paris then & now(ish)

one of the reasons i love european cities so much is because there is a sense of permanence to them.  things don't just change overnight like here, in new york city or los angeles.

on my last trip to paris, i thought it would be fun to revisit a few spots where i took some of my favorite photos in 2009.  the places stayed the same, but some of the details had changed...

i'm lucky enough to be traveling back to paris in a couple of weeks... i wonder what my favorite spots will have in store for me this time around!

art imitating art . . . de kooning//stuart

inspiration comes in many forms.

it's no surprise that fashion and product designers "borrow" from fine artists when coming up with new designs... but sometimes i'm struck by just how much an every day object reminds me of a work of art i've seen in a museum or book.

maybe it's because i'm an art history nerd, but i love these little moments where you can almost see the creative process and how a designer gets from point a to point b... from inspiration to product.

dress by jill stuart; painting by willem de kooning

when i saw this dress on the outnet, i immediately thought of de kooning.  i mean, how often do you see that jarring peach-yellow-beige color combo?  i don't know for sure if stuart was inspired by de kooning, but in this case, i think a picture is worth a thousand words :)

what's your take?  do you like the dress?  the painting?  can you see the connection?

dear readers,

wow.  i can't believe it's been almost a year since my last blog post.

i seem to have been having some kind of creative dry spell for the past several months... and it hit me recently that returning to blogging might just give me the boost i need.  i do hope you'll come along!

for now, let me share a little special i have going on in my etsy photography shop from now til mid-april (when i leave for a trip to europe... sure to be a major source of fresh inspiration!)

i hope to be back later this week with another post... stay tuned, and give me a nudge if you don't see me back here soon!

flickr favorites . . . misspaq

click here to visit misspaq's flickr stream.

markus linnenbrink.

german artist markus linnenbrink is famous for his wildly colorful, psychedelic installations, sculptures, and paintings. i don't know about you, but if i had the money i would totally commission him to paint a hallway in my house!

a dreamer woman.

loving this dreamy aqua and yellow treasury curated by virginia of bw photo studio... featuring my photo, the po in portland :)

oreo cookie cameos by judith g. klausner.

seriously? wow.

manish arora fall 2012.

fluorescent, graffiti-inspired designs by manish arora.

textile designs by holli zollinger.

if you haven't discovered spoonflower yet, it's time to jump on the fabric designing bandwagon!

not only can you design your own fabrics using designs you've created on your computer, but you can also browse through thousands of user-created designs to find the perfect fabric for your next project.

holli zollinger is one of my favorite designers on the site. i am enamored with her use of fun colors and geometric patterns mixed with organic shapes.

these are some of my favorites... don't you think they'd be perfect for a modern patchwork quilt?

bianca brunner.

the beautiful colors and psychedelic abstract patterns of bianca brunner's spill series of photographs are simply mesmerizing. i've been staring at them all afternoon!

hope you have a wonderful friday and a happy weekend!