Great Source: Fabric.com

In the midst of set-up studio mode... I took a break to do some much dreaded banking! To my surprise- the hour long meeting at SunTrust with Lauren was so great! Not only is she quite efficient at getting the banking set up for me personally and my biz but we chatted about common interests- one being- fabric... and wouldn't you know she mentioned Fabric.com {a company that I had already known to have great fabrics at great prices} is actually located about 10 minutes from my new abode! Now- they are a warehouse- so I can't pop in to browse, but she told me they have a warehouse sale 2 times a year {get on their mailing list} and I can pick my order up avoiding costly freight charges! I'm in heaven!

Check Him Out: JefDesigns

My Design Public e-mail reminded me how cool I think JefDesigns is! Design Public is featuring the new light box paintings- but how fresh is the Kelp Screenprint on Printed Stretched Canvas!


top: jefdesigns Gorgonia Limited Edition Lightbox Painting
bottom: jefdesigns Kelp - Brown on Blue Limited Edition Print

I Could Eat Brunch 24-7

My most favorite type of place to eat at is a great brunch spot. One of the girls from my yoga studio who used to live in Atlanta recommended the Flying Biscuit to me for brunch. Greg & I checked it out on Sunday before a grueling day at Ikea trying to furnish our "too big for us" home on a serious budget. {More on that later this week!}
Amy was so right on! I had to get the Eggstra-Ordinary - 2 eggs, potatoes, grits and the signature Flying Biscuit with Apple Butter for $5.99! I was also tempted by their signature chicken sausage so I got a side of that. Greg opted for the Piedmont Omelet - three large farm fresh eggs with chicken sausage, turkey bacon, sauteed onions & cheddar cheese - again served with potatoes and a biscuit. We both got OJ and our bill was $17 and change. Maybe the south really is better!
Our wait time was the traditional 30 min at 10:30am on Sunday morning. But there were some cute things to window shop in the neighboring stores and the hostess parked out front of the place was fairly entertaining {read- hung-over & college aged!} The place is small- but has a really nice outdoor section & a bar for singles! Over all this place ranks high on my list of brunch places making me feel a bit more at home already.

View from Inside Philly Hearts Design

Earlier I posted about Philly Hearts Design - a show of fresh new Philadelphia Designers that was hosted at the F.U.E.L. Gallery in Old City. Here are a few pics of the set up they did of my pillows at the show. Over-all it was a great show- a lot more student work featured than I expected...

Will Return Soon... with a Southern Flair!

Well... On Friday I will be making my 12-13 hour drive {depending on how fast the little Prism will go} to Atlanta! I'll begin my new posting regiment on Monday May 7th... It's my new goal to do a post a day... we'll see! I have some fun Philly stuff to post about once I'm settled & I'll be checking out some new Atlanta stuff as well! If any of you have any suggestions on where to start let me know! Anyway, until then- have a great week... I'll miss you Philadelphia!

Weego Home {Shop}

Nothing like logging onto the internet for a quick e-mail check and 2 hours later you've found some really great, inspiring stuff! God knows what led me to Weego Home but I sure am glad!

Shown:
Lace Vases
Screenprint
Babushka Rug
Fiore Throw
Screenprinted Mirror- Houx Holly
Seeds Pillow
Dishcloths-Matriochka
Duran Throw
Swirl- Rug
Screenprinted Mirror- Folklore
Owl Vase

Design Philadelphia 2007

Not doing anything on Saturday night? Come to the F.U.E.L. gallery to check out the freshest design in philadelphia. In conjunction with Design Philadephia 2007 - the guys of MIO curated a show to feature some of Philly's great design.

Date: Saturday April 14th 2007
Time: 6:00pm
Place: F.U.E.L.

Shop!

Need to spice up your couch or your bed? JRitter Designs {my new home accessories line} has completed the newest round of hand screen-printed pillows and is now available online! Stay tuned because I'm about to launch more pillows, curtains, place mats & coasters to start. I'll also have coordinating stretched canvas pieces and screen prints on paper for the wall! The operation expands once I reach GA! I'll keep you posted. But, to hold you over check out or even buy a pillow! Enjoy!

shown: Molli Print & Emmi Print
see website for additional patterns & colors!

For my new home!

For those of you who may not know me personally, I am making the move south! As of May 5th (or maybe the 6th depending on leave time & traffic!) I will be a resident of Atlanta, GA. Interestingly enough, I was actually born in Augusta, GA but only lived there a quick 6 mos. before moving to Delaware. I'm so excited. And- even more exciting is that I am moving into a house! Goodbye 600sq feet hello 3000 sq ft! So much wall space to work with- and my amazing boyfriend is letting me have free reign over all the wall-art decorating! This weekend I met up with my long-time friend Candice whom I have posted about a few times. She and I had been talking about trading since the last time we did we were in college! {Think '01!} I've always been enamored by her work. She was one of the first artists that I really looked up to. {Candice was getting her MFA in Painting from MCA while I was getting my BFA their in Printmaking.} I remember thinking to myself- this girl's work is amazing! Anyway- we made a trade & I got Bunny Love - a water colour and gouache on paper! Stay tuned- when I get down to ATL I'm going to frame it... I'm thinking a cool oval frame... I'll post again when it happens! Thanks Candice! I'm loving it!

Museum of Arts & Design

Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting

For those of you interested in anything textile or fashion related I highly suggest stopping by the MAD (Museum of Arts and Design) before June 17, 2007 to check out this exhibit that spans the 3 floors of this relatively small (in museum terms) space. I stumbled upon this exhibit by chance as I went to the MOMA (across the street) on Thursday to see the Jeff Wall Photographs and the Comic Abstraction Exhibit. (Both were great, but this "lace" exhibit struck a cord with me...) It was great to see something other than a slick painting or a lit photo. Too bad I had to be in a "design" museum- but frankly, it doesn't matter- it's just great that this exhibit exists. And, it's only $9 for admission ($7/students) as opposed to the daunting $20 you'll pay at the MOMA. Anyway, you weren't allowed photographs- and they only had a few on their site for me to post here. So, if you can't make it in person- there is a catalog. I looked for it on Amazon- but to no avail. Now I'm mad I didn't buy it at the museum. Ugh. I'll have to return there! If you can't make it there is a note that you can order it via phone at 212-956-3535 ext 157. I looked through it- it's worth it. I think it was in the $40 range.

The work ranged from traditional lace work, to intense installation. Sheila Pepe has a pretty interesting "lace" made from a lot of man-made, non-delicate materials. And Edward Mayer's installation that spanned all 3 floors was a beautiful testament to the color white- a color most often associated with all things lace and subtle. He used furniture, string, wood anything he could get his hands on to weave an intricate, beautiful work of art. The pic I have included for him is of Drawing In, 2006 at the Schick Art Gallery at Skidmore College. His installation at MAD was along this line of work.

above:

Ed Mayer
Piper Shepard
Hildur Bjarnadóttir
Althea Merback

Moma Inspiration

I forgot how refreshing it can be to stand in front of a painting and see color that seems so unreal. Breathtaking. And to think- this was painted in 1906 and it had some of the best color I have seen in awhile.

above:
Andre Derain : Bridge Over the Riou

The Moma and the Moma Design for the Table

I went to the Moma and the Mad (Museum of Arts & Design) this past Thursday and saw some great things! Above are some Tabletop items I found while browsing through the shop. I love the idea of the cut-out shape.

above:
Cast Iron Leaf Trivet
Cactus Bowl
Mediterraneo Bowl

Check Her Out

Hilary Price makes the best hand-made wallets and check book covers I've seen in awhile. Made from hand-painted canvas and found fabrics- each wallet has it's own great set of colors & patterns. I was lucky enough to have a custom made check book cover- I suggest you check her out this weekend at the Shadow Craft Fair at the Black Floor Gallery in the ICA. {see below post} She's sure to have a color scheme and pattern to match your style... and so affordable- there's not much great hand made work out there for $20.

Nothing to do this Sunday?

Check this out: Shadow Craft Fair
When: Sunday March 11th
11am - 5pm

Where: Black Floor Gallery @ the ICA {scroll down!}

Why: Because you should check out Hilary Price's awesome wallets and check book covers in person!

Adjusting Back to EST

Float's Booth at the WWD Magic Show in Las Vegas

Last week I went to Las Vegas to launch Float- a new line of luxe resort wear and beach cover-ups that my business partner Ramona and I just started! She is a fashion designer (left oh-so-corporate GAP recently to pursue Float) and I (as most of you know) am a fine-artist/designer. Together we came up with Float- which features hand designed prints with stylish yet functional silhouettes all made with the most luxurious of fabrics! We had a great response at Magic- which is the craziest thing I have ever been to! It was an overload of amazing (and not-so amazing) apparel and accessories! Sorry, you're not allowed to take pics or I'd post them here- but the above is our own booth. Anyway, that is the latest update in my world. Our site will be e-commerce friendly by the start of April- think shop, shop, shop!

Love it?

Well, it's almost that day. The one that Hallmark makes billions of dollars on. So, here's your chance to buy something a little off the beaten path for that one you love. If you must, buy something for 2.14 head to etsy and support your local artist!
Cheesy- but kinda cute fruit & veggie inspired love!
Wear your heart on your sleeve, or your lapel...
let's do it like bunnies - enough said!

March First - Check This Out

What: Thorpe - a show of all things screenprinted & sewn
When: March 1, 2007 6-9pm
Where: Rowan University, Gallery 216, Westby Hall. For directions click here.
Who: Artist Bryan Sculthorpe
Why: Because Bryan's work will make you laugh. His sense of humor, impeccable color choices, and his charm are only a few of the reasons why you should go to NJ to check out this show. Not to mention, this guy can sew... That, in itself, is worth checking out.

Stay tuned for sneak peaks of the work for the show- to be posted in the next few days...

Check Her Out: Yumi Kim

So.... I was in Atlanta this past weekend (again, for those of you who read often!) Now- does this sound familiar to anyone... my BF forgot to mention that he had planned a dinner with his business partner & a couple other friends for one night that I was visiting and that we had a baby christening to attend... In fact, his exact words to me on the phone were "pack light, jeans, T's and sneakers as we will be staying in and ordering pizza and movies this weekend... (we're on a budget...) So, I arrive, with one small bag, a few T's and long sleeve cotton shirts and some pink puma sneakers... completely not appropriate for aforementioned events! So... shopping we must go! (so much for the budget!) He took me to Lenox Square - tres chic!
Of course there was an Anthropologie!
and of course I found a million options to go with there! I settled on a great blouse by Yumi Kim. I love, love, love it! Her prints are great! "inspired by vintage prints & silhouettes...with a touch of funk and urban femininity!"
This picture doesn't do it justice! The strips on the V-neck are also along the bottom of the blouse! Great pinks and golds! I highly suggest checking her out!


Ps... How about that intense salad we ordered! It had grilled apples, shrimp, tons of veggies and mixed greens with a great vinaigrette! So good!

Friends

legs on a wall- do this, everyday- give those feet a break!


This is my Horoscope for today, Thursday, January 25, 2007.
It's time to splurge. That doesn't mean putting your credit card through the wringer or playing hooky on all your duties. Why not indulge in the ultimate luxury and give yourself some much-needed time off?

This is actually very similar to something that we talk about at PPY (the yoga studio I teach at.) We teach a more physically intense style of Vinyasa Yoga in a heated room. Sometimes I noticed my students (and myself) pushing themselves past their own edge and into a grey area of discomfort and competition. It's times like this that I may remind the class that sometimes in life, it's actually more difficult to give yourself a break than it is to continue to push yourself past your edge. Especially if you're in a group class, no one wants to be the first person to drop into Child's Pose, no one wants to be the one who steps outside the room for nice breath of fresh, cold air. But, if you can let go of your ego, give yourself a nice break, than you are actually practicing yoga. For the practice is not just the asana (pose) but also the mindset, the practice of letting go of habits, tendencies & ego.

So, give yourself a break. Step away from the computer, put down the homework, leave work and work and when you get home tonight, take five minutes before you turn on the t.v., get into a deep convo with your room mate or loved one, and give yourself the wonderful gift of a time out, a break. You all deserve it.

Namaste.

Check It Out: Must-Have

Last night, amongst good friends, food & drink I saw, in person, the shirt I had been eyeing on Moonblood, one of my favorite sites for must-have T's. The shirt in question, Antique Scroll, immediately stood out on the site for me- and then, when I got to see the amazing detail in the drawing in person- well, it's a MUST-HAVE for me! Check out their other great new styles, Super Hero, Feather Flight, and Tutunic...

images:
Feather Flight in Scarlet
Antique Scroll in Peach-Tea