Sunday, June 29, 2008

Otomi Oh My

Photo: Cookie magazine, December 2005
In an act of procrastination tonight, I started digging through some old inspiration folders and was so excited to find this image above from Cookie! I used to have it pinned up on my inspiration board at domino and had since lost it in a folder under my bed. It was shot in Mexico at the One&Only Pamilla resort, and the fabric itself is called Otomi, as it is hand embroidered by Mexican Otomi Indians. Sometimes it is also referred to as colcha fabric. Thanks to Jacaranda Home, you no longer need to travel to Mexico to buy some for yourself! The site offers fabrics and table runners in an assortment of fresh summer colors.

Here's some more examples of these gorgeous fabrics in use! (Remember these images from domino, June 2006?)


Monday, June 23, 2008

Hats off to Patrick Cline!

All photography by Patrick Cline

For the past few months I've been working with my close friend and Rubie Green photographer, Patrick Cline, and am excited to finally share some of his incredible photography with you! While creating imagery for the RG website, we shot in Boston, Brooklyn, all over the West Village, Staten Island (yes, we took the orange ferry!) his New York studio and even the Hamptons! I couldn't be happier with the photos he took, as they help communicate what my brand is all about.

Patrick recently launched his own company called Brand Arts. He offers his clients photography, digital retouching services, printing and graphic design! It's basically a one-stop shop for all aspects of a brand, hence the name 'Brand Arts.' I met him last year on a domino shoot and was lucky enough to work with him on this project. Enjoy...

This was taken in Beacon Hill- one of my favorite neighborhoods in the world!

We found this pier while wandering around the north side of Boston and got some gorgeous shots! You can see a couple more on the Brand Arts site.

Love this shot. It's my best friend Ashley from college! I rented the vintage suitcases from a local prop house and we lugged them all over the city (while people gave us goofy looks of course!)

Patrick did such a great job with this shot. It reminds me of the vintage inspired Noa Noa photography from my earlier post.

There are so many well-priced, beautiful flowers to be found outside little delis in Manhattan! We must have stopped at a dozen of them to get the right shot :)

Ok how cool and chic is this woman?! Patrick and I spotted her in the West Village and he talked her into being photographed (I think it helps that he's British- haha.) If anybody knows this woman, please tell her that we LOVE HER!
We took this shot in the East Hamptons when it was just barely getting warm out and the beaches were practically empty. Patrick didn't want to take his shoes off in the sand. (Rubie did ;)

I'm absolutely in love with this photo, and will probably frame a print for my apartment! Patrick plans on selling his prints soon, so check his site now and again. Here's a few of my favorite photos he has taken for other clients (and for fun:)

Monday, June 16, 2008

James Phalen House


I recently popped into the Cooper Hewitt Museum bookstore and stumbled across a book called The Houses of Greenwich Village, in which I found a little treasure! One of my all time favorite homes, that of Sara and Paul Costello, is featured along with its tale as the historic James Phalen House of the mid 1800s! It was originally built in 1850 as the estate of James Phalen, and is a four story townhouse with two principal rooms on each floor and a rusticated basement. A passage to the rear of the property allowed access to the legendary "Pamela Court" prohibition era speakeasy! Regulars included literary figures such as Theodore Dreiser, John Dos Passos and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Pamela Court was eventually turned into a legitimate bar known as Chumley's, which has recently closed.

More impressive than the story of the James Phalen House is the decorating in the current Costello residence. Here are some of my favorite images from the book. (LOVE the living room!)




Thursday, June 5, 2008

Rubie Green in Domino!

Photo: David Black for Domino, June/July 2008

Ok so it's official: A lifelong dream of mine has come true at the age of 25! My little company is featured in DOMINO this month!!!! I'm beyond blown away, and insanely appreciative of this opportunity. Thank you all for hanging in there as my posting has been...not so consistent...! I've turned into a human swatch-cutting machine and make more trips to the post office than a freaking mailman! But I couldn't be more excited to do so, and thankful for this time in my life. That said, check out the article! Thank you Domino!

Photo: Akira Yamada and Lucas Allen.
Our latest print, the Delavan Stripe, was named after a certain Domino editor ;)

Photo: Akira Yamada and Lucas Allen.
PS- check back on June 9th for our full e-commerce site launch! I'm so excited to share it with you all!
PSPS- I promise MA Belle will not turn into a giant Rubie Green blog! I will continue to deliver fun decorating ideas, but am excited to share my news with you along the way :)