design school projects: core part 2

this was another assignment i did for that *very critical professor.

i had that guy for way 

too many classes.

i had him for 2D design, 3D design, figure drawing,

3D drawing and one other class. most people would

take one class from him, and then do whatever it

took to avoid him for the rest of the year.

even though he was so critical and rarely gave

away anything over a B, i stuck with him.

and i'm glad i did. 

i learned a lot from him.

i learned to push my self and 

i learned to have confidence in myself.

for this assignment,

we were to express a shape in 25 different ways...

hey, remember these 

are 17 years old...

most of these were done in illustrator.

yep, those are my lips...

that's my younger brother in the middle...

want to know what rose petals kept under a layer of acetate 

look like after 17 years in storage?

well...here ya go!

so many of my projects have either gotten lost or damaged, but i 

have managed to hang onto this one. i don't know why, but it was

one of my favorite assignments. i think because of it's simple,

straightforward nature. there were so few parameters, and i

really felt like my creativity could run wild. 

i think i might frame a few of these one day and

hang them as a collection in a room somewhere.

i'm not even sure what this one was...

all i know is that i threw it away right after

i took this picture 16 years ago.

this was another of my favorite projects.
it was from my 3-D design class.
it was an excerise in "tensegrity".
basically, a structure held together 
by a carefully balanced combination
of tension and compression.
if you look closely, the only things
touching each other are the red and
black dowels. everything else is "floating".
my hands got sooo cut up from
this project! i was really sad when
i had to get rid of it.
(it took up too much valuable storage space).

subtle beauty

ok, 

that mirror is incredible!

the sideboard, the mirror, the lamps...

even though they are all 

basically the same color, 

the variety of textures 

makes this so fun to look at.

and did you spot the 

beautiful transoms in the reflection?

yummy.

i love all the texture and subtle colors 
in this room...it's just dreamy.

great woven seagrass rug, lovely linen
bedskirt, and the nailhead trim 

around the daybed is a great touch. 

wouldn't you want to curl up with a great book here?

design school projects: core part 1

where i went to college, each student in the design department

(photography, interior design, graphic design, 

illustration, and industrial design)

took the same classes for 

the first year.

these were called the "core classes."

at the end of the year, each student would select the 

department they wanted to major in,

and submit their portfolio in order to be selected.

here are some of the projects that i did that first year:
***
the  object of this assignment was to create
six very different emotions from a "kit" of parts + a texture.
when i handed in this project, 
 my professor, 
a notoriously critical man,
asked if i had done the assignment on my "own".
gee, thanks dude.
i guess that was his way of saying i did a good job, 
because i got the highest grade in the class...
(i'm not bragging--i swear. i received
plenty of mediocre grades from
this professer as well. i just threw
those projects away a long time ago!)
(please, remember...
these are 17 years old.
it was the '90's. 
mullets were still "cool".
there was no internet.
i'm just saying...)

sorry about the glare on this one.

this is from my color theory class.

the assignment was to recreate a picture

from a magazine using gouache paints.

the magazine is on the left, my painting is on the right.

i really enjoyed this class, and had some neat projects,

but i guess they are in a landfill somewhere right now.

oops.

mirror, mirror...

on my wall.

(i wish)

a fun display of vintage frames.

so unique.

who doesn't love a good sunburst mirror?

i actually think this could be a fun diy project...

this look could be replicated fairly inexpensively

with some mdf and ikea malma mirrors.

(both spray painted silver).

from horchow, country living, modern dose

excuse me, but...

i think there's a 
leg lamp in your living room.
***

*cheap canvas prints*

i love a house that is
pretty and put-together, but i also love
a house that has personality.
i love it when i can tell a little bit about the person 
that lives in a home by looking at the furniture, fabrics, 
art and accessories they have selected.
***


*www.cambridgeoakfurniture.co.uk*


most people get so hung up on worrying if things MATCH,
that they end up buying a bunch of items that are 

boring

 and they don't LOVE a single one of them.

if you LOVE it, buy it.

that's what i say.

don't be afraid to "mix it up".

i am working with a client 

right now that

has a LEG LAMP,

in their living room.

(yes, a leg lamp...like the one from 

a christmas story) 

and you know what?

it works!

it works because they love it. 

they are fun, amazing people

with great senses of humor, and the leg lamp is paired

with many beautiful and quirky pieces 

that gives the room a unique beauty.

***

for inspiration, 

look at magazines and 

pictures on the internet.

collect pictures of rooms 

that make you *swoon*

(as in: a room that you love, 

a room that makes you stop and STARE,

a room that takes your breath away).

once you have a good 

collection of those rooms,

look for the common elements.

 are all the walls white?

?

do they all have chandeliers in them?

?

are they all filled with modern furniture?

?

do they all have a great oriental rug?

?

find those common elements 

and use them to build a room

 in your own home that

 makes you *swoon*.

pictures from here and here

***

this week, i will be posting pictures of 

my projects while i was in college.

 i need a place to 

*dump

them.

design*crush: barbara barry

barbara, barbara, barbara....

where do i begin?

i've been a fan of barbara barry for a long time.

her interiors are always soothing, sophisticated 

and easy on the eyes.

she has become an icon in the design world, 

and for good reason.

she was one of the first interior designers 

(at least that i know of) 

to branch out and design lines of linens/furniture/tile/dinnerware

for other companies. she has lines of furniture for baker and henredon, a line of tile for ann sacks, as well as crystal, lighting fixtures, rugs, textiles, candles, bed linens for other companies, 

as well as her own.

talk about busy.

i hope she designs *something...*anything

for target--then i might actually be able to afford it.

what a classy lady.

when i grow up, i want to look like this.

who am i kidding, right? 

i don't even look this good now.

i love that her interiors are 

deeply rooted in traditional...

but have strong themes of modern.

a soft, sophisticated palette is one of her trademarks.

love that balance of

traditional and modern.

yep, i'm a big fan.

if i were the stalker-type, 

she would definitely be 

near the top of list. 

you are one lucky lady, ms. barry...

very lucky indeed.

(insert evil laugh)

images found here, here, here, here

merci

just thought i would share one of our
new years day traditions
with y'all...
(i'm married to a southerner, and have lived in the south for
14+ years of my adult life, so i may sling around 

the phrase "y'all" every once in a while...)
on new years day, we have an
hors d'oeuvres feast!

on the menu:
veggies w/beau monde dipping sauce
olives
cheese ball + crackers
mini quiche lorraine in phyllo cups
sausage balls
little smokies
shrimp w/basil ponzu dipping sauce
panko-crusted baked chicken tenders
w/homemade blue cheese dressing,
celery + wing sauce
spinich artichoke dip
buckeyes
phew.
i was in the kitchen a lot yesterday,
but i love cooking, so it was nice.
***
also:
i just wanted to
thank all of those readers 

who have 

left such thoughtful and sincere comments for me.
especially about my last post.
frankly, it was a little bit of a "stretch" for me.

but i feel and appreciate your kindness...

so, thank you!

see, i'm a rookie at this blogging whole thing...

and in real life, i am a pretty private person.

so, i have never been sure about what to 

share about my personal life.

some people advise you to keep details of your 

"real" life totally out of your blog.

other blogs seem to contain nothing but pictures and 

the most intimate details of their authors lives.

and yet it seems the blogs i am drawn to have a 

balance of the two.

so, i'm treating this blog the way 

i would treat a new friend. 

(that's YOU, whoever is reading this!)

if you want to stick around, you'll get to know me slowly...

(if that's what you want)...

if not, stick around anyway, 

because i have a feeling that

2010 is going to be a lot of fun... 

plus,

i need your help finding house #6

and, of course, fixing it up!
***

oooo...and 
desire to inpire
listed my blog on their 
"holiday reading guide 2010"!
thanks for the mention!
you can see the post here

2010

happy new year!

wow. 

i can't believe a decade of the new millenium is over.

how did it go by so quickly, and where have i been?!

oh, that's right...changing diapers. 

and doing laundry.

and moving 7 times.

do you make new years resolutions?

i try to pretend like i don't, but i really do.

i figure if i don't actually write them down, 

then they are not "real", 

and then, if i don't keep them, 
it doesn't really "count".

so i guess i make "faux" resolutions.

(i probably need a lot of therapy, huh?)

in any case, i've tried to keep my

"faux" resolution simple this year.

buy a house and make it a 

place i love to be.

we have been in a rental house for the last 

16 months, 18 days.

not like i'm keeping track or anything. 

*ahem. *cough, *cough.

you know those families you keep

hearing about on the news that lost 

everything when the economy tanked?

my family is one of those.

the economy has been especially unkind to those in the

residential construction business, which we were.

so, when things got bad, 

we shut down our once profitable company 

and moved across the country for a job.

 we've been in a rental house ever since.

we considered buying a house when we first moved, but my husband insisted that it would be wise to wait, because the real estate market was  going to continue to decline. i am so glad we waited, because he was right. 

so, in 2010, we are going 
to find house #6.

***

want  to join me as we hunt for that

diamond in the rough?

***
i'll post pictures of houses as we look...

we will probably start in late january.

it's going to be a long and frustrating road, i am sure.

long wish list + small budget 

is like a guaranteed 
recipe for frustration,

 but i'm excited nevertheless!

i hope you'll join us.