May 31, 2009

words of wisdom: vonnegut


1. find a subject you care about.
2. do not ramble, though.
3. keep it simple.
4. have the guts to cut.
5. sound like yourself.
6. say what you mean to say.
7. pity the readers.

May 19, 2009

beauty draws us with a single hair

there's something about vintage that exudes romance. i assume it's the stories passed down with the heirlooms or the mystery of the stories unknown. whatever it is, i'm not ashamed to admit that i really don't care, that i prefer the aesthetics of vintage. the craftsmanship, the style, the materials; they all surpass anything from our times. i'm not one of the fortunate, however, and i can only dream of a vast vintage collection (hopefully my 6/49 ticket turns out a winner tomorrow! fingers crossed!) that doesn't stop me from collecting pictures of vintages, because one day, someday, i will get the chance to purchase my dream items.


these lovely hair accessories - perfect for any bride - are photographed by jennifer carrillo. she takes standard wedding photos, but they are touching none the less. as an added bonus her website features the music of glen hansard and marketa irglova from 'once' which is such a great film, it melts my cold heart.


ebay and etsy are two tried and true sources for lovely vintage finds or homemade crafts. this lovely set here can be purchased on etsy at modishvintage, or you can go all out and get a brush from the mason pearson line. i found out about the brand from mindy kaling's blog (girl crush!!!). so cool, reminds me of titanic!


what is my ideal of vintage romance? it's all about innocence , it's all about the hair - and curls are the epitome of vintage, virginal hair. i love the locks of these two lovely ladies, the first photographed by claudio mancilla and the second for dearcreatures, found at oh joy! and because i'm the worst blogger in the world, i've lost the reference for that final photo, which i think is so lovely - i'm going to take a stab at it and say it was found at oh, hello friend! or oh joy!


now i just have to wait and will for my hair to grow grow grow, so i can have ethereal curls once again.

May 8, 2009

david hughes - illustrations for adults

i think it's only appropriate to follow my previous post regarding illustrations for children with one for adults. david hughes is as talented as any to follow the likes of antoine de st exupery - his website displays work for a range of publications from the new yorker to esquire, even to children's books by sandy turner!

on a rare night a couple of weeks ago, i went out with some friends and our pre-event shindig was hosted by my good friend guy. his home was so lovely - his mother's an artist and by the looks of her pad, she's also an earthy goddess with great taste. in his kitchen was a wall absolutely covered in amazing magazine tears and other inspiration - among them, an illustration that jumped out.

the sex and the city ladies! wow wow wow! david hughes captured the essence of each of these four women! samantha's resemblance is uncanny - carrie's dress - miranda on her high horse - charlotte's body! everything in this picture is perfect right down to the yellow cab and bridge in the background, the proportions of which perfectly offset the scale of the ladies in the foreground.

what i love about illustrators, which you cannot find in other artists, is their knack for portraying pop culture and the political arena at any moment in time (granted many traditional visual artists capture the political environment of their time, ie: picasso - guernica, it's never with the urgency of a commercial artist).


besides, how could i not love a man who took one of my favourite books, and managed to create an illustration that wasn't stuffy - as jane eyre and other novels of the era are often considered to be - in fact, it's downright quirky!


find other david hughes work here.