Liberty London + Nike Kicks

These gorgeous Liberty of London Nike kicks have just been added to my wish list. They debuted a selection of these a few years ago (which of course sold out) but they are coming out with even more of these babies starting on April 1st -- tomorrow! They will start out being sold exclusively at Liberty and according to their blog you will be able to get them online and with international delivery! Hooray.

Gardening Print

Even though our weather is playing tricks on us lately, I am excited about planting some flowers and herbs in the next few days and this nice garden gear print by Heidi from Redcruiser jumped right out at me. See her other great garden, vegetable and fruit inspired art here.

Brilliant Studio Space

I cannot get my mind off the brilliance of this studio space of Berlin based Michael Elmgreen + Ingar Dragset. You really must feel like you are up on a cloud working there! Oh, the natural light....

Photo by Giorgio Possenti

(via Bonnie Tsang & Design Love Fest)

MLW Photography

The photography by Mark Weinburg is gorgeous! What is equally cool is that he photographed one of my favorite little bakeries in Salt Lake City Tulie, shown above. Have a look at his website and blog it is really great work! He captures light beautifully.

photos: Mark Weinburg

Egg Dyeing 101 App from Martha Stewart Living

I was just talking to my husband the other day about the many beautiful and functional apps the Martha Stewart team has come out with lately and bingo, in my inbox this morning I heard about another one that I wanted to share with you! Hello Egg Dyeing 101 App, we're so happy to meet you. This App is hands down a complete paradise for a person who loves to dye eggs.

It includes egg basics, techniques, instructions, gives resources, and even video clips that show you cool things like how to blow out an egg. This app puts many of those great Martha Stewart Living Easter Egg ideas right in the palm of your hand allowing you to replicate them with pizzazz. I'm in love with the way they share how to marbleize, mask with lace, make creatures and more! What is pretty snazzy is that it is only $.99 and you can find it in the app store right here.

For those of you who don't have an iPhone or iTouch and want to learn how to dye your eggs like the cool photo on the right above see the instructions from the app below...



Choose two or more dyes in hues that work together.

1) Start with an egg dyed in a pale color.

2) Dip the bottom of the egg into a darker dye, partly submerging it and holding it upright, until desired color is achieved. Remove egg, blot with paper towel, and set on a pin-board to dry, 10 minutes. For a two-tone egg, stop at this step. Or, if desired, turn the egg over and repeat, dipping the top in the same color, but leaving a band of the original color in the middle.

3) To further enhance the pattern, turn the egg on its side and dip it horizontally, until desired color is achieved. Remove egg, blot, and set on a pin-board to dry. Repeat as desired.


“Photos from the Egg Dyeing 101 from Martha Stewart Living App. Copyright © 2011, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.” * I did receive the $.99 app for review purposes, but was not compensated for my personal opinion which is my own.

Orla Kiely

Loving the Spring/Summer 2011 looks from Orla Kiely. How lovely it would be to own a piece from this collection.

Photos : from Orla Kiely

Jillian Tamaki

Today's favorite moment (besides snug-a-lugging with our girls) is when I clicked on a twitter link from Design Sponge + Jessica Hische and instantly became mesmerized by these stunning embroidered book cover designs for Penguin Books by Jillian Tamaki! They are gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Wouldn't you agree?! The titles, Emma, The Secret Garden and Black Beauty couldn't be more perfect either.

We will all have to wait a while to get our hands on these babies, sounds like November, but it is a dream to be able to see such talent and work in progress! Jillian's other work is incredible too, like this Monster Quilt --  Gasp! Beyond her apparent beautiful embroidery talents, she is a illustrator and comic artist who lives in Brooklyn and also teaches at the School of Visual Arts.
  

photos: Jillian Tamaki used with permission

Music Monday : Metronomy

The music and video by Metronomy is my music crush of the week. Metronomy is a British electronic band that has been around since the late 90's, but they are mixing it up lately and they've got it going on not only in the sound department by artistic music video department as well. Check them out. Happy Music Monday! You can pre-order their new album English Riviera on itunes here or amazon.*

Directed by Lorenzo Fonda 

Photo: from Metronomy's myspace

*purchasing from these affiliate links helps support B*E. Thanks!

Spring Cleaning the Closet

I want to let you know about the Get Clean Sweepstakes, a really great prize awaits a lucky winner!

Laundry, laundry -- love it or hate . . . as for Monday, it is laundry day at our house. If clothes get dirty during the week, it has to wait its turn in the hamper until Monday comes again. This one day only system works for us and seriously gives me 'laundry peace of mind.'

Method sent me some laundry detergent and what I like about it is that the bottle is super small and smart so it really saves on space, it smells pretty darn good, and the concentrated formula works really well.

Here are a few of my other tips for how to organize the clothes once Monday gets them clean . . .  a few spring cleaning the closet tips you may enjoy:

For the last little while my closet has been in major transition (having a baby can do that). Until I get back to my goal, I am motivating myself by not buying any new clothes, and rebuilding my wardrobe in a way that I am excited about.

1: Dress like a French woman and seek after high quality items that will enhance your overall wardrobe, don't get wrapped up in purchasing quantity and those throw-away pieces. You know the ones I'm talking about, right? Have you heard that we only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time? Make that 20% the best!

2: Edit through your closet seasonally and filter out things that you haven't worn. If you live in a place where your climate doesn't vary that much, you can probably do this less. Also organize your clothes in a way that works for you -- by color, type, season etc...

3: Have matching hangers, it makes all of the difference and makes your closet look nice and uniform.

4: Organize your shoes. Keep shoes off the ground and find a organizer that appeals to you. A simple shoe rack, a back of the door wonder whatever works in your space. It will feel nice, make things much easier to access, and let you see at one quick glance everything available.

5: Get storage containers that match whether in your drawers or to store seasonal clothing items and accessories -- to give your space uniformity. They create instant boundaries and help limit overall stuff consumption. If it doesn't fit in your closet or storage bins, don't buy it or rotate something else out. Also a little secret of mine is that I always try to have an empty storage bin handy for backup in those quick pick up moments, like when a last minute visitor stops by.

Tell me readers, what are your laundry and spring cleaning out your closets tips? I would absolutely love to hear about them!

*Method provided the laundry soap, which is already our first choice. This post is sponsored by Martha Stewart and Method, but these opinions and tips are how I really roll.

Photos by Rachel Jones – Black Eiffel.

Bodoni Bedlam: Typographic Pop-up Book

Graphic Designer Victoria Macey created this magical typographic pop-up book called Bodoni Bedlam. Isn't it super cool?! See more pages and photos here.

(photos from Victoria Macey)

Gardens of Marqueyssac

Daydreaming of a vacation right about now... A few summers ago I was in the Dordogne region and had the opportunity to tour the stunning Gardens of Marqueyssac with my friend Stephanie. Unfortunately I lost my photos of this dazzling and magical place --but we saw peacocks on the rooftops, listened to various little French musical groups play throughout the gardens and we both seriously weathered the thunderstorm of our lives, it was one of my favorite French experiences! Are you going on a vacation or holiday this year? What has been your most memorable vacation moment/place? We are brainstorming for ideas to put on our list ...

Photos from the Gardens of Marqueyssac

Reminded of this from Haute Design

Chronicle Books Sale

It is that time of year again when Chronicle Books is having one of the killer sales with 30% off plus free ground shipping, now through 4/4/11 use promo code SPRING11 at checkout.

Stanton Warriors - Turn Me Up Some

If you've been reading Black Eiffel for a while you will know my admiration for awesome dance moves (see these previous posts 1 2 3 4 5 ) so although this clip may not be for everyone, I think it is pretty darn cool -- hip-hop/breakdance, ballet and disco all in one... something you don't see everyday and a little something for all you dancer lovers out there. What do you think? How do you like the way they edited it?

Directed by Messrs.

See more credits below...


Credits:

Directed & Produced by Giorgio Bruni, Ben Masson, Toby Ross-Southall & Mickey Voak.
Creative Edit, VFX & Grade by Luke Whiting & Sam Edwards.
Distillery Productions
Ballet : Sarah Winter
Break : Omari Carter
Disco : Tommy Holgate.
(via stereogum)

Them...

These two little girls melt my heart, and make me laugh every single day. Sometimes I wonder how time slips away from me so fast and I get behind on things, but then I remember what is most important in life, and it is them. I wish I could freeze frame and slow the clock down. Hip, hip hooray for babies, little kids, and for an amazing husband too. 

What makes you happy?

Movie Title Design

I saw this on Fubiz and I believe it was recently put together and shared at SXSW, if you enjoy movie title design this is super rad to watch. I remember studying about most of these back in the day.Which movie titles are your favorites? Some of mine are here, here, and here. Check out the website Art of the Title for more!

Editor: Ian Albinson  // Initial concept: David Horridge Special thanks: M. Keegan Uhl  & Bill Simmon

(via Fubiz)

Music Monday : Yellow Ostrich

This song called Whale by Yellow Ostrich will not get out of my head. What a unique blend of sounds they have going on here -- am I the only one that hears a little Sufjan flavor? What do you think? Our daughter V would especially like this one. Happy Music Monday!

Method

I am excited to be working with Martha Stewart LivingOmnimedia for the next several weeks highlighting one of my favorite brandsMethod. First up I want to let you know about the Get Clean Sweepstakes! Be sure to check that out.

I use Method cleaning supplies all the time in our home -- I am apretty much a super fan, and with some major Spring Cleaning beginning aroundour home, this is right up my alley! What I especially like about Methodproducts is they are non-toxic, and natural, but still work very effectivelyand come in pretty designed and eco-minimal packages. Are you a fan too?

As I share my thoughts about Method products I will also sharesome of my Spring Cleaning tips and first up I am going to explore the kitchen.Method recently sent me the above yummy smelling Clementine Dish Soap that isincredible – the smells is utterly addictive and it may sound crazy but it reallymakes me want to do the dishes. I love the sweet citrus smell! All of theirproducts I've tried smell amazing which makes Spring Cleaning much more enjoyable.

Speaking of dishes, when it comes to dishes I am reallygoing through a purging phase right now. I am working on pairing down what wedon’t need or use. I’ve conquered the cupboard above and I’m off to set the restin order. I’ve been using the Method multi-purpose spray as I goto wipe down the cabinets, which pretty much makes everything smell likeheaven.

Tip 1 : Figure out what your needs are and eliminatewhat you don’t use or like. When organizing match like items together with amplespace around them for easy access and organization.

A while back we got rid of all of our unsharp knives afterwe saved for months to upgrade to a few really great knives. Ithas made all of the difference and chopping, slicing and dicing much more enjoyable. 

Tip 2 : Discard unsafe knives (dull ones aredangerous!) and broken appliances, and save to upgrade to kitchen tools thatyou will use and last for a lifetime. Keep knives sharp by having themprofessionally sharpened once a year, and don’t put them in the dishwasher orleave them in the sink!

There is a tiny hidden wall in our kitchen where I put upcork squares and pin up rotating food ideas or articles that inspire me. Thevisuals help steer our choices in a better direction. As you can see from the current board above, right now we are really focusing on eating healthier in our family, although I do miss seeing photos of delicious desserts! 

Tip 3 : Be inspired while in your kitchen – Have aplace where you can see visual reminders of what types of things you want towant to eat. It can be on a wall, on the back of a cupboard, whatever worksbest in your space.

 

While going through our cabinets I have came across my little problem of loving books too much –especially well-designed and pretty photographed cookbooks so it is hard not tokeep adding to them. I’m in the process of going through all of the pretty onesthat aren’t dogeared to see what recipes I really want to cook. Furthermore, it is even getting more tricky to focus with all of the pretty cooking apps for the iPad theyare coming out with… have you seen Everday Food?! Gorgeous! (I will have to doa post on that.)

Tip 4 : Utilize what you already have before adding more.Set your limits and define the space it will take up, when you purchase something,pass on another.

My final tip is my black book of recipes. I’ve tried manythings … computer programs, recipe cards, custom recipe books, apps and more. What Ikeep coming back to and what works best for me is to the print off, clip andtype recipes, and put them into a binder with plastic pages. I have tabscategorizing sections like entrees, salads, soups and more and it is a snap to quicklyfind what favorites I want to make. When I meal plan for the week I just go through andtake out the recipes I’m going to use, write down the ingredients I need andput them in the front of the binder for easy access during the week. The plastic pages have also saved me from many spills.

Tip 5: Organize and collect your favorite andwell-used recipes in one place so they are easy to access when cooking in thekitchen.

So there you have it… my five Spring Cleaning tips for thekitchen! What are some of your tips? I would love to hear about them in thecomments! Favorite recipes, cookbooks shout those out too. Also what are your favorite cleaning supplies in the kitchen -- do you seek after the good smells like me?

*As a heads up, Method sent me the dish soap for review andI really love it. This post is sponsored by Martha Stewart and Method, but these opinions are my own -- you should see my Method Cleaning Arsenal before they even approached me.


Photos by Rachel Jones – Black Eiffel.

For Japan with Love...

The tragedy in Japan has caused me to think deeply this week about what is truly essential in life, and how quickly life can change... in a blink. What I find fortunate about this sad circumstance is that on the flip side of something so incredibly awful there is the charitable love of people coming together to help out. Tomorrow I pause with many online thanks to Lydia from Ever Ours and Henry and Lucia from Utterly Engaged to reflect and keep praying for Japan.

Join in.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

1. Bertoia Side Chair
2. Jme Artichoke Paste
3. Clover Ring
4. Gold Baby Shoes
5. Retro Green Purse

Dinner in the Sky

If heights aren't your thing then this probably isn't for you, but several months ago I bookmarked this site called Dinner in the Sky and am now just revisiting it. Have you seen this? Would you be up for having a dinner or event way up high? Since it is available in over 30 countries around the world, there are many possibilities -- where would you want to dine in the sky? What a lifetime experience this would be, doesn't it look so magical!



Photos: from Dinner in the Sky

Sponsor Highlight : Mulberry & Moss

Mulberry & Moss one of my sponsors has a lovely collection of vintage inspired stationery. Take a look at their fun items. My favorites are the alphabet cards and variety of thank you cards, especially the watercolor one!


*If you would like the become a Black Eiffel sponsor -- email blackeiffel@gmail.com for details. My rates are catered for small businesses and from now until the end of the June 20% of all individual ad proceeds will be donated to the Japan relief.

Anthropologie Gift Card Design

While working on a project, I started dwelling upon the brilliant well-designed gift card holders that Anthropologie is always coming up with.

1: Birthday Candle Necklace designed by Lizania Cruz
2: Sewing Kit Birthday Gift designed by Lizania Cruz
3: Monsters Teefs and Zips for Holiday 2009 designed by Alana McCann

(all photos referenced to links above - AIGA & Lizania Cruz)

Music Monday : Little Joy

Although my heart is still breaking over Japan as I'm sure it is for many of you, I hope you had a nice weekend. Here is a band that I am enjoying thanks to my cousin Andrea. Little Joy -- have you heard of them? They are fantastic, happy Music Monday! Watch this clip too -- her voice is incredible.

Download the album on itunes or amazon.*

 

 Photo by Maira Bittencourt from myspace 
*Purchasing from above links support B*E.

The Anatomy of a Cupcake...

How brilliant is this?! Allen Hemberger and Sarah Wilson created The Anatomy of a Cupcake Chart as a birthday present for a girl named Lesleigh. They also now sell it as a print, sweet!

(photo + poster from Allen Hemberger  - via That's Happy > Oh Cupcakes)

Dream Studio

This stunning studio is being added to my inspirational files named "office of my dreams". It is the office of Interior Designer Suzanne Kasler and was featured in Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles. Isn't it pretty?! The natural light is gorgeous!


photo by Erica George Dines from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle

Interview with eBay's The Inside Source

People who know me well know that I get bashful about this kind of stuff, but I did an interview with Lexi from eBay's the Inside Source that is up on their site today. If you want to know more about me + Black Eiffel read about it here. Thanks eBay!

Margaret Howell

The relaxed and classic sophisticated Spring/Summer looks from the England based Margaret Howell's collection are very lovely and the color combos and styling are spot on. The designer states on her about page that she designs "...clothes that are meant to be worn in the real world, where good design is about living with thoughtful style." I love that! 

I also enjoy how Brits use the word 'trousers' instead of pants, what word(s) do you wish we used more in the states?

photos: from Margaret Howell

Up up and away...

My husband told me yesterday about the Up inspired house that they created for the upcoming National Geographic Show called, "How Hard Can It Be?" which debuts in the fall. Would you be brave enough to go for a ride in a real live Up House? The talented team launched the house on March 5th and it flew for about a hour, and they even broke some world records for flying really high. I personally wonder how they were able to land it, ha... isn't this awesome! I can't wait to see the show and this episode when it airs.

(photos by National Geographic Channel originally sourced from here where you can see more!)

Kate Spade Site...

I'm really enjoying the redesign of the Kate Spade site! Check it.

1. Iphone cover
2. Tipsy Shoes
3. Tutti Fruitti Collar Necklace
4. Twirl perfume -- this stuff smells good.
5. Date Night Ring
6. Bobby Pins
7. Seersucker Mini Lacey

Music Monday : The Head and the Heart

Hello ... it is Music Monday on a Tuesday today. A reader recommended the Seattle band The Head and the Heart to me a little while back and they just came out with this new video for the song 'Lost In My Mind' yesterday! I enjoy how they play to multiple lamps in the snow and I really like their vibe and sound. Tell me what you think.

(photo by Dylan Priest from The Head and the Heart's Facebook page)

Altered Landscapes by John Pfahl

These Altered Landscapes photographed by John Pfahl are beautiful and remind me of similar work that I have been seeing around lately, although would you believe these are from the 1970s? He has a lovely collection of different series of his photographic work here.

(All photos by John Pfahl spotted at The Best Part > zero1)

Happy Weekend!

Here are a few things that I saw this week that made me smile...

1. Croatia House, isn't that bedroom gorgeous? by Reese Robers + Partners spotted at Full House

2 + 3. I received my Anthology Magazine #2 in the mail -- it is incredible, you should subscribe, if you don't already! It led me to their site/blog where I fell in love with that amazing Paper Globe by Geografia and also the awe inspiring photography deconstructions by Todd Mclellan that they shared.

Have a fabulous weekend!