Inspiration Board + Swipe File

When we listed our house, I had to "stage" my inspiration bulletin board in our office room so now that things are getting back to normal, I used the opportunity to put together a new board using images from my swipe file I have had since university where I toss in anything I find inspiring from postcards to magazine tear sheets. Things included on the board this time include a few different thank-you cards with delicate patterns on them, a blue-and-gold chocolate bar wrapper from Kazakhstan, a page torn from an old book and a swatch of wrapping paper among other things.

[Inspiration Board: a place in my office I can turn to for ideas]

[Swipe File: where it all gets stored when not pinned up on the wall]

Love the Design

Just discovered this new vintage store, Love the Design, that opened on Queen East in Toronto this past weekend. From graphic design and stationary design to now opening a vintage interiors store, each of Christine Flynn's passions have become successful businesses.

Love the Design looks like the kind of store where I would spend hours looking at each object because everything is carefully curated and unique. Her website, lovethedesign.com, is just as enjoyable to browse featuring photography and stationary design as well as a blog featuring her work as well as other store within the Toronto area.

[Love the Design Website]

[Love the Design - Photography Portfolio]

New Oscar Envelope Design

I think it was Tom Hanks who, while presenting, commented on the re-design of the award envelopes at the Academy Awards. A good image of the envelope finally surfaced online so you can see it without someone holding it. Check it out below and read about it on the blog Redesign Related.

[Oscar Envelope: Redesign Related]

Water for Elephants

I am currently reading Water for Elephants - the novel by Canadian author Sara Gruen which is coming out on April 22nd as a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. The reason for featuring it here is because normally books with gorgeous cover art are replaced with less-stunning posters from the film and sometimes equally disappointing films. But the poster art for Water for Elephants already lives up to the book cover and the film looks as though it will live up to the book. Check out both below and see the film trailer here.

[Water for Elephants book cover - design by Robert C. Gruen, photography by Kathleen Finlay, Corbis and Jean Laughton]