Merry and Bright

As my husband and I say goodbye to the new fallen snow here in the Heartland and head to warmer climates to visit extended family I’ll post a vintage Christmas postcard in honor of the Season...Have a Merry Christmas and a Bright New Year!

Christmas Wishes

Camilla Engman’s work is fabulous all around. Her sweet and singular (but often imitated) illustration style carries over perfectly into three dimensions with these little creatures she crochets by hand. The colors she uses, the little details and quiet sense of make-believe make them irresistable and signature Engman. So my Christmas wish is that the talented Ms. Engman would make more of these way-too-adorable little guys (since every one she’s made so far has long since been snagged by admirers from Istanbul to L.A.).

Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre

I’m really not sure what these images are for other than to entertain and be lovely and funny (in a kinda dark way). Which is more than purpose enough! More at Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre (thank you, ffffound).

Principles of Uncertainty

A compendium of Maira Kalman’s illustrated column “The Principles of Uncertainty” for the New York Times is out and I had no idea. Her illustrations are so—I don’t know—unselfconscious and naive? In a good way. And her sense of color is anything but naive. I’m such a fan. I have her edition of Strunk & White’s “The Elements of Style” that is soooo great. She somehow managed to make grammar a little bit cool, so I can’t wait to take a gander at “Principles.”

Daily Coyote

I realize that this post isn’t exactly design or arts related, but the blog, Daily Coyote, has nonetheless captured me. It’s a blog by a woman who rescued a coyote pup named Charlie after his parents were killed. The photos are so sweet. I wanna coyote! (Props to Beach Bungalow 8 for posting a link, which is how I happened upon this heart-tweaking little gem).

Style Envy

I’ve been a fan of designer Sharilyn Wright (of Lovely Design) ever since I spotted her wonderful little found paper address file (below) about 5 years ago. And now after visiting Happy Cavalier, I’ve found out she has a blog! Happy Cavalier posted a few photos (which I’ve shamelessly lifted and posted) of Sharilyn’s studio and I’m in loooooove. It gives me a severe case of style envy. *Sigh*

Natural Beauty

I’ve just discovered the amazing scientific drawings of biologist Ernst Haeckel (1843-1919). I was browsing books and found Art Forms in Nature and immediately had to do a search on his work and found I’m practically the last to know. Rightfully so. It’s so intricately beautiful and mysterious looking. It has me itching for someone to do Ernst Haeckel wallpaper...

Atonement

I saw Joe Wright’s (Pride & Prejudice) new film Atonement this weekend and was swept away by the gorgeousness of it. The stills above don’t even begin to do it justice. The sets, styling and the way the scenes are composed are breathtaking from start to finish. There were some flaws (it’s a tragic love story that should have induced tears but I left dry-eyed) but the art direction isn’t one of them. Even the battlefield scenes were beautiful. Seriously beautiful. Crazy.