ERINDOLLAR

I have had this beautiful silkscreen poster, by Etsy shop erindollar, on my wish list for a while. It would be the perfect thing to hang over a desk or in your entryway to inspire you to do your best every day. Today I am presenting at a big conference on the topic of college art museums and I can't think of a better motto to take with me as inspiration.






While checking out the erindollar shop I noticed that they offer some beautiful pillow designs too. That oatmeal colored pennant design is just lovely. Perfect on an oatmeal colored couch like mine.

Check out more of the erindollar offerings—unfortunately the 'work hard' poster is sold out!—here.

PROJECT THIRTY THREE, REVISITED

   


   


I posted about Project Thirty Three—the very cool album cover archive—before here. But, as you can see, it is definitely worth a revisit. After all, while I am designing my wedding invitations I am looking for inspiration everywhere. I love the way the covers interlace text and shapes so seamlessly—the designs appear both 2D and 3D at the same time.

Get yourself inspired here.

REVELING, AS A GUEST

I took the day off from posting yesterday to do some celebrating—it was my birthday and all my friends and family made it fabulous—but there are other things to celebrate today. Like my first guest post on another blog! The blog is called Revel and it is a fabulous, design-minded wedding blog full of great ideas and even better shopping links (you click a link and buy anything you see; brilliant!).

The post is called 'Home to Wedding' and it looks at how I am transforming my home style into a wedding style. There are some pretty cool finds in there, if I do say so myself, so go check it out here.

EASTER CRAFTS

I have been daydreaming about all the fun Easter crafts I am going to do this weekend (though, knowing my schedule, I may not manage to make any!) and thought I would share some of my favorite how tos with you. Even if you don't celebrate Easter, most of these would be fun to ring in spring!


Paper Carrot Candy Cones by Oh Happy Day


My total favorite: Chocolate Bunny Candy Carts by Martha Stewart

   
left  Bunny Paper Chains by Martha Stewart
right  Wheatgrass Bunny Place Maker by Martha Stewart

   
left Perfect for kids: Envelope Bunnies by Martha Stewart
right  Thread-wrapped Easter Eggs by Martha Stewart


Easter Garland by Mini Eco


Happy weekend!

DANCING AND TYPING WITH COLOR

Just two bright, colorful things to start your day. That is all.




Beautiful new Tanga Tanga typeface designed by Velckro. Part hieroglyphs, part capitals, all fabulous.




Yet another super cool OK Go music video. Simple, clever and gorgeously chromatic.


(thanks to Plenty of Colour for both tips)

AUSTIN RECAP: BARTON SPRINGS, GOURDOUGH'S, PUPPY LOVE

One of the things I was most excited about doing in Austin, was checking out the amazing Barton Springs. It's a huge pool that is naturally-fed by deep underground springs; the water is crisp and cool all year long and is filled with waterfowl and swimmers alike. With a diving board at one end and shady trees all around, this place is a total oasis in the middle of a hot city.






   
   




On the tip of a friend, we went to check out Gourdough's, an incredible donut truck. And when I say incredible, I mean incredible. There are countless options to choose from, but all of the orders feature a big (read: approximately seven inches in diameter!) freshly baked plain donut with any number of toppings. Of course somehow I found the most decadent one; the 'Baby Shaker' is covered in fudge sauce, fudge oreos and gummy worms. Swoon. I was in a sugar coma for about an hour afterwards.








And that still wasn't the best part of the trip! The best part, hands down, was getting to meet this adorable guy. He's my future sister-in-law's new dog and his name is Jake. Super cute, right?




Before I sign off, here are my other favorite activities from the trip that I didn't manage to get photos of:


Brunch at Lamberts: delicious, unending food and the best smoothies I have ever had


Dinner at Perla's: super tasty, fresh seafood in a beautifully designed mod restaurant


Walk around the Texas Capital: since everything's bigger in Texas, it is no wonder that the state capital is actually larger than that US capital building!




And here are a few I am already putting on my 'to do' list for my next trip:


A self-guided tour of Austin's best food trucks (there are a lot!)


A trip to the Blanton Museum of Art


Eat at either Uchi or Uchiko, the two restaurants owned by Top Chef season 9 winner Paul Qui




Hope your weekend was full of adventure too! Back to regular posts tomorrow.

AUSTIN RECAP: LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER

   




   






How was your weekend? I had a blast in Austin and can't wait to share you all my favorite activities there. But first things first, here are my photos from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center—an oasis outside of Austin with beautiful buildings and and even more beautiful flower and cactus gardens. Learn more about the center (and Lady Bird's legacy) here.




More photos tomorrow!