GRACED WITH LIGHT: INSTALLATION BY ANNE PATTERSON

I am not a religious person but, as an art historian, I can appreciate the palatial beauty of cathedrals. Now add on a beautiful installation to that magnificent church space and you really have my attention.

This breathtaking work was created by New York-based installation artist Anne Patterson. It features twenty miles of silk ribbon strung from the high above the nave in the famous San Francisco chapel, Grace Cathedral. The work, inspired by the music and color combinations that spin through Patterson's brain (she suffers from synesthesia), has prompted community members to associate the ribbons with their hopes and prayers, sending them heavenward in the vaulted space.

The work was supposed to come down last fall, but has been so popular it has ben extended until this February. If you are in the neighborhood, I suggest you check it out!

Read more about the project here.

70TH BIRTHDAY BONANZA: DRINK UP!

More updates from the party! As you may recall, we decided on a nautical theme since we were hosting it at our cottage on the Connecticut shoreline.  So most of our decorations played on a color scheme of red, white, navy and sunflower yellow. I had these red and white striped straws with the "bottom's up!" and "cheers!" flags left over from the wedding, but I wanted to jazz them up a little bit and make them more seaworthy for the party. I decided to design some 'signal flags' to add to the straws and use as wine glass labels. I think they came out pretty well, no?

Should you be so inclined, you can download a pdf of my designs here. You can either print both sheets out on sticker paper (like this) and cut the flags out, or you can print the first page (the straw flags) on regular paper and attach them to the straws with double-sided tape.

More fabulous festivities tomorrow!


p.s. I also decided to fancy up the Le Pens I bought with a loop of this chevron red ribbon. Plus it has the bonus advantage of helping you spot loose pen caps at the end of the night!

p.p.s. These scalloped cards make really cute party signs!

WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND

Whoa, where did this week go? I have a theory that short weeks at work are actually the craziest; at least for me, I have less time to cram in more work than usual to make up for my hedonistic laziness over the long weekend. Pair that with a very busy exhibition schedule here at the Whitney Museum and I am wiped!

Do you have anything fun planned this weekend? My in-laws are coming to visit and, given the beautiful weather forecast, I am hoping to take them here and here (maybe with a stop here for a cookie in between). Hope you are going to be taking advantage of the crisp fall air wherever you are!

For those of you who are stuck inside for the next couple days, or just want some procrastination inspiration at work today, here are some fun things to keep you busy:

I don't care that this place is in Minnesota, I want to go there now.

This is hilarious (and kinda disappointing) at the same time.

I need to stockpile this and this in black or red. (Won't they look great together?)

This looks super useful, and I think I would make it my mission to top the Today Show (there version is boring!).

I have been a die-hard reader my whole life and I did not know half of these things.

I need to learn all of these (and these). Now. And I need to try to use them without giggling.

I got in on this (so smart!) and wish I had gotten in on this (cool!).

If only Nemo's Dad had had access to this . . .

Okay, maybe Facebook isn't all evil . . .

Have you seen my friend Lily's blog? It's beautiful! And so is her artwork!

This woman is incredible. We would all be lucky to have even half of her poise, grace and downright awesomeness.

And now for something completely different (only in New York!)


Have a great weekend, all! See you on Monday!


Photo taken by me, last month, at the Eastern Market in D.C. Check out more of my Instagram photos here.

GERONIMO!

There is a new sheriff in town when it comes to making a party festive and exciting: Geronimo! Balloon Troopers. Filing huge balloons (think 36 inches in diameter!) and tying them off with pretty ribbons, garlands, and sparkly streamers, Geronimo! products are pretty much sure to make a big, fabulous impression! Can you imagine having one of these delivered for your birthday? I think I would die from happiness!

You know what makes Geronimo! even better though? Their dreamy studio shots. Everything looks so sweet and festive. And I am so envious of that ribbon collection!

Check it all out here.

NSS 2011: WRAP IT UP

This post is part of an ongoing round up of my favorite vendors at this year's National Stationery Show. Head here to find out more about the series.













It's always fun to see some great packaging ideas and the tag team booth of Angela Liguori and Albertine Press never disappoints. Turns out Angela is not just a super nice person, but also has an incredible eye for color and collecting. Her shop is overflowing with gorgeous cotton ribbon and twine imported from Italy and gobs of vintage stamps incorporated into beautiful cards, booklets and more. Albertine Press is also the home of serious color: lovely letterpressed coasters, booklets (like last year) and these great new cards with hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. All wonderful as usual!

Check out Angela Liguori's shop here and Albertine Press here.

The Chewing the Cud booth was new to me this year—but a wonderful discovery! It is always cool to see the inventive ways people are working with recyclable or reusable materials these days. Chewing the Cud has a bright pattern-filled line of fabric wrappers that fit that eco-friendly bill to a T.

Check them all out here.

NSS: RECAP, PART FOUR

I am super behind on my National Stationery Show recaps. I'm sorry! Somehow being on summer vacation is a big time commitment!

(This is the second to last recap and then we will fully return to our regularly scheduled programming . . . )

I had a great time talking with Tara at the lovely Ink + Wit booth. I loved her bright combos of light blue and red, interspersed with adorable animals and alphabet prints. Even so, the feeling behind Ink + Wit is sophisticated, fresh and modern. I would love to receive a present wrapped in one of their lovely papers and would absolutely die to own a set of the 'Paris'-themed rubber stamps. See more eye candy and inspiration here.

Another super source of eye candy was the booth featuring Boston-area Albertine Press and Carta Inc. The booth was beautifully decorated with light blue walls and bright white frames, all around paper products festooned with vintage stamps. They even encouraged visitors to page through their stamp collection and take a few samples with them! I left the booth with a tiny glassine envelope filled with stamps: a fabulous marketing tool and super-cool giveaway!

Accordingly, both studios are very inspired by vintage ephemera and stamps. Albertine had a huge display of card sets with brightly colored letterpress illustrations that reminded me of 1950s-era encyclopedias. I love the way they look in a row on a book shelf--so pretty! Angela Liguori's side (Carta Inc.) featured spools of beautiful Italian cotton ribbon and hand-lettered cards with vintage stamps. All in all, everything from both studios looked bright and fresh and visually stunning. I would highly recommend a visit to the Albertine website here and the Carta Inc site here.

Another huge locus of inspiration and visitor buzz was the susyjack* booth. I had an amazing chat with owner and designer Susan Connor (who writes one of my favorite blogs, heysusy*, here), who kindly spent a long time sharing some of her trade secrets with me. And boy is she on point! Every single product in the susyjack* line fits into a unique style: bold, graphic shapes and clean, bright colors. I was almost giddy to see some of her new goods; I love the shopping bag note pads (perfect for grocery lists!), the paper pennants/garlands, and the growing line of magnets. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Check out more here.

The final NSS post will be on Thursday. Thanks for bearing with me!