having a coke with you.

what a beautiful sunday!  here's a quick video for you before i head off to work: frank o'hara reading his poem "having a coke with you."

take care!

melisa

"smitten with" saturday!

happy saturday everybody!  today i'm introducing a new feature to my blog: "smitten with" saturdays.  inspired by 10 Things I Love Sunday and other similar posts, i plan to gather a few things i'm smitten with each week to share with you.  enjoy!

1. my new button collection.

the past few weeks, i've been scouring ebay for some sort of miracle deal on a large collection of buttons to use for future projects.  living in chicago (and not having a car), my access to garage/estate sales is somewhat limited and i had found ebay to be a poor substitute.  my family lives in michigan, so i called my mom and told her to be on the lookout, thinking maybe a coworker had some buttons to spare.  long story short, she informed my gram who then went out garage sale-ing and haggled down a five pound bag of buttons from 40 dollars to 8!  my mom shipped them out right away, and i was thrilled to find the package at our doorstep today.  i love my family. :)

2. photographs by Tim Walker.

3. this adorable illustration by gemma correll:

4. everything by Keri Smith!  love her.

5. the trailer for New York, I Love You.  eeeee, gives me goosebumps!

6. pecan crescents.

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7. vintage cat-eye glasses.  my birthday is in just over a month.  *fingers crossed*

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8. these prints by Blue Bonbon.

9. greasers (my boyfriend included).

10. this caricature, done for us by the lovely Matthew Reidsman at the Renegade Craft Fair.

What are you lovelies up to this weekend?

Melisa

1.75 YRS.

today is our 1.75 year anniversary!  (this photo was taken at 1.5 years.)  we're going out for breakfast and then over to DIY Hards for their grand opening party.  see you there?

*located at the corner of Clark and Belmont, above Taboo Tabou.

b&w.

which do you prefer: color photos or black and white?  i love to look at either, but have never had the opportunity to shoot anything but color (digital, at that)--until now.  i'm really apprehensive!  i so often use color to set the mood of a photograph that i'm unsure of how to go about making black and white pictures.  

i've been feeling pretty pathetic in my foundations of photography class, so i'm putting together this quick post to give myself (and everyone else out there) a little b&w inspiration:

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(source: somewhere on ffffound!  sorry, i wish i knew otherwise.)

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do you have any favorite black and white photos to share?

i hope so!

melisa

where do you create?

a must in my "dream home" is a gorgeous, organized, inspiring home studio/library. maybe because i live in a studio apartment, but i always find myself daydreaming about a space dedicated solely to making things. i've found a few really charming examples to share:

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i also stumbled upon this Flickr group, Pretty Organized, that allows Flickr users to upload pictures of their tidy craft/office space!

my boyfriend and i are currently in the process of rearranging/organizing our apartment.  one of the added perks is that we acquired a desk and can finally incorporate a work-area into our living/bedroom!  this is what it looks like now, with much more to be done:

some of my favorite elements so far: the string of lanterns that bryce's father bought for us, the mannequin i found in the alley by our apartment (i want to reupholster him!  i'm thinking paisley?), and the old singer sewing machine in the corner that bryce found.  we still have yet to find out if it works!

ideally we would have a larger space to work with, and if so, i would love to incorporate lots of shelving/cubbies, a vintage library card catalogue or a flat file, and a girl-mannequin to keep our no-name boy-mannequin company.  ooh, and lots of natural light!

what kinds of things would you have in your dream stuido?

can't wait to hear from you,

melisa

PS: i would love to have a higher quality picture of our space.  i'll be sure to set up a tripod in the future to share any additions.

looking forward.

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last summer, fresh out of high school, i moved to chicago from my hometown of flint, michigan to pursue a degree in graphic design. i had given the idea much thought and could vividly see my future career: graphic designer (and eventually art director) of my favorite magazine, Nylon. since then, i've been introduced to so many new things. i learned to knit at a local chapter of stitch 'n bitch last fall, i made my first zine at a workshop hosted by anne elizabeth moore, i started keeping a sketchbook, i dabbled in embroidery and collage and painting, and so on. i got to go to my first real craft fair (and then second, and then third...) and somehow ended up with an amazing internship at DIY Hards, a do-it-yourself sewing and screen printing business. i am reassessing my priorities: what causes do i really believe in? what type of company do i want to work for? what do i love and how can i turn that into my job?

these days, i have this romantic vision of two or three years from now, making a living selling things that i've made. my infatuation with the new wave of crafts is steadily turning into a love-affair. slowly but surely i'm making progress, gaining confidence, and proving my commitment to my fresh outlook on my future. working for a magazine is still a likely possibility, but now i'm more inclined to choose a publication that showcases things i really believe in: handmade not mass-produced, intelligence not vanity, and so on. next year, i would love to be able to say that i've sold something that i developed from nothing (whether that be on consignment at DIY Hards, on Etsy...wherever!). i would love to look back and see that i've developed into a more unique and dedicated artist, and that i've met many such artists in the process. i want an etsy, a future booth at craft fairs, all of it! this is just the beginning.

so what am i working on now? i'm excited to say that i recently signed up for the Red Velvet Art autumn craft class, and am working diligently on the adorable assignments laid out for me. i'll be sure to keep you updated on my progress along the way.

here is what i have so far for the first assignment, an embroidery hoop mini-album!

what about you? what are your dreams and visions for your future? what are you working on?

xoxo. melisa.

superconnected.

find me here:

http://twitter.com/melisamorgan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melisamorgan/

"go be that starving artist you're afraid to be. open up that journal and get poetic finally. volunteer. suck it up and travel. you were not born here to work and pay taxes. you were put here to be part of a vast organism to explore and create. stop putting it off. the world has much more to offer than what's on the fifteen televisions at TGI Friday's. take pictures. scare people. shake up the scene. be the you want to see in the world. you'll thank yourself for it."

Jason Mraz

when i was thirteen, i scurried to write in my xanga about the color of my crush's boxers. i poured myself onto the internet like pancake batter onto a griddle, without any hesitation and without any concern. five years later, i tend to keep my thoughts (boxers or otherwise) to myself. yet here i am, ready again to connect via the world wide web.

about me? eighteen years old. sophomore at columbia college chicago studying graphic design. avid crafter, reader, and tea drinker. homebody. loves: my boyfrand, cupcakes, DIY, riding my bike, writing letters, thrifting, dogs, travel, and txt msgs from mom.

hello, and welcome to my new blog! i'm excited to have a place to share my projects, thoughts, and inspirations (i'll keep most of the personal mush to myself, promise).

let's get to know each other! do you have any favorite quotes? above is one of mine (though i have many!).

xoxo. melisa.