Tumblr??? Should I or should I not?

I saw some really awesome Tumblr sites these past few weeks and I must say that I am kinda feeling it. The layout of Tumblr is very minimalist, which I love. And it's very focused on the content. Also, I feel like this blog is heading towards more imagery and less words. Anyway, just want to share some amazing Tumblr sites hat I found.

Design Dust

Daily Discoveries on Design

Victory Blues

Maybe next time, I'll see y'all on Tumblr... hmm? =)

Art and design lovers' ultimate pass times

This is purely speculative, but based on what I typically do on a relatively ordinary day as an art and design enthusiast. 

1. I open my email expecting 10-15 newsletter from my favorite trend webzines. i.e. t-shirtmagazine, spotcoolstuff, dailyaphorisms, lostateminor etc.

2. I open my bloglovin' to see the updates of my favorite fashion blogs. i.e. tavi, the glamourai, sea of shoes, style bubble, etc.

3. I open my blog to check visitor counts and new comments. 

4. I open twitter and see fellow design enthusiasts' new links (and I usually spend a lot of time there, and keep coming back every 6 hours: hehehe).

5. And lastly, I spend the rest of the time browsing through weheartit or fffound, checking out the most bookmarked sites and cool images. I love this part because I always get blown away by the size of possible networks out in the internet right now; that there are so much things that so many people don't know about. 

And these are just some of the most popular images bookmarked right now...

Discuss: Paper water bottles

So long cute and chic Smart Water and Evian bottles. The new 'it' when it comes to hydration is paper/boxed water bottles. With aesthetically prudent packaging design, I wouldn't be surprised if one day, famous people would be carrying these around. Just like when canvas bags and Whole foods became a trend. 

Fashion for the too-young-to-be-woman, too-old-to-be-girl

Inspired by Collegefashion.net's 10 Must-Watch Fashion Designers for Young People, here is my very own round up of fashion designers that younger audiences like me can relate to, because of their wearable but high-fashion pieces. I know, personally, that I would definitely wear all of these!

Miu Miu's Spring 2009 RTW: print waist dresses, skinny belts and to-die-for T-shoes.

Luella's fun-loving, cheery and girly Spring 2009 RTW: sweet cardigans and coats, floral short dresses and lavender shoes. Sweet dreams.

Lanvin's Spring 2009 imagery is of desire and volume. Love the party dresses and the separates. Lanvin makes anyone who looks drab, look party-ish. 

Beautiful sneak peeks by Design Sponge

A wall with rows of books, shabby chic-style corners and inspiration-filled workspaces are what beautiful dreams are made of. And I found it in one place I could spend hours on: Design Sponge.

It has DIY projects, featured products and travel guides. The ultimate web destination for the design-hungry.

Creative inspirations tribute

I couldn't sleep last night because thousands of ideas are swarming into my mind. I was at a point that I didn't want to sleep at all and just start doing it all already. I really treasure nights like those when I get inspired to be creative and invigorate myself with spontaneity. But all that happened because of a number of new websites, weblogs and webzines that I found last night. It was so encouraging to see many people unleashing out their creative souls and sharing their works to the whole world. 

A Print A Day is a personal blog by Yasmine Surovec. It features her drawings and illustrations, as well as great downloads such as dreamcatcher list pads and printable labels. Her illustrations are the most worth mentioning because of their sophisticated-yet-cute ambience.

Parasol Magazine is a free, downloadable pdf magazine dedicated to promoting design, art, creative lifestyles and small business. Also by Yasmine Surovec.

Not Paper is a blog that features collages and collage artists. When I took a 2D art class last semester, we spent a good time working with collages. And that's when my fascination with mixed media started. Not Paper is by Aprile Elcich, a Graphic Design student from Canada.

Almost-midnight organic ice cream craving

Rocombe Organic Ice Cream

Sadly, it's only available in UK.

But let's take a moment to admire the GREAT packaging of these products. Truly inventive.

Keep you apples warm and toasty (figuratively and literally)

From Curiosityshoppeonline.com

The all-in one greeting card

Wouldn't it be nice and convenient?

Whoever gets one of these on their next birthday, don't hate!

The "Go to hell!" addition makes it so useful. 

Source: Gizmodo.com

Fashion Report: How high can you go?

HOT SPRING SHOES

Last spring 2008, I didn't really get the hype about YSL's Tribute Shoes. If you didn't either, here's what it was.

Still don't get it? Height. It's all about height. This basic black pump has the highest heels ever at 4 inches! That's why everyone wanted it from Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez to Anne Hathaway. Everyone still love it right now, even after 2 seasons, because of it's great aesthetic design and timeless presence. 

So perhaps so many people liked the height idea and stuck onto it. Evidence? Louis Vuitton "Spicy" shoes, and Prada's Spring/Summer 2009 shoes collection. 

"The Cave-Woman Couture"

more than 4 inches heels

"Spicy"

4.5 inches heels

VB in LV Spicy Shoes

Well, any good and yummy things have their glitches. These beautiful creations by great fashion houses may give you some needed stand-out power but it may cost you your ankles or even your poise.

But hey, no pain no gain, right? 

lotsa lovin'

A subway story of a bag-full of ponies, all in a Diorama

I remember in early grade school where teachers would only have two options for your creativity [at least, in my school]. It was either a collage or a diorama. The latter usually takes too much time to do, quite costly to some of us and not to mention, it requires more room to display. So I have not been a big fan of dioramas for all those reasons. 

But I never imagined that 12 years later I would be blown away by two artist who made diorama-making so enticing and invigorating. 

Kim Stringfellow featured self-inflicting pain, incest, fertility and other thought-provoking topics in a series of diorama-like photography assemblage that was launched in 1994. The perplexed and eerily imaginative concepts of each assembly can tell so many stories besides the one of the author's. I especially love the "Self Portrait as St. Lucy". This piece is about self-inflicting pain. Why I like it? Go figure. 

"Self Portrait as St. Lucy"

Visit this link for more on Stringfellow's photo assemblies

ohh and this is the real story of St. Lucy {link}

Another great diorama artist I found was Sloane Crosley. She made her diorama art based on her best-selling book [and soon-to-be HBO series]. I love how her dioramas makes anyone feel so light and floaty. Kinda like the feeling when you're in bed, and your mom is reading you a book as you near your dreamboat. That good. My favorite is "The Pony Problem" in which the artist confessed a secret and left it in a bag in a subway train. The diorama below is her story of a day when she found a "surprise" on her bathroom floor. Her wittingly vibrant little stories about everyday life are in her book, I Was Told There'd Be Cake. 

See for yourself.

"Smell This"

Check out Sloane Crosley's site as well as her diorama flickr photostream

FEATURED BANNER: Nadege David

I spent 2 hours finding a decent profile of this artist but I had no luck. Facebook didn't help either. If anyone happens to come across one, please message me.

Nadege David's illustrations are thought-provoking and self-sufficient. His quirky, emotive drawings are so cute and freaky at the same time. Lost At E Minor described his works as, "stunning: intricate patterns woven deep amongst gently rolling, and pleasantly muted, colours". And I could not agree more.

As seen in Lost At E Minor

Nadege David website

Featured banner: Swimming Pool

Did you know? :::Blurb

Did you know that you could be the author of your very own book right now? 

Blurb is a company and online community where the sellers author their own book, publish and sell it online. Basically, you download the free Blurb BookSmart software that helps you with the laying out of your book. You upload your book into the Blurb site and start sharing, selling and promoting! Check it out!

BLURB SITE

And while you're there, take the time to check out their bookstore as well. It has a lot of  invigoratingly unique books that might inspire you to make your own right now. 

FEATURED BANNER: Deanne Cheuk

The mind behind the "smallest magazine in the world",  Neomu.com

"No words, no advertising, just inspirational images, photographs and graphics."

I'll let the pieces speak for themselves: