Posts from projects (122)

that's what she said letterpress card, from Spiffy Press

It's been quite a while since I last posted... we've been extremely busy here at the shop. Lots of new press, waiting for votes to be tabulated at TimeOut Chicago and minted., receiving a ton of new product, making a ton of new product, and - all the while - working on a slew of new (and really exciting) custom orders!

Whew!
Just thinking about the last week and a half makes me tired all over again...

skinny mini pencil cases, from The B Hive

If you're able to drop into the shop, we've got new Skinny Mini pencil cases from The B Hive (remember my case, that I posted about back in February?)...

We've also finally ordered up a ton of Divine Twine (100% cotton baker's twine, in 8 colors!) to sell by the yard and by the spool... I can't wait to pair some of the yellow + pink with our S&G wrapping paper!

out new shipment of Divine Twine, from Whisker Graphics

a sneak peek at an amazing project that we're working on at the moment...

We've also been keeping busy in the studio half of the shop... I'm gonna keep this one a secret for a little while longer, but oh man it's good. I'll give you a hint: it involves paper, letterpress printing and awesome-ness. But I guess all of our projects do, huh?

hand-felted pods by Ravenswood-local artist, Karen Redford... every time one of these sells, I feel a little sad. But at least they always go to a loving home ;)

For all of you who voted for us on minted. and for the Shopping Awards over at TO Chicago - thank you SO much!...

Also, be sure to add yourself to the OB mailing list this week. Our August newsletter goes out Monday morning!

time for me to take a nap...

With less than a week to go till our son's arrival, I thought I'd share pictures of his nursery. It's done, though I feel it still needs some warming up here and there (and I'm open to suggestions!). We've decided to name our baby James Christopher and we can't wait to meet him!

We kept many of the elements from Catherine's nursery and just put a masculine spin on her existing stuff. We still have the Jenny Lind-style crib (though it might get replaced, due to the drop-side crib recall. We have a "repair kit" on order to make the drop side stationary, but we'll see.) The Binth numbers poster is perfect for a nursery, so I just pulled color inspiration from its blue-gray, chartreuse and brick color palette. And the Baltic rocking horse reflects the finish of the birch bookshelf behind the crib; it also gives Catherine something to do while I'm feeding or changing the baby. (I got the chartreuse Moroccan-motif hampers - one is pictured behind the rocking horse - from Homegoods. One is for clothing and another for plush baby toys, which always seem to multiply.)

I decided to do a different DIY mobile from Catherine's, this time using these adorable paper owls from Mibo. You pay $3 to download a PDF file, which you can print and replicate as many times as you want and then just trim and assemble the birds out of card stock (I used 60# weight for flexibility). There are also a pair of Mibo owls "perched" on the top of the doorframe, which is visible from the crib.

I've been combing local resale shops for infant boy clothing, since we are building a wardrobe from scratch - and what a goldmine I found! It seems that shopping for sizes 0-3 and 3-6 months in particular yields a good deal of barely worn (some still with tags) items from great kid brands like Tea, Janie & Jack, H&M, and Gap. All the "outfits" shown here were bought resale.

The Monte Luca glider from Catherine's nursery was also brought over. I updated it with a blue-gray Jonathan Adler wool boucle pillow I found at Burlington Coat Factory. In the empty space between the glider and the dresser / changing table we're putting a black Kulla floor lamp, but just haven't purchased it yet.

Besides the Binth poster and the marbelized paper that hangs over the changing table, the room needed some art. One of my favorite Etsy artists, Chad Wys, creates beautiful (and affordable) abstract landscape paintings that I knew would be perfect for this room. (I actually think the one on the top looks like a Tyrannosaurus Rex head!) The crib bedding is minimal, with only a DwellStudio for Target blanket (for show only) and horizontal stripe crib skirt, plus my favorite organic jersey fitted crib sheet. The stuffed puppy is from Anthropologie and, again, will not sit inside the crib (nor will the chevron pillow, pictured below - they're for styling purposes only).

It's a tiny and simple room, which is what I wanted all along. Incidentally, we chose Benjamin Moore's "Quiet Moments" for the wall color, which is likely wishful thinking for some good sleeping karma. I'm thinking one of those cute sheepskins from IKEA on the floor would help warm it up a bit. I am still looking for a vintage-y side table and one or two other small vintage elements to give all the "newer" pieces some depth. Any other thoughts or ideas?

My little sister, Kristen, just started a blog of her own called Sorellina (which means, literally, "little sister"). She intends to explore design with an emphasis on fashion and home, as well as stylish places in and around Atlanta, where she lives. Remember, this is the girl who brought us the amazing flower jacket tutorial (pictured below) - and she has most recently posted an easy-yet-beautiful, lace earrings project (pictured above). She emanates style and creativity, so I suggest you bookmark Sorellina - we're sure to see a lot of gorgeousness on her blog!

Images from Sorellina.

Working on the GOCCO has become increasingly more bittersweet as supplies dwindle, but I sure do love it...

Our latest screen-printing project finished up just this morning :: a batch of bags for the wedding guests of Jessie & Travis, who are getting hitched in just over a month...

I can't wait for them to come by to pick up the bags, and see them in person!

As in, the Martha.

The reason I've kept quiet on the blog about my sister's February wedding in Palm Springs is that shortly beforehand, we learned the event would appear in the Summer 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings! Now that the issue is on newsstands, I'm so excited to share these images with you (by the amazing Justine Ungaro), and dish a little on the festivities.

The Moroccan-inspired hotel facade at the Parker Palm Springs welcomed you (along with K and JP) to the ultimate desert retreat.

The invitation suite, custom-designed for the couple by NEAPOLITAN - and assembled by Sandy Gordon (our mom), Jo Rettberg (our grandma!), and me.

Kristen and bridesmaids, left to right: Sara Cook, Jenima Hadjian, Laura Naples, and Kate Davis. Not pictured: the adorable Molly Naples. Kristen wore the Billie dress by Melissa Sweet. Bridesmaids wore silk taffeta Gracen and Clementine dresses by J.Crew in Barely Peach (color no longer available online). And by the way, I ended up with these shoes.

The wedding program, which carried on the marbelized paper theme from the invitations, held by ringbearer Michalle Giorgi.

The bride and groom kissed after the wedding at Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Palm Springs.

The bride soaked in the desert sun on a chaise outside the Gene Autry house, which was the site of the evening's reception on the grounds of the Parker.

This same space was transformed for the evening by Artisan Events into a stylishly intimate dinner for 62. Tables showcased individual "trees" made of manzanita branches adorned with orchids and hanging votives. Each guest received a small favor card at their placesetting, which explained how a donation was made on behalf of all wedding guests to Atlanta Lab Rescue (along with silhouette portraits of the couple's two yellow labs, Halley and Lola).

The flowergirl - Catherine, me, and my little sister - the bride! Catherine and I wore matching fabric flowers in our hair.

More photos and descriptions of the event can be viewed online, or you can take a peek at the actual spread in the magazine - it's the Summer 2010 issue in the "Real Weddings" section.

A side note: I bought my first issue of Weddings when I was a senior in high school, and have collected issues ever since. The magazine had a tremendous impact on my decision to pursue design, and so for me, to see my family celebrating together in this issue is the ultimate thrill!

Congratulations again to Kristen and Jon Paul! Images by Justine Ungaro via Martha Stewart Weddings.

Along with the delicious design goods offered at shop, the OrangeBeautiful Studio+Shop also carries the work of local and independent musicians...
(Check out the shop blog's post on our new listening station, here!)

As our resident owner-of-a-record-label, Jw acts as buyer for all of the shop's music. He also continues to produce his own music, the music of others and collaborative projects, like his latest project Look Back/Look Forward.

Look Back/Look Forward is a collaborative multi-media project, with the end result being a 7-inch vinyl record with a letterpress-printed cover!
In the words of the project's creator:

"The goal of (the project) is to produce something that has ties to the past and the future to create music that is anchored in our personal histories yet hints at what we aspire to be."

The project will be funded by awesome people like you over at Kickstarter, a site where people join together to fund and follow creative projects. Each project is given a goal amount (designated by the project leader). You, as a potential "backer," can give as little as $1.00, but, as your pledge amounts increase, so do the rewards that you'll receive in return!

With Jw's project, a $10 pledge gets you project updates, high-quality mp3 downloads of the record's tracks, a LB/LF button, +plus the actual record, including that letterpress album cover (to be printed at OB's Studio!)...

and for SCOOP readers ONLY ::

*Pledge $25 or more and you will receive all of the items listed above PLUS an OrangeBeautiful ENTIRE COLLECTION Boxed Set! - one of each of our (23) letterpress card designs from our Debut Line!

To get your Entire Collection set bonus gift, be sure to leave a comment on the LB/LF project page after making your pledge... oh, and don't forget to mention the SCOOP!

CLICK HERE to make your pledge before next Monday, June 7th.

Bedding from DwellStudio for Target. Wall art from Elum Designs.

Today I hung the final piece of art on Catherine's wall - so it feels "done". She has been enjoying it for some months and, most importantly, the transition from crib to bed went smoothly over the course of less than a week!

The room's white-walls-furniture-and-carpet scheme meant that artwork needed to play a major role, as well as provide color. Below are two "reinterpreted" pieces I drew with oil pastels, based on original artwork by Leif Palmquist.

Texture was also an important element; I made a little "window seat" out of two rattan storage boxes and topped them with pillows from Twinkle Living and Thomas Paul. The tiny square painting (of a baby buggy, in pink and gold) was a gift to Catherine from my sister-in-law, Molly, and a totally appropriate representation of her current favorite activity: strolling her dollies around the house. To complete the seating group, I added a pink armchair and ottoman that my husband found at a store closing sale, as well as a beanbag chair he found at Target.

Above are pictured some of my favorite pieces: a pair of white lamps from HomeGoods that cost less than $30 each, and a vintage Syroco floral that my husband spray-painted pale pink (Catherine's request - she chose from a few options at the hardware store!).

I love how the photo grid turned out, and Catherine loves waking up and talking about the pictures, which include shots of her as a one-month old baby, her first birthday banner, and her most recent Halloween getup. I printed copies of the photos and framed them in inexpensive acrylic box frames for a clean, modern look with some added dimension.

Ongoing plans for the room include an updated roman shade for the room's single window (I'm going to try to recover one of the blackout shades from her nursery), as well as a little "gallery" of Catherine's own artwork next to the bookshelf pictured above. But first, we must move on to the baby boy's room...only two months to go!

The transition of bedrooms in our house is underway and, for the most part, pretty successful. Catherine loves her big girl bed and partially-completed big girl room. The challenge in her new, very large, very white room is to bring it down to her 2-year old size and warm it up significantly.

To bring some pattern and color into the wall space adjoining Catherine's bed, I ordered these crewel embroidery gift wrap sheets from Elum. Inexpensive and beautiful, I plan to "frame" them side by side with colored masking tape - which will give me peace of mind that nothing will fall off the wall and injure her while she's sleeping or playing (paranoid, I know).

Next up: breaking up the expanse of white carpet on the floor with this silhouette flower cotton rug from Urban. I ordered the 5x7 in this periwinkle color, which isn't really present anywhere else in the room, but I sort of like the randomness. The pattern is great and Catherine will love the flowering branches.

Finally, to give a long, empty wall some color and personality, I decided to create a grid of framed 8x10 photographs. Originally I planned to buy inexpensive 2-pack white metal frames (from Michael's) recommended by Jenny, but while at the store I changed my mind to use (also inexpensive) acrylic box frames for added dimension. I laid out the grid as shown above - now it's just a matter of these final elements coming together. I should have pictures of the room ready in the next week or so.

Images from Elum and Urban Outfitters.

To follow up E's playlist post for Herman Miller's blog, Lifework, you can click on over here to catch a glimpse of my home studio (including my ancient iMac, which will be replaced within the next few weeks - hurrah!) and view/hear my workspace playlist. Note: lovers of 80s music might enjoy this the most.

I was talking to my good friend M last week who has been fantasy sofa shopping. She has been leaning toward these two from Room & Board, (Loring and Hutton) one of which has also been fancied by Laura as well. However, M's family is also expecting another baby, so they decided to re-new an existing couch and have a slipcover made instead.

I was thinking about what type of fabric I would choose in this case and started at J Caroline Home for inspiration.

This Spa Amusement Collection immediately had me choosing fabric for pillows on my imaginary porch swing. The designer mentioned was Jessica Jones Well, well. She's located right here in Chicago and my memory was then triggered that she's been a SCOOP friend for a while.

I visited her blog, aptly named, How About Orange (like her even more). After a little perusing, her FAQ section features an entry on how she got into fabric design.

Ta da...she now mentions Spoonflower that is a unique site where you can upload your own designs and they will print custom fabric for you from $18-32 per yard, no minimums.

Now, that little field trip was a good way to enjoy my morning coffee.

images c/o Room & Board and jcaroline home