugural season, and so far, they've produced two fantastic shows – Gutenberg! The Musical and The History Boys. They're closing out the season with the Off-Broadway sensation Altar Boyz. Check out the tv commercial. I'm predicting a sell-out.

Don't you think their logo designer is super-talented? She must be really expensive. :)

strange bird.

2009-03-26T21:47:00.005-05:00

Leaving work the other day, I spied this guy in the parking lot near my car – one of nature's little leave-behinds. Question is, of course, what kind of bird did I miss seeing?

two words I always misspell.

2009-03-26T21:44:00.004-05:00

1. category
2. weird

(I always start with catagory and wierd, then the automatic spell-checker underlines them in red, and I go back and correct my mistakes. But I didn't correct them in the previous sentence – for obvious reasons – and it felt kinda good.)

tumble-set, roll.

2009-03-26T21:32:00.001-05:00

New pics up on tumblr. I'm still getting the hang of this whole tumblr thing.

hey Blogger, are you listening?

2009-03-12T22:44:00.004-05:00

Earlier this evening, I thought about switching this blog over to WordPress. It seems elegant and extremely capable. But truth be told, Blogger gives me all I need. For free. And I'm comfortable with the way it looks and acts. I think I'm in a successful relationship.
Thinking about blogging? I recommend Blogger.

m.i.a.

2009-03-12T21:17:00.002-05:00

Before you know it, a whole month has gone by without a single post. I've been a little busy.
• I rode in a Mardi Gras parade (might have some pics to post)
• I went to a Carnival ball (pics coming soon)
• My family went to Disney World – more fun than we could have imagined (lots of material for future posts)
• I turned 31 and will celebrate tomorrow
• I have researched social networking extensively (thanks to my job as a designer and the changing landscape in the world of marketing) and will be trying many new things in the near future, the biggest being... FACEBOOK!

I tried to avoid it for so long. I did a great job too. But now I feel like someone who (and you know there were these people) resisted the telephone. I suppose that eventually they realized that everyone was using the telephone and found it to be a terribly convenient little bit of technology. And they realized that if for any reason they didn't want to talk to someone, they didn't have to answer their telephone when it rang. And they only had to make as many calls as they wanted. This is how I feel about Facebook: everyone is using it, it seems to be convenient, I don't have to accept every friend request, and I only have to spend as much time on it as I choose to. So I think this weekend I'll be pulling the trigger. Yikes.

grammy groove.

2009-02-11T22:13:00.003-06:00

Amazon had a great idea – an MP3 album featuring 20 of the 2009 Grammy nominees. It's only $5.00 and it downloads in about 5 minutes. Instant gratification. And when individual songs usually sell for 89 or 99 cents a piece, it's a steal.

dinner tonight.

2009-02-05T22:38:00.003-06:00

We had dinner tonight at Luke. We wanted to go earlier this week when the weather was calling for good soup, but our plans changed. So we went tonight, and the weather was still good for soup. Luke is probably the only French-style brasserie that serves matzoh ball soup. And is it good! The next time I'm sick, I'm going to ask for it by the gallon. It's so comforting, and it has so much flavor. We each had a cup, then Jean Paul had their Cuban sandwich (pictured above), and I had the crabmeat ravioli. They also have fantastic bread, served nice and warm.
As we walked back to the car after dinner, Jean Paul happened to look up at One Shell Square. Now I realize we were not in downtown Manhattan. But when you stand at the bottom of a 52-story building and look straight up, you can't help but be reminded of how amazing it is that man can build something so grand. The moon compelled me to take a picture.

sweet treats.

2009-02-05T22:29:00.003-06:00

I got the baby in the king cake we had at our office today. Actually, I got the tiny porcelain statue in the queen's cake we had at our office today, but that's a whole other story. I also got an email from Renee saying that they had a king cake from Sucré at their office today, and it was one of the best she's had. So of course that means that I am bringing a Sucré king cake to my office tomorrow. I had to take a picture of it – it's beautiful! It's sparkling with edible glitter. I also picked up a package of dark chocolate caramel cookies. They always have them, and they are delicious. If you visit New Orleans, you should definitely plan a visit to Sucré. If you live in New Orleans and you haven't been to Sucré yet, what are you waiting for? It is such a fun place! It warrants its own post later. I'll have to take some pics of the interior. For now, be sure to visit the links to their website. Their photos are a lot better than mine!

i'm a convert.

2009-02-05T22:15:00.005-06:00

Ordinarily, I am not a person who spends a lot of money on my personal care products. And by that I mean that unless it's available at Walgreens, I'm probably not using it. So I broke with tradition when I purchased hang straight from aveda a few years ago. I had tried it at a friend's house, and after only one use, I was so impressed I was willing to part with nearly $20 for my own bottle. The same thing happened a couple of weeks ago when Lauren convinced me to try to scalp benefits shampoo. She gave me some of hers to try, and by the weekend, I was buying my own. In the aveda salon, she recommended I try confixor too, so I just bought some without even trying it first. These products are so worth the money. My hair has never looked or felt healthier. The shampoo is soothing, hang straight makes my hair silky and smooth, and confixor gives me the control I need. I've been converted.

waaay better than bounce.

2009-02-04T22:12:00.002-06:00

When I bought the sheets for our new king size bed, the shop owner threw in a pack of these Le Blanc Linen Wash Dryer Sachets as lagniappe. A laundry luxury? I would never buy something like this for myself. But I love them. I used the first one until it literally fell apart in the dryer. I've moved on to the second one, and when it gives out, I will buy more. They are only available through select retailers, so check the website for where to buy in your area.

I have the Summer Verbena fragrance (the yellow ones in the middle), but mine look more like little pillows.

have you ever been to sur la table?

2009-02-02T19:57:00.008-06:00

We don't have one here in New Orleans, but when I visited my friend Jenny in Austin, she brought me to one for the first time. Amazing! So many great kitchen gadgets! I started checking their online sales every once in a while, and just recently, I found two things I could definitely use in my kitchen. I've always liked the idea of these color-coded cutting boards. These are flexible, which makes it easy to transfer your chopped foods into a bowl or pot. And speaking of pots, these utensil pot clips are ingenious. I have one spoon rest that matches my everyday dishware, but once I've used that, I move on to folded up paper towels. These would come in very handy.

a twist on a game day favorite.

2009-02-01T21:20:00.004-06:00

A friend from my office shared this recipe with us on Friday, just in time for the Super Bowl. I made it for the small group of family that gathered at our house for the game, and it was a hit, but it definitely has kick! (This isn't the exact recipe - I substituted canned chicken for what was originally 2 cooked chicken breasts.)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients:
2 12.5 oz. cans of white meat chicken
2 8 oz. packages light cream cheese, softened
1 cup hot sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce)
1 cup light Ranch dressing (I used Kraft)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together the cream cheese and hot sauce until well blended. Mix in the Ranch dressing, chicken and cheddar cheese.
Spread into a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, celery sticks, or crackers. (I went with tortilla chips.)

a great place to "spin" an evening.

2009-02-01T20:52:00.004-06:00

Saturday night we had dinner with friends in the French Quarter, then walked around the corner to the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone Hotel. The scene here is fabulous. The bar itself is round, and it looks and spins like a real carousel. The pic above was taken with my iPhone, but this one will give you a better idea of what the bar looks like. Whenever we've been there, our group has been too large to sit at the bar and still be able to visit, but it's always a great experience sitting at a table near the bar, sipping classic cocktails, catching up with friends new and old.

more fashion fun.

2009-01-29T21:13:00.004-06:00

I have to be careful with stores like Delia's and Forever 21. I'm very conscientious of the age-appropriateness of the fashions I wear. I like following certain trends, but I want to look like a grown woman, not a teenage girl. That's why I was thrilled to see this cute white blouse from delias.com in the December issue of Lucky magazine. While searching the site, I also found these great cardigans and classic T-strap sandals.

Blanca Ruffle Shirt - $34.50
Melina Drapey Cardigan - $39.50
Nicola Neon T-Strap Sandals - $34.50
(T-strap sandals are also on the "list.")

sale.

2009-01-29T20:40:00.006-06:00

Fun stuff on sale at Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft. Check out those prices!

Brocade Print Cardigan - $29.99 at Ann Taylor Loft
Silk/Cotton Print Shell with Belt - $29.99 at Ann Taylor
Patchwork Brushstroke Print Henley - $19.99 at Ann Taylor
Twill Trench Coat - $49.99 at Ann Taylor Loft
(A lightweight trench coat is on my "list." More to come about this list. Stay tuned.)

time well spent.

2009-01-26T22:13:00.003-06:00

I spent an entire month reading this blog. The entire thing, from the earliest post. If you read any of it, you will forgive me for taking the time. Warning: it just might change your life.
Once you've fallen in love with the family, follow their story here too.

everything old is new again.

2008-07-29T19:36:00.006-05:00

We went to the auction at St. Charles Gallery on Saturday, and I bid on and "won" this elegant side table. I think it's going in the front room with the piano.

Louis XVI-Style Parcel-Gilt Fruitwood and Marble-Top Side Table, the oval verdigris marble set into a foliate-carved frame, raised on turned and fluted legs

art. art. and more art.

2008-07-08T21:56:00.009-05:00

I went to NOMA on Sunday to see three great exhibits:

The Baroque World of Fernando Botero - I was not at all familiar with this Latin American artist. I didn't fall in love with his work, but it's always good to meet new artists.
New Orleans: A Sense of Place
Gentleman Callers: Paul Cadmus and George Dureau from the Collection of Kenneth Holditch - Masters of figure drawing, exquisite line quality.

NOMA is currently free to Louisiana residents. Beat the heat - spend an afternoon at the museum!

(clockwise from top left)
The Orchestra by Fernando Botero
a piece from the exhibit "New Orleans: A Sense of Place"
Two Men Wrestling by George Dureau (image via prices4antiques.com)
Male Nude TS5 by Paul Cadmus (image via art-interview.com)

seedling.

2008-07-06T19:24:00.010-05:00

I planted a seed, and as it grows, I hope to share it with you all.

photo via flickr