creature comforts turns 1!


Creature Comforts has a special place in our hearts and on June 28th celebrates it's FIRST birthday! Now, it seems like when a milestone is achieved
by a blog the gift giving is reversed. So, Ez is having a very generous give-away of goodies from an amazing line-up of creatives. All you have to do is leave a comment on Creative Comforts, which includes your favorite quote - ours was "Keep Calm and Carry On".

The winner will be chosen on June 28th! But, we're all winners, because Ez + Creature Comforts combine to create a wonderful place to visit for a daily dose of inspiration.

Happy Birthday Ez, and many more!

Photo Credit : Creature Comforts

studies in green


[Jadite Measuring Cups]

Last week I had a lot of fun working on photos for the I Saw Red project and decided to continue on through the color wheel in no particular order. The next color I'm working on is green. I love green, and as in nature, think of it almost as a neutral. So, there will be flowers, as usual.


[Vintage Drapes, McCoy Planter + Geranium]

Martha also has a project this week called s t i l l, which has to do with the art of still life photography. Martha mentioned a few things that I'm going to keep in mind:
  • Photograph simple, everyday objects.
  • Focus on the presence or absence of light.
  • Frame the shot; limit the use of the crop. I think it's kind of like using a digital camera in the same manner we use film cameras. Don't rely on the luxury of Photoshop to improve the photo.
  • Try to emulate some of your favorite photographers.

[Yin & Yang Cereal]

Please check out the flickr pool set-up for Martha's project and join in.
I'm not able to say that I integrated all of her criteria into these photos (especially cropping), but I can definitely see the influence.


[Cranstone Chintz Compote & Lace Shadow]

xo, Cindy

Photo Credit : Cindy

celebrity deathmatch: carrie vs. indiana


She: "It's
sooooo hot today, would you like to go to the movies?"
He: "Sure. What should we see?"

She: "Well, I looked in the paper and we could see Sex and the City, or Indiana Jones."

He: [Surprise, surprise.] "How should we decide?"

She: "Odd or evens?" [ I hope he picks evens, I always prefer odds.]
He: "Evens, or you'll pout."
She: [Yay!] "Ok, 1, 2, 3 shoot!"


She: [Yay!] "ODDS! Ok, 1, 2, 3 shoot!"

He: [Oh, I'll shoot all right!]

He: [Yes!] "EVENS, EVENS!" [Come on!]
She: "Chill, it's just a movie. Ok, last one. 1, 2, 3 shoot!"

She: [Yay!] "ODDS AGAIN! I'M A WINNER!"


He: "OH NO! Not that movie! The HUMANITY!" [I mean I like Kristen Davis and all, but come on, that's for girls. What's it rated anyway?]

She: "Indiana Jones here we come - hubba hubba!"

He: "Really?"

She: "Sure, just not TODAY!" [Note, I tried to do the Tom Cruise thing when he was on Oprah, but I don't think I pulled it off. I wanted to jump on my brother's brand new leather couch, but he just gave me the stink eye. Boys are crazy.]

UPDATE : We've seen the movie and it was gorgeous ...
He: "COUPON!"
She: "Oh please let me tell them what you did at least 3 times during the emotional scenes!"
He: "COUPON! COUPON!"
She: "But, it was so cute. You know when Carrie gives Louise the Louis Vuitton bag?" [hint hint]
He: "You're pushing your luck if you keep typing!"
She: "Oh, ok. Thanks for going with me; you're such a good sport. [Drat those coupons yet again!]
He: "Ok, but next time it's my call. And, I had that idea for renting bags years ago when it seemed like you had a new kate spade bag every week!"
She: "Yes, cutie." [He did! And
, is it me, or did Carrie's apartment increase in size by 100%? I loved it the old way, but the electric blue and the modern touches were so fabulous. Oh, and all of the wedding stuff - "big" time swoon.]

Photo Credits : Top two the respective movie studios, the rest were by us with some help from Flickr Toys.

sex and the city movie book!


I just read about the Sex and the City: The Movie book, by Amy Sohn, on the New York Magazine website and thought I'd pass it along. Talk about eye candy! You can buy it here for about $20, which is less than two tickets to the movies, plus the fixins'. Wish they would do one for the interiors a la Design for Mankind!


I also saw this bride and thought the simple wedding [and the city] sounded genuinely fun and grounded.

xo, Cindy

i really want these, now!

Unfortunately, they're not yet available, but can be pre-ordered!
(listed by release date)


For the Love of Light, a Tribute to the Art of the Polaroid, Various Photographers : Available for pre-order June 5, 2008 (limited edition of 500 - oh no!)


Viva La Vida
, Coldplay : Available June 17, 2008


Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens, by Lena Corwin : Available July 16, 2008



A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart
, by Maria Alexandra Vettese, Stephanie Congdon Barnes : Available September 3, 2008


The Gentle Art of Domesticity, by Jane Brocket : Available September 17, 2008


Handmade Hellos, from Hello! Lucky : Available September 17, 2008


Stitched in Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share from the Creator of Posie Gets Cozy, by Alicia Paulson : Available November 11, 2008

I'll just have to wait patiently. Well, I'll try to wait patiently.
xo, Cindy


Photo Credits : The Publishers

more red


She: [Oh, Scott’s home! I’m so excited to show him my new photos. When I first "read" about I Saw Red week on Sadie Olive ~ Le Journal I didn't think I had much in the red department. Then, I looked around, and I was wrong! I'm seeing it everywhere, which is much better than seeing dead people. I should wait until he gets settled.]

He: “Hi!”

She: “Hi, you made it home fast today [yay!].”

He: “Yeah, it only took me an hour to drive 20 miles [sometimes, it can take 2 hours!].”

She: [Oh, I want to call him over here! These projects are so much fun as I've recently discovered that I really, really love to take pictures. Of all the creative outlets I've explored over the years, photography has become the one that makes me understand how artists get so caught up they don't eat, or do laundry, or much of anything else. I can’t wait any longer.] “Come over here, I want to show you something.”

He: “Ok, I’ll be right there. Did you eat your lunch?”

She: "Yes. [Oh, hurry, hurry. Even though I only use a little point and shoot camera, natural light and no tripod (very bad), I am learning a lot from my own work and by looking at others (see 3191, Alicia and Jen). I want to get an SLR, but think I should improve my photography skills first and not use having a simple camera as an excuse. There's a whole art to what you do after you take the shot - like how you crop it. Here he comes.] Look at the photos I took today!”

He: “Those are so nice, all the red. You’ve never really done anything in red.”

She: “I know, I like the apples and the heart the best.”

He: “I like the apples, too. I was born in NYC so I’m partial to that one.”

She: “Ok, carry on with your bad-self. Thank you. [Yay! After some research, I'm thinking about getting a Nikon D40 with an upgrade to a VR lense. I'm definitely an impatient photographer and would like something light in weight and that can compensate for my lack of patience when it comes to tripods. If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know.]

PS There's still plenty of time to participate in the project as it runs through June 8th. All you have to do is look around for red, click and post it on your blog or in the Flickr group.

Photo Credit : Cindy