better late than never**

A few days after I put this post in my drafts with the note: “somebody should make a film about the history of the keep calm carry on poster” BAM! Magic. A video of the history of the keep calm carry on poster appeared in one of my social media feeds. 

I questioned whether or not I should even bother writing this post, I thought “everybody knows about it already!; everybody owns one already! (not me though..); it’s passé! move on to the next!; let it go!”. But then, I opened the sad little link in my draft and saw this beautiful, clean, movie-like, faux-creased poster and thought “yeah, I’m gonna write that post today”. 

It’s such a simple and strong message. I love simple, strong things that stand the test of time. 

Also, check out this awesome mini-documentary about the poster: 

** actually, better on time than late and never! I’m always early! (almost always…)! 

Poster by Aalejandro Diazs 

( ( echo ) )

via here & here 

re-discovering covers

When I was at Mount Allison I was crazy for Myspace and discovering new music. I would find band after band after band in the rabbit-hole searches I still do today. Nothing really stuck from that time, besides Arcade Fire and Feist.

But! Recently, while on one of my favourite blogs (SwissMiss), I saw a post a cover design that I recognized. Lullatone was one of the bands I discovered and loved for their cute, twinkly style. I had no idea they were still kickin’ around! What a surprise. 

I really love these covers. And if I ever designed album covers, they might look something like this. 

Check out the band’s website here: http://lullatone.bandcamp.com/

best .gif ever

via here 

**update: found this today :) 

if you love mail…

… you’re a geek. But it’s okay! because i’m a geek too. Especially when I geek out on getting a peel and stick weekly calendar and beautiful swiss pen. This little bundle of joy arrived at my door less than 30 minutes ago and I feel giddy. I started feeling giddy as soon as I got a glimpse of the package through the curtain. 

It comes from Quarterly Co., which is a subscription service that lets you subscribe to awesome people on the internet and get real, awesome things from them in the mail. I subscribed to SwissMiss’s Tina Roth Eisenberg, because she is one of my favourite designers/bloggers and I knew that whatever she would send me I would very likely love. Turns out, it was true! 

For me, it’s not about collecting things from internet people, though I’ve got to admit, they’ve got a great line-up, it’s more about finding meaning in the somewhat randomness of it. Last time, I received a package with the theme being “what to focus on: happy” and I really needed that reminder at that time. 

This time, it’s about getting things done. Check it out: 

Today, I needed two reminders: Get goin’ on gettin’ things done! (That mostly means finding a job) and Be true to your interest! (That mostly means getting serious about design). 

Tina said she put this package together because she loves side projects and needs to stay organized in order to follow through on everything. She likes being organized, so do I. BAM! Do something about it. (Still need to figure out what but.. you get the idea). 

I need to start with me with all my projects. And part of this post is about that. I LOVE getting mail (who doesn’t really?) and why wouldn’t I write a post about loving mail? BAM! True to myself, done. 

Also, just for fun, here’s what my checklists normally look like: 

On two different papers, messy, no sense of date, yuck! Now i’ll be as organized as ever! 

yay! 

this is what i’ve been up to

School is finally, pretty much over. I am at the stage where I can finally start to relax. One of the best things, possibly the best thing, I am taking away from my time at school is my new found knitting hobby. In library school, you’ve got to understand, there are lots of knitters. I saw these gals knit their way through the most boring classes. I stared at them with curiosity and admiration. Week after week I would watch their projects evolve. Finally, while learning html I decided I wanted to learn how to knit. Enter Judy. Who knew you could learn to knit with Youtube? And so I my journey began. 

A huge swatch, turned into a small swatch, then a ribbed swatch (which I had to start over 6 times), which eventually turned into a headband. And then came another headband. Stitch ‘n Bitch was by my side, but I bought a book called the Stitchionary by Vogue Knitting. So many swatches! I’m going to work on learning new stitches before attempting bigger projects. 

Anyway, I wrote this post because I realized my relationship to knitting will always remind me of the people I met during graduate school, and I love that idea. I’ll always tell people I started knitting out of the blue and then I met so many nice people and was so inspired by them to keep going. 

Nothing, since learning Indesign, has captivated my attention as much as knitting has. What I love about it is how it’s really scary to start something when you’re not sure how it will turn out (or at least it is for someone who’s overly cautious like me), but then you start and you do a few rows and then things start taking shape. 

I seriously agonized about starting this one for 5 minutes before starting. I felt so unsure, but I started, and now I feel so happy and proud of my little swatch! Look a this magic! 

This post is dedicated to my MLIS ladies. I’ll think of you every time I work on a project, and wonder what you’re working on. If any body ever wants to start a collaborative knitting blog, let me know!! 

xox

not just for startups!

That’s it. I’m inventing an honorary title: 

BEST WEBSITE OF THE WEEK! 

and the award goes to: 

I should have know, Jessica Hische is involved, and everything she touches turns to gold. 

This is for everybody. Informative, pretty, amazing. 

Visit the site: Startups, this is how design works

looking forward to summer

and having fun with friends

more at MissMoss

snow days

A few weekends ago was the nuit blanche festival which is the festival that brings people outside (yes, in the cold) and that features a huge circuit of art shows and cultural events. We were set to get our art on. 

Some of the highlights outside were a giant glowing slide in the Place des Arts, a bumpin’ electronic music show, and a ferris wheel glowing with lights. 

Some interior highlights were exploring the different floors of the Belgo building, an old building on Ste-Catherine that houses all kinds of galleries and studios. 

Seeing some waves. Pondering some art…

… and then, the magic happened. Studio 303, two words: group karaoke. A room full of people, singing their lungs out, with intermittent announcements from the bar saying that they are selling cookies 2 for 1. It was the loudest (and perhaps most off key) i’ve ever sang in my life and it was amazing. 

It seemed like my love for karaoke had finally found me in that studio at 1 AM, surrounded by lovable friends. 

a quick trip to prague

Café Prague is the newest bistro to open on Van Horne av. in foodie central. They specialize in in tiny open-face sandwiches called Chlebíčky. They come in a combination of meats and vegetables and each one I’ve tasted has been delicious. Now, whenever I’m in need of a little snack at home, I can make myself a little sandwich and feel fancy. Or, let’s face it, it’s two blocks from my house, I might as well just head down for a treat. 

This art-deco inspired café is a very welcome addition to an already over-caffeinated neighbourhood. They serve up top-quality coffee from a beautiful 1965 Brugnetti & C. machine with your choice of sweet patisserie.  

This spot is perfect to sit down for a quick lunch, or to grab a bite before heading into town. It’s got charm to boot and would be perfect for a tête-à-tête.

Café Prague / 1317 Van Horne Av. / Montreal

Images via Me and Café Prague

new additions 2012

Hello Design*Sponge at Home, I’m very happy to finally meet you in person. 

Nigella, it’s always a pleasure. 

Kundera, tu me donnes envie de lire en français. No small feat. 

This post was inspired by a visit to an amazing bookshop on Mont-Royal and a post on Simple Village Girl about her mother always giving her books. For someone in library school, I should have a deep and constant appreciation of books, but I have to admit that my library card has been resting in my wallet for a few months. Until now! 

I love how the Book is being infused with glamour again! E-books, for all their charm, just don’t cut it. These three are some of my recent faves which have reinvigorated my love of those bound babies. Here’s to 2012 being full of beautiful books. 

inspired by SimpleVillageGirl

fireworks

I took this photo in Ottawa on Canada day. What I liked most about the fireworks was the smoky trail they left after their explosion.