Crispy Creative

These cookies are off the chain. They're like something Deborah Foreman would eat after Barbizon modeling lessons back in the '80s. I don't even want to eat them; I want to collect them and trade them like stickers. I met Danielle Cheek (the woman who makes these) at First Thursdays and she is just as charming and fun as the cookies she creates.

Love Ashbery

I'm drawn to the narrative quality of these works by poet John Ashbery, who recently had his first gallery show at age 81. The figures in his collages seem like intrepid little adventurers in their own upside-down, fairytale worlds. Even though Mr. Ashbery's main focus in life has been poetry, he has been creating collage as a hobby since the 1940s.

Bathroom Bunnies

If you ever shop at Room Service here in Austin, you simply must go to the bathroom. They have this insane bunny collection covering every surface. It's a real mind-bender. Whenever I see this collection it really brings Easter to life, no matter the time of year. 

Biomorphic Birdwatching

I've been exploring the outer reaches of the interwebs and I've come back to bring you Sugarloop. This inspired collection of prints, by artist Bernadette Sipkes of New Zealand, provides a wonderfully whimsical interpretation of Mother Nature's wonders.

Packaging Circa 1970

This shiny object was found in my TA desk on campus, where it seems to have languished for decades (it's still full of paperclips). I like the way the stylized image of a paperclip is integrated into the overall design. The colors, the typeface, and the logo were all carefully laid out. Even the registered trademark is neatly centered above the "o".

Mid-Century Modernist Mosaics

Clever Container Cultivation

I think succulents are my favorite plants. They're like little flowers that never fade. They're easy to maintain and easy to propagate, and they look great in containers.




The garden above belongs to my neighbor down the street. I haven't met her yet but I really want to talk to her about her garden. I love how the Southwestern pottery compliments the colors and textures of the plants. The images below are from Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco, where they make these eye-catching wall hangings out of succulents.

Triumphant Typefaces

One of the first things I noticed when I moved to Austin were the wonderful old signs on all the mid-century apartment buildings. These simple painted wood cut outs have an arresting visual impact and imbue the structures they adorn with an added sense of style and pride. It's as if they're saying "we might be apartments but we're still upper middle class, thank you very much."