A Good Dose of Design

I've been pretty slow at work this week...an admittedly, haven't sought out new work from others. I've been enjoying my downtime. I'm taking a long Labor Day weekend, so I figure, why get into the thick of something, when I'm only going to be interrupting it anyway, right?

This slow time at work has given me a great opportunity to immerse myself in one of my favorite topics...design. Have I mentioned that I have two design degrees? Graphic Design and Interior Design.

Anyway, this week's dose of design has me feeling energized and inspired. Something I haven't felt in quite some time. I thought I would share some of the great things I've been checking out this week.

Young House Love

I write another blog about the house Hubby and I bought a year ago...mostly so our moms and a few friends and family can keep up to date on what we're up to around here. One of my friends recently told me about this blog. All I can say is "love!" And, how do I get that gig? This couple managed to become full-time bloggers, DIY bloggers, where they get paid to write a blog about fixing up their house. Wow! That could be my dream job. I highly recommend checking them out. It's a great resource for any DIYers out there. But, I do need to warn you, they do have a daughter who is maybe around a year and a half old, and does play a large part in the blog. So, if you are having a bad day, I would skip that one.

Ike.a Share Space
If your young (36 is young, right?) and working on your first house, chances are, you've been to IKE.A. I just discovered this website, sponsored by IKE.A, where anyone can upload photos of their own homes that feature IKE.A products. You can also tag the images with the actual products from the store. It's really fun to browse through and get ideas about how others use IKE.A in their homes. We have so much of it by now, and have used it in three homes, that I will definitely be uploading some photos to share. If you need ideas for your house, definitely, check it out.

Design Milk
This is a blog I've been subscribing to for awhile, well before I started this blog. I actually have it emailed to me at work. It's nice to scroll through the daily email with inspiring design images which range the gamut from industrial design to architecture, while I sip my coffee and and wait for my applications to boot up. Lately, my favorite thing to do with the images I love from this blog is to "pin" them on...


Pinterest
Have you guys heard about this site? It's basically a repository of all things inspiring. People pin recipes, fashion, hair cuts, and the full range of design creations. You can repin anything anyone else has pinned, and follow your friends, or anyone else for that matter, so see they ideas they are collecting. I love it for that reason. My best friend spends way more time online than I do, so now I can steel ideas from her without having to do all the research myself. If you'd like to follow me, I might be willing to give up some of my anonymity and tell you how to find me there. Email me.

Zazzle
Lastly, Zazzle is a fun little website where you can get any image printed on just about anything you can imagine. I discovered it years ago when I wanted to do custom postage for my wedding. But seriously, you can print on anything from t-shirts and sneakers to iPad covers and speakers. You can also have your own storefront and sell your own images for people to buy on various objects. Remember that graphic design project I mentioned a few posts back? Well, I've had a zazzle store for quite sometime. But, it uses part of my real name, and I decided it was time for a new name, and a new look - so I can be a little more anonymous there. Of course, it's taking me quite awhile to transfer and create new products, but in a few more weeks, I think I'll be ready to share it with all of you (for fun, to show you what I do, but not because you need to buy anything!)

What about you? Where do you all like to go for inspiration? 

All right, that's probably a big enough dose of design for now. It's about time for me to head back out to the garage to paint over the coffee table I just primed. I'll share more on that later.

Hope you're all having an inspired Labor Day Weekend (well, if you're in the states that is)