the haystack needle

lost + found: photographer melina hammer

 

I stumbled upon Melina Hammer in one of those quintessential small world moments (our brothers work together), and I've been smitten with her photography portfolio since then. She has a special eye for gourmet food photography, as she's been formally trained in the art of food preparation by some great chefs. Not to mention, the girl loves to travel (and while I haven't met her, I have a feeling Melina would be a fun travel partner.) Her photos are gorgeous, definitely check out her work (above is a peek at her portfolio.) And Melina was sweet to share her organizing systems as part of my Lost + Found series — along with pretty photos from her home! Love it. Here's a look at how Melina organizes her:

+ magazines
I organize my magazines in a fairly arbitrary manner at home. I buy every Donna Hay magazine she puts out and have a penchant for alt fashion magazines, like Pop, 125, Wig, Italian Vogue, etc., in addition to my travel and yoga magazines, too. My ever-growing collection of National Geographic magazines shows up in a few tidy stacks around the house, as well as a not-so-organized stack on the back of the toilet! Some backlogged cooking and food magazines are arranged for easy access in my kitchen along with a host of cookbooks. Most others mingle with random style or lifestyle mags in the living room, in my city out-and-about bag, or at easy access in my photo studio.

 

 

+ photos
My digital files are stored on hard drives on my desktop computer, arranged by date and what I shot. They are backed up on different drives, and sometimes double-backed up. And if I see space running out on my hard drives (egad!) and they are less necessary to keep prominent, I'll burn a DVD to archive older shoots. I use Adobe Lightroom to catalogue, batch process, and export my files. Prints and negatives are stored in a few wooden wine boxes, folder sleeves, and file cabinets, always seemingly stuffed to capacity despite how well they are organized.
(Note from Jen: Not surprising to me at all that Melina would have her digital work organized with such efficiency — her brother is a master of techie organization and once showed me how to make my Gmail inbox work for me with special tagging systems. Apparently the organizing streak runs in their family!)

+ tax paperwork and receipts
I diligently keep receipts in a simple wooden box designated for such, which I sort through when needed for cross-referencing, taxes, etc. My tax paperwork is filed in manila envelopes for previous years' filings, along with my itemized returns, in folder files in a file cabinet. Not particularly aesthetic, but functional. One day I hope to have form and function married blissfully, but for now there seems to be a clear separation with things like that. Maybe it's better that way. :)

+ craft supplies
My craft supplies are arranged on a tall utility shelving unit. From carving and collage materials, to solvents and adhesives, to painting supplies and fabrics (and more - I like creating in a variety of media!), they are stored on this shelf unit. One shelf had actually begun to collapse about a year ago from the weight of various books and creative odds and ends that were stacked there. When that shelf was leaning one day, I discovered that perhaps I'd weighed it down with just a few too many items, and quickly made for its recovery. All is well now! I have an additional wheeled shelf unit for my textile props and linens, and cupboard spaces for numerous dish props and such.

+ I also asked Melina, as an experienced traveler, to share how she organizes for a trip:
I usually plot out any friends or contacts with whom I can stay at any point along my travel, and I'll ask what spots they think I absolutely must include in my itinerary. I have snippets of my own filed in little boxes or in my head about this place or that that I have wanted to visit. I usually invest in a simple tour book (like rough guides or lonely planet, etc.) and read up on that location so that I can make the most of things to do and eat, etc. while there. Round that work out with some internet research, and my trip begins to take shape! If only I had an exotic trip planned right now... ;)

A special thanks to Melina for being a part of Lost + Found!
{all photographs courtesy of melina hammer}

last week's lost + found: alek, from the right bank to the left coast
what's lost + found? find out more here

summer lanterns

Every summer, there are more lantern designs that make me wish we could dine alfresco every night, with luminaries glowing in a tree overhead. My love for lanterns doesn't discriminate — I'm attracted to the classic styles and the modern twists. Candle, plug-in, and even battery lanterns. This first lantern won my birthday money — I could not resist Alyssa Ettinger's ceramic mason jar lanterns when I saw her booth at the Brooklyn Flea. Ball mason jar meets white ceramic, spells the prettiest glow jar ever. And here are a few other lanterns that caught my eye. {photographs of Alyssa's lovely mason jars by jen sliker}

p.s. Now's the best time to pick up your summer lanterns as much of the summer stock has gone on sale for the big retailers.

+ These Smith & Hawken lanterns look like they came out of an enchanted forest — my favorite is in yellow.

+ Pillar candles fit inside these pentagonal West Elm lanterns — totally rad with their industrial chic design.

+ You just need one of these super big Conran Shop lanterns to make a statement at the table — and it's half price now.

+ Take your pick: Pottery Barn and PB Kids both carry lanterns reminiscent of the oil-burning lanterns found on ships. I actually prefer the PB Kids battery-powered lanterns in the rainbow of colors.

 

+ Who says modern can't be cozy? I adore these Not Neutral lanterns (which come in a few sizes + colors.) The pretty pinhole patterns create an intimate, warm glow.

+ The birdcage lantern may not be my thing, but I do appreciate its style.

+ Cute and practical: this L.L. Bean rechargeable lantern is perfect for camping.

 

+ These woven rattan lanterns definitely bring the feeling of the beach indoors.

 

I still have my eye on this portable rechargeable lantern — love the Luau!

 

+ And my standby for affordable lanterns: Jamali Garden. These shiny brass lanterns would look simply stunning in multiples along a garden path or on the table.

stylish dog bed, for less

Here's a super solution for anyone bunking with a pooch. Molly Mutt designs dog duvets: printed covers that fit over dog beds, just like a duvet cover for your comforter. Since you're not paying for all the tufting and stuffing, these dog bed covers are affordable (as you know, cute dog beds are so pricey!). These doggie duvets also keep a worn dog bed from ending up in a landfill — just cover an old dog bed with one of these patterned duvets for an instant makeover. Or fill a Molly Mutt duvet with blankets and stuffing to easily make your own dog bed. I love the modern patterns and the upcycling concept behind these duvet covers. So smart! (Check out the Perfect Afternoon dog duvet— adorable!)

metal milk crate

Sometimes I can't get over what you can find at Urban Outfitters these days. When I was in college, the Apartment section seemed to be filled with just lava lamps and groovy patterned sheets. Now they have vintage-inspired slipper chairs and the perfect modern coat rack in a rainbow of color options. This cast metal milk crate definitely has me wishing for extra funds to put it to use as industrial-meets-rustic style storage.

headed to virginia

We're headed to Virginia on a little weekend trip for a friend's wedding. I wish I hadn't put off packing until this morning — very bad idea. Hello, stress. Here's what else is on my travel wishlist:

+ I wish I had this laptop sleeve, which is TSA-approved (so I wouldn't have to take my laptop out of its case going through security, which is such a pain.)

+ I'm hoping I'll find some delicious sweet tea down South.

+ I'm crossing fingers there's an iron in our hotel room because I forgot our super travel iron.

+ I hope to catch up on something I've been missing all week — sleep. Not likely, but still wishing for it.

+ Here's hoping for good weather for the wedding!

Wishing you a great weekend!

p.s. This cool photograph is from MGibson's Etsy shop.

lost + found: alek, from the right bank to the left coast

I have more inspiration on the organizing side that I think you'll love! As part of my Lost + Found series, Alek of From the Right Bank to the Left Coast was sweet enough to share her systems for organizing everything from photos to shoes. Alek has moved around a lot. She's lived in more than a dozen cities (including Paris!) and her current home in Seattle masters that lived-in lovely look. I'm thrilled to share Alek's q+a as a personal fan of From the Right Bank. Alek has an incredible eye for interiors, and I love how the organizing systems that work for her are so simple and real. Here's how Alek organizes her:

+ photos
All my digital photos are on my computer in iPhoto so I use the "events" system that it comes with to organize them. They are in batches by date and place/occasion. I'm not totally happy with this though so I'd like to figure out a different system if I get some free time.

I used to shoot film as a photographer so not only do I have a crazy number of photos, I also have mountains of negatives and contact sheets. These are organized in sleeves by date and place and placed in binders. I number each sleeve, note on the outside of the binders which rolls/sleeves it contains, and then keep a book with the roll numbers, date and place/event to cross reference with the binders. Prints are in photo boxes by year and place. I basically try not to print any of my digital photos unless absolutely necessary. I still like to shoot film every now and then and those get stored by year and roll. I also have a thing for Polaroids and those are currently just in a box.

 

+ magazines
I subscribe to way too many magazines. I just can't help myself so, this is what I *try* to do with them all although I don't always succeed. Shelter, travel, and fashion magazines get read, any really beautiful images torn out for my journals or inspiration wall, then tossed. I try to keep no more than the most recent 2-3 months worth in the house at one time. I used to keep all back issues but they were taking over my house so I did a major purge not that long ago, tearing out any pages I wanted to keep and throwing everything away. And wouldn't you know it, as soon as I did this, Domino folded and I was kicking myself! I do have the last few issues and you can bet, I am going to hold on to those babies FOREVER. I also kept a few random titles intact such as two issues of French Vogue that I thought had  exceptional spreads and some travel magazines that have all ceased publication (for posterity sake, you know). I have a collection of art and photography magazines that I can't part with as well as magazines from other countries. I love picking up magazines when I'm traveling. (See photo of my latest loot from a trip to Europe.) Everything is kept in magazine boxes, grouped by subject in my studio.

I used to get several food magazines but I'm currently down to one (Bon Appetit) and these get tabbed with Post-its and stacked on a shelf in the pantry because I always think I'm going to try this or that recipe. I've been able to do this without a problem for space so far. I am missing Gourmet though so if I start that up again, who knows?

+ tax paper work and receipts
I'm lucky on this one because my husband takes care of most of this. I feel like a 50's housewife when I say that(!) but he's really good with that kind of thing so it's his department. We keep receipts in monthly folders and usually about twice a year, he'll sort them by type. He also keeps all our expenditures on a spreadsheet and he updates that like all the time so it's always current.

+ craft supplies
I'm also lucky here because I have a large studio in my house where I can run amuck with all of my art supplies. They're kind of all over the place but I have several large plastic bins with lids where I keep papers and other materials for art projects.

+ shoes
I'm kind of embarrassed to talk about all my shoes here but since Jen asked so nicely, I'll fess up. You might want to sit and get comfortable for this part. My "fancy" shoes are kept in my dressing room. A few pair are kept in their boxes but I was never able to do that Carrie Bradshaw thing where all her shoes are stacked neatly in their original boxes. I wish I could but I have to be able to see my shoes; I can't keep that kind of inventory in my head. As for the rest of the shoes, we have to head to the garage. That sounds a little weird but we try not to wear shoes in the house and the garage is the perfect place to leave our shoes and put on some slippers. I keep one (large) bin with spring/summer shoes, another with fall/winter shoes. Then there's a shelf for the shoes currently in heavy rotation. But wait, I'm not done yet!  We can't forget my boots. I basically live in boots most of the year so there's an entire cabinet just for them. So there you have it. Phew!

+ travel mementos
When I first started traveling, I fell into that trap of picking up everything that seduces you when you go to a place for the first time. I ended up with a lot of useless stuff that never looked quite as appealing as it did when I bought it. So over the years, I've learned to cut back on the trinkets and tchotchkes. Also every time I've moved, I've donated a lot of my souvenirs. But there are those special pieces that I just can't part with and most of these reside on my bookshelves in my studio. I also have a pretty extensive postcard collection and at the moment they are organized by country in a big plastic bin. I'm currently contemplating a couple of project ideas for them. Other than that, from my travels I have a pile of textiles in the linen closet, the aforementioned magazines, and lots of art waiting to be hung(!)

Sending Alek a big thank you from the right coast for being a part of Lost + Found!

{photographs by alek}
what's lost + found? find out more here

jamali garden cement pots

I spotted these cement containers (in all shapes and sizes) on a trip this week to my favorite shop in the Flower District, Jamali Garden. This photo taken with my iPhone doesn't do them justice — the texture of the white-washed cement in person is amazing. I have an idea brewing for how to use the 8" square cement pots in my new home office/craft space (currently covered in dust and a lot of broken-down boxes from the move.) More to come on that soon. I also think these might be the perfect earthy-meets-modern planters for a few gorgeous succulents. If you love succulents like I do, check out the new shop Succulent Love Designs (discovered via 100 Layer Cake), which makes me wish I could run off to Southern California to pick up a fishbowl of succulents for my desk.