These little guys are heading up San Francisco.
Introducing Benito and Carlo.

. .. . . ..... . . . . .. . .... {Again with the legs}

Fell ill this morning and taking it slow today.

On a good note, and keep your fingers crossed even though I might be jinxing the whole thing by bringing it up, I think.... THINK... we've secured our new workspace and could moving in as early as this weekend. Toes crossed too.

I walked past this wonderful watermark... doesn't it look like a topographic map of some unknown continent?

I love topographic maps. I could look endlessly at the lines, how they tighten and condense with increased slope and expand again for flatness.

I like that this topo map came from the watering of this plant. What a nice legacy.

I need/lust after these stools by nendo for Cappellini. They received a design distinction in I.D. Magazine's 2008 Annual Design Review.

They are just so pretty... I can imagine them very clearly in my fantasy workspace. A little too clearly.

Last week we had a fairly sizeable earthquake... no damage, but scary nonetheless. The building that I live in has been standing since the 1920's so obviously it's solid enough to have survived this long. Some reassurance.
That said, the earthquake made me want to document my apartment as it is. You never know. I love this place, despite my mess and tendancy to move things about constantly. I'll probably be moving into a workspace soon with some friends and it will not look the same. And so, to start the documentation: a collage inspired by PLAN via 2 or 3 things. I would have liked to take some actual plan photos, but this will do for now.

And just to whet one's appetite for beautiful workspaces, below is a space we are considering.
My word...I could just sit in it all day and look out the windows.

almost back now... a few more days until I'm up and running again.
see you soon :)

Our search for a studio/work/event space is back on track. Today we visited some really great potentials. One space has amazing windows (I will post those images tomorrow) and this one had a beautiful steel and concrete staircase... CG wore one of my favorite color combinations so I had to include her in the photos of the stairs.

Dear Blog,

I miss you.

I've neglected you but will be back soon. In the meantime, look at this pretty picture and hold tight. You are a very patient blog with some very lovely readers.

Love,

Debi

p.s. do not ask me where I got this image from... its source is hopelessly lost on my old dead computer.

My parents just returned from a visit to Vancouver, where we used to live. Their photos reminded me of just how beautiful it is up there. My new fantasy is to find some land on the B.C. coast and build a little house. And this is what my kitchen storage would look like.

{from Marie Claire Maison, November 2006}

a wee update:
I killed my computer. Completely by accident and very severely.

It's a sad story and it means that these days I am not on the internet long enough to update the blog.

Will be back as soon as the new computer arrives... or when I can get some internet moments.

Colors see when I look up from my computer.

I've confined myself to a very limited space for photo taking today. Since I'm still in major procrastination mode (but trying to push through) so this was all I would let myself do. I get distracted too easily.

And actually... these colors are very inspiring... to me. Other people might need sunglasses to help with the shock of color, but sometimes, the brighter the better.

Procrastination can have some good outcomes.

To avoid some of the work I have to do, I did some long overdue dusting on the shelf above my desk... now I can proudly show off my legs.

And I finally planted my up in the air somewhere water tower.

Suppose I should get back to work now....

..... . .. .... . . .. . . .. . .. . . .

{a few minutes later}

well... I didn't go back to work. Instead I began stacking some dimensional type... for absolutely no reason; getting the 'g' and 'F' and 'r' to balance each other took up some nice valuable time that I will curse myself for having wasted later on tonight.

Now I'm banning myself from my camera for the rest of the afternoon!

See you tomorrow :)

I have been using a lot of Letraset and other dry transfer lettering lately, and I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. I adore letter transfers. The nostalgia... the imperfection... I love Letraset like I love Polaroid.

During architecture school I coveted this stuff. These days I riffle through the little metal drawers at art supply stores around town and see what lovely stock they have left. And then I find myself buying sheets of type that I know I will never use because it's too pretty... by the time I actually do decide to use it, it's too brittle; major heart break.

I have some very sad Letraset love stories. But it's better to have loved than not at all, right? Is that how the saying goes?

........ . ... . . . .. . . . . .... . . . . ..

p.s. This blog turned one year old over the weekend. Hip Hip Hooray!

p.p.s. I think the above type is actually from Chartpak... but I can't be sure.

I finally framed the little Ogden 'Optical Illusions' cigarette cards that I bought on Ebay earlier this year. I opted for a backless frame so that I can still read the explanations on the back of the cards of how and why our eyes and brains try to convince each of other of different things.

I am overflowing with dimensional type. I'm not complaining though... I love all my letters, I just need to clean up a bit.

Above: crease pattern for an origami lobster.

I almost didn't believe it myself. How does this pretty constellation of circles and lines transform into a lobster of all things?

It's just so pretty by itself...

{via The Institute for Figuring, online exhibit: Mathematical Paper Folding Exhibit}

This morning we went to the flea market... little did we know that we would come home with some bizarre additions to the garden.

It seems that we have (uncharacteristically) entered the realm of owning garden ornaments: a vintage cast-iron rabbit with a bad paint job and a creepy concrete gnome with a drinking problem.

And of course a wonderfully strange plant to top things off.

Most often a trip to the flea market means coming home empty handed and disappointed at all the junk out there, but I must say that this weekend's trip was quite rewarding.

I am working on a new project which entails going in a slightly different direction than I'm used to. Luckily, I am beyond excited. That said I am still trying to keep my heart rate in check... must have patience.

I'll post some updates as soon as there is anything worth showing.

Introducing Gilberto... channeling his inner John Travolta.

Today is a good day on the construction site. I'm trying to take as many photos of the process as possible... soon all this will be hidden, dressed in finish materials. The floors are being put in and the ceilings are coming to life.