Martha Stewart ad campaign : Curator, Collector, Naturalist?

Have you seen the recent Martha Stewart ad campaign for her home furnishings? I was immediately attracted to "the Curator", probably because of the rich colors. There's also "the Collector" and "the Naturalist". I think I'm sort of a mix between all three. I'd love the happy bright clean feel of "the Naturalist" for my imaginary vacation home by the beach. Which one are you? Check them out here.

Whim by Cynthia Rowley at Target

So I've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new Whim by Cynthia Rowley at Target. I was looking forward to see what fun things she was going to bring to outdoor accessories. Well, it finally showed up at my local Target, and if you haven't already seen it, here's my take:
The first thing that caught my eye was the plaid. Plaid is something that a lot of people either hate or love. I'm not a hater. I love the fun colors and think it would be perfect for a summer shin-dig. Love the napkins and bucket/tub thing.
I'm a little on the fence regarding the whole rattan pattern print (it seems sort of... "done"... like.. by a lot of other people... um... two years ago?) but at the same time, it's such a classic pattern that works well for patios and summer in general. The green colorway is really neon-ish, and I wasn't really feelin' it. However, the pink colorway with green trim looked pretty good. They also had some clear plastic tumblers with the pattern that could be fun. I could picture them holding some yummy refreshing lemonade...
They also had some clear-with-white rattan pattern placemats that I could see useful for maybe some other projects... I liked the rope pattern design on the sarong, which I thought could act as a nice table runner too. The whole beach accessory area was really fun. Then I noticed that they had these total Fred Ice Kabob knock offs- which I thought was kind of weird. I wonder why they didn't just use the original ones, since they're already kinda affordable... (unless maybe they struck up a deal did some sort of private label version or something... anyways- who knows...) But they're like $3... UPDATE: Thanks to HM reader technicolorsarah for letting me know- Fred was totally ripped off. that's sooo sad.

Finally the only thing I actually purchased was the infamous garden hose. The Pink version has been getting a ton of press, and... - it's really hot pink. Looks super cute. My only gripe about it is that it's actually a lot thinner/smaller than I had thought. If you have a small space that you need watering, this should be fine, but the actual width/diameter of the hose is not very large. I actually got the bright cyan blue version (naturally, hehe)- They're mixed in with the rest of the pool toys and inflatables, etc... so don't look for them in the garden section. I've been to three Targets around here (don't ask) in the past week and noticed that they have them stocked in ratios of three to one. (three blue to one pink) so if you want a pink one- you better go grab it.

Have any of you been by to see it? Did you get anything? What as your take?

Wood Work by Karen Ryan

Dezeen recently featured the work of Karen Ryan. I am so in love with the wood/fluorescent plexi mix. It feels so graphic and modern. Reminds me of a lot of graphics going on right now, but in 3D. Her other work is really interesting as well- Check out more of the "wood work" pieces here and her other projects at Karen Ryan's site (note: her site takes a while to load...)

ed emberley products

OMG. Remember my love for Ed Emberley (here and here)? Over at Print & Pattern, Bowie style posted that Japanese company Hightide has licensed Ed Emberley stationery products! I hope they'll make their way over here... Check out more here!

Aviva Stanoff video

A while back I posted the goregous pillows of Aviva Stanoff. Point Click Home has a great video that interviews her about her process of pressing velvet- amazing! click here to see it.

Sea Life Dinner Plates by Thomas Paul

Argh- so busy. But just wanted to get these up because they are sooo cool. These Sea Life Plates by Thomas Paul are amazing and not sure why, but I am so drawn to the Octopus and horseshoe crab! Available here.

Trina Turk Residential Store

Over the weekend, I had the chance to check out the brand new Trina Turk Residential store. (Kind of a funny name isn't it? Residential...) Anyway, as you'd expect, it's gorgeous. Her fabulous prints are on all sorts of luscious cushions, and there's a great collection of vintage pieces and wonderful pottery from Atwater Pottery. Also, she has a line of candles that smell so good. My favorite was Beach and Desert. (I picked up a Desert one) They also carry a bunch of Missoni Towels (um... I may have been really bad and splurged a little there too...) The colors and prints are amazing and I wanted everything in there. Next time you get a chance to visit Palm Springs, definitely don't miss it! So much color inspiration. See more here.

blue munday: Krislyn Design

A couple weeks ago, I posted on AT:LA about the new Fred Segal Green store opening in Santa Monica. One of the comments provided a link to Krislyn Design Studio, an amazing floral design store in LA. Check out their beautiful work at their site. All of their work is really stunning...
(images from Krislyn Design Studio)

mundane aesthetic: pool tile

cinder block planters and pretty vases

Last weekend was the big Garden Show at South Coast Plaza, here in OC. I always enjoying going to it, (although parking is horrendous.) Anyway, there are always so many beautiful plants on display and for sale, and it's fun to see the competition exhibits that are done by many local landscape architects and designers. This year two things really caught my eye. First, this really simple idea for using cinder blocks as planters. I know this isn't exactly a new idea, but it just looked fun and kinda modern, and sooo easy to do. Then was this booth from this local floral designer, The Juicy Leaf. He layers sand and rocks in clear vases and puts succulents in them. The prices were kinda high but they sure were purdy. It seems like it wouldn't be too hard for a DIY version (although- I'm not sure how the roots of the plant would get past the rocks... maybe there's a hidden container or chamber of dirt inside. Anyway, I might need to try something like this for a table centerpiece this summer...

Eyelet covered rocks

I don't know why but I find these incredibly beautiful. via Craftzine.

Friday Video break: What u do 2 me makes me runaway

Boomkat
Boomkat - What You Do To Me

More of those colors....

So the colorstory I've been obsessing over has now morphed into another colorstory, that is a bit more... Italian ice cream-ish? Maybe because it's been so warm around here lately... This coolness street art by artist Cody Hudson - who's blog is here, and the cover of a recent Elle Deco Japan.

Animal silo dividers

In keeping with the book theme, I love these! I suppose you could easily DIY your own, but definitely a fun idea! From here, via Mocoloco.

kraft covered books

I've blogged about "white on white" books awhile back (yikes! that was a year ago?!), and in the April 2008 Domino (the one with Drew Barrymore on the cover), I noticed this little tidbit from the interview with India Hicks. She covered books in kraft paper, inspired by how her dad would do red leather bound. There's something about this that really appeals to me. Maybe it's the nostalgia of grade school, where you'd cover your textbooks with grocery bags (did you all do that?) I love how she added little tags/labels on the spines.
(image from Domino)

Cuckoo mystery...

So... in a recent PBTeen catalog, there was this image. Naturally, this is just a prop as there is no listing for it. (Of course, I am always noticing those background things usually more-so than the product they're actually selling... sigh) Anyhoo- where did this cute & cool cuckoo clock come from? I love how it's so modern, yet still somewhat traditional... I likey. Anyone recognize it?

mundane aesthetic: new

new growth!new artwork!new apples, yummy...

Blue Munday: Cloud Salt and Pepper Shakers

These are so cool! These Cloud Salt and Pepper Shakers are by product designer Anderson Horta, from Brazil. I think they're only conceptual, but they sooo need to be made into production! They're made of rubber, so you can squeeze out if the salt gets solidified. Check out more of his designs on his blog. (via Designspotter)

Colorstory?

So I'm still totally being attracted to this whole weird colorstory that I've been seeing so much of lately. I think it's the whole combination of light pink mixed with yellow and grey with a little muted light blue/seafoam that is really getting to me. In the April 2008 Elle Decoration, they had it as their color scheme for the month... ...Love it. I'm trying to call it something, any ideas?

Neon Birds by Tyler Clark Burke

Check out these awesome neon laser cut birds by artist Tyler Clark Burke! She also has them in a mirror version. More info here and here. (thanks Neil for the tip!)

U/O SP 2008

"We've Got Wood" Wallpaper April 2008

Such a great editorial spread from the April 2008 Wallpaper Mag. Love the unexpected colors and art installation feel of the images. The photos are from Gregoire Alexandre, with interior styling by Faye Toogood.

blue munday: Pottery Barn jars and pillow

mundays mundays... Pottery Barn has some really pretty blue things going on- I'm loving these vivid bright blue glass jars. These apparently can be monogramed, which actually is a fun idea- although I'd rather do that myself, maybe with some contact paper and some "frosting" spray (has anyone used that stuff?)

I'm also really fascinated by this "Sea Life Lumbar Pillow Cover"- It seems like it would be a fun "starting point" piece with all the colors going on, and I like how quirky it is. (Jellyfish are cool.) I would love to see this in some totally random juxtaposition. Like... mixed with something totally modern, or minimal... but with a slight rustic-ness to it... I dunno... I'm looking forward to seeing this in person...

TGIF: it's a Small World after All

Happy friday! whew- what a week- and unfortunately for me, it keeps on going. Instead of putzing around at home this weekend, (like I very much want and need to do), I'm off again to good ol' John Wayne Airport, this time to Danville, CA. Any Danville HM-ers out there? Reprezent!! Speaking of reprezentin'- if you haven't done so already, Please tell me where you're at in the comments on the post a few posts down- It's so great to see where you all are coming from, and makes things so much happier knowing that it's a Small world after all... (By the way, I'm so excited to see so many local OC neighbors! and special hello to all of you abroad, like Australia, Philippines, France, Denmark, New Zealand, Egypt, and Canada!) Have a great weekend!


by the way- how amazing are the videos above? I want my own mini-scale model of the It's A Small World clock!

Alison Foshee

OMG. check out the a-m-a-z-i-n-g work of Alison Foshee. Just saw this on Laissezfaire. She makes these incredible pieces from things like ordinary labels, candy wrappers, etc... Check out her site and see what she did with staples!! More here. (via Laissezfaire)
images: Alison Foshee

marshmallow animals!

I love marshmallows. Here's a link to how to make the lamb and the piglet (via craftzine)

TGIT and Jennifer Squires

man o man- how did it suddenly get to be thursday? Well, thank God it's Thursday. One day closer to Friday. I've had a crazy week, that keeps on being crazy! I'm home for a few days, but back on the road again this weekend for another trip for work. It's the few precious minutes at home while things are hectic that you really appreciate the mundane things that make you happy- A nice pillow, a bowl of steamed rice, your couch in front of the TV... These images sort of sum that up for me right now. They're from Jennifer Squires. You can check out (and purchase) more of her work at her etsy shop or on her website.

Linda Solovic

Over the weekend, I got a nice email from artist Linda Solovic. How adorable are her pieces?I love the playful happy embroidery work that has a slight vintage feel to them. Love these magnets too! Check out more at her website, and her etsy shop.

travel rituals

Naked Eye- Luscious Jackson

Happy munday! Today finds me yet again on another bizness trip back up to Seattle. I have so much traveling to do in the next couple of weeks, its kinda crazy. I'm usually pretty good about packing, but this time I was so rushed that I totally forgot a few things.  Ugh. hate that. Luckily it's not like I'm going someplace unfamiliar or out of the country, so I can still just jump over to a trustworthy Target and get what I need. One thing about traveling is that I have found I have this ritual. I do the same thing every time. It breaks down to these 8 steps:

1. Get to Airport.

2. As soon as I get into the security line, remove belt, keys, wallet and shove into carry on bag. (I hate all the shuffling right before I have to pass through the security and thing and prefer to speed through that as fast as I can. 

3. Leave security area and find a nearby seat.

4. Put myself back together (put back shoes, belt, wallet, etc...)

5. Go to Newstand.

6. Buy water, some sort of small snacky thing, like M&Ms, Raisinets (I totally used to think these were gross when I was a kid, but a few years ago I re-visited the idea and now totally love them!)

7. Pick up 2-4 magazines. It usually breaks down to: 2 bad trashy mags, like People or In-touch (its the only time I read them... honest... hehe), whatever issue of In-Style (i like that they're usually really thick)  and then a home design mag (if there's one I haven't read yet)

8. Depending on the time of the flight, I may get something to eat too. Oh the joys of airport food... actually some airports do have some decent offerings...

anyways- I've found that this has become my routine whenever I'm at the airport. Doesn't matter where I'm going. Is that weird? Do you have a travel routine?

Apartment Therapy Presents

Woo hoo! My copy of the AT book was waiting for me when I got home Friday afternoon! It's soooo neato. Ok, not that I'm in any way biased (er... not that my place just happens to be in it, or that I happen to blog for them too, hehe) but it's such a fun book! Ok, yeah, I'm totally plugging it, but really, I definitely recommend checking it out if you love house-tours. There's such an array of styles, colors, and tastes in this book, and they're all of homes from people like you and me. So much great inspiration and it's a substantial size too! The images of my place were shot last year, so its funny to see how it has changed since then. (if you've been following this blog, you'll probably notice a few things, but my place is still pretty similar to when it was shot.) I took some updated shots on Saturday, and should be having an official house-tour on AT in the coming weeks. (hopefully I won't get blasted with too many snarky comments, hehe) Anyway- I think my favorites inside are: "hakarl and jili's bold bright moves", "jane and darko's cozy thicket", "tyke and jon's topanga casa", "victoria's bomo pad" and "marilyn and peter's home studio." oh! and "gregory and emily's silverlake sanctuary" and "marlon's blue pad." See- there's just tooo many to choose!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday to Happy Mundane and to you!

Wow. I just realized that this mundane blog is already 2+ years old. I totally missed the first birthday, and I've already missed the 2nd one (it was in March!)- It's crazy to think that I've actually been doing this blog for so long. I want to thank each and every one of you that take a few minutes each day (or whenever) to click on my little blog.  Have a very merry un-birthday (or if it is your birthday- Happy Birthday!)  

Now, in honor of Happy Mundane's un-birthday, it's been a year since I did this last. Each time it's been amazing to see the number of people grow and the locations spread- So... I'm in Irvine, CA- where are you??

By the way, here's an awesome fan-made video of Alice set to Gwen Stefani by Filmrocker

have a great weekend- and tell me where you are!

Published?

Lookee here! Victoria at SFgirlbybay got a copy of the new ApartmentTherapy book! Um...

recognize anything?... 

I haven't received my copy yet- but cant wait to see it. super neato! Order your copy here:

(image via SFGirlbybay)

Lucky You Lucky Me

So the past few days I had a little house guest. His name is Lucky. I was only supposed to be baby sitting for two days. You may not see me for a awhile because I may or may not be involved in a kidnapping...

Help I need Help!

I really do... Most medical packaging is so crazy or clinical, and I love this more calmer approach. Also love the fact that the outside is made of molded pulp! Read more here. (be sure to click on the "Bored?" tab, it's genius. (via mocoloco)