56 | THE PERFECT (THANK YOU) PRESENT

LOTUS&ASH was featured on the blog The Present Perfect today. As a paper lover, there is no better feeling than the confirmation that there are other paperphiles out there. Long live letter-writing! I designed two sets of stationery for the blog author - Jessica - and I believe that we might be paper personality soul mates, since I'm dying to make myself matching sets. Jessica needed stationery for shorter, but more formal thank you notes {on the right}, and a set for longer, but more casual correspondence {on the left}, which would include a sparrow motif.   I designed A2 notecards on thick #110 stock, and half-letter sheets on cotton #32 stock to add to her stationery closet.

My favorite part of the suite might be the flock of sparrows on the envelope flap!

Thank you to Jessica, and thank you to paper-lovers worldwide! Happy writing...

55 | SO FAR FROM SF

Dear San Francisco,

It's been too long. I know I've been away, and I was poor at keeping at touch. But I'm back and I'm here to stay (until my next adventure, that is) and would love to share my month of travel with you.

LOVE, L&A

| NEW PERSONAL STATIONERY . designed (on a plane) 02.2011 |

Indeed, February was a month of travel, in which weekend after weekend was full of new sights, sounds, and tastes... of paper, design, and experiences.

LAKE TAHOE

From the Natural Beauty of Squaw Valley  t0 >

 

NEW YORK

Work called me to the Highline Ballroom where I spent a full day in the dark, but I did manage to find some time to explore...

Of course, no trip is complete without a walk in Central Park,

experiencing Chelsea for the first time...

and a visit to The High Line (beautiful even in the winter).

I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I had the Cereal Milk @ Momofuku...

until I visited the paper room at the NY Central Art Supply.

I (creepily) observed and drooled over the printing classes at SVA...

and  recommend a visit to the Cooper Hewitt to drool over the Jewels at the Van Cleef and Arpels exhibit. The exhibit is beautifully designed, and integrates the space, new media and display techniques in a gorgeous way.

next time, i will...

  • have a bowl of noodles at momofuku
  • visit the whitney museum
  • go back for wine and breadsticks at blue ribbon bar

 

PORTLAND At the other end of the pace spectrum, Portland set the scene for a perfect slower-paced weekend getaway.

After a morning yoga class, a delicious cup of stumptown coffee (holler! mountain blend) and a supremely positive AirBnB experience in Southeast Portland ...

The Ace in Downtown provided the perfect stay for the modern hipster - complete with in-room record player.

The Artist's Book exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in the Pearl had me written all over it...

as did the Dragon Bowl and Zucchini Hummus at Prasad.

Geek out with PacMan and PBR's at GroundKontrol - an arcade with all the classics for adults (a.k.a amazing).

And, after watching the stage-version of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (which I highly recommend) at the Center Stage theater, we found ourselves at the Doug Fir Lounge for the Millionyoung concert.

And...Dare I say it?!...

Skip the line at Voodoo donuts, and get yourself a Chocolate Chip Cookie at Pearl Bakery instead.

 

next time, i will:

  • get (more) lost in the purple room at powell's books
  • watch a movie in the comfort (of someone else's) living room at living room theatres
  • in the summer ... hike in forest park, eat at a food cart, and shop at the farmer's markets

 

 

(FINAL) TRAVELER'S TIPS:

Planes are a Design Studio in the air...

check with your companion about diversifying reading materials, before you get on the plane...

and airports are a perfect date spot for two traveling roommates passing in the night.

~

blog spoiler: there is so much delicious design and paper-y goodness to come soon!

 

54 | PAPER HEART

Be Mine, Valentine

the perfect valentine for your (statistically) significant other.

 

~

L&A Decorating Tip:

Paper Dreams Headboard

Buy printed papers from your local art supply store, and frame them using both real frames and frame mats. Hang them from ribbon above your bed, for a floating paper headboard.

*Make sure the real frames are light enough that the ribbon can support them. You don't want a black eye in the middle of the night! *

53 | Goodbye TwoThousand&Ten, Hello TwentyEleven!

Happy Birthday Blog! Since New Year's 2008, the L&A Blog has featured my latest paper/food/design creations, and this year will be no different.

New Year's Eve was a chance to combine all of those creations with a dinner hosted for Bay Area friends, the first of what I hope to become an annual tradition.

The food and decorations were simple - a handmade paper garland connected the kitchen to the living room, and labels made from black paper, leftover from the year, framed each of the dishes.

Post-NYE festivities, LOTUS&ASH welcomed in the new year with its annual calendar. This year's is a small matchbook, and a fun tribute to my font-loving ways. Each month is set in a different face, and the last page lists them altogether, making for a handy-dandy font reference, my version of a polly pocket.

: The 2011 L&A Calendar :

L&A wishes you a very healthy, happy, and delicious new year, filled to the brim with good design and hand-written correspondence.

lotusandash(dot)com

52 | A SCREEN PRINTED SATURDAY

Taking a break from this season's orders (and a new obsession: Neutraface), fueled by Ritual's Mira Flores AND a Blue Bottle NOLA done burly (less milk, more coffee),* LOTUS&ASH spent an entire Saturday learning how to screen print - the perfect holiday treat!

Because of limited resources, the chance of failure was high, but every challenge was met with a successful solution:

No printer to transfer images to transparency? Draw them with a sharpie.

No darkroom or lightbox to expose the images? Turn off all the lights in your bedroom, and use a construction flood lamp.

(so dark there aren't any pictures!)

No wash station? Use a shower!

No experience screen printing? Find a friend who knows how. ^

The result? Two sweet, hand-drawn, bay-area pride holiday cards... and entirely new technique that opens up a dangerous amount of possibilities.**

*The SF Coffee obsession has officially set in.  Don't tell the roasters that I'm tw0-timing them.

**Like my "cooking," until refinement and perfection, this will have to remain a LOTUS&ASH hobby.