GUEST POST AT DREAMHOUSE STUDIOS
I want to thank the lovely ladies over at Dreamhouse Studios based in Annapolis, Maryland for inviting me to guest blog. If you're interested in reading you can check it out here.
HAPPY MONDAY!
I hope that you had a good weekend!
It was very toasty here, but I got in a trip to the beach and a great Kosher meal from a favorite childhood restaurant that has opened an outpost down here in Naples!
Also, if you're interested, you can check out an interview with me posted in a series called "Fridays with Bloggers" on Subversive Whimsies.
*NEW* STRIPED FRENCH BERGERE PRINT
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Another new chair print available for purchase here
Have a safe and wonderful weekend!
DELIGHTFUL DECOUPAGE
I recently came across some decoupage lamps that I thought were unusually beautiful in a Sister Parish/granny-chic sort of way. I used to have grandiose visions of mastering decoupage, but I never came close to anything like these! (I also once had illusions about being a gardener at an English Country estate, but we will leave that story alone for now...)
I think these would go perfectly on a perky sidetable or nightstand.
Here's Gillian
and Sara
and lastly, Hermione. All are available from a charming cottage industry out of Charlotte, NC that you can check out here.
TEACUP TOPIARIES
I've just finished another new original painting and added it to my shop - "Teacup Topiaries". Features two myrtle topiaries planted in teacups on a light green background. This is an original 6x6 acrylic painting on 3/4 inch profile board with painted edges - ready to hang or set on shelf with no need for a frame! Look for many more originals to follow in the coming days. Available here.
THANK YOU!
I want to say thank you to all of these great bloggers for the very kind mentions on my work lately!
I hope that all of you have an excellent weekend!
IKAT GET YOU OUTTA MY HEAD.....
I remember reading a while ago how Ikat patterns were passe` and on their way out..........
hand-woven Ikat fabric cushions from Table Tonic
I beg to differ, as I am seeing them alive and well everywhere, from every home design magazine to the fashion runways. These cushions above are from an amazing Australian-based company run by a very gifted fellow blogger, Louise. She describes their offerings as "Global treasures for the modern Bohemian". Conveniently, she offers worldwide shipping. Her new blog happens to be one of my favorite reads these days. She is a former design director for several major design publications and boy, does she know her stuff! She is a big fan of color, a girl after my own heart.
If you haven't discovered her blog and shop (both called Table Tonic) you don't know what you're missing!
Louise Bell
I am also digging her brightly hued Moroccan leather poufs and these feather Juju headresses....great eclectic touches for the home. Check it all out here!
A WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN!
Congratulations to reader "Elizgonz" who has won the CSN give-away and will receive a $75 gift certificate towards a headboard or the purchse of her choice on any one of the CSN family of great sites! Thanks to all of you who participated and to CSN for sponsoring.
MORE NEW PRINTS!!
So glad it's Friday! Here are a few more new prints available in my shop today!
Have a fabulous weekend everyone!
BOOK SWIM
Recently I discovered a great new service for booklovers - it's like NetFlix for people who love to read. No trips to the library are necessary! Book Swim allows you to make your selections online and will send them right to you with a post-paid return envelope. This allows you to drop the books you've finished into the mail with no hassle and Book Swim sends your next selection right out! You keep track of everything online....no sweat, just lots of reading material delivered right to your door with free shipping! I was primarily inerested in design and cookbooks, but they offer a wide variety of reading material, including paperbacks. Check out the different programs available here.
SHOP UPDATE!
I hope that you had a nice weekend! My weekend consisted of some sun and pool time, a maternally-crafted blueberry pie (with Michigan blueberries, the world's best!), a Neopolitan wood oven "Bianca" pizza, my ongoing battle with a formidable hoard of white-footed ants (that had invaded my little cottage and were after my Bob's peppermint candy), going to church and working.
I'd like to introduce a couple of new additions to my etsy shop today, the first being my "Chinoiserie Chair on Color Steroids" (above)
AND
Elkins Lilac Silhouette Collage
and my Orange Silhouette Collage on Aqua is now available in a larger size - 11x14.
All are available right HERE
Look for more new prints coming soon!
GIVE-AWAY CONTEST!!
I love upholstered headboards, and even more so if they have the bonus practicality of being slipcovered, like this cheery option above.
You can enter a $75 give-away from the CSN network of 250+ online stores featuring a hugely diverse line of a million products including home decor, furniture, pet items, toys, and clothing. You could put it towards a headboard like this, or a myriad of other choices from their vast family of sites.
To enter, just visit here then leave a comment on this post letting us know which headboards are your favorites. Contest runs for a week until July 30th, when a winner will be chosen. Be sure to leave your email address so that you can be contacted if you're chosen as the winner!
**This contest is valid only for United States and Canadian residents because of shipping costs.
Have a SUPER weekend all of you wonderful readers!
**This contest is valid only for United States and Canadian residents because of shipping costs.
Have a SUPER weekend all of you wonderful readers!
ELKINS ALFRESCO
My eye caught this beauty, an "outdoorsy" version of the classic Frances Elkins loop chair available here.
PHILLIPE BALAYN
I recently discovered French papier-mache artist Phillipe Balayn while browsing through an issue of Cote Sud. I was completely charmed by his work! The level of detail involved is amazing and the whimsical and quirky nature of his work left me wanting to discover more. Now I need to find out if he has any anchovy pieces! Check out his site here.
A SOAK OR A SIT?
Upcycling takes a colorful spin when Ruff House Art turns old cast iron bath tubs into lounge-able art.
Check out this clever creation here.
Have an amazing weekend, everyone!
2 GIVE-AWAYS!!
Enter now to win my Orange Chair Silhouette on Aqua print on canvas at BonBon Rose Girls here
And check out The Loaded Trunk blog - owner Roni Jaco is giving away a gorgeous Balinese umbrella.
Have a great day!
HB STILL DELIVERS
I guess that I started reading House Beautiful when I was maybe......10?
I have to say I was loving this month's issue, especially the chic California beach cottage designed by Krista Ewart for her sister and family. That surfboard with the crisp green geometric pattern by Halsea is really grabbing me!
Love the pink fridge
and this summery breakfast table spread. It all just feels "happy" to me. Did you spot the "Keep Calm" mug? Mine are available here.
(all photos House Beautiful)
SCULPTURE TO BURN
I like candles, but there are so many out there in ghastly colors and too-heavy scents, that sometimes they get a bad rap. I am thinking of a particular store commonly found in US shopping malls.....I literally have to hold my breath when passing by! The "fragrances" are bad enough on their own, but you get about 40 of them mingling in competition in one store and a person could literally die of affixiation or nausea...or both. Having said all that, I recently spotted these two pieces of what I call "good wax" and loved their classic sculptural quality. The candle above is lit from behind on an angle, so that the melting wax pours through the eyes, perhaps a bit melancholy....but still kind of cool, I think.
Marie Antoinette is immortalized here in wax effigy - perfect for the Francophile and a nice touch, even if her eyes don't "cry". Plus, she's a good bit less expensive than the first lady. Which would you choose?
ARTIST'S PORTRAIT * MARISKA MEIJERS
Former corporate woman-turned-artist and entrepeneur, lovely Mariska Meijers has been lighting up the blog and design world lately with her colorful and bold paintings and designs. I was captivated by the brilliance and cheery spirit her work exudes. She has graciously agreed to be featured here in my "Artist's Portraits" series.
Where were you born?
Vlaardingen, a small town near Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Best childhood memory?
One of the best was when I was sitting behind the stage watching my mother perform in Maria Stuarda with Dame Joan Sutherland and getting a standing ovation. It gave me goose bumps and I was so proud of her and I still am!
What would you take if your house was burning down?
My children, Annemarth and Mauk of course. As to the content of my house the choice would be difficult as there are so many that I love. My house is my moodboard, my inspiration, filled with objects, art and furniture that I have gathered over the years.
Your favorite book?
There are plenty but Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is the first one that comes to mind. Not only is it a great book with which I can wholehearthedtly identify, Gilbert is also an excellent motivational speaker. "I get up every single day and I do my very best with what I am and what I have.." Elizabeth Gilbert
Favorite travel destination?
I am a city girl at heart so put me in almost any big city and I have a ball, but if I really would have to make a choice today I would fly to Sydney!
If you could have only 1 last meal, what would you want on the menu?
A Steak Tartare and a glass of red on Ile St Louis in Paris
Do you prefer hot weather or cold?
Hot definitely. I lived both in Singapore and Stockholm and if I had a choice I would rush back to Singapore immediately! The only moment I can appreciate the cold is when sliding down the slopes.
Favorite shop?
You can never ask a girl just to mention one :). H&M, Hermes, Muiji, Liberty, Shanghai Tang, Didier Ludot.........
Favorite artists?
There are many but just to pick a few. Matisse is my absolute hero. I try to see as much of his work "live". Diego Giacometti (Alberto's brother) for his wonderful decorative objects and furniture. Sam Francis, his work is so energetic.
Pet peeve?
Ironing, cleaning in general actually. I was definitely not born to do that!
What is, to you, the best thing about being an artist?
I used to be a corporate girl, as an artist I feel that I am in charge of my own destiny, chasing my own dreams not that of others. I love the challenge to create something new out of nothing, it makes me feel alive.
Be sure to check out her wonderful website here. Thank you, Mariska!
P.S. I am crazy over your pink desk lamp!
P.S. I am crazy over your pink desk lamp!