Marthe, Marthe, oh... Marthe.

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that craftsmen are a dying breed.

There are however, a handful of devotees out there still making their livelihood from pre-industrial revolution means. These folks are busy creating masterpieces the "slow" way - with care, precision and pride.

Marthe Armitage is the perfect embodiment of a true artisan. Using hand-cut lino blocks, Marthe crafts unbelievably beautiful wallpapers and fabrics, all on an antique 19th century off-set lithographic printing press (which she has been using since the early 1960's).

Inspired by nature, her images are perfectly organic and yet stylistic at the same time. It's hard to imagine any of her designs ever going out of style.

Pushing 80 years old, Marthe continues to hone her skills, and produce prints everyday. If that's not the true spirit of craftsmanship, I'm not sure what is.

Here is where you can find her current collection.

All images by Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Opening Day!

(source)

(Kid Squirrely of the Boston Beaneaters, JangoArts on Etsy)

I love baseball. Some people count down to Christmas or their birthday, and I count the days until opening day. Baseball to me is as much about the sport as it is about the season. At the beginning of the season, it heralds the onset of spring. The middle of the season is all about pickup games of catch in the park and checking scores in bar windows as you're wandering the city. And by the time the world series rolls around, those final baseball games signal a drive for excellence and a return to seriousness from the carefree summer. So for those of you who feel the same way I do about baseball (Hi, Dad!), I wish you a sincere and heartfelt Happy Opening Day!

Randal Phenning

via

From his Goodbye Darkness series. Pretty, right? 

Miscellaneous Miscellany!

Ah, hump day, you are always here before I even feel like I've fully gotten out of my PJs from the weekend. Elisabeth and I are busy, busy, busy, but all with great stuff (we LOVE our clients right now) and getting ready for her baby to come (do you hear that, baby? ANY TIME, NOW). Anywho, here's some stuff that I'm loving this week:

(silk tee, by rachel rose)

(DIY bracelet, Honestly WTF)

 

(Bookshelf 42, Jane Mount)

And furthermore:

Run, don't walk; the new Sweet Paul Magazine is out.

Love this blog.

If companies could have crushes on each other, we'd be writing Nina Interiors' name all over our notebooks. Go look at her gorgeous blog. 

Okay, dearies, have a lovely, lovely Wednesday. Mary will be here tomorrow cooking up some serious goodness for you. Could we be any more excited to have her in our test kitchens teaching us the basics? No, no we could not. See you back here on Friday!

Wednesday Miscellany

Hello there.  It's a good thing it's miscellany day over here on YOU + ME* Equals because my mind is having trouble focusing on one thing at a time right now.  Is it because we're so swamped with fantastic projects that I can't make the ideas stop popping into my head or is it the I'm-about-to-have-a-baby-like-any-minute hormones?  Hmm, maybe it's both. 

Birds of a feather merit badges by Lee Meszaros

I am in LOVE with these merit badges by Lee Meszaros (via Etsy Finds).  Shhh, don't tell, but a certain toddler may have to gift one of these to her adorable toddler pal for Easter.  Even better than friendship bracelets, no?  Don't stop there though. There are merit badges for "barking up the wrong tree," "pushing the envelope," and "being the best thing since sliced bread," among others.  Ack, I want to give everyone I know a merit badge!

Poppytalk Handmade Art and Home Lookbook

Poppytalk Handmade's newest market has a gorgeous lookbook!

Sweetery NYC

Did you know that Sweetery NYC is parked just a few short blocks from me right this very second?  I know thanks to the beta version of Zagat Food Trucks.  Not only does Zagat review food trucks for you, but it gives you a map with their real time locations.  Don't you wonder what kind of deliciousness could be parked in your neighborhood as you're reading this?

Red Stamp Thank You App

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  On one hand, I think thank you notes are incredibly important and a bit of a forgotten (or at least slightly neglected) art at this point, so anything that makes them a little more likely to be sent is valuable.  On the other, the old fashioned part of me thinks a thank you note is supposed to be handwritten and mailed.  Care to weigh in?

Let's all have a fantastic end to the week, shall we?

Wednesday Miscellany!

Oh, hello Wednesday, fancy seeing you here! Here I was feeling like we were still in the beginning of the week, but thanks for reminding me that it's almost half over. Here's some miscellany that will get you over the hump and on your way to a happy weekend!

(Hi Desert Coral, Beau Ideal)

I ran into this lovely lady at the Brooklyn Flea, and get 'em while they're hot kids, because this little shop is going places. She's got pattern, color, and type down to a beautiful, beautiful science.

(Body Harness, Moorea Seal)

The other day, I was in a store where the salesperson was wearing a belt-y accessory that was clearly meant for more...private times. And while part of me felt old for feeling like it was weird, the other part of me was like, "Ooh! You're so rock & roll!" Which is surely what he was going for--the admiration of a thirty two year old woman with a young child at home. This Body Harness from Moorea Seal is a good middle ground. And arguably more appropriate for wearing in public. 

(Jaime Beck)

Speaking of wearing things in public (a questionable segue into fashion week, I know), I told you this

on Wednesday, but it bears repeating: You should be following Jaime Beck's coverage of fashion week. Her photos are stunning, and the outfits that she's been putting together are spot on.

And also: 

DOGS! 

I also ran into these guys at the Flea last weekend, and was tempted to buy a pair on the spot.

Have you come across anything you've been loving lately? Please do share! Have a lovely day, friends!

Wednesday Miscellany

Kate Spade e-valentine by Caitlin McGauley

We were thinking of you yesterday, but the day just got away from us. Here are some happy little things to help you make it through the rest of your week.
 
 Yay, for Kate Spade e-valentines and the new blog! Cheerfulness at its best--just what we need in the midst of winter.

Even though I won't be able to imbibe this year, this wine has Valentine's Day written all over it. Or maybe this one is more appropriate.

Lovesick? Write yourself or your honey a prescription for these.

There is nothing new about Carolina Bucci, but that didn't matter to me one bit when I was drawn to her counter at Bergdorfs three times yesterday. I'm lusting after her silk and gold woven bracelets . . . BIG TIME.

Updated to add: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies! The way some people feel about cake or pie is how I feel about cookies. When I'm in training for a marathon, I have to bake cookies at least once or twice a week to keep up with my habit. I'm kind of lazy about the whole scooping them onto cookie sheets process and usually try to enlist some help by the time it gets to that stage. It looks like these lazy girl proof (and somewhat healthy to boot) cookies are the answer to all my cookie needs.

Miscellaneous Miscellany, wherein YOU + ME* grows by one!

Happy Wednesday! No, no, Elisabeth is still pregnant, but we would like to introduce you to our fabulous new addition, Mary Ellen (another ME!)! Mary Ellen (but you can call her Mary if you want to) wrote us an email a few weeks ago asking if we needed help at about the very second that Elisabeth and I were talking about how we needed help. Her email was witty and well-written, so you can imagine how when she told us that she has a background in both textile design (that's one of her designs above) and culinary arts, we were smitten. She is jumping in to our projects with unparalleled gusto, and friends, I am sure you are going to adore her just as much as we do. Here's a little introduction from Mary (she'll be knockin' your socks off tomorrow with a recipe for those teeny tiny cookies over on Brooklyn Bride!):

I love textiles, patterns and anything in repeat. I'm a pretty big fan of scandinavian art, liberty fabrics and the vibrant colors of central & south america. I am currently trying to overcome my fear of sewing, and attempting to try my hand at embroidery - (and not get pricked in the meantime). I enjoy browsing the new york public library digital image files and various photo blogs. Will travel far out of my way for a good cup of joe, but find it difficult to walk three blocks to do a load of laundry. I ride my bicycle everywhere I can - except when it's this cold out, brrr. Am a native New Yorker but I consider Copenhagen, London and Barcelona to be my adoptive cities. Obviously, I enjoy cooking and baking. Very passionate about foreign languages and cultures. I spend an hour every week volunteering at the International Center, teaching conversational English. Both rewarding, and fun!

I KNOW, right? She's the best. Here are some other things that are making me happy this week:

 

(Book Carving--Webster's Dictionary, Hokey Stokes on Etsy)

(Anjuli and Sam from max and molly on Vimeo)

Oooh, and be sure to check out this month's internet crushes, which is our version of a well-curated blog roll. Because let's face it, if we listed all of our internet crushes, we'd have to include all of you! Have a wonderful day, friends, and we'll see you back here again real soon!  

Wednesday Miscellany

So sorry for the radio silence yesterday, but you would not believe the day we had. It was like a soap opera over here, complete with mistaken identities, evil twins, and women lounging in silk pajamas while sipping cocktails in the afternoon. Ok, maybe our day didn't include all of that, but at least one of those things dominated our attention for the day.

Here are some of the other things that have been keeping us occupied this week:

Be on the lookout for the new issue of Rue tomorrow. Guess where we'll be? That's right, inside!

Have you favortized yet? Do it, you won't be sorry

The perfect valentine's gift for the typeface geek in your life

Welcome to the online magazine world, Matchbook. We're looking forward to getting to know you!

I have to share a little story to put this next goodie in context. Despite her current love for an enormous Bernese Mountain dog, my mom was adamantly opposed to pets while I was growing up (my sister may have had to wear an apron and oven mitts while holding the class hamster when it was her turn to take him home for the weekend). I, however, was desperate for something furry and cuddly of my very own and I happened to be equipped with an overly vivid imagination. For the sake of context, I will overcome embarrassment to admit that I plucked a pussy willow from a floral arrangement, swaddled it in a very tiny fabric scrap, and placed it in an empty matchbox where it remained for at least a month as my "pet" (it was fuzzy, ok?).

Maileg, sister in a box

Although my two year old daughter Claire has both a dog and a cat to call her own, I couldn't resist buying her this unbelievably adorable mouse in a box as a souvenir from Park City (I bought it at this fantastic boutique). The photo doesn't even come close to expressing the sweetness of the itty bitty mattress, pillow, and blanket accompanying this mouse in her matchbox bed. Claire adores her. The rest of the mouse family can be found here.

Take a moment today to snuggle your pets or place a treasure in a matchbox. We wish you a lovely day!

Happy Hump Day!

Hello again, friends! How is your week going? Elisabeth and I are having a super fun week. We've heard from so many folks this week; it just warms our little hearts to hear from you. She is off to Alt tonight, and I'm staying here to hold down the fort and enjoy being home after what seems like forever being away. Even though we got in yesterday, I just now had a chance to move some pictures off of my camera from California. I love this one of Emi on the swings with my dad at the playground near their house. I'm so lucky to have opportunities to work on both coasts; now all I have to do is figure out a way to work near Jordy's parents too, and we'll be all set.
Here are some things that are making me way happy this week:

(Circus Bear, Loitering Press)

These cards are made by a public school teacher who teaches in Brooklyn. Those are some lucky kids.

(both photos by Sean Dagen Photography)

We had the absolute pleasure of working with Sean Dagen in California, and his portfolio is to. Die. For. Grab a cute little hankie before you go and check him out, because you'll need something to wipe the drool off your face with.

And here's a sneak peek at what we shot with him; these florals are by my wonderful friend (who I met because I hired her to do the florals for my own wedding) Traci Terrick. And you think those are pretty? Just wait until you see what Traci has up her sleeves.
Ta ta, dearies. I hope you all have a lovely day. Again, for those of you headed to Alt, keep an eye out for Elisabeth, and be sure to say hello. She's got some rockin' business cards on hand printed by yours truly, so see if you can snag one from her. See you on Friday (Meg is about to rock your world tomorrow--she's got some goodness on hand that makes me want to run to the market right this very minute)!