Artful: Jessica Hische

I discovered Jessica Hische’s work while we were living in Philadelphia, and I was instantly smitten.  I could peruse her work all day, and have already spent many hours of my life doing so!  One of my favorite memories from Philly was visiting her Daily Drop Caps exhibit at Art in The Age of Mechanical Reproduction.

Recently, Jessica Hische’s wedding invitation website went live, and it is jaw dropping in its creativity (in collaboration with some other extraordinarily talented individuals).  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, I don’t think I could have expected any less!

Here are some favorite pieces from her portfolio (I also love the Rilke and Bronte quotes for the words themselves).  Go to her website(s), your life will be a little more beautiful for having done so.

Wishing you a happy weekend!

Traveled: Kwang Jang Market

I am a big fan of street food, and was excited to visit Kwang Jang Market in the Cheonggyecheon neighborhood of Seoul.  You can pick up a variety of goods at Kwang Jang, but for me it was most definitely a food destination.  I wish we had more time to eat meals there, but we were lucky to get to have the “crack” kimbap, which lived up to the hype.  I wasn’t able to take as many photos in Kwang Jang as I would have liked, but I did steal two of Stephen’s photos (of the kimchi - so many delicious looking varieties, and squid/seafood) to give you a feel for Kwang Jang Market.

Traveled: Insadong

I really love the Insadong neighborhood in Seoul, a vibrant area that is historically well known for its antique shops and art galleries.  The images in this post are from an afternoon we spent wandering around Insadong.  A favorite spot was a lovely, hidden away teashop that my cousins took us to.  It was such a soothing place to enjoy a perfect respite from the hot day with some delicious cold teas and rice snacks.  I also had to have Stephen document my potato street food (two things I love!) experience.  I have to say that the potato snack was very tasty.  The vendor fries it on the spot, and then you can dip it in a variety of flavored powders (I went with onion).

Snaps: Long Island via VSCO CAM

A few weekends ago we celebrated a good friend’s 30th birthday out on the North Fork of Long Island.  From seriously divine strawberries, to serene kayaking and beautiful peeks at wildlife (jellyfish!) on Peconic Bay – it was a wonderful first visit to the North Fork.  These are some of my favorite VSCO CAM captures from the weekend; I especially love the one of Stephen kayaking.

Dogear Press Projects: Mother’s Day (& Birthday) Dinner Menu

I’ve always loved art, and when I was younger spent a lot of time drawing (I accumulated an unbelievable number of horse drawings from my elementary school years).  Even my “formal” art experiences have been almost exclusively in drawing courses, with only one introductory painting class.  It’s only been more recently that I realized how much I also love graphic design.  The realization stemmed from my growing love for typography (I could look at different fonts all day…) and also for paper products in general (I can never get enough of letterpress).  I designed the invitations and all of the other paper items for our wedding a few years ago, and I’m hooked!  Since then, I have done some design work for a couple friends’ weddings, and also for myself (30th birthday drink cards, year end updates).  It’s a fun release for me, a sort of therapeutic escape from my science life. 

A friend and co-worker (it’s nice when they can be one and the same!) knew of my graphic design hobby, and asked me if I would design a menu for a Mother’s Day/Happy Birthday dinner she was planning for her mother-in-law.  I jumped at the chance to help out, and this post showcases the final product, as well as some of the early design options.

I was told that the guest of honor preferred classic designs - nothing too “cute", and also liked the color yellow and flowers.  I provided three different menu options, and asked Ruth and her husband which one they liked best for the dinner, which wasn’t necessarily the one they liked best for themselves!  I love the chosen design (I also designed a complementary drink menu), and was also happy with the printing job, which had to be done on very short notice.  Do you have a favorite?

Snaps: Korea/Jeju Island via VSCO CAM [Part II]

Here is the second installment of my VSCO CAM photos from our Korea/Hong Kong trip.  Jeju Island is just an hour flight from Seoul, and it one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.  I’ve been lucky enough to experience Jeju twice, once in the summer of 2006 and again this past May – the second time was just as wonderful as (if not better than) the first!

In order from top: (1) Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise Peak)- spectacular even in the heavy rain, (2 & 3) Views from Seongsan, (4) Another image of Seongsan, (5) Oedolgae Rock - the pillar is 20 meters high, (6) Jusangjeolli - stunning basalt columns.

Snaps: Korea via VSCO CAM [Part I]

I recently posted about the VSCO CAM app that I purchased for my iPhone.  I am really enjoying the app, and thought that I would do a series of VSCO CAM photo posts of our trip to Korea and Hong Kong. 

The first image is of the entrance to Tongdosa Temple (in the southern part of Mt. Chiseosan, north of Busan), and is one of my absolute favorite photos (iPhone or SLR) from the entire trip.

In order from top: (1) Entrance to Tongdosa Temple, (2-4) at tea shop in the Insadong neighborhood of Seoul, (5) a Seoul coffee shop, (6-7) two favorite meals in Busan, (8) looking up in Seoul.

May Moon

This spring has graced us with some truly spectacular skies (I think a future post devoted to the stunning clouds of this season is in order) and beautiful moons.  Here are two Instagram photos of the moon on May 31st.  The photo on the right was taken from the Roosevelt Island Tram. 

Wishing you a happy weekend!

Traveled: Gyeongbokgung Palace

One of our first destinations in Seoul was Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was built during the Joseon Dynasty.  You can read more about the history of the palace and its surrounding area here.  These are some of my favorite photos from in and around Gyeongbokgung.

Going Back + A Teaser

This past weekend was my husband’s 10th college reunion.  As always, it was so wonderful to be back on campus and catch up with old friends (another plus - I got in a practice run for my own 10th next year).  No matter how many times I go back, I never fail to be amazed by the beauty of the Princeton campus.

Top: Gorgeous blue sky over Blair Arch, the class of ’02 enters the P-Rade.

Bottom: The ivy covered front of West College, Preparation for the class of 2012’s graduation ceremony

Since we were away I didn’t have much time to start working through my Korea/Hong Kong 2012 photos, but here’s one SLR image with a hint at what my first Korea post holds.