Bath Boat

Love this.  Don't have room for this, would probably get sick of this, but for right now, kinda love this.

Found on the style files.

Boarding pass/fail

Anyone out there like a fun graphic design story?  Yeah, me too...  I stumbled on this one on Blah Blah Blahg and just had to share.  Designer Tyler Thompson was bored one day while flying Delta and had lots of time to concentrate on how BAD the layout and design of their boarding pass is.

So he doodled for the duration of the flight and came up with a few of his own designs, and blogged about it.

Other graphic designers added their suggestions as well.

It is an interesting discussion, in terms especially of customer experience.  I know (from experience) that there are often back-end needs that trump a pretty design, but it is always a great idea to start with what the customer sees and the information they need to find, and then work from there.  In the same vein is the American Airlines website of Dustin Curtis - another example of a designer take on a poor customer experience.  So, seen anything lately you would like to redesign?

Music I like: Coeur de Pirate

Some fun music for you on this sunny Tuesday, care of Quebecois cutie Coeur de Pirate, aka Beatrice Martin.  At 21, this girl has crazy confidence, a fabulous voice, and obviously knows how to rock the tattoos.  In 2009, CBC Radio 3 gave her song Comme des Enfants a Bucky award for Best Reason to Learn French, but I don't think you need to understand to love her songs.  She does some fabulous covers of Umbrella and I Kissed a Girl on YouTube too... I hope these put a spring in your step today!

Samantha Robinson

I  just love these delicate porcelain pieces made by Australian potter Samantha Robinson - they seem to be dainty and juicy all at once, with their fine patterns and bold colours.  She makes each one by hand, and transfers the patterns on with tissue paper.  Every piece is just a little bit different, with no two being the same.  As she says, if you want them all identical, you can get that at a department store!  Right now you can just look at the pretty photos on her site (and there are many) but it does promise that you will eventually be able to order.

I loooooove these platters.  They would make any food look delish!

*OK i have been informed that porcelain cannot be JUICY, and if it could, it would not look like these.  Whatever.  It's my blog and I'm leaving it.  They can't all be gold people. :)

clothes light

This amazing light, made for a restaurant in Florence by designer Gaetano Pesce was recently auctioned on the site WrightAuctions.com.  It went for a mere $6,250.  I think it is so neat.

Found on sfgirlbybay.

Adorable romper

How flipping cute is this romper?  The gals at Prudent Baby always have adorable sewing projects for little girls which usually have me considering putting Cam in dresses - not a popular suggestion with the family.  But today I saw THIS little number and am determined to try to whip it up before the summer is out.  Check it out on the model:

Can't you just hear his giggles?  Crazy cute.  Thanks to Prudent Baby and Elizabeth from Growing Home (this little cutie is hers)!

Happy New Brunswick Day!

You may have noticed a sad lack of posts this summer... my excuse is that my husband and I have been off on a ten-week maternity/paternity adventure in Alberta and New Brunswick with our 2 boys.  It has been the stuff of dreams, and we are sad to see it coming to an end but eternally grateful to our parents for putting up with us and making these past 2 months so magical.

This past weekend was New Brunswick Day weekend and I thought I would post some of the many photos I have taken over the last few weeks!  I truly love this province and am convinced that it is one of the most special places on earth.  It is the 'drive through province' - cars from Ontario race through on the highways to get to touristy PEI or Nova Scotia one way and cars from New England and Nova Scotia race through on their way to Quebec and Ontario.  I am of two minds about this - part of the magic of NB is the feeling of it being 'undiscovered' and off-the-beaten-path, but I want to put up signs for all these drivers saying "Slow Down!  You're missing the best stuff!"  From weather-beaten Bay of Fundy fishing scenes to bucolic rolling farmlands, this province has it all.  It isn't possible to capture the essence of the place in photos (at least not for me) as it is so tied to the kind and generous (and funny) people here, but here are a few of my shots anyway.

Home Ec

In making my purse eons ago I was trying hard to recall everything I learned in my Grade 8 Home Ec class, with varying degrees of success.  So I was so excited by this online class that Julie from Olive & Joy pointed out.  Run by Leigh Ann from Freckled Nest, it has all kinds of amazing projects, each designed to introduce one new skill.  It starts August 10 and my only hesitation is that I will be returning to work after a year off on mat leave on the 11th and might be a bit, um, overwhelmed???  But so many fun projects!!!

I am not sure when registration closes, so head on over to check it out!