Blogs and the return of Domino….sort of

September. What a cruel month.

I’ve never been the best at design (long-time readers will remember how many different “looks” My Inner French Girl had before I finally, half-heartedly settled on this blah template from Blogger), but that’s partly because I’ve not been formally trained. I’ve worked as a professional photographer and have a fairly good eye (in my humble opinion) for composition and contrast, but again, I never had any “real” training. Graphic design is even more complicated, and I admire those of you who pursue it as a vocation. Like writing it only seems easy — the execution is pretty much the way it sounds: as painful as an execution.

That’s a rather roundabout way of saying that I’m completing the complete redesign of My Inner French Girl, hence my silence of late. It’s beautiful! It’s shocking! It’s sophisticated! It’s bold! It’s…not yet done. But soon! Soon!

My ambition — because one must never launch these things without at least a small desire for world domination — is to create an online magazine for Francophiles. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for, well, years, or at least since I began this blog. The design process is rather slow, for although I’m a complete magazine junkie (I read about two dozen or so during a slow month, twice that when I’m really caffeinated) it’s difficult to slough through the kajillions of possible layouts currently in existence on the Web. (Utterly useless tangent: For those of you unaware, kajillion is actually a word. Who knew that it wasn’t something little kids dreamed up in the schoolyard, huh? That word won me our school spelling bee in the fifth grade and propelled me to city-wide stardom, where I was promptly eliminated in the second round after misspelling hooliganism.)

But I’m getting there, and I think you’ll like the new look. My goal is to have it up and running by Monday, September 28. It will mean having to resubscribe, for those of you who receive this blog via either a feedreader or email, but it’ll be worth it. I’ll keep you posted!

In the meantime, speaking of magazine launches, did you hear that the old Domino folks are reuniting to put together an online shelter magazine inspired by their old employer? As I mentioned in a previous post, I’m a really late Domino mag fan, having only really discovered the publication after it had shuttered, but I join the rest of the wailing Domino crowd who miss its DIY ethos and unique vibe. Here’s hoping that this new offshoot will be as memorable as its much-missed parent.

By the way, speaking of lovely shelter mags, do check out Apartment Therapy if you haven’t already discovered this little gem. I’ve lived in apartments pretty much my entire life and have always been frustrated with the severe limitations that many offer, what with their cookie-cutter layout and eggshell walls. This gorgeous site, packed with a kajillion (there’s that word again!) full-color photos of lots of different apartments around the world, offers endless inspirations for those of you — like me — who enjoy a love-hate relationship with our confounding flats. You can opt-in to receive a fun email delivered to your Inbox with photo-filled examples of eclectic, cool, edgy, elegant, or just plain funky apartments, from San Francisco to Stockholm. (Most of the example apartments are U.S.-based, though.) What I love about the site is that, as in real life, you can find design inspirations for apartments sized anywhere from 200 square feet to 3,000-square feet and above. It’s like an online IKEA showroom — and yes, IKEA is well-represented in many designs — but they all do a beautiful job reflecting their residents’ interests and style.

Have fun!

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