Font Designers

I subscribe to MyFont.com's emails, and today I received a really interesting one!  I was an interview with a designer, Hannes von Döhren, who recently released another font and he was talking about how he created his fonts, what inspired him and more.  This is something I've never particularly wondered about, who creates the fonts I use?  Does someone imagine them from scratch and create them by hand, how is it done?  But I must say, it stirred up many interesting thoughts! 

Here is my favorite font that he recently released called Cowboyslang (used in an example promotion piece).

This led me to discover the entire archive they have of font designers!  Check them out, you won't be disappointed. And lastly, my favorite I mentioned before in this post.  Called Brandon Grotesque.

Beautiful Paper Prints

I'm just about to head into Chicago to meet up with a friend. Our objective today is to go on a trek all over the city and visit many delightful paper stores.  I'm so excited!  This got me thinking about beautiful paper designs I've seen recently.  I've shared some of them below, and don't miss the best one at the end...plantable paper!  Enjoy!

A beautiful find, an amazing 4-color screen print.  I love how the red birds stand out, this would go perfectly in my red & blue kitchen no?  Find it here. 

Two pieces of large size paper that Paper Source produces or imports..not too clear on which.  But great designs, I love the simplicity of the silver & white.  Plus the large sized flowers in the bottom print. 

Organization: Bedroom [Part 2]

Today I'm back on organization!  In [Part 1] I shared some things I've done or seen to help keep your jewelry under control!  This post is everything else related to the bedroom, items useful for organizing drawers, closest or dresser tops and more.  And just some cool ways to display & organize things you might not have a specific place for. 
For me, if I have a place (mostly in my bathrooms) where there's a lot of loose junk that tends to accumulate, my solution is to buy a nice tray.  It's one piece that can hold all the little stuff and voila, it looks like you're organized.  The best part about this is that you can get these trays for very cheap and they don't need to be fancy to do their job.

This is the try I have on my dresser.  Sort of my 'catch-all' for typical dresser things.  More pictures of these kinds of trays in posts to come. In addition to managing my mess with trays, I have these tiny boxes that hold other miscellaneous items I don't want to be scattered about.  And they're pretty! 

Organization: Bedroom [Part 1]

One of the things I think I'm gifted with is organization.  Its not always the most glamorous gift, but Josh will confirm that I do love it when things have their very own, very specific place!  Even though it isn't the most glamorous, I'm going to share some things I do at home + some things I've seen online & in magazines that are great ways to keep organized. 
This post is kind of long, so it'll be in 2 parts and focus on things in the bedroom.  [Subsequent posts will continue through other rooms in the house].  Onto the good stuff!

One of the things in the bedroom that can get the most out of control is the jewelry I have.  This container, simply whitewashed (maybe if you know someone handy they could even make one!) is the perfect solution to holding things.  You can find it here at Wisteria.com.

On my dresser I have a little set of shiny containers (in kelly green!) that are specifically made to hold jewelry (got them at Pottery Barn).  I often sort my earrings into the little spaces or place rings, bracelets, charms etc. in them.  They also have a top/cover which is key to hiding the mess inside!

Book Review: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I try very hard to only post things on Kaleidoscop that relate to art, design and the like.  However, I wanted to share the review I wrote of the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  The biggest reason is because I feel passionate about what Barbara Kingsolver is writing about.  If you have a minute, check it out and if you like the subject, I'd highly recommend reading the book.  It has really changed my life!  Read the review here. 
Below are a few pictures of our attempts to make cheese like she does in the book!

Museum Architecture + Renzo Piano

I don't have a ton of knowledge of architecture, but I do try and stay current on who is building interesting things, especially who is building new and interesting museums!
Seems like to be chosen to design a museum building you have to be a special combination of artist & architect in you.  Someone that has this unique combination and has built a significant amount of museum buildings in the last 15 years, is Renzo Piano.  His architecture doesn't always amaze me initially but it seems to be something like an onion; the more you view  it, experience it, walk around inside, see different sides of it, the more you see how truly genius it is. 
As I researched Renzo Piano's work, I realized that I've seen it a lot more of it then I thought over the years.When I visited Atlanta in 2007, and saw the expansion of the High Museum, I was seeing his architecture.  Their website says this about his 3 building addition to their space: "Often called the "master of light," Piano's sculpturally inspired buildings meld seamlessly with the High's existing light-filled Richard Meier structure.  Piano's design of the new Wieland Pavilion and the Anne Cox Chambers Wing features a special roof system of 1,000 light scoops that capture northern light and filter it into the skyway galleries."  Without knowing this roof was design by Piano especially to let natural light into the galleries, I took this picture.  I remember being completely enthralled by a roof that was so unique.    

 My favorite is his design of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.  Home to a great host of modern and contemporary art.   

Kitchen Back-splashes

My parents recently moved into a brand new, beautiful townhouse.  It is lovely and the kitchen is out of this world!  The only thing they decided not to get done professionally was a back-splash in the kitchen.  My mom told me that we should learn how to do it ourselves...so this has been on my mind a lot lately.  In our kitchen at home, I'm not sure I'd opt for a back-splash (our counter tops are kind of dynamic and I feel like it would detract from their pizazz) but I still think they can be fantastic.  I've found some really amazing examples out there that are serving as some inspiration!

Um, hello beautiful!  Talk about making the back-splash truly the focal point of the space.  In most kitchens this might not work, but here it is lovely.

Edward Hopper's 'Nighthawk'

An interesting article about Edward Hopper's (most famous) piece Nighthawk. 

This piece always captures my attention for a long while whenever I see it.  The cafe is so mysterious as are the patrons.  I always wonder and think about their stories, what brought them there and why this cafe was open so late.  I realize now that I've read this article that this place is fictitious, but I still love it when artwork inspires you to think about the subject, imagine things about the people in the painting and beyond.