Who prints photos anymore? Clearly very few people, judging from the meager selection of photo albums at stationary stores these days. I actually can't remember the last time I printed a photograph, but growing up, I loved putting together albums. Curating images was as satisfying as making a mix tape.

Now that I'm printing wedding photos for my mother and in-laws, I've been hard pressed to an album that fits the occasion. Here are a few contenders that I like for their use of texture and pattern:

Red Otter, from Etsy

Red Otter, from Etsy

Watermark Bindery, from Etsy

Rag and Bone Bindery

As I start to put together my own wedding album, I couldn't help but return to pictures of my parents' wedding day back in Guyana, South America. While I have hundreds of digital images to comb through, their day is captured in a handful of printed pictures, the colors faded, the quality perfectly imperfect. 

They've been divorced for over twenty years, which makes these images even more mysterious. What were they thinking? Who are these people gazing at each other, garlanded with marigolds? How did life draw them so far from this moment in time? I have some theories, but at the end of the day, it's not for me to know.

My mother and grandmother, who passed in 1984.

I am endeared to everything in this image - the sweetness of the spread of presents and the excitement in my mother's smile.

There are weekends that just go by, unremarkable in the best way, involving laundry, take-out and Netflix.

For me and my cohort, Emily, this past weekend was on the other side of the spectrum, a James-Bond-meets-Martha-Stewart-48-hour-extravaganza. 

The mission? To install handmade wallcovering in a 200 year old house in the Bahamas. 

The challenges? Well, for starters, neither of us had ever done anything like this before. Then there was the intense tropical heat, the uneven, bowed walls, and the unwieldy nature of the product itself. And did I mention neither of us had done this before?

In my nominal understanding, installing wallcovering is like putting together a large puzzle. First, you measure the walls. Then based on the dimensions of the wallcovering, you figure out the sizes of the pieces needed to cover the wall in the most aesthetically pleasing way possible. It sounds simple in theory, but like most things, it's actually quite challenging in reality.

The more I think about everything that could have gone wrong, the more impressed I am that a) we didn't maul each other or meltdown, in spite of the stress and heat and b) we got the job done. By the way, when I say "we," I really mean Emily. I basically handed her razor blades, cracked jokes, and made sure we were fed and caffeinated. 

We made quite a number of fairly disastrous technical errors, but in the end, the room looks amazing. We finished exactly fifteen minutes before we had to leave for the airport less than 24 hours after we'd arrived, exhausted and elated. 

Definitely not your average weekend. 

Front gate of the house

I'm having a moment with decals and stencils - I love the way they transform a space without a major commitment of time or money.  

Playful yet chic cascade of gold dots from Amazon

Animal stencils from the charming blog, This Little Street. These wonderfully whimsical shapes are downloadable on the site with a great tutorial.

Is it wrong that I want this in my room?

An Etsy find from ZapoArt

This image is from one of my favorite design books, Marrekesh by Design. I'm thinking about doing a sneak make-over on the stair- case at my mom's house with some stencils of my own. I'll let you know how it goes!

It might seem ridiculous to talk about ice cream on the first day of fall. But Morgenstern's "New American Ice Cream Parlor"  is so special, it defies seasonal logic. 

Start with the inexplicably clean, retro-styled interiors. Then the preternaturally friendly staff in paper hats who discuss your ice cream selection as seriously as a second mortgage. Fast forward to the maker of your cone or cup, who places your scoop with scientific precision. 

Then, the ice cream. Ahh, the ice cream. The consistency is perfect, creamy yet firm. Each unique flavor (I've tried four at this point) is packed with unusual intensity, at times almost uncomfortably real. But in this strangeness comes a kind of kind of joy...

If I'm making this sound like a mystical experience, it's because it kind of is. Next time you're in the Lower East Side, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Banana Curry

Cardamom Fig Jam

Burnt Honey

Szechuan Peppercorn Chocolate

Dispatches from Renegade Craft Fair

It's almost officially fall, which means I officially have permission to start holiday shopping. This might seem a) a touch neurotic, and b) a tad preemptive. But for me, the quest for gifts is also an opportunity to find inspiration for my own projects. And yes, update my home/wardrobe (or both).

Last weekend, my little sister and I braved the rain and trekked to Williamsburg for Renegade Craft Fair. Despite the water sloshing off the tents and the unfortunate feeling of wet sneakers, we managed to buy some gifts from grateful vendors and avoid catching colds. 

Here are some items I particularly loved for technique and use of materials:

Simply Curated
Hand poured, 100% soy wax scented candles in vintage glassware - Great scents and glamorous gold details.

Check out their Kickstarter!

S.L.S (Shanya Lewis Stuff)
100% vegetable tanned leather bags - I especially like the hand-punched details and unexpected color combinations.

 Old Blood
Eclectic handmade jewelry - the brand name is a little macabre but I really enjoy the matte blue/green patina.

Sugar Weather Textiles
made of organic cotton hand-dyed indigo strips  - a lot of love went into these pillows!

ABJ Glassware
Handmade terrariums with metal accents and decorative glass pieces - ethereal and modern.

This year, I traded July in New York for a month-long workshop at Nrityagram, a dance village and modern gurukul an hour outside of Bangalore, home to the most extraordinary Odissi dancers in the world.

How to summarize my experience? Physically and emotionally challenging, for sure, but also marked by moments of pure wonder and peace. 

Designed by Goan architect, Gerard de Cunha, the campus was as inspiring as the dance itself.

Cottages based on the yurts of Tibet

A peaceful space to wait before class

The office

View from the office 

A pretty nook

A performance space and site of Vasantahabba (Spring festival), an all-night showcase of music and dance

Cows intercepting my morning jog

A panorama of the grasslands surrounding the campus

A flower like I've never seen from the cannonball tree

Hand-washed saris, drying in the breeze

Me in my dance sari, our daily uniform

I'm still marveling at how easy it was to leave my life for a month - perhaps a sign that I should do things like this more often...

The highlight of my day today was making a set of cards using one of artist Ed Roth's stencils from his book, Stencil 101. For this card, I used gold acrylic paint on a bright fucshia handmade paper.

Interwoven Globe

Recently I had the opportunity to write a piece for Maharam Stories, the blog of one of my favorite textile companies well known for contemporary design, interdisciplinary collaborations, and modern branding.

Click here to check out my piece on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibit, Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade 1500-1800.  

Mid-18th century Indian palampore, or bedcover

For "ties that don't suck," check out Cyberoptix Tie Lab for fun, well-designed, hand screen-printed men's accessories. I bought one for my brother-in-law last year, and apparently he wears it to every event. Here are a few of my favorite designs from their collection.

Constellation necktie

Ahh, the end of a Monday. Tonight I'm winding down by shopping. Or, more specifically, window shopping via the internet. I'm the best dressed in my imagination...

A piece by Mona Baltazar, jewelry designer, rock star mom and incidentally, my hair stylist of six years and counting (Let me tell you, this woman cuts a mean pixie). I love the simplicity of the wood and metal elements, and the kind of tribal, urban nomad aesthetic of her line. 

I've never been one for stones, but I fell for the modern look of this piece by Beach Bones jewelry at the Renegade Craft Fair. 

Renegade was not a great place to shop for clothes, but still I managed to shimmy myself into one of Elizabeth Suzann's minimalist pieces (sadly, it did not come home with me). This washed silk blouse is the perfect canvas for all the bold jewelry I covet.