Inspiration Day!

1.


In the spirit of this weeks "Share Your Studio Saturday" I created an inspiration board for my new studio space. I'm very happy with the way it turned out. Far-better than a plain old cork board!




 I used a cardboard cake tray for the red and pink design. & the rest of the stuff was just lying around the house. It sure is nice having it all in one place. Oh, & I found the giant tacks at Office Max. A friend suggested that they would look really great if they where gold or silver leafed... not the right look for me but if you have the vintage theme going on they would be fabulous!

2.


As a Interior Designer, Homemaker, and crafter I am constantly keeping my eye out for spaces, color themes, and innovative DIY projects that inspire me. I keep a binder with magazine tear outs...over the years my collection has grown - here are a few of my favorites. 
*sorry I can't properly source where these images are from... but to the publishers, photographers, and innovators- Thanks!

3.



These lovely illustrations come from my favorite children's book Alexander And The Magic Mouse, written by Martha Sanders and illustrated by Philippe Fix. This book is my primary inspiration for my first illustrating project.

&.

If you missed last weeks topic on studio organization just click HERE!

Today is also the last day of a Post A Day in May. Im not sure if I'm sad or relieved!?

I Never Forget A Face



I'm a sucker for a cute face. When I go out antiquing or to the flea market I often have to say "it has a face" to remind myself that I might not need it. There is just something about a sweet face that makes me go a bit limp and I just want to... have to... take it home! In fact at one point this year I did a major purge to reclaim my home from all the faces. Now I try to group them together and think long a hard before I let myself buy new ones. Here are a few cute faces I collected from Flickr. It seems there are others out there who also can't resist the charm of an adorable face!

The Button Emporium





Today I must have walked 30+ city blocks. My mission was to buy buttons. & beings that it is the end of the month there was no extra change for a parking meter or Trolly ride. The Button Emporium and Ribbonry store was not quite as grand as I imagined but I still managed to find a few new treasures. & it sure was a good thing I walked because buttons sure can add up!


"Sure Is Dusty Up Here!"



3 Friends were found sitting on my window-sill today. 
I wondered to myself-
What could they be talking about out.


Looking back

Today for some reason I am reflecting on how much my life has changed in just one year.
This time last year I was planning a wedding and going to school. In this last year I became a wife, and graduate, a homeowner, and a mother of two (puppies)! I don't know why I'm thinking about all of this today. But I am just amazed by how wonderful this last year has been and how blessed I am! 

Here is a photo of our kitchen in our dumpy apartment-before we were lucky enough to own our own home. 


Apron Swap


Here is my finished apron for A Feathered Nest Apron Swap. 

Before this project I was terrified of my sewing machine! Now I can thread it all by myself in just a couple of minutes :)



All the materials were scrap fabrics from work and school! 



 & now all I have to do is send it off!

eeBoo I ♥ YOU!



I just bought my first eeboo book. I've wanted one for a while now but never found a sketchbook. But the composition pages are blank on the back side so that will do. Here are a few of my favorite. 



P.S. I have the one with the owl and raccoon from illustrator Kevin Hawkes.

My Own Space: Part 2


Sharing my studio for Little Blue Bird Diaries "Share your Studio Saturday(s)". I actually shared my small space in April but I would like to share some of my ideas and inspiration now. 


I bought this doll suite-case at a local thrift shop. The condition of it made in unsafe for a child to use but it was just the thing I needed to add height and extra storage to my very small space. 



I use to buy paint one color at a time. Now I just buy primary colors and just make whatever color i need. BIG space saver!



I love vintage toys but I always feel a bit silly buying them because I don't have little ones yet. But these two silos make great storage containers for pens, pencils and scissors. 



Use what you got. You don't always have to go out and buy furniture. I wasn't getting much use out of my vanity-but now its the perfect storage piece for all my small craft supplies. Plus the mirror makes my space seem bigger. 

My paint brush holder was a $200 dollar hand carved marble goblet from work. It had a big chip in the back and someone just threw it out! Are they crazy!


Think out side the box! You don't have to use traditional ideas of storage. This WWII map canister makes a great card holder. And my fleas market red suite-case was the perfect find for holding all my favorite vintage children's books.


For Passing Around The Green Beans





My new pretty from last weekends flea market!

From My Sketch Book


In my sketch book I found this long lost drawing. It was one of many drawings of my favorite elephant sculpture I found at TJMaxx a couple years back. Wouldn't it be wonderful if sweet baby elephants pulled candy coated carriages. Maybe that is animal abuse-but in my dreams it is just dandy!

Pretty Red Purse



I couldn't help myself! I had a bad day of work and knew I was coming home to an empty house... what would you do?


The Whole Outfit



I CAN'T SLEEP... it is just barely the start of a new day. 12 something-ish to be exact. I've done the dishes, started a load of whites and vacuumed the living room. So I think I will send out todays post and try to go back to bed. I hate when Jimmy is not around-its hard to fall asleep when your hubby hasn't kissed the top of your forehead and said he'll be here if you need anything. 

Todays Post is about 3 things:
1. My pretty green dress I bought at goodwill... it's actually hand sewn
2. A pretty pearl necklace collar that Victoria had me try on at the flea market... and then I just couldn't take off
3. my first apron... my first anything really of sewing on my own

A Sneak Peak


Here is a little peak at my apron I'm making for the apron swap. This is actually going to be my second apron. The first one was a huge learning curve where I learned to use my sewing machine and tried to use a pattern. I'll show you a picture of it later this week :) Have a wonderful Monday!

Spending the Day with V




I am such a blessed woman. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful home, a loving family, two pesky puppy dogs, and a wonderful friend. How funny life can be; this time last year I would have had no idea that we were going to be life time friends. Victoria is having a ruff quarter of school, and I am doing all I can to make sure she gets through it in one piece. & there is no better prescription to school time blues than shopping! I'll show you all my finds as the week goes on. 

I found this pretty little doily thing at anthropologie-ON SALE! 

Missing the Country




We made it back in one piece. Taking the puppies anywhere sure is a challenge. But we love them so much and couldn't bare to think of them spending the night alone. We spent most of the trip in the car. All the beautiful landscapes reminded me of being back home or on the Palouse with Jimmy. These pictures were taken last year during our wedding in June. From Idaho to Oregon the fields are just beautiful! Drive out of the city and take a look!

French Spring Snail


I'm actually off on a little adventure with my hubby. The puppy dogs and I are tagging along on one of Jimmy's business trips. Just an over-nighter and we will all be back. But then Jimmy leaves Sunday to Cali. for a whole week!!! 

Thought you all might like to see this little snail I doodled the other day. Colored him in photoshop... it's so fun to play with the colors. It took me the longest time to decide what color his shell should be. Finally I asked my hubby to decide for me. 

Bonjour!

The Orchard and Valley '76


I'm not sure what type of prints these are simply because of my ignorance of printing in general. I can only imagine they took a very long time to make with all those beautiful colors. Aren't they just wonderful. I found them at Goodwill for $2 a piece. I think they are just the loveliest find. Artist name is Barbara McFadyen. 

Yee-Haa


I actually held on to a magazine tear-out of this image for over a year. I just fell in love with the bold graphic colors and all those happy faces. The little boy in blue to the left is a dead ringer to my brother when he was a boy. Oh he was so adorable! Any-who check out more of Tony D'Orio's photography for yourself.

It All Started With A Lunch-box

I wish I could remember... what was going on in my head when I was a little girl. Like what was I thinking when I chose Alf as the character to grace my lunch-box? Shouldn't I have chosen My Little Ponies or Starbright? That should have been the first clue to what kind of person I was going to turn out to be! What is also strange is that my husbands also had an Alf lunch-box-I guess we really were made for each other. I love this image of an Alf doll with a can of beer, CLASSIC!


*What was on your first lunch-box?

The Perfect Home-Disney Style


I'm afraid this post doesn't really have any rhyme or reason to it...the day is almost over and I wouldn't dare not post  something for "post a day in may". So here are some fun picks from the wonderful world of disney, where Jimmy and I spend our honeymoon. I just loved Mickey and Minnie's homes. Everything is supper sized and wonderfully colorful! OH BOY!

To Our Mom's

Happy Mother's Day!


Chelsea's Family

Jimmy's Family

A Space Worth Seeing and Macaroons Not Worthy of Praise


I was flipping through some old House and Garden Magazines (November 2007) and found this lovely image of a bar in New York. I would link you up with the image but sadly Home and Garden no longer sits on the shelves of grocery stores. The bar was painted by writer and artist Ludwig Bemelmans. Funny how a childish mural can work so well in an upscale space. Who Knew? 

Yesterday I also ATTEMPTED to make macaroons. I was inspired by The Little Bluebird Diaries. I don't know why I thought I could bake macaroons, I can't even make the easiest scratch cookie to save my life. But here is what came out. They don't taste bad, but they aren't macaroons either.One thing I would change if I tried again would be to use almond powder instead of ground up almonds.