Inleaf Design

Simple, elegant and delicate! I had bookmarked Lotta Helleberg's designs awhile back and stumbled upon them again the other day while sorting through all my links. Her gorgeous leaf inspired prints can be found on everything from pillows and bags to stationery and wall art, all non-toxic and eco-friendly. An enjoyable read, many of her inspirations and techniques are featured on her blog.

"Luxurious natural fabrics are washed and dyed with eco friendly fiber reactive dyes, non-toxic paints are blended to just that perfect shade, and the leaves are collected and cleaned... the printing - the most exhilarating part of the process - where the leaves, compliant and faithful, help me create magical imagery by serving as ever-changing printing plates. After steaming the fabric, to make the paint colorfast, the construction takes part in my studio, where threads and vintage linings are equally carefully considered."

"The result is a collection of lovely objects that brings the deceivingly simple beauty of nature into everyday life. Each piece is meant to be used, shared, and cherished." 

Hoping the grey skies pass for a sunny weekend!

It is nearing the end of August and summer vacations are coming to an end ~ but the signs of summer are still here! Even though the sky is grey this morning I am hoping for a sunny summer weekend. Patches of wild daisies as well as the maintained garden variety could still be spotted on my walk around the neighborhood last night ~ so I refuse to give up on summer yet. 

1 :: Leaca ~  Remember Me, Fine Art Photograph

2 :: Artistscs28 ~ Butterfly and Gerbera in Lemon Zest

3 :: SimonDesigns ~ Tiny Flower Necklace

4 :: Daphnenen ~ Large Pleated Bag in Yellow and White

5 :: MamaPainter ~  Yellow Daisy Flower Art

6 :: Niminami ~ The Smell of Summer

Recycled Glass

Inspired by this new eye-catching chandelier display from Pottery Barn and the collection of bottles in my wine rack I thought it would be fun to see what other recycled creations can find new uses. With the increasing selection of recycled glass products in modern beautiful designs, there is no reason to buy ‘virgin’ glass anymore. The slight color hues and uniqueness give each piece a bit more character.

1 :: Pottery Barn ~ Wine Bottle Chandelier

Authentic green-glass wine bottles lend artistic impact to our striking Wine Bottle Chandelier. It has a rasped finish that gives each individual chandelier rich texture and one-of-a-kind detail.

2 :: Laurence Brabant ~ Recycled Glass Bottle spoons

3 :: Bedrock Industries ~ Recycled Glass Tiles

There are slight differences in shape and variations in the surface. These features are part of the beauty and special character. This Seattle company, hand makes all of their tiles from 100% recycled glass. Their work comes in a wide range of colors but since they don’t add any additional pigment to their found glass, Heineken Green and Budweiser Brown is the most common palette.

4 :: CDChilds ~ Wine Bottle Cheese Tray

This wine bottle has been recycled into a fabulous cheese board. The hanger is made of twisted copper wire. This makes the "perfect" serving tray or cheese board to serve your guests.

5 :: YAVA Glass ~ Recycled Boylan's Soda Bottle Glasses

These unique glasses are made from recycled Boylan's soda bottles. Each bottle is individually flame cut and polished to give you a smooth finished rim.

6 :: How to Turn a Wine Bottle Into a Vase or Votive

Take a look at this do-it-yourself step by step process to create the cylinder vases in this fiddlehead fern scroll, river rock and floating moss centerpiece.

Sea Urchin Collection

This has to be one of the most unique collections I have seen. Stunning to say the least. Ester and Estella have masterfully combined the color and texture of these naturally designed urchins with decorative metallic elements to make gorgeous pieces of art. 

"Living in Turkey has some big advantages, like the beautiful abandoned beaches with just you, the sea and the blue sky. During our long beach walks, we often find all kind of treasures as sea urchins and shells. We clean the sea urchins, fill them with polyurethane foam and cover them with epoxy to make them strong and shiny." Visit their Star of the East Shop to view more from their extensive collection.

If I had a beach house...

The possibilities are endless, but I would enjoy anything cool, calm and comfy. Textures of whites and creams with pops of color, green and blue tones especially. To roll out of bed for an early morning walk on the beach would be fantastic... I can keep dreaming!

Inspiration provided by Tom Scheerer, Country Living and Coastal Living

Coral Décor

Just a few fun finds I came across, inspired by the beautiful Coral Mirror that caught my eye. I may have already had my beach vacation, but the summer heat is here and August isn't over yet! 

1 :: Laura Kincade ~ Coral Mirror

2 :: Sethi & Sethi Collection ~ Coral Reef Table Runner

3 :: Posh Living ~ Atlantic Coral Stool

4 :: Ballard Designs ~ Venetian Coral Print

5 :: Plantation ~ Coral on Lucite Table Lamp

6 :: Pottery Barn ~ Coral Outdoor Lumbar Pillow

Invitation Design

What a gorgeous collection! I have been admiring Kristen's work for a long time and couldn't wait to feature her. Just a small sampling of designs presented here are from her pearl, cotton and letterpress collections. My favorites are the floral designs in all different styles, some ornate, others simplistic but they are all clean and sophisticated ~ and beautiful! 

Kristen Nichols is a letterpress printer and designer with her company, Milkmaid Press, along with a "luxury for less" Pearl Press line. Kristen is also a photographer with her other company, Jubilee Photography. Half of her work is wonderfully wedding related, the other half is the splendor of everyday life. "I feel lucky to love what I do and work from the comfort of pajamas, most days. I'm never without chocolate in some form, and my sidekick, Gracie, my grey and black tabby kitten."

The beach keeps calling!

Since I continue to be stuck in beach mode this week... I couldn't resist. A calming collection of my own pieces inspired by sandy beaches, white-capped waves of the green seas and clear blue sunny skies! Enjoy!

A weekend at the beach!

Back from my weekend at the beach on Block Island and missing it already ~ Here is a collection of sandy browns and aqua greens, a relaxing reminder!

1 :: Momiboutique ~ Carolina patchwork dress

2 :: White Twig ~ Perched Brown Linen Pillow

3 :: Smoobage ~ The Seaman’s Second Love

4 :: AliciaBock ~ Sing A Song of Miles

5 :: Surfandsand ~ All Washed up Necklace

6 :: PatinaQueen ~ Teal Patinaed Starfish

Chunky Turquoise on Etsy's Font Page!

A big "Thank you" to Matilou for featuring my Chunky Turquoise Necklace in her Etsy Treasury Curation. To be a part of such beautiful company! ~ What a wonderful surprise that it ended up on the front page yesterday.

Robert Ferrucci

I fell in love with Bob’s paintings at a craftsmanship show in Connecticut a few years ago. My jewelry booth was right across from his, so I spent the weekend admiring all his work. The show was hectic and clean-up went so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to pick up a piece. Luckily we both made it back to the show the following year so I am very happy to say that I have one of his prints hanging in the hallway of my new home!

Robert’s paintings translate the feeling and emotions that surround the subject, time and place. Peace, serenity and simplicity are mixed with strong landscapes, old homes, barns and faded images, combining soft quiet areas with a strong central image in a style called minimalist folk art. Influences from The Hudson Valley and New England area are played out by muted colors, diffused images and a primitive simplicity. Visit Robert’s web site and gallery to see more of his work.