Flourish

Having coveted Thomas Paul's Flourish pillow for two years, I finally decided to buy it. Naturally I decide to do so even as it gets discontinued. Having made not one but two online purchases, only to be contacted later by both shops to say they can no longer fulfill my order, I panicked. But persistence pays off. Thomas Paul connected me to the Gilt Groupe for a one-day sale and I was able to get the pillow. For half price. Bonus: it's reversible. The black side was a dramatic surprise.

I adore Spencerian script, and the ornamentation from that era. Thomas Paul exploited that enchanted penmanship into a modern aesthetic. The emotional allure is inescapable. I have an ancestor who taught that style of writing and ornament. I learned it in elementary school. And now I seem to be sucker every time it turns up: in Martha Stewart Living magazine, in Alejandro Paul & P22's typography, and now ... in my living room.

More Curious Than Ever

I've had a life-long adoration of Curious George. But it's just recently I learned how aligned his authors were to his narrow and frequent escapes. H.A. and Margret Rey fled Nazi invasion and went on to lead remarkable lives. I love that they channeled their personalities and experiences into whimsical and effervescent adventures. It shows a brightness of spirit, and an inquisitive persistence I aspire to. Their books have been fixtures on my night stand as long as I can recall. I find it fascinating you don't even need to know a back story to really gain something from art.

Revinylize

Revynilize is a project by the Salt Lake chapter of the AIGA. It's one of the better concepts I've seen under the rubric of reuse—an overlooked portion of the government waste-reduction campaign: Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Designers love reuse, though. The DIY culture of ReadyMade magazine, and similar tribes, has been a pleasurable and inventive pastime of mine. I think the indie fashion world also makes great use out of repurposing fabric into exceptional, and coveted, commercial pieces.

Just a couple of rescued banners were converted by a local tailor into 8 messenger-style bags that are destined to be envied by U of U employees. It was a proud moment watching our local board members present the program in Memphis at the national design conference last fall. It was even nicer to have them be so eager to help get these custom-made for us. I can't wait to see the faces of the lucky few recipients.