Breakfasts of Noosa yoghurt, uncooked oatmeal, and blueberries.
So many hazy hot days.
Plenty of hydrangeas stolen from my mom’s yard.
Lazy days spent with these two.
Fostered this little guy – Snoopy – for three weeks. He goes to his forever home today. Sniff.
Discovered the simple awesomeness of avocado toast.
Paid too much for delicious Rainier cherries!
Started my first ever garden.
Posted In create, my life, photography
I’m really excited/humbled/overwhelmed that Design Crush is turning 5 next week. That’s like a grandma in blog years! I never could have made it this far without all of your support and dedication, honestly. I’m thankful for each and every one of you. </end sapfest>
I’m also really thrilled to announce that there will be a party to celebrate the occasion!!! Thanks to the always-on-top-of-it Engage OKC, we’ll be commandeering the Wedge on Western Avenue July 8th at 6pm. There’ll be a cake by Cookie + Kate and goodies galore! Head on over to check out the goings on and make sure to RSVP by July 4th. I hope to see lots of you there – I’ll be the girl in the pink dress with black polka dots. xo
UPDATE: Due to the awesomeness of the Oklahoma City Thunder and their place in the NBA Finals, the party has been rescheduled for Sunday, July 8th. Now you have no reason not to make an appearance. *wink, wink*
Posted In shameless plug
Decorated with some eucalyptus.
Created my own golden menagerie.
Started reading Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and could barely put it down.
Planted a kitchen window herb garden.
Bought pretty flowers for my mom on Mother’s Day.
Created some DIY neon color blocked planters for my herbs. (Similar to these.)
Accidentally did some nail art with gold spray paint.
Reacquainted myself with Banana Bread Beer.
Dined at OKC’s newest hot spot – Flint.
Did a little rearranging in the house.
Bathed Piper. Several times, much to her chagrin.
Took advantage of some blooms.
Creating a gallery wall can be really intimidating. I know it was for me. The first time I made an attempt was a few years ago, and can only be described as comically sad. I tried to do it freeform, without a plan. Just nailing and hanging as I went. The wall I used wasn’t big enough, or a good location. Just all wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
A few months ago I was chatting with my friend Natasha, who works with Minted. It just so happened that they were planning on releasing their first ever limited edition and custom print art collection and we decided to collaborate on this little how-to guide. Several of the pieces I used are from Minted, as well as a few from other sponsors, and quite a few I previously owned. I’ll share where everything came from and where you can get it at the end.
A large central wall works best for a gallery wall. You want it to be a focal point, not a side thought. I chose the space over my couch. You’ll want to visually divide your wall into quadrants. Your art can then either be built off of the horizontal line, the vertical line, or both. I went with the last option.
After choosing the artwork from Minted, I went about filling in the spaces. I knew that wanted a variety of sizes and mediums. Illustration, painting, photography, etc. I was so excited to pull out pieces that I’d never found the perfect spot for before! Next I nerded out and hopped on my laptop to lay it all out. You can do the same, or print out thumbnails and play with arranging the pieces that way. Whatever works for you, just remember the goal is to have a plan.
I didn’t want the end result to feel flat, so I chose frames of varying depths. The majority are from Plywerk and are 3/4″ bamboo platform frames that I adhered my art to. One is a printed canvas from Thumbtack Press. Everything else I framed in simple glass frames or adhered to the wall with black and white striped washi tape.
I used contractor’s paper (you can get it at any hardware store) to lay things out on the wall. This step is a little time consuming, but you’ll thank me later. Measure all of the frames you plan on using, then cut out paper accordingly. It also helps to label each piece of paper as you go with the art it’s representing. Then working off of your axis (vertical, horizontal, or both) to begin laying out your gallery wall. Try and keep the margins between pieces the same, I went with an inch. Once your paper is taped up you’re going to go ahead and hammer in your nails. Go back to your frames, measure horizontally and vertically where it hits to hang from the nail. Mark it with a pen or pencil on the paper you’ve hung and hammer away, right through the paper. Fun, right?
You’re so close! Rip off the paper and hang your frames. Fine tune anything that’s acting up, but remember that the point is not for things to be perfect. Things are going to adjust themselves according to how your home sits, etc. And tada, you’re done! Not so difficult, right?
1 painting by Erin Cooper/Pippin & Pearl
2 + 3 Toronto and Cherry Blossoms by Anabela Carneiro/Fieldguided
4 After the Heist by Patrick Leger from Thumbtack Press (Sponsor)
Thumbtack Press is like a nebulous cloud of rapidly changing art matter. Picture trillions of creatively charged particles smashing into each other, exploding, fusing together, spinning – everything moving, moving, moving. TTP exists to foster that nebulous cloud. They help it grow by injecting new particles and catalysts, always dedicated towards the creation of something that’ll push the cloud of art matter forwards. Of course, they’re also an online store where open edition prints by top illustration, lowbrow, and character artists from all over the world are sold.
5 je t’aime from Minted (Sponsor)
6 type study new york from Minted (Sponsor)
7 Silly Kitty from Minted (Sponsor)
8 vintage Pittsburgh map
9 Constellation from Minted (Sponsor)
10 In a Row from Minted (Sponsor)
11 Black Bear by Ryan Berkley from Little Paper Planes
12 Let’s Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow by Mike Monteiro
13 Painted Ferns from Minted (Sponsor) (not yet released, but based on this invitation)
15 Trust Your Instincts by Ashley Goldberg from Little Paper Planes
16 Read More Books book page print by Weather + Noise
17 Vintage Keys from Minted (Sponsor)
18 Gloves by Caitlin Keegan from Little Paper Planes
19 Oh Darling, Let’s Be Adventurers screenprint by fifiduvie
20 Be Nice Or Leave letterpress by Louella Press (no longer sold)
21 Red Elusive by Cori Kindred from Little Paper Planes
Frames for all Minted prints were sponsored by Plywerk, eco-conscious bamboo mountings and maple art panels. Stay tuned later this week for more on their fabulous product and the good they’re doing!
Disclaimer: All Minted prints, Plywerk frames, and Thumbtack Press canvas provided in kind.
Posted In create, house and home, illustration, letterpress, make it, my house, painting, paper goods, photography, prints, walls, wood
Blindsided, gutted, and numb. All of it. The Beastie Boys have been a part of my life for just about as long as I can remember. Adrock, MCA, and Mike D were common names amongst all of my friends and their music always a safe bet when no one could agree on a station. As a trio they seemed unstoppable, always progressing their style of rhyme instead of growing stagnant and fading away. And now after today, and the much too early death of Adam Yauch (aka MCA) at age 47 from cancer, they’ll be no more. This isn’t one of those cases where someone can just jump in and fill his empty spot in the group. They were too much like brothers for that. Too connected, too in sync.
I have so many great memories associated with the Beasties. The long summer afternoons spent in my friend Rachael’s tiny bedroom with our friends Holly and Beth, dividing up the lyrics and singing over and over again. (I was Mike D, Rachael Adrock, Holly MCA, and Beth the DJs.) The concert I went to in Cleveland the night before I left for my freshman year of college. And another I went to four years later with friends from a new chapter of life. I think there was a solid decade where you could walk into my bedroom and find one of their posters on the wall. They were a major part of my life as I was figuring out who I was, not only musically but fundamentally.
So I guess what I came to say is thanks, Adam. You, your beliefs, and your causes won’t be soon forgotten. Rest in peace.
Posted In music, my life
Dyed Easter eggs with my mom. (See the Mickey Mouse??)
Bought more melamine!
Filled the house with flowers.
Cuddled with The Peanut.
Visited Chirps & Cheers for the first time!
Spent lots of time outdoors with Piper.
Reminisced a little – that’s me and my dad!
Marveled at only having killed two perennials in my butterfly garden.
Have you had the chance to check out Kelly Lynn Jones‘ California Collection yet? Because it’s amazing. You might well already know Kelly’s name from her online venture, Little Paper Planes. Which is exactly where you can find the collection in both small and large formats. I’m happiest when near the ocean, and now I have a little 36 x 36″ piece of it hanging over my bed at all times.
Posted In create, my house, paper goods, photography, posters
PHOTO: Kelly Beall
I realize not everyone is going to care about what I’ve been going through as a caregiver. But with the crazy statistic that 65.7 million Americans care for a family member with a terminal illness, I thought I’d continue to share my journey with Pete with you.
It seems as though Pete’s reached the late-intermediate stage of Alzheimer’s, there is no set time table with the disease just a person-by-person pace. He easily fixates on things for long periods of time, particularly anything of extreme size or quantity. Think car dealerships, skyscrapers, etc. A big source of anxiety is the idea of something he needs running out, so several of everything are kept on hand at all times. Soap, paper towels, and the like. Date and time are both obsessions, as are fidgeting with his watch which he changes the settings on several times a day.
Pete still gets great joy out of reading the daily newspaper cover to cover (sometimes several times in the same day) and walking outside, so we take full advantage of both. I try to stick to his daily routines as much as possible because he’s easily thrown off, something as simple as the Girl Scouts coming around to sell cookies will leave him asking a million questions hours after the event.
As we’ve moved deeper into the disease more symptoms are revealing themselves. Pete’s begun to forget everyday words and will replace them in conversation with one of the completely wrong meaning. At times no words at all want to form and what comes out sounds more like a child learning to speak. Jibber jabber. His balance is beginning to fail him as well, and a few weeks ago he took a tumble while showering (luckily he was uninjured). Walking has slowed down and it takes a few tries to get up from a sitting position, both make his habit of wandering around more dangerous and me more hawk-like. But he still eats like a champ! More like a teenage boy actually, the other day he housed six slices of pizza for dinner.
A recent development is what I like to call the True/False Game, where he has a thought so set in him mind that he believes it no matter what. Like one of the indoor cats getting outside last week, even though they were both napping under a bed. Another high point of his days is Piper, I bring her with me Monday through Friday and he can’t get enough. Things about her are actually some of the only new information he remembers, so I’m grateful for any sort of joy she brings into his life. And they have such an amazing bond that it has me wondering whether she might make a good therapy dog to bring happiness to others.
One thing I never stopped to think about when I became Pete’s daytime caregiver is what sort of effect it might have on me. As with all terminal illnesses, which Alzheimer’s ultimately is, there are good days and bad. And you take both in stride not knowing when the switch is going to flip the other way. In the past few weeks it’s been in the ‘bad’ direction more than the ‘good,’ and I feel ragged. My anxiety, which has always been on the high end of the spectrum, has skyrocketed. My will to do anything after going home has plummeted, and I don’t discount the fact that I might be slightly depressed. My solace lies in the fact that I’m most likely suffering more than Pete, simply because he doesn’t remember most things short term any longer. And I wouldn’t change that for anything.
Posted In my life
Collected pear tree branches off of the side of the road.
Caught Roxy and Peanut like this and died.
Rediscovered honey sticks, a childhood favorite.
Was mesmerized at the peach tree blossoms at my mom and stepdad’s house.
Fell in love with cinnamon cardamom tea.
Celebrated my stepdad’s birthday. Piper, too.
Ate an orange nearly every day.
Experimented with color-blocking my nails.
Decided to test my black thumb with this bright kalanchoe.
Bought my first quart of strawberries of the year.
Piper got homemade treats in the mail from Capree and Wrigley.
Attended a dear college friend’s wedding.
You can follow me full-time on Instagram @designcrush
Posted In my lifeYou love your home, right? But what about that hand-me-down sofa you just can’t shake. Or the shabby wall-to-wall carpeting that just isn’t in the budget to replace. We all have areas in our spaces that we’d like to improve upon, but why focus on them? Let’s enjoy the parts that make our hearts go pitter patter. The light fixture in the entryway that you saved up for. Or the chair that’s been passed down in your family for three generations. Yes? YES! Our favorite little corners where you wouldn’t change a thing deserve to be celebrated.
That’s why we’re starting a new feature – Little Corners. Right here, right now and I’m kicking things off with my favorite spots in my own house. If you’re interested in contributing and sharing your favorite corners, please email for details. Let’s focus on the things we’re doing right rather than what we’d like to change!
