Liz

summer of love at the mfa boston.

July 24, 2017Liz

“One pill makes you larger And one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you Don’t do anything at all Go ask Alice When she’s ten feet tall”
– Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of visiting “The Summer of Love: Photography and Graphic Design” exhibit, currently showing at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibit, on view until October 22, celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic Summer of Love in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Visitor’s can take in more than 120 posters, album covers and photographs that center around the artists, albums and performances of an iconic moment in culture and music.

As a student of graphic design, I was particularly interested in the trends that emerged at this time around typography. Throughout the exhibit, visitors can see a trend in type which mimics the movement of lava lamps and sets reverberating colors in contrast on both album covers and concert posters. This effect is used deliberately and forces readers to engage more closely with the art in order to read words on the page. As a web designer, I know the effort that is spent in today’s digital media to ensure contrast and legibility standards so it struck me that 50 years ago the design trends of the moment encouraged just the opposite.

The MFA and their contributors generously allow visitors to use photography throughout the exhibit, and encourage sharing via social media (#SummerOfLove). I took a handful of photos while there which I’ve shared below. Enjoy!

throw pillow refresh.

June 14, 2017Liz

A couple weeks ago I decided that I was tired of the throw pillows in my living room and that it was time for a refresh. Pillow covers can range from super cheap to incredibly expensive. Because I like to change mine out every couple years, I try to seek out a good bargain and wanted to share what I found.

As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I’ve been really inspired by kilim style textiles that have recently come back en vogue. I wanted at least one of the pillow covers to be a kilim textile, but, they can be incredibly expensive. Last year I purchased a vintage area rug on Etsy and so I was aware of their vast inventory of vintage goods. I took my search to Etsy once again and was not disappointed. After scrolling through many options, I settled on a 20×20 inch Turkish Kilim pillow from orcunshop. The price was very reasonable ($40) and the shipping was incredibly fast.

Because the Etsy cover was fairly ornate, I though the second pillow should probably feel a bit more neutral and understated. Last year H&M launched a home decor line and I’ve been really impressed by their overall aesthetic — plus their products are always extremely affordable. The pillow I bought their doesn’t appear to be on their website (perhaps it’s an in-store only item?) but it was very reasonably priced at $17.00.

I’ve shared a couple photos of both pillows below. If you’re ever looking for an affordable throw pillow refresh, Etsy and H&M are highly recommended resources 🙂

eastern market, d.c.

June 12, 2017Liz

Sharing some photos from a recent visit to D.C.’s Eastern Market. I love a good outdoor market and this visit did not disappoint with plenty of great crafts, food, fine art and flowers. Fun fact: Eastern Market is one of America’s oldest outdoor market at 136 years running. Enjoy!

weekend in drakes island, maine.

May 31, 2017Liz

Sharing a few photos from the past weekend spend in Drakes Island, Maine. Drakes Island is a small community in Wells, Maine – less than 10 miles from Ogunquit. The area includes some beautiful New England beaches, as well as the Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge. These first three photos were taken at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm – an estuarine research reserve that includes some beautiful walking trails and a collection of outdoor sculptures. Enjoy!

saturday night at a4cade.

April 11, 2017Liz

Two Boston-area restaurants recently joined forces to create a new experience in Cambridge’s Central Square. A4cade was born out of a collaboration between the pizza mavens of Area Four and the sandwich connoisseurs at Roxy’s Grilled Cheese. The new venue is a 21+ arcade/restaurant/bar that I had the pleasure of visiting over the weekend. A4cade opens at 5pm and gets a line outside pretty much right away (at least on a Saturday). You have to walk through the regular Roxy’s restaurant to get to the arcade and there’s no sign outside letting you know it’s there – which is a little confusing but also gives it kind of a cool speakeasy feeling.

Once inside, there are two full bars and a bunch of servers for ordering food and drinks. And of course, there are a lot of games. I didn’t grow up in a video game household and I’m not great at the more screen-based classics like Pac-Man and NBA Jam. I am a big fan though of the more active games like skee ball, foosball, and hoop fever.

We spent a couple hours and had a great time and some really delicious food and drinks. Of course I took a few photos – check them out below!

diana: her fashion story.

April 3, 2017Liz

“There are loads of movie stars and celebrities but there will be only one Diana.”
– Elizabeth Emanuel

As mentioned in my last post, I spent the last weekend of March visiting a friend in London. Our one museum-y outing was a visit to Kensington Palace to see the current exhibit of Princess Diana’s most famous couture. The curators did a great job of detailing Diana’s style evolution and her relationship with the designers whose work she championed. The exhibit was really crowded, even during a week day, but I was able to get a few photos while I was there. Enjoy!

quick visit to london.

March 27, 2017Liz

“Paris is a woman but London is an independent man puffing his pipe in a pub.”
― Jack Kerouac

Just got back from spending a few days in London and wanted to share some photos from a great trip. A good friend of mine has been living there for about 2 years and I finally made it over to visit her. I’ve travelled to London before and have had a lot of the typical touristy experiences – all of which are great. This time though I felt like I got a little more of the local experience by travelling with my friend and staying in her flat in St. John’s Wood. The one museum experience of the trip was an exhibit of Princess Diana’s most famous dresses at Kensington Palace and I’ll be sure to share photos from that exhibit in a later post. Here I’m sharing some photos I took as we explored the city over the past couple of days – including a couple from the most beautiful restaurant I’ve ever seen. Enjoy!

Views from Sky Garden on an overcast day.

..and the equally impressive interior view

Mourad Mazouz’s sketch is a truly remarkable restaurant experience.

even the bathrooms are amazing.

Saturday night on Carnaby Street.

London’s Borough Market on Saturday morning. I would have taken more photos here because everything looked incredible but it was just too crowded to have my phone out all the time. Lot’s of delicious food and drinks here though and I definitely recommend visiting.

bits of inspiration – #101.

February 24, 2017Liz

This morning’s sunrise from the Mass Ave bridge…

bits of inspiration – #100.

February 10, 2017February 10, 2017Liz

Valentine’s Day is coming up next week and if you don’t have any special plans (or even if you do) you should check out the Handmade Valentine Exchange project. The exchange encourages people from all over the world to participate in creating and sending handmade valentines to strangers across the globe. The project was started by photographer and art director, Julia Parris, in 2011 and has been going strong since. I love a good craft project and I also really love the nostalgia of creating and receiving valentines like grade-school children (an aside: do kids still do this?). This would be a perfect girls’ night or snow day activity. Some of my favorite featured valentines are below. Enjoy!

refinery29 graphic artists & the women’s march.

January 19, 2017January 19, 2017Liz

header image by Hanna Barczyk

This Saturday, women in cities all over the country will march in protest of hate, intolerance and acts of violence on the inaugural weekend of the 45th president. While I will personally be participating in the Boston march, the largest and most prominent of these demonstrations will occur on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. Inspired by the Women’s March, Refinery29’s creative department has created a series of graphic compositions which speak to the spirit and mission of these demonstrations. I’ve shared just a few of my favorites below but I highly recommend checking out the entire body of work here.

	jaredlmba on summer of love at the mfa…
	jaredlmba on throw pillow refresh.
	throw pillow refresh… on rooms with kilim rugs (includi…
	jaredlmba on eastern market, d.c.
	jaredlmba on weekend in drakes island,…