Beautiful Blouse



I am loving this look, as well as all of the lovely blouses I've been seeing lately. I wonder if you have to be the right type of gal to pull this off ? When I try on similar shirts, I automatically feel like this.

(via Alice Point)

Marcus Walters





Marcus Walters'
work is very hip. Check it.

SwissMiss





I am completely gaga over the minimalist look of Swiss Miss aka Tina Roth Eisenberg's home tour at Design*Sponge today. See more here.

Financial Attitude






I wrote this crazy long post about finances and how it is important to have financial goals etc... especially during this shaky time (probably brought on by our bank failing -- largest in history -- luckily bought out by another big bank ... and today was the largest single drop in the market ever). After re-reading my lengthy post, I thought it may be a little out of place from my other posts here. You come here to see pretty.... right??

Yet, I still wanted to share this quote by Charles Swindoll that has helped me expunge some financial fears and doubts.

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think of, say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church.... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you..we are in charge of our Attitudes."

What are your thoughts about what is going on??

(images from this flickr pool)

Amy Atlas




Event planning at its finest, Amy Atlas has all the good stuff going on. Wow.. stop by her website and see her amazing inspiration eye candy. Be prepared to squeal with glee. (photos by Gemma Comas)

(She has gotten lots of buzz, here are some of the places I've seen her mentioned: Oh Happy Day, Oh Joy, Simple Lovely, Brooklyn Bride, Once Wed, Kids & Cocktails and other great sites.)

Button Giveaway -- by Guest Erin Jang



Oh my goodness... it has been a week full of creative abundance here at Black*Eiffel, thanks to Erin Jang's posts. From your comments, you all loved her too! Thank you Erin for sharing your über-talented ways and letting us glimpse into your creative world. I am inspired to be a better designer and productive creative person after reading your posts! I will definitely be frequenting Erin's blog often. She is also kind enough to offer a button giveaway as well, thanks Erin!

------

Thank you for reading my posts this past week. I really enjoyed sharing a bit of my work and my favorite things with you, and reading your comments. Rachel, thank you for inviting me to show and tell here; I love this blog.

I'd like to end this week by giving away 10 custom-designed buttons to a lucky reader. Just leave a comment on this post by next Friday, October 3rd to be entered in a drawing to win. The buttons are about an inch wide. Each one will have a different design and I'll make them unique to you!

Thanks again friends for reading, I had a lovely time. Please visit me at my site, theindigobunting.blogspot.com -- I'd love for you to share your thoughts there as well.

*Please enter only once, and no anonymous entries will be counted.

Spain...on the Road Again



Remember this post? Did you watch the first episode of Spain... On the Road Again ? How did you like it? In case you missed it like I did, you can download it from itunes for free. Mine is currently downloading. After you see it tell me what you think.

The List -- by guest Erin Jang


20 things I am loving at the moment.*

1. Shirts from Print Liberation. Check out their store. The Palin shirt is terribly funny.
2. Fleet Foxes.They have beards, they are from Seattle, and they can sing.
3. If someone has an extra $495, please buy me this vintage Royal turquoise typewriter
4. Die-cut stencil card from Mary & Matt.
5. My nephew's drawings. He's in "The Blue Period".
6. I'm not a big handbag girl. But I love some of the purses and wallets at Hobo
7. Traveling with my husband. This is Patagonia. You must go here at least once before you die.
8. This Blue Note record cover. Who says exclamation points should be used sparingly?
9. Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. I love her recipes. I love her. She is the only person on the Food Network I don't find annoying.
10. My favorite Charlie Chaplin film.
11. Cat Power live.
12. This greeting card.
13. Be careful not to overdose on visual inspiration at this site.
14. My friend's photos of the NY subway.
15. The Modern List.
16. This book.
17. Mural at Coney Island.
18. Steve Powers
19. This album. They recorded at Jobim's house. If you listen closely, you can hear the birds chirping outside the window during some of the songs.
20. City Bakery's pretzel croissant.

*This is not a comprehensive list.

Tec Petaja





Tec Petaja takes top-notch dreamy sophisticated wedding photographs. His portfolio is full of beautiful shots like the ones above. (via Once Wed)

Gateway Arts -- by guest Erin Jang




When I lived in Boston, I volunteered in the art studio of a little non-profit called Gateway Arts. It's a remarkable space where those with disabilities can come to learn how to express themselves through art, and create and sell their work. They have a gallery and store where the artwork is exhibited, and a studio where volunteers help teach painting, printmaking, weaving, and sculpture. Check out their online store here. The profits of what you buy go to the artist. My favorite cards in the shop are the ones above, "Trees" by Christina Taylor, and "Yes" by Yasmin Arshad.

Ghulam Sakina




I dig a well-designed website, especially one with pretty well-made clothes. Have you heard of Ghulam Sakina? I just stumbled across their site a few days ago and really liked what I saw.

Artists I love -- by guest Erin Jang

Spencer Finch

At first glance, his installation art just looks like beautiful abstract art. But you start reading about the meticulous documentation, process and scientific method behind each piece and you begin to see how smart and involved his work is. His work has probably stuck with me the most out of all the artwork I've seen this year.



"Sky (Over Coney Island, November 26th, 2004, 12:47 p.m. Southwest view over the Cyclone.)" - Finch tried to precisely match the color of the clouds over Coney Island by inflating violet balloons inside cobalt helium balloons.



"CIE 529/ 418 (Candlelight)" - stained-glass window panes try to match the RGB colors picked up from candlelight measured eight inches away.



"Sunlight in an Empty Room (Passing Cloud for Emily Dickinson)" - made of 100 fluorescent lights, blue plastic filters, and clothespins.

Maira Kalman



I wish I were Maira Kalman in another life. Her work is so inspiring. It is part diary, part sketchbook, part observation. She can paint a radiator or a found scrap of paper in gouache and give it personality. She illustrated an update to Strunk and White's classic, "The Elements of Style" and it is so beautiful. Her small paintings on paper were on exhibit in a gallery in Chelsea this year and I was so happy to see the original artwork.



Uta Barth

In college I bought an art book on Uta Barth at a used bookstore and fell in love with her photography. Some people may say they are unimpressed by the simplicity of her work. But I am overwhelmed by the eye she has for that perfect color, that certain mood and lighting in her photos.





Robin Rhode

He's a young South African artist who mixes street graffiti with performance, and his video art is something you have to see in person to really appreciate.





Morris Louis

Everytime I see his work (this year, in NY and DC), I'm mesmerized by his large, stained canvases.



Who are some of your favorite artists you've seen in galleries this year?

Animal Growth Chart




My little girl is in la-love with animals. Perhaps this Animal Growth Chart from Present & Correct would help her stand still enough so I could measure her ever-changing height. It looks like a beauty.

Enormous Champion



Have you seen the lovely letterpress cards from Brooklyn based Enormous Champion? This one or this one would be perfect to give to that special someone, and Valentine's day isn't too far away either. Be sure to check out their etsy, I love their style.

The Office




It is back. New episodes of the office start tonight. If we weren't going to a play this evening, we would probably watch it in real time. Thank goodness for dvrs. After this movie and a few interviews showcasing his genuineness, Steve Carell has really grown on me.

(images by the magnificent Autumn de Wilde)

Ice Cream for Free




I really like the design of these Nike + Adidas art and t-shirt concepts by Berlin based design & illustration studio Ice Cream for Free. (via Eclectic Cow)

Colorful Kid's Room



There are many elements about this little boy's room that make me smile. From Living Etc. via Ohdeedoh.

Marc Boutavant & Sempé -- by guest Erin Jang

I adore the work of these two French children's book illustrators, Marc Boutavant and Jean-Jacques Sempé. I first discovered Sempé's cover art for the New Yorker and Boutavant's whimsical illustrations for Martha Stewart Kids magazine many years ago.

One of my favorite children's books is Martin Pebble. There are very few words and only a couple colors in this book about a boy who is a chronic blusher (I empathize!). I love Sempé's loose linework and limited color palette -- it's beautiful to look at.





I first hired Marc Boutavant when I was at the Boston Globe, and he was so lovely to work with. I am completely infatuated with his illustrations, the funny characters and animals he creates, the emotions and stories he tells through them and the colors he uses. It is so inspiring.