the small things blog

new year new me

2010-01-10T11:39:00.003-06:00

hello friends of the blogosphere. im heading some new and exciting directions this year as a designer. things might stay quiet here for a bit, but i promise some new neat things to come your way....maybe even a new blog. hint. hint.

vegan chocolate chip cookies

2010-01-04T21:16:00.003-06:00

i have recently decided to become vegan to cleanse my body and shed a few pounds. my sweet tooth, however, has a mind of its own. so, i set out to make this healthy version of a fatty favorite from the book skinny bitch in the kitch.

ingredients

2.5 c whole wheat pastry flour

1.5 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. fine sea salt

1.5 c vegan cane sugar

1.25 c refined coconut oil

1/4 c ice water

1 tbsp molasses

1.5 tsp vanilla

10 oz carob chips

1. preheat oven to 375

2. using electric mixer combine coconut oil and sugar until creamy

3. add water, molasses, vanilla, baking soda, and salt (may need to add more water if dough is not clumping together)

4. slowly stir in flour then fold in chocolate chips

5. roll into 2 inch balls and bake 13-15 min

goody gum drops

2009-12-30T20:41:00.004-06:00

i have the best husband ever! a few things he has bought me this holiday season :)

anthropologie oversized zinc letters

(i got an m, ampersand, and k)

driftwood deer head from zgallerie

merry christmas

2009-12-15T10:59:00.003-06:00

a peek at my christmas gocco fun! enjoy the holiday!

our feast

2009-11-27T08:52:00.005-06:00

welcome to the little house on the grand prairie. here our a few photos from my house yesterday. we recently painted a chalkboard wall and made those lamps. oh and painted the living room.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T11:07:00.001-06:00

Check out these neat centerpieces! via

tutti studio

2009-11-01T08:59:00.001-06:00

tutti fruity :)

laura george

2009-10-12T19:09:00.004-05:00

i love these two prints in laura's shop!

herbs

2009-09-27T12:36:00.002-05:00

found some cute white pots at ikea (for really cheap of course) and i filled them with some thyme, lavender mint, and rosemary. it really freshens up the entire kitchen!

hayley

2009-09-26T09:03:00.005-05:00

please welcome hayley kay to this world! my sister in law, jen, had her this past tuesday and she is absolutely gorgeous. and of course momma is a wedding photographer so...

gemma correll

2009-09-19T10:04:00.003-05:00

it has been a long time since i have posted, and i still haven't gotten anything together on the picture book blog. things have been beyond crazy in my life lately and i apologize! things should turn around mid october for me and i will try to get my blogging in order once again. for now check out gemma's awesome illustrations.

goody goody gumdrops

2009-09-03T13:41:00.002-05:00

all sorts of neat things at susy jack

the picture book collective

2009-09-03T13:36:00.002-05:00

i am going to work hard over the weekend to get the new blog set up. i've received a great response from people who would like to be involved. please send your name and e-mail address to thesmallthingsstudio@gmail.com so i can contact you with further details. this is going to be so fun!

new blog?

2009-09-02T15:56:00.003-05:00

i have been thinking a lot lately on some new creative ventures and thought of creating a photo a day blog. it might even be interesting to get multiple bloggers involved. anyone interested?

a little bit of inspiration

2009-08-30T19:18:00.001-05:00

from my collection of images

amy butler

2009-08-29T16:57:00.003-05:00

i absolutely adore these rugs from amy butler! some day when i get the hardwood floors i've always wanted i am going to be all over these!

range

2009-08-29T09:38:00.003-05:00

i am currently blogging for range design studio. check it out here

Laurent Nivalle

2009-08-20T21:00:00.003-05:00

raw and beautiful photography

fossil shoes

2009-08-13T14:51:00.003-05:00

yes, ladies and gents they are finally here. last summer during my internship with fossil i was able to sneak a peek at some prototypes of the men's footwear, but the women's shoes were still in the design stages. take a look here. i want this pair of boots...cough...cough...christmas present...size 7.5 or 8 ....cough... cough

beau & stella

2009-08-12T10:25:00.001-05:00

pretty pretty jewelry

cute fabrics

2009-08-06T09:50:00.003-05:00

found these on etsy for pretty cheap. fabric 1. fabric 2. fabric 3. fabric 4.

baby shower

2009-08-04T08:24:00.002-05:00

this past saturday i threw a baby shower for my wonderful sister-in-law, jen. everything went wonderfully! her friends are some of the nicest people i have ever met :)

here are some pictures she took at the shower (she is a wedding photographer, of course i let her do the picture taking)

dkim

2009-07-26T10:51:00.002-05:00

nice illustrations

baseball

2009-07-25T08:13:00.003-05:00

today we are celebrating five of our nieces and nephews' birthdays! our gift to them is a trip to a rangers game in august, so to give them something to open and hold in their hands today, I made these little goody bags of peanuts and cracker jacks with a tag in the front explaining what it is for. Although my suspicions are that my three year old niece will be clueless about the game, but be totally excited she got a bag of treats :)

diy headboard ideas

2009-07-19T14:46:00.003-05:00

our guest room furniture at the moment is comprised of a box spring, a mattress, and a metal bed frame. if you are in a similar bind here are some headboard ideas that you can pull off for cheap!

find two pieces of plywood at a hardware store and stain away

use wallpaper or a block of color to create a headboard

cover a couple of canvases in fabric using a staple gun and mount above the bed

yuki polaroids

2009-07-19T12:17:00.005-05:00

some lovely shots by yuki

tilt shift

2009-07-18T15:29:00.005-05:00

i've been seeing a lot of tilt shift photography lately and im loving it! if you don't want to hassle with it, try using this simulator on your regular photos. if you want to make your photos look miniature i recommend using ones with a very zoomed out overhead view.

this first one is a photo i took years ago and put in the simulator

lena corwin

2009-07-10T07:32:00.004-05:00

wallpaper at curiosity shop. this would be perfect for behind the dining room table or the wall next to the front entry :)

look what i did!

2009-07-05T18:38:00.005-05:00

good news, we got the house we just put an offer on! we are happy but still on the cautious side, since nothing has gone right for us lately.

second set of good news, i actually made something i said i was going to make. hah. instructions are a few posts below. the second pillow on the couch was bought at pottery barn.

pretty things

2009-07-01T09:31:00.004-05:00

at twigs and honey's shop

alice b. gardens

2009-06-25T22:05:00.000-05:00

eeeeeeh! i love these photos! pretty pretty colors :D

lovely find

2009-06-22T10:24:00.002-05:00

some plastic alliums i found for three dollars at joanns. go figure.

martha pillows

2009-06-22T07:08:00.003-05:00

this is what i am going to do for some of my couch pillows. i forgot i had some euro pillow forms in the closet, so these things are going to be big! i think having over-sized pillows will help scale down the living room. our stuff is going to look so small in a house :/

design porn

2009-06-13T10:59:00.003-05:00

xxx

the scoop on goop

2009-06-12T10:45:00.003-05:00

i now love gwyneth paltrow even more for her site goop. yesterday i got a nice email with recipes for several cookies. i highly recommend becoming a subscriber.

new address postcards

2009-06-11T10:42:00.002-05:00

i'm thinking i am going to gocco these onto some kraft cardstock

etsy finds

2009-06-09T11:12:00.004-05:00

i think my owl and bird from the runnybunny need a friend

deer from fruit fly pie

owls from the runny bunny

aleks sennwald

2009-06-05T18:04:00.001-05:00

lovely illustration work by aleks

three sisters ink

2009-06-04T07:15:00.002-05:00

cute name, cute stuff. buy some here

finally, math i understand

2009-05-26T20:15:00.001-05:00

here at more new math

sorry im late

2009-05-21T16:28:00.002-05:00

watch the awesome video here

lovely florals

2009-05-20T06:58:00.001-05:00

at wallpaper direct. for any of you that don't know, we got our house. let the planning begin :)

christina's new etsy shop

2009-05-19T10:28:00.004-05:00

im no ohdeeoh, but i still think christina's prints at paper fingers rock! check them out and buy some here

maybe

2009-05-17T08:05:00.002-05:00

think i can pull something like this off? im thinking i will try for jen's shower. only i will make it pink with more polka dots and swirls.

My brother is graduating!

2009-05-15T08:01:00.004-05:00

I will be going to Oklahoma tomorrow for my brother's graduation from OU! I am so proud of him. Yes, I graduated too, but he is graduating with an amazing degree that only super smart people who can build robots and chip boards can get. Congrats JJ! Love you and I'll see you tomorrow!

Here are some photos from mine and my sister in law, Jen's, graduation. Go creative brains!

my brother and his wonderful wife

me and my husband

me in front of frog fountain, a tcu landmark

amy is wonderful

2009-05-14T11:39:00.001-05:00

free patterns from amy butler

madison & grow

2009-05-14T11:37:00.001-05:00

lovely wallpaper here

teeees

2009-05-13T07:57:00.002-05:00

some tees im really digging from threadless

onion dip

2009-05-08T09:20:00.003-05:00

onion dip

1 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 c. diced onion

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. mayo

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

a dash of pepper

serve with tortilla chips

heat oil in small saucepan, add onions and caramelize (15 min)

let onions cool, mix remaining ingredients, add onions and chill. serve chilled with chips. nummy!

marc johns

2009-05-06T10:46:00.002-05:00

here. It is very serious

house hunting

2009-05-04T09:03:00.002-05:00

we went looking for a house yesterday just in case this one doesn't pan out. nothing that we were too excited about, but our realtor says that he thinks the bank will accept our current offer because from talking around, ours is the best. pray pray pray! we should know this week.

yup, i bought this

2009-05-02T10:07:00.001-05:00

can't wait to make everything in it for my niece, hayley

baby shower fever

2009-05-01T17:47:00.002-05:00

now that i am graduated i have all the time in the world to plan my sister in laws baby shower! some sneak peeks at my inspiration below.

Kitsch-Nitsch

2009-04-30T08:37:00.002-05:00

cool wall vinyl at Kitsch-Nitsch

lindsay moore

2009-04-29T16:52:00.003-05:00

My dear design buddy, Lindsay, has some of the best work in our class. It is consistently beautiful and clever. Few people know this, but we were born conjoined twins and had to have our heads separated at birth for medical reasons. To this day we still share pieces of each others brain, thus our similar outlook on design. If anyone out there is looking for a copy writer or a talented designer, you should consider hiring her because she is wonderful.

nuka

2009-04-27T11:11:00.002-05:00

looka at nuka, really cute pillows here

tee hee

2009-04-24T09:24:00.001-05:00

funny blog called sleeveface

mmmmm..... gooooey

2009-04-21T19:18:00.002-05:00

this bad mamma jamma is exactly what it is titled, a clone of a cinnabon. it's warm, gooey, and heart clogging goodness. there are directions in the comments on how to make it without a bread machine. go there... you're welcome.

Matte Stephens

2009-04-20T21:47:00.000-05:00

im in love :D

dieline

2009-04-20T07:48:00.003-05:00

woo hoo! I sent my stuff to thedieline.com and they put it on their blog :D

http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2009/04/student-spotlight-melissa-adams.html

jane heller

2009-04-19T18:01:00.001-05:00

lovely photographs for sale here.

Janine Rewell

2009-04-17T15:15:00.002-05:00

what?! spork design?! does it really get any sweeter than that? check out all of her other cool work here.

Chris Silas Neal

2009-04-15T08:56:00.001-05:00

really neato. buy it here.

warhol plates

2009-04-14T09:14:00.001-05:00

warhol plates at cb2

daisy janie

2009-04-09T10:38:00.001-05:00

great fabric from daisy janie, and not too expensive either! score!

duct tape ads

2009-03-29T10:33:00.001-05:00

here are the photos i took for my duct tape ads. "solves most problems"

Treat Bags

2009-03-26T13:42:00.003-05:00

loyal jack

2009-03-26T10:04:00.003-05:00

for my senior thesis, i am branding a dog product company that specializes in large breed dogs. it has taken a dramatic turn from the last direction i showed, but in a good way. this is the shampoo bottle label and a tag that will hang from the neck of the bottle.

new ideas

2009-03-24T10:33:00.002-05:00

me and my hubby conspired on ideas for my next ad series and decided upon electrical tape. has anyone else ever noticed that guys try to fix everything with electrical tape? these ads are going to be hilarious, i can't wait to show them to you all :)

lace tape

2009-03-18T09:06:00.001-05:00

buy it here

my fonts

2009-03-14T18:37:00.002-05:00

i feel like this has been kept from me for too long. but hey there is still time to use more cool typefaces in my projects. go look at myfonts.com

the nest

2009-03-11T09:28:00.001-05:00

neat home decor ideas here

neato bam bleato

2009-03-09T18:46:00.002-05:00

found these suckers at target this weekend. they smell awful, but it is still a neat concept. ( i didn't buy all of these either, these are web images i pulled)

apple strudel muffins

2009-03-08T15:13:00.002-05:00

make these muffins, they will make your tummy happy :)

made by girl

2009-03-08T08:57:00.001-05:00

some really neat things worth checking out here.

new site

2009-03-06T08:06:00.002-06:00

i made a new photo site as required by my color photo class, but this is what my new design site will look like once i photograph my work. check it out

deer head decor

2009-03-04T08:55:00.004-06:00

what?! i am so excited to make one of these. all of the instructions are here

this is the one i actually want, but it is a bit pricey so i think i will stick to the one above for now.

or you can just buy this stencil here and paint one on the wall

room & board

2009-03-02T11:41:00.002-06:00

couches i want from room and board

general mills goes old school

2009-02-27T17:21:00.003-06:00

I was shopping in the cereal isle at target yesterday and saw these awesome retro boxes. i may just go back and buy them all to keep the box fronts

HLLVTKA

2009-02-25T18:53:00.002-06:00

i am going to be making a cook book series that needs a hand drawn typeface. so i bought a new typeface and it looks like this

ginger monkey

2009-02-24T16:52:00.004-06:00

sweeeet design here

wedding invites

2009-02-20T12:11:00.001-06:00

kat and jk's wedding invites are ready for print. yay!

thanks rose!

2009-02-19T13:41:00.003-06:00

i posted not too long ago about using starched fabric to create non permanent wallpaper, but my friend rosemary has taken it to a new level! Super cute idea. Here are her instructions

1) cut shapes out of fabric

2) soak the fabric in a bowl of liquid starch

3) place fabric on wall

4) let dry

dsvc student show

2009-02-18T12:27:00.003-06:00

yay! love the new site, christina! go look here. i am going to enter stuff...hopefully it will get in.

loyal jack

2009-02-17T09:04:00.001-06:00

for my senior thesis, i am creating a line of natural dog products for large breed dogs. here is the business card front and backs i came up with.

tillman's roadhouse

2009-02-15T16:13:00.003-06:00

valentine's day was amazing! we went to tillman's roadhouse and it was hands down the best restaurant i have ever eaten at. first we started with a bib lettuce, orchid petal, blood orange salad with warm crab dressing. then kevin had the ribeye with garlic mashed potatoes, and i had chicken fried lobster with a nice poblano country gravy and some asparagus. ( i know...believe me i never thought i would eat lobster with anything other than butter sauce either) to finish it off we had table side smores. they hand make their graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.

it was soooooo amazing! the atmosphere, the food, the design...everything down to the smallest detail was planned out. a fun experience well worth the price tag.

pink

2009-02-13T15:47:00.004-06:00

i have to admit the images i have been looking at on decor8 and design sponge have inspired me to photograph the color pink...and cereal. so this is my series of pink. happy valentines weekend!

nice wallpaper

2009-02-12T10:46:00.004-06:00

nice wallpaper from grow house grow

objectified

2009-02-11T07:42:00.003-06:00

so i found out via my mom (thanks mom!) that the maker of helvetica is creating another documentary, this time about object design. how exciting! see the trailer here.

fly

2009-02-10T09:37:00.003-06:00

Great furniture from Fly. I wonder if they ship to the US...

label series

2009-02-08T18:53:00.003-06:00

these are some meat labels that i just finished. i had already made the cow one, but just added the lamb and piggy :)

flickr find

2009-02-08T08:23:00.002-06:00

amazing interior inspiration gallery from decorology.

bold and noble

2009-02-06T14:01:00.006-06:00

i want to go to there! i love these prints

tronic

2009-02-05T08:47:00.002-06:00

so my senior show idea didn't get picked, but the evening got better after a talk from tronic. amazing 3d videos!

more beautiful work

2009-02-03T10:06:00.002-06:00

my sister in law does such great photography! here is a recent one.

her blog is on the right under jen strain photography

senior show poster

2009-02-01T19:46:00.003-06:00

still in progress. voting got moved to wednesday due to ice last week. im pooped.

opinions?

2009-01-31T13:45:00.003-06:00

i need some feedback for this type treatment i am thinking of for the senior show poster. got the idea from this awesome site via christinalikesbirds.

more bunny mask

2009-01-31T12:18:00.003-06:00

the midnight snack edition. the last pose susy did on her own. haha

my apartment the munny factory

2009-01-30T10:16:00.003-06:00

my concept for senior show is "breaking the mold" and the idea behind it is to use mini munnies to represent our graduating design class. so to mock up the poster i had to paint nine of these stinkin things to look like people from my class. fingers crossed my idea gets picked! back to painting the last two. tata for now

tea packaging

2009-01-29T10:26:00.003-06:00

so there is going to be a lot of posting of projects until i graduate in may. here are the tea labels i have come up with. they are going to wrap around a cylinder tin.