Embroidered Typography

Happy New Year! I spent the past week enjoying the company of family and two terrific nieces: ages 3 and 5. It's amazing how quickly time passes with children. And now we're in 2012, holy cow! I thought it apropos to start the year with this fantastic calendar designed by Iwona Przybyla. You can see the rest of the calendar and her portfolio at the Behance Network.

Yarnable Wednesday

I just made up my own word. Wednesdays will be dedicated to all things knitted, chrocheted, and yarned. I have totally fallen in love with the giant knit: knitting together smaller knitted strands to make monstrous and comfy pieces. With that in mind, have you seen these knit stools by Claire Anne O'Brien?

Claire is a textile designer who specializes in knitting. She is originally from Ireland (hence all the lambswool and sheeps wool). She graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2010 with a Masters in Textiles. She also did a Designer Meets Artisan project with Unesco in 2009, where she collaborated with the local women of  Ladakh in the Himalayas, working with them to create knitted products they now make and sell on tourist trekking routes in the region. She makes fantastic furniture and gives back!

The Art of Speech

There has been a definite theme in my life this week: miscommunication. It started out when I watched King's Speech, and oddly enough, the inability Colin Firth's character had to fully vocalize his intentions really struck a personal chord with me. Not to mention the wall in that study is one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen!

Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in King's Speech

It got me to thinking about how much I am truly not able to vocalize. Since I can remember I've written better than I could speak. There was always some disconnect between what I was saying and what I truly meant. This led to many awkward moments when people would take what I said the wrong way. I soon learned that writing was a better way to cope with this, as I could take the time to truly write what I meant. Luckily I've been fortunate to grow up in an era where technology's prime form of communication is typing-based. But I somehow feel as though our generation is missing out a bit on the one-on-one. 

After watching the movie, I discovered this fabulous tablecloth by Camilla Fucili on Mocoloco.

It's a laser cut tablecloth meant to represent the communication that happens at the table.

Of course we all love the idea of sitting at the dinner table with our families, having heartfelt conversations that truly inspire. But I think about how often this truly happens in my life, and how often I shy away from it. I know it's not entirely my fault. The generations of the Internet learned a lot of communication through IM-ing and we learned it was faster and easier than picking up the phone. I find that many people, who grew up learning communication through the telephone and face to face, find frustration in the "cold" appearance e-mails or texts or Facebook appear to have. They do not have the same childhood nostalgia associated with computers that we do. I remember one of my first crushes asked me out on an instant message. 

Just yesterday I found this installation (also on Mocoloco) from 2009. It was named "Signatures Exchanged for Passwords". The artist, Donna Rumble-Smith, embroidered handwriting that fell apart and became the generic text in e-mails, strewn on the floor. 

This moved me in many ways. Apart from what seems to be a sad commentary on how our society is growing increasingly more generic in our communications, I think this installation can be viewed another way. I see it as showing that every e-mail we send does still come from a personal place. When we use technology to communicate, it is not a computer creating these e-mails, but a human. Perhaps seeing something typed on a computer screen can seem cold and less "warm and fuzzy" than handwriting, but the original sentiments are still the same. The intentions are still the same. And to me, the intention is all that matters. 

Besides, don't we, as bloggers, prove that the authentic and special can be conveyed on the Internet everyday? Indeed we do.

Source: witandwhistle.com via Abii on Pinterest

Have a terrific weekend!

Creative Candy: Ibride

I cannot stop obsessing over the french brand, Ibride. I never get sick of their intoxicating whimsy. I spotted their trays at a store named Aurum in Reykjavik, and I had to stop by their site again!

Le Boudoir Collection, Oval Trays, HPL, Designed by Rachel Convers, 2010

Rosita, Oval Trays, HPL, Designed by Rachel Convers, 2010

Apart from their trays, which took the limelight several years ago, I am loving their furniture. First is the Les Dandys collection: shelving taken up a notch.

Rastignac, Printed MDF, Designed by Rachel and Benoit Convers, 2011

Bel-Ami, Printed MDF, Designed by Rachel and Benoit Convers

Second is the collection named Mobilier de compagnie, a set of consoles, bookselves, and benches.

Elisee, Pure Breed Console, HPL, Designed by Benoit Convers, 2011

Diva, Ostrich Wall Console, HPL, Designed by Benoit Convers, 2004

Sultan and Zelda, Dog Stool and Basset Small Bench, HPL, Designed by Benoit Convers, 2003 & 2006

Seriously, how could you not swoon??

Iceland: A Wealth of Texture

I am a geek for textures. I rarely take full photos of anything because I tend to be drawn to the minute, specific, and special. Nevertheless, Iceland has such a sweeping, natural beauty, even I was drawn to landscape shots. My husband and I spent 5 days in Reykjavik for the music festival and one day we rented a car and took a road trip. Here are some photos of Iceland from my eyes: