Posted by admin on Mar 5, 2012 in
Artists,
design,
Great Finds,
Inspiration I love Etsy. I’ve said it before so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. I love anything handmade as it has a story and a uniqueness that other things don’t have. So, I browse the site often looking to see what’s new, and happily my latest find combines two things I adore — good design/illustration and books. Literary posters — what’s not to adore?
Obvious State is the shop of Evan Robertson who is a writer and illustrator in NYC. Visit his shop to see the fantastic work — I can’t wait to buy one as soon as I can pick a favorite!
Literary Posters by Obvious State
Posted by admin on Feb 14, 2012 in
Artists,
Great Finds,
Inspiration I saw this on Facebook, naturally, as that seems to be the best source for great finds nowadays. Not only is it a beautiful and sweet video, it was made with a wonderful sense of imagination. You don’t need crazy special effects to make an impact. Watch this and explore your dreams…
"Her Morning Elegance" - from the album "The Opposite Side of the Sea", written and produced by Oren Lavie. © 2009 A Quarter Past Wonderful.
Posted by admin on Feb 13, 2012 in
design,
Great Finds,
Inspiration I’m guessing you’ve heard of it by now — the visual pin board site on the web, the latest addiction where friends need “Pinterventions” — yup, Pinterest. If that word doesn’t ring a bell, then you’re in for a treat. While some people are groaning at the idea of yet another social media site, take a minute with me before you dismiss this one.
Pinterest, in one sentence or less, is a place for you to create your own virtual pin boards and “pin” images found on the web to them for future use. It’s your own inspiration scrapbook, but without the mess of glue. It’s the one-click wonder that will let you keep those passing visual thoughts in a place you can find later without a new search. Yeah, obviously I’m a fan.
But, what sets Pinterest apart from the other social networks out there is the fact that there’s no “social pressure”. You can follow other people’s pins, and they can follow you. Or you can just go in and do your thing. The root of Pinterest is you — these are your pages for your inspiration. It’s a different kind of social.
I will most likely be writing more on this subject soon — especially on how Pinterest should be worked in your social media plans — but for now, let’s stick with the basics and just have fun. So, go ahead — jump in and start pinning. I’ll be right behind you.
(View my pin boards here!)
My Pinterest Boards
Posted by admin on Nov 12, 2011 in
Artists,
Great Finds,
Photography It’s not too often I photograph myself, but this one snuck by without my even realizing it…. I love those surprise moments that happen before you even know what’s going on. Just another small moment in life. 
Caught in the act!
Posted by admin on Aug 15, 2011 in
Entertaining,
Great Finds I’d like to say that I haven’t been keeping up with my blog because I’ve been too busy cooking delicious things like this Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread from Annie’s Eats, but actually things here at Thumbnail Designs have just been too busy! So, I’m making an effort to work on a better balance of life in general — including more posts on my blog which I love to do, and taking the time for more homemade foods like this…
Posted by admin on May 14, 2011 in
Great Finds,
Local Interest,
Photography Mom and I spent a lovely afternoon buying some herbs and veggies for her garden on Mother’s Day. While there are plenty of large chains around for buying plants, we didn’t hesitate in going to our favorite off the beaten path location — The Salem Herbfarm. We’ve been visiting them yearly for the past few years and always in awe at everything they offer. Not only are the plants healthy and beautiful, but their shop has so many adorable items. It’s definitely worth the visit!
And since I don’t have a garden yet (but hopefully soon!) I went around snapping pictures of all of my favorite flowers for future planning/planting. Looking at them afterwards, apparently I am very drawn to orange and purple flowers. (And on a side note, these pictures were shot with my iphone — not perfect, but I was pretty impressed with the clarity).
Anyhow, enjoy the pics and make plans to visit the Herbfarm soon!
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Flowers at The Salem Herbfarm
Posted by admin on May 9, 2011 in
Artists,
design,
Great Finds Check out this absolutely beautiful work by Perch Paper Co. I’m so jealous of their amazing talent and this is just a small sample! Check out their shop on Etsy and see all of the wonderful work. Makes me want to throw a party just to send out custom addressed envelopes. :)
Perch Paper Co.
Perch Paper Co.
Perch Paper Co.
Perch Paper Co.
Posted by admin on Mar 24, 2011 in
Artists,
design,
Great Finds Another Etsy find that I just have to share. So incredibly sweet, too. “Artist & poet, Fréya Eté creates work with a purity of vision and a forever optimistic view of the world. Her quirky, heart warming and thought provoking pieces are much loved and sought after and held in many public and private collections around the world.”
Visit her Etsy shop to see all of her work — I had too many ‘favorites’ to choose from!
Let's Plant Our Dreams in this Garden
Strange and Magnificent
Emerge
Home
Our Harbour
The Tiny Little Adventurous Bird
Posted by admin on Feb 23, 2011 in
design,
Great Finds I found this website, 300&65 Ampersands, through Facebook and instantly fell in love. It was an entire website dedicated to the ampersand. A whole year of ampersands, in fact — one every day in a different font. What’s not to love? Below are some that caught my eye, but visit the site yourself and find one that speaks to you. Also, while you’re there, check out their farewell post — the first paragraph alone had me smiling:
“A great time has been had finding all manner of ampersands to present here –skinny, ostentatious, plain but dependable and leafy ones. There were ampersands that were elegant, graceful and serene but that didn’t leave out the stumpy, awkward, stout or the festively plump. We’ve had dotty, opulent, straightforward ampersands & ampersands that didn’t give an ampere’s and. Of course we’ve also had self-conscious ampersands just trying to keep to themselves.”
300&65 Ampersands
Posted by admin on Jan 12, 2011 in
Artists,
design,
Great Finds This fantastic chart of the work of Jessica Hische, a typographer and illustrator working in Brooklyn, NY. Her chart was floating through the world of Facebook when I saw it and read up a little on Jessica and the work she does — long story short, she’s one very talented lady! So, check out her site, and then click on the chart below so you can read all of it (this is just a partial snapshot) — it’s not only educational, it’s also pretty gosh darn funny.
Should I Work for Free by Jessica Hische
