New Beginnings...

2011 was a bit rough, so I welcome 2012 with open arms as being a year of calmness and a renewed simplicity and today I can't believe it but I turn 32, eek. The clip of this lovely girl Klara Harden who hiked all over Iceland on her own is incredibly beautiful and inspiring. I like that it even shows a glimpse of those vulnerable challenging moments that happened along her journey because it sure seems like those tough moments are the ones that truly teach us to soar. My obsession over the beauty of Iceland continues on.

(via Odessa May)

A Clip for the Artists

A few days ago I got some new Faber Castell Pens to draw with, then I came across this video clip ad for them that is really clever and thought you might like it.

Have a great weekend and Say Something Nice...

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I love the positive energy shared in this Say Something Nice clip, a great reminder to always be noticing and sharing the good.

Have a fun weekend!

It has been a tricky week, whew, you know the kind right? I am glad it is Friday! Here are a few of my favorite things I saw this week that brought a smile to my face...



My sister shared with me these fantastic video clips of 3 guys traveling the world and compiling all of their footage. Talk about increasing my wanderlust! This above one is Move, but you can watch  Learn and Eat too - they are all good. They are directed by Rick Mereki commissioned by STA Travel Australia.

Suitcase eyes from Muji, awesome! Available from select Muji stores. (via swissmiss)

These recipes look so good! 

Salmon with peach salsa from Caroline.

S'mores with a French Twist from Stephanie.

Tortellini with Lemon & Dill from Kelsey

Have a great one!

Also.. thanks to Blogger for making me a blog of note, and Say 100 and Dana Wood for the kind mention! I am honored.

Mother of Beauty : Eva from Sycamore Street Press

Several months ago around Mother's Day I asked a few of my favorite creative online mothers to answer a few questions about motherhood. I am excited to share what Eva from Sycamore Street Press had to say! Her and her husband Kirk are super creative, talented and run the letterpress shop Sycamore Street Press in the beautiful mountainous valley in Heber City. They had a sweet baby girl, Ingrid back in November, recently launched their new letterpress collection, and are teaching letterpress classes with slots now open in September now too! I think Eva is such a cool and lovely person and I really enjoy what she had to share, hope you do as well...

Read more »

Beauty in Nature

These works of art in nature from the environmental artist Stuart Frost are remarkable. Can you believe seagull feathers make up that first work?

Also, I can't remember where I first came across this amazing video clip about nature below, but it pretty much knocked my socks off, maybe even made my eyes water a smidge. I am in constant awe at the mysteries and wonders of nature!

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair."  ~Kahlil Gibran



This clip is stunning too! I hope you will have an extraordinary weekend, we hope to get out in nature and go on a long bike ride!

Video by TSO Photography

Mother of Beauty : Danyelle from Dandee Designs

I had the pleasure of meeting the talented Danyelle Matthews from Dandee Designs at Alt several months ago and I instantly liked her. She is down-to-earth, inventive, well-balanced and I give special hat tips off to her for raising five young children while remaining an outstanding creative lady. Yah, she is pretty amazing and I think you will like her too...

First thing I liked about her right off the bat is this lovely quote she shares on her website --

"Woman was born to create...in creating she becomes herself, accomplishes her destiny. Her whole life is only an initiation into creative power. To create is not merely to produce a work...it is to give out ones own individuality." -Jeanne De Vietinghoff

Inspiring huh?  During the month of May my quest was to highlight 'mothers of beauty' and Danyelle is one of them so I asked her to answer a few questions... (click to read more!)

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Keep growing... keep living...

This video clip by Gnarly Bay inspires me to ...

1 - Put a trip to Cambodia and Thailand closer to the top of my dream trip lists. (I often ask well-traveled people where some of their favorite places have been and the two places that I hear over and over again are Cambodia and New Zealand.) What about you -- do you have a favorite trip?

2 - The clip also makes me want to use the video camera more in general. How often are you making video clips?

3- Lastly I love the reminder that our world is in constant motion and alive and we need to keep evolving, growing, living. What do you think?

Kit + Lili

Crushing on the new fun bold and graphic kid's clothing designs from Kit + Lili. That apple and fish print ... so cute!

Stanton Warriors - Turn Me Up Some

If you've been reading Black Eiffel for a while you will know my admiration for awesome dance moves (see these previous posts 1 2 3 4 5 ) so although this clip may not be for everyone, I think it is pretty darn cool -- hip-hop/breakdance, ballet and disco all in one... something you don't see everyday and a little something for all you dancer lovers out there. What do you think? How do you like the way they edited it?

Directed by Messrs.

See more credits below...

Read more »

Live the Language

These fantastic video clips for the EF Live the Language campaign have been making the blog rounds, I absolutely adore them! The typography, cinematography, message is perfection! Have you seen them yet? It makes me want to get away to Paris right away! See more clips for other countries here. More advertisers should take their lead don't you think?

Directed by Gustav Johansson // D.O.P. : Niklas Johansson // Typography by Albin Holmqvist

Family Style and Baby Editor

I'm excited to tell you that last week I started writing for the Family Style and Baby sections of Babble. The focus there will be more on baby, kid, and mom style topics and products. Here are some topics I've posted about that you may enjoy:

Hands down my daughter's favorite shoes.
My favorite 3 places to find a great travel deal.
These tees are so fun and would go with everything.
I really want one of these custom portraits.

Also check out last week's links here.

Bonpoint + French Sales

Although a little on the pricey even on sale, I find myself falling in love with the looks from Bonpoint every...single...time. What an inspiring site in terms of overall styling! Also, do you know that all the stores in France only have sales twice a year in January and July? Don't know if that concept would ever fly in the states, but I like the French simplicity of not having to scramble and know what stores are having what sales on all of their individual different dates. What are your thoughts about that?

*Update: Thanks to a reader's comment I want to expound. Although I do love the simplicity of having limited sales, stores should also have a say in what works best for them. What do you think? Would you buy less if there were less sales?

Top Five Friday : Favorites of the week...

These hand-dyed silk ribbons look so pretty on the monitor, I bet they are even more gorgeous in person. (via Full House)

This clip about growth and nature is in the Redwood forests by Jesse Rosten is beautifully filmed and inspiring... definitely worth a watch. There is a reverence and serenity about it.



I definitely want to order up some of these Magic Milk Straws that Joy talked about. What a great idea to flavor your milk in a fun way. (photo by Oh Joy)



I pinned this space a few weeks ago but can't stop thinking about it. See the whole space here. The mix of industrial and modern is perfection.

If you ski or board you will appreciate this tilt-shift Whistler Blackcomb video clip even more, it is quite darn amazing to see the action around the slopes in this style. (via fubiz)

I also write for the Family Style section of Babble and here are five of my posts from this week where I talk about...

Five spring trends that come back every year
The new Mac App Store
The prettiest set of Parisian puzzles
The adorable new Zoo Bookends and Zoo Tableware from Skip Hop
Some great 2011 daily planners

Have a stellar weekend dear readers!

Gingerbread Ideas

We decorated our gingerbread house the other night and my daughter thought it was such a hoot! We let her go for it and do it completely how she wanted. Here are a few of my favorite gingerbread ideas that have caught my eye so far this year. Also, have you seen these adorable gingerbread house invites? They would be perfect for a gingerbread house party. Are you going to decorate a gingerbread house or any gingerbread treats this year?

1: Gingerbread camper 2: Gingerbread laptop

Seesaw Designs

I am really excited about the beautiful things coming from Seesaw Designs. Their 2011 letterpress calendar is stunning and they just added new cards to their shop... yippee!

Modern Wedding Invitation

Erin Jang works her magic again by designing this most adorable modern wedding invitation. The combo of houndstooth, polka dots, and stripes are knocking my socks off. Erin you just rock.

Hello, hello and a big thank you!

Hello readers! How are you? It has been an amazing and also crazy six week for our family along with the birth of our baby girl there have been some other life changes that I will touch on later. I am so happy to be back to blogging -- I missed you all.



First off, I want to give a great big shout out and thanks to all of the lovely guest bloggers -- it is hard to describe how thankful I am for them, I am grateful to the moon. Weren't they all so incredible? I left completely inspired each week with their stories and ideas. Thank you so much ladies! If you haven't got a chance to visit their posts check out this link and for more of their creativity visit their amazing blogs.

( Lisa from That's Happy | Melanie from You Are My Fave | Jane from Simple + Pretty | Kathleen from Twig & Thistle | Hila from le projet d'amour | Meredith from Lily Jane)

RECIPE: HOMEMADE BROWNIES

For years I subscribed to the theory that you simply cannot make brownies from scratch that are as good as those from the box. It's true and I’m absolutely ashamed to admit it. Then, thankfully, one day I woke up. Realizing that everything is better from scratch than from a box (really, who was I kidding?), I started to search for the perfect brownie recipe, one that would blow that box out of the water. This one has been my go-to for a few years now.





It’s rich and decadent with that perfect delicately crisp top layer. I’ve made it both with walnuts and without and it’s divine either way (personally, I like nuts so we add them whenever they’re on hand; the toasted flavor pushes it over the edge into nirvana).

Be sure to have cold milk on hand. You’re going to need it.

Post by guest blogger: Meredith Church from Lily Jane

FREEBIE: JAM LABELS

All summer long I’ve been looking forward to making my own jam. I’ve done small batches a few times before, but this time I meant to do it en masse, setting aside enough for my family and for gifts for the neighbors come holiday time. I did so a few weeks ago and as I was bottling my jam I thought to myself, “I really ought to make some cute labels for these.” So I did. And now I’m happy to be sharing them with you.




Whether you like peach, blackberry or strawberry jam there’s a label here for you. You’ll find blueberry and raspberry, too. Download and then print on card stock and trim for a hanging tag; or print on adhesive-backed paper and make a label that sticks straight on to the jar. Enjoy!


Post by guest blogger: Meredith Church from Lily Jane