PERK UP

I love a cool snap in the air and the freshness of winter. I love bundling up, putting on thick socks, and getting cozy at night with tons of blankets. I want to hold on to the cool weather, but I'm starting to realize how much I need some sunlight in my life. This girl has been having some wintery blues. Not anything serious, just low levels of serotonin. The back and forth weather hasn't been helping either, with constant allergies or colds. I feel wiped out.

With spring (mostly) here, I've found a lot of hope. There are bright colors everywhere, blossoms on the trees, doors open everywhere. I have been spending more time out on my porch and with my plants. There is so much beauty in touching life - even if it is merely a plant. I touch the leaves, I prune the plants, water them, and I feel so much more connected to the bigger picture.

I'm trying my best to stay focused on happy things, and the stuff that really counts. It also helps that I have some really great friends who cheer me on all the time. I just keep reminding myself that living is out there and I just need to squeeze it for all it's got! I mean that in the sense of drawing outside of the lines. Laughing for no reason, jumping on the bed, having adventures, driving no where in particular. Okay, maybe not jumping on the bed - mine would totally break in an instant. I had this idea that a little retail therapy would help, and it did, for like a second. It's doing something different that helps me break out of the everyday mold. It's what helps me hold on to moments (I have a terrible memory) and appreciate the every day.

So here's to looking forward to a brighter, cheerful new season, with more uncontrollable laughs, more plants, more sillies, more memory making, and definitely less colds and blues.


design by me

Home // Closet // Tool: LILLY LAMPE

Lilly Lampe is a freelance writer who produces Out There Atlanta, a weekly podcast covering people, places and events. She studied art history and received a masters from the University of Chicago. If she's not reading or writing about food and art, she's probably thinking about food or art.



Home //
This is my favorite section of the apartment I share with my husband. The chair and side table were beat-up thrift finds that I tore apart, painted, and reupholstered in a wild 24-hour spree. Once I start a project I obsess over it; hence, the terrariums lining the windows and covering the tables. I had to stop making terrariums after we ran out of space for them.



Closet //
I have an embarrassing number of striped shirts. If it's striped and on sale, I can't resist. There have been weeks when I've worn a different striped shirt every day.

Tool //
I like to switch up location when I'm writing, and rely on this backpack to carry all my gear. It's by Makr, a small company out of Florida. Everything they make is so utilitarian and perfectly constructed. I'm slowly replacing my essential totes and satchels with items by Makr. I recently upgraded my audio recorder and couldn't be happier. I made a little matching carrying case to protect it.

podcast // portfolio

photos by me

DREAMY ELIZABETH DARE

Stumbling around Flickr, I found the beautiful film photographs by Elizabeth Dare. Her Flickr has an incredible collection, as well as her blog, Weepy Hollow.

VIDEO: MARY YELLOW OSTRICH

Tim Lampe is a writer for I'm A Bear! Etc. who went to a show last night that featured a band on stilts playing a synthesizer attached to a shovel.

Yes! It's Music Tuesday again on Glass & Sable. Today's post is dedicated to all things Yellow Ostrich. Before getting to that, it's a magnificent release day for music. Andrew Bird has a new one called "Break It Yourself", White Rabbits have released their new one "Milk Famous", and Miniature Tigers "Mia Pharaoh" is out too.

This week I'm focusing on Yellow Ostrich, who have released their sophomore effort "Strange Land" today! Yellow Ostrich was a project started by Alex Shaarf and he created the debut "The Mistress" all by himself, using loops and doing everything himself. This time around he's back with Michael Tapper and Jon Natchez and a full-band sound.

The video featured here is for the track "Mary", an alternate version of the track featured on "The Mistress". I think the video is fantastic, and stay tuned to the last leg of the video in which it explodes into color.

Additionally, for your listening pleasure, you can listen to the first single off "Strange Land" titled "Marathon Runner" below! You won't be disappointed.

Yellow Ostrich -- Marathon Runner by deadsoundie

ANNA MALMBERG

No Snippets today, as I was not keeping track with much of anything this week. Though I did want to share this gem. Gorgeous photography by Anna Malmberg for Mes Dames as found in the #026 issue of N.E.E.T. Magazine. This entire collection of photos are absolutely beautiful. I want to live in that rosey colored world. Don't you?

Home // Closet // Tool: AMY ANDERSON

Amy Anderson, the wonderful lady behind Parker, Etc., has worked in the music industry for the last 7 years. First as a manager in Texas and London, then at an agency and now at an indie record label in New York City. She has been all over the music sphere! Her blog is a space created to share the other side of her life - interior design, fashion and intimate dinner gatherings. Anderson currently resides in Brooklyn with her talented husband, Eric.



HOME //
My husband and I are fans of large art and even bigger fans and supporters of our fellow artistic friends. This original chalk piece was done by the talented Dana Tanamachi and it may be the single reason we will never move out of our apartment! Living in a loft style living space, the walls are taller and larger than usual and, with the help of Dana, we didn't have to feel like it was a massive bare space, but more a unique and one-of-a-kind piece of art.



CLOSET //
This watch was my grandfather's. We share the same middle name, along with my great-grandfather and my father -- Parker. He was the most adorable and most devoted grandfather there ever was. As a kid, he would volunteer at my elementary school helping out teachers with simple chores, just to get to spend all the time he possibly could with me and my sister. Over the years my style and jewelry choices have changed, but one thing will always be constant... I will never find a better watch to replace what I already have. It goes with everything in my closet.

TOOL //
I'm a jewelry maker on the side and needed something to help me visualize the pieces I was making besides taking them on and off my own neck..... which, lets be honest, was growing tiresome! When I found this vintage dress form, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. Not sure if anyone out there reading this is a Friday Night Lights fan, but I named her after my current idol... Tami Taylor!

blog and shop // twitter

photos by Amy's husband, Eric Ryan Anderson.

TAKING DOWN NOTES

Last week I went home early from work due to these crazy allergies I have. I never used to have any type of allergy, but maybe because I'm always around plants and soil (and dust?), I think it's gotten the best of me. So I managed to take a nice relaxing nap (you could also call it passing out from Benadryl) and drank some mint tea. It was actually nice to take a little unexpected break. That previous weekend I had gone thrifting with my friend Jessie, and I never showed you what I came home with. Two tennis rackets! (They were $1.30 each!!!)



I haven't decided where to put them yet, but that's okay. I've worked out the main furniture layouts in my apartment, but there is still more I want to do. So after pinning a bunch of ideas, I decided the best way to really put down my thoughts would be to sketch it out. So I took a few corners of the apartment that need work, and did a before and after. I drew out what I had been envisioning, and wrote down the list of all the things I'd need for each room. If I have a clear vision of what I want to do, it is so much easier for me to actually get it down. I'm feeling good about this!

SIMPLE SONG

A new song from The Shins. It's been stuck in my head for the last few days. Enjoy!

SNIPPETS NO.3

1. A beautiful tour of Tara Mangini & Percy Bright's home by Design Sponge. They have the perfect little place with impeccable styling. So much inspiration here.

2. How Companies Learn Your Secrets: An incredibly interested 9 page long New York Times article on marketing strategies by Target, Febreeze, and others. I was totally captivated on how these companies can figure out that a teenage girl is pregnant even before her parents know. It also contains interesting facts on how humans form habits - which comes in handy if you're planning to make or break some.

3. This is a great baby announcement video by John Jenson that gets many bonus points for design elements and cinematography.

4. Clock DIY for folks with good taste and low funds. IKEA Clock + H&M belts. Can't get better than that. Well, maybe if IKEA sold belts, too.

Happy Fridays, friends! Have a great weekend!

Home // Closet // Tool: JASON TRAVIS

Jason Travis or 'J Trav' as he is known to most, approaches each day with a huge grin and seemingly boundless energy as a graphic designer, musician, and photographer. Central to all of these endeavors is Jason's love of people and relationships. After graduating from Ernest G. Welch School of Design in 2007, he embarked on his most far-reaching project to date, the Persona photo series. This project resonated with viewers winning an award from PDN, as well as appearing on CNN, Gizmodo, New York Times, USA Today, Marie Claire, and more.



HOME // Wooden Owl from Tokyo
Most people I know have at least one animal collectible. For me its owls, and I have a few. I've always loved them, and I even have a pirate owl tattoo. Its strange to me that animals can be trendy in pop culture. Wolves, elephants, unicorns, owls, etc. Do animals really ever go out of style? I don't think so. I'm still going to appreciate my owl tattoo when I'm an old man. I picked up this unique wooden owl at a gift shop in Tokyo over Christmas 2005. I was with my cousin and 2 best friends and I'll never forget that experience.



CLOSET // My Father's Washington Cup 10K Run Medal from 1980
I started running because my father was a runner. Plain and simple. I look up to him. He's given me a lot of his race shirts and medals. He was an avid runner before I was born and my entire childhood and he'd sometimes take me along to races and meets. This medal is from 1980, a year before I was born. I really love all his old running memorabilia, it has such a simple, classic feel to it. Sometimes I wear his medals for fun.



TOOL // Micron Pen 005
A few years ago I started using Micron pens and I haven't looked back since. My favorite is the 005. Incredibly thin. I use this pen for all my illustration work. I recently did a photo campaign for Sam Flax and I must have stocked up on about 25 Micron pens. Now I have an arsenal for quite some time.

graphic design // photography // persona series // blog

photos by me