So… I guess this is going to be my last post…
of 2011!!?
Wow- What a wacky and wonderful year it has been. I thought it’d be fun to take a quick whirlwind tour of some of my favorite highlights from 2011… So… let’s start at the beginning…
January 2011 started out with a whole lotta awesome press lovin’ for dear ol’ Happy Mundane:
• My humble abode was featured in the Spring 2011 DIY ideas magazine. Will at Bright Bazaar has some larger pics, which you can check out here.
• Riviera Magazine named yours truly on their OC hot list!
• 2011 was also the year that introduced me to the life changing Pinterest, and the kind folks there did a little Pinterview with me. Check out the interview here and you can follow my pin boards here.
• One more major highlight in January was this video of Jerry and Eveyln Ackerman. They had a show at the LA Craft and Folk Art Museum. If you missed it, you must check out this video. They are so amazing and inspiring.
• In February 2011, I posted about the striking work of Scholten & Baijings for Hay. I love their playful and bold use of color! Looking forward to seeing what they have in store for 2012! Check out their work here.
• March 2011 was another milestone month. It was the 5 year anniversary of starting this mundane blog! (woo hoo!!) My obsession with all things neon also continued with these salt & pepper shakers by Thierry Distria and the tape-magic-awesome-ness of Askash Nihalani.
• In April 2011, I started groovin’ to the sounds of Vanbot. If you’re a fan of Robyn, you should definitely check Vanbot out. (also love their cover artwork by Samuel Axelsson). I also made some progress in my slow effort to cook more, I made my first poached egg! Sadly, I still have not perfected the process as each time seems to be a 50/50 chance of success… but I’m still trying! 2012 will be the year of poached egg mastery!
• May 2011 was an important month. I took an impulsive trip to Arizona again, this time visiting the lovely city of Tucson. The main purpose was to visit the Biosphere2, but I also had a chance to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s incredible Taliesen West. The impact of everything I saw and learned from that trip was the seed that eventually lead to the development of a big new project which will be launched in 2012- more details coming very soon! Another thing I enjoyed on this trip was just being able to drive aimlessly on the desert roads. The scenery was breathtaking.
• June 2011 saw the release of the third issue of the J3 zine, At Your Leisure! The theme for J3:Z3 is “Cultivate”. There are still some issues available here, so get your copy now!. Issue #4 (the final installment of the series) will come out in Spring 2012. Here is the teaser video we made for #3.
• July 2011 had one of my most popular posts ever. A stunning photo of grains of sand magnified. It just goes to show what beauty can be found when you really look close.
• I got to visit the great city of Portland at the end of August 2011. I took a ton of photos, but the cool graphic murals on the Pendleton headquarters really caught my eye.
• Finally we come to Fall 2011. Every October I try to do some sort of pumpkin centerpiece, and this year I decided to do a happy- drippy- greeny- halloween-y. My drippy glazed pumpkins were inspired by ceramic pottery pieces. Check em out here and the centerpiece here.
• I also have to give a big thanks to West Elm for having me on their recently launched blog, Front & Main. You can read my interview here.
• Which brings us to November 2011. Project SB… a whole new chapter for me and it’s only going to get better as we head into 2012. Over the past few weeks there’s been a ton of progress and fun projects and I’ll start sharing them starting next week. I’m looking forward to new adventures of all kinds there and hope you’ll join along with me!
• Finally that brings us back to today. The last day of 2011. I hope all of you had a great holiday. In case you missed it, you can check out both of my trees (bright and geo in OC and gold and glam in SD) by just scrolling down a little. The above were just some of my favorites, but you can check out all of the other posts in the archives on the right side.
I just want to thank you again for taking time out of your day to check in. All your emails and comments are so very appreciated. I do this every so often, but end of the year is as good a time as any: I’d love to know where you’re reading this blog from! If you could be so kind, please leave a comment below and let me know what city/country you’re in!
Pepé and I wish each of you a happy, healthy, prosperous 2012 wherever you may be!
You can also find me on twitter , pin boards (follow), and facebook (or click the “like” button on the right) or add me as a friend.