kraft covered books

I've blogged about "white on white" books awhile back (yikes! that was a year ago?!), and in the April 2008 Domino (the one with Drew Barrymore on the cover), I noticed this little tidbit from the interview with India Hicks. She covered books in kraft paper, inspired by how her dad would do red leather bound. There's something about this that really appeals to me. Maybe it's the nostalgia of grade school, where you'd cover your textbooks with grocery bags (did you all do that?) I love how she added little tags/labels on the spines.
(image from Domino)

Cuckoo mystery...

So... in a recent PBTeen catalog, there was this image. Naturally, this is just a prop as there is no listing for it. (Of course, I am always noticing those background things usually more-so than the product they're actually selling... sigh) Anyhoo- where did this cute & cool cuckoo clock come from? I love how it's so modern, yet still somewhat traditional... I likey. Anyone recognize it?

mundane aesthetic: new

new growth!new artwork!new apples, yummy...

Blue Munday: Cloud Salt and Pepper Shakers

These are so cool! These Cloud Salt and Pepper Shakers are by product designer Anderson Horta, from Brazil. I think they're only conceptual, but they sooo need to be made into production! They're made of rubber, so you can squeeze out if the salt gets solidified. Check out more of his designs on his blog. (via Designspotter)

Colorstory?

So I'm still totally being attracted to this whole weird colorstory that I've been seeing so much of lately. I think it's the whole combination of light pink mixed with yellow and grey with a little muted light blue/seafoam that is really getting to me. In the April 2008 Elle Decoration, they had it as their color scheme for the month... ...Love it. I'm trying to call it something, any ideas?

Neon Birds by Tyler Clark Burke

Check out these awesome neon laser cut birds by artist Tyler Clark Burke! She also has them in a mirror version. More info here and here. (thanks Neil for the tip!)

U/O SP 2008

"We've Got Wood" Wallpaper April 2008

Such a great editorial spread from the April 2008 Wallpaper Mag. Love the unexpected colors and art installation feel of the images. The photos are from Gregoire Alexandre, with interior styling by Faye Toogood.

blue munday: Pottery Barn jars and pillow

mundays mundays... Pottery Barn has some really pretty blue things going on- I'm loving these vivid bright blue glass jars. These apparently can be monogramed, which actually is a fun idea- although I'd rather do that myself, maybe with some contact paper and some "frosting" spray (has anyone used that stuff?)

I'm also really fascinated by this "Sea Life Lumbar Pillow Cover"- It seems like it would be a fun "starting point" piece with all the colors going on, and I like how quirky it is. (Jellyfish are cool.) I would love to see this in some totally random juxtaposition. Like... mixed with something totally modern, or minimal... but with a slight rustic-ness to it... I dunno... I'm looking forward to seeing this in person...

TGIF: it's a Small World after All

Happy friday! whew- what a week- and unfortunately for me, it keeps on going. Instead of putzing around at home this weekend, (like I very much want and need to do), I'm off again to good ol' John Wayne Airport, this time to Danville, CA. Any Danville HM-ers out there? Reprezent!! Speaking of reprezentin'- if you haven't done so already, Please tell me where you're at in the comments on the post a few posts down- It's so great to see where you all are coming from, and makes things so much happier knowing that it's a Small world after all... (By the way, I'm so excited to see so many local OC neighbors! and special hello to all of you abroad, like Australia, Philippines, France, Denmark, New Zealand, Egypt, and Canada!) Have a great weekend!


by the way- how amazing are the videos above? I want my own mini-scale model of the It's A Small World clock!

Alison Foshee

OMG. check out the a-m-a-z-i-n-g work of Alison Foshee. Just saw this on Laissezfaire. She makes these incredible pieces from things like ordinary labels, candy wrappers, etc... Check out her site and see what she did with staples!! More here. (via Laissezfaire)
images: Alison Foshee

marshmallow animals!

I love marshmallows. Here's a link to how to make the lamb and the piglet (via craftzine)

TGIT and Jennifer Squires

man o man- how did it suddenly get to be thursday? Well, thank God it's Thursday. One day closer to Friday. I've had a crazy week, that keeps on being crazy! I'm home for a few days, but back on the road again this weekend for another trip for work. It's the few precious minutes at home while things are hectic that you really appreciate the mundane things that make you happy- A nice pillow, a bowl of steamed rice, your couch in front of the TV... These images sort of sum that up for me right now. They're from Jennifer Squires. You can check out (and purchase) more of her work at her etsy shop or on her website.

Linda Solovic

Over the weekend, I got a nice email from artist Linda Solovic. How adorable are her pieces?I love the playful happy embroidery work that has a slight vintage feel to them. Love these magnets too! Check out more at her website, and her etsy shop.

travel rituals

Naked Eye- Luscious Jackson

Happy munday! Today finds me yet again on another bizness trip back up to Seattle. I have so much traveling to do in the next couple of weeks, its kinda crazy. I'm usually pretty good about packing, but this time I was so rushed that I totally forgot a few things.  Ugh. hate that. Luckily it's not like I'm going someplace unfamiliar or out of the country, so I can still just jump over to a trustworthy Target and get what I need. One thing about traveling is that I have found I have this ritual. I do the same thing every time. It breaks down to these 8 steps:

1. Get to Airport.

2. As soon as I get into the security line, remove belt, keys, wallet and shove into carry on bag. (I hate all the shuffling right before I have to pass through the security and thing and prefer to speed through that as fast as I can. 

3. Leave security area and find a nearby seat.

4. Put myself back together (put back shoes, belt, wallet, etc...)

5. Go to Newstand.

6. Buy water, some sort of small snacky thing, like M&Ms, Raisinets (I totally used to think these were gross when I was a kid, but a few years ago I re-visited the idea and now totally love them!)

7. Pick up 2-4 magazines. It usually breaks down to: 2 bad trashy mags, like People or In-touch (its the only time I read them... honest... hehe), whatever issue of In-Style (i like that they're usually really thick)  and then a home design mag (if there's one I haven't read yet)

8. Depending on the time of the flight, I may get something to eat too. Oh the joys of airport food... actually some airports do have some decent offerings...

anyways- I've found that this has become my routine whenever I'm at the airport. Doesn't matter where I'm going. Is that weird? Do you have a travel routine?

Apartment Therapy Presents

Woo hoo! My copy of the AT book was waiting for me when I got home Friday afternoon! It's soooo neato. Ok, not that I'm in any way biased (er... not that my place just happens to be in it, or that I happen to blog for them too, hehe) but it's such a fun book! Ok, yeah, I'm totally plugging it, but really, I definitely recommend checking it out if you love house-tours. There's such an array of styles, colors, and tastes in this book, and they're all of homes from people like you and me. So much great inspiration and it's a substantial size too! The images of my place were shot last year, so its funny to see how it has changed since then. (if you've been following this blog, you'll probably notice a few things, but my place is still pretty similar to when it was shot.) I took some updated shots on Saturday, and should be having an official house-tour on AT in the coming weeks. (hopefully I won't get blasted with too many snarky comments, hehe) Anyway- I think my favorites inside are: "hakarl and jili's bold bright moves", "jane and darko's cozy thicket", "tyke and jon's topanga casa", "victoria's bomo pad" and "marilyn and peter's home studio." oh! and "gregory and emily's silverlake sanctuary" and "marlon's blue pad." See- there's just tooo many to choose!

A Very Merry Un-Birthday to Happy Mundane and to you!

Wow. I just realized that this mundane blog is already 2+ years old. I totally missed the first birthday, and I've already missed the 2nd one (it was in March!)- It's crazy to think that I've actually been doing this blog for so long. I want to thank each and every one of you that take a few minutes each day (or whenever) to click on my little blog.  Have a very merry un-birthday (or if it is your birthday- Happy Birthday!)  

Now, in honor of Happy Mundane's un-birthday, it's been a year since I did this last. Each time it's been amazing to see the number of people grow and the locations spread- So... I'm in Irvine, CA- where are you??

By the way, here's an awesome fan-made video of Alice set to Gwen Stefani by Filmrocker

have a great weekend- and tell me where you are!

Published?

Lookee here! Victoria at SFgirlbybay got a copy of the new ApartmentTherapy book! Um...

recognize anything?... 

I haven't received my copy yet- but cant wait to see it. super neato! Order your copy here:

(image via SFGirlbybay)

Lucky You Lucky Me

So the past few days I had a little house guest. His name is Lucky. I was only supposed to be baby sitting for two days. You may not see me for a awhile because I may or may not be involved in a kidnapping...

Help I need Help!

I really do... Most medical packaging is so crazy or clinical, and I love this more calmer approach. Also love the fact that the outside is made of molded pulp! Read more here. (be sure to click on the "Bored?" tab, it's genius. (via mocoloco)

Kraak & Smaak - Squeeze Me

Flip books are so cool.

Artwork inspiration from Pillow Talk

Recently I added a new piece of artwork to my stairway wall. It's a pretty substantial piece (its the one on the left above- It's really long horizontally, and I love the 70's modern city scene with the brown/rust sun. Consequently, when I took a step back, I found that it didn't work so well with one of my existing pieces. (see below- the existing painting is the blue gradation one) The piece that was now affected was one that I actually made myself. There's no real deep emotional attatchment to it. At the time, I just wanted to put something up to bring in some color to the wall. So, my thought was to actually modify the existing art, to make it work a little better with the new piece (uh oh- watch out- Jon's gettin' "artsy", hehe). I mean, the canvas is the perfect size, and it's still in great condition. No need to waste good canvas right? Looking for inspiration, I always find myself paying attention to artwork and details in the background sets of some of my favorite style movies. One example is in the beloved film, Pillow Talk. I took some screen caps of some artwork in the film that caught my eye. It's interesting how well these pieces hold up nearly 50 years later...
So I'm definitely loving the more abstract splotchy concept, but also LOVE the clean graphic one at the end. Love the grey color, and thinking maybe I need some gold... hm... we'll see what happens... stay tuned...

blue tuesday: INSIDE OUT

Isn't this cover of the latest Inside Out magazine just so perfect for spring? I love the fresh green and turquoise accents. Another thing I loved inside this issue was this image of this amazing sculpture. It's by the son of Sharyn Storrier Lyneham, Luke Storrier. I love how it's a whole bunch of toothpicks forming a sort of web, with the red ceramics trapped inside. So poetic...

hammer time! Flat pack and Vert Design

Check out this cool flat pack hammer by Vert Design from Australia. They also have a super cute flat pack whale mobile! check out more at their site.

Kim Myles "branching out" too?

Well lookee here! Remember last fall, I posted about my "dipped" branches? Well HM reader Tessa was kind enough to point this out: "Kim Myles just did this on her HGTV show! Maybe she saw it here first... " OMG! really?! As luck would have it, I actually had the episode Tivo'd and sure enough, check it out!It could just be a case of "Great minds think alike..." but I would be so thrilled to think that something I did on this mundane blog could actually inspire an idea for a television segment! How cool would that be?!

By the way, if you are a fan of Kim Myles, CasaSugar recently posted a fun interview with her. Check it out here.

WYWO: season 3- the finale

So here are the final results of the guest bedroom make-over! I think the most dramatic difference was simply painting the walls. I chose to paint only the main back wall and the adjacent wall that the door is connected to. The other two walls (there's actually a closet opposite the bed, and then the other wall has a small window) I left white. The second thing that had big impact was to put some floor-to-ceiling curtains along on the entire wall with the window. It helped camouflage the window size (which is a little small), and it added some subtle drama.As I mentioned before, the initial inspiration was this room that I saw on AT:Chicago, but color-wise, I went in a different direction. I found this incredible bedding from Calvin Klein. Ye-ah. It was pretty much the most expensive thing in the room! But I just loved it and it was so perfect for the parentals. The room was so small, that really, it was pretty much the focal point of the room, so I figure, why not splurge a little, (it was for the parentals right?) It was on sale when I got it (although apparently not anymore), so that helped (got it at Macys).
I liked the print because the colors were so muted and it was also a little traditional. It was very borderline "Grandma" with the way the floral print was, but at the same time, it was very modern (well, it was Calvin Klein, hehe). I decided to not touch the headboard. I didn't have the budget to get a new one, and frankly, it was in good condition, and with the walls so dark, it kind of blended in. I decided to play up the different wood tones, so I looked for a light wood but clean lined dresser. I found one from IKEA. For the lamp, I had this idea for one with a clear glass base, but finding one within budget was a little hard. I finally found one at Sears. It was originally $89.99 but was 25% off- and the coolest thing was it's touch-sensitive! So basically, you just touch any part of the metal, and it turns on or off! Like magic!Here's the info on the rest of the pieces if anyone is interested:
Comforter: Calvin Klein- Macys
Bedding/Sheets: Home Goods (i got a really nice lavender-esque sheet set for $34.99)
Bedskirt: Meryvns (seriously the best deal- a clean modern bedskirt on clearance for $4.99)
Brown pillow: Home Goods ($12.99!)
Curtains: VIVAN from IKEA
Dresser: MALM from IKEA
Lamp: Sears, Grace Designs
Vase: Z Gallerie
Mirror: Target ($39.99)
Artwork and frames: IKEA
Paint: "Mystic Taupe" from Valspar at Lowes

Here's the link to the rest of the redo of my parents place so far. Next up will probably be the downstairs bathroom... stay tuned...

Neopolitan Cupcakes!

OMG. Where has this been hiding all my life?! salivating. drooling...
step by step link is here. (via Craftzine)

Parisian Yellow Fever

So much hotness in the April 2008 British Elle Decoration. I am in love with this Parisian apartment. I don't think I could actually live like that, because I am just not fabulous enough to pull that off- but, if I could- I am so there. I love all the white, the mix of modern and old. I especially LOVE how they painted the fireplace grey- and then took that paint and graphically extended it up and over, across the ceiling, and then all the way to the other side. Genius. And then in the dining room, the neon plexi box over the chandelier?! That's just too much hotness right there. I also love how it looks like there's a spray painted gradation in the hallway, but I think it's just the photo and the lighting (but how cool would that be if it really was gradated like that?!) I have to go sit down now...

Plastic Bag Animals

Check out these plastic bag animals that are tied to subway grates. They totally would freak the bejeebus out of me, but I'm still totally fascinated with them at the same time. More info from here. (via Craftzine via Drawn)

mundane tuesday: mraz

It's tuesday folks, one day closer to friday. Having just come back from a trip to the lovely state of Washington, I was able to experience a little bit of "winter"- (although shouldn't it be spring now?) As a So Cal boy, it was kind of fun to drive around in the snowy/then rainy/then chilly crisp air. I'm sure for those of you that have to live in it all the time, the novelty wears thin quickly. Needless to say, I'm glad to be home (although I have to go right back in about a week or so...) anyway- here's a quick pick you don't see here in So Cal very often.Snow covered tulips! It was fun to see the vibrant burst of color lightly covered in fresh fallen snow. anyway... it was sunny when I got back but now this morning its all grey and cold. So... its tuesday. and I'm wishing I was here: