Dig for Victory dress

Petal Mix flower brooch

Sweet Maggie Jane coin ring

Sherril Canet room

all photos courtesy of dearphotograph.com

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!

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)

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!

Paper Planes Tee

Tree Ring Paintings

“Forever” photo

Viewfinder Mini Laptop Case

Portable Altoid Amp – Speaker for MP3 Players

“In Her Lady’s Chamber” print

Poms!

One Sweet Day

Marie Antoinette Print Set

Cupkate

Bear Yummy Icecream

Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top

Portrait of Blue Cotton Candy

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!

Hoptimist Bimble

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Voom by Joy Han

Michael Kors

Up in the Air Somewhere

Sweet Nature Designs

Sentimental Heart Photography

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.

Blossom Bookmarks $7.95

Wide Rose Cuff $19

Metropolis Dishtowel $6.95

Tulips 8×10 $15.00

9:01am Watch by May28th $39

Kathy Screenprint $70

Tulip Clutch (as seen in ReadyMade mag) $28

Mushroom Salt & Pep $7

Petite Critters Cards $18

Tube Vase $12.95

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.

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

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?!

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

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!

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.

This last weekend while flea market shopping (scored an awesome vintage desk chair by the way for only $10!), the warm colors and endless piles of pumpkins were lovely to see and smell. Such easy inspiration, but I’ll take it whenever and however it comes! So, here are my funky punkin and autumn inspired finds. . . I can’t help but smell apple cider and pumpkin spice as I write this. Yum.

Sentimental Journey photograph by Irene Suchocki ($30)

Autumn mixed media by LetsAllMakeBelieve ($30)

Pumpkin Man Portrait print of oil painting by CuriousPortraits ($20)

Orange Tree in the Field original acrylic by Jen O’Connell ($15)

The Acorn Queen Locket by Marisol Spoon ($35)

Abstract Fiber Bloom by Jelly Toast ($10)

Sly Fox Cushion by Jelly Toast ($23)

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share the original funky punkin inspirations I picked up along the way this weekend (warning: photos were taken with a cell phone!). And despite my lack of a front door step potential, I found a nice home for my new pumpkin additions right on the coffee table. Cute!

Anyspray, thought I’d take a tool around the website and preview some of their new fall products for you. I’m especially jazzed about the Thomas Paul items they’re offering, from the glasses case, to the simple yet arty mp3 case, to the lovely and extra dramatic brooch box. Yes, I will admit I’m sucker for anything brooch related, but this would be very nifty looking on my dresser! You can browse for yourself here, but I’m warning you burkeDecor.com has quite the eclectic and vast array of items from tons of designers. Have fun shopping! Oh and ps, their blog is pretty cool too!

Here are a few fresh finds that caught my eye and tickled my fancy. No reason. And really, isn’t that the best reason of all?!

First up, I’ve got sandwiches on the brain. Ever since I gathered up enough courage to try Tofurky (the smoke flavoring was a bit frightening at first), I’ve been loving my new found sandwich freedom. So what better way to celebrate that than this super-awesome lunchbox. We’ll just pretend that’s more Tofurky on the sammie there. . .

And I can’t ignore my old standby. The goodhearted pb & j. I toast you, dear friend, with this doppelgänger coin purse.

Next up, this should have been included in my CRAP stamp post earlier this month. So many frustrations, so few stamps. Thankfully we can add this WTF?! stamp to our collection. Sometimes there are just no words. . .

Okay, well there is one word. . . YUMBOTS! It’s two of my favorite things! Cupcakes and robots. Need I say more?

Okay, well yes. I need to say that if you love cupcakes too, check out the Cupcake Project. It’ll blow. Your. Mind. Peach cobbler, tiramisu, even calzone cupcakes! Crazy cakes. Literally.

And finally, before I leave you dreaming of cupcakes and WTF stamps, I give you these silhouette posties (I prefer posties to the other, more corporate term). . . they’re playful and cute, and could add that extra 50’s spark to your desk. I imagine the boy is called Billy or Johnny, and the girl, probably Gidget. She’ll surely help you to not forget the milk! And ain’t that swell.

Perfect for times when either a) you feel your work is crap and you might as well save the editor the trouble of stamping it themselves, or b) whatever you’re reading is total crap and you don’t have the time or energy to go into more detail. I mean, the little boxes explaining what sort of crap it is are very useful. There’s the crap on a stick variety, or crap on the loose is a good option too.

While we’re at it, how about we just file the crap on our desk according to what it really is at its core, and put post-it notes on future crap. Good plan. Good plan. And for all that other stuff, there’s the “BLAH BLAH BLAH” stamp. There! Now your desk is stocked and ready with all the supplies you’ll ever need.

But geek or not, these framed vintage violin forms from Jayson Home & Garden would make anyone stop and stare. The design is not too over the top or in your face. . . instead it’s a simple, quiet nod to the beauty these instruments exude, and what’s not to like about that? They’re full of history and well, they’re just plain pretty, let’s face it. I’d love to see more forms framed too. . . could you imagine a big ole’ bass form hanging on your wall? Now that would be totally cool. Bum bum bum. . . buuuuuummmm.