Nothing delights me more than seeing Abbi from Comedy Central’s Broad City dancing around naked, singing Lady Gaga in front of my Queens Map Print.
Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows
11/11/14
Gallery Wall of the Week
11/03/14
Tropical Palm Print Inspiration
Last month we went to Rincon, Puerto Rico for a few days for a family wedding. The house we stayed in was set in the hills, and in its backyard was a big pool surround by giant palms and banana trees. I spent most of my time swimming in that pool and staring up at those giant leaves. Total pattern inspiration, I’ve been excited to gather more inspiration and start sketching. See all photo links here.
10/27/14
Gallery Wall of the Week
Love all this black and grayness. by Jenny Grimsgard via Desire to Inspire.
10/26/14
Marbled iPhone Cases
Hello Darlings.
Holi Marbled iPhone Case
Luna iPhone Case
Sierra Nevada and Versailles iPhone Case
Versailles iPhone Case, aka everybody’s favorite.
I am so proud of my new collection of prints… you’d think they were my second child. We just made phone cases with a few of them and they. are. rad. Available for the iPhone 5-6 and Samsung Galaxy. We can do other phones too, just send us your desires and we will let you know if they are possible.
10/24/14
Joan Didion’s packing list
I have reread Joan Didion’s “The White Album” more times than I can count. Included in that book is her packing list (below). I would love to see an entire book of just the packing lists of interesting, famous people. Though this was written in an era of travel that seems more romantic than the one that we have now. Can you imagine going through security with a typewriter? My version of the packing list is above (credit below), I think Joan and I would travel well together.
To Pack and Wear:
2 skirts
2 jerseys or leotards
1 pullover sweater
2 pair shoes
stockings
bra
nightgown, robe slippers
cigarettes
bourbon
bag with: shampoo, toothbrush and paste, Basis soap, razor, deodorant, aspirin, prescriptions, Tampax, face cream, powder, baby oil
To Carry:
mohair throw
typewriter
2 legal pads and pens
files
house key
This is a list which was taped inside my closet door in Hollywood during those years when I was reporting more or less steadily. The list enabled me to pack, without thinking, for any piece I was likely to do. Notice the deliberate anonymity of costume: in a skirt, a leotard, and stockings, I could pass on either side of the culture. Notice the mohair throw for trunk-line flights (i.e. no blankets) and for the motel room in which the air conditioning could not be turned off. Notice the bourbon for the same motel room. Notice the typewriter for the airport, coming home: the idea was to turn in the Hertz car, check in, find an empty bench, and start typing the day’s notes.
—Joan Didion, The White Album
packing list credits: cashmere pullover sweater / vintage typewriter / oversized sunglasses / clarks spy belle booties / bourbon / legal pads / mohair throw / oscar de la renta caftan / fsny ballet flats
10/20/14
Gallery Wall of the Week
We did something similar behind our bed using those white Ikea frame shelves. Love the accents of pink and blue. Selina Lake via Heart Home.
10/08/14
2015 is looking beautiful
Our 2015 Wall Calendar is 11″ x 17″, printed single sided – you can cut and frame the prints and have a whole new gallery wall for 2016.
Patterns were inspired by elements from places around the world. Created by digitally collaging my hand-marbled stamped and painted papers. (Those circles below were made with yukon gold potatoes!)
Our 2015 Desk Calendar comes in a little plastic case that doubles as a calendar stand. $12
10/02/14
Versailles Pattern // Marble Trend
The Versailles Pattern was inspired by the Queen’s Staircase from… Versailles. I’m seeing more marble in home decor and fashion, and I l-o-v-e it. A few chic items for your perusal.
1/ Vase by Rimma Tchilingarinan 2/ Marbled Silk Shirt by Balenciaga 3/ DIY Marbled Bowls by Elisha Blaha Cripe 4/ Marbled Tote Bag by Fly Like A Butterfly 5/ Versailles Pattern in 2015 Wall Calendar by JHill Design 6/ Marbled Dinnerware by Martha Sturdy 7/ Marbled Scarf by Scout + Catalogue 8/ Hanging Pot by The Tiny Squirrel 9/ Notebook by Julia Kostreva
The Versailles Pattern was made by hand-marbiling paper, a technique I started teaching myself this summer. The papers were then scanned and I played with the colors in Photoshop. I drew the “q-berty” pattern in Illustrator and then digitally collaged it with the altered marbled papers. I’m excited about this pattern, it is a 360 from the bold, vector patterns I have done in the past. Very refreshing.
My Versaille Pattern Print with my AH-MAZING lamp by Lawrence McRae
My Versailles Pattern with his friend Sierra Nevada.
2015 Calendar with a gold splattered Liz Caan for Jill Rosenwald tray. And a rose… that I grew (you may not know how amazing this is – but it is very amazing).
JHill Versailles Marble iPhone Case
06/24/14
Featured Customer: Michelle
Meet our first featured personalized print customer Michelle! Here is Michelle is on the left with a couple, Jinnefer and Aaron, who received Michelle’s personalized city print as a wedding gift, along with her husband Ray.
In Michelle’s own words:
I first came across JHill Design on a blog back in 2010. I loved her “Places I’ve Never Been” series, and was immediately drawn to her Bangkok print because I had studied abroad there, and then lived there for a year after college. While poking around the website, I noticed the “Personalize” section with examples using different city patterns to memorialize engagements, weddings, births, etc., and I thought that one of these pieces would make such a nice wedding gift! I love to give personal gifts when I can, especially to commemorate special occasions like weddings. I gave my first print to a couple in 2010, and since then I would say my now husband and I have given at least 10 prints as wedding gifts. I love choosing a pattern based on where the wedding is being held, the wedding colors, or something that is special and meaningful to the couple. And then I try to personalize the text to match the couple as well. The husband-to-be of one couple even said that the thing he was most excited for about his wedding (besides marrying his fiancé of course) was getting a print from me and my husband! He couldn’t wait to see what we picked out for them. This same couple had all their belongings in storage for a few months while house hunting, and their JHill print was the only piece of art they brought to hang in their temporary house.
I continue to give JHill prints as wedding gifts (three weddings this year!) and hope to be able to continue the tradition as our friends start to have babies, anniversaries, and special trips. It’s so fun for me to choose something personal for the recipients, which is easy thanks to the variety of prints Jennifer has created. And I know our friends appreciate the time and thought that went into choosing something unique just for them that no one else will have. Then each time they look at it, they can remember the special day and the celebration with all their loved ones. The only downside is that no one has given one to me and my husband! Maybe I’ll get him one as an anniversary gift one year. :o)
Thank you!
-Michelle
04/09/14
Boston Marathon Art Print
Our studio is just a couple miles from the Boston Marathon finish line, it’s one of the things I look forward to every year. Especially this year when there will be more fans cheering on the runners than ever, (this year I’d hug every single runner if I could).
We have been asked for a few years to add a Boston Marathon Map Print to our Boston Sports Map collection, and we are finally doing it. The cool thing is that we are personalizing our Boston Marathon Map Print for the runners. For the month of April we are offering free personalization on the Boston Marathon Map Print to runners (and those who want to give them a gift) with the code “RUN2014″.
The idea came after my friend Holly had us do a series of Personalized Map Prints for her Marathon-running sister-in-law. It was really fun to do and the story the prints tell of travel and athleticism is really inspiring. We loved making the above prints for Tenely, here is a little about her running life:
“I’m Tenley Ludewig, 39, and I’ve been running since I started track in middle school. I ran my first marathon at 28 when I learned a number of my friends had run them and I wanted to see if I could do one as well. My first was the Marine Corps Marathon in my hometown of DC and it was memorable not only because it was my first but because my family all came out to cheer me on. In the last five years, I have trained with Capital Area Runners, a group with a very established coach. I have completed three more marathons during this time. I hate training in the winter, so I have not raced Boston yet, but I will one day when I get a thick skin. I enjoyed the last six miles of Boston helping my friend come in back in 2012 and that was exhilarating.”
My favorite thing about this photo is that you can see Tenely’s running shoes.
For the month of April we are offering free personalization on the Boston Marathon Map Print to runners (and those who want to give them a gift) with the code “RUN2014″. There is also a unpersonalized version of the Map for those who love the Marathon as much as I do to add to their collection.
03/21/14
Watch us make our The Bronx Map Print
I’m so excited that we finally did this! We took a little video of how we make the maps for our City Maps series. First we draw the neighborhood map (not shown because it takes for-ever), the we make the drawings into clipping paths. Next we import jpgs of our patterns until the whole map is bursting with bright JHill pattern. Here you can see how Juliana made our new map for The Bronx.
Patterns in Play from jhill design on Vimeo.
Here is a look at the final The Bronx Map Print. We also just finished maps for St Louis, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Coming up next… Austin and Dallas! Which city would you want a neighborhood map print for?
03/19/14
Fear of Flying Hypnosis App
I’ve dealt with anxiety issues my entire life and my fear of flying is an extension of that. At one time it was about being trapped in a metal tube, but now it’s more about me being a control monster, (if I could just sit in the cockpit and know what is going on I’d be fine). I spent my last flight quietly sobbing with every little plane movement. So… you can imagine how EXCITED I was when my husband surprised me with plane tickets to California for our wedding anniversary!
Last year a session of hypnosis with a therapist helped me with a sudden panic attacks while driving on the highway. I thought I’d try this for my flying fear / control issues. I called a hypnosis clinic in Boston and was quoted $2k – $3k. That price may have knocked the flying fear out of me right there.
So I turned to iPhone apps. Most concentrated on learning how planes fly. This didn’t help me – I’m not an idiot and I know flying is super safe (despite disappearing planes). I understand how planes work and that they don’t fall out of the sky. I know what all those noises are. I know turbulence happens mostly over mountains and water.
Then I found this Fear of Flying Hypnosis app and it was FREE. I listened to it 3 times before we flew and then while we were taking off and periodically when we were in the air. I was calmer than I’ve been on Xanax at anytime in my life. So calm that it freaked my husband out. The women’s voice is kind of crazy and awesome. She leads you through a relaxation exercise first. Then she does a visualization exercise of you being at the airport, getting on the plane, flying. She talks about the pilots being trustworthy, that you don’t need to worry about anything… I was able to get into it and relax and it totally worked.
I was so calm that when I saw another plane flying next to us out my window at 35,000 ft I only thought “COOL! “and not… “ummmm should I be able to see another plane out my window?”
I enjoyed both the flight there and the return flight. I loved looking out the window. I loved the moon-like rockies and the patterned fields of the midwest mixed with snow. I was really happy and it made a huge difference in our vacation. I don’t know if I’m “cured”, but I don’t fear our next flight and I plan to use this app in the future. If you have a fear of flying I suggest you give it a try, or find a therapist who does hypnosis in your area.
03/14/14
mankas’ boatsman quarters
This year my husband surprised me with a trip to California for our 5 year wedding anniversary. The best part… our sister-in-laws offered to watch our three year old for a night so we could getaway. We decided to drive about an hour and a half north of San Francisco to Mankas in Inverness. After calling and having the rooms described to me (which I LOVED having done) we decided to splurge and stay in the Boatsman Quarters and it didn’t disappoint. We also had dinner at their sister restaurant Sir and Star in Marin, which was delicious.
A six foot clawfoot tub, frette robes and dim lighting.
The painted floor in the bathroom. I love how the stencil was done with stain so that the natural wood texture peeks through.
This little resting nook reminded me of the sunroom at my Gramma’s where she would go “lay on the divan to rest her eyes”.
View from the bathroom
Sitting quarters. Those chairs were incredibly comfortable, we’ve already sourced them for our living room.
We were lucky and the bottom of the house wasn’t rented, so we got to use the pier.
Two words will get me to spend a lot of money… “outdoor shower”.
Their acclaimed breakfast dropped quietly at your door.
The view from the outdoor shower. It was a little cool outside, but the sun was shining, the water was warm and the air smelled of our wood fire. I could have stayed in here all day.
Globes et poisson.
turn down service avec carmels.
The best bedroom nook. The bed was like sleeping on magical clouds.
Morning fire
This view…
rested and refreshed.
03/11/14
LOVING: sweaty wisdom
I’ve seen this “You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce” mug everywhere and I love it. It is created by Sweaty Wisdom, (witty remarks from the yoga mat), visit their Etsy shop where there are more treasures to be had. I need to remember that “Oprah Wasn’t Built in a Day” and I would like someone to whisper “Your Fear is Full of Shit” in my ear on repeat as I am flying (and TERRIFIED) home from San Francisco today . *ps… still listening to ‘Yonce’s visual album on repeat. current favs: Mine and Flawless.
