JASON WU

I could't wait any longer to post about the fashion designer. Well, I guess the post title gives it away, but I'm amazed by the work of Jason Wu. You've probably heard of him since he designed a gown for Michelle Obama and has recently collaborated with Target.

Have you seen the ads and commercials yet? I love the creativity involved, especially the hand-drawn elements and depiction of motion. I think the simple sophistication of the Jason Wu for Target line is lovely, and the ads and commercials serve as strong, innovative reinforcement of the line. I tend to go for neutrals with pops of color, so I'd most likely feel comfortable in the white dress (surprise, surprise!). With that being said, I still can't begin to say how much I appreciate the design of this line for its bold simplicity.

Image 1, Image 2

So how do you feel about the Jason Wu line for Target? Would you wear any of these looks? If you're interested, you should take a peek a Jason Wu's website. Here's a little sneak before you run over there:

Anyway, hope you're feeling creative today! Go get yourself a free Leap Day cookie at Subway or something. :)

LEAP YEAR & CREATIVITY

First of all, happy Leap Day! I completely forgot that we were on a leap year, and for some reason, I thought yesterday was Leap Day. If you've thrown out your New Year resolution to stay healthy, I have some exciting news for you! Just kidding...even if you're trying to be healthier, these little treats won't ruin you. :)

Anyway, if you go to SmartySaver, you'll see that you can get leap year perks including a free Subway cookie, 29 cent fries at McDonalds, one free bagel at Einstein Bros., a chance to win a monthly free meal at Outback, etc.

So! Back to design stuff! If the leap year goodies didn't make you smile, I hope this post on creativity will help out a bit.

I'm usually pretty focused on visual design, so I don't normally go to great lengths to analyze music. That's my sister's job (she's the one with the musical talent in the family). However, I had to share my humble opinion of a singer that causes me to excitedly sing aloud at my desk. Thank goodness I'm working at home, for coworkers' sakes.

She's been popular for a while now, and her name is Lenka. I actually wasn't all that familiar with her before I listened to Pandora, which I think I would die without while I'm working. Have you ever seen her awesome music videos?? They're actually fun to watch, and the creativity is overflowing in each one. A couple of my favorites are "Two," which features handclaps from around the world (see if YOU can't resist clapping your hands while watching this) and "Trouble is a Friend," which has animated illustrations chasing Lenka throughout the video. I watched both of the videos here.

This illustration by James Gulliver Hancock isn't a usually style that I'm drawn to, but I think it is absolutely amazing in this case. Oh, and isn't Lenka cute? Do you have a favorite musical artist?

Stayed tuned! I'm going to let you know what I think about an extremely talented fashion designer next! Hint, hint: he is a male, and his initials are J.W. Any guesses? :)

BEAUTIFUL CRAFTSMANSHIP

Oh WOW. I was planning on doing a post about creativity, and then I saw this adorable photo of this little girl with a backpack...I thought I would just share how cute she is, but after searching the site where her photo was posted, I found that her parents made the bag she is wearing!

I started scrolling through their blog out of interest, and I kept finding product after product of theirs that I instantly fell in love with. I really wanted to put just about every product they had on this post, but that would be a little overload, wouldn't it?

From what I know from looking at their site called Fungus Workshop, the parents make these beautiful leather products, and they even teach students how to make gorgeous products as well! Oh my, I would LOVE to learn how to make beautiful things like these.

So! I'm happy to say that I accidentally managed to stay on track with my original idea of posting on creativity! This is definitely the essence of creativity, in my opinion.

I've thought about it for a while (all of five minutes), and I've decided:

Yes, you're right! That is Greece. I'll just let my husband know we're going there tomorrow whenever he gets home. I'm sure he'll be on board with this idea.

You can find all the products and photos here (all on the first page), but just for reference:
1. Tailor-made child backpack for the owners' daughter, Ms. YingYing. :)
2. Birkin style handbag
3. Small brown handbag
4. Large leather travel bag
5. Envelope organizer
6. Leather slippers
7. ipad handbag

BALLOONS!

First of all, Happy Monday! I was actually going to do a different post than this, but I ran across these awesome balloons at bonbon and couldn't resist sharing.

So yeah...

I KNOW I WOULD! (Insert crazy lady who still needs to get dressed for the day, wildly waving her hands [a.k.a. moi] ). But in all seriousness, wouldn't a balloon floating out of a box that was shipped to you just make your day? On a MONDAY, no less??

For extra balloon love, Mignon Kitchen Co. has some adorable heart balloons, and Geronimo! has peppy, colorful balloons with amazing streamers and pom poms (I'm not sure if they're really called pom poms, but they're made out of paper and are poofy) attached to their balloonsies. I'm so happy imaging myself with one of these that I'm just making up words!

UNTIL MONDAY...

(Photo taken by Mr. Husband in Lubbock, TX)

NAIOMI

So remember when I promised that you would hear the story behind the ambiguous close-up? You know, the one with a gray box with a bow on it:

Turns out it belongs to this special lady:

Annnd here's Miss Naiomi's story:

They had always pronounced her name incorrectly, as far as she could remember. Even as a baby, her parents recalled that she had been accidentally called at least a dozen different names. Nay-oh-me? No-he-mi? Nah-ah-mi! Or maybe just Ni-oh-mi…It’s no matter, she had always told herself. In fact, she actually enjoyed this confusion, playfully stating they had pronounced it correctly the first time. No wait, the third time was right, not the first time. Her friends had lovingly created numerous nicknames for her, always demanding their own, special concoction of how the nickname should be spelled. That’s alright. She loved how each friend knew her by a different name; a different spelling. She felt loved and appreciated all the same.

SHOES

Do you have tons of shoes and then just find yourself wearing....3 pairs? Only? Actually, after my house purging (wardrobe included), I was able to whittle my shoe collection down to less than about 20 pairs, and I STILL only seem to wear these! I can't bear to get rid of my other shoes though! I'll wear them someday...promise. Anyway, here are my absolute favorite shoes! They seem to go with pretty much everything in my closet.

Boots: Nine West (2011)

Heels: Nine West (2010)

Sandals: Candie's (2008?)

I'm that person that will wear things until they turn to shreds...obviously, my poor sandals have experienced a little too much love, so they're kind of flattened/curled up. When I first bought them (50% off, wooo) they had these extremely annoying straps on the back that would fall under my heels every time I tried to run to class. I guess that's my lesson for being late. After about a YEAR of dealing with those stupid straps, I finally had a bright idea to CUT THEM OFF (insert head slap). Since the amputation, they've been the best sandals ever! I just need to remember that I can be resourceful sometimes. 

As for the boots and heels, I was googly-eyed and pronounced that it was definitely love at first sight. My husband/friends tried to convince me that I didn't need these because I was going against my normal self who bought things on sale. Oh man, I'm so glad I didn't listen! ;)  My wallet begs to differ. See, but you NEED your friends/loved ones to hold you steady so you don't freak out and buy the entire store, right? Yes, of course. 

A girl is obviously enamored with her shoes when she decides:

There you have it: I'm in l-o-v-e. Do you have the same problem? What are your absolute favorite shoes? :)

A SNEEK PEEK...

I'm running around over here working on a project that I've been excited about for a long time! I'm at the point where I'm trying to put together the finishing details, and I can't wait to share it with you very soon! Wanna peek? (I'll definitely let you see the entire images when they're all ready!) :)

Psst...check in on Friday to read the story behind the last photo.... :)

BRINGING THE OUTDOORS INSIDE

This home is seriously the ultimate example of successfully fusing an interior space with its exterior surroundings. You can find more photos and information about this home here. I wish I could understand the language! Being a former interior design student, I would really love to read about the design process from the designer(s)' perspectives.

*All images are © Greg Cox-HogL/House of Pictures

COLOR THEORY 1

So! A ton of my art is pure black and white, but I love to paint abstract art in vivid color also. I absolutely love these color combinations. How can you be dreary when you see stuff like this?

If you're like me and are a little too head over heels for these, head over to COZAMIA to snatch up a print.

Image 1, Image 2

THIS & THAT 2

Time for THIS & THAT #2! I'm really loving the bright pops of color in fashion right now, but I'm still drawn to subtle neutrals. When paired together, the color screams, "ACTION!" while the neutrals, in return, tell the color to take it easy. Right? Niiice and steady, but with strength.

One, Two, Three, Four

What do you think? Are you also in the mood to mix it up, or do you like to keep your neutrals and pops in separate baskets?

UNTIL MONDAY...

(Photo taken in Maui on our honeymoon)

SIDE BY SIDE

Gather! It's time to sit around in a circle and stare at an illustration while listening to a story about a cherished pair of shoes. Just like third grade reading time, right? :) Kidding. Have you ever felt like you needed to keep a certain material item because of an emotional connection? I know a lot of people have...especially with heirlooms, baby blankets, wedding rings, etc. I've been on declutter mode for the past month, and the house has transformed by losing all the stuff we decided to get rid of. Buuut, of course, my college graduation gown is still waving at me from the closet with its giant winged arms. WHY am I trying to keep this mumu dress similar to the design of a garbage bag? I must be thinking that it'll come in handy one day. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

There they were, gently placed side by side with great consideration and care. They had brought a sense of happiness to her heart, as strange as it may seem. After all, they had accompanied her through pivotal points in her life. They were there when she excitedly ran through the damp green grass toward her family, tightly grasping her the evidence of her hard-earned education. They had been there with her as she first wandered through the brightly-lit, music-filled streets in awestruck amazement. They were there when she anxiously pulled on the iron handles of the glass doors to enter the bustling café…

”So are you going to keep those?” he asked her. “Honey..?” he asked again. She blinked, and came back to reality. “Oh. Sorry, I was just thinking how long I’ve actually had these…you remember the café where we met? I forgot I wore these that night…”

She pondered. “I think I have to keep these. I’ll just need to make the extra space.” He laughed. “That’s how they get to keep it all.” He paused, then knowingly smiled. “If it makes you feel any better, I kept mine too.”

THIS & THAT

Okay! I'm starting a little series called THIS & THAT, which is my weekly reminder of staying inspired by pairs. This week, I thought it would be fun to combine beautiful, earthy jewelry from Aesa with punches of neon. I usually lean toward simplicity in fashion and design, but I really love the bold feel of neon yellow. What do you think? Simple enough, or over the top?                                                                                                                  

One, Two, Three, Four, Five

I CAN'T...

I've been thinking lately that I need to control my hair by chopping it off a good amount...it's really kind of starting to get wild. But after I saw this breathtaking photography by Jordan Voth, I decided to just...

Har har. No, but seriously. I'll just be more conscientious about not letting it overcome me (i.e. maybe blow-drying it a little more, untangling it more often, etc.) It just needs that loving affection that's gone a little by the wayside since I've been working at home. I also decided that I REALLY need to get out of my pajamas before 9 AM, because I just don't want to look like a crazy lady who gets the mail in her fluffy pink robe and monkey house shoes. Basically...that crazy lady was ME when the roofer unexpectedly dropped by our house yesterday. Oh, and I made sure the look was completed with my crazy tangly hair. So yeah, get out of your pj's, all you ladies and gentlemen that work from home! This is necessary!! Oh yes, and keep that hairdo all pretty from time to time.

SPEAKING OF COLOR...

On the tangent of my infatuation with color today, just thought I'd share the I'm...

My mind thinks it's time for Spring to hurry up and get here already. Or summer can come...I'm fine with that too. Pretty sure a painting or drawing (or both) will be inspired by this bold splash of color + pattern.

Photo found here.

THAT KIND OF DAY

After falling asleep before 9:30 PM like a 72-year-old married couple last night, my Valentine and I still managed to wake up late (just barely though). Anyway, I decided to start the day early, but it was a little hard because it was SO dreary. Right when I was thinking that I've GOT to enjoy the sun today, it decided to peek out and say hey! Oh yes, I'm feeling it now! Today should be a colorful day. Don't you love it when that happens?? Don't you???!

P.S. Those little happy abstracts will be available at Etsy soon also! The one of the left was inspired by a trip to Corpus Christi (Texas), and the one of the right makes me think of a jungle.

HERE IT IS

Have a lovely day, everyone!

IT'S ALMOST HERE...

Photo found here.

I've loved it and hated it. My senior year in college, one of my closest friends and I were boy-less, so we decided to go on a date together instead...to Mr. Gatti's. A million slices of mediocre pizza paired with tons of air hockey domination later, we decided that the day turned out to be one of the most memorable and happy Valentine's ever.

I think my husband and I are just going to keep it low-key this year. We're planning on a dinner at a sweet little pizza place in town where they make their own mozzarella cheese, have heat lamps outside for those who are ready to brave the cold, and even thick Mexican-patterned blankets for soon-to-be freezing brave ones. I think I'll decide to be brave...we'll see though.

So do you have any plans for this Valentine's? Either way, hope you have a happy day, as my friend would say!

IN FRANCE

I love to add little stories to a lot of my finished art pieces. The originals and prints will soon be available in the Pasadya shop at Etsy! Here is the first of 9 line drawings so far: 

The streets are already bustling with the locals on the perfect sun-filled morning. The air is filled with amazing scents from the bakeries beginning their daily routine of creating delectable edibles, both mouthwatering sweet and salty. You figure it’s high time to stop into one of your favorite shops and treat yourself for once. It’s a hard choice between the light, cloud-like sweetness of the colorful macaroons and the dash of salt on the warm, fresh-baked breads, but you finally decide that today is a day for being sweet. You happily enter the pastry shop and join the throng of other avid admirers and find a spot to look through the glass at the beauties. Now if only you can choose which tasty treat will soon be yours…