Our Newest Design

Introducing our newest design! Complete with heart axels, trailing bells, hearts and a "Just Married" sign flowing behind, our Tandem Bike is gracefullyNOTED's newest wedding card design (though it could be customized for other life events as well). 

I hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

Tandem Bike

Our Tandem Bike Design is now available in our Shop. Visit here.

Jane Austen

I know this is kind of old news by now, but whenever I see Jane Austen gracing the front of the 10£ note it makes me very happy. The fact that the new note, which will be introduced in 2017, also includes a drawing of Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, an image of Godmersham Park (a property owned by Austen's brother and thought to be an inspiration for her work) and and a picture of Austen's writing table is the icing on the cake. The unfortunate Caroline Bingley quote notwithstanding (and that will hopefully be replaced) it is pretty exciting. The only negative is that Darwin is being replaced. Somehow I have a feeling he will be back on some currency sometime in the future though.  Happy Monday!

Maurice Sendak and Herman

Maurice Sendak and his german shepherd Herman (named after Herman Melville).   

Everything in this picture makes me smile. 

Seen here.

a little inspiration/motivation

 "The harder I work, the luckier I get"

-Sam Goldwyn

 The graphic design is by Chris Labrooy and is an experiment in 3D lettering techniques.  Seen on Behance. 

Van Gogh | Shadow

As if Van Gogh's pieces weren't expressive enough, this video by Luca Agnani animates thirteen of Van Gogh's paintings.   He takes the kinetic energy that is naturally present in Van Gogh's works, and shows what it would be like if the paintings actually moved. The paintings he animated are listed below. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

 Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries / Langlois Bridge at Arles, The / Farmhouse in Provence / White House at Night, The / Still Life / Evening The Watch (after Millet) / View of Saintes-Maries / Bedroom / Factories at Asnieres Seen  / White House at Night, The / Restaurant / First Steps (after Millet) / Self-Portrait

Found here.

Typography: From Paper to Screen

This animation by Thibault de Fournas  illustrates the history of typesetting, its evolution from paper to screen and some of the basic rules of typography. Needless to say, it really appealed to the typography nerd within.

I hope you enjoy!

First seen here.

Welcome to the new gracefullyNOTED

Welcome to the new gracefullyNOTED! We are so happy to have moved to Square Space.  While our address remains the same, the site now has a lot of fun new features, improved functionality and, possibly the biggest change, our store is now available through the website! This means we can deliver our products directly to you. Hooray! We are so excited to be able to more effectively customize your order and buying experience. Many of our products are already available in our store, and it will be updated regularly - I am going to be adding some new designs later this week - so please check back soon!  We are also really excited to provide the ability to customize your order or create a card/piece specifically for you. Check out the "Custom" tab for more details.

The gracefullyNOTED blog will keep being updated regularly as well and I am really excited for a lot of our upcoming posts! I can't wait to share and hear what you think!

Please take some time, look around and let us know what you think! I'm excited to hear what you think of our new look!

Happy Monday

xx, Meghan

Friday Fun | Handvas Art Display

I really love these 3D printed hands that display prints in a similar manner to how artists and designers often present their work to be photographed. Called Handvas, they are an easy and safe way to hang prints without having to frame them or resort to the dreaded thumb tack. I also really appreciate how easy it is to swap prints in and out.

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adrift

The time lapse film Adrift by Simon Christen was filmed over a two year period and captures fog flowing into the San Francisco Bay Area. He would wake up before sunset, troop up to the first ridge of the Marin Headlands and capture the fog gliding into the valley and across the bay. The images he captured are breathtaking and mesmerizing.
I think it is the perfect way to start the day and I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did! 

Happy Wednesday!

via here and here

fallen tree bench

Somehow the Fallen Tree Bench by Benjamin Grandorge manages to look modern and natural at the same time. That isn't an easy combination to achieve, but it is definitely something to aspire too!

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be positive (!)

I hope these positive affirmations by found on South Venice Boulevard in Venice California brighten your day like they did mine. It is always good to find a reason to be positive! 

For me, part of that positive outlook comes from the fact that I finally got my Etsy shop up! You can link directly there from the SHOP gracefullyNOTED page at the top of the blog. I will make a full post about this on Monday but I was too excited not to share!

Happy Friday!

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fireflies

The images below are long exposure photographs of fireflies taken by Yume Cyan in a forest near Nagoya, Japan. I have seen photos of this before, and posted about it here, but whenever I see more images of this occurrence I get re-inspired. I can't get enough! It is like witnessing fairies in the forest or being in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Happy Tuesday!

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The Book Paintings of Ekaterina Panikanova

The work of Russian artist Ekaterina Panikanova consists of old books and other documents such as notebooks, that she has painted on and arranged to create these beautiful installations. I really enjoy the way she arranges her compositions and am interested in the idea of layering images on printed material. It gives it the feeling of collage, and naturally, any work that incorporates books, and different types of paper, is right up my alley! There is also something about her subject choices, they feel whimsical and in some ways, almost nostalgic.   Most of the images below are from her show titled Un, due, tre, fuoco at z20 Galleria in Rome from earlier this year.

via here, here, here and here.

Seb Lester Calligraphy

Sketchbook, February 2013 from Seb Lester on Vimeo.

The calligraphy and lettering geek within me cannot get enough of this video. I am also currently obsessing over Seb Lester's website. So much talent. It reminds me that I really need to keep practicing. And by that, I mean I need to keep practicing a LOT.

I hope everyone is having a good Monday! I am sorry I was a bit MIA last week, it was a big stationery production week for gracefullyNOTED and so I focused most of my attention in that direction. I can't wait to share soon, but until then I hope you enjoy the video :)

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And We Have Business Cards!

While making my business cards a couple of weeks ago, I finally remembered to take out my camera and photograph the finished product. Each card is printed, with a die-cut symbol in the left hand corner and colored card stock for the backing. Originally I was going to back all of the cards in black, but I couldn't resist all of the fun colors. I also kind of love letting people choose their favorite color when I hand out my cards. And for you Laduree fans out there, I have been reusing my old macaron boxes as business card holders. I am really excited to have a use for them! The one below was made in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

What do you guys think?  I am hoping to have my other designs both up on the blog and up on Etsy in the next week or two. I can't wait to share what I have been working on!

Noted: Four Designs I Loved this Week

This floor by Arbore Historic Floors is based on M.C. Escher's lithograph "Reptiles", which they created for a client in Madrid. While I am not the biggest fan of reptiles (mostly just petrified of snakes), I love seeing art incorporated into everyday living and interior design, and this pattern in particular is both fairly subtle and a clear reference at the same time. You can see the pattern in the lithograph below to compare for yourself.

The "Forms in Nature" chandelier by Hilden & Diaz is partly inspired by the drawings and detailed plots from nature by German biologist, naturalist and philosopher Ernst Haeckel. When lit, the sculpture throws off a 360 degree projection of oversized shadows that depict gnarled, windy trees and roots.  The sculpture is not only mirrored, but turned upside down as well, ensuring the viewer is engulfed by the shadows created.  I am both mesmerized by this piece and kind of scared by it (big bad woods, anyone?).  Regardless, it is absolutely gorgeous.

"After the Storm" is a collaboration from the married couple, furniture designer Chris Lehrecke and jewelry designer Gabriella Kiss.  The wide chest is made from white oak, bronze mushroom inspired pulls, and also incorporates a branch from a dead oak tree. I really love how it maintains such an organic, natural quality, but still looks elegant and polished.  Such a beautiful piece of furniture.

I love this Book vase by the YOY Design Studio.  And I think I love it even more because it is titled "The Life of Plants".  Enough said.

via Laughing Squid / via Colossal / via NYT / via Colossal

Bird Ballet: A Moment of Zen

I have been somewhat stressed out this week and "A Bird Ballet" by Neels Castillon provided a much needed moment of zen on a hectic Thursday. I find it totally mesmerizing and really beautiful.  I hope it provides you with a calm, zen-like moment as well!

 

via Colassal

Decorating with Flowering Branches

With Spring in full swing, I can't help but want to fill the house with flowers. While the traditional arrangements are gorgeous as well, I am also really drawn to the beauty and the drama of flowering branches. I love how they work with more modern spaces and in traditional homes.  I hope you enjoy the images below!

And, it also gave me a great stationery idea. Stay tuned! 

Images from i suwannee, elle decor, habitually chic and pinterest.

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Frank Gehry Fish Lamps

Maybe it's because almost half of the light bulbs in our apartment are out or perhaps it's a result of the fact that John and I are pretty bored with the lamps we currently have, but I have been somewhat fixated with light fixtures and finding creative ways to light a space. Some of the most beautiful lamps that I have seen are the Fish Lamps by Frank Gehry, made of jagged pieces of plastic with a light source within. I love how they look like they are on fire. It makes them look almost dragon-esque, don't you think? The way Gehry positions them makes it seem as though they are mid-movement - turning, diving or even flying through space. In love.

What do you think? Could you ever see a lamp like this in your home?

xx

Meghan

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UP!

The UP Coffee Table by Duffy London. 

Such an interesting design that is so playful and modern. You would almost hate to put anything on it. Almost.

I love the description on Duffy London's website:

"'Growing old is compulsory, growing up is optional' Bob Monkhouse. This uplifting design was conjured up by master illusionist, Chris Duffy working with the concept of levitation and buoyancy.  The UP Coffee Table is a playful trompe l'oeil, giving the impression of a glass table top being suspended by golden balloons."

via & via