Make it Work

Me and Tim Gunn from Project Runway.

A couple things

First do yourself a favor and read Abbey's traumatizing first day stories. I read the first one while in a computer lab and looked insane while laughing hysterically at my computer screen.

Also Tim Gunn a la Project Runway was in town today doing a book signing. His mom lives in Rehoboth. Super funny since I am a project runway addict of sorts.

He of course signed it "Make it work!".

This inspired the renovation of my closet since Dewey Ave is doing a yardsale next weekend. I'm constantly astounded at how my crap I own. So I'm trying a ruthless editing approach. I hope I have clothes left to wear by the end of the week.

I rediscovered Pandora this week since I lost a lot of music when my computer crashed. It's an online radio station that you enter your favorite band in and then it plays other artists that resemble the artist you entered. I really like this band. Don't let their name scare you, their music is pretty.

Riddles

What's big and red and eats rocks?

A big red rock eater.

Found this book in my grandfather's basement. I love it not only because I love corny kids jokes, but because it's got super cute illustrations.

Inspiration

I like looking at things that inspire other people to gain some inspiration for myself.
Here's some great design from the Creative Review Blog.


I'm loving these scene overlapping stamps.

Aye!

Pretty pirate cards for all occasions from Rosebud Design Studio.

Tea Sets

Carolyn and I watched The Queen this week. It really made me want to make scones and have a tea party. I mean REALLY. It made me think of a day last Summer in London where Adam, Greg and I went for a walk in Hyde Park and had high tea next to some pond with a little english kid feeding swans a prawn and rocket sandwich. So I've been looking for tea sets online and can't find any that I really like. The closest I've come is this website called Steptoes Antiques. I really want something old and special, but they're based in London so shipping would probably be grossly expensive. I think I'm going to go to the local thrift stores this week to see if I can find anything, and if I do you are cordially invited to my backyard for tea and homemade scones.
These are my favorite tea sets I've found so far:


Antique Victorian Blue & White China 12 Piece Tea Set


Antique 1920s Art Deco Crocuses Tea For Two Set


My favorite the simple, but still fun. Antique Edwardian White China Shelley Tea Service.

How Bazaar

Carolyn and I ventured out to one of Southern Delaware's best kept secrets. It's a little store in Millsboro DE, aka the middle of nowhere, and it's called the Millsboro Bazaar. The first floor is all amazing jewelry. It's all vintage and lots of huge gaudy costume jewelry. They also have some antiques, comic books, and postcards. Upstairs is all vintage clothes. I could seriously spend hours in there trying on crazy dresses and hats.

I ended up buying these 3 pairs of earings for a total of $16. Carolyn got some earings too and a really super sweet green houndstooth coat.

More Kites

The Renfrews, my amazing adopted family, came down for a beach day last week. This gave Ashley and I a chance to fly my terradactyl kite. The kids liked to run around with it and chase the shadow. It was a beautiful day.

Here's a shot from the day

This American Life

I love This American Life. I was first introduced to it through the NPR podcast and finally got around to watching the first showtime episode last night online. It's a series chronicling real life Americans. The first episode is about a family cloning it's pet bull and a man from NYC who organizes people and creates happenings around the city.

little chuckle

I was watching Martha today and couldn't help but laugh when she had Kermit the Frog educating her viewers on being green, and then in the next segment gave away a chevy suburban.




I think this pretty much sums up America's attitude towards real green living.

More Simple Way

Here's a video from Shane and the other Simple Way members about the fire that claimed their community center last week in Kensington Philadelphia.

Julien Pacaud

I love this guys collagey, bizarre, beautiful illustrations.

I hate church

If I hear another bullet pointed sermon or acronym I need to remember to boost my faith I may puke all over a pew. Church should not be a self help series, or a pulpit for a motivational speaker or political activist. It's not a place for you to share your own deep convictions, but rather where the word of God should be read and taught on.

I realized this morning how hard my heart has become from church of all things. I've left many services just broken hearted at how watered down the gospel has been made and leaving with no more knowledge or wisdom than when I entered the building. This weekly process has been so discouraging that I've wondered what the point of going to church was at all.

What enlightened me to my bitterness was attending this awesome church in the middle of nowhere. It's in a modest cement building with young families, and older people (essentially no one my age) where the preacher goes through books of the Bible one chapter per Sunday at a time. It was beautiful. He merely read the passage through gave background context on the culture of the time, elaborated using the literal greek translation, and walked through what God was saying in the passage. He also went into old testament examples to help you to understand the concept and tie everything together. It was hearty teaching that you truely had to pay attention to to keep up with. There's nothing flashy about the place. There is no praise team, just a man leading songs with his guitar. There is no powerpoint presentation, just the passage of scripture projected on the wall. There aren't 1,000 people, maybe around a hundred. No famous songs by worship bands, but beautiful updated hymns. Just stripped down, bare bones theology. I absolutely love it.

yay for Phil

Phil is one of the most interesting people I know. He's a graphic designing, Jesus loving, bodybuilder. Congrats on winning best poser.

Daily Show

I am one of the Americans who gets their news where they shouldn't. I'll admit that I stay informed by watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report. Here's what I learned last night:

Americans are statistically shorter than Europeans. Some take this as a sign of our declining health. The average height for men is 5'10 which concerns me mostly because I am a freakishly tall girl. I think I'm moving to the Netherlands.


I was also enlightened to the fact that you can get Barack Obama ringtones from his website. Just scroll all the way to the bottom of his page. Pretty much hilarious.

Yoga onDemand

I was bored so I gave yoga on demand a try.

I was still bored after that so I went for a bike ride on the sweet newish bike trail they built from Lewes to Rehoboth, and then around the state park. It was a beautiful day.

more about the new bike trail

Now I'm reading some Roald Dahl short stories. The stories always end in fun surprises though it's no BFG.


Trying to stay busy.

Simple Way

One of my favorite authors, Shane Claiborne, of The Irresistible Revolution needs your help. He's been running an urban commune of sorts in Kensington in Philadelphia. It's a super poor neighborhood where he serves his neighbors by running after school programs and summer arts camps for kids. Their community Center burned down last night, all of their possessions have been lost and nearly 100 people have been left homeless. Read more about it and how you can help here.

And that’s when things get messy. When people begin moving beyond charity and toward justice and solidarity with the poor and oppressed, as Jesus did, they get in trouble. Once we are actually friends with the folks in struggle, we start to ask why people are poor, which is never as popular as giving to charity. One of my friends has a shirt marked with the words of late Catholic bishop Dom Helder Camara: “When I fed the hungry, they called me a saint. When I asked why people are hungry, they called me a communist.” Charity wins awards and applause but joining the poor gets you killed. People do not get crucified for living out of love that disrupts the social order that calls forth a new world. People are not crucified for helping poor people. People are crucified for joining them.

-Shane Claiborne

Bliss

I have gotten over the whole stressing about being in between school and job when I realized having nothing to do is not a bad thing. So I spent the day tubing with the Sadlers on Sunday, and went to the mountains of NY on Monday and Tuesday with Carolyn to see the ever glorious Mike Cavaliere before he moved to Arizona and to volunteer in Lake Champions kitchen.

Life is good.

friend news

Abbizzle Smizzle just started a new blog. Get excited. I usually laugh so hard I cry whenever I hear Abbey stories.



I made Joel's picture of the day yesterday after a mishap with grilled cheese and the george foreman. Check it.

Sarah's got a sweet blog too. I love her egghead with fresh grass.

Sucks

Abby and I went on an adventure tonight and we found this farm that has llamas and emus and crazy donkeys. It was great and we took some fun pictures, and it was all in the middle of nowhere in Milton. We then ventured further down the road and took some great photos by this little canal when the back of my holga camera dropped into the canal and floated downstream. It was sooooo sad. I almost jumped in to get it, but it didn't look like there would have been anyway to get out, so I opted to just watch it float downstream.
Also broken:
-my computer (AGAIN?!?) it was fixed this week and I took it the hour and a half home from the mac store only to use it for 15 minutes at home and have it break again.
-4runner turns off at stoplights
-cellphone will not charge
-digital camera I turned it on yesterday and the screen won't work
-and I have not gotten a call back from my internship...sad day
I typically take really good care of my stuff too. Everything just decided to break all at once.

design makes us happy

Stefan Sagmeister on design and happiness.

Kendra's insane

I have this amazing friend Kendra. Really amazing. I was talking to her yesterday and after announcing that this would be the year she would rebuild her savings account she let me in on her genius plan. On top of her internship she is tracking craigslist weekend opportunities and taking on little part time gigs. Last night she was a chefs assistant at a cooking competition and made $30 an hour. She then invited me to model jewelry with her next weekend in baltimore and help old ladies try on necklaces again for $30 an hour. That's one way to build a resume.

she's my favorite.

crash

My hard drive crashed on Sunday which is stellar timing since I have a project due for anthropologie on Wednesday. After I made the trek an hour and a half to and from the mac store sans a fixed computer I decided that there was no other way to make the day better than to buy a kite. Carolyn and I flew our cheesy plastic dino kites down by the bay and watched the sun set. Hopefully my computer will be fixed today.

Allium

my new favorite flowers
Allium

Peonies

patrons of the arts

Sometimes I wish I had a patron. The artists equivalent of a sugar daddy. Live in their villa and make stuff all day long. I think Starbucks is the new patron of the arts. Even if you work part time you get benefits, you make amazing contacts and caffeine is definitely a staple in most artist diets.

I love the crafters site Etsy because it makes it easy for you to be a patron too. Artists at all levels can sell their crafts online. I like how democratic it is, no discrimination on who can sell what. It takes away the elitist mentality and price tags so you can merely find what suits your tastes.

I just bought this little woodblock print from a guy in Singapore, and it only cost me $6 including shipping.


I love monsters.

today

beautiful. I road my bike to the bay and went kayaking with cousin mary and aunt Cathy. I also bought "The Dangerous Book for Boys" for my friends having a baby boy. It's filled with things boys must know like building tree houses, all about dinosaurs, and tying knots.

Kehinde Wiley

With all this talk about textile designs I've been submerged in lately I'm really loving the paintings by Kehinde Wiley. I love urban juxtaposed with the traditional prints.

purple berets

Life at home has been great after I unpacked and organized all my crap. I went over to my grandfather's (he's the coolest) to eat burgers the other night and got talked into staying to watch some home movies. Christmas '93 was a particularly scary year. I had on this purple LL Bean coat and a purple beret that I wore the entire video. Words of advice to all parents out there DO NOT LET CHUBBY KIDS WEAR BERETS.

I'm kind of enjoying internetless life, and making the trip to the local coffee shop to exploit their free wireless. I'm making my first trip to the beach with some cool kids later today, and carolyn's moving in on Saturday. I have yet to start my job at starbucks and am interviewing at Antrhopologie on Wednesday. I think I may be in over my head.

words you might not know

I love things that you need to break in order to enjoy like bubble wrap, or this book by will hudson where you have to tear the perforated edges to expose a word that you might not know, and thereby devalue the book.



I took my last final in History of Rock on Tuesday, the senior show is hung and I'm almost out of here and back home.

Visual Thesaurus

Who knew American Apparel advertised on thesaurus.com?

Incomplete manifesto

Bruce Mau is basically the man. I love the way he embraces large corporations as ways to institute big change rather than just whining about them. His incomplete manifesto is incredibly reassuring.

Some advice
18. Stay up late. Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you're separated from the rest of the world.

Size Matters

As a designer you are only as legit as the size of your printer. This is incredibly sad considering the only printer I have is the standard 8.5 x 11 canon that comes free with your mac, and it's been out of ink for the past 4 months.

One day I will be this cool.

Until then I'm off to Kinkos.

Welcome to my world

Just enter through the tree trunk.
New Portfolio Site

Sukie

I saw this super sweet address book yesterday and couldn't pass it up. The stationary designer Sukie just came out with a more affordable line for Chronicle books.

Insomnia

My sleep schedule's all out of whack so it's 4:16am and all I can do is look at david shrigley drawings.

I need feedback

How would you fee if this was my homepage? And the URL was www.thisishaleysworld.com?

Lists

When you feel really unproductive just make a list.

Life to do list
\work on a dude ranch
\hike in the grand canyon
\see machu picchu/rainforest
\capture a glacier on film
\go tuna fishing
\see the northern lights
\learn sign language
\learn to weld
\have a garden
\test drive a way to expensive car
\throw a tea party
\climb a mountain
\skydive

Princess Tina

I'm really in love with this site from this great australian clothing company.

Thoughts on Graduation

We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting, and the climax and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it? It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out.

I want to repeat one word for you: Leave.

Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it?

So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed.
-Donald Miller

10 years from now

I came upon this blog and had a weird glimpse of myself in 10 years. I think I'd be down.

Design Mom

If you want to see my art show

Here's the schedule for the Senior art show.
It's in Recitation Hall on the UD campus. Let me know if you need more info.



BFA Senior Exhibition Schedule:

Thursday 5/24 10am - 4pm
Visual Communications Preview Exhibition in Recitation Hall

Friday 5/25 3pm - 5pm
Visual Communications Awards Presentation in Recitation Hall

Friday 5/25 5pm - 8pm
UD/ART BFA Senior Exhibition Opening Celebration
Studio Arts Building, Taylor Hall, Recitation Hall

Saturday 5/26 10am - 4pm
UD/ART BFA Senior Exhibition Open all day
Studio Arts Building, Taylor Hall, Recitation Hall

Midwest is Best

I recently found this fantastic illustrator through the Newstoday website. I was in a particularly outgoing mood so I decided to call him and tell him how cool he was and ended up asking him to coffee next saturday in Brooklyn. He said yes. This will most certainly be an adventure.

this is one of my favorites

Untitled Magazine

Settlers of Catan

So I have this amazing roommate Donna from South Jersey. Picture Donna from South Jersey walking into our local gaming store...you know they sell magic cards and dungeons and dragons paraphernalia. So she walks in looking very cute and South Jersey with a sweater tied around her neck and her vera bradley purse, and gets a very strange look from the employees that resemble the creators of the lord of the rings movies, or people you would find at a star trek convention. They ask with a puzzled look if they can help her with anything and she replies, "yes, I'm looking for the settlers of catan expansion kit". This is one of the many reasons why I love my roommate. She can dress like a sorority girl and flash her junior park ranger badges from every major civil war battlefield. Can tell you about the latest ludacris album and in the same sentence talk about the history of the Soviet Union. What will I do without her?


Donna and her friends playing Settlers.

My favorite things

•Toad hunting with the little renfrew girls in the creek behind their house.
•Reading Good Magazine while sitting on the deck of Brew Haha.
•Ultimate Frisbee followed by BBQs
• Rosie Thomas

Tonight I'm like a paper doll
Cut from the page I once lived on
And I will not say a thing
I'll just keep smiling
-Rosie Thomas

ANTHROPOLOGIE!!!!

So I talked to Amy and my seahorse print sold to Anthropologie! They're going to make it into a raincoat.

booya!

Which way to go.

Debating over what I should do this summer. I think I'll follow Yogi Bera's advice:
"When you get to the fork in the road, take it."

Oh happy day

My favorite musician showed up unexpectedly after the worst day of life at a concert I attended. Hooray for surprises.

photo compliments of Joel.

Planet Earth

I am completely awed every time I watch Discoveries Planet Earth. It amazes me that all of this stuff goes on without us even thinking about it. I really liked the fish from africa who's kids live in it's mouth. I couldn't find a photo of that so I'm posting the red bellied piranah instead. I don't think they house their offspring in their jaws though.


I also really want to see some otters in the Grand Canyon. Anyone down for a hiking trip?

I wish

I've been inspired by this site lately. Fashion from Helsinki Finland, so me and some fun fashionable friends are going to do a sweet photo shoot inspired by finnish fashion.

The shoot is going to really be about these people who don't buy anything for a year except for soap and whatnot. Even their food is all bought locally. You are allowed to buy previosly worn clothes from thrift stores...just nothing that is a first generation consumer product. It's all about not feeding our wasteful culture and making do with what we already have. Read more about Buy Nothing Year.

This is me trying on the clothes we bought at salvation army today for our high fashion anti waste photo shoot.

YouTube

Thailand bans Youtube.

Haley Suspended Smith

I went to Video Americain today to rent a movie for documentary movie night since blockbuster didn't have the movie I wanted. Video Americain is our local film buff movie rental palace which I frequented my freshman year, but stopped going to for some unknown reason. That reason became overwhelmingly clear when I approached the counter and gave my name only to find out that my account had been suspended with $85 in late charges for Baraka, Waking Life, and Dr. Strangelove. My jaw dropped and my stomach felt absolutely nauseous. They had already taken my new contact info so there was no way out. He deferred my dr. strangelove payment until the next time I came back. It was a sad sad day, so everyone must come to documentary movie night tomorrow to make this purchase worthwhile. See you there!

Here's the scan of my receipt.

funky upholstry

Words can not express how happy the anthropologie furniture collection makes me.

First Print Sold!

So I'm finally legit as a textile designer! One of my leaf prints sold to Jerry Seinfeld's ex girlfriends clothing line Shoshanna.

I also purchased a Moonblood shirt with the money I made.

Simplify

Ernest Hemingway once said his best work was a story he wrote in just six words: 'For sale: baby shoes, never worn.'

Let's keep it brief.

The Little things

Though I can't afford an expensive car or a massage there are little indulgences that make me ridiculously happy.

These include:

•starbucks Black iced tea
•soap fairy face treat soap
•shopping at trader joes
•rainbow flip flops
•American Apparel t-shirts
•Burts Bees chapstick
•Eating at Homegrown
•aasics running shoes

What's a little thing that makes you happy?

Life Update

I went to Kentucky for Spring Break and worked with the organization Christian Outreach to Appalachian People or COAP. Forty of us drove down and lived in cabins in the mountains, rehabbed old and built new houses. We painted, roofed, constructed, put up siding, and moved around a lot of dirt for the people of Harlan Kentucky, a poor coal mining town on the border of VA. It was nice to not get cell phone reception and be away from my computer. Not to mention hiking up mountains, playing ultimate frisbee by a huge lake listening to God in the quiet and learning a lot about a new way of life. It was beautiful. I love getting away with amazing people and serving together.


New Coal Mining friends Beau and Steve

painting

Art in the Age

Loving the new shirts from Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction based out of philly.

What $1.25 buys you

I totally jacked Luke's new Vermont style. I saw these pants in k-mart and they were priced at $1.25. They looked ridiculously similar to a pair that Luke wears and I've commented on. It was perfect.


The wet spot on my right leg is from climbing on Molly's roof trying to get in since she forgot her keys last night. It was quite the evening.

Now I'm off to Kentucky for spring break to build houses for habitat and Jesus.

Shoes

Shoes I made last semester in screen printing.

Thanks

Thank you to everyone who made this such a sweet birthday of thoughtful presents, fabulous discussions, and bizarro board games. I like being 22.

When I grow up

Today I want to be a carpenter. I'm over all this computer stuff.

What to do?

Sharyn, Greg and I were having a very serious discussion tonight in the studio. We're nearing graduation and the whole world is open to us, so we decided that this world is not enough and that since the new space station is done we're moving there.

Designers in SPACE!

BABY!

Today was Paige's baby shower. She's the first of my friends to be pregnant, and is one of the coolest sweetest people I know. I went to the Vans store and decided the coolest kid ever needs to cutest shoes of life.
These:

Biracial Eggs

I decided today that I needed to make a statement by integrating my eggs...break down the color lines. I made a biracial omelet and it was delicious.

In Love

I'm in love with these handmade note cards from oldschool children's books. Check out art school girl.

Cow tipping is so old school

Lets go smart car tipping.

???

I turned on the TV today and synchronised figure skating was on.



That is why I should not watch TV.