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

Internet Round Up / 002

[I say: Why not inundate your brain with more pretty/cool/neat/fascinating stuffs from our very own internet.  I got fancy and made it easy for you... Now all you have to do is click on the images to see more!]

01.  Tattly for the best temp tattoos ever.
02.  I'm in love with the #fromelmosback series via thethriftstorecowboy on Instagram.
03.  VISTA makes the most colorful, knotted, rope + hardware jewelry.

04.  I've been obsessed with Brussels sprouts since I was a babe. If cooked right (ie. not too long), they are absolutely DELICIOUS.  They also last longer in the fridge then your average green stuff.  This shredded version is easy, crunchy, healthy and so satisfying.  And it mixes well with anything... bacon + eggs, toasted almond slivers, parmesan + pine nuts, pasta... pretty much whatever your heart desires.

05.  My new favorite quote -- Be the tiger.
06.  A home tour of twins, Kathryn and Lizzie -- Owners, designers and makers of Lizzie Fortunato Jewelry.
07.  A sweet, sweatshirt applique DIY.
08.  Super-cute, *free*, printable wrapping paper.
09.  The Design Guide : A series of awesome design and branding tips.

Other thoughts:  My heart goes out to those affect by #Sandy these past few days and the days/weeks/months ahead.  If you'd like to help out an donate to the rescue and aid those most affected, you can do so here.

Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!  This was the first year since I was a freshman in college that I didn't dress up or make myself sick with bite-size candy.  Honestly, I don't think I missed much, although I see an extravagant costume come this time, 2013.

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 / 

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)

on the lookout for: GREY

[Otherwise known as the go-to-neutral that matches so well with everything.]

1. Mountain Poster 2. Snake Ring 3. Stone Earrings 4. Ice Cream 5. Watch 6. Necklace 7. Backpack

8. Pencils 9. Tote 10. Wallpaper 11. Kicks 12. iPhone Cover

Phenom Fridays

[I'm really feeling things that are soft, light and cozy right now, like the way you feel when you wake up from the best night of sleep on a crisp, luminous Fall morning; Where the world is at your finger tips, cuddled up in fluffy linens that you don't yet want to abandon, but giddy with excitement for the day ahead. (Can you tell I didn't want to get out of bed this morning?) So, we'll go with that...]

image via BellJar.

All items via my etsy faves, svpply and pinterest.

Phenom Fridays

{Phenomenal finds for your awesome life.}

1// 2a// 2b// 3//  4// 5// 6// 7// 8// 9// 10// 11

1// 2a// 2b// 3//  4// 5// 6// 7// 8// 9// 10// 11

And just like that, it's the weekend.  I've got visual design class and a short road trip to look forward to,  yip!  Have a good one!

Phenom Fridays : General Awesomeness

Please excuse the fact that this weeks picks for Friday aren't trending towards anything specific, but instead just had me do a little triple take as my eyes ingested their awesome-factor.

1/ Sexy, cross-back dress.  HOT.
2/ Glossy boots in the best color in the world. via Pinterest.
3/ ...Said boots, cozied up with some handmade goodness.
4/ Lux meets simplicity with the pouches and bags by Rennes.  This is one seriously talented lady.
5/ I've been playing around with clay lately, the available colors are fantastic and the shapes you can make are only limited by your imagination.  This is some great inspiration for the more organic, rocky forms I'd love to create and have dangling from a long chain.
6/ This has been going round and round the blogshpere lately and I am pumped to have found out in just enough time to join!  More on that later.  via Modish.
7/ The waytooexpensive factor is canceled out by the awesome factor of this plush little sweater for your laptop.  And yes, that is mathematically correct.
8/ Wishing it was time for a new watch!  Pun intended.
9/ No matter what, this you must always remember to be.
10/ Hehe.  Oh, English Language.  You and your rules.
11/ Minimal make up with perfect, eyeliner application.  Might have to get all fancied up this weekend and try this.
12/ Magenta origami deer head wall decor?  Yes yes yes.

That's all she wrote!  Have a great weekend!