wall•e

i'm still not feeling well, and i had a rough headache weekend. still, dave and i found some time to get out on saturday and have some relaxing fun. and on a whim, we decided to go see wall•e.



what fun! wall•e was so great -- funny, serious, sweet. i loved the take on "garbage" in the world... what a lesson for children going to see it. and the first 40 minutes almost being devoid of dialogue was masterfully done -- you didn't miss dialogue at all. as a mac geek, i also appreciated all the nods to my world, like iPods and the design of eve. gotta love pixar. they always deliver.

take your kids, or if you're kid-less, go by yourself, with your friends, or your sig. other. you won't regret it! a feel good movie if i've ever seen one. =)

not feeling well...

sorry for not posting yesterday. i haven't been feeling all that well in the past couple of days due to my migraines. if i can, i'll definitely post later today.

thanks for understanding!
nicole

illustration week continues -- abigail halpin of miss avocado

today's illustrator post is another etsy find -- abigail halpin of miss avocado.

a new dress.

abigail's work is quite a lot of fun -- sweet and spunky at the same time, most of the pieces found in her etsy shop are of lovely girls or a cute little boy, with a bit of attitude and a lot of expression. i truly enjoy how her drawn lines show through her bright colors, and that even her monochromatic pieces truly stand out.

slightly sorry.

hope.

check out abigail's work at her miss avocado etsy shop, or her blog and portfolio at theodesign.com.

i have an intern!!

i'm so excited! i officially have an intern for the summer.

talya is the sister of a client of mine, and she's a total sweetheart. she'll help to keep me organized, as well as learning more about the design field. i'm sure i'll have her doing a lot of research for this blog as well, so i'm sure you guys will hear directly from her from time to time.

if you want, leave a comment and say hi to talya!

illustration spotlight -- namuga

in my yearning for getting back into my artwork, i've been doing some researching of illustrators. so this week will be illustration spotlight week.

the big tree, namuga.

today's choice is namuga. artist brian kim seems to be pretty new to the etsy world, but his work is so much fun. whimsical and cute, with great linework, he mostly creates "characters" that have an awful lot of personality.

check out the namuga etsy shop! and pick up a print. i think i have just the spot for the little monster.

my name is monster, namuga.

what a nice way to end the week -- blog love!!!

i'm so honored... i popped up on two blogs today. what a nice way to bring in the weekend!




first (above), miss canary on weddingbee noted the fat pig chocolates that i posted about earlier today. i'm so glad -- those chocolates deserve to be passed all around the internet.




also (above), kathryn of snippet & ink did a guest post today on summer wedding inspiration for ritzy bee. to my complete joy, adrienne & andrew's invitation was placed in one of the inspiration boards. thanks so much guys! i'll be sure to alert my clients, who will be THRILLED to pieces!

thanks to everyone who is tuning in and reading. days like this make me really happy.

fat pig

finally, a chocolate that speaks to how i would feel eating it!


from brooklyn brothers design firm, via the dieline.

ikea brooklyn is open!

call me crazy, but i am SUPER EXCITED that ikea has finally opened their long-debated red hook store here in brooklyn. now i don't have to drive all the way to NJ to get my stuff -- saving lots of gas and toll money!


the gothamist had photos from yesterday's grand opening... now this is what i can enthusiasm!!

photo courtesy of gothamist.

i miss painting...

bagel buddha, 2003.
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

... and drawing, and researching, etc.

i know a lot of my readers know that i was an illustrator in a past life (or, at least, a struggling one). but how much do you actually know about that? since i haven't painted for a loooonng time (two years, eek!), i know you haven't seen anything new.

vin diesel, 2004
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

gwyeneth paltrow, 2003
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

i was painting in oil since the age of 10. it was my first love... i majored in illustration at syracuse university. i drew or painted every day in my life. and after a couple years out of school, life took over -- and sadly, drawing and painting began to fade away.

old cat on a cold tin roof, 2006
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

my husband dave and i are both regretting this... so we're thinking of taking figure drawing sessions once a week, to get ourselves back in the groove.

in this post, you'll find some of my old work. it's hard to believe how old some of them are. but i really hope to be creating some new pieces soon...

trump, 2004
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

ewan mcgregor (from "down with love"), 2003. i met him too!!
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

extreme heartbreak, home edition, 2006
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

me! holiday promo, 2003
© nicillustration, all rights reserved.

cobble hill love

as many of my readers know, i used to live in cobble hill, brooklyn. lived there for 5 years. loved it more than i can say. i love the neighborhood, i love the people, i love the shops that have been there forever. what can i say, i'm an italian brooklynite at heart!

the cobble hill blog posted a youtube video this weekend that intrigued me -- from an LA Times video by carolyn cole. it's about all the people that have had their shops in the neighborhood for years -- sam's restaurant, d'amico's coffee, raccuglia funeral home -- and how much it has changed in recent years. while i appreciate their intense love for the neighborhood and the history there, and agree with them on several points (like the idea that high-rise condos shouldn't go up in a brownstone neighborhood), i have to say that they're missing a few things. the beauty of cobble hill is the amount of small shops there -- many to new entrepreneurs -- that are the new mom & pop stores of cobble hill. and while people like me can't stay there forever because we can't afford it, there is a great love for the area -- displayed by those that find their new home there.

so, i say to the old, embrace the new. be grateful that the idea of small shops and people that you can get to know is still thriving in cobble hill. it's one of few areas left in this town that can claim that.

apartment update -- dining chairs!

we got our dining chairs today! i'm so thrilled -- we finally have 6 proper dining chairs that do our table justice. we're not crazy about the seat fabric, but we knew that going in. we'll just have to recover them at some point in the future.

enjoy the pics!

daughter of design is blogging!

my favorite wedding by annie lee of daughter of design

annie lee, the fabulous planner behind daughter of design, has finally got her own blog! i'm very excited about this -- annie is a great chick and a consummate professional, with a lot to say, and now we can all read it.

check out the daughter of design blog as soon as you get a chance. the first post is about rentable jewelry... fabulous!

babbo invite

i'm so glad i finally get to post about this!!!

mario batali hosted a 10-year anniversary dinner for his fabulous NYC restaurant, babbo. it was a block party, with guest chefs from some of his best locations.

happily, a former wedding client of mine, jen, is currently working for a PR company -- the same PR company that was handling the event. and guess who she contacted for the invitations???!!! yay, a wonderful corporate gig! and for a fabulous restaurant... the foodie in me couldn't say no!

stationery & skirts -- pics!

a guest viewing the wares.

ok, so, i know i'm delivering on my promises a bit late, but still, i'm delivering! so, with no further adieu, here are some pics from my setup at the stationery & skirts event.

my setup in the bookcase at kimera.

julia newman hanging out at the event... that's her sample albums and computer slideshow in front.

new work!!! i just completed megan & roy's wedding stationery accessories. this is their menu...

their thank you notes...

the front of their place cards (with space for calligraphy)...

and the back of the place cards. all letterpress done by peter kruty editions.

danielle and greg's response card.

adrienne and andrew's invitation suite. invitation above...

invite detail...

RSVP card...

and hotel/directions card.

new work!!! marni and michael's save the date. this is how it looks together -- a booklet and bookmark...

the interior of the booklet, with a poem inside...

and the bookmark, with the save the date info.

moroccan-influenced notecard. this will be on etsy soon.

programs from michelle and david's wedding...

and their save the date.

and last but not least... i always display the set that started it all. my wedding invitation! happily, it's always a big hit. the swirl ornament on the invite is actually a masked-out coffee stain, and the save-the-date was a coaster -- when you pulled it off the cardstock, you revealed a coffee ring. can you tell we had a coffee-themed wedding? =)

just a note -- i want to thank julia newman for joining us, and to yvonne as always for being a great partner in crime. hope to see you at the next one!