Design is so foreign to me…

Last night as I was scrolling through one of my favorite blogs, Abduzeedo, that’s about art and design, I couldn’t help but think, “practically all of these AWESOME designers are foreign!?” They are all from these sweet places like Greece, Italy, Germany, London, etc… and I’m JEALOUS!

I started to think, maybe being from a foreign country with completely different ideals, teachings and thought processes makes you a completely different, and in my opinion better, designer. They are amazing! I can’t even begin to think about how absolutely incredible their work is. And more than that, how in the WORLD did they come up with it?!? It baffles me to no end the incredible artwork of these foreign designers. It makes me want to be a foreigner! BUT WAIT, what if I went over to Europe and designed? I would be considered a foreign designer then, right? Would it make me better? I wonder if it’s the fact that over in Europe you are literally surrounded by collages of old master paintings, unique drawings, intricate architecture and incredibly futuristic sculptures. It’s just a totally different feel over there.

I can really only speak for some of Italy, because I’ve been there, but I felt like a different person. Walking down cobblestone streets with old buildings on each side, huge doors with gigantic lion head knockers, the sound of vespa engines all around and then before you know it you’re in front of a gelato shop and to your right is the Pantheon. If you haven’t been to the Pantheon it’s huge, just so you know. And everyone’s just gathered around this old fountain sitting enjoying gelato and chatting. It’s hard not to partake. I think living a life like that would make me a completely different designer.

Here in Atlanta, it’s stressful. Traffic, stupid people, not enough time in the day to get everything done. In Italy it was like you couldn’t move slow enough. No one hustled, no one bustled. They just had their own pace. And dinner is supposed to be 4 hours long, with TONS of chatting and wine drinking, no rush from the waiter since had no where to be, and neither did we. I just can’t wrap my head around living like that, and how different the thought process for design would be. I’m ready to move overseas… what? I just think I should test this theory… that’s all…

You remind me of…

As I was working today on a design I heard “Oh when you walk by every night talkin’ sweet and lookin’ fine, I get kinda hectic insiiiiide” come on the radio and I immediately start singing along. But as I’m singing a picture forms in my mind of riding down 85 in Greenville, with my hand out the window as if I’m swimming through the wind. The sunroof is open, this song is blasting loud and my best friend Melissa and I are screaming the song at the top of our lungs. Every single time I hear Mariah Carey or Dave Matthews band I almost instantaneously think of Melissa. It’s just one of those things that I can’t explain, but I love when it happens. Unfortunately, Melissa died in a car accident while I was in college, and I don’t get to make new memories with her and Mariah, but I’m in love with the fact that I remember her spontaneously.

After this happened today I started thinking of other things that spontaneously remind me of others, and I really loved how random they turned out to be. I think it’s just amazing what the mind stores and then throws out at you when you’re not expecting it.

For example, everytime I see Reese’s Puffs cereal I think of my friend Liz. This one time in college she ate Reese’s Puffs cereal straight out of the box with a spoon, no milk. She was wearing a Sponge Bob Squarepants shirt, it was red, and pajama pants, with a pink trucker hat. And she had showered and dried her hair, and she has naturally spiral curly hair… which if you’re a woman, means it was all frizzed out like one of those Fructis commercials for “dry hair.” It was an amazing site.

When I see a frog I think of my Grandma Elliott. It’s such a strange thing to think of… but I just remember sitting in the country club ordering lunch. We loved to go there, they had a buffet OR a menu, and they had really really good desserts. I had to have been young because I don’t remember a whole lot about the scene, just that my Grandma ordered frog legs. It was the first time I’d ever heard of someone actually ordering frog legs. I don’t remember if I tasted them, or what anyone else got that day… just that she ordered frog legs.

When I make spaghetti for Rob, I definitely think of my mother. Moms always make the best food, and I don’t know what the extra ingredient is, but every sandwich, soup or spaghetti tastes better when a mom makes it. My mom would make her own spaghetti sauce and it was ALWAYS delicious. It was nice and saucy, just the way I like it, and there was no meat. Which I find nowadays to be a rarity, everyone (especially Rob) wants meat in their sauce. Mom’s spaghetti had vegetables and tomatos and the noodles were just perfect, and I wish I could make that sauce… but it’s a mom thing.

I have this old Minolta camera sitting on my desk right beside me, and each time I see it I think of my dad. He’s had this camera ever since I could remember, and he was always snappin’ pictures with it. I think it’s turned out some of the better photos our family has ever seen. For those in the “new age” with digital everything, this Minolta is completely manual. You have to adjust every setting before taking the photos…and my dad did it successfully for as long as I can recall. We have some great photos, from baby pictures, to birthday tea parties, painting parties, graduations, grandparents, vacations across the country… They were all great, and they were all because of that camera and my dad.

I saw a girl the other day, I think in a restaurant, and she raised her hand while saying something and I noticed that her pinky finger was kinked, like it was permanently bent. Immediately my Grandpa Mangum came to mind. His pinky finger was kinked too, and I know it’s probably got a cool story behind it, but I can’t remember it. I just see him sitting at his kitchen table, the paper laid out flat, with his glasses on. One hand is holding his head up and his other hand is on the table with that kinked finger. And if I said, “Grandpa” he’d ignore me… until I said it 3 more times… then he’d look up at me with that smile, it always made me feel like he had a joke or something funny to say. And most times he did.

How far is too far?

In college, I remember my professor constantly nagging me to push myself further with my artwork. But I wanted to ask, “how far??” That was never something I understood… How do you know when to keep going, or when to stop? Especially with artwork. Inevitably artists are never completely “satisfied” with anything, and think they could make small changes or keep pushing it “farther” but when do you stop and say, “ok, I’m done with this”?

I’ve run into this dilemma again recently because I’m creating the new designs for ThemeNaps 2010 release, and while I work on each piece I think to myself, “is this done?” or “what else do I need to do?” or even, “what else can I do?” I’ll use the topic of birthday designs, since I’ve been working on those lately.

It’s happened a few times now that I’ve put down a design and come back to it the next day and changed things about it… maybe the background, a color or even a major design change. I wind up sending it to my boss and saying, “here’s the new birthday design.” And then the next day I pick it up again, change it and re-send it saying, “ok here’s the new new birthday design.”

It’s obnoxious because I’m sure it’s a pain in the @ss to keep getting these files saying basically, “here it is”, and then the next day I have a new version! I annoy myself because I keep doing it! Why can’t I just hang on to it until I’m done!? But when am I done? That’s what I can’t figure out. I keep thinking I’m done and then I want to change it almost at the same instant I say that. There are sometimes I know exactly when to stop, and others I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing and it seems like it’s going nowhere. How do I subconsciously, or even consciously, make that decision? With the designs I keep pushing why can’t I get to a stopping point? And with the designs I’ve stopped, do I need to keep pushing them?

I’ve heard many times, “I love your job!!” or “I wish I had your job, it looks like so much fun!” but seriously it’s REALLY difficult. I have to make decisions based on the future… so basically what I’m saying is that I’m psychic. Really, I have to look into my crystal ball and decide: what colors are good for next year, what style is “happening” for next year,  what do people want next year, what will people buy next year, what patterns are gonna be cool next year, are patterns even cool next year? Then once I think I’ve got a handle on those questions, I have to keep in mind who’s buying this, white people, black people, spanish people, english, japanese, germans, housewives, party planners, working mom’s, sorority sisters, tailgaters, penuckle players, shop owners and celebrators. This one birthday design needs to appeal to pretty much all those people and more. Not only that, but I need to create 6 of these new birthday designs!

It’s so much more than what I’m telling you, or that you could even imagine… You just see purple and yellow. But it was a process of: what purple will be popular in 2010? Bright purple or maybe purple with a hint of pink, or more of a bluish purple? What about lavender? What about dark purple? What should go around that purple? Yellow is purple’s complement, but if it’s a pinky purple then a yellowy green is more appropriate, or if it’s bluish purple then yellowy orange is better. We’ll go with a medium shade of bluish purple, so that means using the yellowy orange, which needs to be brighter so that visually the tones mix well. But is that bright yellowy orange going to be popular in 2010??

Is it more than just a dahlia? Maybe it’s your personality…

I’ve discovered my new favorite flower. The dahlia. They’re gorgeous! And I don’t know how I never noticed them before… It’s probably because I never really saw them, it’s not like someone would shove some flowers in my face and say “Hey! These are dahlias!”

I don’t recall them getting too much “exposure”, but lately it seems like every wedding florist is using them! I’ve never really been a “get me flowers” kind of girl, so it isn’t like I’ve had lots of bouquets to look at and pine over which flower is my favorite. Plus I’m very non-traditional… roses just don’t do it for me. I actually had Rob memorize that I preferred calla lillies instead of “roses”. And he’s done well and now unfortunately he’ll have to remember another flower… the dahlia!

I just love the way they constantly look like they are bursting open, and their colors… they are so bright and can be so emotional. From a soft off white with red flecks that makes me feel peaceful, to a moody dark red that makes me feel sensual. The bright pink just makes me want to smile, and the orange makes me feel warm… if that’s even an emotion. I really don’t know how I never noticed them before… but now I love them.

I believe the things you like are a direct reflection on who you are as a person. That seems like an obvious statement, but really think about what it is you like and if it relates to who you are. I, for example, constantly experiment. Meaning I strive to find something new, whether it’s with food, with drinks, with art, with clothes, pretty much anything. Because I prefer something that’s not the norm, or has never been done… or just isn’t “typical”, and I believe that’s a big part of who I am. I’m very different… I get told alot that I’m not easy to categorize – I’m not really a girly girl, but I like shoes, purses and clothes. I’m not a tomboy, but I like football, baseball and using cool new tools to build stuff. I’m not a chef, but I like to cook, try new tastes, take risks eating new things, and exposing other people to the great new foods I’ve found. I think it’s also pretty evident when you look at what dog I chose – a dapple dachshund. Though there are a bunch out there, it’s just not “typical” and EVERYWHERE we go someone asks if she’s mixed, or what “color” she is. I had never seen dapple doxies either, until one day when I came across some random picture of one and I was hooked. I searched specifically for a dapple breeder because I didn’t want the normal looking dachshund.

I think dahlia’s play into this “a-typical-ness” [if that's even english...] too. The name itself is unusual and the flower is not like anything thing else I’ve seen. It’s definitely no rose, tulip or daisy. I like being unique, and I like unique things.

Then again, I think it all stems from the name my parents gave me… Lezlee. Who spells it phonetically like that? And why can’t anyone pronounce it correctly?? Without even thinking about it, I can tell you how my name is pronounced 9 times out of 10, Leezlee. [????Does the z really throw them off that much????] But you gotta agree, it’s unique.

Baby Huddy

One of my very best friends, Jessica, had her baby yesterday afternoon at about 1pm. Hudson Reese Harris is now officially my first “best friend’s baby”! Hah! It’s crazy to see her with a little baby, but I know she’ll be a great mommy.

I went and visited her, JC and Hudson in the hospital last night and got to snap a few photos.

Right after the birth, this was a picture her mom took. Happy mom and dad!

Hudson Reese Harris!

Wake up little Huddy!

Mommy and baby…

Smile Huddy!

Daddy and Huddy

And a closeup…

That hat was made for Huddy! By Jess’ Great Grandma I think…

What a cutie, already a womanizer I can tell. He’s 6.3lbs and 19in long, and soooo tiny! I’m sure he’ll grow up fast, and hopefully we can get some good pictures of him along the way.

Congrats Jessica and JC!

Invading a Store Near You!

I got 4 stories this weekend of how someone I know had seen ThemeNaps in a store recently! Two of my best friends emailed me pictures because they came across them while they were out just this weekend!

Amy was in Blowing Rock, NC when she came across these!

Jess was in Cracker Barrel in Calhoun, GA with her sister when they spotted these!

How crazy! AND while I was at my sister’s wedding in Hot Springs, NC my aunt’s had seen them at home! Aunt Julie saw them in Texas at a Hallmark store while shopping for a birthday card. And my Aunt Jeanie saw them in a candle store in Tennessee!

I think it’s hilarious that people are coming across them in random places. I tell them, “it’s just a little reminder of me.” But it’s funny to see how excited everyone gets when they see them and they know the designer! I love it! I get excited when I walk into a store and see them, it’s like I want to shout that “I MADE THESE!”

Let me know if you see them out somewhere!! I love to hear the story.

Howl-O-Weenie 2009

Alright! This past Saturday was Howl-O-Weenie!!! An awesome event put on by DREAM Dachshund Rescue for doxies They have lots of contests, howling, kissing, tail wagging, races, and a costume contest!

I designed and created 3 costumes for our girls, Stella, Blossom and Molly. They were Jurassic Bark, Stellasaurus, B-Rex and TriMollytops. The costumes turned out great, and we were even finalists in the costume contest! But lots to Doggie Lama… boooo… But we got stopped numerous times for photos, because everyone LOVED them! Here are some pictures from the event Enjoy!

Stellasaurus costume design

B-Rex costume design

TriMollytops costume design

The basic pattern I worked from

The collateral damage

Finished Stellasuaurs

Finished B-Rex

Finished TriMollytops

Once we got there, we grabbed some lunch, Blossom hangin out

Stella and Molly found shade

It was hot… especially Molly

Telling Rob how hot she was

Blossom found shade

Mom its hot…

We saw lots of other costumes, a cowboy

Bumble bee

Red Hat Society

Pretty dog, ugly costume

So cute!

Elvis and his security detail… hilarious

Time to put our costumes on! Stellasaurus

Stellasaurus

So cute!

B-Rex

Love the teeth…

TriMollytops headpiece is my favorite

TriMollytops

Trying to get a group shot… Molly turn around!

Arg! Stella turnaround!!

Jurassic Bark at it’s best

Jurassic Bark

That’s the theme for our dog costumes! I am creating FROM SCRATCH dog costumes for 3 weenie dogs! T-Rex, Triceratops and Stegosaurus and trust me their fantastic so far!!! I can’t wait to show you pictures from this weekend. We’re going to Howl-O-Weenie! They have a costume contest so cross your fingers… we’re hoping Jurassic Bark makes an impact!

Pictures to come!

If You Are Jonathon LaRoy, DO NOT VIEW THESE PICS!

So, my sister is getting married on October 9th! Only a couple weeks away!! I recently went home to Greenville to visit and get alterations to my dress and Kristin had asked if I’d like to take some pictures of her in her wedding dress since I got my new camera!

Please be forewarned, I have not EVER taken photos of brides, weddings, or people in general. I just got the camera and I’m still figuring out exactly how to make it work for me. Not to mention, I was doing the “pee pee dance” during the shoot because we were right next to a lovely river with a waterfall… But, at least it made for a good way to make Kristin smile during the shoot! ALSO, please note that it was RAINING during this photoshoot… which didn’t help with the “pee pee dance”.

Anyways, she wasn’t expecting “professional” photos or anything, it was just a chance to use the new camera and do some experimenting. And here are some of the pictures I took of her, I thought they turned out alright… and I hope she likes them.

Crossing the river to get down to the waterfall

Waterfall

I thought the tree in front of me made a great frame!

I like the way this one “accidentally” turned out

Trees

Playing in the trees

Practice for the wedding!

“Strike a pose!”

Looking over the bridge

Bride and Bridge

Rock and Bamboo

Close up!

And one with the photog… it was raining, forgive my hair.

PP Artistry

PP Artistry

Rain Rain Go Away

So it’s been raining here in Atlanta… to say the least. The Chattahoochee River next to my house flooded yesterday due to the rain! Some were saying it had 20′ more water than normal.

Once I got home from work we went down to the river to take some pictures, so here’s what I’ve got!

On our way to see the water

Standing water in grass

Water from the river up to houses

Flooded trees

Stone grill on river bank

No river bank

Bridge

Comparison of bridge water level

Heading back to the house

I didn’t take this, but the EXPENSIVE Canoe Restaurant, not far from our house

I didn’t take this, but Highway 85/75 intersection

I didn’t take this, but a flooded Atlanta street