Can’t get enough of black & white photography these days. These in particular are from Cathzilla on flickr. They have that swoony, nostalgic vibe that’s both timeless and hip at once. Via Ok Great.

Oh, yeah. My other blog that I write with Post 27! I forget to talk about that ‘un sometimes. Head over to read the interview I put together with my friend Attalie Dexter on her incredible jewelry line, Shades of Grey. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are available at Post 27, but won’t last so get at them!

{Images credits: Refinery 29 and Shades of Grey}

Furniture and housewares from Merchant No. 4. I’m really glad those measuring spoons are out of stock because otherwise I would have had serious trouble practicing restraint on that purchase! Via Road Trip in Finland.

Since it’s a holiday today, most folks are trying their hardest to inject a little extra summer into their weekend. ie- Not reading blogs posts like this. Which totally means less pressure for me to get this writing project I’ve given myself off the ground, alright!

I cheated and got a bit of a brainstorming head start over the weekend, so I’ve already got a slew of posts and exciting things to share in the works. Figured I start with a little dose of nostalgia in the form of re-posting this song from my first ever blog post on September 9th, 2008. First Aid Kit’s Fleet Foxes cover only had a mere 2k views on youtube then, now they’ve got over 2 million. Perfect for music Mondays, long lazy weekends that actually feel like summer, and a reminder to get the new Fleet Foxes album too. It’s a goodie.

First order of Project Blog Improvement Bonanza: an FAQ page. Occasionally I get emails from students asking for design advice and/or general questions so I’m thinking of posting some of those, but it’s a pretty short list so far. If there’s anything you’d like to know, deposit your inquiries into the comments por favor.

And course you can also reach me these ways too:
twitter: @pitchdesign
email: margot at pitchdesignunion.com
Skype: mkharrington
Google chat: margotharrington

Here’s this blogger’s conundrum. I’m in the middle of some exciting project and I’m nerding out on every stinking thing I see, but I’m so absorbed with the project itself (deadline! deadline! deadline!) that I find it hard to make time to blog. And then, during off-weeks when I’m between projects (like now) I find myself idly starting at the innernets, only vaguely taken with its offerings. Boom, another barrier to blogging. Cause of course. OF COURSE. The creative process is backwards that way. In the end, it comes to this: I have to provide myself with some form of additional compensation/legitimization to keep this place alive like I want it to be. Otherwise I will just continue to dink around, finding excuse after excuse to put it off. Like it’s some frivolous dalliance, just mindless happenstance doodles at the perimeter of my *real* work. It’s really not though. Not even a little. But I don’t have a breath of a chance convincing anyone of that if I don’t spearhead it and figure out my own way to take things further. So that’s just what I’m going to do.

I’m not naive enough to think it’s an overnight process, but to start I’ve got some design/feature-related upgrades planned (!!) which will start rolling out in the next week or two. Content-wise, compensation-wise… Well, that’s the touchy-feely hard stuff that I still have to suss out so I’m devoting the entirety of next week to…writing on the internet, several hours a day to brainstorm and scheme. Seeing how easy it is for me to find excuses to stay OFF the internet though, I’m wondering if you’d like to help me. Tell me how you see this space. We can dream up a collab, or send me a submission, offer support, even just heckle me on on twitter to keep my ass in gear. Just tell me your words, any and all. I’ll be available via Skype, IM, and of course email too. Let’s break the 4th wall people, sweep out the cobwebs, and re-focus this space together. I’ll even toss the first pitch.

Starts Monday. I hope you’ll play along.

{Image Credit}

+ My friend, Paper Source alum Elaine Fong is a new freelancer & has just re-launched her site. Her work (above) has class, bright pops of color and an Eames-y spin that is super fresh. Major props, high fives and hugs to Elaine!

+ The Setup: A bunch of nerdy interviews. What do people use to get stuff done? I could spend a lot of time here.

+ Fave new find: the Midwest Style. I think I look at boy fashion blogs more than female-focused ones these days? (not including this marvelous lady of course).

+ New bloggy feature: I now offer email subscriptions! In case you’re not into the RSS thing you can sign up through the link in the sidebar and get my updates in your inbox.

And weekend: GO. Me and the Mr. are heading to Michigan for some days, excited to get out of the city and cool it for a few…