Concept Design // Bluepanelshoe

This art-turned-fashion shoe by Dutch designer Marloes ten Bhömer is one for my mantel, if I had one. After researching “the cultural connotations of women’s footwear, as well as the way high heels are constructed,” Bhömer created the “Bluepanelshoe.” 

This eccentric creation consists of a piece of leather which moulded to contour the wearer’s foot and a piece of steel that is attached to create a heel, is one of 17 concept pumps based on movement.  

According to an article in Dezeen, Bhomer, “takes into account the way high heels stike the lateral side of the foot to propel the wearer forward.” In turn she wants to disrupt the role in which high heels play in our society.

Look for her work at the Coded_Couture exhibit on 12 February 2016 through April 30, 2016 at Pratt Manhattan Gallery in NYC.

Junkmail Delights

Recently I took on the task of purging items that had taken a lengthy residence on my home office desk. In doing so I came across a plethora of junk mail that unbeknownst to me possessed delightful gems that I had been overlooking for years — the security graphics! Most of these beauties that we know to help protect the identity of sensitive content being shared contain a bounty of intricate lines, squiggles, and doodles in blue or black. As I amassed my pool of them, I couldn't help thinking of the numerous projects they were inspiring me to create: textiles, apparel graphics, layout backgrounds, tiles, etc.  Can you hear me squeaking with delight! Stay tuned for updates on what they yield.

 

 

For more take a peek at Safe and Sound!

Smitten with ...Paper Artist Fideli Sundqvist

As a creative personality and one that has her hands in both the one-dimensional and three-dimensional world, I have a great appreciation for many artists –especially those that work with their hands. Meet Agnes Cecilia Fideli Siri Charlotte Sundqvist or Fideli Sundqvist for short. She is the Swedish paper craft artist who has been visually storytelling for advertising and editorials since the early 2000s.

Sundqvist stumbled into this world while attending Konstfack University based in Sweden. During her sophomore year her brother who was studying in Beijing shared with her a paper art book which ended up being the catalyst to her obsession with the medium. For her senior project she spent ten weeks carefully crafting Tilly and Gul – an elephant's adventures –  for her senior project. What followed next was a career that allowed her to take her skills to the next level and do something she truly loved.

Sundqvist, who doesn't speak english, has won numerous awards and made many tv appearances in her native country. While she has many clients internationally who enjoy commissioning her for their brands, she has gifted the rest of us with an awesome instructional book showcasing how to create 40 of her works. If this is something your interested in learning more about, pickup up I Love Paper! And if you're in Sweden, swing by her current exhibition!

Repurposing ...The Telephone Booth

A couple of weeks ago I came across a 2012 Japanese art installation (below) involving old telephone booths and goldfish. It was such a beautiful and brilliant idea that I not only wanted to share it but investigate how others were converting this dated architecture. 

IMAGES BY KINGYOBU


CANADA
Contexture Design's 'Home Phone' sought to assist the homeless by providing them with the basic necessity –  a home.  While it may not be the best solution to conquering the homeless problem in the city, they believe it's an "opportunity for discussion."

IMAGES FROM CONTEXTURE DESIGN

LONDON

Seeking wifi? Don't pass by these vintage booths too quickly. Most, if not all of them, have been changed into free public wifi stations where you can plug in and recharge.

FRANCE

Creatives Benoit Deseille and Benedetto Bufalino created installations over several years that involved exotic fish throughout Europe. Unlike the Japanese one above this one lights up at night.

SMITTEN WITH ...Papercutter Catherine Winkler Rayroud

Catherine Winkler Rayroud has perfected the art of papercutting. With 30 years of creating intricate paper pieces under her belt, this Swiss born femme fatale is quite the scissorhand (sorry bad pun). Her work which has been showcased around the world has landed her many awards and accolades varying from 'Honorable Mention' to 'Best in Show.' Now based in Houston, Winkler continues to delight with masterpieces with works such as these lingerie pieces and accessories that inspire fans local and abroad. She's clearly a cut above the rest!

PHOTOS FROM CATHERINEWINKLERRAYOUD.COM

Me and 'My Adidas'

With all these Adidas collaborations going on, the latest being the already sold-out Kanye West Yeezy Boosts, I fell victim to my own peer pressure to have a another piece of the legendary brand. No I didn't pay $350 for Kanye's below. I put down $90 for something more original and classic — The Adidas Superstars!

You know them oh too well. White shell toe with an all leather upper, a non-scuffing rubber sole and  three glorious stripes. The shoe available in low and hightop versions was and is the epitome of classic cool. Launched in 1969 and marketed to basketball players throughout the 70s, the shoe quickly monopolized the league. By end of end of the decade, 75% of the NBA teams were playing in  the performance lines. 

And then ...drum roll ... RUN DMC, who wore the shoes with the tongues out, rapped about them in their 1986 song "My Adidas," as a rebuttal to the haters who weren't feeling the urban look that involved Adidas gear, Kangos and gold chains. One song and thousands of followers later, the Superstars became a household accessory. The group eventually signed a $1 million dollar endorsement deal (though that wasn't the case at first) and the rest is history. 

To read more about others who played a significant role in the lines history check out High Snobiety. For insider info regarding new Superstar collabs join the Adidas Superstar Facebook page. In the meantime, I'm gonna throw on my track jacket, put in some big gold hoops and rock 'My Adidas' literally and figuratively. 

Bloomingdales + Crayola Team Up for Spring Campaign

For a gal who loves creating designs out of found objects, nothing makes me want to concept a project like childhood instruments refashioned into clothing. Growing up — heck throughout my adulthood, I dreamed of dresses constructed of paper, those tiny pompoms as earrings and rubber bands as bracelets. Oh wait that latter did happen. They were called jelly bracelets and all 80s kids had them. Anyway, the story here is that retailer Bloomingdale's has commissioned 12 fashion designers using assigned Crayola colors to create an exclusive collection. Out of the 12, seven of them pushed it even further with crayon sculpted ready-to-wear pieces. Now don't get excited about seeing these works of art at a Bloomingdale's near you. They're only onsite at New York's 59th location. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW CARASELLA

DESIGNER Rebecca Minkoff  // CRAYOLA COLOR Banana Mania (Above)

DESIGNER Ronny Kobo  // CRAYOLA COLOR Bittersweet

DESIGNER Clover Canyon  // CRAYOLA COLOR Mountain Meadow

DESIGNER Rebecca Taylor  // CRAYOLA COLOR Midnight Blue

DESIGNER Nanette Lepore  // CRAYOLA COLOR Unmellow Yellow

DESIGNER Cynthia Rowley  // CRAYOLA COLOR Denim

DESIGNER Parker  // CRAYOLA COLOR Jungle Green

Not Your Average Rolling Pin

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not a baker -not even a little bit and though I come from a long line of exquisite bakers, I admit the skill skipped me and went directly to my brother whose an avid one. With that admission, I CAN say I support the trade in other ways umm ...taste tests anyone?

I recently came across an awesome culinary tool by artist Zuzia Kozerska that is both useful and artful. Sold through her Etsy shop, Valek Rolling Pins, bakers and designers alike can purchase beautiful graphic laser-engraved rolling pins out of beech wood. The patterns which include typographic and geometric icons like dogs, cats, robots and hamburgers are perfect gifts for a foodie friend or a hostess in addition to being a conversation starter. Note that they come in kids sizes too! Prices start at $41.67.

PHOTOS BY VALEKROLLINGPINS.COM

SMITTEN WITH …The Heydar Aliyev Center

February Type Project: 1-15

15 days ago I decided to launch my personal blog which crazy as it sounds was hard to do. Read the previous post and you'll get a sense of where my mind was. The same day I also decided to start a typography project to get me inspired because to be honest, lately I've been feeling REALLY uninspired. Maybe its the weather ...maybe its work ...maybe its DC ...maybe it's just the timing right now ...whatever it was I figured this daily series that involved constructing numbers out of found objects would challenge my creativity and encourage me to have some fun! Take a look and let me know what you think!

Can't figure out the items pictured? Let me help you:
Day 1 Rolo chocolates (Created before I ate the entire bag)
Day 2 Post-its! (Inspired by an album cover my friends Juan and Lina created)
Day 3 Stacked magazines (They surround me 95% of the time)
Day 4 Raw sugar
Day 5 T-pins (Key mannequin styling accessory)
Day 6 Earrings (I have an absurd amount of this must accessory)
Day 7 Gold spray painted walnuts
Day 8 Belts (Another day, another GAP styling job)
Day 9 Scotch tape (Channeling my inner Luba Lukova or Christoph Niemann)

Day 10 Lego (This is actually a Lego calendar given by my dear friend Nicole F)
Day 11 Crayons (every creative should have a box of these)
Day 12 Masking tape
Day 13 Belvita biscuits (What happens when you have crumbs lying around)
Day 14 Toilet paper
Day 15 Rocks

See the rest of the numbers daily via my Instagram.

#FitIn15

Zumba? Check. Jazzercise? Check. Gym time? Check. Above are some great items to help you look good while you sweat! Now get down and give me five! 

 

1 | Adidas Sports Bra $45
2 | Athleta Tee $44
3 | Wayfair Wrist Weights $10
4 | New Balance Sneakers $100
5 | Nike Headband $15
6 | Fitbit $149
7 | Without Walls Yoga Mat $65

Look Ma! I Have My Own Blog!

It's February 1, 2015 and after much scolding from friends, bouts of self-doubt, endless drafts regarding content, and general p r o c r a s t i n a t i o n, I've launched the blog you're reading. I took a cue from Nike and decided tonight to JUST DO IT. (I lie, I actually pondered several weeks over the launch date, thought the first of a month would be memorable and then blew off most of the day eating Hershey's chocolate carmel rolos and ravioli. What? I'm human.)

So anyway, here I am writing my own post for who I'm not 100% sure but feeling good that I can just rattle on and on about things I love (design, fashion, pop culture) without worrying about who the demographic its targeting or geared towards. As mentioned in my bio, I'm not a wordsmith or an editor but a visual person in the world of creativity. I don't have a copy editor or managing editor to police my grammar and sentence structure. What I do have is the foresight to spot great design, recognize the talents of amazing people and a keen fashion sense.

If I can pull this off, I'll being sharing products and design I find interesting weekly. Interviewing designers in a plethora of disciplines. Featuring architecture that defines traditional designs. Spotlighting artists and photographers that make meaningful work (or not). Pumping myself up for a 5k with "Fit in 15" fitness fashion posts and lastly making sure to give a shout out to an underrepresented demographic I fall into - African American creatives.

I know I just outlined a long list but I'm gonna give it the college try and try to post week by week. It's a new year. Looking forward to what 2015 has in store!

Thanks for stopping by.