After the successful outcome of my suite of rubber stamps, I decided to create some designs for Joey to brand his paintings with. We ordered four total designs including his wordmark (above), but my favorites of the bunch were these two oversized stamps measuring 4 x 4 inches each. Joey’s tagline is NEO POP ART and I came up with a stacked lockup that works well for the backs of his paintings. The circle is an ongoing element in many of his paintings and also a part of his logo and I think it would work great for marking his packages when he mails out his work.

All of these stamps were ordered through Simon’s Stamps which I cannot recommend highly enough (great quality + affordable + fast shipping). I should mention that these stamps are probably too large for a regular stamp pad; I used the Ranger Archival Jumbo Inkpad in jet black for these. Happy stamping!

As of late, the blogosphere seems to have gone rubber stamp crazy. Everywhere I look, I see a new rubber stamp! The uptick in custom rubber stamps makes total sense. Printing promo materials can get get really pricy and the ease of applying your logo and branding to nearly any surface is not only cost effective but adds that personal, hand-done touch.

I’ve been wanting to order rubber stamps for quite awhile but this post took awhile to put together due to some trial and error. On my first custom stamp attempt, I went the Etsy route in an effort to support small businesses but when my designs came, the wood was sub-par and there were no handles or any other way to grip the stamps. The quality just wasn’t there. So, I regrouped, did some googling and came upon Simon’s Stamps. This place is the real deal. Not only do they have super reasonable prices but they ship fast and uploading your designs is a breeze. I cannot recommend them highly enough!

Because of the reasonable pricing at Simon’s, I was able to order a variety of designs and sizes to give a test run. Yeah, I went a little crazy. Most of the stamps are based on elements from my current branding.

Here are some rubber stamp thoughts and tips

1. When creating your design, print it out to scale first before ordering! I’ve ordered stickers and other stamps in the past so I already had a pretty good idea of the sizes I wanted but Simon’s offers a HUGE variety of dimensions.

2. When in doubt, keep it simple. The more clean lines and the simpler the text, the better the outcome.

3. Beyond your logo, think of quotes, shapes, letters and numbers of significance, and your favorite patterns to draw inspiration from.

4. Stamps are MUCH cheaper than business cards. Two agencies I worked for in the past switched their business cards to blanks with just logos and then provided each employee with a rubber stamp containing their personal information. That way, everyone stamps as they go and there isn’t excess, unused stock sitting around.

5. Besides stamping the expected (mailing envelopes and boxes), think of new uses. Maybe you could sign your letters and then stamp your name or logo underneath. How about stamping your logo in the corner of screen prints you make? Or, on the back of photo prints and artwork?

6. Invest in a good, basic stamp pad. Mine is jumbo-sized and features archival ink. Get one here.

Here’s a mood board of rubber stamp inspiration: 1. Olly Sorby. 2. Meanwhile. 3. Semiospectacle. 4. Bigger Than Giants. 5. Lovely Package (unknown). 6. New Amsterdam Gin. 7. Twig & Thistle.

In closing, here’s a trip down memory lane. When I first got into rubber stamps, I was around five. Just for laughs, I dug out my original collection this weekend and, as you can see, back in the 80s I thought dinosaurs, Cabbage Patch Kids and rainbow stamp pads where the ultimate! Should I put that rainbow stamp pad back into rotation?

I’ve been oddly inspired by all things yellow lately. It’s odd because up until a few short years ago, I loathed the color and wouldn’t go anywhere near it. My dad disliked the color when I was growing up and it definitely rubbed off on me! One of the turning points was two years ago when I came across these insanely cool architectural Margiela heels. I told myself that if I wore these blazing lemon beauties with all black, it would be okay…I’d just dip my toes into the pool of yellow. Wearing shoes like this with a monochromatic ensemble really inspired me; they felt like an explanation point at the end of my outfits. I began embracing more things yellow in my wardrobe but the first addition to my house was this light from Schoolhouse. Our all black and white house felt somber and lifeless and I wanted a touch of color for the dining room. Even my dad, a hater of all things yellow helped me pick it out! This goes to prove that it’s good to keep an open mind, even with the tiniest things. Hello, yellow!

1. Yellow Cross in the kitchen, 2. 3.1 Phillip Lim Double Layer Floating Kit Tail Top, 3. My Margiela Heels, 4. “Roma” by Arian Behzadi, 5. 6 Building (source unknown), 6. Fall 2010 A.F. Vandevorst Dress, 7. Pretty Blue Guns & The Revelators Poster by Adam Hill, 8. Those Shoes Again, and 9. Remix Magazine.

When my brother and I moved into our house a few years back, everything happened fast — we had zero time to plan how we wanted our surroundings to look and to complicate matters more, our decorating budget was also close to zero. Most of our furniture was hand-me-downs, thrift-store finds or purchased from the newly-opened IKEA. At that time, I was 27 and he was 25 and we were just happy to have a place of our own. And, IKEA really is awesome.

Our house was previously owned by a much older couple who thought high-gloss beige walls and off-white berber carpet were just fine. Our first impulse was to paint out as many rooms white as quickly possible and to rip out the filthy carpet. To keep things easy, we kept the scheme throughout the house white and black. We really just wanted a blank canvas to build off of.

Over time though, I felt like our place was missing two things: color and those special pieces that make a house feel like a home. Last week, I picked up a custom order from Schoolhouse here in Portland: the City Chandelier. The yellow base and oversized bulbs felt unique and fun and replaced a standard white IKEA fixture we’d had in our dining room. Sometimes, all a room needs is one simple change. In our case, the dining room just needed a splash of color to bring it to life.

Our living room is still a work in progress but a lot of the things we need to change are going to take some serious time and effort. So for now, I’m focusing on what I can change. Our all black couch in the middle of our all white living room has never felt very inviting.

I knew I wanted a blanket to throw over the back to add to the coziness factor but my heart was set on the Crux Blanket by Pia Wallen. I’d been obsessed with this blanket for years but it was totally out of reach until a cotton version, the Cross Blanket was finally released last year. It was still expensive but I knew that if I settled for any other blanket, I just wouldn’t be happy. Sometimes it’s just better to wait it out and to save for what you really want. (Yes, that’s an 8 ft. tall black bear in the corner of our living room. Inviting, huh?)

• Don’t settle for what you don’t want. In our case, we spent the bare minimum on IKEA basics until we could save towards the particular items we loved. It took a few years but we didn’t make any big impulse purchases. If you buy a substitute for the real thing you’ve always wanted, you probably won’t be satisfied and will just keep obsessing over the object du jour you still don’t have. I saw plenty of other blankets that were great…but they weren’t THE Cross blanket. I knew it was better to wait it out for the blanket of my dreams (yes, that sounds crazy. Thankfully, I’m not alone).

• When you move into a new place and nothing feels right, start by painting the walls a neutral color. For us, there were so many details about our house that felt off that it was beyond overwhelming. Starting with white walls gave us a blank canvas to begin with and allowed us to build our own vision.

• Sometimes, all a room needs is a few small changes to come to life. We tried our dining room in a number of configurations early on but it all felt off until my brother found an old workbench for a table that grounded the room. At first, I didn’t like it but what I later realized is that it added some much needed personality.

• If something doesn’t feel right, don’t settle. When we first moved in, we thought it would be funny to have a black living room (haha?) We spent a few days painting it and…it looked horrible. We kept trying to make it work but walking into a cave every day just felt weird. We finally agreed that it had been a huge mistake and repainted the black walls white. What a pain! But immediately, everything felt better. Go with your gut and suck up those mistakes!

• Don’t get too caught up on Pinterest and inspiration sites. If you see something you like, it doesn’t matter if it’s popular. If you love it, you’ll usually find a way to make it work. Our house is filled with ‘oddities’ but it works for us.

We still have a million changes to make to our place but these two recent additions have started to make our house feel more like a home. It’s those special touches that bring your surroundings to life.

Readers: What are your suggestions for making a house a home and is there anything on your must-have list you’d like to share?

With Easter right around the corner, baby blue and grass green have both been on my mind. I love the idea of taking the pastels we typically associate with Easter and adding a twist with saturated brights and color blocking. In other news, this week has been really full behind the scenes but the design projects I’ve been working on should be making an appearance over the next few weeks. Can’t wait to share the outcomes!

1. Karen Elson by Tim Walker for Italian Vogue, 2. PXL Pendant Light, 3. Marimekko Irrbloss Platter (no longer available), 4. Penguin Great Food Collection Books, 5. Essie Mint Candy Apple and Ole Caliente Polishes, 6. Surface To Air Moks Multisole Shoes, 7. Swissted Heatmiser Poster (on sale this week on Fab.com — via invite only!) and 8. Dan Blackman DelVal Botany Poster.

I first locked eyes on the Avedon Fashion 1944-2000 book earlier this year because it featured my favorite Avedon photo of all time, Jean Shrimpton from the cover of the April 1965 issue of Bazaar. But beyond that, I couldn’t put this book down. Avedon is considered one of the top fashion photographers of all time but I was curious to know more about the stories behind his most iconic images and how he got his start. I learned that Avedon was a merchant marine in World War II, where he was assigned with taking identity photographs of fellow sailors. This book does a meticulous job of showcasing some of his more rare, early work from the 1940s mixed in alongside his most famous photos and ad campaigns.

Avedon was at Harper’s Bazaar (1944 – 1965), then Vogue (1966 – 1990) and finally, at The New Yorker (1992 – 2004) and this book covers all those stints as well as work he produced for other clients including some of his most memorable Versace campaigns, which he shot for two decades. At over 350 pages long, I had a hard time choosing just a handful of images to share. If you get the chance, check this book out, winking holographic eye cover and all.

Welcome to the brand new column, The Latest & Greatest, where I share a themed visual weekly recap of art, design and items that are currently inspiring me! Here’s what’s on my mind this week:

1. Brian Elston Painting, 2. Lanvin Ballerine Flats, 3. Shakuhachi Bustier Bikini, 4. Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia February 2012 Cover, 5. Robert Cergie for Carven Ursule Leather Wedge Loafers, 6. Carven Cutout Dress and 7. Kate Spade Japanese Floral Medium Storage Trunk.

For an aesthetics junkie like me, I knew that when I upgraded to the iPhone 4 last month, only one particular case would do. If you’re a color lover that’s in the market for a super basic case that doesn’t bulk up your phone, this may be the answer. And in case you’re wondering, the allure of constantly pulling a giant Pantone swatch out of my purse still hasn’t gotten old!

Today, I’m going to share my new favorite book with you, Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color. What makes this book so amazing is that it covers the evolution of color in our society over the last 100 years, from 1900 onwards. Each decade receives its own chapter along with corresponding images of art, fashion and decor representative of particular palettes that were popular during that period.

From the swatches of 1930s The Wizard of Oz (Silver, Straw and Lion) to 1980s Miami Vice (Pink Mist, Lavendula and Radiant Orchid) to 1990s Grunge (Coffee Bean, Faded Denim and Earth Red), the cultural movements of America and the colors they helped influence are all painstakingly covered. Students of graphic and fashion design as well as lovers of color theory will adore this book.

Remember last week how I shared the sentiment that everybody should like everybody with the accompanying Warhol print? Well, it seems that the über hip design and decor flash sale site Fab.com read my mind and is offering a gazillion affordable brightly colored prints from this same series! *Please note that Fab.com is membership only so you’ll have to join to view the sales.