Packing for Positano!

I did not have time to go shopping before my vacation, so I have to be creative about what I am bringing to Italy. I will be taking my NYC style to the Amalfi Coast (whether they like it or not)! 


1. White Fedora because baseball hats and visors are for Americans! I live in the east village- not far from the craziest street selling anything from sunglasses to fedoras in every shape, size and color: St. Marks Place! You must bargain with the vendors for the best price. I paid no more than $15 for mine.


2. Red lipstick. Red is very Italian! Thats why I am bringing Viva La Glam Cyndi Lauper lipstick. Also, this purchase goes to MAC Aids FUND to support the fight against Aids.

3. Mix-and-Matched bikinis! To be clear, I do NOT own a pink leopard print bikini but I do plan to mix my corals with blacks, etc.

4. Barbie Video Camera. I actually do NOT plan to purchase this video camera...but I thought this video was cool. Not sure how the Italians would feel about me carrying around Barbie into the Pantheon and the Vatican. 

5. iPhone Wine App. I recently bought the Approach Guides WINE App off of iTunes. This app does not require internet connection, so when traveling out of the country, you don't have to worry about roaming charges. Plus this app is handy when picking wine and food pairings.

6. Italian Speaking Boyfriend. Check!  I have been learning some things on my own. I have been using LiveMocha learning phrases like: La Donna e' grassa...haha...which will be ME after I get back from Italy!

7. Positano Playlist. A vacation is not complete without a PLAYLIST to get you in the spirit of traveling. Some songs on mine: "We No Speak Americano" by Yolando Be Cool & Dcup, "Hey London Remix" by Chiddy Bang, "Armour Love" by La Roux, "Paris is burning" by Ladyhawke, "Holiday" by Madonna, "Ca plane pour moi" by Plastic bertrand and "Girl from Impanema" by Babel Gilberto.


8. Sequin Sweater. JCrew has a fabulous sheer sequin sweater that is perfect for dining on the coast. The breezes from the Mediterranean sea will keep the nights cool, and this sweater will keep you warm!


9. Non-expensive jewelry. When I travel, I bring a few necklaces and a couple of earrings. Its not necessary to bring your jewels with you to a foreign country. I go to Urban Outfitters, Target, H&M, and thrift stores to look for statement necklaces and earrings that will jazz up an ordinary black dress. 


10. Red rimmed sunglasses! I chose an aviator style for me, but the classic 80s style in red is a nice touch too.

Dead or Alive at MAD

I wanted to share some of my photos of art work from the Dead or Alive exhibit at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City. These pieces of art are made of organisms that were once alive. At first, I thought some of it was crap, to be honest with you, but then I watched a video of how the artist came to conceptualizing the installation. It may have not been the way I would have conceptualized the idea...but it was natural...it was organic...so I began to appreciate the art more for its developmental values than just what meets the eyes.

The images above are from a piece called SPICE SKULLS by Helen Altman. This was one of my favorites. If you stood close enough to the skulls you could smell the nutmeg or the rosemary or the curry that made up each individual skull. I wanted to take one and use it in a pasta later that night.

This is where all my donated "locks-of-love" hair went! I knew it! This installation CAUDA EQUINA which means "Horse Tail" in spanish, is by contemporary artist Keith Bentley.

Intrinsecus by Jennifer Trask was simple and beautiful. The once alive coral draped the corner of the frame and extended beyond its perimeter.

This chair was not apart of the Dead or Alive exhibit. It was on the home-design floor. I thought it was interesting and colorful. How'd I love to spec something like this for a building I am working on!

Tools for creativity

While reading one of my favorite blogs, Logo Design Love, I was directed to a website called CreatingMinds.org . On this site, there was a list of "creative tools".  I include these creative tools below (who knew there were so many!):

• Absence Thinking: Think about what is not there.
• Adoption Checklist: A checklist of what leads to adoption.
• Art streaming: Keep creating until you get through the blocks.
• Assumption Busting: Surfacing and challenging unconscious assumptions.
• Attribute Listing: Listing attributes of objects and then challenging them.
• Brainstorming: the classic creative method for groups.
• Braindrawing: Good for reticent groups.
• Brainmapping: Combining brainwriting and mind-mapping.
• Brainwriting: Group doodling for non-verbal stimulation.
• Breakdown: Careful decomposition to explore the whole system.
• CATWOE: A checklist for thinking about problems and solutions.
• Challenge: Challenge any part of the problem.
• ChangingMinds: The ultimate persuasion website.
• Chunking: Take a higher or more detailed view.
• Concept Screening: Comparing options against a baseline benchmark.
• Context Map: Mapping the overall problem domain.
• Crawford Slip Method: Getting ideas from a large audience.
• A Day In The Life Of...: Seeing things as they are experienced.
• Delphi Method: Explore ideas or gain consensus with remote group.
• Diffusion Lifecycle: Spreading ideas one group at a time.
• Doodling: Let your subconscious do the drawing.
• Essence: Looking elsewhere whilst retaining essential qualities.
• Forced Conflict: Using conflict to stimulate the subconscious.
• Force-field Analysis: Exploring forces for and against an idea.
• Guided Imagery: Letting your subconscious give you a message.
• Head, Heart and Hands: Get all three systems of motivation engaged.
• The Hundred Dollar Test: How will you spend $100 on your ideas?
• How-How Diagram: Break down problem by asking 'how'.
• How to: Frame statements as 'How to' to trigger focused thinking.
• Incubation: Letting the subconscious do the work.
• Is − Is not: To scope out boundary of problems.
• The Kipling method (5W1H): ask simple questions for great answers.
• Lateral thinking: Thinking sideways to create new ideas.
• Lotus Blossom: Unfold the flower of extended ideas.
• Mind-mapping: Hierarchical breakdown and exploration.
• Modeling: For the artist in everyone.
• Moment of Truth (MoT) Analysis: Finding vulnerable customer moments.
• Morphological Analysis: Forcing combinations of attribute values.
• Negative Selection: Sort out the 'definitely nots' first.
• Nominal Group Technique: Getting ideas with minimal personal interaction.
• NUF Test: Check idea is New, Useful and Feasible.
• Pause: Think more deeply for a minute.
• PINC Filter: Evaluate pros and cons of ideas.
• Positives, Negatives: Look at both problems and benefits.
• Post-Up: Brainstorming with Post-It Notes.
• Problem Statement: Getting a clear statement of what you are trying to achieve.
• Provocation: Shake up the session by going off-piste.
• PSI: Problem + Stimulus = Idea!
• Purposing: Finding the real purpose of what you are doing.
• Random Words: Using a random word as a stimulus.
• Remembrance: Remembering solutions not yet discovered.
• Reversal: Looking at the problem backwards.
• Reverse Brainstorming: Seek first to prevent your problem from happening.
• Reverse Planning: Working backwards from a perfect future.
• Rightbraining: Combine incomplete doodles around the problem.
• Role-play: Become other people. Let them solve the problem.
• Rubber-ducking: Get someone else to listen to your talk.
• SCAMPER: Using action verbs as stimuli.
• Six Thinking Hats: Think comfortably in different ways about the problem.
• Storyboarding: Creating a visual story to explore or explain.
• Swap sort:  Sorting a short list by priority swapping.
• Take a break: When creativity is fading.
• Talk streaming: Just talk and talk and talk until you unblock.
• TRIZ Contradiction Analysis: Use methods already used in many patents.
• Unfolding: Gradually unfolding the real problem from the outside.
• Value Analysis: Deep analysis of where true value is created.
• Visioning: Creating a motivating view of the future.
• Voting: Democratic casting of votes for the best idea.
• Why not?: Challenge objections and assumptions.
• Wishing: State ideas as wishes to expand thinking.
• Write streaming: Write and write and write until you unblock.

I'm trying to figure out, which one of these tools I used to design these three options for a contractor's desk...and well the pig and the wolf were thrown in for laughs! 

LSU in lower contrast

These images prove that you don't need a fancy camera to create beautiful images. I took these last friday at my sister's graduation at LSU, with my iPhone. Instead of adding saturation and contrast (which is a technique I sometimes use when trying to create more interest in photos), I desaturated these and lowered the contrast levels. 

My models: My Dad & My Nephew, Ben.

Kitchen Before & After photos

Ben & I added paint to the very white walls. We applied blue on two sides & black chalkboard paint on the entry wall. I found some vintage marquis letters on ebay. I bought two: one "K" and one "B"...totally forgot about getting an old "C" for Charlie....but I am working on it. We added shelves behind the frig and hung my "Crawfish Festival 2001" poster. 

Upholstery Class #4 of 4: The Final Steps!

ah...yes, we left off at piping!

Once the piping is applied on all four sides, we applied the fabric that covers the sides of the ottoman. We stapled the back side of the fabric, upside-down along the underside of the piping. We overlapped the two edges at one corner.  We left about 2 to 3 inches of overlap on these two corners.

After all the fabric was stapled to the ottoman, we applied a stiffening strip to the underside of the piping... holding very tight to the piping. 

After the stiffening strip (which resembles cardboard or chip board in texture and stiffness), we attached more dacron to all four sides. The dacron should align with top of piping cord. Smooth with right hand, tighten and hold with left hand, then staple with right hand...repeat...on all four sides. 

Place ottoman upside-down for the next finishing steps. Pull fabric upward and use ruler to push dacron down on top of piping seam. Put two temporary staples at the corner where the fabric meets. Staple all four side to underside of ottoman, creating 90 degree angles at corners. The corner, where the fabric meet, is too tough for me to repeat....infact I didn't even do it, which was unlike me...since I was getting used to doing things twice (in this class). I got my teacher to finish that corner for me. 

Cut access material from bottom. Add bottom- we used a thin black material. I forget the name of this stuff...I was excited to have almost completed this sucker.

Add gliders to each corner of the bottom. You can just hammer them into the bottom. I should probably say "you can hammer these gliders into the bottom with skill and experience" since I broke the exposed plastic part of the glider atleast 4 times before getting one into the bottom of the ottoman...successfully.


Sew up edge with an invisible seam. 

Last step & final step: carry home and prop your feet up!

Architizer asks...why design???

During my lunch break while cyber surfing, I happen to notice the Facebook posting by Architizer. I read the following questions and it got my brain wheels turning....


Architizer 

We're in the middle of a design dialogue with Fly NY, examining the "why" in design. Some ideas to ponder:
Q1. In 3 words, describe when you 1st fell in love with design.
Q2. What passion drives you to create? Where is it rooted?
Q3. Do you feel different design industries connect? (ex. fashion, architecture, DIY). How should they?

scroll down to see my answers

a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimberlypayne/2259017644/" title="002 by Kimberly Payne, on Flickr">

Answer 1:  High School Art I and Art II. I believe this is when I discovered my artistic strengths. I have  a wild imagination, turning literal objects into creative interpretations, as well as, turning creative concepts into literal objects. Around the time I was a senior in High School,  I knew I had to become an architect. I was not only inspired by the beauty of New Orleans' very own architecture, but I loved creating my own architecture inspired by modern artist and architects. 

Answer 2:  Music and dance is really what drives my creativity. When I listen to music, I instantly begin to write a story in my head and in that story, I develop space around what's inspiring me at that moment. Whether its my love-life, career, family-life, or just my hobbies...my feelings become images and they move and take shape to the music. My mother was (and is still) a great dancer. I danced for years - perhaps this is where my creativity is rooted. My father, who was an engineer, also has an artistic eye. The below image is a sketch he did of our home in Louisiana. Most of my creative talents come from my parents. The image above is my mom as an LSU Tigerette.

Answer 3: Absolutely, some designers are more focused on certain disciplines than others. I don't think being focused on any number of things is the right or wrong way to be (as a designer), but for me personally, I am interested in fabrication of objects (quilting, furniture making, fashion construction, industrial design) and the translation of beautiful images (photography, graphic design, painting). Architecture is connected in so many ways because it is not only the translation but is also the fabrication of spatial concepts. 

A "Matt Haly" Original Ottoman: Upholstery class 3 of 4

I think my left arm shoulder muscle is going to be more developed than the right from working on this ottoman. My right hand staples while my left arm pulls, stretches and creates tension in all the fabric and supporting fabric. Like I said in an earlier post...Upholstery is hard work!

After completing the burlap corners, we sprayed down the edge roll with the 3M foam fast spray (we used 313 to spray down the cotton batting). see above photo. The photo below illustrates where to spray the 3M foam fast spray. When pushing blue foam onto the glue area (the black line on the wood frame) be sure to push down tightly so that no part of the black line is exposed.

Like most steps in this process, do front, then back, then sides.

Glue is messy! Wash the glue off your hands!

Dacron is the white foam that goes on top of the blue foam that goes on top of the cotton batting. That's a lot of cushion. I mean, we need to be comfortable when sitting on this Ottoman. I think, at this time during class, is about the time that Matt Haly accused me of doing this step wrong and therefore I would end up with a Martha Stewart Ottoman! Some people like Martha's ottomans just fine.

The Dacron needs to be stapled tightly to all four sides just below the black line (that is now concealed by the blue foam). So magically staple your dacron on!

You should end up with little Miss Muffet's tuffet.

Fold corners over into a nice and neat tight edge. 

Next is the fabric layer. Yes we finally made it to the fabric. Staple the fabric using the same steps applied to the dacron layer.  Fold corners neatly cutting access fabric out before crossing one side to the other. Create a line that in directly above edge and where corner is below the actually corner of the ottoman. I think this when I told Matt, our teacher, that I was going to sell my crappy ottoman on Etsy as a "Matt Haly" Original. 

Before piping steps, cut access fabric off. We started with a 24" x24" square.

Piping is fun! Start in the middle of the length of piping & in the front of you ottoman. If you can tell what the front is anymore. Wrap around evenly. You should end up with an even amount on each side. Using a ruler, measure 11-1/2 inches from the base. Thats where the top of your piping should lay. Staple on a diagonal all the way around using longer staples. The ends of the piping are tricky. You must cut the left side of piping on an acute angle, then with the right side of piping, cut access about an inch overlapping the left side. Rip stitching of right side out, and cut right rope on an opposing acute angle so that they marry each other, then fold access fabric over, wrap left side and staple done. Easier said than done, for sure.

to be continued....

Upholstery Class #2 of 4

Photo-documenting the steps of upholstering is probably the best way to document this process, since most of my energy was spent ripping tacks out of the wood frame and tying knots and retying knots! Taking actually notes would have slowed me down. I think a visual journal is better than written words for this very tedious hobby.

In the above photos, you can see one side of the rope where by I looped the rope around the tacks and the opposite side of the frame, where I nailed the rope down. 

When tying the springs down remember to start with the shorter side of the rope. After looping it around the already in placed tacks, loop it around the second row down on the spring (on the side closest to the wood)...I know I am confusing the crap out of you right now...but this is more for me to remember what in the hell I was doing in class! haha. Loop it on every side of each spring, until the end where you nail it in place. If your shorter side is on the left, roll to the right. If the shorter side is on the right, roll to the left.  The longer side of the rope ties the string into place, but instead of starting on the second row down, tie knots on top row of each side of outer springs.

After every spring is in place, the outer springs 3-1/2" high, the center spring 3-7/8" high, cut the remainder of the rope leaving about 4 to 5 inches in lag. Next you will staple on sheets of muslin with loads of tension, as Matt says, "make it taut"...okay. This happens on all four sides. Make sure its taut! Taut: adj, stretched or pulled tight. 

After you staple the muslin onto the sides of the frame. You will place burlap over the top of the springs. Again, taut! For both process of stapling burlap and muslin, you must staple the fabric face down, then fold over the lag, and staple that side along the same row of previously inserted staples. Cut excess fabric.

Next you place this rolled cushioned-burlap stuff (i forget the name), I think Ben texted me at this point! You place this stuff at the edge and staple along the edge (actually it must be flush with the wood). Then glue down that rolled thing, so that there is no gaps. You can use spray glue. I hate spray glue. Push the rolled cushion thing down HARD! 

Then you create clean edges with four square pieces of burlap, Staple, fold, staple, make sure you have a smooth 90 degree line at the corner.