Camera Specs: Canon 5D Mark II, 50mm f1.4

We saw this cute envelope clutch at Urban Outfitters over the weekend and we (my friends and I) all loved it. After inspecting it, I realized it would be super easy to make. I haven’t had good luck working with vinyl/pleather so I’m not even going to try. But I bet an upholstery weight fabric with reinforcement would work just as well.

Maybe when I’m done with the following projects….

-The sewing of 4 Crib Sheets
-The sewing of the crib skirt
-The sewing of the Stuffed Owl Pillow (or 2)
-The sewing of a Small Blanket/Quilt from leftover fabric
-The sewing of 2 large Floor Pillows
-The sewing of 2 slings (or 3)
-The never ending basket spray-painting project
-About 4 hours worth of sewing/repair work on some closet draperies (bane of my existence at the moment)
-The painting of the hanging nursery mobile
-More general sprucing and completing of the nursery on a whole
-Posting on this blog!
-and more! (See: Grace Leigh Photography)

….I can try making this envelope clutch. Which means I will probably be getting around to this sometime in 2011.

Testing out the LX3 on Dave. He’s so scruffy. Love it.

Camera Specs: Panasonic Lumix LX3

We decided that we needed to get a decent point and shoot camera for those times when it’s just not practical to lug around a big expensive camera AND at least 2 lenses whenever we think we might want to take a picture or two. Laaaaame. It makes me nervous to drag along the 5D MkII because let’s face it, it’s risky. Our current point and shoot camera is 4 years old and not really cutting it for my standards. So I did some research to come with our everyday camera that will pretty much stay with me everywhere we go. It’s the Panasonic Lumix LX3 and it should be arriving within a week.

I haven’t used it so I can’t speak from experience but after my obsessive compulsive research I’ve concluded that it is PERFECT. I can’t wait to play with it! It has everything you could hope for in a p+s camera (if you’re “downgrading” from a DSLR) with a super fast f2.0 Leica lens, RAW shooting mode, and an ideal 24mm up to 60mm focal length. Oh and it does shoot some okay 720p HD video. My shooting style tends to be on the wide angle end so the 24mm – 60mm focal length is not “limiting” to me in any way. The ISO goes all the way up to 3200 and with some post-processing on RAW files in Lightroom, images from the Panasonic Lumix LX3 should be not merely acceptable but outstanding.

We’ll still take the fancy camera gear with us for long vacations (unless it’s a big city trip probably) but the Panasonic Lumix LX3 will be with us 100% of the time regardless. I’ll look forward to using it when we’re out and about with the our son and carting the 5D around isn’t an option.

I really wanted to do a true “Style” board for January, but it turned into a “Smorgasbord of Things I Can’t Live Without Right Now” board. Starting from the top left corner going clockwise:

1.) My new accordion organizer that Carissa gave me for Christmas. I do not know what I did before I had this ingenious little notepad that helps me keep my grocery lists and coupons sorted so that I’ll actually use them. I especially enjoy that it is PRETTY!!

2.) My day planner, another new addition to my routine that I’m finding I don’t want to live with out. It is like a 365 day journal of to-do lists and boy is it keeping me busy. Hopefully that is busy with my work, not writing lists.

3.) My Bath and Body Works Wallflower in Fresh Balsam. “Crisp, clean balsam fir blends delightfully with fresh eucalyptus and sweet pine layered with notes of bright apple, cedarwood and musk.” For me, it’s an emphasis on the CRISP and FRESH and makes my tiny office smell like an invigorating walk in the mountains of NC. Let’s just say, I’m not thinking about palm trees when I smell this.

4.) My Max 365 Perpetual Calendar has been giving my office a much needed graphic punch for a while now but I’m still enjoying the bold statement it’s making day in and day out. It even looks good when I forget to change the date every day (woops). Extra points to me for finding a thumbnail image with today’s actual date on it.

5.) These two gorgeous fabrics are just a couple of many that I’m currently drooling over at the moment. But one way or another, I have to have these two in particular. There really isn’t anything I can’t think of a reason to use fabric for, from curtains to aprons to potholders to quilts to bags or to artwork and this adorable “Bird Swing” fabric by Michael Miller is no exception. The combination of yellow and gray continues to enthrall me even after many months and I don’t see myself tiring of cute bird silhouettes any time soon. The graphic but subdued floral print “Lorenza” by Alexander Henry is just what I’ve been looking for and I can’t wait to pick it up as soon as I can and make curtains for my office.

6.) Is that what I think it is? No it’s not, but it’s oh so close. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Orla Kiely must be feeling mighty fine about herself. Either that, or she, like the rest of us, are balking at the many blatant rip-offs of her ubiquitous “Stem Print” design. As much as I shake my head in disbelief at how eerily similar this Tea Time mug from Pier 1 is to Kiely’s design, I must admit that I broke down and bought two of them on clearance. Orla, I promise it’s you I’m thinking of whenever I sip my Constant Comment.

7.) A cup of tea would not be quite perfect without a matching porcelain stirrer from CB2. You cannot go wrong with these $.99 utilitarian beauties. I have a dozen of them and they are without a doubt some of the most used items in my kitchen.

8.) Green tea. I have determined to drink more of the stuff this year and right now I am enjoying a new-to-me variety. Jasmine Tea has such a delightful flavor that I’m only now beginning to appreciate. Be careful not to over-steep it as it can be much too strong otherwise.

9.) To my surprise, Baggu Bags were having a sale last week of 50% off a set of 3 bags. I now own a total of 7 Baggus and that should be plenty to go plastic-free at my next grocery outing. Now I just need to remember to keep them with me so that I’ll actually use them! Pretty easy to do since the sets of 3 each came with their own zippered holding bag.

Well there you have it, my style board “Smorgasbord of Things I Can’t Live Without Right Now” board. I suppose I ought to still make a January Style board. Perhaps I can call this something else?

(Yes, I just decided that’s what I’ll do! At the beginning of every month I’ll post a style board and in the middle of the month I’ll post a “Can’t Live Without It”-type board. )

Sorry. I have not posted all month long. I have been way way way too busy for this blog and even for interior design at all. (sadness) I’ve been working on other jobs and since those are paying jobs, I had to forego NOT getting paid as I start up my own business. But I WILL be back in April after I return home from NYC, (hopefully) freshly inspired. The sooner I get my business set up, the sooner I can start earning! (yippie!) But I am so grateful for the other jobs I have had so I’m not complaining.

Some things for me to look forward to working on:

• Business cards (in the flesh!)
• A business plan including ALL the write-up’s
• Professional photography of my work (?)
• A completed website
• Shameless Advertising
• And so much more….

I MUST make one for my very own.

This is my current living room color scheme. Greens, browns, ivories, natural wood tones, etc.

I love these colors and I’m consistently drawn to them wherever I go. BUT, I’m interested in branching out to include a few additional colors in my living room scheme. My inspiration is Orla Kiely’s mulit-colored Stem Print pattern. I first saw this pattern a couple of years ago on some design blog and I just love it! I can’t afford $200 + for her Stem Print pillow-but, it’s just too cute! I guess I am going to have to figure out an alternative even if it means hacking my own version. (I’m thinking about attempting this by creating a petal-shaped pattern, cutting petals out of different $.50 felt sheets and ironing them on a linen background, maybe with a little hand-stitching thrown in for good measure. Gimpy? Maybe.)

I love these Marimekko fabrics and I’d love to have one of these patterns in my living room somewhere. Problem is, the patterns are all very large in scale so they wouldn’t do well for pillows. I have been considering adding a bold patterned curtain to my LR windows so one of these prints could work. It’s just that they’re over $50 per yard and I need 5 1/2 yards. YIKES! Not happening. The other option is to get a single yard of my favorite pattern and stretch it over a canvas. This is a really popular way of displaying Marimekko fabrics, probably because they’re so pricey (and they make great art). Hmm…what to do what to do….