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?!

By: Nora G.

I am a sucker for cool jewelry,  and was thrilled when designer Dala Al Fuwaires launched her beautiful accessories line, Olives and Pearls on Etsy. For the upcoming holidays I’m recommending everyone check out her stuff, and put in an order or two for amazing Christmas presents you know your friends will love.

Her personality is truely reflected in her pieces. . . cute, charming, but at the same time edgy and timeless. Here are some of my favorites, and surely some of yours soon too!

And an early Merry Christmas from Hong Kong, or as they say here — Shengdan Failong!!

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

Simply put, baking is fun and the end result, if executed properly, is tasty and sweet. After recently coming across the fantastic baking blog Bakerella, my world exploded into a million tiny cake treats on lollipop sticks, and I love it. From mini pies to teeny cakes to itty bitty dipped cookies, the sky is the limit with lollipop sticks on hand.

(photo via flickr.com)

I also realize this is not a baking blog, so I took my inspiration from the kitchen and found these. . . super DUPER cute (and tiny, of course) cookie, donut, chocolate croissant and macaroon earrings. These will be first on my list when I finally get that bakery/blog store going. But until then, you can get them on Etsy here and/or here!

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!

So, if you and I have ever watched a bit of television together, you know that it is quite easy for me to be entertained by even the cheesiest of commercials. That being said, the other night when I saw Target’s latest offering, I laughed until I cried.

Perhaps you will find it just as entertaining, and if not, well, at least the pup is cute. Happy giggling!

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.

The Midwest is a fantastic place to be, especially when autumn colors swoop in for a visit. We all know the dreaded cold is a couple months away, but that doesn’t stop us from relishing in the happy oranges, golds and bright reds of fall.

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!

I saw this ring, and despite its lack of real diamonds, I dug it, and still do (cause I’m not fake; see how I did that?!). It’s a simple message on a sterling silver diamond-shaped design to make that dramatic statement ring loudly (forgive the pun; it’s Monday after all!).

So in a nutshell, this loudmouth piece of jewelry is awesome. And for all the single ladies (all the single ladies!) out there, it’ll give the guy(s) you’re scoping a straightforward message right up front. Yes sir, that’s right. See? Look at my finger. Not fake. Well, maybe it won’t go exactly like that. . .but at least it’s a conversation starter?

Last week when a tornado ripped through Brooklyn, New York, a lot of people there were not only shocked by the damage, but also shocked that it was indeed a tornado. Coming from the Midwest, tornadoes are hardly ever shocking, sadly, and I think that’s partly why I’ve never seen tornado trinkets like the ones W Records by Monkey created emerge from the aftermath of a storm in my hometown.

By using wood from the fallen trees, Patrick Chirico of W Records by Monkey (the creator of my prized vinyl cameo necklace) was able to commemorate the strange weather with a neat little button that says, “I Survived the NYC Tornado,” and, “A Tree Fell in Brooklyn.” Hey Midwest gang, next time we get severe weather, which will be all too soon, let’s get creative too!

There’s a plethora of polished and modern products over at Burke Decor, and just because you’re reading this today, you can get an extra 15% off your purchase. Kind of a cool way to start off the week! When you checkout online, just use the promo code BRONETTE to get the discount. And yes, they want you to yell it at them that you read brönette (well, at least I do anyway)! Hooray for markdown Mondays. Maybe it’ll have to become the norm around here!

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!

Thanks to the fabulous Nora, I’ve learned to see squirrels in a different, more fabulous light. I guess it takes a friend seeing squirrels for the first time to give you a new perspective! It also doesn’t hurt when there are super cute, squirrel inspired styles, art and office accessories right at your fingertips.

So, in honor of Nora and my new found love for squirrels, here are some top items that are worth changing your own squirrel opinions for. . . just look at those brown eyes and bushy tails. Cute!

It Was a Dark and Squirrely Night Sweater - Modcloth

Squirrel Power Earrings – Modcloth

Squirrely Paper Clips

Squirrel Art “Olive” by Amber Alexander

Have a squirrely whirly weekend everyone! And also in honor of Nora, check out her new travel/adventure blog all the way from Hong Kong called Nora in Wonderland here. She’d love a visit (a web visit that is)!

Recently, I overheard some contemplation over why slow motion is so cool. One proposal was because it makes everything seem like the beginning of a really cool 80s television show. I think it makes everyone look extra glamorous and fierce, no matter what they’re up to. Perhaps it’s the wind blowing through the hair action, and the unwavering looks of determination enhanced by the absence of blinking?

Take this newer Scissor Sisters’ video for their single “Any Which Way”. There’s super sassy dance moves, running with flags, jumping through plastic cups and some strange lamp stand and alarm clock posing going on here. And really, the parts in slo-mo are exactly as predicted, despite the odd (but very euro-fresh) behavior. Cool.

I think the hand on hips dancing is pretty nifty as well. Sassy!