270+ stairs lead to new views.

with my recent job change putting me back in san francisco, i've mapped out my favourite way to walk to and from work each day -- up and down vallejo. the mile-and-a-half return trip (that makes nearly 3 miles roundtrip. wow!) boasts over 270 stairs to climb and offers stunning views of the bay. i try to remember to stop and pause at the top of the stairs in the well-to-do neighbourhood to take in a deep breath and the surrounding view as a reminder of the incredibly beautiful city i live in. (it's easy to forget how spectacular san francisco is when you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on broadway or walking through the dirty streets of chinatown.) 

that's the highlight of my walk home. the highlight of my walk to work is passing by my husband's office window, waving, and sending a kiss. 

 

 photos taken with my iphone 5s

i love my work mornings. i'm under no time crunch to get to work so my stroll over russian hill by way of vallejo is easygoing. it's a cherished time to think and take a healthy self inventory. 

the walk home with my husband, well, there is little as delightful as that. 

there are signs i'm falling in love with san francisco all over again as i find my footing through new parks, gardens, and along hidden stairways. this is wonderful.

happy birthday, mac!

steve jobs introduced the world to macintosh on january 24, 1984.

i was only a wee one and wouldn't know i'd be a mac-user for many more years. my first hint came while visiting my paternal grandparents; only, i didn't know it then. my grandfather had a macintosh loaded with a game that my brothers would crowd around to watch and play. i'd watch, too, enthralled by the overall appearance of the machine, the rainbow apple logo, and the dainty yet powerful chime as it booted up. i'm now a macbook user at home for my creative works, writing and designing. 

image courtesy of apple.com

see the many others that have been moved to greatness by this magical machine over the years. and don't miss the super bowl commercial introducing the computer that would influence and change all other computers.

mini workstation for your mini-me.

what a cute idea--setting up a mini workstation beside your home workstation/office for your little one(s). now when mom and/or dad work at home it can be shared time. adorable. i know i would have loved this when i was a kid. i loved all that worky-work stuff--playing calculators, typing on my dad's computer, making imaginary receipts.

images courtesy of youaremyfave.com

making room for a [cute] task lamp.

i love love LOVE these task lamps. they're industrial and modern and have obvious personalities of their own. (can you see it?) i could easily find a spot on my desk for one of these cute lamps. yes, cute. a cute task lamp. weird to say? i blame pixar for the personable luxo jr. cutest task lamp ever.

images courtesy of remodelista.com

pretty workspaces.

workspaces from the rue gallery that i like and love. if i'm not mistaken, the second workspace is of the rue office itself--love. the third one down is a little more ornate than i usually care for but the mustard yellow chair really called out to me--like. the first workspace shown i love and the last one i like. i love the setup of the first shown workspace, especially that the desk isn't flush up against a wall. walls, even with a fantastic inspiration board highlighting the adorable elle fanning, can be very debilitating to creativity.

images courtesy of ruemag.com

my brick red walnut desk is flush up against a wall of windows--still a giant wall but there are pretty curtains and a view. that definitely helps the creative juices.

a few rooms i love.

images courtesy of (from top to bottom): ohhellofriend.blog; cocokelley.blogspot.com; apartmenttherapy.com (the last two)

the painted floor and teal cabinets and floral chair in the first room have me swooning over here. that floor is just lovely and i'd love to curl up in that chair on a tuesday night and flip through the tv channels.

i'll bet whomever closes her long-lashed eyelids in the second room dreams the most glamourous and beautiful rooms ever dreamed. dreams of romance and white horses and knights and macarons. it's a room for fairytales.

even though i'm not very crafty and certainly not skilled at sewing, the brightness of the sewing room is very appealing. it's very tidy and the light robin egg blue wall is very soothing. change the sewing machine to my laptop, the spools of thread to reference books and fill the tack board with inspirational notes and magazine pages and i could easily call it my studio for writing or print designing.

honestly, the lamp, dress, and warm persimmon wall in the last room is what caught my attention. i'm surprised at how inviting the red-orange wall is and the glow from the lamp makes it that much warmer. delightful room.

bright and happy tape dispenser.

my home office, while already colourful, could stand to benefit from this whimsical and delightful tape dispenser. the bright colours, clean no-fuss shape, and sticky bottom locking the dispenser firmly in place while you tug a piece makes it an absolute necessity. what colour would you pick?

image courtesy of iloveuma.com; as seen in real simple magazine, july 2011

the sheds of famous writers.

roald dahl had one. mark twain did too. so did george bernard shaw and virginia woolf. they all had their private little writing spaces/sheds. it's exactly what i imagine for myself someday--a little shed on my property behind my house, maybe back in a valley alongside a stream. would you like a shed separate from your house--all your own--to write or scrapbook or quilt or draw or paint or practice whatever your hobby is?

what is your hobby?

images courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com 

roald dahl, the gipsy house  /  michael pollan interior and exterior  /  mark twain

bring your pet to work day. everyday.

i'm fascinated and smitten with the furry friends of the design*sponge team. how great are these guys? do you work with your pet? would you bring your pet in to your workplace?

images courtesy of designsponge.com

ashley and chicken are cool and i love the gentle look of paige and milly but emily and judah have my vote. i'd love to snuggle up beside judah for a movie. what a great looking dog he is. molly and ruby look fun and pickle is just plain awesome. heck, movie night at the farmhouse and everyone's invited! "everyone" as in pets--owners/grownups stay home. -wink wink-

see the complete collection here.

inspiring day job advice: "just jump!"

i like my day job, some days i even love it, but this article spotlighting the courageous leap of something's hiding in here's shauna from passing the daytime hours directing store and window displays at anthropologie (cue "gasp!") to promoting her hobby of making fun things to a full time job utterly inspiring. i encourage you to read the full article--you won't be sorry and maybe you'll find yourself inspired to follow your dream as well! below are my favourite excerpts.

how did you originally get into the business of making things? 
i guess you could say i started my first business when i was in grade school. i made my own stationary and sold it in a "shop" that i ran out of my bedroom (my parents were my best/only customers.)

tell us about your previous working situation.
i love the company, i love what i did, and i love the people i worked with--but one day, while in a meeting, it hit me. i knew it was time.

what do you enjoy most about not having a day job?
the obvious stuff is all true: wake up when you want, work in your pajamas if you want, drink champagne while answering emails if you want...but what i really love is that the risks and the rewards are all ours. not everything is going to be perfect, but the opportunities we discover and the challenges we face are because of decisions we make. feeling that type of ownership over what you do each day is liberating.

what are your best marketing tips? 
the best tip is: the golden rule. it sounds simple, but we treat people how we want to be treated: this goes for customers, show owners, editors...everyone.
our second tip is "please and thank you." a heartfelt thank you note goes a long way!

what's the hardest part about running your own business? 
none of it is easy. ... it's exhausting, but it's yours. somehow, that makes it all worth it!

images courtesy of etsy.com

i dream of the day i can leave the corporate world behind and cozy up in my cottage and write all the day long. someday it will be. someday.

would you be brave enough to follow in shauna's footsteps and jump from the corporate ship? how would you fill your daytime hours?

paperclips with personality.

and while i'm on the subject of fun for the home office (see post: doodle everyday.), check out these awesome paperclips by midori.

images courtesy of twigandthistle.com

there's even a rhino clip in the zoo collection! yippee!

new stamps for 2011.

there is a really cool lineup of stamps from the usps for this year. below are my two favourites:

images courtesy of united states postal service

there's a lot of political hub-bub regarding the industrial designers and why there's only one woman listed. i'm staying away from all that nonsense but if you're interested in learning more you can click here.

inspirational business cards.

i don't know much about seth godin but i do like his business card idea--critical info with a clever and inspirational epigram.

images courtesy of us.moo.com

/ click image to enlarge /

maps, spelled out.

i've seen many a neighbourhood maps but these by axis maps are by far the coolest. so far only offering chicago and boston, they accurately represent the city using only words. only words! and manual placement at that. it took them hours to construct the maps. i love maps--always have--and these just took it to the next level.

images courtesy of design-milk.com  /  click image to enlarge

mapped.

in the house i grew up in, a giant periodic table poster hung on the wall above the counter. i'm not sure where it came from or what the actual reasoning was behind hanging it but it was there every day except the christmas season when mom would hang one of her felt banners. for all i know, my parents were way ahead of the game in alternative and cool interior design methods. and now a similar idea has fallen upon me: hanging vintage classroom drop-down maps. what great wallpaper. what a great conversation piece.

images courtesy of etsy.com

an agenda book you'll use.

years ago, on a visit to boston to visit my sis, we went for a day trip to rockport--a charming old fishing town. upon the many stores we jumped in and out of, i came upon what would become my favourite agenda book of all time. the dates were blank so i could write them in myself and wide open spaces for doodling and notes. there were stickers and pages for contact details and the like--all the standard elements of an agenda book but more creative and colourful. i've never forgotten it and i'm shopping for a new one by the same creative mind, sukie.

images courtesy of notonthehighstreet.com

my agenda book had a brownish-red bird with a few leaves scattered about. i'm digging the squirrel.

periodic table of typefaces.

i am diggin' this typeface periodic table. most definitely want one for my apartment--right over my desk.

image courtesy of squidspot.com

i'm also lovin' this bookshelf.

looking sharp!

i use sharpies every day in my work--colour-coding notes, doodling during meetings, jotting down start dates and names on file folder tabs. they're fun for adding an extra bit of colour or even or the practical daily tasks--and i think we all could use a little fun during the day.

it seems to me they're making a real push for their brand (including recycling old markers--that makes my heart happy) and i just noticed one of their new print ads in july's real simple magazine. they're witty and clever. check 'em out:

images courtesy of blog.sharpie.com

i applaud their efforts in drawing up a modern plan of this classic american brand.

school's [been] out.

i haven't been in the classroom in years and even when i was, the desks didn't look like this. i love it. such a versatile piece of furniture. if i had more space, i'd snatch it up and rest my vintage typewriter on top.

image courtesy of etsy.com

even better if i had a little one to home school or play "classroom" with. growing up i played "classroom" with my younger brothers and i don't think they liked it very much. -wink wink-

stick it to your keyboard.

how clever is this keyboard sticker set from christopher monro delorenzo? 

image courtesy of chrisdelorenzo.com

my personal favourite key is "b is for bowie." awesome. "f is for fox" is pretty cute. and i love the simple colour palette he uses.