Sunday, January 31, 2010

Squirrely Sunday

The other day Tina from Swissmiss wondered if clouds were the new mustache, which got me thinking about what the new owl might be. I love owls, but they've been very popular recently and seem to be on their way out.

For a brief period I thought maybe the octopus fad would take over, but it sort of fizzled out before it got too far. So my latest guess is squirrels! They're almost as cute as owls, and have that same quirkiness about them.

Here are some great squirrels I found:

{one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine ,ten ,eleven}

I really like the wallpaper, which is from the Wallpaper Collective, but I think it would be slightly challenging to use outside of a child's room. I think it could look good in an entry way, or maybe in an office with the right furniture and accessories. Thoughts?

What do you think the new owl is?

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Sidewalk Saturday


Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching, and there are hearts everywhere!


I was pleasantly surprised
to find several hearts graffitied on the sidewalk while I was walking around the city today.



I also saw some pretty window displays, and had fun playing around with my iPhone Camera Bag and Photoshop apps.


{Juicy Couture window}



(The large red heart and "penguin loves chowder" I found before today).




{My favorite!}


I hope your Saturday's full of love!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Freaky Friday

I have always loved movies where people get to trade places and live each others lives for awhile; Freaky Friday, The Parent Trap, Wish Upon A Star, etc. It's fascinating to watch the characters have to perform parts of the other person's life they don't want to do, or are ill-equipped for.

I think it's an interesting idea for furniture as well. What if a chair from Anthropologie and a chair from West Elm switched places?

Could a sleek scoop-back West Elm chair hack it in the dark, arty room from the Anthropologie catalog?

Could a quirky Anthropologie bistro chair get through a day in a modern, white room from the West Elm catalog?

Take a look at the switcharoos:




They both look a little awkward, but maybe with some new accessories and a bit of time they'd grow to like their new lives, and perhaps learn a thing or two. After all, cheerful/flowered dining chairs have got to stick together.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

If My Day Was A Chair

It would be this one:


{Philippe Starck Mademoiselle Chair}


Fun, interesting, and a little bit too busy.

How was your day?

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

How To Stay Sane While Job Hunting

{Sketch done with ink, the keep calm was added digitally}


I am currently unemployed. It sucks. Here are a couple of suggestions for staying sane while looking for a job:

1. Put on a pair of real pants in the morning.
2. Do yoga, take a walk, move around.
3. Organize your workspace.
4. Make your bed.
5. Stay positive.
6. Volunteer.
7. Keep dreaming.
8. Keep your weekends work free.
9. Blog.
10. Make a vision board.
11. Make something.
12. Laugh more.
13. Ask for help if you need it.

Also remember: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

And:


Does anyone have any other tips?

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Ella ella

It's been raining here for what seems like forever. So here are some cool umbrella inspired designs...


{Clockwise from upper left: one, two, three, four, five}

I love the umbrella stand/pot! Although you'd probably just end up watering the plant normally.

I wish I owned that umbrella, it would definitely cheer up a rainy day.

And just for kicks, here's a little umbrella sketch:


Tomorrow's forecast is mostly sunny :0)

Monday, January 25, 2010

Caffeinated

What do you follow up a post about insomnia with? A post about coffee of course! I am in need of a new coffee maker, I've been making due with Starbucks VIA packets which are not going to cut it for very long. Here's some coffee pots I've got my eye on:


{one, two, three, four, five}


I also have a sketch to post today! Crazy right?

I love sketching, but I have a hard time doing it because it's not "perfect" so one of my goals (and a goal of the blog) is do at least one sketch, drawing, doodle, whatever a week, and post it with no shame for it not being perfect.

So here you have it:



It came out a little dark. But that's just how I like my coffee :) How do you take your coffee?

Awake Is The New Sleep


{Clockwise from top left: one, two, three, four, five, six}


I've been having a bit of insomnia lately. I'm taking a break from sheep counting to share these lovely pictures.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Sidewalk Saturdays


On Saturdays I usually spend a good part of the day wandering around the city, running errands, and generally enjoying the randomness SF has in store for me. Over the past couple of months I started taking pictures of stenciled sidewalk graffiti. Now it's a growing obsession of mine to find new pieces of graffiti - or better versions of ones I already have.

So for now on Saturdays I thought I'd share a stencil, interesting graffiti, or possibly anything else interesting I encounter on my walks.


The monkey is one of my favorites! It's more detailed and interesting than a lot of the other ones I've come across. A lot of the stencils are words, or contain political/personal messages, so the ones that seem like random images often make me question what the intent of the artist was.

Both of today's pictures are old. I didn't find any new pieces today, but did see a dog wearing booties, and a bright pink VW Bug with Daisy wheels (San Francisco never fails to amaze me).

Hope you're having a good weekend as well.... Lily

Friday, January 22, 2010

“Beauty is a good letter of introduction” -German Proverb Quotes

I thought I should start this blog with a bit of an introduction. I just graduated with a degree in Interior Design and am trying to find a job/my place in the design world.

Sketching is something I enjoy doing, and want to get better at, so I plan to use this blog a source of motivation and as a way to share my sketches. I'll also be posting on things I love in interior design as well as other design and art fields. I hope you'll enjoy peeking into my design sketch pad!

Now onto the beauty for today!


These are some of the images that came to my mind of when I thought of the start of this blog. Colored pencils, my favorite notepad (not too big, not too small), a drawing I did of an Eames chair, my lovely mac laptop with the view from my desk, and paint brushes.