heysusy

Layered Stripes

I can't get enough of these stitched, layered, natural striped patterns.

Especially loving this Vietnamese Hilltribe pillow (how perfectly positioned is that red embroidered accent?)

And this set of notecards - I would use them as artwork - by one of my favorite...actually, probably my absolute favorite... paper designers. *

 

 

* other than myself

Space and Place { pattern inspiration }

As a pattern and surface designer, I'm really into three dimensional objects that create a flat optical effect while staying dimensional.

I often get asked the question "what inspires you"... and to be honest, I am never really sure how to describe my inspiration. I guess in the future I could refer people to this post...because, well, this is what it looks like.

Clockwise from Top
Wire Handle Basket
Scalloped Wire Basket
Loopy Wire Basket
Handmade Wire Basket

Romper Room { leisure time }

 

 

I have, for a long time, wanted to start a croquet club. Ever since I lived in Cambridge, MA, it's been a dream. While I have no idea how to play, I certainly know what I would wear - knickers or floods, anything itchy with elbow patches; and what I would serve as finger food and beverage - spicy bloody marys, Royal Crown soda, deviled eggs, mini club sandwiches, pimentos and cheeses on decorative toothpics. For dessert? Tarts.

Anyway, just a few items I found inspiring up here. Loving the look of these playful, retro, recreational items.

Croquet Set Here

Dart Board Here

Nehi Here - Later Known as Royal Crown - the soda of True Leisure!

Put it in Neutral

My goodness, I've been away for a long time. A lot has been going on with me, and I've been going through some things, artistically, which have been making me need to gather my strength and hibernate.I have changed some things around, so I have more design-time available. To be honest, after three years of carving out a space for myself, and my business, and driving driving driving... having MORE time to explore is kind of strange new territory. It is a little scary, in a way. WHAT NOW.

That is what each of these things up here makes me feel inspired by...new territory. New places to explore that I didn't know existed. Something open-ended and mysterious.

Necklace - and in fact all of Pamela Love's Fall 2010 Collection
Woven Baskets- Saw these in person and they are delicious! Also an interesting choice of color...
Artist Scarf Series - Particularly this one up here
This Dress - like the shape and motif- a great pattern for the city.

 

 

Grey Gardens

 

Feeling so inspired by this photo - it brings so many other images to mind.... Love the graphite color, too...

Found here

 

Collage Montage

I love the collage-inspired look of these scarves by Christian Dior. The photo-realistic effect in the lower designs is particularly great. I love how the red one looks like a collage out of fashion magazines... it really speaks to the fashion audience, and feels inspired by them. I would love to see rainwear printed like this -- boots, slickers, umbrellas...

MOAR MOAR MOAR DIOR here

Great Nice Weird Ugly

When I got my first junior junior design job, the principal of the studio gave me the book Make It Bigger  by Paula Scher.

I think the phrase "Make it Bigger" is probably one of my favorites. I saw Paula Scher speak in Boston, and her talk centered on that idea. For designers, it's a phrase that often comes across from the client's side of the table...as in, make our logo bigger, so there is a double entendre since much of Scher's work is about scale and changing what we're capable of visually accepting...always a thought I liked a lot.

I came across the book again about a week ago and looked through it. At the end, I found the excerpt up here. I have paraphrased so that it's a bit more generalized but this is the essence. Push it! Then push it again!