GRABBY

Being a pinup, thanks to Vixen Pinup Photography. All the years of being in projects for photo student friends (and boyfriend) are paying off. If you haven’t ordered Retro Lovely you should. You get to see me in a Monkey Wrench Clothing corset.

Consumer magazine’s biggest players have banded together for a campaign to promote the print medium.

I NEED this blush. It’s supposed to be better than their Dandelion shade which is too pale, even for my pasty face.

A TON of (free) brush sets for your Photoshopping pleasure.

Retro Barbie and Gene dolls equal girlie retro fun!!

Gorgeous styling in this shoot (NSFW, by the way). I know they are everywhere but I love the tiny top hats. I think it has something to do with my secret wish to be a magician’s assistant. Seems like something a magician’s assistant would wear. I really like the photo in the hotel hallway with the lights.

You MUST watch this Oliver People’s viral video with Elijah Wood and Shirley Manson titled ‘Les enfants sennuient le Dimanche’ (The children are bored on Sundays). I love their promo videos.

Thanks to this Design*Sponge post, I’ve  realized that the film “In the Mood for Love” is exactly the look I am going for in our new place. David calls it “vintage frou frou”.

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The “Annie Hall” look that the hipster ladies are wearing for Spring, without even knowing the film. Yuck.

People who do not listen when I TELL them to ask me for help before messing with my files.

TAILGATING ON THE HIGHWAY. This is not NASCAR. This is getting from point A to point B, hopefully going the speed limit, with plenty of space between vehicles. If I am in the right lane, you really do not need to be right behind me. There’s no reason for it.

Shopping for home stuff like drapes. There’s some UGLY stuff that people are apparently putting in their homes. Sometimes having taste makes shopping a real drag. And real expensive.

Nikki and I at my second shoot with her, late last year.

Retro Lovely is printed in glorious full color, and features lots of well known pinups, including cover girl, Masuimi Max. On top of that, you can pre-order issue one at a discount here. If you’re into lovely ladies with style to spare, you should be reading Retro Lovely.

I’m one of those people who still likes to buy and read magazines, so hopefully you are too. The quality of the photography in the magazine is fantastic, so it’s sure to be lots of fun to flip through. Please support me and the other Kansas City pinups, as well as the fierce and fabulous Nikki, and check out Retro Lovely! I am so excited for Vixen Pinup Photography and honored to be a part of this issue!

Every ad is an investment in the long-term image of a brand.

- David Ogilvy

The shoot was done for Leninbäk, a group of like-minded creatives from different discaplins who have come together to produce work that matches their unique vision. Their website says:

We love Terry Richardson, Hedi Slimane and Juergen Teller. Also i-D Mag, PIG and Juxtapoz. But we live in Latin America.
We do everything: idea, production, photography, design, painting, directing, video and extras.
We do fashion campaigns, also product campaigns, advertising, editorials, Lookbooks, etc..
Etc, etc, etc.

Awesome. You can check out more of their work here.

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Paris Apartment Building

So I’m not moving to Paris, I am moving a mile from where I live now. However when one has lived somewhere for five and a half years with another person, uprooting that life and physically moving all of one’s belongings to a new space is no small task.

Not to mention, this isn’t just a move, it’s a lifestyle change. Anyone who has lived in a loft will understand what I mean. Our only door is the bathroom door, currently. Even the bedroom, which is made of partial walls, doesn’t have a door, but a curtain that I put up. I’ve done my best when we’ve had overnight guests, but you can imagine the awkwardness this could create.

So, this week is consumed by final preparations for moving. We are so excited, even though it means leaving good friends in our building, including Katy and Rob. That part of leaving is sad, but the right opportunity came along, and this move is going to be wonderful and worth it when I am sleeping in my new bedroom Saturday night.

I didn’t do a retrospective 2009 blog post, but I feel really good about making this change at the beginning of the year. 2009 was good for me for a lot of reasons, but I think more good things are going to come out of this for me and David. Least of which is having rooms, doors, and each having our own bedroom closet. Oh yeah, and David can walk to work. How cool is that?

So anyway, excuse me if posting is spotty this week. I do want to share a few things though.

• Zac Posen for Target. Ignore the comment from the person who says his line for Aussie Target was so much better. People are snotty. I’m looking forward to seeing this stuff in person.

• Fashion Week is quickly approaching. I can’t wait.

• Nice (and very handsome) gay couples giving me the thumbs up on my outfit for Party Arty on Saturday night. Getting photo booth photos with my date for the night, Katy. Seeing my favorite DJ has returned to Firefly.

• FINALLY doing my pinup shoot with Nikki and Candy of Vixen Pinup Photography! It was amazing, and damn, can Nikki lace a tight corset!

• The Ayn Rand letter.

• Mmm…Helvetica. NOM NOM NOM.

In mere days I will be typing to you from my new, fabulous home office. Until then, stay classy.

There’s no one to stop you but yourself.

–Dave Thomas

In 2010 I plan to post more about design, advertising and fashion, as well as all my travels for work. If you like what you see, I hope you will leave me a comment! And now, for the first Grabby ‘n Stabby of 2010!

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• Who wouldn’t want to display these gorgeous products on either a vanity or bathroom counter? The packaging  reminds me a little of Agent Provocateur’s beauty products, which isn’t surprising since the products are from another lingerie line, La Senza. I LOVE lace patterns, I need to create a project for myself so I can play around with them.

• Awesome poster project on FPO. I love dioramas. I love posters. I love combining offset and letterpress.

• Hella high heels. And boots.

• Have I mentioned that I’m engaged? Well, I am. No, David didn’t propose in a cute way — I’m not too keen on romance stuff or surprises. No, we don’t have a date. We’ve got ideas of what we want to do, but we’re not ready.

• I got to help out a friend last week by doing a logo for a fundraising event she’s volunteering to organize. It was a fun little fast project, and it was nice to do something for a good cause. I’ll post the logo soon!

• Awesome friends like Joi who will bring me things from H&M!!

• Watch this cute interview with members from Pink Martini regarding their new album.

• I like the idea of designing for the Kindle once they have color screens and offer more options! From the looks of it I won’t have to wait long.

• If you’ve had any sort of conversation with me about things that inspire me, then you probably know I LOVE old signage. Smashing Magazine has a round up of some great old signage this week that I bookmarked immediately! Note all the Flickr groups linked at the end for more signage goodness!

• Johnny Cash’s letterhead, circa 1060.

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• Packing. We’re so excited about moving, but packing, and planning are at the same time awesome and overwhelming.

• Speaking of, apparently H&M and Wal Mart routinely destroy unpurchased clothing and throw it away. This makes me sick for so many reasons.

• When ads drop out.

• Posting stuff to sell on Craigslist. I love selling crap I don’t need, but the whole process of having strangers come to my home is just ick.

I’ve got some fashion posts and some other things coming up, as well as additions to my portfolio so stay tuned!

Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.

–Ray Kroc