7 Amazing Collections

While I am out, I've commissioned (as in "I'll be buying you a drink for this, lady") my girl Leah (remember her?) to put together a few lists for All Things Good n' Graphic Design-y. That is because Leah is not only an unbelievable designer, she's also the kind of person who always knows who is designing/creating the best blogs out there (we even had a "Bookmark Swap" one night--and believe me, her fab finds far outweighed mine). She's the ultimate blog guru, and I am so happy she's helping out over the next two weeks. Here's her first crazy-cool compilation.

I've always admired people who have these cool, curated collections of things ... like Amy's playbills, and "A"s and ticket stubs. I just think it's such a fun way to remember things or events or people. The closest I get to collecting anything is my unstable piles of magazines, but my roommate would say that's "clutter," not cherished items. The web seems to enable this tendency even more so, as evidenced by numerous tumblrs and blogs all dedicated to very specific things. Here are some of my favorites:

 

1. Jules Vernacular

I have no idea what most of the words say in this French collection of signage, but it makes you appreciate all the beautiful lettering out there in the world.

 

2. Things Organized Neatly

Somehow this one feeds both the hoarder and the OCD organizing freak.

3. A Collection A Day

These pretty images make me not want to throw anything away.

4. Letterheady

An eclectic collection of old letterheads, many from famous people.

5. The Ampersand

The ampersand is perhaps the most beautiful thing on the keyboard if you ask me ... apparently this curator agrees.

6. Project Thirty-Three

Super-cool collection of vintage record jackets that showcase colorful shapes in all their glory.

And last but not least, my personal favorite:

7. Daily Drop Cap

I have my homepage set to this site featuring a new illustrated letter (almost) every day, courtesy of she's-so-freaking-awesome-I-wish-I-was-her illustrator Jessica Hische.

Framed! An Artistic Exposé

Tess is back for another guest post! You might remember her as my writing-partner-in-crime at work (and here she is, covering me AGAIN. Sorry, friend!) I LOVE this post on the things she frames at home--so clever, and so Tess. Thanks for your help, T. I owe you one, as always!

Confession: I am obsessed with framing. Photos, yes, but see also: cards, fortunes, coasters, book jackets, ticket stubs, and pretty much anything I can fit under glass—or onto a bulletin board. (Which brings me to obsession no. 2: framed bulletin boards made with designer fabrics, but that’s a blog post for another day).

Below, a look at my favorite everyday items as framable art, and why I love them so:

Children’s Book Jacket

Nothing says smart family entertainment better than a room decorated with our literary alter egos. After a dear friend gave me this children’s book as a birthday gift, it got me to wondering if there were books out there featuring characters named after all of us. Turns out, there are…and a new adventure in home décor followed.

Cookie’s Fortune

I make a living off the power of words, so it’s no surprise that one of my greatest-ever sources of inspiration came from Charlie Mom’s Chinese takeout. Five years ago, I quit my full-time job with two huge goals in mind: 1) start a successful freelance business and 2) have a baby. It took about a day for the excitement to wear off and the terror to set in, but these pieces of paper promising “Your current plans are going to succeed,” “Patience is the remedy for every trouble,” and “Your path is arduous but will be amply rewarding” were always there assuring me that they would. And they did. I like to believe it’s thanks to Charlie Mom.

Coasters
When my friend Andrea gave me these fabric coasters from our favorite NYC decorating source, Hable Construction, as a housewarming gift, I’m sure even she felt a pang of sadness imagining their fate. This way, my guests can drink in their printed perfection without worries of spoiling them in the process.

Calendar
It’s so hard to say goodbye to each eye-popping month on my SusyJack* Deluxe Wall Calendar. That’s why I’m only too happy to recycle every page as bold n' beautiful artwork (that also makes for a unique and inexpensive gift). Since Susy is committed to eco-friendliness, I’m sure she would approve.

Spoons
The highlight of my trip to Paris was not the Louvre, or the Left Bank, or even the butter. It was finding La Vaissellerie, a little piece of Fish’s Eddy fabulousness meets Parisian sophistication. I knew I had to have this rainbow collection of demitasse spoons, but it took a few years to decide the best way to utilize them—tacked to, of all things, a “jewelry display board” I found at Pottery Barn Teen. Magnifique!

The Perfect New Puppy Present

This first guest post while I am on break comes from Kristin Appenbrink (kristinapp.tumblr.com), a RealSimple.com staffer and fellow Brooklynite. She’s spent her summer making homemade ice cream (cherry, salted caramel, mint chocolate chip, and peach, to name a few flavors), and can’t wait for the weather to cool down so she can go back to baking and wearing cozy sweaters. Thanks, neighbor! And is it wrong that this post is sort of making me hungry?


It would be fair to say that I’ve been a bit puppy-obsessed lately. Given the fact that I live in the city and don’t spend a ton of time at home (save for lazy weekends, of course), I don’t think it’s fair for me to have a dog of my own. That means I have to live vicariously through my friends who have pooches, and that I have to do everything in my power to resist dognapping the pups that always seem to be tied up outside the Whole Foods (one of the few places you can’t bring your dogs, apparently).

Recently, one of my co-workers brought home an adorable, fluffy, and just a bit feisty standard poodle puppy named Normandy. She is so deliciously cute, and I can’t wait to meet her. I figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to try my hand at making homemade dog biscuits—as a sort of welcome home Normandy gift.

I know what you’re probably thinking: “Who in their right mind makes their own puppy treats?” I always thought that too, but the best answer I can give is that all rational thought vanished at the sight of this pup. (Just see the below photo, I mean, really. Adorable.) I was expecting the process to be difficult, so I was pleasantly surprised when it was incredibly easy, albeit a bit time consuming.

Here’s the step-by-step of making homemade dog biscuits. Get the complete recipe from Martha Stewart.



First, ingredients. There were a couple of things that I had to track down. I was able to find wheat germ pretty easily at Fairway, but they looked at me funny when I requested brewer’s yeast. I ended up having to go to GNC because, little did I know, brewer’s yeast is great for you. You can take it in pill form or sprinkle it on your food, but I can’t imagine that you would want to—it smells horrible.



Next, measure and dump all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then alternate dry and wet while mixing in a separate bowl. I used my KitchenAid stand mixer instead of a hand mixer or whisk thinking it would save time. But unless you’re making a double batch, stick to the hand mixer. One recipe doesn’t fill up the mixer’s bowl enough, so you end up having to mix by hand anyway.



Once your dough is combined it’s time to roll it out on well-floured parchment paper. In my limited apartment kitchen, I do not have a rolling pin; but being a true RealSimple.com editor, I used an empty wine bottle, which works just as well.



Then for the fun part: cutting out the actual biscuits. I ordered the Fox Run Dog Bone Cookie Cutter Set from Amazon. I liked that it had three different sizes so you have options depending on the size of the dog.



Sadly, the fun part quickly turned into the tedious part, as I cut out the treats, re-rolled the dough, cut out more treats, and, slowly but surely, filled two baking sheets.

After being in the oven for 10 minutes, you take out the treats and brush them with chicken stock. It turns them a nice rich brown, and, I imagine, makes them quite irresistible to those of the canine persuasion. Once they are coated in chicken broth, they bake for another 10 minutes and then dry out while the oven cools, which takes about an hour and a half. (Just enough time to watch a couple of episodes of Pillars of the Earth on Netflix.)



And here they are, the finished product. While I technically could have tasted one, they smelled a little bit too much like dog food to me. Thankfully, I heard back from my co-worker that Normandy loved them, so I’m counting them as a success.

DIY-ing with Mat & Guerrin

Two of my favorite guest post-ers are back from a vacay in Spain and feelin' inspired. Here, Guerrin and Mat show us how to do up our terraces with a fabulous hanging flower pot project. (Gracias, ya'll.)



Guerrin: What’s the worst part about coming home from vacation?

Mat: Coming home from vacation.

G: Ah, the memories...the beaches of Sitges, the sun and sand--me in my bikini and, Mat, you in yours.

M: I thought that man-kini was a good idea until those Spanish children started heckling me on the beach. Is nowhere safe?

G: For safety purposes, just keep your clothes on for this one.

M: No promises.

G: So let’s get started with our hanging flower pot project--the first step of my terrace makeover...inspired by the colorful seaside homes we saw in Sitges!



M: We’re not starting anything until you throw on that vintage muu muu you overpaid for in Barcelona.

G: Ah yes! The newest addition to my extensive muu muu collection! How could I forget! (Running out of the room with hands in the air.)

M: I’ll get the wine.

What You’ll Need:

• 5 small-medium terracotta pots


• 5 bright potted flowers


• potting soil


• 20 gauge craft wire


• wire cutters


• white gloss spray paint


• acrylic paint (colors of your choice)


• paint brushes

For Added Fun:

• Two bottles of cava. One on hand. One on ice.


• Inappropriate vacation attire


• High-energy summer playlist

(You can borrow ours if you like):

• Let's Go Surfing: The Drums


• David Watts: The Kinks


• Stillness Is The Move: Dirty Projectors


• Paperback Writer: The Beatles


• Two Weeks: Grizzly Bear


• Summerboy: Lady GaGa


• And She Was: Talking Heads


• She Wolf (Shakira Cover): Hot Chip


• Dog Days Are Over: Florence and the Machine


• Little Bit: Lykke Li


• I Don’t Want To Know: Fleetwood Mac

Hike up that muu muu, say goodbye to that mani, hold on to that glass of cava and spray those pots inside and out. Careful of drippies and don’t break a sweat! Now, sit down, enjoy yourself, and wait 10 - 15 minutes for that paint to dry. Got a new joke? This might be the best time to try out that new material.



G: Hey, did you hear about those corduroy pillows?

M: No.

G: They’re making headlines everywhere.

(Both throw their heads back in laughter.)



Ok, enough with the jokes. Pick up the brushes, acrylics, and paint your pots. As you can see from the picture, this time is very serious. You might want to use this moment to have a heart-to-heart with a friend and touch base, emotionally speaking. If uncomfortable with this, simply paint your pots in silence.



While Mat goes with a more literal interpretation of the flower designs on the original pots, Guerrin chooses Gaudi-inspired stripes. To do this, she applies acrylic paint diluted in water over loosely adhered painters tape, to achieve a Modernist effect.



Wrap the wire around the pot, just under the lip. Make sure to wind tightly enough so the pot does not slip out. Give the wire a good twist on the backside of the pot. Snip, leaving approximately 6 inches on each end and use the excess to to affix the pot to your balcony railing. Again, wind tight--and remember, nothing is more startling than the sound of crashing ceramics in the middle of the night.



Fill 1/3 of each pot with the potting soil. Carefully remove the plants from their unsightly plastic container and place them in their fancy new ones. Loosely pack in the soil, filling within an inch of the rim. Now welcome your flowers into their new home! For years, smart people and know-it-alls alike have suggested talking to your plants as a means to benefit their growth. Try breakin’ the ice. Here, Guerrin recites the lyrics to “The Rose” by Bette Midler.



G: Finally done!

M: And it only took us 2 hours!

G: Or only one if you knock out the cava and laughing fits.

M: Aaah, I feel like I’m in Sitges again. Only this time fully clothed.

G: Well, your teeny-weeny ‘kini is always welcome on my terrace.

M: Tell that to your neighbors across the way.

Among other fantastical projects, Mat Sanders and Guerrin Gardner have appeared as Sandy the Dandy and Charlie McGee, which was a critics’ pick in Time Out New York, The Onion, and NYTheatre.com. They’re currently developing a multitude of new comedic ventures, including a monthly comedy variety show and a live-action, highly stylized version of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Meet them now at toomuchery.com.