MORE NEW ARRIVALS!
Lots of summer thundershowers here in South Florida have kept me productive in my studio.
At least I'm not distracted with perfect sunny weather beckoning me outside.
It's nice to finally see the sun make an appearance, though. Too much work and inside time makes me stir crazy - getting out and exercising helps keep me balanced and inspired.
These new prints are now available in my shop HERE
I hope that your weekend is relaxing and fun- see you next week!
ANNECHOVIE GIVE-AWAY
Head over to NYC based blog Frugal Finds to enter a print give-away I am sponsoring this week HERE!!
Hope you win!
50% OFF SALE AT KAYCE HUGHES
Annechovie sponsor Kayce Hughes is having a huge 50% off sale on NOW.
You will find exceptional quality, style and value in all departments. Women's and children's clothing, accessories, gifts and items for the home. Please do yourself a favor and stop by the site here.
Don't forget to use the code ANNECHOVIE for 10% off your purchases.
HELLO MY PET.....
I am now offering pet portraits options in my etsy store. You can choose from a variety of background styles and colors and email your pet's photo to me and I will whip you up your own little masterpiece! You can even choose your size and watercolor on paper or acrylic on canvas. Decisions, decisions.....
Find it all here
INGENIOUS BACKSPLASH
photo by Annie Schlecter
Here's a terrific solution for a colorful and unique kitchen backsplash that won't look like any other home OR break the bank. I had seen reverse painted glass as a clever backsplash, but never before had I seen fabric in this role until I spotted this on the in Kelly Black's NYC apartment on the New York Design Hunting website here. Take some favorite fabric, whether it's a wild designer pattern (like this Josef Frank design) or something more sedate, and sandwich it between 2 pieces of glass and secure it to the wall. No grout, no seams, no elaborate installment. The fabric is on display, but protected and you can switch out the fabric from time to time should you grow tired of it. What do you think? Like it? OR what about commissioning a work of art on a canvas roll for the same purpose?? Hmmmm.....
HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEKEND, EVERYONE!
MORE BLUE AND WHITE
TWO NEW CHAIRS with chevron patterned backgrounds - a retro gothic style chair and a classic Swedish style chair. Find them here.
ANA CORDEIRO & A LISBON STOREFRONT
The amazing thing about blogging is the way your location ceases to matter when it comes to connecting with people all over the world. I have met some great people, whether or not we've ever come in contact face-to-face as yet. The opportunity to connect over common views, taste or interests isn't limited by geographic status and there's no lack of diversity. A few months ago, I ran across the work of a particular designer, before I was even aware of her identity. I kept seeing photos of her bright and clean design aesthetic popping up and had to pin them to my Pinterest board. I received an email from a designer asking for details on commissioning a few paintings from me and when I visited her website, I realized it was HER! Ana Cordeiro. Ana is based in Lisbon, Portugal and is a very talented designer and entrepreneur who runs both a bricks and mortar shop and is soon opening an online design business/web shop. She was recently featured in Adore magazine and her elegant and colorful work is popping up everywhere!
I so enjoyed painting her charming (pink!) storefront above.
Ana is a lovely woman with a ton of flair. She likes to mix gorgeous color with clean, classic lines and plenty of white. An infusion of "happy" in any space. My kind of decorating!
Take a look at some of her work below......
Please take a few moments to stop by Ana's website here
If you're interested in having me capture your storefront, home or a little vignette on paper or canvas, please contact me here for more details and pricing.
HUGE 4th of JULY SALE!!
That's right! All items (except pillows) in my etsy shop are 20% off from now through Sunday with this code at checkout: JULY20
Check out the deals here.
Wishing all of my friends here in the US a very Happy 4th of July and the rest of you a wonderful mid-week!
CHANEL PRINT - NEW COLORS!
I hope that you had a good weekend!
Today I am introducing 6 new colors for the very popular Chanel No. 5 print.
Mint, Fuschia, Blush Pink, Black and Aqua to join the original grass green.
Find them here
NEW PRINT!
I have been working on many new prints color combos for my store and here is the first, my Royal Worcester Porcelain Jar in blue on an aqua background. It's available in 2 sizes in my shop and custom oversize prints by special order. Check them out here!
GOLDEN BANGLES
Loving these amazing raw brass bangles from etsy designer Sweet Auburn Studios
This cool shape grabs me
and then these a la carte pieces that you can mix and match.
Great style at a beyond reasonable price. Another opportunity to support indie art.
Find them here.
NEW SPONSOR - C. BELL PALM BEACH
See these gorgeous lacquered mahogany cockpen chairs in this photo of Veronica Beard's home?
The same chairs are available through C. Bell, a new sponsor of Annechovie.
in white or
in a cheery orange.
and look at this classic campaign dresser. A variety of gorgeous pieces and accessories are available to dress up your home, so if you're looking for some classic Palm Beach style, look no further -
go directly to C. Bell!
Have a wonderful weekend!!
BLOGGERS ARE THE BEST!
The ever-stylish Beth Connolly at Chinoiserie Chic featured
below in her terrific
post
I'd also like to thank Australian designer Frances Russell for the
and photos of my canvas and matches in her home. The striped Designers Guild wallpaper makes for a great backdrop.
and Jane Gallant of Modern Jane for her gracious
Jane is based in Prince Edward Island, Canada and writes a very charming blog.
Thanks to all of you for reading and blogging! Check these out and please tell these bloggers I sent you if you get a chance.
MY GLAMOROUS WEEKEND
A little shop browsing
A little work
Some seafood salad rolls I made with a side of Summer squash
Discovering the world's best cottage cheese
(Whoa - exciting!!)
Admiring the custom painted dressing rooms at Lilly Pulitzer
and
last, but not least, celebrating Father's Day with my terrific Dad by making him Chicken Piccata and
having some of my Mom's homemade cheesecake.
I don't know about you, but sometimes in this age of Facebook, Twitter and blogs, I get the feeling that many seem to be starring in a production all their own. Desperately vying for attention and competing for the envy of their friends (or, should I say "contacts"). It's like people are reality show wannabes. Hungry for attention, eager to show photos or videos of themselves doing everything and nothing, whether or not anyone is really interested. Along with the voracious hunger to be on display there's also a certain measure of trying to portray their lives as something they may not be or as more exciting than the next persons'. Aspiring for celebrity status. All of these people documenting their every move?? I don't get it. They must either be very confident that their lives are exciting and enviable or they are totally delusional.
I'm the first to admit that people are interesting. I am a born people watcher and I do enjoy the human-story side of things and lifestyle voyeurism to a degree. Personally, I am a fairly private individual and am not keen on showing photos of myself for the heck of it, especially since only 1 out of 50 turns out decently! That's why in the 5 years since I've started this blog I have shown only a few photos of me and try to strike a balance between being open and over-exposing myself. However, I also realize that it's essential, especially in the art/design/blogging business to have a website and make a connection with people, put yourself out there a bit and not remain a complete mystery a 'la the unibomber. Just as I enjoy reading about other folks, sometimes I need to open up and show a little of my own world. But I ask myself, where do you draw the line between being accessible vs. making people sick from your personal trivia? The pressure of "sharing" can make you feel like you need to present your life as more exciting than it may actually be and what is exciting to one person may seem pathetic and mundane to another. Kind of like show & tell in school when the next kid made what you shared seem dumb by comparison. What ever happened to being yourself and contentment with reality? Why do so many people feel the need to be a star and be so affected? Well, I am certainly no star with an exciting life, but hey, I am perfectly ok with that. There's great freedom in anonymity and tremendous joy in the simple things. Perhaps there's value, just even living YOUR own life as it is, rather than the life of a person who is a figment of your imagination or someone elses'? Ya think?? When did we start attributing more value to someone's existence based on the numbers in their viewing audience??
What do YOU think?
Hence, a few pics of my totally un-glamorous but perfectly satisfying weekend.
I hope that you had a great weekend, too!
BACKYARD OASIS
I have NO idea where I got this, but it looks like a perfect place to spend a nice afternoon, doesn't it?
Have a beautiful day and a really nice weekend.
Thanks for making this blog part of your day!
WHEN AN ACCIDENT GIVES YOU GREEN TOMATOES......
FRY THEM UP!
When a large branch snaps off your tomato bush and the cluster of tomatoes hasn't had a chance to ripen yet, what do you do? Fry up some green tomatoes, baby! They were so incredibly tasty that now I may be harvesting these beauties before they get the first tinge of pink in them. Next time around, I am spreading them with some goat cheese before I coat them in cornmeal and fry them up.
I will let you know how that goes.....
(P.S. don't let my incredible photo styling intimidate you....)
Simple how-to
Heat approx. 1/2 inch of canola oil in saucepan
Mix a half cup or so of cornmeal with a little salt and pepper
Slice a few green tomatoes
Dip tomatoes in shallow milk bath
Dredge tomatoes in corn meal until lightly coated
Gently place coated tomatoes in oil (with tongs)
Flip over after about 2 minutes until both sides are lightly browned
Remove and place on paper-towel lined plate to drain and cool a bit
Feast and enjoy!
I LOVE YOUR CRAZY - ANNECHOVIE INTERVIEW
I want to thank Shannon Darrough of the blog I Love Your Crazy for featuring my work and an interview here
Shannon is a very talented writer and designer - you may have seen her work, as she is a contributing editor at Matchbook Magazine. You will love her blog!
FIVE SIMPLE STEPS TO CREATE MORE SPACE IN YOUR KITCHEN
photo - Dittepigen on Flickr
If your kitchen is cramped, it can make cooking and cleaning a real chore. So, if you want to create a more spacious kitchen that really works for you and your family, read on to find out how.
The illusion of space
If you've got a small kitchen, there are lots of ways you can create the illusion of a more spacious area. Make sure you pick your wall coverings and units in a light color and keep the flooring light as well. Choose reflective splash backs and make sure the lighting is good.
If you have wall units, removing them will make the room seem much more spacious, although this will inevitably, reduce the amount of storage you have. In reality, there are lots of items in the kitchen that we rarely or never use. With some clever planning, it's definitely possible to live with less storage.
Clear the clutter
A well organized kitchen is much easier to use, and if you want to give yourself more space, it's a good idea to clear the clutter. Set aside a day to take everything out of your kitchen cupboards and get rid of the things that you don't need. Have you got a waffle maker you've only used once? Let it go. Has your electric mixer ever seen the light of day? Say goodbye.
When you drag out all of the bits and bobs that have been shoved to the back of the cupboards, you'll be amazed at just how much f it you've never used.
photo- Boligmagasinet.dk
Clever cupboards
One of the main reasons our kitchens get so cluttered is that we make too many purchases. Things gradually get shoved to the back of cupboards where we forget about them, before we end up buying more. There are plenty of cupboard solutions that are ideal for storing kitchen items neatly, and you'll actually be able to get to items easily! Carousel cupboards are ideal for corner spaces and perfect for storing dry goods or herbs and spices. The circular shape means you can fit far more in, and a simple turn will give you easy access to everything you have in store.
Keeping cool
If you want your white goods to take up the minimum floor space, look at the range of
Littlewoods Beko fridge freezers for some options. They have slimline models with plenty of storage - perfect for slipping into tight spaces and blending into the background.
ADORE - JUNE 2012
I adore ADORE magazine. So much eye candy, so much inspiration.
I was excited when Jody Marsden of Beach Vintage sent me this page from the magazine and I saw that she and her business/blogging partner, Simone, had kindly mentioned my work. Jody is a client of mine and I cannot wait to show you what I created for her (hopefully soon!) Check out Beach Vintage and you will be inspired with the talent and style Simone and Jody wield! They own an online fabric store as well and whip up all sorts of amazing and colorful creations you will love!