create in serenity

I've enjoyed a little whirlwind of inspiration this morning, starting with a post about hand carved stamps by Ez on Creature Comforts. I **really** want to try this and followed a link through to a tutorial here. While I am still excited about stamp making, it quickly went to the back of my mind when I spotted this photo...

I was taken at the thought of being able to look down at such a beautifully set up table for painting, plus the little work-in-progress birdies are lovely! Then I clicked on the next photo and saw what it must be like to sit at this table and gaze out for inspiration.

This table setting is from very talented Mexican based artist Geninne and she has shared them on her flickr account here. Sitting at this table in an open landscape is such an appealing thought to me. To be able to do it from the comfort of home is an added joy I'm sure. A place to create is something I have wanted to create, but never seem to find the time to make an artistic space, let alone use it! The fruits of Geninne's wonderful surrounds are evident in her beautiful work.

 One of her favourite subjects is birds and this print above Bird No. 30 and many more like it are available in Geninne's etsy store. She also sells pillow covers featuring her prints here.

My favourite is this Birdcall print. It showcases both Geninne's fine art and graphic design background.
If birds aren't your thing, you can check out some other subject matter in the etsy store.

I'm quite partial to this Pile o Wood print. If you visit the etsy page, you will see the inspiration image and really get a feel for how Geninne translates images into her own artistic style.
For more from this lovely artist check the blog, flickr, etsy store or big cartel store.

looking forward

It has now been way too long between posts but I am overjoyed that I find myself with a few minutes to finally put together a post. I have a backlog of pretty discoveries I want to embrace, starting right now with beautiful illustrator Emma Kisstina. I have previously written about her sweet and indulgently girly prints here. Thanks to the great new(ish) "you might like" feature on etsy, I found Kristina's Illustrated 2011 calender.

Each month has been hand drawn and digitally coloured. The calender comes as loose A4 pages you can choose to display anyway you like. A clever idea is this one above where each month is framed and the glass is used to circle important dates or write reminders

Here is a taste of a few of the months. To preview the full calender pop over to Kristina's flickr page here.

You can purchase the calender on etsy here.

Enjoy!

a fresh wardrobe - ruche

I have found myself wanting to freshen up my wardrobe as we move into spring. I think it has to do with that tricky transition time going from a winter wardrobe to a spring wardrobe, when you need to dress for a range of temperatures. I don't know about you but I always feel a little strange baring my arms and legs for the first time after winter. Anyway I have found a 'look' that I love courtesy of a beautiful US based online clothing shop - Ruche.

Described as "a modern boutique with a vintage touch", this shop is a beautiful place to find fashion inspiration through a combination of beautiful clothing and stunning Look Books. The quality of the photography and design alone is worth a look. I love the mix of texture and colour in these outfits and they are all so 'wearable'!

It's not just the beautiful clothing, but the entire outfits head to toe - the shoes and the accessories. I would love to get all the looks in their entirety!

I also appreciate that the Look Books are all left on the site, despite it now being Autumn in the northern hemisphere, us southerners can find inspiration from past seasons. All the above images are from the Spring 10 or Summer 10 look books.

Here's a look that I can wear this week. A delicate ruffle print top wrapped in a cardi in a pretty spring colour. I feel a shopping trip coming on and I will certainly be using the beautiful Ruche as my own personal style 'look book' this spring! Visit the Ruche online shop & blog for some inspiration no matter what hemisphere you are in!

pretty eggs - mizu designs

Have you checked out Holly from Decor8's 2011 calender round-up yet? It is absolute eye-candy - almost to the point of being overwhelming! I took a quick minute out today and just so happened to pick-out an Australian artist to look into further. Kylie Budge's Mizu Designs has a beautiful range of prints with a few different techniques such as woodblock, lino and Giclee. There is a strong Japanese influence in her technique and subject matter, with tea being a recurring theme. You can also see the influence of native Australia in Kylie's designs and colour palettes. It is a stunning series of egg Giclee prints which has had me gasping today.

 

  

I just love the texture, tone and colour in these prints and they are straight into my etsy favourite list! You can purchase these lovely prints from the Mizu etsy store here. They make me want to reach for my watercolours!

 Also have a look at the calendar which was featured on Decor8 here. 

Other places to find more about Mizu Designs - website, blog and flickr