What is it about spray paint that compels us to make our marks on all manner of surfaces? Is it our fear of oblivion, or a genuine desire to transform some boring surface? We can’t seem to bear the thought of “blank”, which is why so few of us manage to meditate. Naughty urban kids sneaking around at night to tag subway cars have inspired a whole movement in design, and no matter how fast the MTA moves, they can never keep up with these hardware store artists. So, like crickets in the dark, these rebel voices hum in our ears.

Re-Surface Design south3rd Pendant Fixture.

Re-Surface Design D-Lights; Draga Obradovich Graffiti Chairs; and Kevin Busta’s Weight Limit Coffee Table.

Draga Obradovich Graffiti Table.

The Future Perfect’s Graffiti Pillow; Jimmie Martin Stardust Cabinet; and SoHo Collection Graffiti Peace Pillow.

Teo Jasmin’s Graffiti Pillow; and Russell Lewis Paintings.

I feast upon images of real artists studios, not the professionally styled images, but ones that actually look used. I’m dreaming of updating my studio (okay, I don’t have a studio, but if I did I would be ready to make some upgrades).

somethings hiding in here.

I can’t decide if I would work best in a super clean or perfectly messy space. I am equally inspired by images of crazy organized studios and ridiculously messy ones. My current situation is halfway between, and I feel ready to commit to one side or the other. Am I of the disheveled or pristine camp?

the studios of rachel whiting and lisa congdon.

studio of cesa.

studio on fire and kate bingaman-burt studio spaces.

Apart from being an interior designer and a wife to the most amazing person in the world, I also write a blog called yellowtrace, which is a little online space where I share my love for great design and clever people. I am passionate about celebrating good design in all it’s forms – my mission is to share as much as possible by showcasing established and emerging talent in the areas of interiors, architecture, art, fashion, photography, lifestyle and anything else that is worth knowing about.

Lights, trays & side tables by barnabeifreeman.

Today’s post is about my love of lace and lace motifs. I’m finding that, as I get older, my taste is really starting to reflect my heritage {I was born and raised in former Yugoslavia before my family settled in Australia after the civil war}. I’m really drawn to the patterns, textures and materials synonymous with the place where I grew up, and this is becoming a lot more prominent as I get older. Hence this little tribute to lace and doilies. Go nanna chic!

Vixen “Vintage Lace” & barnabeibreeman “Folk” rugs from Designer Rugs.

Strangely enough – my home and my work are almost entirely devoid of lace. But I still really love it, and a few little pieces that I’ve inherited from my family are becoming more precious to me every day. x dana

Art by the Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos via busy being fabulous.

“A World Wide Web” and “The 26,000″ Installations by Shane Walter.

Every household needs one of these babies! Lace shovel via NY Times.

paper curtains via all the mountains.

Doily Clocks by andfurthermore on etsy.

Fences never looked so good – Lace Fence via Jodeska.

Stencil art via designboom.

doily envelopes via daydream lily.

“Embroidery” and “Wild Boys” by Sandrine Pelletier.

hand-carved doily stamp via geninne’s.

Covered sea stones via knitalatte11.

adorable vintage linen & lace cushions from tuuni on etsy.

“Munus” Acrylic on canvas artworks by Australian artist Faridah Cameron.

‘Eternal Lace’ by Laura Anne Marsden. These pieces are created using waste plastic bags, transforming the discarded into the desirable. Love!

Gladys light range from bsweden {limited range available in Australia through Funkis}.

Crochet Chair by Marcel Wonders for droog.

Stop sign by Aakash Nihalani, via design for mankind.

]]> http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2010/06/23/guest-post-yellowtrace/feed/ 39 http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2010/04/07/guest-post-inspiration-photography/ http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/2010/04/07/guest-post-inspiration-photography/#comments Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:00:42 +0000 victoria http://www.sfgirlbybay.com/?p=17590 Hello friends!  I’m Micaela and I will be guest blogging for today!  I run an inspiration blog, The Drifter and the Gypsy, where I write about fashion, art and interior design (or anything else that inspires me, really). One of my biggest loves is photography, so I thought I’d share some photos I’ve taken recently.

The two little girls are so beautiful and such a joy for me to photograph.

When you get into photography you begin to see everything from a photographic point of view.  I often think to myself, “That would make a great picture.”  I haven’t gotten to the point where I bring my camera everywhere but I think it’s only a matter of time.

It’s funny how photography seems to consume your life.  I am constantly planning photo shoots in my head, scrambling to write my ideas down on scraps of paper before I forget them.

You can check out more photos I’ve taken here or stop by my blog where I periodically post my latest photo shoots.

Hey everyone! Kirsten from SimplyGrove here. I am thrilled to be here on sfgirlbybay! What an honor to be on such a fabulous blog. Victoria has a great thing going here and I hope that we are reading sfgirlbybay for years and years to come!

I recently sold my sofa which has been in my possession for 9 years.  9 years too many. It was a comfortable couch but it lacked in the looker department. I am now on the hunt for a vintage sofa. It’s a hard hunt to be on where I am from, but I am confident that I will find something soon. Here are a few sofas that inspire me to look for exactly what I want.

Dottie Angel’s sofa (above) looks both comfy and retro. That is a great combination and mixes well with straight lines and curvy lines.

This next sofa seen on Design* Sponge (above), is really up my alley.  The tufts are great and the golden pumpkin color is so unexpected and very vintage. Oh how I hope to find something similar!

Daniel Hertzell photographed this sofa (above). I love the wooden arms and the two toned green.

If you are on a budget and want something new, Urban Outfitters always has great retro inspired pieces. This night and day convertible sofa (above) in Toffee is a good alternative to buying something retro.

Even though this is not a full sofa, I found this settee (above) at a local thrift store for $45. So not only is going vintage cool in style, but it is also cool on your wallet.

Pray for my sofa journey that it goes well and that I will be able to find something before the holidays!

[ thanks again to guest blogger Kirsten from SimplyGrove! ]

I’m really excited today to introduce you to a new regular guest blogger here on sfgirlbybay. every tuesday you’ll be hearing from nicolle null of the blog sacred lotus photography about the wondrous world of camera lovers, including the thriving Polaroid community, and sharing a little bit of her world in portland, one of the pacific northwest’s most bustling cities. nicolle’s been a photographer for the last six years and has a great eye, so you can expect to see some beautiful posts in her regular tuesday guest blogs, ‘through the view finder with nicolle.’

nicolle runs her online photography shop where you can find her beautiful prints, sacred lotus on big cartel, is a 27-year old mother, wife, home-schooler, and photographer living with her 6-year old son, husband and their two australian shepherds. she loves the arts, photography (obviously), design, clothing, movies, good music, vegan food, local shows, portland, nature, hiking, thrifting, japan, hot tea, cupcakes, reading, crafting, her family, snow, laughing, smiling, cooking, baking, singing, the constitution, and life.

so i can’t wait for her to share all that passion with you. please give nicolle a warm welcome and be sure and drop in on her flickr photostream and her shop and her own blog, sacred lotus photography on a regular basis as well!

[ astoria bridge in nicolle's shop ]

Hello, sfgirlbybay readers! I’m Lynne from Tea for Joy, and I’m happy to be helping out here with a few British-themed posts. I live in London, so today I’m sharing with you a recent excursion. Last week, I managed to persuade a friend to drive me out of London to the bi-monthly Sunbury Antiques Market. At 6:50am, we were some of the last to arrive.

I didn’t have much money to spend so these are some of the items I liked but managed to restrain myself from buying:

Vintage trunks – a little too musty for my perfectly-ironed lavender-scented linens.

But why did I convince myself that my IKEA metal containers would suffice when I could have replaced them with these much cooler French ones?

And both of my initials were available.

No matching pairs – but it’s never stopped me before. I’m always the one buying single teacups (without saucers) at car boot sales because I think they must be lonely.

I live in a dreary palette of grays and browns, so these wouldn’t work.

So, which is preferable? Coming away almost empty-handed when you know your car-driving friend will never be persuaded to get up at 6am on a Tuesday again, or buying things you don’t really need and actually can’t afford?

[ for more fun brit-flavored posts be sure and visit lynne at tea for joy.  thanks lynne!! ]

hiya readers. so, as some of you may know, my father has Parkinson’s disease and has not been doing as well as we might have hoped lately, which means i need to jump in and help with his care from time to time. this is not exactly creatively inspiring, and is somewhat exhausting, but we’re all doing our best and my family has been great.

so it came to my attention last night, that my head was doing a little exploding, and it might be time for a little s.o.s. call. so i rounded up some of our blogger troops and will be having some guests posts drop in now and then to provide me with some back-up. i just wanted to let you know, so you were aware of what was going on. i will still be here everyday, (or almost everyday unless there is an emergency to tend to), but definitely blogging away as per usual. i just felt i needed a little help, and not a one of these kind and amazing people turned me down. you guys rock. so enjoy the ‘viva la difference’ and what they have to add to sfgirlbybay, and remember — i’m not going anywhere. and, if you have anything you want to contribute, drop me a line. thanks one and all, for all your continued support in a bit of a tough time. i do adore and appreciate you all. love, v.

[ charming and somewhat telling photograph courtesy of Kristine May. ]

it’s fun when other bloggers ask you to fill in, and ask you all about your favorites! holly from decor8 is mid-move to her new home in germany, so she’s got a few of us bloggers guest posting for her on decor8. check out her blog, for a few of my very favorite things around my apartment, and other blogger favorites, too!

A very heartfelt thanks to the über talented Mrs. French of Bliss for all her gorgeous photography, and those sneak peeks at Portland shop Noun, and then sharing Noun shop owner Stephanie Sheldon’s beautiful home. She also took us back to the beach with some of those amazing photos of her own, as well as some other very talented shutterbugs. Simply stunning!

Kudos to Bradford (aka, my favorite Uncle Beefy) of Bedlam of Beefy for his really fun, and super spooky “ghost blog” of Halloween haunts, a bounty of boutonnieres from San Francisco’s own Rosenow Floral Design, and the very lovely work of Gryphon Stationers. And, then last but not least, his two fab tours of one of my favorite cities from the north, Seattle, Washington. You never cease to amaze, Beefy!

Mercí to the always crazily creative Andrea of Hula Seventy, who graciously shared with you one of her fun photobooth specials, and her always incredible photographs, including some inspired by my trip to Thailand she found at one of her fave Portland shops, Cargo. That was just pure genius! She also shared at look at her friends Susan & Barry’s lovely and creative Portland home. I want to move in!

Ah, and ありがとう to my dear Hijiri of Heartfish! She shared some amazing images from the Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum in her homeland of Japan. Hijiri also shared some fantastic examples of graphic typography from a recent trip back to San Francisco (where we originally met), as well as incredible imagery from our mutual favorite Hatch Show Print, as well as some beautiful letterpress, wood block type and prints from her recent classes in this timeless craft. I miss you, Heej!

Many, many thanks to Rachel of Bling On My Sewing Machine who brought us some totally inspiring Halloween decor and disguise ideas, not to mention that yummy recipe for her amazing Pumpkin Spice Cookies! Rachel had wanted to share much more, but was feeling unwell, and girl I hope you are doing much better! You are in my thoughts, and I so appreciate your contributions!

So many thanks to the very lovely Raya of The Paper Pony, another wonderful wedding and lifestyle photographer with amazing taste! Raya took us on a few fantastic tours of her hometown of Ventura, a small, and yet beautiful California beach community, and one of my favorite places to visit when I’m down South. Your photos just blow me away!

Muchas gracias (!) to Lisa of Lisa Congdon Art+Craft, and Rare Device. Lisa kindly took us on not just one, but two awesome tours of San Francisco’s famed (for furniture, food and fun fashion!) historic Mission District. As an amazing artist with a great eye for style, and a local resident of the Mission, Lisa shared some great and somewhat unknown neighborhood finds! Thank you so much, Lisa!

I’m so very grateful to the dynamic duo, Lauren & Derek of The Curiosity Shoppe , who took us on some totally unique visits around the bay area. Including a cinematic slice of history: Alfred Hitchcock’s famous San Francisco film locations, which I was just in awe of (his films are a huge favorite of mine)! As well as a unique DIY look at great finds from Economy Restaurant Fixtures. And finally, one of my very own favorite stomping grounds, SF’s own Japantown! Bravo, you guys, I loved it all!!

So much gratitude to Emma of Emma’s DesignBlogg, who’s based out of Stockholm, Sweden. Emma shared some incredibly beautiful Scandinavian design, including a look at some of the design work currently out of Beckmans School of Design. She also shared some gorgeous interiors from the Danish apartment of Graphic Designer Tobias Mikkelsen and Architect Student Hanne Scheel Mikkelsen. Lovely images, Emma!

And last, but definitely not at all the least, so many thanks to Libby of Pink Shirts & Car Wrecks. Libby shared so much design goodness, from her fun Halloween finds, to her very own version of alphabet city! Not to mention those amazing poster finds from the Poster Offensive event, which everyone went nuts for, and some really well designed studio work spaces, and finally to those, well, very inspiring inspiration wires! You really outdid yourself, Libby!

I hope if you missed any of these posts you’ll take a look now, and also continue to check in with this amazingly talented group of artists I’ve been lucky enough to meet, either in person, or though the wonderful community we’ve all built together online (including you the readers!!). I feel so honored to call you friends, to have had your kind comments, and contributions, and to get back to work on sfgirlbybay. Thanks to all of you all for staying tuned, and to you guest bloggers for offering up so much of your inspiring creativity in my absence. Thanks for allowing me the time to refuel. It’s good to be home!

xx, Victoria