I’m a May baby with an emerald birthstone, and therefore, I have a great affinity for anything green. And by green, I mean that gorgeous deep green hue that enticed Dorothy and gang to follow a yellow brick road. It’s beautiful and inspiring, and something I love to decorate with and wear. So without further ado, here are my latest greenie wishes. . .
So the fun with mashing up the past with the present via nifty photos continues. Check out Dear Photograph. . . the idea is simple. Take a picture of the past, in the present. And ta-dah, out pops a super cool piece of nostalgia.
all photos courtesy of dearphotograph.com
So, the birthday bake sale is happening. . . tomorrow. My kitchen is a disaster and my feet are killing me, but I couldn’t be more excited to see what and who tomorrow brings. I know one thing for sure, I will be one year older, officially, tomorrow. And in doing so, admist the piles of whoopie pies and cupcakes, I will be leaving my twenties behind officially too. But, as a wise person once said, age is but a number. And who cares what that number is if there are whoopie pies around?!
For a little bake sale teaser, here is what’s on tap for tomorrow. The artwork is courtesy of Brent Meyers. . . thanks Brent! I heart gingham. As you know.
I should also mention all proceeds are going towards a local non-profit called Veterans in the Arts. A newer organization in Minnesota, I found it fitting for my Memorial Weekend event. A big thank you to all of our veterans out there for their sacrifices and dedication!
And once this baking whirlwind comes to a stop, I will share some photos of how it went!
Wish me luck on my bake sale adventure, and perhaps some luck for my adventure into a new decade!
In preparation for a large bake sale I’ve planned for my upcoming birthday, the next few weeks will be solely dedicated to working during the day and baking at night. What am I saying. . . after the bake sale comes the farmers market stand, so literally, baking is going to be my life for I guess, the next 6 months? Holy cripes!
So, it probably isn’t a surprise that at the moment I can think of nothing else outside of unique recipes, frosting techniques and anything else related to baking. And to my delight, whilst perusing awesome foodie blogs I came across this photographer Butterflyfood. Her images are amazing and truly inspiring. . . and by the looks of it, so is her food!
I especially love, love, love the rolling pin print! Check out the Butterflyfood blog and then head on over to the Etsy page and pick up a print of your own. And meanwhile, bon appetit!
All images by Butterflyfood
After stumbling across a few old polaroids of my brothers and me, it came to my attention there are photographers out there that are obsessed with recreating old photos in present time. It’s like going back to the future, but without Michael J. Fox and his DeLorean.
And I love the result. Funny, freaky and oh-so cool. I want to recreate my own childhood photos now too! Here are some cool examples from photographer Irina Werning… makes you wanna dig up an old goodie and recreate that moment in time, now doesn’t it?!
(photos by Irina Werning)
When searching for inspiration, I often use simple keywords on Etsy and other artsy-fartsy websites to gather up cool things I can write about. And it never ceases to amaze me the amount of creativity and eye-catching things one word like gingham or feather can drum up. So today I decided to do something even more simplified. . . and show you what nifty displays of artistic talent were found using just the word blue.
I will admit a lot of sifting is quite necessary, because many unfortunate looking creations can crop up in the searches too. I saved you the horror of that here, but if your morbid curiosity gets the better of you, check out Regretsy for a fantastic collection of less than desirable offerings.
But enough about that — time to just enjoy the blue inspirations below!
Portable Altoid Amp – Speaker for MP3 Players
This is going to be a short one, but that’s okay. The sweetness of these prints by the Poppy Tree needs no lengthy introduction. They’re whimsical, colorful and full of the innocent goodness a simple cupcake, or any sweet treat for that matter, can bring.
One Sweet Day
Marie Antoinette Print Set
Cupkate
Bear Yummy Icecream
Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top
Portrait of Blue Cotton Candy
By Nora G.
Woke up this morning and while flicking through the online newspapers, an article caught my eye. The Norwegian soda Solo is trying to make it or break it in the States. WOW! I say, you go Solo! Growing up in a family where Tab (yes I know!) was the drink of choice for every occasion, Solo was always a welcomed treat whenever offered. It’s orangey, zesty, tasty and of course, yellow!!!
And speaking of yellow, with spring and Easter around the corner I wanted to celebrate all things wonderful and yellow. In Norway, we say “Gult er Kult” (yellow is cool) and I couldn’t agree more. So check out these funky things…. and just follow the yellow brick road to sunshine-filled days!
For the love, where are you spring? Hurry the h*ll up already! I’m ready to wear open-toed shoes, breezy cardigans and skirts without freezing my bum off. Baseball games, BBQs and farmers markets are waiting impatiently with their toes tapping and arms crossed. Okay, maybe that’s just my toe tapping, but you get the point.
So, to inspire warmer-weather thoughts, here are some very springy (and very random) things to admire, in the hopes that warmer days are in our very near future.
Tulip Clutch (as seen in ReadyMade mag) $28
Over the weekend I came across the most adorable piece of toast with the cutest mustache and dapper beret. And no, I don’t make a habit of eating food with facial hair on it (eew) — but, this cute piece of toast is actually a pillow. A pillow I want on my sofa or kitchen chairs, stat.
Made by Georgia’s own MyMimi on Etsy, her plush pillow toys range from this super cute Monsieur T Toast to a mini floppy disc and a box of popcorn. Need I say more? I didn’t think so.
Adding original prints onto printed book pages, especially of the vintage ilk, is something I find really super. It’s a new and old combination that works extremely well…the layers of fresh new ideas on top of antique words is something I’d really like to have on my own walls. All the time.
For some great examples, check out the work by Black Baroque on Etsy. Their Bird and Animal Print series will grab your attention for sure, at least it did mine (and maybe that’s a result of the deer and birdies, but I’ll take it!).
One Can Never Have Too Many Friends - $10
Watch the Birdie - $10
And in a totally different vein, while looking for printed-page artwork I came across this piece called Resistance by Robert L. Foster. The young woman walking in the rain really caught my eye, and I admire how even in the absence of color, the feelings of strength and resolve stand out. And plus, I really like the fact that she seems so fashionable even in a downpour!
Resistance - $15
Well sheesh. My apologies, first of all, for not writing more lately. It appears the last couple months have eaten me alive and then spit me back out. Okay, gross, sorry for the weird visual. Anyway, I’m promising to be back in business now, and back to bringing you the quirky trends I love more often. Starting now!
Let’s begin with something warm and fuzzy. It’s bitterly cold where I live, actually frigid is the operative word here. So anything cozy is right up my alley. And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, these heart-shaped tea cups are super cute, and quite perfect for the occasion in the frozen tundra. Nothing says I heart you than a heart-shaped cup full of coffee or tea, or red wine, because why not?!
If you haven’t been swept up by now, perhaps you’re living under a rock. The holiday tidal wave has plowed onto shore, kicking off this weekend with crazy door-busters and people throwing elbows at Toys R Us.
I steered clear of the frenzied shopping scene this year, but I did manage to get into the holiday spirit early thanks to some extra cute garland I brought home. Complete with bright colors and adorable Russian nesting dolls (matryoshka) sprinkled throughout, the moment I saw it, I had to have it for my very first Christmas tree.
I got this garland at one of the best spots for landing locally made, crafty goodness – I Like You over in NE Minneapolis. They have oodles and oodles of unique items and tons of local art, definitely worth a stop if you want to as they say, find small things for a prettier life. Yes please!
The HandmadeMN Market was last weekend and featured a bunch of super talented MN Etsy artists and designers. Fortunately if you missed it, you can still check out all the cool goodies via the HandmadeMN Etsy site. I was lucky enough to find this fabric typewriter ornament by LittleBigPants, a fantastic addition to my new tree by the whimsical company that sells two of my favorite fabric people, Audrey and Oliver.
Decorating my new tree and new house for the holidays has been oh-so fun, thanks to all of the creative minds out there. Cheers! Inspired by them, and my nesting doll garland of course, I found these lovely matryoshka additions. Perhaps next year I’ll have found enough trinkets to decorate an entire place with matryoshkas!
Matryoshka ornaments by KimsCraftyApple
Snowflake matryoshka doll by MiCasita
Matryoshka stocking by Lemon Tree Studio
Nesting Doll wrapping paper by PaperSource
Nesting doll gift tags by VintagePaperGoods
Nesting Doll calendar by SmileRecipe
Nesting Doll garland by Beaky
Let’s face it, flea markets can be hit or miss. . . scary and frightening or a gold mine. Well, about a month ago I hit a gold mine. Recently my super talented dad made me a beautiful desk with really cool shelving and storage (it’s so much more than just a desk!). All I needed to find was a chair. I wanted something vintage and on wheels, but after looking for a while I was beginning to realize it may be harder to find then I thought.
Frightening flea market photo via flickr.com
Until I saw this chair. It was made out of wood, pretty scratched and pretty old, but just my style mostly because it was only $10!! My plan was to clean it up and re-cover the seat and call it a day. My mom insisted I let my dad take a crack at it first, to see if he could get the scratches out completely, instead of just cleaning it.
Chair before
Good thing I let that chair spend a week or two in my dad’s shop, because what I got back was amazing! My dad uncovered a beautiful mahogany frame with a neat gold vinyl seat that doesn’t even need to be recovered. He cleaned up the wheels, adjusted the height, and voila. . . now I am the proud owner of the best. chair. ever. Thanks Dad!!
Chair after = best. chair. ever!
Are you in love? And I mean, are you in really, really sweet, carve-initials-in-a-tree kinda love? If you are, but don’t feel compelled to carve into a tree (trees have feelings too!), I just stumbled across the perfect gesture towards your sweetie by artist Allison Cecil of Monkeys Always Look.
Perhaps you might even feel bad for trees that get defaced with initials of lovebirds like you and your other half, which is why these tree-bark necklaces and rings handmade from copper are such a nifty idear. They’re charming and sentimental, but not too ooshy-gooshy, if you know what I mean. I think I like them so much because they represent a simpler time, where hand-holding walks and carving initials for your honey were extremely romantic gestures.
San Diego-based artist Cecil is quite talented, designing clever spoons for your garden, potted plants, pets, and even recipes for your tum-tum (if you’re vegan, that is). Check out her VeganEtsy blog for some great dairy-free, animal-free cooking ideas.
Web: Hooded Fang
