the talented ashley meaders

Oh my, aren't the scenes in these photos enchanting? This fabric installation was made of braided fabric, hand-sewn garland, fabric strips, and lights by the ever-creative Ashley Meaders for the wedding of the uber-talented photographer, Max Wanger.

Ashley makes a lot of other neat things for events & parties... like plush yodel bubbles for photobooth props at Google's Annual Oktoberfest. I like the way this lady thinks....

le love and why i love it

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and while I'm not into the consumerism/commercial aspect of it, and I believe love should be celebrated any & every day, but I love seeing all the creative things the design world has put together in honor of the holiday [hence the last few posts I've made]. I also really love the way a single image/thing/project can make you feel, and that is what art and love is all about. Happy Valentine's Day everyone, I hope you take a moment to appreciate something in your life that you love, whether it's a person, a feeling, or a creative endeavor and celebrate that.

Having trouble coming up with something? Find some inspiration here on this relatively new [and ingenious] site, by Thought & Theory, called yiloveit.com where you can read about profess love about anything and everything.

{images from the Le Love blog, which is also definitely worth checking out too}

whimsy & spice

I used to bake [and blog] pretty often... but lately my free time has been slim to none. Today I stumbled upon a lovely website, Whimsy & Spice, and I am smitten.

"Whimsy & Spice was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Mark Sopchak and Jenna Park, who combine their skills and more than 12 years of experience in culinary arts and graphic design to produce a distinctive line of handmade sweets."

I love how amazingly styled the photographs and website are. Which I'm sure is thanks to Jenna, whom leads all of the company's branding and creative efforts. I'll have two Pumpkin Ginger Sandwich Cookies, please.

{all photos from Whimsy & Spice website}

backyard sunday

Hope you are having a lazy, delightful sunday.



Are you possibly hanging out on some lovely patios?


Take a look at the lovely patio selections featured over on Domino Magazine's website.



Or maybe you are taking a dip in a refreshing pool?



Isn't this pool at the Jay Paley residence amazing?

{via style court and domino}

carolyn quartermaine

Like yesterday's white + color inspiration, this home of Carolyn Quartermaine is so incredible. I love the delicate balance of white and blushing pink.

Bits of modern, color and rustic.

Turquoise in the kitchen is a must.

Fresh flowers and patterned wall hangings always welcome.

Sheer romance never hurts.

{photos vogue living australia / via poppytalk}

[disclaimer: I apologize for posting this entry twice. I am out of town in Columbia, South Carolina for the weekend - helping my younger sister move into her dorm room at USC - and I had scheduled this post on Friday night, and for some reason when it went live earlier today the flickr images didn't make it. So hopefully this won't happen to the two posts I scheduled for tomorrow. In the meantime... on with the original post.]

on with the white inspiration...

I feel like this white danish home with colorful accents is everything I wish my home was. It has all the colors I love and gravitate towards, yet lots of white. Clean, very clean looking.

Like bright colors, I am gravitated towards great patterns and a strong ethnic flair.

{photos / via the style files}

pattern by hand

oh, i really love a lot of things about this space.

{via design*sponge}

small magazine

Have you ever heard of Small Magazine? Although it seems like they are on their 6th issue, I just discovered Small Magazine today. It appears to be an exclusively online publication.

For anyone with little kiddies in their life (or anyone who can appreciate good design for wee ones) take a look at the magazine. They show off some really cool artists.

And feature some pretty amazing photography.

I love the For Frida spread {pictured above}.

{via Black*Eiffel}

live wire farm

Today I was on the Domino magazine website checking out Grace's affordable bathroom accessories under $100 monthly gallery contribution, and one of the things she featured this month was a hand-carved wooden hook from Vermont's Live Wire Farm. Upon further curiosity I hopped over to the Live Wire Farm website and I was really impressed with the photography and photo styling for their products.

I love the clean, raw look. The photos were styled by Susan Robohm and the photography was done by Ewan Burns.

lowrys farm {vain and vapid}

i'm interrupting a late-night work session to bring you these great images. i recently came across another new note-worthy blog called vain and vapid, and on her blog she mentioned this really cool japanese based label called lowrys farm.

the catalog has some really great stylized and designed images... in the layout of a newspaper no less. since i am knee-deep in newspaper page layouts myself, i felt they were appropriate to share.

take a look at the lowrys farm website, it's neat and in japanese (so you may have a hard time understanding what it says). you should also check out vain and vapid if you're looking for a great fashion-inspired read.

'the little zoo' by elizabeth soule

today i want to show off the photography of elizabeth soule. she has a whole series of polaroids called 'the little zoo', which you can see on her website. but you can buy these prints mounted on a 8"x8" wooden frame from her esty shop. i love these images by themselves, but also think they would be a great series of art to have in a nursery or child's room.

gifts for $50 or less

log bowls ($50) / thomaspaul bali pillow ($40)

wren eleven doily coasters ($45) / yoshimoto cube ($48)




"setting of the rising sun" print ($30)

camila prada booty shakers (£35 for a pair) / coe & waito bird bowls ($48)




hardwood tree serving trays ($36) / "come to me" print ($32.50




moon bell chimes ($44.95) / cavalier brooch in olive the candy thief ($30)

birch bark display kit ($28) / button trays by roost ($48)




embroidered medallion pillow ($32)

bangle jewelry box ($32) / diana lomo camera ($50)

pictobrowser

i just found the neatest flickr application called pictobrowser. i'm testing it out on my blog, and apparently it works! how nifty. well, the photo show above is from my 'rachel best blogs' photo collection on flickr.

i am photographing a friend's wedding this fall, and this application will be a great way / easy way to showcase photos outside of the typical flickr look. thank you to the cool hunting blog for pointing it out!

ready, set, go!

in lieu of having just bought plane tickets to spain, i dedicate this post to... TRAVEL!

1. the moleskine city notebook allows you to keep track of your travels by making your own guidebook. it features metro maps, station index, zone maps and street index, 42 blank pages, 96 notched pages for your city file, 32 detachable sheets, 12 translucent sticky sheets to trace, and expandable inner pocket.

2. the F1 IDENTIFLYER TAG is a feature product from the [great] travel gear website Flight 001.

3. i am in love with this item, a graphic style clutch from Loop! perfect size for your plane tickets, passports, metro cards, and other travel documents. found on the kitschy site, fred flare. [pssst, locals! i also saw this clutch in five points' edge city... and i think it was tad bit cheaper too!]



4. this is an expand-a-bag! i can't think of a better thing to bring. toss it in your suitcase on the way there, and then carry it on your shoulder on the way back when it's full of all the goodies you bought that didn't fit in your luggage!

5 and 6. are a little tribute to the wonderful world of real film and lomography. first is the Lomographic Horizon Compact Panorama Camera, "Its glass swing-lens pans a full 120° from left to right as soon as you press the (exposure release) button. The Horizon image is then magnificently captured across an e-x-t-r-a-w-i-d-e 58mm of film - almost the width of two "normal" 35mm frames. Mind you, this is still using the standard, easy-to-find 35mm film that we all know and love. High resolution panoramic shots of people and space, skylines and broad vistas are captured seamlessly in striking clarity and regal colours." [accoring to adorama.] Second, we have the Lomo Super Sampler 4 Lens Panoramic 35mm Camera. I gave this camera to my sister for christmas, and it really is cool and fun! It captures 4 panoramic sequential images, all on one regular photo print.

7. F1 SAFETY MAKEUP BOX, another featured [and exclusive] item of flight001.com. it's your general toiletries bag, but printed in airplane safety graphics. how silly and neat!