Confronting Bare Walls Phobia

Posted by Callie (a former Blueprint-er, now available on Bluelines)

As the proud renter of a new apartment, I have been on an endless search for the perfect piece of art to hang on my unbearably white walls. Because I am a terrible decision maker, I have settled on two distinctly different yet equally beautiful options.

For the largest (and therefore most blindingly-white) wall, I waited to score the perfect vintage school map on eBay. Remember in middle school when your crusty history teacher would struggle to keep the map of Europe pulled down while discussing the Thirty Years' War? Well, now I can reenact that experience in my own living room...

...except for the fact that mine is a map of the United States. I guess I'll be giving lessons about Lewis & Clark.
 

Etsy's website offers innumerable solutions for unique and affordable art. Shortly, my walls will be adorned with the aloof beauty of work by labokoff, a French artist who digitally mixes her original photographs with painting.

neige en pissenlit

ble

coquelicot

lessay

Cooking Up Some Inspiration

Posted by Lena

I collect a lot of vintage books that I leaf through for inspiration. I find them at flea markets, antique stores, used bookstores, etc. One of my favorite genres of books to collect is little cooking booklets. Mostly from the 1950s and '60s, they were put out by food and beverage companies as promotions for their products.
The illustrations in these little books are usually fantastic, and they've been a great source of inspiration for my illustration work.

Here are some images from my favorites:

Nipping It In The (Ear) Bud

Posted by Kendra

Style maven Jordan Ferney blogged about Audiocubes headphones about a year ago, and I've been obsessing over them ever since. They carry a very cool range of headphones for when your aching ears can't take those ear buds for another second. I bought a pair for my sister-in-law and she gets compliments on them every time she wears them. Audiocubes has an online shop and they opened a Manhattan outpost at the end of last year.

Striped headphones, $40

Retro green headphones, $60

Jodi's Board Book

Posted by Jodi

Babies love pictures of themselves and people that they know. So, a book filled with photo collages of the parents-to-be, family, and friends would make such a great shower gift. If the parents-to-be are crafty, a stack of blank books for them to fill would be an excellent gift. But homemade books would also make really cool gifts for friends if filled with old photos, excerpts from letters, and other souvenirs. That's why I’ve been obsessed with these blank white board books which are available at Romp, an excellent childrens store right around the corner from me in Brooklyn. The books come in two sizes: 5 inches x 5 inches or  8 inches x 8 inches. You can also get them from Oriental Trading (in the same sizes) but I've found them to be not quite as sturdy.

Blank board books from Romp

Over at my place we've been cranking out so many of these books that we practically have a mini factory. The books we make are pretty silly and messy (and not really meant for, well, grownups to see). We paste in photos, paper cutouts, and stickers to create a story. Here are a few of the ones we've made.

My older son Sammy and I made one last year for my younger son's first birthday, “We love Lionel,” and another for a little baby friend that we watch on Fridays titled “Friday Brothers."

Inside The Box

Posted by Scott

I love the practicality of these boxes made from vintage wallpaper. I'd use them to organize, stash paperwork and receipts, and even to cover up bland plastic flower pots (see below).

Drawflowers' vintage wallpaper boxes

Yellow vintage print wallpaper box

Complete Your Magazine Library

Many of you have expressed an interest in back issues of Blueprint magazine.  The issues available for purchase are Summer 2006 (No.1), Fall 2006 (No.2), March/April 2007 (No.3), May/June 2007 (No.4), July/August 2007 (No.5), September/October 2007 (No.6) and November/December (No.7) and January/February 2008 (No.8).

To order, please call toll-free 1-877-747-1050.

Single issues are $3.50 (plus $2 shipping and handling.) To purchase all eight issues, the price is $16 (plus $4 shipping and handling.) Shipping is available to U.S. customers only.

A Cut Above

Posted by Page

On a recent shopping trip to Fairway, I discovered this beautiful wooden cutlery. It's made from bamboo, and is disposable -- in fact, it will biodegrade within four to six months. But what I love about it is its beautiful simplicity and blond wood color.

I can't wait to use them at my first spring picnic -- they'll make any picnic feel so dignified. I'd even leave them out on the counter, arranged in a glass like wooden flowers to encourage their use. (Less dishes for me!) If you can't find them at Fairway, you can buy similar bamboo utensils here and here.

Finding Inspiration Everywhere

  Posted by Lena

It was during my second "real" job as a junior designer for Calvin Klein that I learned to see inspiration in everything around me. It's something that is so much a part of me now. I had always been really observant, but I learned to store memories of textures, pattern, colors, etc. for future design projects.

Last month, I went on vacation to the Caribbean with my husband's family. Coming from the barren winter in New York, it was so nice to see lush plants and flowers again! There is a lot of glitz and glamour on St.
Barths, but I was drawn more to the simple beauty -- both man-made and natural.

Here are a few inspiring things I saw on my trip:

Looking up at beams, that remind me of Scandinavian woodwork

Decorative trim and bold color choices

Seeing future textile patterns everywhere...

Christene's eBay Pick: Collection of 8-Track Tapes

Posted by Christene*

Collection of 8-Track Tapes

Granted, I don't know anyone who has an 8-track player, but I still love the kind of mixes people with 8-tracks used to listen to -- my fantastic mom included. I mean, why is it always Anne Murray and Englebert Humperdink in the 8-tracker collection and not Alice Cooper or The Yardbirds?

Collection of 8-Tracks

*Edtior's Note: Christene is mildly eBay obsessed. In fact, she already blogs about all of the eBay treasures that she may or may not bid on at refinery29. She's going to be blogging about even more vintage eBay crushes on Bluelines every week.

Evan B. Harris At Rare Device

  Posted by Lisa & Rena

Hi! We are Rena Tom and Lisa Congdon. We own a design and clothing shop and art gallery in San Francisco called Rare Device. We are thrilled to be part contributors to Bluelines!

We met in New York when Lisa had a show of her collage work at Rena’s very small shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn (also called Rare Device) in 2007. We instantly became friends and decided within a few weeks to open a larger Rare Device together in San Francisco, where Lisa has lived for 18 years (and where Rena lived before moving to New York). A few months later, Rena and her husband moved back to San Francisco and the adventure began. We opened our doors in October of 2007, just seven months after we met!

We love what we do everyday because each of us has a passion for art and design. Rena began her design career as a graphic designer and jewelry maker and Lisa is a mixed media artist and illustrator. Owning a retail shop and art gallery allows us to connect with other makers and designers on a regular basis. We feature functional experiments and original ideas in art, design, craft and fabrication, so we are constantly seeking objects and clothing that are beautiful, evocative, well constructed, and thoughtful. This quest leads us to many amazing discoveries -- and we hope to share them with you here! Each week we will be writing about what is inspiring us -- and what we are learning in our retail adventure together.

Lady Bee by Evan B. Harris

This week we are really excited because artist Evan B. Harris will be showing a new collection of work in our gallery. Lisa first met Evan last year through friends in Portland (where her parents and sister also live). They became friends and she fell instantly in love with his work. Evan’s installation at Rare Device entitled Garden at Eichstatt opened last week.

Garden at Eichstatt is Harris' interpretation of the illustrated plates of Basilius Besler, a 17th century horticulturist and illustrator. Harris uses Besler’s illustrations as inspiration for the backdrop for his characters to play out his narratives. If you live in San Francisco or are visiting, we hope you will come by to see this wonderful show that will be at Rare Device through April 2.

We’ll be back next week with something new!

Side Show

Posted by Elizabeth

Before the spring fashion shows, the notion of wearing anything on the side of my head -- be it a ponytail or bun -- always conjured up images in my mind of Chrissy Snow (played by Suzanne Somers) in Three’s Company or Princess Leia of "Star Wars."

Leia, and one of her notorious buns

Suzanne Somers sporting a ditzy side ponytail

But after spotting several low-slung side ponytails and buns, I love this idea for spring -- particularly the small slightly askew knots. They look chic and fuss-free and are a cool, easy update to the classic chignon. The key to avoiding the aforementioned dingbat look (or worse, the Star-droid), is to create a tight little bun and wear it directly behind the ear. Anything smack on the side still looks silly to me (yet entirely appropriate come Halloween or for a '70s-themed party).

Charlottle Ronson

At Charlotte Ronson, Sandra Yu, the artistic director for Rusk, created this fun, flirty version and set it with Rusk W8less Plus, an extra hold hairspray. And at Narciso Rodriguez’s show, hairstylist Eugene Souleiman created this neat deconstructed version by making a low side ponytail and flipping the ponytail ends up and around and attaching them around the base.

Narcisco Rodriguez

But if you love the look of something higher, we saw that too. Check out this version at Catherine Malandrino, created by Odile Gilbert. It’s growing on me, but I prefer them worn more casually and low and to the side, thoughts anyone?

Invisipins hair elastic

P.S. One of the best ways to secure a ponytail or bun is to use one of these small elastic bungees with hooks. You can wrap them around a bun as many times as necessary before hooking the ends. And they don’t get all blown out or weakened like normal elastics. Hairstylist Oscar Blandi turned me onto them years ago and I’ve seen them backstage and on photo shoots ever since. This version is made by Invisipins and available at Ricky’s.

Shop Etsy: EmmaLitten

Posted by Scott

I'm always on Etsy's website looking for new props and objects to use in my styling work. Because I find so many wonderful artists and objects, I figured sharing them with you might curb my desire to buy everything. We'll see how that works out.

I love EmmaLitten's handmade ceramics. I've been drooling over these pieces -- with calm, chalky colors -- in particular:

Striped White Jug

Hand Looped Mug

Cream Pitcher

Artist In Residence: Keith Shore

Posted by Erin

As promised I'm here to tell you more about the artist behind the new banner art on Bluelines: Keith Shore. Keith's an artist/illustrator who lives in Lambertville, New Jersey -- a cool little town that's packed with great antique and art shops, and happens to be right across the river from where I grew up in Pennsylvania. I love his use of color and the sense of humor that comes through in his work -- like his Bearded Portraits series. Apparently a lot of people feel the same way: He's had countless gallery shows; his work has been published in Dwell, McSweeney's and The New York Times, to name just a few; and you can even find his art on t-shirts, wallets, and other wearable stuff. Plus, he catalogs all of his work on his website, so I like to go there to see what's new, or just to take a visual break.

Dorado Beach

Forty-One Faces

Here? Yes.

Austin Picks

    Posted by Regan

If you are in town for SXSW, check out my picks for everything from coffee and dinner, to shopping and sightseeing.

Late Night eats or Hung-Over Brunch

Kerbey Lane

2700 South Lamar Blvd

For round-the-clock breakfast (try the special pancakes), great migas, and can't-miss queso dip.

Lamberts

Fancy-ish Dinner

Lamberts Downtown Barbecue

401 W 2nd Street

Lambert's serves "modern Texan cuisine" (that's BBQ with a high-class twist). Go there for high-quality smoked meats, innovative sides, and great homemade desserts.

 

Meet for Drinks

Hotel San Jose

1361 South Congress

There's no way you'll be scoring a room at this cool bungalow-style hotel, but you can still stop by for happy hour. Sip micheladas in the outdoor lounge area, chat with cute local hipsters, and maybe even catch a glimpse of David Byrne.

Don't Mess With Texas (At Least Not This Weekend)

    Posted by Kerstin

By now, the annual South by Southwest Music Festival, or SXSW, is in full swing in Austin, Texas.

In the crowded bars on 6th Street, hipster showcases, and even backyards, bands from all over the country (and as far away as Lebanon) are doing their best to win over audiences, promoters, and A&R contacts.

6th Street

If you couldn't swing the trip or dreaded spending all your time standing on line to see the next Franz Ferdinand, I've picked some of this year's showcase artists that are worth checking out. Feel free to don some Justin boots and grab a Shiner while you listen.

First, let me point out some past Bluelines favorites making the rounds this weekend: Sia, Nada Surf, and Spoon.

And here are some other standouts:

   

Who: Meredith Bragg

Sounds Like: This delicate, chamber-pop singer and his band, the Terminals, is a cross between Death Cab for Cutie and Nick Drake gone ambient.

Perfect For: Your next dinner party or as an engagement gift for your laid-back, hipster friends.

Who: Goldspot

Sounds Like: A happier incarnation of the Smiths mixed with a healthy dose of Bollywood.

Perfect For: Your work commute or an antidote to hearing American Idols butcher pop standards.

Who: Salt & Samovar

Sounds Like: The Americana-rock lovechild of Nick Cave and Walt Whitman.

Perfect For: The next book-club gathering or playing over a muted Coen Brothers film.

The Long Goodbye

    Posted by Sarah

Well, it has been three months since Blueprint magazine shuttered its doors. And after watching the dust settle around me and going through the five stages of grief, like, six times, I'm at last moving on.

Rather than weigh down my last Bluelines post with sappiness and soupiness, I figured I'd instead leave you with an inspiring story about turning lemons into lemonade, finding the silver lining in a cloud, seeing the glass as half full (insert every other cliche about making the best of an unfortunate situation).

If you suddenly find yourself the editor of a magazine that no longer exists, I highly recommend a trip to South Africa. Lord knows you've been too busy to take a real vacation in more than two years, and, once you suck up the steep airfare, the rest of the trip is actually pretty reasonable.

Begin your trip in Cape Town and stay at the Cape Cadogan boutique hotel.

Splurge on the Owner's Villa -- replete with a cheese-stocked refrigerator and your own personal plunge pool -- because, hey, you deserve it.

While in Cape Town, alternate fresh air and glorious views with gluttonous meals. After a morning spent hiking Table Mountain, which rises steeply over the city…