AT YOUR LEISURE

Do you know about J3 Production's Zine At Your Leisure? You should if not. Jonathan from Happy Mundane is the brain child behind this lovely new shelter magazine in it's second issue. Each issue is limited edition and signed BRILLIANT!

Despite my love of all things limited edition, the Zine is really beautifully shot and produced with very clear intentions of their mission which I love:

It's simply a visual train of thought.
A little bit of candy to make your eyes happy.
To highlight individuals that "live what they love" and showcase their creative spaces.
To pay homage to the people, places, things that have inspired us.

I would get on buying one of these beauties. Only 500 pieces in this press run. Each one comes with a little gift did I mention? super fun! Don't miss the behind the scenes shots on their site. Their model? worth the click over

been on a photoshoot for the past few days - sorry for the radio silence around here. I thought I'd wish everyone a happy and safe halloween. Here's a fun treat to leave you with. Me, my brother [hulk] and my youngest cousin [clown] and a random neighbor kid[witch] the glee on my face for the soon-to-be sugar makes me laugh.

yes please! I'll have the orange one with the basket.
Public Bikes.

free shipping right now through election day!
$495

Pondering today

while I'm waiting for all heck to break loose here. I thought I would load a few more pictures from my kamakazi trip to Utah last week. Kamakazi as we drove one day, hung out for one day and did some business and drove back the next.

remind me never to do that again.



I'm a city mouse have I mentioned? Dunno something about nature... what do you do with all that silence? seriously? I was twitching being away from my computer that long. And? I rolled my ankle on a mundane path. I said out loud to my girlfriends "I f*&in hate nature". Not really, it's just funny how I am lost out there. I can tell you this. You can do a LOT of work from an iphone if you have to. I managed a business and 2 photoshoots from that handy thing. I thought smoke was going to pour out it at one point.

and Lastly, my friend Chelsea turned me on to this and I'm obsessed. Giant bunnies. NO LIE people



How do I get one? and will it eat me in the middle of the night thinking I'm a carrot? this is what we should be considering with NATURE.

Be back soon!

Robert Redford says hello btw. A stop in at his Sundance Compound was lovely.




traveling a little for fun and for work right now. It will be spotty at best in the next few weeks. I'll stop in to say hello just as soon as possible!

I double dog dare you

we're kind geeking out on paper this week over here. Don't mind us.



What? you say you must have one? Darling...of course, just click here

This is how I feel about all of you

You're as yummy as a thick slab of bacon and I mean that in the nicest way
Available here

Don't Fret

we've got some of the funnest new cards rolling off the press this week! This is just one of them. Available on Etsy don't-cha-know?

going grey

Is it gray or grey? I prefer grey if you ask me. That little "e" makes it that much more elegant I think.



I am grey. as in my hair. as in about 30% possibly more is grey at this moment. I color it all up. When I was home this summer my mom reminded me that my grandma's hair was nearly all white. I forgot about this, she said I was wondering if you might be the same way. Thanks mom, way to induce hair stress onto a 41 year old woman.

but today? today I saw this woman who is someone important in fashion - she must be, she's sitting front row at Céline after all. It made me not so afraid to go white.

plus this woman? she must be French I mean really? How is someone that chic?



images via Garancé Dore - she does lovely videos now don't you know? I liked seeing her standing next to her beau Scott near the beginning of the video. She's about 2 feet taller than he. Good for them right?

I'm having a music moment lately. I'm currently working on remembering the lyrics to Jay Z Empire State of Mind a song that I've been listening nonstop for the past two weeks. Can I tell you that I've never felt whiter in my whole life than trying to keep up with Mr. Z's prose? I'm still determined to bust out at some party and do my best rap video posing and hand throwing. Maybe even with a ball cap pitched to the side for effect.

{laugh, I know you want to}



but the adult in me, the oh my gosh that is good music? Oren Lavie is my guy. On par for me with Nick Drake {scandalous for music lovers I realize} but something about his smokey voice makes me want to curl up with my blankie and take a serious yummy nap {insert biggest cat stretch here}


Now...
yo yo yo I'm off to hit the beat yo.

Levi's photo workshop NYC

did you know about Levi's community projects? first one in SF had full blown printing presses [like what I use] to use during workshops and lab hours. Their next version going on now is in NYC where the local community can rent all sorts of cameras, bring them back print images or create tees from them and just be creative.

fantastic article here. I like how they're thinking

Lonny

New issue [their first anniversary as well] is up



check it out here

Juliette Lewis has some music chops. Reminds me a little of Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs



plus? she has a great rock look - doesn't hurt things!

Things I'm obsessing about this week

it's official...I really, really want one of these



adult size scooter with basket {I would so put a richie logo on the front of that and zip around town} $245


they call them brogues, I call them wingtips. potato potattoe



jcrew $250

can't stop listening to Empire State of Mind with Jay Z



happy weekend

new in the studio: chunky wood type

I purchased a new set of wood type recently. Super cute personalized notecards. [shhh don't tell Tara but these are her birthday present!]

Available on Etsy $29

My heart skips a beat

There are many things I love about videos like this. The documentation of a craft still alive today, the knowledge and skill that it takes to achieve this work, and the film making that really puts it all together.

David A Smith - Sign Artist from Danny Cooke on Vimeo.

It really makes me want to travel to Europe and learn this. Just one more project to add to my list of things I want to do.

Twenty [one]

Chris and I were chatting about something the other day. It had to do with college, although I can't recall what just now. He said to me but that was twenty years ago for you! and I sort of gasped, it was NOT twenty years ago...oh wait it was. shit.

Twenty years ago was a big year for me. I began recounting the things that occurred during that time. I went on a semester abroad to London [awesome and scary] I got hooked on good skin care that year as well [blame it on London pollution], I saw the Berlin Wall fall just a few months before I went away to school and so a couple of classmates and I went one weekend to see. Can I just say? That city was electric after all that. Also, I have a chunk of concrete that I bought off a kid at the wall. Capitalism at it's finest.


also that year? Nelson Mandela was released. London had a big party near the consulate. I rode my first subway, had my first panic attack during said ride, traveled to Spain to find my heritage and left broken down and sad because getting around without speaking Spanish was harder than I had thought.



A couple months after I came back I had my back surgery. The thing that really changed my life in ways I had never known would be. It's humbling to ask someone to shave your legs I might tell you, among many things that summer.

Dunno, today I was thinking how far away that all seems and yet it stacked up on itself like a phillo dough pastry, one needing the other till now and somedays thinking that the butter and sugar were going to suffocate me until I drowned. Somehow I made it out and got to HERE.

What were you doing 20 years ago?


these very odd creatures are from KitLane - sustainable renewable wool creatures from what she describes as The cultural wasteland of west central Minnesota.

Music Friday

I've been a bit obsessed with the upcoming solo album of Fran Healy [Lead singer of Travis] I couldn't find the song I wanted you to hear on YouTube today [no video yet] but here's a little Travis to send you're way.



Guess I wasn't the only one excited about his upcoming release. His date here in LA is sold out at The Hotel Cafe ... rats!

On this friday SING!!

Hello Mr. Spade

I thorougly enjoy the design humor and the wit behind Mr. Spade, as in husband of Kate Spade. You may have heard of her and her BAGS? His agency Partners & Spade does really wonderful work for Kate as well as another lovely brand you may know of J. Crew [he has such small accounts I don't know how he makes it really]



This Thursday they are having the opening of an art installation, humorously named "Going Out Of Business Supply Store"
153 Stanton if you're in town.

If I were there I would stalk him the whole show and secretly slip him a business card since I want to print everything under the sun for him and his peeps. I know, pipe dreams but someone's gotta do it.

we're melting....

It's currently 105 degrees in my office. I'm not joking here. LA heat wave. You know, the whole global warming thing really kicking our auto-inclined asses today. I might mention upstairs in my bedroom a good 115. I think I'm coming down with a I don't like the heat sort of illness, truly... it might be a scratchy throat sort of thing but really it's a I need an ice cream to deal with this heat, or at the very least a slurpee. Those exsist right? Nod yes.


glass house via caribb

I'm getting acclimated to having my guy around 24-7. We're still unpacking boxes. I hate boxes. I hate clutter really, it makes me nervous. Tonight is the night though, I'm just sure he'll unpack those brown things in the hallway. Here's hoping on my slurpee.


A clock work for oracles by Ugo Rondinone photographed by clive lawford

other than these pretties? and melting? not much more to say except send over your blow up pool would you? because this heat is just nuts-o.

You're such a winner

drum roll please!



I'm excited to announce the week's winners

Monday's giveaway the initial notecards goes to: BENSON
Tuesday's giveaway of the diamond necklace goes to: ROLLER SKATING JAM
Wednesday's giveaway of the ORE gift card goes to TWIG
Thursday's set of greetings goes to: MICHELE

CONGRATS TO ALL:
thanks everyone for stopping in this week and playing!

-Richie

Thursday's giveaway

More paper today! it is our anniversary, me and you, whatever the paper year is. Say it's 1,000!



Today you get to choose. Pick your favorite 4 greetings and they're yours. You can keep it all to yourself and tell me when you win or list it below. I won't tell your mom you picked the f*cktard card I promise. Winner is chosen tomorrow.

All of the contests end tomorrow so if you haven't registered for them do so today!

PS. What's all this about you're asking? I'm celebrating 1,000 posts and giving away stuff all this week- check back each day for goodies. Enter as many or all of the contests as you want this week [there are only 10 of you anyway!].

Wednesday's giveaway - ORE´product gift certificate

Oré is a wonderful company located here in Long Beach, CA that focuses on fun + functional home goods. Whether you’re a mom needing to be fashionably organized, a pet-owner looking for a better feeding solution, a college student in need of cool shower curtain to spruce up an apartment bathroom, or you’re just looking for a functional bag to take on vacation Oré Originals is working hard to make great looking and functional products to ease everyday living.



pictured right to left: Mini bib set Ugly Monsters, Good Lunch sack, Mini Hamper Tote™ Dry Cleaning, Woodland Pet Treat Jar

Today's Winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to spend on the Oré website however you see fit. Enter in the comments section below, Winner will be chosen on Friday.

PS. What's all this about you're asking? I'm celebrating 1,000 posts and giving away stuff all this week- check back each day for goodies. Enter as many or all of the contests as you want this week [there are only 10 of you anyway!].

TUESDAY'S GIVE-AWAY - DIAMOND PENDANT NECKLACE

I'm sure I've mentioned it before but I have crazy talented friends. Khobe Delucca has been a professional jewelry designer for as long as I've known her 10+ yrs now. She also has a cutie store front here in So Cal, Studio Delucca if you live near, where she sells her wares but also holds jewelry and fabricating classes for the novice through the highly experienced. You can get the low-down on all the fun happenings here.



But regardless...TODAY she's giving away a diamond pendant with an initial along with an 18" sterling chain to match. This is over a $100 value folks! Contest ends this Friday. So tell us... what's your favorite piece of jewelry that you own [or have lost]?

PS. What's all this about you're asking? I'm celebrating 1,000 posts and giving away stuff all this week- check back each day for goodies. Enter as many or all of the contests as you want this week [there are only 10 of you anyway!].

Monday's Give-a-way - set of initial notes

you didn't think you were going to get out of this week without some paper did you? Up for grabs...set of 6, initial wood type notes.

to enter please leave me a message below with some way to contact you should you be the one [email]. winner drawn this friday.

What envelope color do you want?
moss green, sunny yellow, fuchsia, paper bag brown, pool blue? the world is your oyster.

PS I'm celebrating 1,000 posts and giving away stuff all this week- check back each day for goodies

Oddly enough...

This week I hit the 1,000 post landmark on this silly little blog. How I got here I have no idea but 1,000 of anything is worth noting don't you think? Nod your head yes.



Next week I've lined up some giveaways to celebrate all of my 20 readers. Since my readership is so low, the odds are high in your favor that you'll win {wink}. I hope you stop in to comment and win something fun.

New in the studio: Men's Note sets

I've got a couple of sets of note cards going out this week. Really elegant yet still masculine. Men need correspondence notes too! Restaurateur George and Executive Chef Trey are both getting treats {soon} from their newest business partner.



The illustrations were done by a newer design intern of mine Serena Chang. She's really a superstar in the illustration area.

New in the studio:

Congrats to Amy + Dirk who are getting hitched in November



we designed a two color project with pocket folder. Each piece was letterpressed including the closing flap. The coolest part is the thank you card we ended up doing with a little fold over "hello" on the envelope in silver ink. Exterior envelope had matching wrap around label typeset to the guest list.

New in the studio

A stylie bachelorette party invite with a desert theme on super thick card stock complete with wrap around label and Archie sticker. The hostess is taking the circular emblem and turning into tote bags for the girls to have as gifts stuffed with weekend essentials and handy pool-side for the weekend.

Betting on a star

I think Rachel Zoe and Brad will be very happy with The Monique Lhuillier show Some mighty fine looking duds.



Cameron Diaz can have a skinny glittery moment



Kate Hudson can have a grown up moment



and Demi Moore can finally have a "color moment"

NY FASHION WEEK HAS BEGUN

Caroline Herrera had a bit of an Asian moment which didn't do much for me, but her construction and clean lines always make my heart go pitter-pat.




It's still pretty early but thumbs up for Carolina and oddly Victoria Beckham who has one fine looking line goin' on.

Tune in this week here for my favs or over on Style.com for the real deal

for those celebrating the High Holiday
Happy Rosh Hashanah and Mazel!

A couple more excuses

Just a couple more excuses of why I'm not regularly posting but this time I have photos to prove it.


My Grandma [Betty] turned 90. We threw her a big party over this past weekend in Northern California. She was very excited to say the least. She is quite the character. She talked to Chris and I about politics and exactly what she thought about Barbara Boxer {not fond}. Chris describes her as full of piss and vinegar, sometimes my family has other words for her {wink}




I designed a book that was just printed. A local artist here in Los Angeles is having his first sculpture show in 12 years. I put together the book for his opening. Blurb.com [which is a nightmare I might add]



And finally, my love, Chris graduated from his Physician's Assistant program a couple weeks ago and officially finished his last day at the hospital today. My flash wasn't working correctly so the color is a bit wonky.

3 weeks, a number of 18 hr days and I think I've survived. You might even see me regularly post coming very soon. Until then, I need a nap and a pedicure. Catch you later.

Me + Karey hangin' over at T. Ruffles today. Mary's busy so I stepped in to loan a photo. Click over to see all of her sparkily words.

BEST. TV. SHOW. HANDS. DOWN.
can I tell you?...minus the smoking, booze & cheating the ad world is nearly the same as it was.

....I've never looked like that in a cocktail dress though

Another quick drop in... I've got about another 2 weeks of crazy before I come back to any regularity. Thought I would share this little clip with you. I present to you America's Plus Size Super Model Crystal Renn

Crystal Renn from Dossier on Vimeo.

Size 10 my ass!
cute no matter what but please already we all know she's not a size 10

Just dropping in for a split second...



It's not completely done yet but have a sneak peek at our new website. Eventually we'll see past all the virtual moving boxes and move into our new "house".

It's not the truth, I have a lot to say, it's just at this moment in time there doesn't seem to be a lot of time to say it. The next couple of weeks are CrAZy! I think I'm going to take a little blog breaky-poo catch you kids in a couple of weeks. I've hidden the key to the liquor cabinet while I'm out so you don't get into trouble while I'm away. though...I suspect you'll find the key anyway - just make sure to tell me your antics so I can live through you.

Life's a gas

Nothing says happy friday like T. Rex

I don't have a single one [I can't decide] but if I did I would be so game on this

The next big thing

Here's what I can tell you...about 6 years ago I went to NYC and had a cupcake at Magnolia. I came back screaming cupcakes from the rooftop and they of course went viral somewhere a couple of years ago.

Then I said food trucks. Gourmet food trucks were going to be the rage. Witness the insanity of food truck mania lately, to know, I kid you not.

Today I'm going to tell you a secret of what I think is going to be the next big thing.

Macaroons.


yes, odd I'm sure you think. But they're an oddity, a French oddity and I suspect in about 2-3 years you will see a macaroon store near you. Or possibly an article in your local paper talking about these curious little cookies.

I know you don't believe me...just wait.

image via Los Angeles' Paulette Macaroon store

close is only for hand grenades

Did I ever tell you about my friend Raquel? We were friends through an artist group I belonged to we met once a week for years [close to 15 years ago now]. I knew her through friends prior to that. Every once in a while she chatted about this guy named Paul that she dated every now and again when he was in town. He was a musician. She even sat in on one of his recordings as a back up singer. This is what I knew of Paul. She never mentioned his last name.



We were driving in the car a year + after I had first heard about her Paul and she says something about "Paul Weller". And I put it together. Excuse me? Paul Weller That's your Paul? As in Paul Weller from The Style Council?

umm, yes she says, I thought you knew? Um NO!!!! you have never mentioned his last name!

They were on the end of their little tryst at that point so I did not get to meet him, which is your next question I'm sure. So close and yet so far away.