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!

ink inspiration - Iain Macarthur

I love doodling with black ink and anyone who has seen any of my notebooks knows that they are covered in swirls and curls. My favourite 'tool' is a sharp, crisp black fineliner. I get a real thrill when my pen hits the paper and I create a perfect curve or pattern. Today I have been entranced by the portfolio of English artist Iain Macarthur.

This beauty is from his Enchanting Series which I found on Behance. I love the change in tone used for such dramatic effect - from the soft pencil strokes of the ladies face, to the rich, solid black ink used in the clothing.

Another in the same series, this image has such incredible intricate detail in the mask and jewellery that you need to pop over to the Behance page here and see it nice and big!

This lovely lady is from another series called portraits part 2. I ADORE the detail in this bonnet. I can get lost in all the swirls and feathery patterns. All I can think of is how much fun this would have been to illustrate!
A wonderful talent indeed, you can find more of Iain's work in online portfolios here or here, as well as keep track of him through his blog.

a kindred spirit

It's no secret that I am an etsy fan and a place I like to visit for some inspiration is the treasury page. This where creative etsians pull together collections of products based on a theme, be it colour, shape, texture, season... pretty much anything. It's a great way to find new shops and objects to add to your favourites. I recently was drawn to a treasury by hoolacreation - it is a beautiful celebration of one of my all time favourite colours.

 {Soft and Romantic Treasury by hoolacreation}

I have already added a few pieces from this collection to my favourites.

I was so impressed with the collation of some many beautiful pieces of art, jewellery and clothing that I wanted more from this talented lady. It was at this point that I discovered that she and I were kindred spirits with similar tastes, and low and behold careers. We both are graphics designers, the only difference is she has channelled her creativity into creating wonderful products - something still on my "one-day" list.

 

 {funny and lovely colors treasury by hoolacreations}

Next up, I found this collection of aqua and red - a colour combination I recently blogged about here. My eye straight away went to the Handpainted Pattern Bowls from Kevin Oshea Designs (2nd left bottom row) and the Vintage Russian mechanical alarm clocks (far left bottom row - sold already unfortunately) from Clockwork Universe.

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 Another treasury colour combination is this orange and blue set called Goooood morning Etsy! There is definitely something very fresh and 'morning' like about these colours and once again some great products.
My picks: love on a sunday morning - framed print (top left) - such a tasty image, and the smiley face of the Shine mixed media collage print (2nd left - second row).

The final icing on the cake for me was this typographic celebration - Typographic addiction. I noticed a piece from plastique (the helvetica necklace) from which I still want buy something...anything. I've also now been introduced to another typorgraphy jewellery maker - junkprints. I love the visionary necklace (top row, 2nd from right). I noticed another familiar seller in Farouche whos cool Sugar and Spice tags I featured a few months ago here. This time it's the bold typographic print "you are here now" (top row - far right)
Now not only is hoolacreations a wiz at pulling together great etsy treasuries, she has a great store herself selling prints, bobby pins and necklaces. The style is a modern retro feel and very cool. Here are a few pieces that caught my eye. I seemed to be drawn to the green items - perfect for us southern hemisphere dwellers haning out for a sunny, green spring!

Round Round Handmade Bobby Pins

Spring 2 print

Spring Necklace

Catch up with hoola creations here there and everywhere: etsy, www, facebook, flickr & twitter

i wish... for a soul bird

Todays 'i wish' has a Finnish theme to it to keep in line with my recent posts.

 {Soul Birds by Sanna Annukka}

Sanna Annukka has been on my radar for a while as I seem to keep seeing her work popping in lots of my favourite pretty places online. Half Finnish and half English, it is easy to spot the influence her childhood summers in Finland have had on her work. She has taken the folklore tales of the Kalevala and applied it to her work, including a print range for Marimekko.

 {Kanteleen kutsu fabric by  Marimekko}

Christmas pieces from Marimekko by Sanna Annukka

I really love the bold graphic style in her work and it translates so well from simple black and white, to vibrant colours (as favoured by Marimekko). Sanna has an online store where you can purchase the Soul Birds (the little ones are out of stock though). She also sells screenprints, including this spectacular city-scape.

{Archipelago}

{Magic Berry Bush}

{Call of The Cuckoo}

I certainly could find some wall space for these! Check out Sanna's website and online shop here and enjoy!

too much cool - Isa Form

I just took myself on a quick journey, wading through google translating pages from German and Swedish all because of this image.

There is just so much coolness about this room! I love the pops of green and yellow against the black and whit, the old school clock, peace sign and yellow taper candles. By far though, the stand out pieces in this room are the 2 prints - the big black and white pear and the yellow apple in green frame. I came across this image via A Merry Mishap's flickr favourites. Unfortunately I can't find the owner of this amazing room, but I have found the artist behind those cool prints.

From what I can tell Isa from Isa Form, found this great use of her prints from a fellow Swedish blogger Inspiration and Design and posted them to her own blog.

These 2 prints, pear and apple are from Isa's kitchen print range. I think they are so unique and just too cool.
There are plenty of other great prints to choose from in a range of categories, like Nature, Love and Buildings.

This is the Yama ki print from the buildings range and is another great use of simple black and white and an eye-popping colour. Anyway, I've had a fun journey and can only dream of having a dining room that cool!

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!

pretty escape - Daria Jabenko

I love finding talented ladies out there who are making a living being creative. Today I invite you to escape into the lovely world of Illustrator Daria Jabenko.

Daria has a lovely, elegant and feminine style that has seen her work commercially as an Illustrator for clients like Conde Nast Germany and magazines Cosmopolitan and Madame. I often see illustrations, like Daria's in magazines and wonder who is behind them. What a great way to earn a living!

I am particularly fond of the jewellery featured in all these pieces. My mum used to make big ornate earrings just like these which I'm lucky to have these days. I always enjoy drawing this type of jewellery as it's full of swirls and curls. See Daria's editorial work on her website and enjoy the prettiness of it all!

a pretty escape - freya art

Today I want to share something that I think is just so pretty and a lovely escape for us all on a Monday. Let's step into the darling world of illustrator Freya from freya-art

{Garden - Let's plant our dreams in this garden and entwine oursleves like vines}

I like a good inspiration poster and places like etsy are full of them, but with all the "Keep Calm and Carry Ons", it's nice to come across original, beautiful prints with a message so sweet as this above.

There is just so much to like in Freya's work. I find her style to have a lovely innocence to it. I like the idea of surrounding yourself with little messages of hope and happiness at home and even at work (where it may be needed more). I adore this bottom piece, Skimming Stars - "We came to sit and dangle our feet off the edge of the world and skim stars across the sky". Just beautiful and delivered through the lovely hand drawn typeface.

The other prints shown here are Without You I Would Be Lost and All The Most Beautiful Things.

I discovered Freya's work through her website, but you can purchase her piece from the etsy store too.

These artworks and more are available in large and medium prints as well as greeting cards. I think these would be lovely gifts - perhaps for mother's day!

the art wall

I stumbled across a new little creative corner of the web the other day - The Art Wall
It is a curated collection of wonderful artworks by wonderfully talented people. I love the presentation of them in illustrated rooms.

The above is the current collection on display in the Dining Room. The wonderful room illustrations are by talented artist Jessica Swift - who has a wonderful portfolio to check out. Each room is based on the Art Wall's proprietor Katie. I really appreciate the effort Katie goes to pulling these collections together. You get to see a variety of artworks in various mediums from many different artists. I really like the common cool colour theme running through the above collection. All the artworks are for sale, often through the artists own etsy store and the price range is capped at $500.

 The Art Wall is certainly going to be a new place I drop by regularly for a dose of inspiration.

 Today I have fallen for this Galoshes and Skirt Print by Jen Hewett, currently hanging in the Kitchen.

an ode to chairs

I think that most people have a desire for a fabulous feature chair in their home. For many it might be a designer chair like the Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair or Eero Saarinen's Womb chair as statement piece in a lounge or bedroom. Alternatively you may have your eye on a Phillippe Stark Ghost Chair for a dining room.
I have a chair project at home which is always in the back of my mind. I inherited a beautiful Fler SC58 chair which was my grandfather's. Designed by Australian Fred Lowen with a strong Scandinavian influence, mine  needs some TLC in the form of a serious restoration of the frame and reupholstering. It is currently in our lounge room, but is really only fit for displaying cushions on as its frame is too delicate for sitting in. I'm hopeful that one day I can share the next stage of this chairs life. For today I will just share some fabulous chairs I have come across lately...

These are the Mademoiselle Flower Chairs designed by Phillippe Stark for Kartell. Image via made in design
I love the vibrant fabric choices available. With the clear legs these chairs almost look like they're floating. Certainly a feature chair, I can see this as a real stand out piece in an eclectic home.

Next up are these fabulous Objeckto armchairs by Missoni. Image via made in design
In this design you don't need to choose which pattern you prefer as the fabric is reversible so you can swap from stripes to the floral when you want to refresh. Again the chair design has a floaty feel to it. It looks like you would be suspended when sitting it. I picture a Mediterranean view in front of  me with a cocktail in my hand. Are you with me?
For slightly less cash I have found a few other ways to celebrate cool chairs.

This Classic Chairs Print is from the My Sweet Prints etsy shop. You can order this print in custom colours and enjoy these classic chairs in silhouette form. Visit the shop here

Finally, for a truly great way to celebrate iconic chairs - my lovely friend Christina from Billy Mac has fabulous I Heart Louis girls t-shirts available and even better, due to demand from the older 'girls' out there, she has created a ladies version in ultra chic black and pink.

You can find Billy Mac through her website, blog, etsy and also madeit. For anyone with little ones out there you will surely find them a cool tee there!

10 years of Inside Out

Iconic Australian interiors magazine Inside Out is celebrating their 10th year with an amazing Art Market. The magazine asked a bunch of their talented contributors to create an artwork representing 'Heart and Home'. They have then given everyone the opportunity to bid for one of these pieces with all proceeds going to charity.
Here are my favourites:

 Ceramics by Kylie Johnson 

I love this lady's ceramics, especially the tags with lovely saying and phrases like... "If you have two loaves of bread sell one and buy a hyacinth" . See her website here. This 3 piece work features a poem by Kylie. 

"We holiday in the spaces of our home........ in soup
&; conversations

in washing up bubbles

& zucchini

in doorsteps
rotting &;
beds unmade...............

&; cups of tea with flowers dripping........."

I could find a home for this certainly but would have to hurry as the auction is on now for this piece - ending April 16th.

Mixed media by stylist Shannon Fricke

A styling star, Shannon has created her piece using ceramic samples from her own line of ceramics called Free Range. I haven't seen any of these - but knowing Shannon's style I'm sure this rage will be lovely. and I'll be keeping my eye for it.

A more colourful pick is this next piece by Lizzie Buckmaster Dove.

 This is an incredibly creative use of paint swatch cards. Each piece is swatch cards combined to form an image - one as the base, the other as the shape. I'm blown away by this is a great use of colour swatches. I've always loved the paint swatch walls in hardware stores, but never would have been this creative with them!

My last, and possibly favourite pieces are these fashion illustrations by designer Akira Isogawa. It seems I'm not alone in my desire, as the first piece is already up to $596 on ebay and out of my league. Neverless it's fun to dream and appreciate these beautiful pieces.
See all the available artworks here and also check out the 10th Anniversary Issue of Inside Out.

blush pink - colour crush

This week I've found myself drawn to pink -  blush, rose or dusty, I have found myself in a very girly frame of mind and loving everything pink. I'm not normally that way inclined and have never been a 'pink girl'. I've always been more into the cool colours like aqua, blue, green. Anyway, I have found some lovely images and products around the web-world to share with you today.

These images had me gasping earlier this week! They are so pretty as both images and items of clothing! They are from the Flickr stream of Allen Company Inc. The talented Kristina certainly has an eye for vintage finds! The top image features dresses from the 1940s and 60s. The dress on the left actually looks like a dress I saw in a shop earlier this week. Take a closer look at it here. The bottom left image is titled "What little girls dreams are made of" but I think big girls dreams are also made of shoes, bags and even a little hat like the antique eggshell one (take a look at the original here as it is cropped out in my collage). Kristina sells her vintage finds through etsy and has new finds every Monday. I love dresses, they are so elegant and lady like. It's quite amazing how timeless the style are too. Check out this 1940's emerald strapless dress. I could see it in shops today.

 top left: A Spectacle (Pink) by Ashley G ::: top right: Pink Grapefruit - Print by Amber Alexander ::: 

bottom left: medicine cabinet for SAD afflictee by Doodle and Hoob ::: bottom right: sardine and anchovy postcard by cricicis

This collection of perfect pinkness is from various talented artists on etsy. What most appeals to me is that these use the colour pink without the clichés of 'pretty pink-ness'. Even the cute bunny has an individual, unique style. I think he is fabulous.

Another etsy find is this Set of 3 Little Sauce Dipping Bowls in Speckled Blush Pink by the little red door. So sweet!

and finally - the clothes shopping....

 Both these looks are from Forever New. They always have such fun, girly clothes and these to outfits don't disappoint. I particularly like the Tulle tiered skirt in the top pic!

Hope you enjoyed my colour crush today!