DIY Bottle Cap Tray

I thought this was a pretty sweet idea from {Apartment Therapy} of something to do with a collection of bottle caps - either paint them or keep the branding from your beverage of choice. This is a perfect project that can start with a cool tray picked up from a swap meet, thrift store or if you have an old one lying around that needs some sprucing up.

PS: I love these colors :)

Crane & Co. Hand Painted Bordered Cards

I definitely learned something new and surprising today! Nole from {Oh So Beautiful Paper} posted photos from {Crane & Co.}'s booth at this year's {Stationary Show}, where they demonstrated their craft of hand painting every single card from their bordered stationary collection. It was demonstrated by two of their hand-bordering artisans. I had no idea they did that by hand! I didn't think it was possible to love their work any more...but I do now!

Contemporary Meets Arts & Crafts

I adore much of the architectural style that came out of Arts & Crafts movement/Craftsman style homes. I am loving the way {this} 1920's craftsman style has been transformed, while still keeping much of the original character. The high-end modern furniture and chic handmade decorative accents have put a whole new spin on Arts & Crafts.

The Litte Things

I love this kitchen decor found on {The Little Things} blog! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the splashes of color, yet it still has a very neutral overall look and feel. Just my style :)

Vintage China Cabinet

I was so excited when I came across this absolutely beautiful antique china cabinet on {Etsy} today. It is almost identical to the the china cabinet my grandparents have and similar to my mom's. I always thought, man when you grow up are you supposed to have one of these? I was never a fan of that dark "fancy" wood furniture, but over the past few years I have been really enjoying seeing what can be done to make a piece of furniture look completely different after putting some elbow grease into it. I love this shabby chic, antique, clean, sophisticated and fun look! This piece is hand painted sage green with a coat of brown over it. An antique red color was added on the edges to make the piece more unique.

~ Holiday Cards ~

Here is a selection of some of my favorite holiday cards from all that I have come across lately. As you know, I am obsessed with letterpress...so most of these are letterpress designs, of course! They are from {Oblation Papers}, {Elum Designs}, {Bespoke Letterpress Boutique} and a few others. If you are in the San Luis Obispo area...be sure to check out {Paper Sky} ~ Jessica carries a lot of these cards featured above in her store. I have been telling myself for the past few years that I will start early and design my own Christmas cards, but some how each year flies by and by the time I realize, it is usually to late. I might still try and shoot for at least designing an e-card! Stay tuned...

Before & After Chair

This before and after chair project was a recent favorite of mine from {Design*Sponge}. Absolutely beautiful work! I love the contemporary colors and stripes with a traditional floral design with the hint of wood grain coming through. I think I just got inspired to do something like this to my dinner table and chairs...

Why didn't I have a playroom like this?

This is probably one of the coolest playrooms I have ever seen. Even though this is not realistic for the average home, there are a lot of great design and storage elements that cant be used. With the high windows and support beams, this is assumed to be a converted basement space.

Some great elements are:
• Storage In The Floor
• Wrap Around Painting/Mural
• Built In Work and Play Areas
• Rope Wrapped Ladder
• Tree Wrapped Support Beams

This space was designed by {DorNob Design}. I recommend visiting there site and seeing more about this room as well as {other} great design projects they feature.

Illustrations by Florian Nicolle

Check out the beautiful, raw, and unfinished quality of the illustrations by {Florian Nicolle}. A few of the illustrations were realized on a series of {skateboard decks}. I love the combination of the rough sketched ink, watercolor and handwriting, and collage style.

Radiator Heater Painting

This radiator heater has been refreshed with a white coat of paint then prettied up with a cheerful blue floral design by San Francisco's Robinson Finishes. I am unable to find a Robinson Finishes website, but those interested in their decorative finishes can see more of their work {here}.

Ink & Spindle

I found this site when I was checking out a set of photos on Flickr. Being that I have a true appreciation for handmade art - this was a particularly exciting find for me. {Ink & Spindle} is a boutique screen-printing studio run by three Melbourne textile designers – Lara Cameron, Bianca van Meeuwen and Tegan Rose. They share a passion for screen printed textiles and sustainable alternatives to the mass produced textiles that dominate the marketplace. They specialize in high quality textile printing for designers and independent labels. They aim to minimize our impact on the environment, and encourage and educate their customers to do the same. In their shop, they sell textiles, housewares, stationery, sewing kits and much more - featuring a range of unique, handmade wares by these ladies! If you are interested to keep up with what is going on with them behind the scenes and about upcoming events/markets, check out their {blog}. These women are so talented and are doing everything I hope to be doing some day sooner rather than later. Something I found to be awesome is that they use an old kitchen mixer to mix their paints! Check out all their work and what they are selling in their shop - it is quite impressive. I will definitely be placing orders soon!

I just got my first very own sewing machine! I can't wait to get started on all the projects I have been planning for so long! Just wanted to introduce you to my new baby...I'll keep you posted
on my projects :)

Old Kitchen Cabinet = A Beautiful Tray!

Lately, I have started going to the Swap Meet here in San Luis Obispo and am all about the projects that involve restoring or re-purposing used/vintage furniture and anything else that might look cool! I love this idea and wish I had thought of it back when my parents remodeled our kitchen and threw out all the old cabinets! But in defense of my mom - she did make her office desk out of an old door :) Visit {Craftynest} to see how the trays were made.

My Favorite Before&Afters - Design*Sponge

{Design*Sponge} is seriously one of the things I look forward to each day. I am especially excited about seeing all the new Before & After projects that are featured. Some of these just amaze me - one must have the vision to see the potential in a something that most would throw away. The ones I have posted are my favorites that I have see over the past year. For detailed information about each piece please check out the {Before & After} section. These are just my favorites - there are several more on there! It is not limited to furniture, but also interior and exterior design and architecture as well!

Hearts in SF Project

So in honor of Valentine's Day, a day that I don't particularly like due to the commercialization of it, I decided to dig up some pictures of the {Hearts in San Francisco Project}. This Bay Area-wide "heart installation" debuted in the Spring of 2004. San Francisco used hearts to symbolize the city that is recognized for its acceptance and tolerance. The goal was to not just be a fund-raiser, but to create compassionate community involvement as well as positive artistic expression. Over 130 artists, both recognized and emerging, transformed these heart sculptures into works art. They were installed all throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and were displayed from February 14, 2004 through October 2004, when there was an auction of the hearts. There are still a few hearts located around San Francisco today. I posted just a few of the ones I enjoyed.

Makes You Wanna Draw!

I was shown this video today and immediately wanted to go home from work and draw! It is a film of Michael C Place drawing and painting to the song "Into the Galaxy" by The Midnight Juggurnauts. Who ever thought - art with white-out tape!