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 little peace and quiet

I'm in search of peace and wellbeing at the moment so I was thrilled when I found myself staring and exhaling at the beautiful images of Samantha Lane.

 {all images from Samantha Lane on Flickr}

Do you see what I mean? Don't you just want to dive into these moments of sunny afternoon loveliness! The lovely Samantha hails from Hobart, Oklahoma and manages to capture little snippets of her life in her beautiful images. These were exactly what I wanted to see and dream of yesterday evening when I came across her Flickr photostream. Her farm is called Early Bird Acres and you can read all about her adventures and also her latest creative projects on her blog of the same name.
Samantha has also published some books of her photos and sells postcards and other lovely prints in her shop.
Here is some more loveliness from Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb - even her name is super sweet!

  

Don't you want to pack your bags and head for Early Bird Acres to have a picnic with Sam? If we can't make the long journey, we can always live through the pages of her book 'The Perpetual Picnic".
Life looks pretty good!

pretty post

To Brighten Your Day, originally uploaded by Trisha Brink Design.

In the midst of a crazy Friday, this image from Trisha Brink Design has made me smile. Isn't this the type of mail we would all prefer to receive!

a dash of colour - colourful furniture

As mentioned earlier this week, the arrival of spring here in the southern hemisphere has got me all inspired to throw around some colour! Here are a few inspiring ways to add some colour around your home....

This charming writing desk is from the wonderful and witty Jo from blog Mo and Me. If you need a nice time out, head over to her blog and read all about how Jo and Mo 'collaborate' in crafty, creative ways. You can read about Rudi the writing desk here.

Mrs Schmitts Daughter

More witty fabulous and colourful inspiration from Mo + Me. This bright cabinet was christened Mrs Schmitt when Jo found a piece of paper with a quote for a day out at the zoo bus trip with coffee and cake. It was addressed to a Mrs Schmitt and so the cabinet was named. Read about Mrs Schmitt over here and see how she fits into a bright and colourful room.

Another talented blogger is Louise of Pour toujours blog. This is her 'Magical' yellow bedside table. Louise has done some wonderful "upcycling" in bright and vibrant colours. See some of her other projects on her blog here.

This great injection of colour is certainly a way to add some personality and fun to a room, or hallway in this case! Check out the story behind Kathrin's bold but fantastic pink door here at her blog Where Your Heart Is. I also love the way the hallway is painted grey on the bottom half, and the art wall arrangement. You can see more of this lovely home in Germany here on Flickr. Another of my favourites is this incredible bright red bookcase....

So are you now inspired to inject some colour into your home now too? I like the idea of painting the back of a door a colour. I think it makes for nice surprise when you open the door!

a rescue project

I think it's the change of seasons that is drawing me to colour. As flowers bloom and things generally are getting greener, I have found some great examples of people brightening their homes through bold use of colour and pattern. First up is some of the wonderful work by Clara from The Home in Paradise

 

This charming shelf unit is affectionately named Inglorious Bastid and was given one last chance by Clara. See how she transformed a cheap and dull piece of furniture into something new and fresh in this blog post. I love all the before and after shots and step by step details. We have a similar story for a set of shelves in our home. I had used the shelves for a while but when we upsized our home, they became redundant. They were actually at the front door waiting to be taken to the rubbish when a moment of inspiration struck and I imagined the daggy 'pine' laminate replaced with a gloss white finsh. After a quick trip to the hardware store for primer, paint and some new handles we had rescued our own "inglorious bastid" and it lives on as a gloss white shelf for my cookbooks and magazines. It's actually quite rewarding to tackle a little project like this. You feel a sense of pride in bringing new life to a piece of furniture!

Do you like the look of those magazine holders in the second shelf? Well the crafty Clara has created these from the flimsy cardboard magazine holders from Ikea, but also suggest using cereal boxes too. So clever! I like the idea of putting your own stamp on things, and simple (cheap) projects like these are so easy to take on. Get the 'how to' over here and please also check out Clara's blog . There are lots of great stories and projects that Clara has taken on in her home in the Caribbean. Who knew a keyboard and mouse could look so pretty!

Friday Fun!

It's Friday so let's find something fun... Even though the weekend is nearly here, I still needed a pick-me-up today. I'm happy to have stumbled across the very talented Ben Heine's Pencil vs Camera series on Flickr

Pencil vs Camera 29

I love this picture for both the scenery in the photo and the extra 'story-book' life fun the illustration adds. It also looks so simple, but is so masterfully composed. I love the way the road curls away off into the distance.

Pencil vs Camera 30 

Another great shot enhanced with loads of fun!

Check out the full range of Ben's Camera vs Pencil work here on Flickr

So happy Friday - let's all try and have some creative fun this weekend!

collectables

A little while ago I shared my family trait of collecting things and was inspired to create beautiful images of my mums great collections. Today I thought I would share more, creative people who turn hoarding into beautiful pieces of art. It is difficult as someone who loves objects, to maintain a balance between tasteful amounts of things and a house full to the brim with bits and pieces that need dusting.

The self proclaimed human magpie, Jenn from Quercus Designs has the most amazing eye for collecting objects and then preserving them in beautiful images, like the one above of sea glass.

Jenn has found an outlet as well and sells both the subjects and photographs of her collections through an etsy store. This one above, Beachcombing Series No8 is for sale currently as are bits of sea glass. I love the idea of spending a day out beachcombing and coming home with little goodies to turn into art.
Here are a few more creative collectors that are amongst my flickr faves.

I love this nautical themed image by bricolagelife. Another collector who collects and creates - check out the Flickr gallery here and etsy store here

These lovely objects were destined for an eco-friendly mobile by Yummy!INK but at the same time make a wonderful image.

Another sea collection, I really like the composition by Camilla Engman. I particularly like the little aqua cross in the top right. Check out more of her organised collections here on flickr.
Finally, a non-sea collection but super pretty and girly.

Described as a " lovely collection of girly, nostaligic treasures" this print is from The Light Fantastic etsy store. This resonates with me as I have my old ballet shoes hidden away somewhere along with other memorabilia from my early life as a dancer. This is a very space effective way to hang on to little pieces of nostalgia, without having to find the space to keep them all and move them from house to house!

lavender eye candy

4....., originally uploaded by Kirsty Mitchell.

I have been completely blown away with a discovery I made last night. The fashion photography of Kristy Mitchell is so amazingly vibrant, I dare you not to be in awe. This image in particular gives me such joy. A few years ago I read a great book - Wild Lavender By Belinda Alexandra - which is initially set on a lavender farm in France. The book has such beautiful, vivid descriptions of the rows of purple flowers. Now combine that with this incredible fashion image and you have WOW factor!

colour crush - aqua and red

I've been crushing on this colour combo for some time.There is something uplifting about aqua and red together. It does have to be the right shades of both - a blue aqua and a raspberry red are my preference. Here are a few of my finds in this colour crush.

 {Raspberry financiers - tuki}

This is image makes my mouth water! It is a delicious example of this colour combo!

Another delicious pic from Cannille et Vanille.

I love that jug in the background!

Proving that it's not all about food in this colour palette, here are some lovely uses of aqua and red around the home. Above is a lovely photo capturing breakfast in a garden.

Another great example of decorating with aqua and red and is another breakfast snap shot which tells me this is a great colour combo to get you started on a  great day! This photo is from a Flickr set by Saidos da Concha who shares my colour crush. Check out the full set here. I love this house! It would be so much fun to be able to add so much colour to your home!

{Yarn & Thread blur by Madeline Bea}

This last example is a more abstract image, but I love so much about it. Firstly the colour, especially the balance with a tiny bit of blue against all the raspberry, but it's the super soft focus for me that makes this image sing!

creative collections

I have just had a major penny drop! I spotted this great image as part of the latest Color Me Pretty post on Decor8

This lovely collection of vintage buttons very much reminded me of my mum and her incredible collection of buttons in all shapes and sizes. Just a few weekends ago we had pulled out some clothing mum had made for my brothers and I when we were young. Each piece had a fabulous button, whether one sweet mother of pearl or a series of more novelty buttons. Mum admitted she had made a naval themed brunch coat for my brother around some whale buttons she had. It got me thinking of some of the other wonderful collections my mum has.

Then I cam across this spoon collection image in my Flickr favourites, which when I found a while back also reminded me of my mum. She has an amazing spoon collection in all shapes and sizes, material and ages. So now the penny has dropped that my mum has a heap of cool stuff that would make amazing photos!
So today I have headed out to Flickr and found a wonderful range of collection photos, all of which share something in common with one of my mums many collections.

Vintage spools via hindsvik

a matchbox collection via Camilla Engman

old and new tins via cousas pequenas

bric-a-brac via sweetjessie

 Last but not least is this beautifully organised fabric collection from Ingthings

Along with great buttons, mum has some beautiful fabric remnants. My favourites are the ones which went into making some of my dresses when I was little. My mum has wonderful displays of her collections all over her house, but I had never considered photographing them. I like the idea of this as a project because behind a lot of the pieces there is a story which would be nice to capture and keep alive.

a little toe warmer

Whit's Knits: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Booties, originally uploaded by the purl bee.

Just a little something colourful to warm up any chilly feet in Sydney today! I love these colours and could really do with some warm, woolly socks right now!

pretty out - emma kisstina

You know all the things that make it fun to be a girly girl? Well talented swedish artist Kristina Hultkrantz, aka Emma Kisstina, has captured them all beautifully in her fun and light style.

A pretty perfume, like Miss Dior Cherie? - Check

Hot red lipstick? done

Killer Heels? Check

Nail polish in pretty pinks? got that too

Anything missing? Oh what about a cocktail to sip on.

Raise your Cosmo ladies - here it is!

Check out the etsy store, as well as the blog and flickr for my female fabulousness!

tickled pink - a northern spring

While we here in the southern hemisphere slip slowly towards winter, our northern hemisphere friends are shaking off the covers of a chilly winter and embracing spring. It's certainly infectious reading all the blog posts and seeing all the lovely images of my favourite northerners as they get excited and outdoors. While nothing beats the beautiful weather we have nearly year round here in Australia, all the buzz about a changing season makes you wish for a more definite seasonal change here.

Here are a few of my favourite odes to Spring from the northern hemisphere:

{untitled}

{cherry blossoms by ~elena}
The lovely elena has a whole set of her beautiful spring images full of blossoms, tulips and scrumptious macarons! View them here

{Don't let go!}

{flowers and bees}

{untitled} I love the colour treatment given to this picture, it has a lovely vintage, romantic quality. 

Don't these all make you want to stand under some cherry blossom trees with petals raining down on you?

when pretties collide

ode to some teacups, originally uploaded by cannelle-vanille.

I just had to share this as two of my favourite 'pretties' have come together - Samantha Robinson porcelain (first gushed over here) in a lovely foodie pic by Aran Goyoaga of cannelle-vanille (loved here).
What a lovely start to the weekend :-)

a comfort place - Honey & Jam

Over the weekend I made a new find - a little place of pure comfort. Best of all it's not just one place, but over many of my online haunts - Flickr, Etsy and Blog-land. What I found was the the delight that is honey & jam.

The lovely Hannah shares both her beautiful images and scrumptious recipes with the world. I really like her style, like the above image, it's warm and comforting. The textures in this image make me all gooey inside - the rough, hand crafted mug (I want one!) and the sticky honey on aged timber = divine. It's like comfort food for my eyes!

 ... and you need not be left hungry. The honey & jam blog is a great source of comfort food recipes. These eggs above, went into her mum's birthday cake - a tres leche cake.
Hannah shares her life, images and her recipes! To get your own comfort fix find honey & jam on Flickr, Etsy (where she sell these lovely images) and her blog.

sweet things come in mini packaging

I love when I come across something new and different, particularly in the world of home decor. These little miniature porcelain pieces from the AshleyG etsy shop fit this description.

These little sweeties make a nice change from wall stickers, framed prints and canvas art. I think they look lovely as a cluster like this, but would equally look nice one their own.

They look so lovely and smooth, I just want to run my finger across one and feel the difference between the printed and blank areas. I'm a very tactile person and this type of matte, smooth porcelain is a favourite.

I love Ashley's illustration style, especially the little ladies like this Miniature Bunny Bean above.
The etsy store also has prints for sale.

{Gaggle of Girls}

{Growing Growing}

Another cool little thing I have come across is that Ashley and her creative partner Drew, offer a custom portrait service, in their own unique style, like below.

There are plenty of places to find more of Ashley and Drew's work - etsy, flickr, website & blog

Enjoy!