crave: bookends

wouldn't you love to stare at a row of old, hardcover books in between these beauties?

swiped from oracle fox.

pendleton wool

i have a huge crush on accessories pretty much anything made from pendleton wool.  you?

top/ wool macbook case from spartan.

center/ pendleton wool saddle blankets (as good a reason as any to get a horse if you ask me...) and throw from pendleton.

bottom/ woolen pouch by little bryd vintage.

bridge and burn

i'm sort of a color slut when it comes to accessories: show me some jewelry, bags, shoes, hair clips, curtains, pillows, whatever in a fantastic hue and it'll be on my body or in my house before you can say "wait, those are mine..."

that being said, my clothing color palette tends to stay almost boringly neutral, to accommodate colorful add ons.  that is why i am loving these jackets by bridge and burn.  simple, neutral, BUT with just enough going on to make a statement on their own.  i'll take the one in the middle, thank you.

office space

gaw, i love these bookshelves.  hell yes to  ladies wielding power tools and making thangs.

swiped from silvia song.

marco saurez

atmospheric and eerily pretty prints by marco saurez.

check more out here.

lily stockman

i've been a huge fan of the talented lady behind this blog since i stumbled upon it about a year ago.  lily stockman is witty, well-traveled, inspiring and an amazing artist.

the pretty pieces from her most recent collection are drenched in vivid colors and aim to "reconsider the canon of Indian architecture through colorful paintings of India's modern-day agricultural warehouses."

her art speaks simply, honestly and deep -- and there something so refreshing about works that are not only a joy to look at, but still speak an important cultural message.  so, if you haven't checked out her work, you ought too right now!

images swiped from bigBANGstudio

can we get a little warmth

spring has been creeping its way into NE ohio unfathomably slowly, but surely.  the past few days mother nature has been tempting us with the clearest blue skies and blinding bright sunlight.  unfortunately the temperature has yet to get with the program and is still hovering around 15 to 30 degrees.  cold.  not to mention there is still snow in the forecast.  roast.

come ON spring, i think we're good and ready to break out some colorful spring accessories, open the windows of our cars and homes and breathe in a little fresh air!  i am certainly ready for the flowers to bloom.  and my winter uniform --black north face jacket, jeans and smart wool socks-- is getting old and about to molt.

anyway, i've always been a fan of (any) COLOR, but recently i'm really craving bright blasts of pink, yellow, green, blue, whatever.  these are a few items that are making me extra pumped for warmer weather...and could be some great inspiration for another round of otl jewelry.  spring will come soon.  it has to, right?

1/ mexicana series pouches by scout&catalogue

2/ najavo quilt pillow by shapescolors

3/ geometry notebook from our our shop

4/ exfoliating olive oil soap by catherine filippelli

5/ rorschack silk top by dion lee

6/ peacock fan no 2 necklace by spinthread

7/ tangerine colored tights via anuk harvey

8/ totem necklace by onthelookout

9/ wool macbook case by spartan

10/ foot loose-tangerine-mango bango.  nail polish colors by essie

11/ a room at the petite hotel hafa swiped from scout&catalogue

princesse tam tam

i'm in serious love with this jumper by princesses tam tam.  take a peek their online shop...although it might make you question wearing comfy/baggy/ugly sweats vs. hot lingerie to hang around the house in.  those Parisians know whats UP.

swiped from honestly...WTF.

yes, please

i'll take a couple hundred of these pretty little babies.  in a rainbow of colors, textures and sizes.  please and thank you.

flower hair pins by garden of whimsey / swiped from fly

onthelookout/ pre-shop opening

i love NE ohio.  i spent the better half of this ah-mazing snow day taking more pictures, editing and adding to the shop.  it's crazy how much better i've gotten at taking pics with my camera.  i seriously take the thing everywhere.  shopping trips to home depot included.  they boy is unfazed at this point by seeing me take pictures of lumber and screws.  the rest of the people there?  not so much.  whatever, practice makes perfect.

anyway, take a peek!  i got four necklaces up so far, with two more styles finished to shoot and upload tomorrow...plus a million more necklace, bracelet and earring ideas floating around in my dome.  but i am going to limit these new ideas to the daydreams and sketches, as constantly being in create mode, a cute store does not equal.  once i get the last two pieces up, then i can head back to making making and making.

my next major step will be taking this thing public.  facebook, mass emails, spreading the word to all...so scary, but so exciting.  a year in the making, i guess it's time to get the ball rolling huh?

this is your brain on necklaces

i have been in major *create* mode the past few weeks or so, in an effort to make this jewelry shop a reality.  so far i've had the time (in between work, working out, living, sleeping, eating and applying to grad school) to set up a sad sad little shop on etsy...but better is soon to come.  this is a small preview of what i'll be adding to the onthelookout shop next...  i hope you like.  i certainly do (although there is always room for improvement).  you gotta start somewhere, right?

joe bauldoff

i just want to climb into this image.  the fluidity and the colors of this little traveler are so enticing.  and so my obsession with graphic design continues...

the euronaut by joe bauldoff.  check out his neat graphic design blog as well!

little lockets

i love things that are pretty and functional.  so efficient.  these lockets sort of have me longing for summer along with my soon-to-be, favorite summer time outfit...

vintage lockets by verabel+FOX

little forests

arghhh ...  i want to do this.  like right now.  building your own little terrarium sounds like so much fun. playing with the plants, dirt and flowers?  and getting to take your pretty creations home and decorate?  yum.

swiped from evaforeva.

graffiti

urgent, quick and simple stencil graffiti, found in Buenos Aries.   pretty neat huh?


swiped from julian bevan's portfolio site/blog

lovers love love : for the boy

alright here it is.  the long-awaited valentine's day gift guide for your lucky boyfriend or boy who is just a friend.  or yourself.  although my man is a big fan of mathematics, bacon, chocolate chip cookies, mischief, sneakers, tee shirts, german-inspired beverages, power tools (typical), cool art and all things bikes, upon taking a closer look, this guide seems like all of the cool, tom-boy stuff i want...

1/ trojan unicorn pegasus print by tugboat print shop
2/ math + cupcakes vday card by turtle bug goods
3/ old timey slingshot from the general store
4/ courage lx sneakers by saucony
5/ bacon and chocolate chip cookies by oh joy!
6/ snap ginger infused organic liqour swiped from for me, for you
7/ bosch router
8/ you are my singularity card by 4four
9/ storm troopers calaveras shirt by misNopales Art Shop
10/ bike bowl by circa ceramics

on the lookout : jewelry

ok, my ultimate dream for the past year or so has been to set up a little jewelry shop of all of the necklaces i make.  as of late, i am becoming really obsessive about making isshh and that seems like a good indication that it might be about time to plan on actually setting up said shop and selling legit stuff.

i have a small menagerie of basic tools (jeweler's saw, the boy's drill and hammer, bitty little files and sandpaper) and just made a bigger purchase for a fordome flex shaft kit b/c my current tools are starting to really limit what i can make.  with that i'll be able to drill smaller and more accurate holes, grind, sand and polish and be a less ghetto jewelry maker overall.  yay.  so i'm gonna start posting about this life project too...here's a small look at the stuff i am making.  pretty basic, but i like so far and you gotta start somewhere!

music weekend

love this song and the awesome -animated!- music video someone made to go along with it.

lovers love love: the plan

oh hello. i've been reading a lot of blogs around these internets lately and i love the themes that some of these ladies have. modish has kitty photo friday; for me, for you is on with music monday; fly comin up with flygirl of the week; oh joy! has closet & casa; and bigBANG studio does it SO well with the sweetest xmas guide, "presents for the people you love".  so, i'm going to make the effort to get in on a BIG theme before it's too late -- valentine's day, every woman's favorite holiday.

i kid!!!!!

not like anyone is reading at this point, but i guess now is a good time to start the habit of thinking ahead.  so, in the next few days i'm going to make the effort to do my own love day post:  "for him" and more importantly "for her," before the big day hits...and if i have time, "for friends, "for cat," etc etc.   ok i'm off to start looking!  (and stenciling that quote over the boy's and my bed -- IF i can get away with it)

image swiped from seesaw.

monsters, mammoths and bears

oh yes, i like things with sharp teeth.  especially when they are all done up so cute, artsy and non-threatening like.  all goodies swiped from etsy.

1/ kraken attakin' prints by keith noordzy

2/ alpha zomby letterpress print by yeehaw

3/ bigfoot boy by mbartshop

5/ grizzly bear mask print by matty8080

5/ dinosaur on a bike tee by dark cycle clothing

6/ wooly mammoth puzzle by clouds at dawn