Happy Weekend!

I am sure glad that today is Friday!  I have a fun weekend plan with attending a friend's wedding this evening and going to the Farmer's Market tomorrow with my mom and maybe sneaking in a showing of Inception (I hear it's a great movie)!  What do you have planned for the weekend?  Doing something indoors to stay cool I hope.

Image: butterflyfoodie

blue moss jewelry

Another one of my favorite jewelry designers on etsy is blue moss by Michelle Taylor.  I've loved Michelle's designs for a couple of years now and am always amazed at how she puts together the pieces she makes, just from vintage finds.  Michelle uses vintage brooches, belt buckles, beads and other kitsch to construct her necklaces, bracelets and earrings.  Here are a few of my favorite pieces that are available in her shop right now.  Doesn't she do a great job of constructing the pieces in an interesting way?  You can find blue moss on her website, shop and blog.

Images: blue moss

Lilimandrill Custom Stamps

My etsy favorite feature today is a fun craft accessory that would be perfect for personalizing stationary or invitations.  They are personalized face stamps from lilimandrill.  Lilimandrill makes these stamps by taking a picture of your face, making a hand-drawn rendering of that picture, then she carves that drawn picture into a piece of rubber and there you have it! Your very own face in a stamp!  A perfect rubber stamp to personalize those wedding invitations, stationary or just to have for fun projects.  You can find lilimandrill at her shop or her website.

Images: lilimandrill

Elephantine

Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite jewelry designers on etsy.  Lately, I've been in love with the delicate work of Elephantine and have noticed that a lot of other blogs have too.  Rachel's pieces are simple, but elegant and they are items that you can wear with any outfit.  They are mainly silver and gold with some hints of color, but for the most part they are neutral in nature.  I'm sure you'll agree that her pieces are timeless.  You can find more of Elephantine's pieces at her shop or visit her at her blog.

Images: Elephantine

Janet Hill Studio

This morning I was going through some of my etsy favorites and I came across Janet Hill Studio.  If you haven't seen Janet's work, then you are in for a treat.  Her pieces are a mixture of vibrantly painted portraits of women and still life's of every day activities and home design.  Her original art is done in oils but then she reproduces many of her pieces in giclee prints on watercolor type paper.  I hope to eventually purchase one of her pieces for my bedroom.  The colors that she uses are very calming and I love the subjects that she chooses to paint.  Here are a few of her pieces and you can find her at her website, blog, shop, and on twitter.

Images: Janet Hill Studio

The Holiday's English Cottage

My friend Melanie and I were talking the other day about how much we love the movie The Holiday.  We love the little stone cottage named Rosehill in the quaint English village and we have both decided we want to own it.  Did you know that they built the cottage just for the movie and that it isn't really an actual house?  It's just frame with curtains and a wreath.

They built each of the rooms on a stage lot where they filmed the majority of the interior shots. Designer James Radin did an amazing job decorating and he made it quaint and homey.  Doesn't it make you want to put on a kettle of water for tea and curl up with a good book?  This lovely stone cottage is exactly what I want in an English home one day.  Oh to dream...

Images: James Radin

Light & Airy

I've been in the mood for light & airy houses lately.  I can't seem to get enough of them.  This house for instance, is all about natural light and openness.  Maybe it's because I've been very busy at work lately that I've needed the calmness of the homes I've been eyeing recently.  Who knows...  I do know though that when the day comes that I own my own home, it will be filled with LOTS of natural light.  What do you think of this home?  Wouldn't it be a good place for a calm, relaxing vacation?

Images: Bolig Magasinet

HRM Queen Elizabeth Stamp

This week I am coveting this poster of a stamp of Queen Elizabeth II from Sixx Design.  This would be an amazing addition to my living room and would help to quench my thirst for some England in my life right now.

Image: Sixx Design

Painted Tree

I saw this amazing picture of a Rainbow Eucalyptus this morning over on the Free People blog.  Aren't these trees amazing and so colorful!  I would love to have a bevy of these in my backyard.

Image: Free People

Danish Country Cottage

Every summer since the summer of 1999, when I went on a month-long trip to Europe, I've been longing to return and visit the many of the places I saw that first trip.  There are a few places that I was not able to visit and one of those places is Denmark.  I would especially love to visit Denmark during the summer months when the temperatures are in the mid 50's and 60's and when I could stay in a home like this one.  Wouldn't this Danish country cottage be the perfect place to relax and enjoy and peaceful afternoon?  It definitely gets my vote!  I hope you have a great weekend and are able to do a bit of relaxing too.

Images: Katrine Martensen-Larsen

Turquoise Pumps

I have been in need of some cute shoes for a while now and when I saw these three pairs over at Nordstrom, I knew that I was headed in the right direction.  Even though the prices on these three babies are on the higher side of my budget, it might be nice to invest in a good cute pair of heels.  What do you think?  Aren't these turquoise pumps beautiful?

Images: Nordstrom: Jump 'Bess' Wedge Pump, Jump 'Bianca' Pump, and Jump 'Bounce' Pump

Colorful Dresses

I love this shot of colorful dresses I saw yesterday via Black*Eiffel.  They featured a shot of yellows, pinks and oranges but my favorite is this shot of blues and greens.  What a great way to organize your space.

Image: Style Bubble via Black*Eiffel

Mike Miller for West Elm

Lately, West Elm has been partnering with various designers to offer budget friendly accessories for the home.  I recently purchased a PATCH NYC thistle plate and am now contemplating one of these framed silhouette pieces by Mike Miller.  I love the bigger group piece but think maybe a smaller one would fit best on my 'art wall.'  What do you think?  Do you like the pairings that West Elm has had lately?  Have you purchased any of these pieces?

Images: West Elm

summer inspiration

Today's photographs are inspired by the hotness of summer that we are all feeling here in the US.  It hasn't been too humid down here in the south lately, but I have a feeling that won't last for long!  Here are a few shots of summer that I love.  Bike riding, enjoying the beach and the beautiful scenes of nature.  I hope you all have a great weekend!

Images: 1. YNTL  2. reiko+  3. BisyBackson  4. unknown but pinned from catascraft

love my dog...

I love this letterpress print from etsy seller tagteamtompkins.  It showcases a quote to live by and I like the look of the woman in vintage clothing and her Scottie dog on a leash.  This would be a good piece to purchase and hang next to my new Notre Dame Rose window print I finally got framed last week!

Image: tagteamtompkins

Relaxing

I am taking today off; relaxing at the pool with friends and then grilling out and making homemade ice cream!  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  I might even sneak in another showing of my current favorite movie!

Image: sfgirlbybay

Happy Independence Day!

I hope you have a great Independence Day today and a wonderful July 4th holiday.  Use this time to celebrate the freedoms we have here in America and the things we take for granted.  Also use this time to be thankful for your family and friends and the blessings that God has given you.  I hope you also eat a lot of yummy food, listen to some rousing Patriotic songs and get blown away (not literally) by some amazing fireworks displays.

I plan on spending this day with my family and performing with a local community band in a July 4th concert, followed by fireworks.  See you back here next week!

Image: inchmark

ethanollie

Today I wanted to share with you one of my favorite vintage sellers on etsy.  Ethanollie has a great array of vintage items from bottles, baskets and flower pots to oil paintings and old linens.  It's a great shop to spend some time searching for a fun knick knack or an interesting piece that you had never thought of owning before.  I've got my eye on the white Bakelite doorbell below...

Images: ethanollie