my funny valentine

i couldn't wait til valentine's day to post this. i fell in love 2 years ago. i couldn't resist digging up the old memories again. so here .. the love of my life.

the veuve clicquot loveseat, designed by karim rashid:

perfection in form, symmetry, functionality and aesthetics. now .. if i can just find a man with the same qualities! someone who comes equipped with a never-ending source of veuve clicquot. let's not forget that important bit!!

you know what would be a perfect valentine's day? sitting across from your sweetheart in one of those loveseats, sipping on glasses of bubbly [veuve clicquot, of course] and munching on these:

[photo from serious eats]

krispy creme valentine's day donuts!! perfect heart shaped donuts with delicious icing and sprinkles! read about it here.

i am actually looking forward to valentine's day now!! i can't afford that loveseat, and heck, i don't even have a date, but i am going to get these krispy kreme darlings and enjoy myself! and imagine that i am sitting in that loveseat, with a box of these gazing into my eyes from the other side.

urban photo journal: crawl space and cactus plant

it's a bit creepy to imagine what could be going on beyond that dark grilled portal. a look into the netherworld would probably reveal a realm where alley cats terrorize the mice, where curious opossums may wander and bugs multiply by the millions and send out their troops into the world.

above ground, a stark and beautiful microcosmic urban landscape dwells in this image. i see courage in the struggling cactus. i see life in the rocky patch of soil in which the cactus has resolutely planted itself. this resilient creature gleans a few sprinkles of morning dew and revels in random splashes occasionally thrown its way from a nearby water hose. it clings on for dear life. in its own way, this brave plant has given joy to the world by its mere being, existing and hanging on to precious life.

today, it gave me joy .. to see it survive in the barrenness of the city. come spring, flowers will proudly bloom from its prickly columns. every plant, struggling or not, sprightly and green, old and withered, can ultimately regain vitality, often at the hands of a caring gardener, but also by its own virtue - the tenacious will to survive. i've got a lot to learn from a cactus.

design file tearsheets: bejeweled!

this is a post i'd like to keep on the weekly roster: tearsheets from my design binders. i have quite a collection of them. it's more like a library by now, and growing exponentially every month. i need a bigger office and more bookcases. i go through dozens of magazines i subscribe to and pore through every page and pull anything that gives me ideas for any type of project: from interiors and floral arrangments to tablescapes, craft projects and recipes. i'm very greedy for information in general, and this helps me feel like i've got my little fingers on the pulse of things on a monthly basis!

these days, i've been thinking a lot about the nam-woo logo. i definitely want to include a little creature in there somewhere. although i love bird insignias, they are quite overplayed these days [thanks for pointing that out to me minhee!] every indie stationery, t-shirt company, and handcrafted jewelry line has capitalized on the adorableness of the bird silhouette. so, i got to spinning the hamster wheels in my head, and churned out a logo motif for nam-woo .. bugs!! i'm not really squirmy around them, except roaches~ BIG ick!! and if they were cute, bejeweled, sparkly ones like these, featured in a martha stewart living story [below], then i definitely would not cringe from them. they're abundant in nature and i'm going to interact with them a lot in this new venture. thank goodness i haven't encountered any worms yet in the soil! wait, worms aren't bugs .. right~

[photos by anita calero]

i love concept features like this because it gives me fresh eyes to see things in innovative ways. real flowers. fake bugs. simple, artsy and beautiful!! color palette is simply stunning too. i believe it's a split complementary scheme: yellow, blue violet and red-violet. the chartreuse is dazzling but i am really feeling the neon green. ha, 'chartreuse' .. that reminds me of a funny story that happened to me when i was working at house beautiful .. but nevermind about that now. if any of you HB people are reading this, i think you know what i am talking about!

i know i blogged a few days about how my color preferences are more on the subdued side. but lately, neon green has been working its powers of mesmerization on me! i never loved any neon colors - bold or subdued. no, i did not rock neon in the '80s, i promise!! my color tastes are changing, and right now, i'm loving neon green!! there's simply no rational explanation for this puzzling shift in preferences.

branching out is beautiful

i'm in a sort of sour mood right now .. but i was looking through my archives and stumbled upon this lovely design idea for a mantle. it instantly made me less sour. not happy. just less sour. ^ ^ ok, i just made myself laugh!! now i'm just semi-sour. which i can deal with!

the photo is from a back issue of domino. i'm still sad about it folding [see previous post].

the greenish greige shade on the wall is lovely, isn't it? the plasterwork on that fireplace is so gorgeous. i know it's REALLY hard to find something that pretty these days, but wishful thinking always keeps my hope afloat. actually, i know why i love this picture so much. i once occupied a bedroom in which i was fortunate enough to have a fireplace with a decent sized mantle and a crystal chandelier hanging across from the mirror placed on top of the mantle. oh i miss that room!!

i think the real gem is that perfectly positioned branch, decorated with little trinkets! if i still lived in that room, i would forage the woods for a perfect branch, just like this one, and decorate it with ornaments that are appropriate for the seasons. i'm thinking .. speckled robins' eggs in that deep turquoise hue for easter, or shimmery snowflakes fashioned out of pipecleaners for winter .. and maybe real orchid blossoms for my birthday!

so now .. not so sour anymore~ not even semi-sour! see, design makes me happy.

eulogy: casualty of the economy's domino effect

dear domino,

may you rest in peace. you have fought the good race and delivered quality magazine editorial to discerning design aficionados for the past few years. you were the alternative solution to the plethora of irrelevant, stuffy and over-the-top interior design magazines saturating the market. domino, you kept me happy every month with coverage of quirky objects, furniture and accessories for the home. and i swear you were the first one to include those magazine tabbing stickers for readers to mark up their issues with [even though they were too sticky .. they would tear the pages or smear off ink]. at the end, you got too fashiony and it seemed like you were trying too hard to appeal to the young, cool hipster set in some ways .. but i still loved you.

domino, i will miss you being delivered to my mailbox every month. perhaps you will come back reincarnated as another glossy, fun-spirited and irreverent approach to decorating in the form of a monthly magazine some day .. long after the apocalyptic conditions of today's economic downturn have all been obliterated from our midst.

here then is a look back at one of my favorite memories with you .. a cover and feature story on the cool modern cozy home of shoe designer jessie randall [of loeffler randall].

farewell.

hello gorgeous!

i am drooling over this diana f + mr. pink edition camera! check it out here.

the midas touch

it's my second day in the blogging chair and things are looking rather golden~ check out this crazy blinged out mercedes:

apparently, it was a big hit at the "bling on wheels show" in .. tada ~ dubai! i dunno how i feel about it .. it's such an outrageous way to flaunt wealth .. i mean, first of all, mercedes, but on top of that, [real] gold?? it's so super over the top .. which is why i think it's genius! why weren't these made earlier? i find that hard to believe. i mean, aren't there enough donald trumps and p-diddys in the world who would totally custom order something flashy like this.

read all about the gold-plated mercedes-benz c63 AMG, right here.

i love a little bling and flash here and there when i am in my creative zone .. but it would be something more along the lines of this. actually, i do love all things sparkly. it's the unquenchable, you can call it infantile, attraction to shiny objects. crystal, chandeliers, gemstones, mirrors and glass .. i love it all. and i really think it gives tablescapes and even floral designs that extra 'oomph.'

in general though, i think my style is more subdued .. with mini flashes of something a little quirky or unexpected .. like this beautiful vignette of a dreamy wedding dress set on creamy neutral shades of the sofa. the richly textured wallpaper and the peeps of turquoise .. absolute perfection! i love country living magazine's last page in each issue called 'simple country pleasures,' .. and that is where i found this lovely vignette. i also love the quote included on this page:

"look for something lovely and you will find it."

happy new year!

today i have decided to really push myself to get the nam-woo blog started. it's been an uphill climb trying to get everything sorted out .. just to even put up this first post! but it's a new year [chinese new year today! yay~]. brand new year and brand new attitude for brand new ventures. there's still quite a bit to to sort out, being type-A that i am .. but once i figure out what will be daily, weekly, monthly coverage items, i will be sure to step into a nice groove.

this is a lovely tablescape that i came across on a floral design website .. i have to track down the link, to be posted soon. i really love the use of glass jars, dark eggplant shades and vibrant neon greens.