This week I’m thrilled to end with a post that celebrates spring weather, flowers and one of our favorite D*S alumnae, Amy Merrick. Since her days of writing Living In posts and creating Made with Love projects, Amy has gone one to become one of the most sought-after florists and stylists in the area. We’re…
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Friday April 19th, 2013
Wednesday February 13th, 2013
Video: DIY Hearts for Lattes & Cappuccinos
I’ve been working on a little love declaration of my own all week as part of our February Instagram challenge. My Facebook and Twitter pages seem to be a constant love letter to my cat, so I decided to focus my declaration on my other love: my morning latte. I didn’t start drinking coffee until…
Friday January 18th, 2013
Weekly Wrap Up + Working Title
One of the biggest things that keeps me going as a human being is problem-solving. Nothing makes me more excited and motivated than seeing an issue and setting out to fix, improve or remove the problem. That desire lead me to create some of my favorite D*S projects like our scholarship, Biz Ladies series and…
Wednesday December 5th, 2012
Western Edge: A Film Project from In The Make
As a California-based artist with a love of interior and spatial design, I could not think of a recent art-related venture that fills me with more excitement and joy than Western Edge. Klea and Nikki will travel from Tijuana, Mexico, to Vancouver, Canada, visiting over 40 artists along the way, not just to share these…
Wednesday October 17th, 2012
DIY Video: No Man’s Land Ottoman Makeover
If there’s one DIY tool I love using more than any other, it’s a staple gun. I love it so much that I almost always mistype the word as “staple fun.” So when Shelly and Anna invited me on their DIY YouTube video series No Man’s Land, I knew I wanted to do something with my…
Thursday June 7th, 2012
herriott grace documentary
Herriott Grace Trailer from John Cullen on Vimeo. If you haven’t heard of Herriott Grace, you’re in for a treat. When Nikole Herriott moved 2,100 miles away from home in Victoria, British Columbia, to Toronto (you can see a sneak peek of Nikole’s Toronto home here), her dad, Lance, a woodworker, began to send packages…
Monday March 12th, 2012
australian makers
I can’t get enough of the fantastic makers-type videos circulating the web these days. Not only do they make for great film, but each of these special looks at artists/artisans also gives you a better idea of what it’s like to dedicate your life to a skill or craft that takes a lot of time,…
Friday March 9th, 2012
Mysteries of Vernacular: Clue
Jessica Oreck is an amazing documentary filmmaker based in New York. But she’s never in the city for long. She’s always off on some exotic adventure: to Japan to make a film about beetle mania; following mushroom hunters in Poland, Ukraine and Western Russia; and lately the Finnish Lapland, where she’s documenting a full year in…
Wednesday February 29th, 2012
made by hand
I will never tire of well-produced films about makers. Tiny snippets of footage that let us peek inside a world of artisan-level craft and skill are indispensable when it comes to helping consumers understand the cost and labor that goes into handmade work. This is the latest film in the Made by Hand series, a…
Thursday October 20th, 2011
design evenings: apartment therapy + design*sponge
Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being Maxwell’s guest at Apartment Therapy’s October Design Evening at ABC Home. It’s not often that I get to do interviews in front of a live (and participating) audience, so I relished the chance to have a great discussion and interact with such a thoughtful group of…
Tuesday October 18th, 2011
trip print press
One of my favorite things to do is watch a skilled craftsperson at work. Whether it’s weaving, woodcarving or pottery, watching someone do something that requires skill and patience makes me appreciate great design even more. This video from Trip Print Press shows the making of a series of business cards and has an almost…
Wednesday October 12th, 2011
great documentaries to fund
Speaking of plaid, there is a fantastic documentary about Kathleen Hanna being funded over at Kickstarter. I will never forget the first time I heard Bikini Kill. I was at an all-girls summer camp in West Virginia, and a friend made me a mix tape full of great Riot Grrrl music. After repeat listens, my…
Tuesday October 4th, 2011
sticky hack
Thanks to the crafty people in my life (namely Kate and Matt), I’ve become sort of obsessed with materials lately. I used to be more of a finished-product type of person, but now the raw materials (wood, leather, brass rivets, etc.) seem more appealing than the things they can become. So I was fascinated by…
Monday August 22nd, 2011
field days: amazing custom artwork for projector
This weekend my parents were in town and we ended up talking about music. My dad was lamenting that no one bought albums or non-digital music anymore, which got me thinking about how much I miss record and CD packaging. My first job out of college was with a small record label in NYC and…
Monday July 18th, 2011
the craftsman (good morning laugh)
One of the words I’ve been saying a lot since I got out to Portland is earnest. So many of the artists, musicians and store owners here have an earnestness that is both admirable and, at times, surprising. I’ve gotten pretty jaded living in New York, and it’s always good to be reminded that someone’s…
Wednesday April 13th, 2011
wye oak + baltimore artists = beautiful music video
It’s no secret that I’ve been crushing on Wye Oak lately. Their new album, Civilian, is on heavy rotation around my apartment, so I was excited to hear from Merge about their newest music video. The video for their song “Fish” is a collaboration between Wye Oak and local Baltimore artist Katherine Fahey and photographer Michael…
Wednesday February 2nd, 2011
diy project: valentine’s day DIY video from tiger in a jar
Nothing makes my heart go pitter-patter quite like an adorable handmade valentine . . . that moves! Matt and Julie are the husband-and-wife team behind the creative studio Tiger in a Jar. This “Valentine’s Day Cakes” DIY video is just one of several amazing film projects they’ve completed recently, and if you’re looking for some…
Thursday January 27th, 2011
IFC’s portlandia: “put a bird on it!”
I’ve never been so amused by and embarrassed about an aspect of the design industry as I was while watching this video. If you haven’t watched Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s hilarious new sketch comedy/TV show on IFC called Portlandia, please check it out here, here or here. The show primarily mocks the stereotypes found…
Friday January 21st, 2011
interactive display window
I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of window displays so I was excited to see this project from Marcus Wallander at Hyper Island in Stockholm. They created this interactive window display for a street-wear clothing brand called WeSC. The idea was to have the brand and clothing interact with people as they walk past….
Wednesday January 19th, 2011
she & him video premiere: don’t look back
She & Him – Don’t Look Back from Merge Records on Vimeo. One area of my life that I don’t often get to discuss here is my love of music. In college, I was a radio DJ and my first job out of school was working for an independent record label in Brooklyn. I couldn’t…
