Lily Jane

pillows by michelle mason

Colorfully illustrated pillows by British designer, Michelle Mason.

Love the contemporary design.  And, of course, the red double-decker bus!

stewart kenny

Loving these black and white landscapes by Irish photography student, Stewart Kenny.

 

 

See more of his work on his website. 

for a beautiful idea

Some of you asked to see my product submission for A Beautiful Idea.  Introducing the Green Dots Stationery Set; once sold, 100% of the product price will be donated to the current A Beautiful Idea charity.

happy wednesday: cupcake toppers

This evening I'll be making a long-awaited dessert: banana cake with cream cheese frosting.  One of my favorites, second only to carrot.  I've been waiting for my bananas to get ripe enough for a week and it's finally time!  The only thing I can think of that might make this evening's treat even better is these cupcake toppers.

They're so bright, cheerful and happy.  Maybe I ought to put them on my big cake and make a springtime fortress out of it, fending off winter winds.  Or, on second thought, I think I'll just put one in each individual slice to make it more festive.  What will you do with them?  You can download them for your own baking projects on Michelle's blog, little paper dog. 

Do you have any festive occasions you'll be making confections for soon?  Are you a piping and fondant, sprinkles, or cupcake flag kind of person?

inaluxe

I love these giclee prints by Kristina Sostarko.  Her shop, inaluxe, is based in Melbourne, Australia, where she makes each of her products by hand.

Fox and Bird Love Print

Some Trees Print

Birds of a Feather card pack

I love the combination of colors, textures and patterns she uses in each of her prints.  Be sure to check out her vintage shop and her blog, too.

a little remodeling

Hello, again!  How was your weekend?  Mine was very productive and has left me giddy with anticipation about our upcoming remodeling.  If our budget allows it, we'll be doing the guest bath, home office, laundry and backyard.  Not a short list, is it?  But desperately needed.  Our house is a little brick home built in 1900 and the last time it's decor was updated was probably the 1950s.  We've been chipping away at a long  list of to-dos since we first moved in a year and a half ago.  I'm excited to start this new phase of our fixer-upper project.  Here are a few things we decided on this weekend.

Continue our dark-stained bamboo floors into the home office.

Put a genuine claw foot tub in the guest bath and paint the exterior some fabulous (yet-to-be-determined) color.

Put a utility sink in the laundry room.  We'll probably go with something a little more classic than pictured here - but I do love the look of an apron front sink.

Plant a vegetable garden.  A modest one, because we've never done it before.  We're thinking some corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes to start.  Have you done any of these projects yourself?  Any recommendations?

{images: Green Your Decor, Canadian House & Home, Country Living, this flickr stream}

fabric flowers

Lately I've been a little bit obsessed with fabric flowers.  I just love how simply and quickly they dress something up, not to mention their DIY appeal.  Every time I see one somewhere I try to figure out how it was made so I can do it myself.  But I still really love all the adorned apparel and home decor  there is out there for purchase.  Here are a few of my favorites.  Are you loving the fabric flower trend, too?

{images, clockwise from top left: Bow-Bound Romper $99.95, Grey Flower Brooch $16, Fabric Flower Belt $29.50, Abundant Callas Necklace $228, Crochet Flower Cardigan $68, Felt Flower Pillows - DIY, Pierre Dumas Flip Flop $29.99, Rhinestone and Bead Bracelet $7.50, Vintage Felt Hat $14.80, Zipper Floral Hair Clips $4.80, School Bloom and Goldie Clutch $68}

I wonder if any of you have fun weekend plans.  My husband and I will be getting down to planning the details of our upcoming guest bathroom and home office remodel.  I can't wait; I love the planning stages!  Now, if only we could skip the construction stage and get straight to the finished product... 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

everything i have

A fascinating concept/project.  Simon Evans compiled photographs of everything he owns into one poster.  What do you think?  I wonder how big mine would be if I did this...

{via design mom}

happy wednesday: clementine art supplies

Don't you love the packaging on these sweet little art supplies?  Clementine Art makes natural, non-toxic and earth-friendly children's art supplies.  I like them so much, I may even share them with my son.

If you like them, too, head on over to the Smart & Trendy Moms blog and enter to win a sampler set of your very own.  Best of luck!

{images via Clementine Art}

a beautiful idea

Evie Schaffer has a beautiful idea that we all can get involved in.  The premise: artists can make a difference in the world one small step at a time.  How it works:

1. Design one unique item specifically for A Beautiful Idea.
2. Sell it - wherever you sell your wares.
3. Donate 100% of the profits to ABI's donation center.

Every month ABI will send all of their received donations to a chosen charity.  This month's charity is World Vision, for Haiti Relief. 

Pretty amazing, right?  If you're not an artist but you'd like to get involved you can purchase some of the products being sold.  We can all pitch in a little.  

Well, now you all know what I'll be doing today: designing something for A Beautiful Idea.  What are your plans for the day?