Brooklyn Butterfly

These pieces by Brooklyn Butterfly are so gorgeously simple I can't stop looking at them. And the way they are photographed against those amazing vintage journal pages is really wonderful. Ugh.

New York Beautification Project

I’ve been patiently waiting for my book “New York Beautification Project” to arrive, and now that it’s here I’m soooo taken with the work of Ellen Harvey. She’s an artist and the book is all about her project (of the same name) where she painted a series of 40 small, gorgeous, oval oil paintings throughout New York City as graffiti, often incorporating them into existing graffiti. The photos of the paintings are amazing, but all I can think is how it would feel to walk down the street and spy one of these precious little paintings, in person, on a fire hydrant or a crumbling brick wall. The whole thing is such a wonderful thought provoking concept.

Mimi Haddon Blog!

One of my very favorite photographers, the talented Ms. Mimi Haddon has started a blog and I’m so thrilled to be able to see even more of her work. Her sense of composition, color and styling is exquisite. Her portfolio of magnificent work is also a must see. I’m such an admirer.

Before Soup Cans

Pre-soup cans and studio 52 Andy Warhol was an illustrator who did insanely gorgeous work for magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle and I’m so taken with all of it. Plus I think it’s ironic (and then again maybe not ironic at all) that he got his start doing commercial art before he went on to do fine art about commerce and pop culture. Either way, his fashion illustrations are absolutely beautiful. In fact there’s a sweet little book dedicated to them that’s better than Campbell’s Chicken Noodle soup on a rainy day.

Swedish For “Fabulous”

That would be Olle Eksell. A (very) talented graphic designer from beautiful “Sverige.” I happened upon the wonderful, whimsical work of Eksell when I was looking for a Valentine’s gift for my husband last year and found a book cataloging his work on Rare Device (still available on British Amazon.com). Even though Eksell passed away last spring he left behind a legacy of gorgeous, illustration-driven design work. And despite the fact that his most recognized work was done decades ago it has a truly timeless quality about it. Most of his stuff still looks as modern and relevent as the year it was created. The sign of a true talent.

Bookworm Beauty

Books are intrinsically gorgeous just because they are books. And so it figures that wrapping a book with images of books with classically beautiful dust jackets is divine. Especially when it’s done by Kate Spade. They have downloads available at their most fabulous site (thank you for the tip off , Oh Joy!).

Stereographs as Art...

About ten years ago my grandma gave me her stereoscope and a whole basket of stereographs — her childhood equivalent to my plastic red viewmaster and little circular slide disks. I immediately fell in love with their sense of history and old world design. I’ve continued to pick up a few of my own at flea markets here and there, to add to the collection she handed down to me. They’re so captivating I’ve started to think of them as little compositions unto themselves, completely worthy of a frame and a place on my wall...

The Sartorialist

A favorite of mine. The Sartorialist is as much a fashion blog (filled with nicely composed shots of stylish fashionisti found walking the streets of various couture capitals of the world) as it is the next best thing to sitting in a coffee shop and people watching. But not just any kind of people watching. I’m talking people with style. From dapper to chic to bohemian to purely crazy style. Where else will you find a bloke in his sixties who can rock a beefeater coat with pipe and a platinum razored faux-hawk on a stunningly beautiful Asian woman in one sitting?

Beauty and Breath

That’s what this image inspires. It’s so serene and exquisite I just had to share it. It’s a giant Buddhist statue at the Tikse Gompa Monastery in Ladakh, India (by photographer Andrew Gunners).

Mailbox Wishing

Last spring Anthropologie debuted its home catalog, (which previously had just been a few spreads in its clothing catalog). It was nothing short of gorgeous. Not only were the products to die for, but the styling and layout were brilliant. These days as I reach for the pile of stuff in my mailbox I find myself hoping there will be a tasty new Anthro Home treat. Anthropologie, I beg of you: please send another one of your fabulous home catalogs. ASAP.

Memories of Dreams: Aline Smithson

The wonderfully talented photographer Mimi Haddon has introduced me to the work of yet another amazing talent: Aline Smithson. Aline uses a vintage Rolleiflex to capture images that are alternately wistful, witty, mysterious and fascinatingly creepy—but always artful and beautifully composed. They all feel like memories of dreams, if that makes sense.

Millinery Magic & Rodney Smith

I can’t quite pinpoint why it is that I’m drawn to beautiful, slightly old-world fashion photography that involves crazy hats, but I am. So I can’t help but be a major fan of photographer Rodney Smith who has a stunning body of work dedicated to exactly that. Maybe it’s because the hats make the subject seem so wonderfully mysterious. Or maybe I was a milliner in a past life.

Steaming Hot

I saw this exquisite tea set on Design Sponge and just couldn’t resist posting it. Product designer, Christine Misiak, took elements from an old tea set (the silver handles, spouts and tea spoon) and fit them to components her own design. I’m enamored.

Blueprint Worship

The younger, hipper little sister of Martha Stewart’s Living, Blueprint Magazine, has all the design blogs afire with praise, and for good reason. I can’t lie, I LOVE it. All six issues so far have been brilliant. Not only is it gorgeous from cover to cover, but it’s inspiring and smart. Oh Martha (or more accurately Martha’s “people”)! You make it so hard not to love you. My only complaint is that it’s a quarterly pub and not monthly. Grrrr.