While I wouldn’t ever want the label “foodie” I am a loyal reader of Serious Eats. Having a well done and constantly updated source for dining in New York City is invaluable and one of my first stops when I open my browser. This morning began with a sugary rush of color that had me captivated and reminded me that Easter is one of the only times of the year that everything can be pastel and not be overwhelming.

These incredible snacks might be exclusive to the Bouchon Bakery in New York City but I’m sure you have some sweets waiting for you in your neck of the woods. Why not make your Easter shine with some of our Glitter Bowls and Goblets? The colors are spot on for the occasion and they’re the perfect way to turn drab to fab.

I wear my love of cats on my sleeve, perhaps in another life I was one of those crazy cat ladies you read about in the New York Post or something. I came across the above image on a blog and was obsessed with it as it reminded me of my Siamese cat Raleigh. In looking for a higher resolution image of the cover I ambled upon and incredible jazz record archive with several covers I had never seen. Take a look here. I’m fairly sure it was a requirement in my dorm at Massachusetts College of Art to have a jazz phase and I got mine out of the way quickly my freshman year.

With a Blue Note Records starter kit in my quiver and a crash course from an upperclassman I was on my way. What struck me about the records that I was digging out of the dusty crates of the local record shops were the actual sleeve designs. They were much more sophisticated than the average rock n’ roll record. Often times they gave you no clue as to what the grooves on the record actually sounded like but they were always beautifully executed.

The clean design aesthetic of Blue Note Records has become a go to reference for designers. Many of the images have been appropriated to the point where they become the identity of the person who stole the image. I quickly became bored of jazz but the design really stayed with me no matter how much it was being over-referenced in modern design.

I hadn’t seen so many of the images on the Birka Jazz site as their archive was brimming with european covers that were unfamiliar to my eyes. Take a minute and click around on the site for some true inspiration and enjoy a few of my favorites below.

Joan in T 1976

My inspirations are many when I design for French Bull, but nothing turns me on more than a vibe I try to catch as often as possible. To me this vibe’s got a steady beat, a repetitive bass riff.  It looks like a shoe so feminine and chunky it becomes a glamorous warrior as it trudges through the mud. It smells like violet candy, and hard won sweat. It glimmers in lights turned down low, and emanates swirls of smoke that gently tug at me to stay under its spell. I first identified it in 75′ when I was old enough to understand it, and use it to create. I can recognize it in people, settings, objects, and music in an instant .  Flashes of the vibe flickered in my heart Friday night as I watched the Runaways movie. It was cinematically flat, but for those of you that find inspiration in this vibration, I’m telling you I felt the rush.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone. It’s an unseasonably beautiful day in New York City and thousands of people are flooding the streets to celebrate and enjoy the parade. Looking around the 6 Train I saw men wearing green ties and people proudly showing their colors. Of course color is something we always relate to here at French Bull and it quickly became a topic of discussion at lunch.

It’s incredible how strongly we react to color. We discussed our feelings on color at lunch, talking about our favorite and least favorite color couplings. Every holiday has it’s branded color and though none of us picked green and orange as a favorite pairing we all love the spirit of the day and the communal vibe that takes over the city. No matter what flag you fly it’s the idea of celebration and everyone being a part of a good time that really resonates.

When I got back to my desk I was curious what was going on in the city and the first place I went like any other curious mind with a high speed internet connection was to Youtube. Low and behold I found a little footage of the parade. It’s not anything groundbreaking or stunning, it’s just a moment that captures the spirit of a celebration.

I recently realized that I’m part of a growing sliver of people who mainly read newspapers online, specifically on my iPhone. Monday through Friday I hit refresh on the New York Times App several times so I’m updated and ready to read during my commute from Brooklyn to the Upper East Side.

My routine is simple : Skim current events, check in on sports, read the opinion section until I find things I agree with and then hope there’s something interesting in the arts or dining sections. This morning I burned through my normal stops quickly and ventured into foreign land; the business section. I found some familiar words quickly and clicked on a Mad Men related article. If you frequent the blog you know that Mad Men is a favorite at French Bull. What was interesting in the article linked here was the announcement that “Mattel plans to bring out versions of Barbie and Ken styled after four Mad Men characters”.

The show’s creator Matthew Weiner said that this even surprised him. Our studio has worked with Barbie in the past so it’s another strange case of some worlds colliding and dots being connected. Who would have thought that the often sexist and macho themes of Mad Men would influence Barbie? It goes to show you that in the end style is what shines through.

At 8:45 am on March 3rd, I rushed up the crowded stairs, and out of the Prince street R train station on my way to the Scholastic Headquarters (557 Broadway) where I’d been invited to serve as a national Fashion and Jewelry juror for The Scholastic Art Awards of 2010 by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. I was running minutes behind, because I’d stopped to get a quick photo standing by a news stand in the station for no other reason than I thought all the magazines looked really good together framing the kiosk.

Stopped at kiosk on my way to Scholastic

silver and gold Fashion medalists

silver and gold Jewelry medalists

My fellow jurors and I would soon have the privilege to  evaluate several hundred photography submissions by national gold key finalists in grades 9-12. The program began eighty seven years ago and the fundamentals of the Scholastic Awards judging process have not changed. Our, like all the other 3 member juror teams, were asked to evaluate finalists’ works projected on a screen according to the Alliance’s three time-honored criteria: originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal vision or voice. The list of alumni of gold key finalists is impressive and includes Andy Warhol, Zac Posen, Truman Capote, and Richard Avedon. We advanced thoughtfully and responsibly through elimination rounds, and selected a body of works that will receive Gold and Silver Medals for the best works submitted by students this year, which also qualifies the students for college and university scholarships.

The Alliance encourages, recognizes, and rewards teens in the arts and writing. As a mom with a junior and senior in High school, I see this sort of  attention paid to teens that pursue sports, getting easy access to the best schools and financial support with out the academic merits. To see art and writing get this sort of support is very comforting and exciting. Some of  the categories open to submissions in the arts include architecture, comic art, digital art, painting, video games, film and animation. Altogether more than 12,000 regional-gold-key winning submissions of art and writing from students across the country were reviewed, and last Wednesday,  I was honored to have a small hand in helping to  identify the most creative 1,400 Gold, Silver, Portfolio Silver, and Portfolio Gold Medal winners.

Notable alumni recipients of the scholastic gold key award

It’s a little empty in the office today as Jackie is out being a fashion juror for The Scholastic Art Awards of 2010. While we’re excited for her and can’t wait to hear back about the fabulous things she saw we’re missing her today because it’s her birthday!

We’re such fans of numerology, Jackie has several “3′s” hanging up for inspiration and today it’s 3.3.

While I am a sucker for 1980s pop and this Altered Images track, do yourself a favor and take a listen to the Wedding Present’s version which has become a birthday staple for me over the years.

Happy Birthday Jackie from all of us!

Do a bit of forward planning and save yourself some unnecessary dental costs.

It was the best $130 dollars I’ve ever spent (well that’s a stretch but it was still worth it!). Invest in a Sonicare toothbrush I can, almost, guarantee that what they say on the box is true. Whitens teeth up to two shades lighter in just two weeks and it’s the #1 recommended sonic toothbrush brand by dental professionals worldwide.

Sonicare toothbrush

Accentuate your pearly whites with bright red lips as sported by these stylish celebs.

Sienna Miller, Scarlett Johansson and Vanessa Paradis.

I personally love Chanel at the moment.

Sienna Miller

Scarlett Johansson

Vanessa Paradis

Guaranteed to get you Oscar ready.