Geometric Sprawl

I just made a very simple desktop for Rach and thought I'd share it with you.  There's a bunch of white space so you have room for your dock and any icons you like to keep on your desktop. The image was originally a papercut I made from 3 shades of purple paper and later scanned.  Download below.

Geometric Sprawl Desktop

Abandoned

Abandoned places and things are a pretty common trope in photography, but often beautiful and haunting nonetheless.  Here are a few of my favorites.

1. Tom Kondrat, abandoned beauty 
2. Kate Peters, Bunker, Estonia 
3. Kevin Bauman, 100 Abandoned Houses 
4. David Gray, China's Abandoned Wonderland

Filling a Tiny House

I have a tiny house.  It came from Ikea and I believe you're supposed to grow herbs and such inside it's clear walls, but I'm not so good with plants so I like to fill it with other things ...

In the February Issue of Rue Magazine I ran across this tutorial and I decided to fill the house with little pyramids.

I've been especially obsessed with color palettes of red and pink lately, so I made most of pyramids with red and pink paper (and threw some grey and black in for a bit of contrast).

A totally easy sculptural piece for your coffee table or the top of your bookcase.  What do you think?

DIY Summer Stationery

I've recently made two very summery stationery sets that I'd love to share with you.

One is a pink ombre, because you can never have too much ombre, and the other is a blue moire pattern that reminded me of the bottom of a swimming pool.  You can download both designs below, print them out on some nice paper, cut and fold, and send to a friend!

Pink Ombre Stationery Set (PDF)
Pool Side Stationery Set (PDF)

When you print the PDF be sure you review your print screen - you'll want to make sure that under the Page Sizing & Handling options you've selected Actual Size (not Fit).  This way your stationery sheet will fit perfectly into your envelope.

Fold the envelope so the color is on the inside and will be a nice surprise when your pen pal opens the mail.  I like to use double-sided tape to attach the side flaps to the bottom flap.  It's less messy than traditional glue and won't warp the paper, but, of course, a glue stick will work just as well.

One last tip: you probably won't want to write on the colorful side of your stationery - the printer ink might make it difficult for your pen ink to adhere to the page, but, trust me, your letters will look fabulous written on the blank side of the stationery. Enjoy!

Crepe Paper Color Explosion

How do you feel about crepe paper?

I was looking for a fun way to decorate my apartment for my birthday last May and, honestly, I used to think crepe paper was a tacky and outdated way to decorate, but then I ran into this tutorial and it changed everything.  I made tons, and tons, and tons of ruched strands of crepe paper and this is what I wove them into:

I was so happy with the results I left the crepe paper up all summer. What do you think? Would you like a crepe paper installation in your living room?

Mail Call!

I have two pen pals, Rach and Gillian, who I designed stationery for last year.  They both work for Law & Order: SVU in the production office and when they have a little down time (which isn't often) they send me a letter or two.  This past week I've received a sweet little card from Rach on her yummy Present & Correct stationery and a postagram from Gillian! How lucky can one girl get?  Scroll down to see the stationery I designed for Rach and Gilly.

I started each set by creating a personalized coat of arms.  Gillian's motto is "ex astris scientia" which translates as "From the stars, knowledge." Gillian is fascinated by our universe and she's a big fan of Star Trek so I thought this motto would be perfect for her, especially since it's the fictional motto of Starfleet Academy.

Rachel's motto, "alis volat propriis," is Latin for "She flies with her own wings."  I thought is was perfect for Rach since she's one of the most self-sufficient and independent ladies I know and I really admire her for that.