FULL PAGE SPREAD: HERMAN MILLER

If you follow modern design, you already know that Herman Miller is one of the coolest and best places to get sanctioned reproductions of design icons like Eames' molded plastic chairs. But did you know they have been doing it for over thirty years? Miller's super cool blog, Lifework, recently shared some of the advertisements the company has used over the decades. I love that they mirror the clean lines and bold shapes of their products; advertising is always at its best when the ad encapsulates the style and ethos of the products in its layout.

Check out more of the ads here.



If you are familiar with the O.I. you know that I have a few regular features (see the list in the top right column) that have fallen slightly by the wayside. My favorite, and apparently one of yours, was the 'In the Classroom' column where, as an art history graduate student, I wrote about what we were reading in class that week. Well last week I finished my last class of graduate school (hooray!!!!), but I still have three to four more years of studying for oral examinations and writing my dissertation. So I am going to revive 'In the Classroom' by talking about these new things I am studying, including giving you previews of artists I am writing about in my dissertation. 


Are you still with me? Fabulous! To connect the dots, let me tell you that my dissertation will be on the intersection between art and advertising! So while I am going to bring back 'In the Classroom' I am also going to start a new column, with today as my first post, entitled 'Full Page Spread'. It will be about other great advertisements (new and vintage) that I stumble upon and want to share. Hope you like it!

A ROUND UP OF WORK ESSENTIALS

Phew, it's been a crazy busy start to the summer—I can't believe it's already almost July! I have now officially come down from the exhaustion (and excitement!) of finishing my first dissertation chapter and am attempting to get back into a normal routine again. I have to say, it's hard. I am feeling the pull of all sorts of creative projects (sewing pillows, picking out artwork, developing new products for the new shop) even as I am trying to stay on track with my schoolwork. With that in mind, I thought it might be cool to share some of the things I use every day to keep myself productive and on track. Join me for a tour around my desk, will you?

one — Last year for about two weeks I tried to pretend that I didn't need a paper planner anymore. I figured, I take my cell phone everywhere and use iCal all the time, I wouldn't use it, right? Ha! the simple act of making to do lists and jotting down weekly appointments in this handsome book helps me feel prepared the face the world, even when everything else seems to be falling apart. moleskine weekly planner, $21.50

two — As a lettering nerd and someone who considers note taking a very serious activity, I am certifiably obsessive about the pens I use. These super thin retractable pens are the absolute best. pilot g-2 extra fine pens, pack of 12 for $17.49

three — Speaking of pens, I have recently discovered the secret to clear, dynamic notes: multiple writing implements! What does that mean, you ask? It means for headers or text I want to emphasize I use a bolder pen and with body text or random notes I use a fine-tipped pen. Since I am obsessed with Pilot Pens, these have become a go to favorite in the bolder variety. pilot vball extra fine point, pack of 12 for $15.99

four — This may be a no brainer, but as I continue researching and writing my dissertation I have found I need to cart documents everywhere. The easiest way to do that has been to use this jump drive, which conveniently and safely stores inside itself and has a ton of memory. sandisk usb drive, 64GB for $29.99

five — Sometimes you just need to work through a thought, jotting some rough ideas down while still leaving enough room on the page to go back and highlight the important parts later. I love this notebook because each sheet is divided into two sections: a main column for normal notes and a smaller side column to mark down key themes or big ideas. Plus the orange cover is cute too! rhodia meeting notebook, $12.23

six — Let's be honest: we all make mistakes. And, if you are like me, most of the time you want to meticulously purge them from your notes. Enter this magic clickable eraser that lasts forever and removes stray marks beautifully. pentel clic eraser, $2.25

seven —You know how, when you are working on a project, you seem to accumulate random information like crazy? At least I know that when I put together a blog post or a paper, I find myself gathering links, images, videos, etc. all in a mishmosh. This internet application helps me save, organize and share all that information and is, basically, a beautifully laid out lifesaver. dropmark, free

eight — Bright colors plus perfectly-sized sticky tabs equal organizational bliss (at least for me!). Since I run through a lot of library books and notations in my line of work, I rely on these pretty puppies to keep my place or my thought. Different colors can represent different ideas or can simply help inject some rainbow love into those boring brown library covers. post-it page flags, 500 for $7

nine — A zero email inbox is pretty much impossible in my life, but at least with this handy application I can boomerang some of the most important messages back to the top when I need them most. Set a coffee date with someone a month away? This service will let you send a reminder (either to yourself or to your friend) on a particular time or date or every week/month/day for those more regular meetings. followupthen, free

ten — We all know that Google has changed the way we use the internet and Gmail has changed the way we chat/email each other, but Google Drive is the real revolutionary force in my life. I use it to store all my dissertation notes, readings, and backup drafts, which I can access anyway online or off. It's awesome! google drive, free for entry level plan

That's it! Now you know all my secrets! What do you think? Any useful tools I missed?


p.s. Need to get organized? Check out my other tips (plus free downloads) here.

HAPPY 2014! GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Hello friends! Happy New Year! Did you have a good holiday? I spent a week and a half hanging out with my family, eating too much, lounging by the fire and all around making merry. Not a bad vacation I would say! I have a couple pretty photos of my activities to share with you in the coming days, but until then I wanted to take care of an important early 2014 activity . . . Writing New Year's resolutions (or revolutions, ha!).Groan, right?Well, not necessarily. Normally I don't make resolutions at the start of the year because I find them hard to keep and usually overly critical of ourselves (think about it: the average resolution basically says we are too fat, too tired, too boring, etc. when we are all just trying to do our best!). Instead I am putting together a goal list which, semantically speaking, seems like a more positive approach all around. So here is my list of goals for 2014—things I want to keep I mind to help me be my best, kindest, most productive and happy self. . . 
one | WORK SMARTERWe all do it. In any given day I have so many things on my to do list that I find myself endlessly multi-tasking or getting distracted by minor issues (I spent several hours the other day trying to track down a New York City phone book from 1965 for my dissertation, to no avail. It was a true 'rabbit hole' project that sucked up my afternoon and made me want to reassess how I was spending my days). This year I want to endeavor to work smarter, focusing closely on a given task and getting it done efficiently and effectively (using this method has helped me a lot; as has making accomplishment lists with this app). This especially goes for working on my dissertation—which needs nearly all my energy this year—but also accounts for maintaining a work-life balance. If I work smarter on my school-related tasks, I will be able to better focus on spending quality time with friends and family.
two | PLAY HARDERWhich brings me to number two. Being an only child, I often find myself falling into the abyss of self-sufficiency. I can go weeks without seeing my dear friends or spending an evening on the town. This year I want to prioritize my friends and family more, setting aside time regularly to see and catch up with all my favorite people. Just say no to be a hermit!
three | STIR IT UPThere was a time a couple years ago when my husband had a slightly less crazy job and we were actually managing to have 'family' dinners together frequently on weeknights. During that time I made it a priority to make a big home-cooked meal several times a week. These days, having dinner mostly on my own, I find myself shirking a proper evening meal for snacks or random frozen foods. I love cooking (and would like to think cooking loves me!) and want to try to make at least one or two 'nice' dinners a week. That shouldn't be too hard, right?
four | GET LOSTI live in one of the most vibrant, exciting and busy cities in the world but I don't take advantage of it! I find myself stuck in the library or my apartment studying (see #2) and more often than not learn about the cool new exhibition/show/restaurant/pop up shop long after it's over/closed/uncool. If I am going to live in NYC I should take advantage of it, no? So this year I want to hit the town more. Go exploring. Get lost and discover a new neighborhood/cafe/park/store. Otherwise I will regret not doing this in the future when I live in a boring suburban town, right? :)
five | BE KINDIn keeping my accomplishment list (see #1), I have started adding a daily addendum: a random act of kindness. I would like to think of myself as a nice, thoughtful person but it can't hurt to try to do more. This year I want to reach out to friends with random little surprises (see #2) like care packages when they are sick, funny emails when they are feeling down or just a random call to say hello. This goes for strangers too; New York so often has the reputation for being unfriendly or downright rude so each day I try to hold the door open for someone, pick up something they dropped or offer them my place in line to help counter that (erroneous!) rap. Be nice—it's contagious.
six | GO BOLDWe all have moments of doubt: can I really do this? Am I qualified? Is it going to be an epic fail? Whether it's a new blog feature, reaching out to a colleague you admire for advice/mentorship or simply starting a new project you've been thinking about, I say go for it! This year I am going to interview a ton of really famous artists for my dissertation (Lynda Benglis, Yoko Ono, Ed Ruscha and more) and I am going to be brave and bold and leave them thinking that I am bright and will represent their work thoughtfully and thoroughly. I am also going to re-learn calligraphy, make a quilt (like this one) and master trapeze sailing on our new boat. What crazy new things will you take on this year?
seven | JUST DO YOULast but definitely not least: I want to just be me. We all spend so much time thinking, if I could only be a little bit skinnier or look a bit more like that model/actress/athlete or be a bit richer then life would be better. What we don't think about is all the awesome things we already have going for us (brains, health, family and friends, etc.). This year I am going to focus on my blessings and try not to compare myself to the other people out there—bloggers who seem to make every post perfectly pin-able, friends who travel to exotic locales every other week, classmates who have five jobs and write a million articles at the same time. This year I channeling my inner two year old and focusing on myself. :)
What are your goals for 2014? I would love to hear them in the comments! Let's support each other and make this year one to remember.  

BEHIND THE SCENES: THE (NOT SO) SECRET LIFE OF THE OBSESSIVE IMAGIST

I had a little panic attack this morning when I opened my computer and saw the date. December 12th! What?!! How are we halfway through December already? I feel like 2015 is stalking us like a lion in the Serengeti. Wasn't it only yesterday that we were preparing for Halloween?

All of this panic sent me into the typical tizzy of an a classic overachiever, leaving me thinking, what have I done with myself over all this time? Well, it turns out that when time flies is usually not because you are having fun, but because you are busy as all get out. This fall, while not making as much progress on my dissertation as I would like, I still managed to submit several (labor intensive) fellowship applications, write essays for a professor's amazing new book, interview two very cool artists for my dissertation research (this guy and this lady!), help curate this show and put together its catalog and probably some other things I can't remember. So, you know what, dear readers, let's all take a moment every once in a while to give ourselves a break! We work hard. We get things done. And though you may never check off all the items on your 'to do list' in one day/week/month, you are still making a difference. You are still moving forward (just keep swimming!). And that's what matters.

Don't you feel better now about 2014 winding down?

But, I do realize that this blog is supposed to be about art and design and eye candy and not so much about me blathering on about work. So here are a couple of instagram shots I took this fall of fun things I did to take my mind off of the stress of school/work/life. Hope you like them!

above | Over Thanksgiving I checked out the newly renovated Harvard Art Museums. The building is beautiful. The collection is amazing. The conservation studio is to die for. I highly recommend you head over there yourself.

 

Plus they have a crazy awesome organization system for pigments and restoration materials. It took all my strength not to break into this private room and drool all over those gorgeous cabinets and rainbow colors . . . 

above | I like to relieve stress by baking. For Thanksgiving I made apple pie and cheddar sage biscuits. They were tasty. That is all.

above | Last week I had the privilege of doing a little side project under the guise of my calligraphy business: The Wright Hand. I promised not to spill the beans about the client's identity (Sorry!) but let's just say that I addressed 400 beautiful holiday cards for a luxury beauty company.*

not pictured but still cool! | In other random crafty news, I am also hosting a holiday crafting event tomorrow at the wonderful Jo Malone store on Bleecker Street! We will be making holiday baubles from 12pm - 6pm. Stop on by and see me!

above | My fabulous family friend, Andrew*, set me up with some sweet tech recently (hooray for new computers!) and as I thank you I used the opportunity to send over a little holiday care package (tips for making your own here). I somehow managed to resist eating all the goodies—including chocolate peanut butter fudge and chocolate chip cookies with sea salt—before sending them off. Heroic restraint, I know.

And that's pretty much it! I am looking forward to some serious Christmas celebrations in the coming weeks and kicking 2015 off right. In the meantime, no more debbie downer stuff.

As always, you can follow all my exploits on Instagram here. I would love to follow you too, so drop me a line with your info and I will get on it! Until then, Happy Friday and Happy Holidays!

*I have removed parts of the addresses on these mailings for the privacy of the recipients.

OFF THE WALL: INSPIRATIONAL WALLPAPER

Hi, there. I realize it has been ages since I last posted but, to be honest, social media has been the last thing on my mind recently. Normally I try to keep things really light on here (it is a blog about things that make me happy after all), but recently I haven't been feeling very sunny so I have kept quiet until I felt up to the task of being the obsessive, colorful person you have come to know.

It's been a tough year for the hubby and me. (Note: I have the best person by my side I could ask for; nothing like a few dozen crises to make you realize how much you can't live without someone.) We have faced a lot of professional challenges this year that have tested our fortitude, self-assurance and conviction. I am proud to say that we have both come out on top and are each looking forward to starting new exciting jobs in the very near future. For me, however, that means an insane push to the finish line with my dissertation, a push that has been incredibly stressful, a bit chaotic, and largely overwhelming. I am continuing to move forward and check things off my to do list, but sometimes it is hard to keep from getting knocked out by the tidal wave of work left to do in a very short amount of time.

On top of that I have been facing some upsetting health issues for the past several weeks that have really thrown me (and the hubby) for a loop. It's been hard to work through them (in fact, I am still working through them) and manage to stay productive and upbeat. Some days, hey sometimes most days, I just want to curl up at home with a Netflix marathon and pretend nothing's happening, nothing is on my to do list, no major life changes are barreling down on me.

But that only works for so long, right?

So I am checking in today—possibly one of the few times for the rest of the summer—to give myself (and you, by association) a public pep talk. Life stinks sometimes. It's messy and painful and stressful and—worst of all—often completely out of your control (remember the obsessive part of my title?). But giving up will get you nowhere and its how you handle the tough parts of life that define who you are  and help you be grateful for the countless things in life that are good (and I have so many things to be grateful for on that end). So today's 'Off the Wall' desktop download is a quote by William Shakespeare. I am going to put it on my computer for the next several weeks and use it as a mantra as I work to get healthy and work to get this dissertation done. Because we all need a little reminder of what we are capable of now and then, don't you think?

Thanks for reading this update. If you want to download the wallpaper (for free) you can do so here:

OFF THE WALL | BOLDNESS BE MY FRIEND

Have a great week!

RANDOM THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY, VOLUME TWO

As I near the home stretch with my dissertation, my brain increasingly feels like swiss cheese—completely full of holes. It is perhaps only fitting that I give you another 'Random Things' post, if only to accurately represent my chaotic state of mind. . . 

ONE > How fabulous are these colorful playing cards? Who knew poker could be so pretty . . . 

TWO > I rotate my desktop background regularly and am always looking for new (and free!) patterns to upload. DesignLoveFest's regular column is the best source for these and I totally fell in love with her recent post featuring this palm print by Kate Worsum.

THREE > Candy on a stick? Yes, please!

FOUR > I can't decide if one piece bathing suits are all purposefully designed to be unflattering or if they don't just work on me, but the raving reviews and pretty colors of this JCrew number have me tempted to try again . . . 

FIVE > These brightly colored beauties in Naples have me dreaming of revisiting my trip to Italy and heading down south instead. 

SIX > I collect typewriters. Have I told you that? Well I do. It's a hard hobby to keep up in my cramped NYC apartment, but oh baby this yellow number is calling my name!

THE ARTIST SPEAKS

Have you visited the O.I. in the last week? Well you may have noticed some technical difficulties. It turns out my account was pseudo-hacked and my domain name (www.theobsessiveimagist.com) was temporarily disabled. What a pain! But thanks to some savvy advice from a Google-wise friend and some technical wizardry all is back to normal! I appreciate your patience. It's been a crazy time here at O.I. HQ, as I just finished my doctoral exams (I can now officially call myself a PhD! Only my dissertation left to go!), quit my job and am trying desperately to get my apartment back in order. Lots of change but also lots to be excited about.

Anyway, my computer troubles reminded me of the great quote above by the graphic design genius Saul Bass (whom I have written about before here and here). And, in turn, reminded me of the amazing Google Doodle from May 8: a tribute to what would have been Saul Bass's 93rd birthday. Google Doodles always strike me as pretty clever—wouldn't that be an amazing job to design those?—but this one really captured the bold, graphic forward-thinking designs created by Bass.

Don't you agree? See all the whole impressive archive of Google Doodles here and learn more about Saul Bass's beautiful work here.

And thanks again for bearing with me! I've got some fun things planned for this summer so I can promise it will be worth it.  :)

p.s. Still don't get my obsession with Saul Bass? Check out this video; it's a simple, clear introduction to the ongoing influence of his work.

BACK IN BUSINESS!

Did you have a good holiday? You may have noticed I was gone a bit longer than I promised. Whoops! I was in Vermont with my husband's family two weeks ago—enjoying lots of delicious food and hours of reading and playing with my sister-in-law's puppy—and last week I was in Boston doing archival research for my dissertation at Harvard. It was a whirlwind of fun, relaxation and research and in the midst of it I didn't pop in to say hello. Apologies!

Even though I was off the blogging grid, I did manage to sock away some sweet finds to share with you. I couldn't wait to share this awesome video. I have a geeky love of acapella (music made solely with one's voice, including instrumentals) and I found myself watching the television competition show 'The Voice' several years ago when this amazing five-person group Pentatonix rose up through the ranks.  Now they are touring (hooray!) and making incredible videos for our enjoyment. I recommend all of them but this evolution of music (not unlike this) is so well done it's hard to believe it covers hundreds of years!

Learn more about the group here.

UPDATE: I am also obsessed with this song!

PUBLIC ART PROJECTS: NYC SPRING AND SUMMER 2014

Being an art nerd and proud resident of New York City, I love a good public art project that interacts with its urban surroundings. Luckily  there are many such works in New York to get excited about in the next few months—here are some of my favorites below.

Olaf Breuning, Clouds, for The Public Art Fund | Central Park South and 59th Street | March 4 - August 24 | The latest installment in the Central Park 'plaza', Clouds is 35' tall aluminum and wood sculpture is meant to resemble the childlike imagination and naiveté of school play backdrops.

Zilvinas Kempinas, Scarecrow, for Socrates Sculpture Park | Long Island City, Queens | May 11 - August 3 | This will be the largest installation in Socrates Sculpture Park history (250' long and 13' high) and Kempinas's first major outdoor work in the United States. Site-specific and made from stainless steel poles strung with mylar ribbon, it will respond to the expansive horizontality of the surrounding land while echoing the shimmering movement of the nearby East River.

Ed Ruscha, Honey I Twisted Through More Damn Traffic Today for High Line Art | Next to the High Line at West 22nd Street | May 2014 - May 2015 | Ed Ruscha is one of my favorite artists (and a major part of my dissertation) and this work, incredibly!, represents Ruscha's first public commission in New York! It's a perfect combination of the artist's interest in advertising sloganeering, cheeky humor, text as visual form, and the realities of modern, urban life. Plus, isn't it much more interesting to look at than another boring billboard?

Matt Felsen, Lost Landmarks, for Parsons Design + Technology Masters Program | West 42nd Street, Between 5th & 6th Avenues | May 10 only! | A very cool project by grad student Matt Felson, Lost Landmarks introduces modern technology into historic Tower Optical viewers to literally help you see into the past. Looking through the viewer lets you see iconic landmarks that are no longer there; previous landmarks featured for one day only have included the 9th Regiment Armory (April 26) and the old Grand Central terminals (May 3). Check out the view from West 42nd Street this Saturday, May 10 for the project's last installment. (More details @LostLandmarks on Twitter).

CDR Studio, Governor's Cup, for the Figment Arts Festival | Governor's Island* | June 7-8 (but maybe longer?) | Made from 30,000 recycled cups culled from venues all across New York, this crazy pavilion will house the very cool and interactive Figment Arts Festival this summer. The thousands of cups will be attached through thousands of zip ties (NYCers love using those for art!) to craft a wild serpentine pattern that will wrap around trees, move with the wind, and all around respond to the environment. (The concept reminds me a lot of the fabulous Tara Donovan's work; if it's half as good as her stuff, the piece should be incredible.)

Kara Walker, A Subtlety or The Marvelous Sugar Baby for Creative Time | Domino Sugar Factory, Williamsburg, Brooklyn | May 10 - July 6 | Probably one of the most anticipated art events of the summer, famed political artist Kara Walker is working with Creative Time to call forth the powerful (and exploitative) history of the workers at the old Domino Sugar Factory in Brooklyn. Details as to the actual physical nature of the installation have been kept hush hush, but knowing Walker's work it promises to be expansive, thought-provoking and visually arresting.

UPDATE: Creative Time just released a newsletter with this preview photo of the Walker work and a link to this recent New York Times review of the show by Blake Gopnik. The work looks to be a colossal 'negress' sphinx coated in sugar; incredible!

UPDATE x 2: Reading Gopnik's article called forth the underlying comments about blue collar labor and manufacturing history in the US; on that level, this work is remarkably similar to Ann Hamilton's incredible indigo blue installation for the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC in 1991, a touchstone for the first wave of American installation art.

*There will be a ton of new public art on Governor's Island this summer; read about some other projects here.

FEELING CRAFTY . . .

If you have been reading this blog for a while you know that I love books. In fact, at this moment as I look around the room I realize that there are hundreds of books within arms reach. Nerd alert!Anywho, while I have to read art history books for my dissertation every day, I get a hankering to read craft and decorating books whenever possible. I get a little jittery unless a do something creative or crafty every couple of days and craft/design/DIY books help stave off that craving until I actually have time in my schedule to make something. That said, I have a constant wishlist of these books saved up in my Amazon cart tantalizing me with fun, inspirational ideas. In case you have similar craft cravings, here are a bunch of the books I have had my eye on . . . one | made by hand, $18.94 | Lena Corwin is a master and this book looks incredible!two | paper to petal: 75 whimsical paper flowers to craft by hand, $15.80 | I have a soft spot for fresh flowers (a rare thing that's actually cheaper in NYC!), but this book might cure me of that habit.three | find & keep, $18.15 | Colorful collections become cool projects? Sign me up!four | playful: fun projects to make with + for kids, $16.73 | Sometimes kids craft books have the best projects! Simple, fun, and graphic, this book has gotten rave reviews and I am dying to sneak a peak.five | martha stewart's encyclopedia of sewing and fabric crafts, $24.92 | I bought a sewing machine this summer and am all about fabric projects these days. Martha's book is basically a bible leading me to a sewing promise land.six | a field guild to fabric design, $18.10 | Speaking of sewing, it is surprisingly hard to find fabric that meets my crazy colorful pattern-plenty standards. Tips in here could spark a serious fabric design habit.seven | decorate with flowers, $17.34 | I am excited to learn all the new ways to use flowers to liven up our tiny apartment. As if I need another excuse to hit the flower stand at the local bodega!eight | design bloggers at home, $21.37 | I draw most of my inspiration from fellow bloggers, so to steal a glimpse into their picture perfect homes is too tasty to miss.nine | surprise-inside cakes, $18.75 | Technically not a craft or design book, but how irresistibly cute do these cakes look? Yay for creative baking projects!ten | pretty packages: 45 creative gift-wrapping projects, $15.57 | I am obsessed with dressing up gifts in fancy packaging and the tips packed into this book look like they would definitely help me step up my game even further.eleven | project kid: 100 ingenious crafts for family fun, $15.86 | More family fun; the cover alone is out of this world. (Get it?! Spaceship? Insert pitying chuckle here.)twelve | bright bazaar: embracing color for make-you-smile style, $20.56 | This is the only book of the group that I actually already own, but boy is it awesome. If you aren't afraid of festooning your home in bright color (or if you are but want a change), don't miss this!
That's is. Anything I missed? I am always happy to add to my wishlist . . . Hope you have a lovely weekend! See you next week!

BACK TO SCHOOL ROUNDUP

I don't know about you guys, but I am majorly in back to school mode. I spent much of the summer relaxing and doing fun things (like planning my Dad's 70th birthday party this weekend!) but now that fall is setting in I am ready to be all business again (no not this business time!). With the start of the semester I am in full swing with my dissertation research and thought I would round up some fun school supplies that are guaranteed to brighten up any desk this fall and, more importantly, keep that momentum going!

one | bright ideas pocket notebook, helloquiettiger, $5

two | le pen, uchida, $1.69 each

three | scotch precision ultra edge scissors, amazon, $8.99

four | bigso desktop stockholm file storage, the container store, $19.99

five | 2013 tissue calendar, russell+hazel, on sale for $20

six | eight days-a-week planner, bob's your uncle, $14

seven | semicolon sticky page markers, see jane work, $8

eight | aqua starter set, poppin, $40


p.s. While this is a colorful, lighthearted post I am still a New Yorker and therefore want to honor the tragic events that befell my fair city (and the nation) twelve years ago. Every year, to be sure I never forget, I watch this moving story about one of the many heroes that made the ultimate sacrifice that day. Please take a moment today to stop and honor the victims and survivors of 9/11, not to mention hug your family members and be grateful for all our daily blessings.

BECAUSE I'M HAPPY!

Guys, guys! Guess what! . . . insert drumroll here . . . I finished my first dissertation chapter. Hooray! I am very happy to report that I now have 59 pages (of a likely 250, eeps!) of this massive tome in the books. After weeks of frantic writing I was delighted to finally hand off a draft to my advisor yesterday and now I will spend the whole weekend celebrating by doing nothing. Well, it's obsessive old me we're talking about here, so not quite nothing, more like lots of these fun relaxing things:

BACK IN ACTION! PLUS AN UNCOMMON GOODS GIVEAWAY!

So I am somewhat ashamed to see that it has been weeks since I promised to get back into regular posting, all without much word from me. Whoops! My apologies. Turns out that there was a bit of a dip in energy after finishing the dissertation (shocking, I know) and that combined with re-adjusting to  working full time again (when do 9 to 5 people do errands again?) has meant that I am a little behind on my O. I. plans.

But, but, but! I am making up for it today with a super awesome post. Not even just a post, a giveaway! From none other than the super impressive company Uncommon Goods. Have you heard of Uncommon Goods? I just got on their trail last year when my Dad hooked me up with some awesome gifts at Christmas (Thanks, Dad!). Uncommon Goods is an online shop, headquartered in Brooklyn, that focuses on connecting shoppers with new, exciting craftsman who create decorative, practical and personality-filled products. Given my personal mantra—why buy boring when you can buy beautiful?—I thought a little giveaway from them would be right up our alley.

So one lucky reader will be getting a generous $125 gift certificate from Uncommon Goods to buy what they like—holiday gifts, thanksgiving decor or just a little treat or two for yourself.

Since there are about a million things to catch your eye in their shop, I thought I would narrow down some of my favorites for you to get your gears turning, specifically pointing you to top picks in my major categories of expertise: art and home goods. Read on to find out how you can use that dinero towards one of these (or many other) sweet items.

Not surprisingly, the shop already carries many artists and objects already featured on the blog in the past (or works that resemble them). Here are just a couple of highlights:

ONE | "All the Surfboards in CA" by James Gulliver Hancock (reminds me of Jason Polan!)

TWO | "A Grand Treasury of Shakespearean Insults" by Tim and Aurelia Saunders

THREE | "State by State Seasonal Food Guide" by Jessica Haas (chart art, my favorite!)

FOUR | "City Prints" by Carolyn Gavin (maps and vintage illustration, what's not to love?!)

Of course you can never have too many fun-cum-functional decor items in your home either. Here are some surefire conversation starters that would look great in any house (or gift box):

ONE | eye clock (perfect for a Halloween display!)

TWO | custom state pillows

THREE | suspension bridge shelf (what a cool idea)

FOUR | cork globe (great idea for a minimal study)

FIVE | giraffe family bookends (would be super cute in a baby's room)

SIX | handmade herringbone knitting basket (so pretty!)

SEVEN | caterpillar bud vase 

EIGHT | hand-embroidered central park pillow (a new take on a classic style, #wishlisted)


So by now you are probably itching to get in on the giveaway action, right? You can do so through any of the following manners (each method will get you one entry; multiple your chances of winning by entering in various ways!):

ONE | Like Uncommon Goods on Facebook

TWO | Like the obsessive imagist on Facebook

THREE | Sign up for the Uncommon Goods mailing list

FOUR | Follow the obsessive imagist on instagram

FIVE | Follow the obsessive imagist on twitter


Enter in one (or all!) of these ways and leave a note about your entry method in the comments section below. One winner will be granted a $125 gift certificate next Monday morning (October 26th). Good luck!



(top photo of little miss sunshine from here)

IKEA UPGRADES

I have an Ikea couch. I am fairly certain many of you reading this right now also own Ikea furniture. Here's the thing: I love my Ikea couch but, after five years of hard use, it is starting to look a little dingy. So last night in a fit of productive procrastination from writing my dissertation, I decided to research slipcovers sold by external companies for Ikea sofas. And viola! Enter Bemz! It's a company that works with top tier fabric designers to create cool high-quality big personality slipcovers for standard Ikea furniture. Pretty cool right?

They have a ton of fabrics to choose from so you can pick the pattern and color that perfectly suits your space and style. The standard slipcover for my model of sofa costs about $190. Not bad for an easy overhaul that could potentially turn the piece from drab to fab in a matter of minutes!

After some additional web browsing I also discovered the company Pretty Pegs, which sells screw-on legs for Ikea couches, chairs and now tables and desks!

These pretty little legs also come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes allowing you to customize your couch to your heart's content. 

So, which set of legs and cushion covers should I go for? Any thoughts? Let me know in the comments!

WE'RE BACK!

We got back from our two week adventure in the United Kingdom super late on Sunday night. I am still trying to get back into a normal routine (like not eating a proper English Breakfast every day (sigh), getting to bed at a normal time, and actually writing this dang dissertation), but I wanted to check in with you guys and let you know that we had a great time and there will certainly be some photos and recaps of the trip to come. In the meantime, I stumbled across this funny round up of images of majorly overloaded vehicles from all over the world. It reminded me about how, during our trip, we stuffed our miniature-sized Kia full of our overflowing luggage and attempted to navigate the tiny (read: the size of a golf cart path) roads in much of back woods Scotland. We got used to using "laybys" regularly—small pull overs on the side of the road—that laughably looked like rain gutters. Combine that with a ludicrous number of Highland cattle and bleating sheep in the road and many of our drives felt like the last photo—borderline chaos!Hope you had a great holiday weekend. If you are interested, more crazy photos of overloaded vehicles can be found here.