Happy New Year!

Today I'm only doing the one post but I hope everyone has a wonderful new year's celebration and I have a good feeling about 2011 I think it's going to be a great year. For myself I resolve to be more creative, read more, be less stressed, more organized and less concerned with being organized :) how about you guys what do you hope for in the New Year? 

Talita Hoffmann

I'm currently obsessed with the work of Brazilian artist Talita Hoffmann. While at first glance the imagery could look naive and almost childish, when given more time to ingest you are struck by the disturbing, psychedelic & intriguingly mature quality to her work.

Land Carpets

Well I'm back, I know I said I was going to resume blogging on Monday, but I ended up needing a little more recovery time from all the Holiday festivities. I had a really great Christmas but it is nice to be back to a normal routine. Anyway, I recently discovered these Land Carpets from Florian Pucher and now I'm obsessed, aren't they amazing? They would be perfect for a child's room, fun but not obnoxious. 

Merry Christmas!!

Well I'm off to Minnesota for the holiday, I hope everyone has a cozy, yummy and relaxing vacation. I will be back posting on Monday like usual but I leave you with this image to inspire warmth and cuteness during your holiday.

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Friday Etsy Round-up

Happy Friday & Christmas eve everyone! And now for my Friday Etsy round-up, where I compile a list of the best handmade and vintage items I've found while scouring the corners of Etsy (links below image).

1. Bullet Hole Necklace Sterling Silver - $110
2. Classic Black Jacket with Leather - $126
3. GE Radio Alarm Clock - $39
4. Solitary Pear Ring in Citrine - $128
5. Sandra Suy Print - $35
6. The Alaskan Warmer - $90

Twisting Bridge

I found these images of concepts for a bridge between Hong Kong and China recently and thought they were so beautiful graphically (although I'm not sure of the environmental impact) I just love how clean and fluid the design is and how well it mimics the water surrounding it. 

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Yum

With all the holiday goodies ahead of me this is what I plan on looking like for the next few days, utensil in hand, totally chowing down! 

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John Woo Prints

Many of you have probably already seen these prints by John Woo, since they came out several months ago, but I just love them so I decided to share, plus you can buy prints on Etsy, which is awesome!

Post Christmas Meal Ideas

I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to make for the day after Christmas meal for my family. Since we'll be going to a large traditional feast at my grandparents house, Christmas day, I only have to worry about the following day when my immediate family will be noshing at my house. I wanted to make something a little less extravagant but still special and comforting. Below are a few of the ideas I found, but I would love to hear from you guys, what are you making for Christmas, if anything and are you going traditional or more casual? let me know in the comments below. (recipe links below image)

1. Steamy Kitchen / 2. What Katie Ate / 3. Kiss My Spatula / 4. Sprouted Kitchen

Kevin Bell

I'm a huge fan of the subtle colors and disturbing imagery of Kevin Bells paintings, depicting in his words "the developed, suburbanized reality of the contemporary environment" His work draws you in with the beauty of a classic landscape painting and then haunts you with the reality of subject.

Preen Pre-Fall 2011

One of my favorite showings from the recent pre-fall lines was the Preen collection, I loved the bold use of color but also the really elegantly wearable shapes. The pieces have a really nice confident and retro feel which I can't get enough of. 

Chilling Beauty

This image is at the same time captivating and frightening, which is what I love about it, it instantly grabbed my attention.

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Poética para cosmonautas

I love these cover art experimentations for the book Poética para cosmonautas, found on Amsterdam based designer Javier Arce flickr, they have such a cool, nerdy quality, which is a favorite combo of mine!

Friday Etsy Round-up

Happy Friday everyone! I leave you for the weekend with my Friday Etsy round-up, where I compile a list of the best handmade and vintage items I've found while scouring the corners of Etsy (links below image).size: x-small;">

1. Pyrite Chunk Necklace - $27
2. Antique Turkish Kilim Pillow Cover - Hand Embroidered - $90
3. Wooly Bear Print - $12
4. Stardust Petals Hoop Earrings - $25
5. Nested Bowls set of 2 - $50
6. vintage 80s ALBERT NIPON black pleated mini sack dress - $54

Tom Hoops Photography

I find the photography of Tom Hoops quite arresting, I'm not sure I can say much more about it, check out his website to see more.

Heath Ceremics

I'm obsessed with Heath Ceramics, their handcrafted tableware is flawless in it's simplicity, if it wasn't for the price-point I would buy it all.

Brett Amory

I'm completely enamored currently with the work of San Francisco based artist Brett Amory. His use of color and composition are simply flawless. You can see more of his work here.

Holiday Gift Guide

Time for my last installment in my holiday gift guide. Every Wednesday morning leading up to Christmas I will be doing a round-up of things I've found that I think would make wonderful presents. My goal is to include everyone you might have to buy for, from your niece to mother-in-law and at different price points. hopefully it will give you a little inspiration for those hard to buy for individuals. (Links below image)

1. Assorted Pillows - $40 each

2. Small Rectangle Hoops - $49

3. Heath Vase - $95

4. Neutraface wooden blocks - $60

5. The Royal Hare - $30

6. Grid Ring - $120

7. Zip Leather Gloves - $98

8. Luna Mendini Watch Brown by Alessi Watches - $135

9. Satchel Bag - $68

10. Studded Flat - $135

11. Mini Jams Gift Set - $12.50

Blog for Digs Charity

I am so excited to be taking part in a wonderful blogger charity event, called Blog for Digs. Organized by Claudia Clobes to benefit the organization Dwell with Dignity - "a non-profit group of interior designers and volunteers dedicated to creating inspiring homes for families struggling with homelessness and poverty". Over the next couple weeks bloggers will post about their childhood bedrooms and then link it forward to the next blog. In this way hopefully more people will get to know more about this wonderful charity. So here it goes...

My childhood bedroom was, in my mind pretty amazing, even though we lived on a tight budget, my mom, a longtime crafter and fiber artist and my dad a stay at home dad/super handyman seemed to always go the extra mile in creating a space that really let me and my two sisters explore our imaginations to their fullest. Proponents of handmade items, natural fibers and ambiguous toys, my parents did the best the could with what they had and they really instilled that idea in me. The things that I think can really make a child's room special and usable is a lot of low shelving with small bins where you can house all of your toys, crafts and books where they are easily accessible. The 2nd is wall art, I always wished we could have one full wall painted with chalkboard paint and I still think it would be an amazing creative outlet for any child. Unfortunately I don't have pictures to share from my own childhood bedroom but I included some wonderful inspiring photos instead.

To learn more about Dwell with Dignity please visit their website and donate to the cause.

And for more Blog for Digs memories visit Dallas Decorum for her post tomorrow.

Pretty in the Past

I found this beautiful photo on Pinterest today (which by the way is my new addiction) and just thought it was too lovely not to share, it's from Vassar College, 1895.

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Smock Letterpress Holiday Cards

As many of you might have noticed from previous posts, I'm seriously getting into the holiday spirit hard core this year. But one thing I'm not sure I'll get around to is sending out a holiday card, if I do find the time, I've been eyeing these lovely ones from smock.