The Stitch is part of Speak Your Silence, a nonprofit on a mission to conquer the stigma of child sexual abuse. Founder Matt Pipkin was abused by a family friend as a kid and is now doing his best to transform lives and protect future generations. The Stitch is a zigzag symbolizing your unique voice frequency. By wearing it, you become a voice that can help move the issue of child sexual abuse from a taboo to a cause people love and support. When you wear it each conversation you spark carries the power to transform the life of someone you love and break the stigma of child sexual abuse. You can purchase a sewing kit to add The Stitch to your clothing or purchase a t-shirt with it already embroidered and support Speak Your Silence‘s mission in the process.
I wasn’t planning on showing up here before Monday, but like a lot of you I’m feeling introspective with the new year upon us. (Happy 2016!) I stopped making resolutions years ago – the guilt and disappointment are a bit too much when I fail – but this year I’ve settled on a few intentions. (Resolutions by another name? Most likely.) And just like writing them down on a Post-It and sticking that note to the fridge, sharing them here holds some accountability for me.
Take better care of myself. Since turning 36 in November I’ve realized this really is the only body and the only life I’ve got. I plan on making big efforts to get my diabetes even further under control, as well as continuing with my daily regiment of vitamins and eating well. Hoping to get more physical activity into the mix as well. (Ugh.)
Work on that whole work/life balance thing. I’ve been struggling with this since taking Design Crush full-time four years ago, and have yet to find a decent balance between the two. My hopes are to spend more time with friends and family, as well as open myself up more to relationships. (Because honestly, I just haven’t made the time or effort. And I’m not getting any younger.)
Try at least one new recipe a month. I’ve fallen into a kitchen rut. Since my diabetes diagnosis back in 2014 I’ve had to relearn my eating habits and cooking hasn’t been nearly as pleasurable. I’m starting small with one new recipe a month, and hoping I fall in love with the process again and more on to one new recipe a week.
So there you have it. What are your intentions for 2016?
Before I cut out for a week and a half of family and presents and way too many cookies, I want to wish you all a happy holiday season. No matter which of them you choose to celebrate. Without you Design Crush would cease to exist and I would cease to have the job I was made for. I’ll be taking my first break from the site in over 2 1/2 years through the new year and I’m looking forward to coming back rejuvenated and full of inspiration in 2016!
Albert Ruiz Villar‘s mixed media on wood pieces just about pop right off of the screen for me. His structural pieces feel like fantastical architecture that might exist in some far off alternate universe. Don’t you want to jump right into one?
Gingerbread is one of my favorite flavors of the season, but I don’t relegate it to cookies alone. (Though I am making these sweets tomorrow!) Feast your eyes on the following twelve recipes that run the gamut from breakfast to side dish.
Click on each image to go to the recipe. All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
During some time spent in Oakland, CA, Matt W Moore constructed a new body of work fusing his bold, graphic vocabulary with extruded mosaic forms. Light plays an important role in activating the series according to its angle, creating depth through shadows. More on SHADOVVS:
The exhibition is comprised of 5 chapters, each with its own concept and aesthetic. A series of greyscale cut-paper mosaics created in Montreal in Fall 2014 is displayed as evidence of the explorations that led to the layered sensibilities of the more elaborate colorful works created during this Bay Area residency. A series of 4 pure symmetry colorful compositions reminiscent of sacred geometry grids, timeless diamond cuts, and architectural monuments hangs as a family on one side of the space. Opposite this wall is a series of 12 square works that bring Moore’s signature graphic syntax into three dimensions, playing with the eye when viewed from different vantage points. One extra large modular construct composed of 5 pieces that hang synchronized is displayed void of color to allow the viewer to explore the subtle nuances of light and shadow without the distraction of color… On the back two walls… Moore has constructed a large mosaic dimensional mural comprised of the same forms used in the rest of the series. This in-situ installation has been left to chance and intuition, with Moore opting to freestyle the build spontaneously rather than reference drafted blueprints.
This fall one of my favorite designers, Rebecca Atwood, released her first wallpaper collection. It features three designs – Marble, Dashes, and Petals – in several color options and I’m smitten with every single one. Much of Rebecca’s inspiration came from her childhood growing up on Cape Cod, crisp fall days with swirling ocean waves and petals falling in the garden that mark the end of summer.
I was especially taken with the Marble Clay Blue pattern and decided to use it in a simple fireplace update. This design started when Rebecca experimented with marbling papers using India ink in the suminagashi technique. The irregular marbled designs reference the coastal elements – small rocks, swirling ocean pools, and the landscape itself. I just love everything about it!
My fireplace needs a new liner to make it usable once again, so I fill it with prayer candles. When lit the result it warm and bright, which makes a decent stand-in on cozy nights. To give the box an update Rebecca sent me a length of her new wallpaper in my favorite pattern. I measured the back of the box up to where it narrows into the chimney and down along the bottom and trimmed a piece of paper before cutting it to the proper width. It was a bit of trial and error in finding something that would attach to the super old painted over masonry, but after a few tries double-stick strips from 3M did the trick nicely. I attached three on the top edge and three on the bottom edge and applied. Voila! Yet another super versatile way to use wallpaper. I’m quite happy with the results and am even more convinced that I need to paint those tiles black asap.
I can hardly believe Christmas is a week from today! The holidays always seem to sneak up on me, but the unusually warm weather we’ve been experiencing here on the east coast has really thrown everyone for a loop. It’s been more of a challenge than usual to get into the spirit, but I’m doing my best. I’ve also been thinking about the brunch my family will be sitting down to Christmas Day and what it might include – and you’re invited.
Kimberly Huestis creates her beautiful jewelry line – Porcelain and Stone – through rock sculpting and ceramics. Design and environmentally-driven choices are at the root of her work, as well as quality of materials, and I’d say all of that comes through in spades.
