Saturday, November 26, 2011

DIY Chalkboard

For as long as I can remember, even before I became a member of the studio, NotDesign had this little sign up on a set of old crib headboards stashed in the corner. A few weekends ago I decided to listen and follow said instructions.

All it needed was a rag for cleaning, a screwdriver, and some chalkboard paint, which I was able to purchase at the hardware store for less than $10.


Ta da!

It only took a few hours and two coats, so simple and they turned out great. We now have two, fairly large, chalkboards for the space. Perfect for to-do lists, sketches, or studio-mate love notes!


Saturday, November 19, 2011

A touch of yellow.

Photo credit: Alaina Woloszyn

My friend Alaina took this photo of me last week while she experimented with her old film camera. The colors especially just felt fitting for today.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Share your happiness.


I think everyone should remember this.

Home, Let me come home.

I got the idea for this little project from my friend Alaina. It is also all over Pinterest right now as a great DIY piece of art for your home.

It's quite easy. First, take an old painting (buy one from a thrift store, use one from Grandma's basement, whatever you find that works)


My roommate and I chose this one from Salvation Army for about $6.00. We loved the colors and the frame.

Next, decide what you would like it to say. I chose lyrics from the popular song "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Not only does it mean a lot to me due to listening to it with friends all summer, but also when I lived in Ireland last year my roommate sent it to me to cure a night of homesickness. It has become one of our songs ever since.




Bean's attempt at helping.

After all of the letters were adhered it just needed a few coats of gesso. I thought it turned out really well. My favorite part is the girls face peaking out between the E and T, definitely a great accidental moment.

Voila!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Adventures in old film.

Last week's adventure with a good friend, a gorgeous fall day, and an old roll of film.



favorite.







haha.

I haven't used my film camera in a while and had no idea how old this film was, however, when my friend Alaina asked if I wanted to spend a Sunday walking around while she photographed I whole heartedly agreed. Despite many of the sky shots being blown out I thought I had a few good ones in the mix. You really lose something in photographs once they're scanned though in my opinion. Ah, the digital age.

Endings.

I don't write much in here, for a blog I suppose. I'm much more of a visual person so I usually prefer photographs and drawings, little hand written quotes or small snippets of thought. Although I must admit, some days are worth slowing down to write and read. Today should be spent running around town finally getting errands done seeing as I will have visitors in this weekend. However, Basis, where I am currently working as contracted designer, is done for the weekend while I wait for proofs back. The chocolate shop doesn't have me scheduled until this evening, and studio work has been in full swing all week. This allows me to not feel so guilty taking this morning off.

On that note...
There are certain days where I surprise myself; today was one of them. I woke up from a sleep filled with odd dreams after a conversation that left me uneasy before I went to bed. I decided instead of letting it fester all day I should just say something. I wrote a letter to this person. I didn't intend for it to be long (I wasn't even sure if I should send it) But it all came out, surprisingly just the way I wanted to say it. I get slack from a few people close to me for not being assertive enough, for not getting angry, for being too nice. Perhaps that's true but I try to not think of it in a negative way. Instead I remind myself that getting mad and yelling or saying something irrational probably won't make me feel better for much longer anyway. Things happen in life you don't expect but one thing every event has in common is that it can not be undone. So, no more what ifs.

I won't explain what was said in this post. It's personal and don't feel it's necessary for anyone else to read. However, I will say it ended with this:
Next time I do run into you I'm sure I'll smile, maybe give you a hug and we'll make small talk for a few minutes while we wait for beers or coffee, and it will be as if nothing happened. Or at least that's really all I can hope for.

That's it, the perfect ending to this story. Maybe they will never understand, or agree, to how I was feeling but that's just human nature. People come into your life for all sorts of reasons, and sometimes they won't always be in it for very long. You should always try and remember them for what they were and how they helped you grow. I rarely say exactly what I'm feeling but today I did, and it felt good. I can't help but feel like this is the start of a new chapter, and I couldn't be more excited.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Rainy days.

Tonight brought the colder weather here in Grand Rapids; drizzling rain and darker days. It is almost an exact replica of a day last week, my time spent with design edits in my sunroom. The mornings filled with chai tea lattes and evenings with curry pad thai. Days and nights such as these are quite relaxing to me, even when there is plenty to accomplish. They are quiet and poetic, and I am not complaining a bit.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

T-Shirt Sunda(y)es

As the newest member of the NotDesign studio I am just now getting really acclimated to the space and all it's wonderful resources. Lately I've been doing my freelance work out of there and although it hasn't been much creative fun it's been great having a space to go to where I feel I can get some serious work done. Also! Drew, Kate, and I started a little something fun called T-Shirt Sundaes where we all go in on Sunday, print t-shirts, and eat ice cream*

Here is a little evidence from our first set of experiments.

T-Shirt Sundaes from Elyse Flynn on Vimeo.


Hopefully many more to come.

*Note: Ice cream is a relative term and so far has consisted of not ice cream, rather danishes and Cherry Deli on various occasions