Very Sarie

spring 2013 couture on paper

Oh to be able to draw like this. Spring 2013 couture show drawings by Caroline Andrieu. Pretty, no?

foodie to follow: call me cupcake

Food blogs take up most of the space in my reader. I do work on a lot of food packaging projects, but really, food photography is my porn. I love it so, so, so much. Could look at it all day long. And no one is doing it better than the bloggers. One I have been reading for a very long time is Call Me Cupcake. For me, it's like visiting a fairytale baking world. Especially because I really don't bake very often. I will tackle just about any cooking recipe. But baking...it still remains a mystery to me. For now I'll just pretend that Linda Lomelino's beautiful creations are happening in my own kitchen. :)

new pattern collection: Midnight Visions

I'm happy to share my newest pattern collection with you called "Midnight Visions." A mystical garden wonderland only seen in the dark of night. 

The collection is available for purchase or licensing. If you're interested contact me here.

Very Sarie + Society 6

If you look to the right of this feed, you'll see a shiny new button for Society 6. If you go on over there and click, you'll be able to purchase your very own items with Very Sarie patterns, including my favorite- iphone cases! I'll be adding more in the weeks to come, so keep your eye on it and snatch up your very own!

hacking rast

In one weeks time we have our first guests coming to stay with us at our new place. It's a very exciting time, especially considering we couldn't house guests at our last place. So really, these friends are our first house guests ever. 

Here's the problem- that means I have one week to transform this into a place where people would actually want to sleep:

People, I am not proud of this. This is just the state of things. The second bedroom has become the dumping ground/ holding area for anything we don't have a spot for yet or just simple haven't unpacked or put away. And all you judgey Mcjudgersons out there can just shut it. I know every one of you has done this to some extent when moving into a new place. 

I need solutions, and I need them to be cheap (and fast if they can be) because I'm spending decorating dollars in other rooms, so this doesn't have high priority in terms of budget. Still, we want it to look good, no?

Enter Ikea Rast. This little puppy is $34.99. I'm thinking two of these babies given the Very Sarie treatment might do just fine. I pulled a few of my favorite rast hacks for inspiration:

Naomi Stein brilliantly covered hers with overlays and they look totally high end. (And can we talk about that wall color? Please?) via Design Sponge

Campaign rast makeovers are all over the place, but this one caught me eye with that great color. 

A simple and chic wood and white makeover by Lindsay Stephenson.

Black paint and swanky hardware gives Naomi Stein's other rast hack an asian flair.

I wouldn't do this in my guest room, but I really loved the more industrial look, and the unifying top piece of this hack.

Again, maybe not for me, but this is a great way to work with the cheaper materials of the dresser instead of agains it. Perfect for a little boys room or maybe a rustic/industrial office. 

Covering the rast in fabric may be one of my favorite ideas, and this linen covered version by Hello Bourdreau takes the cake. It looks so high end with nary a sniff of ikea in sight. 

I have my ideas for what I'm going to do, but what about you? Which is your favorite and how would you hack a rast this weekend?

Grow something

Nothing will make a space feel more alive than actually putting something alive into it. Last weekend I spent some time tending to the green in my life and as a result, our house is starting to feel more and more like a home.

via woon blog

via vincinity studio

I transplanted some aloe that I hijacked from the old place into pots for the backyard. Hung some ferns out the back door, planted a vintage box with some succulents to hang on the mantel, and transplanted a sad (but big) abandoned house plant that was left on our front porch.

I'll be showing you some of the living things around our house, but until then, here are some images I rounded up to inspire you to get growing in your own home!

via Elle Decor uk (SF Girl by Bay)

via FvF

via budda interiors

Creative personality: in the idea or in the details?

I read once that as a creative person you excel or enjoy one of two things: Coming up with the big idea, or focusing on the nitty gritty details. It made sense, but I also don't know if I completely agree. Maybe it's the gemini in me, but I've never been able to decide which I am. 

I've been praised throughout my career as being a "big idea thinker." And I would agree with that assessment. I love thinking beyond the boundaries of the current project at hand. Often times that's really what the client wanted in the first place- either they just didn't realize it, they're too afraid to let themselves go there, or sometimes they need to think beyond a problem or project to affirm their decision to make incremental changes now knowing there are greater possibilities for the future.

On the flip side though, I will obsess over details- to the point where little things will literal make me crazy. I don't just fall in love with a logo- I fall in love with an experience and all the little things that add up to create it. There is a reason why you love a certain coffee shop more than the one next door even if they're serving the same brew. Sure, it could be because you think a certain barista is especially cute- but even that is part of your experience with the brand. I may be designing a logo for said coffee shop, but I can't help but to also think about the perfect sign for your bathroom door, the just right color for behind your counter, how your take out sandwiches might be wrapped up...

I was looking through some photos I took at the Madonna Inn recently and suddenly it occurred to me that most of the time the big idea is actually in the details themselves. Yes, the Madonna Inn is this crazy over the top place (if you're not familiar, google it immediately- it's insane) but what sticks with you are the little details. Things like pink sugar. I mean, seriously. This place is so over the top, do you really think they need to make the table sugar pink? Absolutely not! But they do. And it makes you smile. And you remember it.

So what do you think about creativity? Do you just like coming up with an idea, or do you revel in getting all the details of the execution right? Or like me, have you found that your best ideas and most fun projects happen when your big idea is made up of a million little perfect details?

bookend redo

I picked these little buddies up at the thrift store for $2.65 a piece. They had a pretty sad green and black faux paint finish and I just knew they could be oh so cuter. The dilemma was white or gold leaf. So I chose gloss white with gold leaf accents naturally! I think we'll be friends for awhile.

Here's a tip: Use spray paint in multiple light coats to achieve the glossy porcelin like look. 

Luggage tag poster

Graphic, simple, vintage, modern. Loving hard on these posters by Neil Stevens created from vintage luggage tags. You can get your very own over at Crayon On Fire. (I'm trying to figure out how to sneak one into my decor now as I type...)

Breathtaking street art

Last weekend my sweetie and I were down in Culver City doing a little shopping and we discovered some pretty incredible street art. These two pieces simply took my breath away. They are massive and extraordinary. If anyone recognizes the signature in the last photo, please let me know. I would love, love, love to know more about this artist!

If you live in the LA area you can check them out yourself too- They're right off the metro stop at Venice Blvd in Culver City. Worth the field trip!