which way did he go?

Good morning all!

A lot of times an arrow will tell you a direction to go. But when you see these arrows, you won't want to go anywhere—except maybe a step back to get a better view of their wonderfulness.

arrows

The handmade print, "arrows," is for available to purchase here on PerlaAnne's etsy shop.

As originally seen as a part of this post on Design*Sponge.

one for the ensemble

Good evening all!
I have to share this lovely set of accessories with you all, the three of them pulled together by one main piece: the necklace. Enjoy! The go shopping?

 

{#1} la vie en rose tulle necklace ($45) at White Owl on etsy 

{#2} Tea Rose ring ($10) at lizhutnick on etsy

{#3} Vintage Gloria Vanderbilt White Kitten Heels With Steel Toe Covers ($48) at LexieMonsterVintage on etsy

dining, quaintly

Good morning all!
These chairs are so simple, so characteristic, and just perfectly quaint. That aged-seafoam green is on the top of my color pallet this year.

French dining room, originally uploaded by decorology.

See more of decorology's photographs on flicker or at their blog.

only seems appropriate...

Good evening all!
I'm really liking this Mr and Mrs Cardinal print set ($20) on berkleyillustrations' Etsy shop. In their little outfits, it makes you wonder what all of those birds could have been...

Mr and Mrs Cardinal print set by berkleyillustrations Image copyright Ryan Berkley Illustration.

 

 Also check out Ryan Berkley's blog and flickr library. 

too adorable not to share

Good day all! My boyfriend showed me this amazingly adorable video and I just had to repost it for you all! I love dogs like no other, and this is just too cute watching these two play together. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.




See where I found the video here.

a time for tea

Tea Time, originally uploaded by lovelikenew.

Good morning all! Nothing sounds better for breakfast than some tea and a cupcake. My sweet tooth kicks in early...
See more photos by lovelikenew on flickr.

dusty electronics be gone!

Good evening all!

I just spent the last hour looking through my box o' tronics and I found three old, nonworking cell phones. Talk about collecting! I haven't used my old Blackberry Pearl for at least 3 years now.

What inspired me to look through these old gadgets was a tiny tidbit in this last Sunday's Chicago Tribune Sunday section, Get cash for you old gadgets.

I checked out three of the recommended sites that offer cash for your old electronics, and fared pretty well considering two of the three cell phones I have are not in working condition. In total, I will get back $32 for all three phones once I send them in, and shipping is free. I got the best price from Green ebay, where I will send two of the phones, and am selling one phone to Buytronics.

I know $32 isn't a whole lot of money, but it's free money to me since these things have just been sitting around in a shoe box for months to years, traveling with me from place to place, when I have no need for them. And it's not all that easy to find an electronics recyclers in the area. Plus, I don't have to drive anywhere! I just have to print out a shipping label and send these old phones on their merry way to a new life.

So if you are like me and are trying to simplify your life in 2011, I suggest you do a little closet purge yourself and check out that article for some tips to get you started.

it's a cold and blustery day

08Dec14 03 PattyJewettSnow, originally uploaded by Lilguillermo.

Good morning all! Just wanted to drop a quick hello this morning as I have a busy day and evening ahead of me and may not get done what I am hoping to finish.

It is going to be cold, cold, and more cold all this week and probably even longer. I found this photo on flickr by Lilguillermo and it really expresses what it feels like right now, except the snow is still to come.

So everyone get ready to bundle up and face the cold head on! Just try not to let it bring you down.

spice rack attack!

Good day all!

While searching for spices for dinner tonight—and note, I did say searching—I thought, there must be a better way to organize this containers!

My pitiful spice shelf

There's baking powder with kosher salt, curry powder with a meat rub, and other unknown spices just thrown in where ever they can fit. And they're all in different bottles from different brands, nothing matching or coordinating.

What I want is something, clean, something simple, and something that will transfer from kitchen to kitchen as my mind and taste change, and as I move.

Neil Cohen's Twist Spice Rack—MCA Store

This little number I found at the MCA Store in my home town, Chicago. While it is $200, and quite a bit (okay...more like a mile) out of my price range, I like that it rotates on that beautiful wood base. The chrome and black, a staple color for most of my designs, is easy to wipe clean, which is important as I tend to get messy in the kitchen.

15-Jar Tiered Spice Rack—Crate&Barrel

The hottest item for my wallet is this lovely spice rack—an actual rack, with shelves!—from Crate&Barrel. With 15 slots for spice jars, it's more than enough for what I cook up in the kitchen. And at $39.99 for the entire set-up, plus only $2.50 to replace any broken spice jars that I might clumsily break...it's almost a steal. But it only gets better. C&B offers free refills on the spices for up to 5 years. Kudos, C&B!

totemspice® rack by purposedesign

I have to say that this lovely, sleek, wall-mounted totemspice® rack by purposedesign on etsy.com has to be my favorite find. It's so simple, seems very easy to install, and perfect for that awkward opening between the oven range and the microwave, if you have that common set-up like I do. It's also affordable at $59.99.

The containers are pre-filled with spices—all of which are carefully chosen by the shop owner in her local area of Montreal, Canada. She really puts a lot of thought and effort into her design as well as content, which is truly appreciated.


As a note, I will be moving in just a few weeks from now, so I am trying to hold back on any major purchases until I find a new place and know what I'm getting into. However, this is something major on my long shopping list and I will soon let you know what I decide to go with!

creativity is up!

Good evening all! Today I came across this interesting article at Dexigner, Creative Economy Report 2010: Creative Industries Are Stimulating Economic Recovery. This is fantastic to see in cold, hard numbers everyone.

I am very fortunate that I live in a great city and country that allows me such a privilege to freely express and expand my creative growth, but there are so many others that do not have this luxury. But this report says that growing cities "are using the concept of 'creative cities' to design urban development strategies for reinvigorating growth with focus on culture and creative activities." It's nice to know that our efforts are not being ignored, and on a global level at that.

Another huge take away from the article is that the "demand for creative goods may resume its previous brisk growth, as people seem eager for products and services linked to culture, social events, entertainment, and leisure." I am one of those people! I am eager for this, and I can see it happening already! I mean, how many of you got a hand-made gift this holiday season, or for your last birthday or anniversary? I bet there are very few that can say they did not. That's just more proof that we, as consumers, and artists alike, are supporting this fabulous niche in full force.

green crafting: gift tags from used cards and notes

Good evening all! And a Happy New Year too! I hope everyone was able to celebrate the dawn of the new year with your loved ones and that you all made it to twenty-eleven safely. I know I had a great time last night. What was interesting was we did the count down three times in a row... It seemed that there was a bit of an echo at the party I attended. : )

When I got home today, I spent some time going through all of my wonderful Christmas gifts and putting them away or getting them ready for some good use. While doing this, I came across some holiday cards that I wasn't sure that I wanted to keep, or it was just time to retire them from display in our home. Instead of tossing the cards into the recycling bin, I thought of a better way to keep the cards going for another time! (Okay, I actually have to give credit to my step-mom here, because I think she's been doing this for years and it just finally was time for me to follow her trend. Thanks!)

Not only did I have holiday cards, but thank-you notes and a wedding invitation.

1. Cards in original state

The holiday cards and thank-you cards had writing on the inside, so I had to take that into account when deciding what elements would work best as a stand-alone tag. Then, I cut the cards down into smaller pieces, about the size you see on a purchased gift bag with attached tag.

2. Cut-up cards, now gift tags!

I folded some and left some flat, and I punched a hole in each of them to string ribbon or string through to attach to the future gift.

3. Finished gift tag with ribbon

Now I have gift tags at hand for any occasion! 

Just keep collecting cards thoughout the year, and after they have seen their day, add them to your new gift tag collection.