Moodboard Monday / OTL SS13 Collection

After a much needed break from all things jewelry after the holidays, I've finally gotten back into the obsession that is running this small business. Since the creative process can tend to be a clusterf*ck of ideas that never (ever) stop, I've decided to keep trying mood-boarding as a way to get myself focused around inspiration for the next collection. I went into this process with a clear mind and as usual, a strong theme emerged pretty quickly.  So, I went with it, finding more and more inspiration that just rocked my world.

And, thus, RENEGADE PRINCESS was born.

(All images via Pinterest)

I'm so excited to use this moodboard to help direct the creative process this season.  The renegade princess doesn't actually exist -- she is a muse. But if she did, she'd be a few parts badassed mofo, diva, smart as a whip and would definitely march to the beat of her own drum --while looking being pretty damn fabulous, sexy and strong at the same time.  She has a penchant for light mischief (read: adventure) and the kind of ballsy attitude that is never too cocky and always admired.  Basically, she can handle her biznass and doesn't give a f*ck.  And she's part cat? YES.

Am I being weird enough yet?  Cool, onward.

For ON THE LOOKOUT SS13, you can expect a lot more edgy and a lot less safe with an "I don't take crap from nobody" attitude baked into every piece. I'm going to make it a point to do my thing and create unique pieces that I LOVE and hopefully you will too.  At this point you should be asking yourself, "When will this rebel-without-a-cause collection hit the streets?" Well, I expect to restock the shop around the beginning of April, so if you want a heads up, GET ON THA LIST.

That gives me about 30 days to blow your mind....

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(Side note: If you happen to be in the midst of creating a themed event, decorating a space, branding yourself, starting a business or blog, I think creating a moodboard is essential.  It's really fun and you get to see a mash up of your vision all in one place.  It's like a little road map of what you want to create.  Interested in making one? This is how I do it.) 

M O O D B O A R D Monday / The Ocean

Mood board Mondays.  Because I like doing these little mash ups and I hope you like looking.  Soon to actually come on Monday's!

BTW how good is Frank Ocean's, "Swim Good?"  I'm still kind of obsessed.

Frank Ocean / defy the odds / glass lamp / shark earrings / ring / circle scarf / tie / shark socks / kitchen cart / nautical poster / painting / leather bag / glass bottle / waves photograph

Collection 007 / black + white + gold

[A collection of class, simplicity and contrast, inspired by that fine-looking specimen of a black cat wearing a gold collar.]

1 / classy cat  2 / golden bangles, top: another feather, mid: forever21 and bottom: on the lookout 

3 / sneakers to die for, adidas  4 / some big bling for your man  5 / Biggie lyrics are always relevant  

6 / FOCUS.  7 / gilded bowls  8 / watercolor duvet set  9 / semi-circle print tray

10 / b&w decor + cat print  11 / the always fab, Janelle Monae 

1 / classy cat  2 / golden bangles, top: another feather, mid: forever21 and bottom: on the lookout 

3 / sneakers to die for, adidas  4 / some big bling for your man  5 / Biggie lyrics are always relevant  

6 / FOCUS.  7 / gilded bowls  8 / watercolor duvet set  9 / semi-circle print tray

10 / b&w decor + cat print  11 / the always fab, Janelle Monae 

See past OTL collections right here >!

collection 006 / luminous + light

[I'm loving all of these bright and beautiful days we've been having in the CLE lately.  Days where partly cloudy and brightly back lit, overcast skies seem to make color just radiate from the source.   Except for in my apartment, where the lack of windows / blah wall color just ain't cuttin it.  But that's what things like Photoshop and exposure and fancy instrgram filters are for right?]

A few things I love that are lit perfectly in airy, crisp, luminous light.  Next week, I'm going to be all crazy for dark and muddled.  You know, just cause I like to switch it up like that.

ombre necklace / 

lightening bolt studs / 

ceramic bowl (via jessica comingore) / 

interior 1 (via miss moss) /

interior 2 /

brass ring by young frankk/

a pretty face /

Japanese floral tape / 

collection 005

[Cool stuff found on these here Internets.]

1// Best bang and bun combo ever. (While you're at it, check out the other photos from this Aussie wedding.  So damn dreamy.)
2// These stripped shoes.
3// A little, leather pouch in the perfect, rosebud hue.
4// DIY, washi tape, elk head. via joelledesign.
5// Hand-dyed, chevron necklace. via Simple Hands.
6// Ohh, this CLEVELAND weather.  Time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors, eh?

(And so it goes, white, black, gold, aqua and pink are still my favorite colors.  Here's to consistency!)

otl Branding // Mood Board & Logo Design

I see a lot of graphic designers throwing up mood boards, like and this and this, to help with them with design projects and branding, so I thought I might just do one for the onthelookout as well! #fakeittilyoumakeit.

Coming up with a logo and overall feel for this brand is something that I've been wanting to take on for a while, but haven't necessarily thought I was ready to do.  There are just so many options out there!  Color schemes, fonts, packaging, mission statements, etc etc.  When you have complete creative freedom, it can be hard to narrow down just what you like, no?  Pinterest has been a great resource for helping me compile all of the visually inspiring stuff out there, so I used that to pull together this first mood board.  I gave myself 10 minutes to look through and select all of the pins that reminded me of my vision for onthelookout.  I think the time limit was helpful, lest I spend hours on something that is supposed to be pretty quick and organic.  I hope that studies like this will help me narrow down the goods and edits out the "unnecessaries."  Plus, I am dying to get a some business cards and a custom stamp made for packaging.  At the very least, it was fun to do!

Colors and shapes are pretty consistent here: Pink, blue-grey, black, and gold appear everywhere on my Pinterest boards and in the colors around my house.  Oh and I love me some triangles and geometric, deco-inspired shapes.  However, I'm still on the fence about the logo... I can't decide if I like the blocky text or hand-written script look.  Thoughts?

I'd love to see any mood boards that you've done!

Collection: Wood You Rather?

[...a collection of wooden finds.  And a terrible, nonsensical pun, but yeah, I went there.]

As soon as I saw Alicia's pictures from her kitchen renovation, I instantly fell in love with their expansive, butcher-block counter. Dang, it looks so warm and pretty!

That got me thinking about one of my favorite materials to work with: wood.  Wood, people.  With all of its antiquated charm, wonderful scents, general abundance and raw unwillingness to be anything other than what it is -- Ever try to stain something exactly the color you want it, to only get a better (or worse) turn out?  You know what I mean.  

So, I put together a few of my favorite wooden finds right here for you!

one - Handcrafted, reclaimed wood headboard by Ariele Alasko, recently featured on The Makers Project.
two - Hand carved, oak rope swing.
three - DIY painted wooden platter.
four - Pretty, painted wooden bowl set.
five - Wooden handled bread spoons (Each spoon measures out the exact amount of each ingredient to make homemade bread.  Awesome.)
six - A handy guide for the practical folks.
seven - Mora tree branch wooden sling shot (I may or may not have climbed trees in my youth and shot acorns and rocks out of a device such as this. #dennisthemenacewannabe)
eight - Handcrafted, natural wood chest.
nine - Wooden nugget necklace.
ten - The stacked wedges of my dreams.

(Someday, I will have a wood shop in my studio/home - right across from the metal fabrication area and laser cutter.  And I'll play with the likes of power tools and hammers, tool belt slug around my waist and nails in hangin' out of my mouth.  I'll bang around, measure twice, cut once, get lots of splinters and rescue wooden pieces and parts to turn what was once waterlogged and damp/ dry and brittle/ trashed and forgotten into pretty pieces to be loved again.  #dreamvivid)

Friday Five - On a Wednesday

[Fun internet finds for your Friday -- on a Wednesday.  Because patience is a virtue I have yet to master.]

1// Got berries in your fridge that are just on the cusp of going bad?  No worries, turn those babies into some homemade, all-natural fabric dye.  (Hey, blueberries, hiding waaay in the back of the fridge, you're gonna make a lovely purple hue this weekend!)

2// Pompoms are the cutest, little, decorative knick-knacks and are are super easy to make.  I love this pompom garland by Jenny of Wiksten.

3// I stumbled upon Andrew Tomayko's photography randomly through Instagram and I've been enamored ever since - free-spirited and wanderlusty moments in time.

4// Earlier this week, the pinterest gods lead me to Refinery29's Holiday 2011 DIY Gift Guide, with three awesome crafts to make on a budget.  Considering I'm a sucker for pink/neon/flowers/plants/everything in between, this DIY Neon Hanging Planter definitely caught my eye as a must-do!  Now, to find the time...

5// This is probably the most beautiful, world map I've ever laid eyes on.  You can purchase it with a magnetic layer underneath, which would be perfect to put little magnetic markers on of all of the places you've been and all of the places you'll go.

I hope the sun is shining as brightly where you are as it is here.  Happy Wednesday!

otl Spring 2012

Thinking about inspirations for Spring...

Phenom Fridays // Textiles + Funky Prints Collection

[From quilts, to towels, to shirts and skirts, a piece of fabric with a healthy does of color and a rhythmic print can do no wrong.]

1. I had a dream last night that I broke out my bitty sewing machine and made some leg warmers.  Let's just throw this simple skirt (with an AMAZING fabric) on the to-make list (!!!)
2. Knitted/patterned/color combo PERFECTION, by Donna Wilson.
3. I had to limit myself to only picking four items to feature here, lest, I recreate the entire HAY website on this blog.
4. Hand embroidered CMYK lettering by Evelin Kaskov.  And there goes yet another fun to-make to add to the list (!!!)
5. Neon, geometric, patterned and practical: The Happy Neon Store Tote 5 by LAUKaccessories.
6. Bags and clutches with a punches of colorful prints by Missibaba.

Happy Friday!

onthelookout for: Red, orange and yellow

Hi Sun, light of my life... Where have you been?

I'm not complaining (OK, maybe a little), but it is SO gloomy and dark around these parts.  I usually love muted tones like grey and dark blue, but this is probably due to the fact that they contrast so nicely with warm, sunny yellows, juicy oranges and sultry reds.  Hence, the insatiable desire for some bright pops of warmth as seen above...

1. HA. Cute, funny, COMFY and sexy, a winning combination.
2. My favorite Nike sneakers (court forces) with a pop of red.
3. W.O.M bag.  Never mind that it costs major $$ and I can't find it anywhere.  I WANT!
4. Warm tones from a super cute animal print.
5. onthelookout Tri Necklace 001, with the most orangey-red, bright beads ever.
6. Feathers, feathers, feathers...
7. Hand-knitted socks scream LUX and FUN.
8. Hand-dyed hair ties, so girly and pretty.
9. Sunny, little bowls.
10. Cutie, winter hat for the impending 6-month long, Ohio blizzard season.