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Diner Aesthetic Images made with Stable Diffusion

These AI images were both created with NightCafe, using the stable diffusion option. The prompt I used was, “Exterior of a diner at night in the rain.” These are the kind of images that you could definitely go down the AI rabbit hole with. They weren’t quite what I wanted – I would have liked something with more of a mid century modern aesthetic, but I liked the mood of them. I am merely posting them here today because today I noticed that “Diner Aesthetic,” was trending on Pinterest. I think I’ll leave them here and come back to them later.

Poppy Print Tote Bags are Here!

Poppy Print Tote BagLately I have been obsessed with perfecting my poppy print, and I finally have one that would look great on some products. Presenting my poppy print tote bags! It’s been an ongoing process, with different versions of the poppy print. I love poppies. They are such a bold simple flower. This pattern evolved from tracing some photos that I had in procreate. I tried to make it look more painterly at first, but for this one, I’ve settled on a minimalist, Marimekko inspired pattern. Marimekko Unikko is the iconic poppy pattern first introduced in 1964 by the designer, Maija Isola. She actually designed it out of defiance, as the company founder hated floral prints. It went on to define the company and you can find many products with this print. Read more

The Pink Beach House

This is the famous Pink Beach House, of Ocean City, New Jersey. Some people call it the Bubble Gum House, because it was owned by Edward Fenimore, who founded the Philadelphia Chewing Gum Corporation. The factory, in Havertown, PA, manufactured such fine products as Swell bubble gum, and El Bubble Gum Cigars.

I posted a picture of it on Instagram last summer and the polarity of comments was very amusing. One person stated, “Love this home. Grew up at 53rd street and the bubble gum house was always our sign that we were almost home. An Ocean City Original.”

On the other hand, another person commented: “Disgusted. Obviously one of the worst houses on the island. I have to look the other way on my run going by. The pink only clashes with the modern aesthetic the rest of the block is trying to portray, #Knockdown.”

Who would have thought that this cute little pink beach house could inspire such vitriol!

Personally, I’ve always loved this pink beach house. It’s a pristine example of mid century modern architecture, right on the ocean. It always reminded me of a birthday cake. I’ve been going to Ocean City, NJ since the 1970’s and not many original examples of this type of house are left, so whenever I find myself in the south end of OC, NJ and see it is still there, it brings me joy.

Here’s a vector drawing I made of the house a few years ago.

 

Pink Beach House

If you find yourself in Ocean City, New Jersey and want to take a look, it’s at the corner of 51st Street and Central Avenue. Hopefully it is still there and stays there for a long time!