guide to a better year

No resolutions for me this year; I don't need to open that door to possible failures, with my old enemy guilt waiting to meet me, arms open wide. At the same time who doesn't love the feeling of a clean slate or having a reason to keep striving for a better/happier life... so I can't entirely resist. Here is my personal guide to having a great 2011.

merry christmas!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas, complete with festive headwear.

[ image via Vintage Photographs]

ampersand + the art of penmanship

Don't ask me why but every now and then my friends and I partake in a "game" of show me your handwriting. We really know how to have a good time... or maybe I should say I do, because I think I'm the weirdo that always starts this. It only makes sense that I would like this old series of exercises from a penmanship course, which is currently being sold at Ampersand.

alex leme

Alex Leme has a fantastic series called Small Town. I'm not sure where these images are taken, but it almost doesn't matter... it could be any small town and to me that makes it more fascinating. Not to diminish the personal story being told by these photographs, but pick any rural part of the United States and you'll find a similar landscape. Here in Texas they are all over the place and I find them both alluring and heartbreaking at the same time.

[ via Flak Photo]

See more of my favorites after the jump. 

book plate

I have wanted to make bookplates for ages and it's one of those things I haven't gotten around to yet. I saw this from Bad Penny Press and was naturally enamored; it could be an illustrated cousin to the 12 Step philosophy.

1 minute photoshop: domination

Even in these modern times tragedy can still strike and you find yourself with a very pink wardrobe. How can one piece of fabric yield so much power. Thanks a lot for the sneak attack.

nutty cutter

I don't carry a knife and generally do not wear gold but this necklace makes me rethink that policy. It will be mine. Someday. The beehive locket is pretty great too. All of Contrary's jewelry can be seen here.

funny or die presents

So I guess that Funny or Die Presents came out on HBO about a year ago. Honestly I have no idea and only just discovered the show using the OnDemand option. It has served my household (household? me + boyfriend + pets) well in times of boredom or extreme brain fatigue. There are actually some pretty funny moments with a who's who of famous comedic actors. But that's not why I'm posting this; I have really gotten a kick out of the show's graphics -- opening credits and transition shots. The music is kinda groovy too. Another season debuts in January, and the late night TV addict in me can't wait.

1 minute photoshop: mediocrity

Yeah, I have added yet another half-glass illustration into the world, further driving the cliche into overdone territory. I can't seem to help how I feel though, or stop myself from letting the world (or 10 people) know that life right now is feeling like a big glass of meh. Could be worse, could be better. At this point I'm kinda rooting for picking a side and running with it though. I want my cup to runneth over or be thrown in my face.

wiener time

Hey, one of my favorite blogs, Bad Postcards, wants your help. I finally made good use of my Tumblr account, after months of doing nothing on it, to recommend BP for the humor directory. You can do it too here.

christopher perez

I saw these photographs by Christopher Perez over on Art Sponge today and was immediately blown away. Upon a second and third viewing I'm more impressed. They are crisp and stark, but obscured and fuzzy in all the right places. The portrait above is my favorite, but I suggest you check out the rest here to come to your own conclusion. Does that sound like an order? OK I guess it is.

deep bullshit

I pride myself on being an independent person (comes in handy on bad hair days and severe weather alerts). But on many occasions this independence has come across more like self-imposed solitary confinement, a behavior that has been misunderstood and sometimes hurtful. So to all of those folks, this is for you. And as Edith Ann would say, that's the truth.

zoe 2010

Over the weekend I took photos of my favorite 5 year old, Zoe. We did the same thing last year and I was reminded of how challenging it can be to take pictures of kids (kudos once again to anyone that does this for a living). Keeping pace aside, I had nothing but fun and am seriously considering going on more play dates. Some other things I realized:

1) I can not climb like I used to

2) Fairy clothes can be made out of ANYTHING

3) Children have their own clock

4) My hair is inferior

5) Christmas song mash-ups are the best

a murray for all seasons

As an avid Bill Murray fan I'm beside myself with glee and also ashamed that I had never seen these posters before. In fact I should come up with a new post tag called "oh my god my brains are falling out i'm so happy and might almost pee on myself and continue the shame cycle". Rolls right off the tongue.

These posters by Casey Weldon are all of Bill Murray as characters in Wes Anderson films. And crap, if I had seen this earlier I would have begged for a print for Christmas. They are only $25! P.S. If blogging relied on handwriting this would not be legible, I'm that over the moon (and apparently once again resorting to archaic expressions of excitement).

Check out more of Casey's brilliant work here.

united states of autocomplete

This is a pretty great concept from Very Small Array, making a map of the states using Google's autocomplete. I think I would like to try this as a project using "Erincomplete". California... Raisins! Idaho... Potato! Texas... Tea! Ok, maybe not.

[ via Good ]

color of the year

I was never much of a pink girl, at least not growing up. Lately I have come around though. Well I don't wear it and as a home decor color choice (aside from my favorite lamp) not so much. In the right dose and in the right circumstances it can actually be quite attractive and dare I say even bring a smile to my face. I think I will have to agree with Pantone, there is nothing "everyday" about it, unless of course you are a five year old girl or a plastic doll.

Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.

lazy sunday

Wooo, last Sunday before Christmas. I'm beat. I find myself wishing the holidays would hurry up and be over or that I had more time to take everything in. I did get to go to a few parties last night, one of which was garlic themed and boy howdy was that a treat. Also found a place in my belly for eggnog frozen yogurt. And I got to enjoy another awkward round of white elephant. So today I'm gifting myself with some lazy luxuries... seeing Black Swan, taking in some extra horizontal resting, and I may even skip replacing the toilet paper on the roll.

P.S. The photo above is by Missy Prince. I've posted her work before and would every day if I thought I could get away with it.

library of congress

The Library of Congress has a fantastic selection of public domain images from the 40's to view, many of which were taken right here in Texas. The pictures are crisp, Kodachrome shades of vibrant color, offered in a nice large format to really soak it all in. I love checking out these bits from the past. Check out this site for a better view and for more photos. A few of my favorites are below...

spirograph

Ah simpler instructions from a simpler time for a simpler toy. The good old days. I wish I still had a spirograph. It's a good gadget for the only child.

P.S. Lesley always finds the coolest stuff. 

[ via My Green Screen ]

moleskin

I want this. I need this. That is all.

details

As a Polaroid junkie I 100% approve of the Details gift guide layout. I find myself wanting the giant camera, and the rest not so much though.

[ via NotCot ]

these shapes will (cure) you

I continue to have some unfinished business from childhood, or have some yet unidentified condition that urges me to obsess over shapes and draw any parallel I can to objects across the world. The project is pure nonsense, and again it may be an exercise that only makes sense in my head, but in this instance I'm making a series that essentially categorizes the shapes in our life. It's called "These Shapes Will (________) You".

I started with "Cure". Prescription ads on TV seem to be burned into my mind. You have an ailment, they make a pill for that. You think you have an ailment, there's a pill for that. You want to prevent an ailment, there's a pill for that. In other words, there are a bunch of pills out there. I'm not downplaying the merits of modern medicine... someday I will probably need 1 or 10 to keep me going, but when you look at the options all together or lose the ability to filter out the number of possibilities, well it's a lot. A lot of big business, a lot of questionable science, a lot of money.

But I can't pretend that I had some grand statement to make in coming up this, that I'm trying to simplify what has grown into an overwhelming jigsaw of remedies ... I just like shapes.

lazy sunday

This would be the proper way to spend my Sunday... vegging out on the couch with a pooch keeping me company. Ah, but I work. Hope everyone else is spending time with their favorite person and/or pet, doing nothing, enjoying the luxuries of a lazy Sunday. Have a good nap for me.

new in the shop

Now for sale, this print along with a  few other 8 x 12 prints.

nature boy

By posting this I'm ruining the surprise for my boyfriend. This is the must-have shirt to give your guy this holiday season. It's festive right? Ok, I kid, but this whole series of "Zero Footprint Shirt: Leaf Series" are maybe not practical however are obviously a project that was a labor of love. Some of them are pretty gorgeous in fact. They look like a craft project all grown up. Check out artist David Rittinger's site for more.

deep bullshit

I have recently determined that the reason my jeans have become too baggy is not because I have become more svelte but because gravity has decided to hit the deflate button on my butt. Thanks age. I guess you leave me no choice but to research this word "squat" I've heard so much about. Apparently it can mean more than doing your business in the woods.

non-stop cravings and the work of Alyson Thomas

I often get cravings, and I give in to them 100% of the time because my crazy inner voice won't stop yelling at my mouth until I succumb. For some reason I really have my heart set on a heaping helping of eggnog. Does that work by the way... can I have a heaping? Well, I'll try. This also provides a handy segue that is months overdue. During one of my many recent stretches of not posting I intended to showcase some of one of my new favorite artists, Alyson Thomas.

She is responsible for the above work as well as a slew of other drawings, most of which are food related. Alyson serves up her point of view fantastically with a methodical approach in displaying information mixed with artistic skill and creative wit. Looking at her work I find myself wishing that I would someday pick up the pen and pencil I traded in for a computer and give drawing another shot. I also want to eat some bacon.

You can view an ongoing chronicle on her blogs Meat Sections and I Love Drywell. Make sure to check out more links to her work, as well as her Etsy shop, below. Buy something!!


NOW HERE'S SOME YUMMY LINKS:
Shop
Blog
2010 daily art.
Twitter
Flickr

Amy Touchette

Last but certainly not least, in my ongoing nod to New York, I just had to include this series by Amy Touchette called The Insiders. Great street portraits from the big city. Too bad her site seems to be down. You can however read more (and see more photos) on La Pura Vida. These images make we wish I had been a little braver, especially when I crossed paths with a man that was covered in head-to-toe shades of aqua clothing. He was smooth.

[ Photo © Amy Touchette ]

more new york

Me too Woody, me too... I idealize many things and New York is top 5. I could probably go on forever but I will restrain myself. Links and goodies below:

IT'S A HELLUVA A TOWN:
The 30 Best New York Movies [ Film.com ]
Paris vs. New York: a tally of two cities [ Paris vs. New York: a tally of two cities ]
New York's Golden Age: the 1940's [ Life Magazine ]
Zinester's Guide to New York City [ Buy Olympia ]
Subway Map [ The Future Perfect ]
Interview with Milton Glaser, designer of  "I ♥ New York" logo [ The Believer ]

i love new york

A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend (thank you for the ticket!!), some friends and I traveled to New York. This was my first time to go, but it's somewhere I have wanted to go since I can remember. It is one of those places that simultaneously feels familiar and mythical, largely due to my (over)exposure to film and television. In fact I found myself (and I'm probably not alone in this), creating a visual overlay in my mind of many sites, syncing them up to memorable celluloid moments. From Sesame Street, to The Cosby Show, to Breakfast at Tiffany's, to Tootsie, to The Warriors, to 30 Rock, to Taxi Driver, and almost any Woody Allen film... the list goes on forever.

I wasn't so busy in my alternate reality to miss New York for what it really is (as much as you can in a few days), and was able to create unique experiences free of pop culture's shadow. We managed to hit many of the tourist attractions (like Time Square, Ground Zero, The Chelsea Hotel), and I literally got goosebumps when crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, but we also went to some more low key places which truly made the trip memorable. Beer Table (the good stuff), Rosemary's Greenpoint Tavern (32oz $4 beer, what a gross bargain), Union Hall (indoor bocce ball and my friends performing in their band downstairs) and Saraghina (mmm, squash gnocchi) were highlights in the entertainment department. We also stayed in an apartment which made us (almost) feel like natives. I couldn't have wished for a better bunch to have been with and I can't wait to go back.

I wish I had taken a few more photos but it's hard to focus when your mouth is hanging wide open in awe. You can see them all here.

I particularly like this one...



All you New York experts and locals, anywhere I should visit when I go back?

lazy sunday

I think I am suffering from the dreaded Christmas party combo of cookies, Pecan Porter, and sausage balls. Last night was fun, but now my tummy is paying the price. Today I'm going to make time with my covers; however I might try something like getting under them versus what this lady has going on. And my day will end with the finale of Boardwalk Empire.

[ image credit Bad Postcards ]

new in the shop - holiday symbolisms

So it's that time of year and I couldn't resist making some holiday cards. A while back I made a series of cards called Symbolims (that section on my website is temporarily defunct but you can see a few on Flickr), which were mini cards intended to simply state a sentiment to someone you love or hate. Well in the same vein I created a companion set. There are less images this go 'round however, with 12 unique cards. Each set will  come with 24, so two of each, but if anyone happens to want individual cards or a few of one style I'm of course A-OK with that. In case you didn't know this already, I will sell you ANYTHING if you want it. 

Many of the cards, just like last time, are a little obscure or a far fetched connection (Ben Affleck anyone?), but they are a representation of how my brain connects images to words. I don't get it, and I have stopped trying to. Hopefully some of them resonate with you though and will make a great companion to those gifts you will be (or not be) giving out.

You can buy them here for $25.

america for recovering lazyholic

Ok, you caught me, it's really Austin for Recovering Lazyholic. And honestly it's not even necessarily that. I didn't realize until yesterday, as I was looking at friend and fellow blogger  Jodi's (of Drunk Dial) Facebook that I was nominated for Best Art/Design Blog on Austin Blogger Awards. Thanks internet for keeping me tuned into the world as it passes me by.

I'm both excited and ashamed. Mainly the latter, because I'm about the most predictably sporadic poster, at least lately. I'm about 95% undeserving but shoot I'll still bask in the dim limelight and ask for people's votes (and appreciate that someone bribed these guys to include my site). So I don't expect to win a thing, but might as well try and get a vote or two in an effort to get back on the straight and narrow of doing.

You can vote here and see all nominees here.The deadline is in a few days.

new in the shop (sort of)

Well this isn't exactly new but the way these prints can be purchased is. Maybe it's the lazy in me, but instead of continually putting up individual prints, guessing what someone might want, keeping up with what I have on hand, I've decided to create an option to simply pick out what you want. Posters generally only take a day to get printed so they can still ship quickly. There are 28 to choose from, and can be bought as 10x10 for $25 or 5x5 for $7. And if there is a another design or size I can accommodate that as well. Available here.

uppercase magazine: last call for matchbook submissions

Today is Uppercase Magazine's deadline for "Inspired by vintage matchbox labels". I just love these old images and could play around with this idea all day. Of course I waited until almost the last minute though so only finished one, which is above. For inspiration check out this Flickr set which has over 1,000 examples of awesomely simple and colorful mini works of art.

gobble gobble

Recovering Lazyholic is often a place for some "woe is me" silly angst but I'm going to take today to be a little cheesy and a lot sincere when I say that aside from the things I find to bitch about I'm truly thankful and happy to have the things I have. I'm also apparently thankful for run-on sentences.

I'm so very glad and feel blessed to have the friendships and loved ones that are in my life. And even if I can't eat well all the time, I eat. And I have a roof over my head. Can't ask for much more.

I hope everyone has a nice holiday today, is warm, safe, healthy and with someone you love. Eat some food, and get lazy too if you can.

P.S. the above image is by Craig Clark as part of R29's 3rd annual "By a Show of Hands" hand turkey extravaganza.

1 minute photoshop: overemployment

Hello again! Remember me? I'm not even quite sure how much time has passed but it's been a while. I've become pretty good at this M.I.A. thing. Let me explain...

About a month or so ago I got a 2nd job. YES! As many are aware, since I'm so prone to bitching and complaining about money woes, I have been quite underemployed for some time. That's better than unemployment of course, but scraping by, having your utilities routinely turned off, and living off of pizza scraps gets a little old. So I was in luck when I scored an additional job. This means however that I work 7 days a week and at varying hours of the day.

Just as my number 2 job came along I also had an opportunity to move in with my boyfriend. So in my free time I packed, and packed, and packed, and then moved, and... well, you get the idea. I have a lot of stuff which amassed in a house that was bigger than I needed, allowing for even more stuff. The whole process was slow, and is even still a little underway. I have no plans to ever move again, so even if this house is sold down the line I hope the new owners like dachshunds and a girl with a room full of kitschy crap because I'm staying.

Now here I am, I think finally getting a handle on balancing it all, sort of. I stand by the sentiment that there simply isn't enough time in the day. I guess all I can do is try, and in the process squeeze in a little fun and relationship time.

in memoriam

I'm taking a quick break from moving/working to say goodbye (dramatically) to my favorite little camera. My AE-1 is now in the clutches of some dumb ole thief that probably won't have a whole lot of luck selling the ratty old thing. It took good pictures but I doubt in the age of snazzy digital cameras it will be too enticing to anyone else. This is the last developed image I took (there was an unfinished roll in it... grrrr). Thanks for the memories buddy.

lazy sunday

Today I'm not going to be lazy. In fact I'm not sure when I will get to be again. I started a second job and am also about to move into a new house. My spare time has pretty much consisted of sleep, hence the lack of posts. Hopefully I'll eventually figure out a way to balance it all and find time to continue to do the things I love to do. I hate that I am so broke that this is what I have to resort to (working every day at all different hours), and I'm still learning to be a proper adult and suck it up; I'm finding it hard right now to keep things in perspective and appreciate the positive.

But enough of my whining. I hope the rest of you are enjoying the day! Just watch out for those bed bugs.

[ photo credit Patrick Joust ]

lazy sunday

My eagerness for Fall is showing. All I can think about is eating pumpkin bread (summer is to popsicle, as pumpkin bread is to fall FYI). This recipe sounds good.

[ Photo credit Maria (aka Breathing Exercises) ]