
Most of you know my latest obsession is with Scandinavian and Dutch design magazines, like vtwonen, and you know what they say about crack, once you start you can’t stop. Magazines intoxicate me. Especially European and Australian ones (at least lately).

Oh but wait. There are dozens of places with magazines of which I’ve not opened, smelled, lingered over (don’t you love magazine smell?), but dear friends I am young and there is time. :) I will find more magazines on this planet to desire and despite my inability to read most of them (I only read English and German), language barriers present no challenge gazing into gorgeous photos of styled spaces like the ones in this post from the recent issue of vtwonen. YUM.

vtwonen is a super stylish Dutch interiors magazine, I’ve waxed on about them here before, but a few days ago I found out that they have a brand new book called “Enjoy Your Home” and after looking at some sneak peeks in the October issue of their magazine, I decided that I must have it. I don’t *need* another design book, but you know how it goes.
And by the way, have you noticed that green and teal are all the rage for Fall this year along with various shades of white and gray with hints of silver and lilac? At least in interiors magazines and stores over here. It’s sublime – I love it. Grass green extends into Fall? How lovely!

Books are like shoes, you start collecting them and there’s really no need to stop. So I’m now circling like the Tasmanian devil trying to locate a copy online.

The ISBN number is 9789085743835 if you want to scour the web along with me, maybe one of us can find it from a vendor that ships to America.
(images from vt wonen)

UK-based artist Kate Sutton just posted a limited run of gocco prints that you may want to scoop up – the cuckoo clock is my favorite, but the pink tree is a close runner up for me… For the single girls out there, Free Bird is perfect don’t you think? :)
(images from kate sutton)

Maybe it’s the season or just a German thing, but I’ve been spotting a lot of garlands over here lately and I don’t know about you, but I love me some garland. Banners aren’t all about popcorn and pinecones!

There’s something exciting about a hand-crafted string of pretty things displayed somewhere in the home, it creates a festive mood. Whether displayed across a mantle, over a window, around a tabletop, they bring personality in, especially if you like to decorate according to a season or reason, or for a kid’s party or a theme party (hey, theme parties in all their tacky displays can be fun!). Here’s a few that I found on etsy and elsewhere, and remember, with some string and a little imagination, you can string up a pretty fantastic piece yourself – so you can either buy or DIY.
These were crafted by French etsy seller So*Sage (oh those French!).
A white felted banner from Chet and Dot is spooky but sweet.
A colorful fabric banner made from vintage linens by Jump Up And Down.
Nice has some crazy cute banners with pom-poms and such.
This girly floral banner from The Drawing Room is sweet too.
A simple search on the Martha Stewart craft website yieldsmany results sending you into garland heaven.
Small Stump has a few great ones, too. Faux bois fabulousness!Psst: Fond of maps? Learn how to create a garland using them via Hallmark magazine right here.
Looking for inspiration? Visit the Paper Crafts group on Flickr. Garlands also fit in great in Jeu de Paume inspired homes, too. :)
(top image from living etc.)

I’m busy working on the final touches for a few articles due tomorrow, but a girl needs a break! So I just hopped over to email and read a! very! enthusiastic! post! from Bradford, a decor8 reader who sang the praises of Ilee Papergoods and her calendars, “She’s been doing these AMAZING letterpressed (and this year a bit of silkscreen) calendars for years and they just keep getting better. A number of the inserts are even hand-painted/embellished! I don’t know how she does it?”. Okay Bradford, you’ve sold me…

I think all this exposure to Australian artists via Etsy has been a great learning experience for me, as I’d not been exposed to design down under much at all until design blogs and etsy popped up.

I love the crafts and art from this beautiful country, I’m always searching Etsy for Aussie artists because I am drawn to their design aesthetic every time – it’s so modern and fresh. One shop I check often is Tsk Tsk, have you heard of it? This lady is crazy for Russian nesting dolls, she features them in nearly all of her work lately and I love seeing how she translates a popular design motif into art, cushions, and other cutie things. I first heard about her last summer and have enjoyed watching her online adventures with Etsy grow and prosper.
Enjoy!
(images from tsk tsk)























