BUTTERFLY LOVE

I was thumbing through my art pinterest board this morning and I happened to notice a trend - butterflies. Most of my friends will laugh at this post and nod their heads, but I guess I have a sub conscience attraction to butterflies. Is that too girly and totally generic? Oh well! If you remember, I snuck a framed one in my office gallery wall that I found at a local antique shop.

Along with tortoise shells and antlers, I think framed butterflies are very naturally chic! What do you think? Here are some of my favorite butterfly finds that I would love to see incorporated somewhere. 

 curious prints shop on etsy has tons of great science posters to frame

 this set of butterfly photographs would look awesome individually framed and matted in white - also from etsy

 Urban Outfitters Specimen Poster - so bold and colorful with an old school feel

this little guy is very similar to my antique shadowbox - found on etsy here

WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE?

Happy friday everyone! I can't believe it is all ready February and groundhog's day has come and gone once again. I don't know about you, but I am ready for Spring -- even though Phil did say we will have 6 more weeks of winter. Boo! I believe he could be wrong though considering we are having 60 degree days in mid January. 


Guess what is right around the corner?!? That's right, Valentine's Day. I don't have high expectations of Valentine's Day - I just like to think of it as a pleasant day to have my main man all to myself. He isn't a sappy, lovey-dovey type guy so I don't expect big pieces of jewelry, giant teddy bears holding balloons, or boxes of chocolate ... just a simple meal adorned with some flowers. [He also thinks that buying the flowers and delivering them himself is a much better deal than having them delivered by a stranger, ha!] 


Since our wedding anniversary is so close to V-Day we opted to cook in rather than competing against the rest of Bham to make dinner reservations (apparently you have to make reservations a year in advance!?!) and then we will enjoy a nice dinner out on the town for our one year. I have been thumbing through my pinterest recipes and favorite food sites and I believe I have decided to make a meal adapted from my friend Margot's anniversary dinner that she posted -- roasted rack of lamb, mushroom risotto, and asparagus with basalmic tomatoes! My co-worker made this same lamb recipe and said it was easy and delicious so I am going to try it out. 


And, if we aren't full off all that then I will make us these precious "cupcakes for two" for dessert. This way we can satisfy our sweet tooth and maintain our waistline by not having a dozen leftover! 

Like I said, I don't have high expectations of V-Day gifts, but if my hubby did want to surprise with me with something special and amazing ... I sent him this link to Lulie Wallace's commissioned wedding flower paintings. I found her shop several months ago and have been obsessed with her, but now I have noticed she is appearing everywhere! So, before her prices sky rocket I hope to own one of her fabulous quirky paintings. Here are a few of her recent commissioned paintings based on bride's bouquets:

What do you think? Do you have any V-Day gift or dinner suggestions?

MIRROR, MIRROR ...

leaning perfectly against the wall! 

Where, oh where can I find one of these gorgeous, french, antique, ornate, gold gilded, beautiful mirrors!?! Well, honestly I can probably find one, but the price would be the issue! So, I re-phrase my question - who, oh who would like to give me one of these for free? Or for a highly discounted price!?


I have been drooling over all these fabulous mirrors floating around pinterest. Do you sometimes think that pinterest teases you by making products you are lusting over pop up more and more on your feed!? I do! And, I know exactly where I would put one of these pups - in our master bedroom. We have an empty corner that could use a big filler object and a leaning mirror seems perfect. But, maybe one day! In the meantime, feel free to lust over these beautiful images too.

 I like how this one is caddy cornered in the room making the biggest statement possible!

 bone inlay gigantic mirror - wow! talk about fancy.

Any suggestions on where to find a reasonably priced leaning mirror!? Please share! I would owe you one!

all sources via my pinterest

DESIGN WORK: acoustic soup

I recently designed some marketing for a friend to help promote her organization's big benefit - Acoustic Soup. The event is this Thursday so I thought it was only appropriate to post a few pictures in hopes of gaining a few more supporters. I have heard that this is a great event with delicious soups, fun music, and all proceeds going towards a worthy cause. I am excited to attend for my first time! To learn more about the event or VSA Alabama  please visit their site. 

To parallel the creative work behind VSA Alabama, I used my calligraphy and watercolor imagery to tie it all together. The bifolds were printed on off white uncoated stock. If you are interested in any design work, please feel free to contact me!

STYLISH BOOKSHELVES

Hi all! Happy hump day! Now that the holidays have come and gone, I have new accessories and knick knacks just laying around the house waiting for a home. So, one design essential that I have been particularly seeking out lately is bookshelf styling. Sometimes I can just get so overwhelmed trying to perfectly arrange all my decor on bookshelves. I always feel like they look choppy - so, in an effort to help them look more cohesive, I have been keeping my eye out for inspiration photos and new trinkets to display!


I know I have posted about using yellow national geo magazines to decorate and covering old books, but here are some ways to decorate with variety!


First of all, love this black bookshelf - makes such a statement. And paired with the bold colors of the books and brass trinkets, it is perfection. 

I would consider this bookshelf organized clutter! Against the white walls, all the collected mementos add punches of color to this room and makes the space feel personable. 

Neutral books arranged organically ... but what draws me to this picture is the two petite frames to spice it up.

If you have lots of books and enjoy collecting them, this style may be for you! I am still trying to collect books so I definitely don't have enough to fill a bookshelf yet.

I know this picture has been floating around pinterest a ton, but I can't take my eyes off this one. I love the punches of blue amongst the shades of white and cream and you know I love the gold accents. All the objects are so different and contrast each other nicely that you never get bored.

Gosh ... I do love, love, love this bookshelf! It appears so casually decorated with the stacks of magazines and propped pictures, but someone obviously knew what they were doing. Maybe it is the fun, vibrant colors that draw me to this one, but whatever it is - I wish this could be in my house!

 via lonny mag

Could you color coordinate your books? Again, I don't have enough to do this, but I like this concept. And the gold mirror is such a nice touch!

all sources via my pinterest board

So, those are some of my current favs that I have saved for reference when I begin to overhaul our three bookshelves. They just seem so bland right now, but I hope to jazz them up soon. I am also in search for some more doo-dads to fill the shelves as well. Here are some pieces I have my eye on!

clear quartz votive holder - this would be perfect to place on top of some stacked books or under a cloche.

black lacquer boxes -  I could see two (or three!) of these stacked neatly on a shelf ... maybe topped with the quartz votive holder?

gold gilded blocks - you could spell out your initials, last name, or a simple word and use these as a topper

ceramic zebra - I am so tempted to order this for myself!

ceramic peacock - I like how these ceramic animals can add such variety and shape to structured bookshelves.  

gold gilded mirror - this would be a great, ornate mirror to hang off a shelf like in some of the inspiration images

And of course, beautiful books are easy solutions for decorating!

What are your "go to" places for finding filler objects? I need some new places to scour! Currently I search Anthropologie, Etsy, Zgallerie, High Street Market for unique and vintage finds ... plus some other brand name shops. Please share!