Dear SCOOP readers,
Due to popular demand, we're printing a 2nd EDITION of the ever-popular Motivate Series... there won't be an official full listing until the 2nd week of September, but the 4/set is now available for PRE-ORDER.
Reserve your set here!
...................................................................................... e&B :: OrangeBeautiful
As much as I dislike the term recessionista, I do appreciate the thought of working within a limited budget to achieve stylish results.
I looked all summer long for a dress to wear to a wedding this past weekend. I tried on dresses that I sort of liked, both expensive and inexpensive, and finally came to the conclusion that I didn't feel like spending precious dollars on something that was "just okay".
At the last minute, I found a simple, classic black boatneck sheath in the back of my closet - I bought it almost 10 years ago - and decided to dress it up with a versatile, outfit-making accessory. I chose Banana Republic's "Heiress" necklace (pictured above; no longer available online, but I found mine at the store!). I loved the necklace's large scale, and the weight of the chain and glass stones (heavy and clunky). The black dress provided the perfect background for the sparkle to take center stage.
If I'd thought of the idea earlier, I might have opted for one of these "statement" pieces from Cursive Design, shown above and below. The unusual combinations of materials and colors is intriguing, and you can customize pieces to incorporate other fabric, thread and chain colors.
Another option would have been this vintage beaded bib necklace, below, from Etsy seller Vintage Lotus. The light coral-colored beads would really stand out against the black, and the chain can be adjusted to different lengths.
Bonus: In keeping with the "style for less" m.o., all of these pieces cost less than $55!
Images from Banana Republic, Cursive Design, and Vintage Lotus.
So, in keeping with our waste not, want not policy here at OrangeBeautiful, we've converted a batch of our extra Cash Money prints into ledgers for your checkbook!
inside :: same columns+lines as a standard ledger - just way better-looking...
I've actually longed for a "not-hideously-boring" ledger for my checkbook for a long time, but I could never find one that I liked... so, I just went ahead and made one.
The covers work front-to-back :: so they read "MONEY" on the regular front cover, but then - if you slide it into the top of your checkbook case, the "back" will read "CASH"... either way, the message will hopefully bring good karma to your bank account.
I know some of you out there who could use a little incentive to keep their checking account balanced (you know who you are!) - pick up one of these and get to it!!!
images c/o OB.
So, I'm now the proud owner of my 2nd pair of Cydwoqs, these Tone sandals in red - bought (again) at my favorite shoe boutique: Traipse Shoes! (Check out my 1st pair, here.)
I've been walking around in these really sad sandals that I bought like 4 years ago at Urban Outfitters (for $5 - you get what you pay for, I guess)... They were really cute, but they had absolutely no arch support and were pretty bad on my back. So, this summer, I vowed to get some "real" sandals, that not only looked good, but were well-made & good for my tired feet.
Margaret (the owner of Traipse) said that these would be really great for me and she couldn't have been more right. I LOVE these shoes & I want more...
maybe this fall, I'll get myself a pair like these! ;)
images c/o Jw.
A new take on the silhouette...large-scale, with a bleed off the card edge, and funky text running through the portrait.
Perfect for kids' thank-you notes, Chick Print creates modern and exceptionally well-priced stationery for the younger set (or the grown-ups that love them!).
Images from Chick Print, via Ohdeedoh.
..just thought I'd post a few recent updates on the OrangeBeautiful front: we've put together a LookBook for the L A T T I C E Line - check it out here - AND we've completely updated the wholesale side of the GOODS section on OB's main site.
We hope that you'll enjoy looking through these images of our work! Thanks!!!
(*and, store owners/buyers, feel free to email us directly with any ordering questions, etc. - wholesale (at) orangebeautiful (dot) com - thanks!!!)
I found these images of much-loved designer Genifer Goodman Sohr's newly renovated home at the lovely blog, Party Perfect.
Genifer, whose previous homes have been featured in several shelter magazines (read more here), will be guest-blogging at Party Perfect in a series called Gen Says. In her first post, she shares these images of her house - and hints that it will be featured in an upcoming issue of her "favorite design magazine".
Hooray!
I am a huge fan and can't wait to see more. Be sure to check future Gen Says posts at Party Perfect - they will run bi-monthly. You can also read more about Genifer here and see pics of a baby shower she designed and hosted here.
Images from Party Perfect.
Yesterday afternoon, B & I met with a potential wedding client, who told us about Princess Lasertron - the designer making her button bridal bouquet. The second our meeting was over, I jumped online to find out more...
Let's just say, I'm absolutely in love. I'm a huge fan of, what I call, the "non-generic" wedding. It breaks my heart to watch those wedding shows on TV (esp. the ones where the couple has some insane $$$ budget) where every element of the couple's wedding is the same old thing that everyone has done a million times. So, when I find artisans creating things that really add a unique & memorable element to your big day - well, let's just say, I'm sold!
Megan Hunt, the Omaha-based artist behind Princess Lasertron, creates bouquets, boutonnieres, pins, barrettes (and more!) out of buttons & hand-cut/hand-stitched felt pieces... custom pieces are designed with the help/input of the client, using the wedding's color palette as the starting point. Megan's inventory of buttons is quite impressive (and very organized!) - this definitely appeases both my love of color & my OCD/organizing thing ;)
Here's a great image (by photographer, Becky Novacek) of Megan (right) and her bff, Kristal (left) on Megan's wedding day, this past May. Those PL bouquets look great!... (And don't even get me started on Megan's totally fabulous wedding dress! See a better shot of it, here) ::
images c/o Princess Lasertron & Becky Novacek Photography.
We've just added some more pamphlet sets to the OB Etsy shop - black & white sets, this time!
There's only a handful of these sets, so get one while you can!
And if you like these patterns, but need a little color in your life, maybe these are more your speed!
images c/o OB.
After I saw this set of these cards on the front page of Etsy earlier this month, I went over to Crafterall's shop to check out more. What I found (and bought) was this fabulous little framed piece (above) - made up of layered pieces of paper w/ intricately cut-out circles. I was so excited when my order arrived at my house just a few days ago!
Not only did I receive the lovely Brown Bubble Box that I ordered, but Marnie (the artist) also included a Topo card (!) ::
...and a little handful of her business cards inside this great patterned tuck-flap envelope (below).
My Bubble Box is so charming... I can't wait to find the perfect place to display it. Maybe somewhere on the art wall, perhaps? ;)
Thanks so much, Marnie - receiving that package really made my day!
I just love L's post with the "off" color pantone chips!
I thought you guys (esp. L!) would love to see some of these "off" color outfits over at J.Crew!... they fit the off-color palette idea perfectly!!! Enjoy!
images c/o J.Crew.
Inspiring me today: Stella Bugbee's Deco File of "off-colors".
The Deco File is a new feature at dominomag.com. Stella, the magazine's design director, put together unusual colorways using Pantone swatches, so she can apply the combinations to her home or wardrobe. I'm digging the top left-hand corner combo, as well as the dark navy and pale salmon pictured below it.
(Stella's name may sound familiar...I blogged her genius lace tape awhile back.)
Image from dominomag.com.
I'm sure that working for a well-known, busy designer such as Nate Berkus involves long hours, but as designers Sasha Adler and Lauren Buxbaum demonstrate, it's not without some glamour as well.
The ladies' homes were featured in Chicago Home & Garden, and each incorporates antiques with signature flair.
Of note: Buxbaum's living room, pictured above, displays her black and white custom Madeline Weinrib rug - that also shows up in her boss' Chicago living room, on the cover of this month's Elle Decor. (By the way - Ikea has a budget version!)
I love the gray, yellow, black and white color scheme in Adler's bedroom (above, left), and the Louis XVI- style chairs mixed with the Saarinen table in her dining room (above, right).
So they work for Nate Berkus and have gorgeous condos - and even incredible clothes. I want to be them when I grow up!
Images by Andreas Larsson for Chicago Home & Garden.
Back in July, Jw and I drove up to Madison, WI for Art Fair on the Square... mostly, we were there to see these fine folks, but we were also excited to find some new artists/craftspeople to ooh & ah over.
My favorite purchase from the show was definitely this wee wood vessel, by Madison-local, Browndog Woodworks.
Now I just need to find a sweet display spot in the apartment that will do this beautiful object justice!
Check out more of Browndog's work, here.
images c/o Jw.
Flat File, by Sonrisa Furniture.
Last week, I saw this flat file/modified coffee table (from Sonrisa Furniture) on MStetson and I immediately went over to SF's site to check out more...
Card File, by Sonrisa Furniture.
I'm clearly a sucker for pieces with drawers... so, here's an amazing card file (above) and the drawers to a 3-part metal desk set (below) - both to tempt me & my obsessive-compulsive want for organization...
Aluminum 3-Part Field Desk w/ Drawers, by Sonrisa Furniture.
via MStetson; images c/o Sonrisa Furniture.
Joy has impeccable taste...recently she posted these incredible agate pendants from Stone & Honey. I need one too!
Image from Oh Joy!.
A few days back, Jw showed me this (on Kent Magazine's blog) and I was totally blown away...
Then I saw these images of (one of many) experiments-in-perspective by artists, Felice Varini & Georges Rousse . This particular piece (also posted about at KentMag's blog) was part of an exhibiton at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Arras, France back in 2007...
When I see things like this, I'm just so baffled over how someone would even begin to execute such a thing. I mean, I'm pretty analytical & obsessive-compulsive, but - even to me - the preciseness that clearly went into the conceptualization and execution of this is just remarkable.
It'd be interesting to try this (on a much smaller scale) somewhere in our apartment... and maybe have the perfectly-line-up vantage point be from a specific chair or corner. More than likely, I would just go insane trying to make everything match up exactly...
via NOTCOT.
Last week, the OB Studio was filled to the brim with Motivate Prints, but, well, you guys bought pretty much every last one of those, so we've got some new product for you:
First, is this 4/pk of Bright Booklets - each have different brightly-colored pages and blue-grey covers, letterpress printed with our signature Sand Dollar pattern. Great for organizing your lists into color-coded booklets; for carrying around as a jotter in your bag; for giving out as gifts (either the whole set or separately, so that you can keep a couple for yourself! ;)
We've also made excellent use of our slightly imperfect prints from past limited edition runs. The first are these Bird Booklets (in both white and grey), which are made from remnant 3rd Anniversary Prints!
And despite the fact that we're nearly out of the full-size prints, we've made a batch of Motivate Booklets that we're hoping will serve as a little encouragement on the go... perfect for keeping track of dreams or goals, as well as just everyday to-do lists. We made pamphlets out of all four messages: Do Something About It Booklet, Get On With It Already Booklet, Quit Your Belly-Aching Booklet & (the most popular of the 8x10" prints) Get Your Sh*t Together.
ENJOY!
08.14
Today is the birthday of the lovely, Thirumalaikumar - but you can just call him "Hill"... Hanging out with Hill (and his ever-lovely wife) is actually one of the main reasons why I love visiting NYC.
Happy Birthday, Hill! Have GREAT day, my friend!!!
Jw just posted 2 must-see links in the comment section ::
Also spotted in the beloved current issue of Elle Decor: Kelly Wearstler's new fabric collection for Groundworks. Inspired by fashion and a trip to Japan, the fabrics themselves are stunning, but to me the trims really stand out. I would LOVE to get my hands on a couple yards and whip up some standout pillows.
Images from Lee Jofa.
