pure joy...

this little guy just makes me so so happy!

i laughed, i cried...

and in the end i was inspired.

bill cunningham, new york.
a film by richard press

"Long before the Sartorialist, Face Hunter and Tommy Ton there was Bill Cunningham. The O.G. street style photographer has been documenting what people are wearing for over fifty years. Riding around NYC on nothing more than a Schwin...We all get dressed for Bill." - Anna Wintour

check out bill's column in the nytimes

please note: bill is in his 80's and still riding his bike all around manhattan - ummm, go bill!

just the little things...

i've been feeling extra joyful the past few days and wanted to stop and share a few of the little things that brighten my day...

courtesy of just the little things...

 ...and how about a compliment on your character...that's even better :)

this one's for you sara bee :)

 i could NOT agree more (currently loving rosie thomas, farewell)

 God's handy-work never ceases to amaze me

 well helllllooooo thanksgiving every day of my life :)

 i love you linds!

 oooo vacations, how i adore you

cozy :)

we have so much to be thankful for, and many times it's the little things that bring us the most joy... :)

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

paradise...

ahhhhhmaze.

i love love LOVE this song (although, the radio has apparently ALREADY overplayed it - weird).

doesn't it just make you want to jump in the car - preferably a classic - drive down the 101 and hob-knob with old hollywood legends? or maybe just james franco. :)

yeah...franco may have been the better choice.

someday...

 

A nurse friend of mine posted this undeniably adorable little story on facebook the other night - it just made my day...

"Just met the most incredible 95 year old man when he came into the hospital to visit his wife of 61 years. He walked with barely the use of a walker, was witty, well dressed, and the love he had for his wife and life shown through in everything he did. He told me "when you have the Lord and the greatest girl in the world, how could life get any better?" He gave me a hug goodbye as he thanked me for caring for his wife; little did he know that I was the thankful one for having had met them..."

i read this with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart to know that this little lady was loved by a man God had specifically designed for her. this is the kind of love i am happy to wait for. :)

^{Jeremiah 29: 11- 13}

¹¹ For I know the plans that I ^[h]have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ¹² Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

i want a doughnut...

like now - duh.

but being that it's 8 o'clock on a school night and i'm kinda tired, and dare i say it - a little lazy (sketch) - i might have to wait until the weekend to try this new recipe. however, i just had to share!

petite pumpkin spice doughnuts

 

photo courtesy of hodgepodgeandhoney

mmmmmmmmmm...........

the whistle...

okay, so i like whistling (bite me lisa) - especially while i work (snow white told me to). i just like it and for some strange reason over the past few months i've enjoyed it FAR more than ever before - which has been great for me because inevitably it lifts my spirits and makes me happy - and well, not so great for the people around me because, dare i say it, i'm not that good at it.

you'd think seven years of playing the flute might make a difference - not so much.

one of my favorite little whistling diddys (oh heyyy sean "p-diddy" comes) has been THE oregon fight song. yep, said it...i'm constantly whistling it (i only wish i had a recording of how good it can sound *note: can sound...maybe i'll get asked to whistle the tune at autzen when the ducks inevitably dominate whomever they're playing? - nothing like getting a crowd geared up like a good old fashioned whistle - or not?)

so as i was thinking about my new-ish love of whistling i couldn't help but think of some killer tunes that feature the whistle - no wonder i love singing along to them.

here goes...

ummm, duh...

foster the people - pumped up kicks

 

  

the black keys - tighten up

otis redding - sitting on the dock of the bay

the smiths - how soon is now?

 

bobby mcferrin - don't worry be happy

yeahhh, i whistle this...

do it - i promise you won't regret it...

the city...

i'm once again battling the undying urge to pack it up (or leave it all behind) and make the big move to the city.

seems to be an annual occurrence here in my fantasy dream world...this year i'll blame it on the city. no, no - not the city itself, but mtv's hit reality-based show the city where cameras capture a mid twenty-something whitney port (love her!) as she journeys to become one of fashions house-hold names..

Working in one of the fashion capitals of the world sounds dazzling. *yeah, i just said dazzling...there's something oh so romantic about facing your fears, moving far away from what's comfortable and conquering your dreams - all while looking fabulous. but really, who am i kidding - while olivia palermo mingles with zac posen, shops vintage cartier and sips on cristal - i'd be rummaging my roommates closet, mingling with the local hipsters and sipping on a can of sprite (i mean, it bubbles too right?)

annnnnnnnnnnnd, i digress...

but as i was watching, i became curious as to what whitney was up to these days...

here are a few of whitney's designs from her latest spring 2011 collection...

 

$99.00 USD

Willow Ruffle Skirt

$130.00 USD

Paige Ruffle Jumper

$80.00 USD

Maya Cold Shoulder Dress

whitney eve.

cute right?

yup.

[neocan't] jupiter hotel.

yep. i'll be there...

i bike you a lot.

my new ride, yesssir.

so i just got back from a nice looooong bike ride (in the sun i might add - finally), such a nice way to end a long, hectic work week...

in case you didn't know, biking is my new obsession. but not just any kind of biking...i'm talking about the leisurely, no hills in site, bike to the cute little coffee shop down the street kind of biking...and of course - downhill is always better...duh.

*this should end my denial about my lack of athleticism...


when i was a little girl i LOVED riding my bike, it's just what i did...well that, along with the occasional rollerblading kristi yamaguchi style to the ever so popular ace of base (did i mention the music came from my battery powered black boom-box?). ohhh, the 90s - so great...

anyway, my childhood bike is long gone, and my hot pink and black bike, circa 1992 is at the beach, so a few months ago i decided it was time to purchase a new set of hawwwt wheels. after several weeks surfing craigslist i stumbled across a little gem that i just had to have.

it's a vintage dunelt, bright electric blue...made in england (which instantly makes it 100 times more charming) and it's a single speed.

hello, i'm officially a portlander.

and look, he owns one too - oooh so classy...

with that being said - i really don't have a reason to shop for a new bike anymore, only to admire how cute so many bikes can be...

let's admire together, shall we?

vintage dunalt, circa 1968

electra, single-speed gypsy cruiser

electra, super deluxe cruiser

felt, woman's cruiser

 vintage bike

because i just had to...

[semi-serious wednesdays] square nine hotel, belgrade.

my university studies have quickly come and gone (i can't believe it's already been four years)...and regretfully there's a lot i don't recall about my schooling other than my momentous social calender...but even that is quickly fading.

however, like many of you there's one statement, one factor, one instance that has become definitive of your life, even to this day.

for me, that particular occurrence happened during one of my architecture courses as my professor [speaking of architectural design, construction and operations] explained the importance of responding to one's natural environment and surroundings.

so how does this relate to the square nine hotel? well, just as my professor emphasized in his lecture - lead architect on on the project, isay weinfeld, executed.

the concept for weinfeld's design "was born from the owner's desire to be part of belgrade's renovation, impressing a luxurious, but more familiar character to the city, where in the last two decades only big hotels from international chains, not committed with the city's identity came to sight - square nine hotel is a contemporary construction which integrates with the neighborhood by matching colors and respecting height of the surrounding buildings".

so often us designers jump the gun when it comes to concepting and planning, when in reality we should take a little more time, slow down a bit and position ourselves in the environment we're working on. the surrounding elements such as sights, smells, colors and sounds all play a specific and vital role in the end product - and when we stop and respond to those elements running throughout the site, we end up creating more of an artpiece rather than simply put - 'just another building down the street'.

beauteous i tell you.

presspauseplay.

About the film

The digital revolution of the last decade has unleashed creativity and a talent of people in an unprecedented way, unleashing unlimited creative opportunities.

But does democratized culture mean better art, film, music and literature or is true talent instead flooded and drowned in the vast digital ocean of mass culture? Is it cultural democracy or mediocrity?
This is the question addressed by PressPausePlay, a documentary film containing interviews with some of the world’s most influential creators of the digital era.

http://www.designfilmfestival.com/presspauseplay
http://www.presspauseplay.com

courtesy of theartistandhismodel

i have to see this...who's with me?

office space.

okay, so i'm officially obsessed with cubicle refugee...

and i don't know about you, but whenever i hear the word cubicle i automatically think of lumbergh and the red stapler...and let's not forget about michael bolton and his flare - or lack thereof. (if you have no idea what i'm talking about - first of all, where have you been since 1999? and secondly, please rent office space immediately - you might be missing out on a lot of interoffice humor).

ummmmmmm, so yeah, did you get that memo??

all to say, cubicle refugee is a unique display of 'art, design, fashion and fancy' organized into groupings of color that vary from day to day. 

"each day i focus on a different tone and color that makes me smile..."
- jen, cubicle refugee creator & author.

what's not to love?