I’ve long thought that one of the best gifts to give a new home owner is an original painting (or drawing) of their home. It’s even nice for a new shop owner. Don’t you think this is so sweet and personal? Someday when I decide to dig deep into my pockets and purchase a nest of my own, I’d love to have an artist like James Keniston pull something together for me. I love this San Francisco home in pink, and since some of us can only dream of living in a painted lady then it’s beautiful as a print to display in our non-pink home. :)

James earned his Bachelors degree in Fine Art from the Bath Spa University in England but has since relocated to Orange, California where he works as a painter in addition to other artistic pursuits like photography, video and sculpture. You can learn more about his work here on his website and you can purchase some of these lovely homes to adorn your walls right here. He also maintains a fine blog called Artist’s Journey.

(images: james keniston)

I just love the art of paper crafts, don’t you? It all started for me when I first picked up my pair of scissors as a little girl and started making paper dolls with my mother. Though I never grew up to become an accomplished artist or rock star crafter, I do take pride in my crafty creations. I love the experience of learning and doing and in the end, that great feeling of accomplishment once a project is complete. I always admire those who are super detail-oriented because that’s one thing I’m not when it comes to paper crafts, I usually do not spend hours laboring on a single project — I like to create and move on to something different due to my relatively short attention span and overflowing curiosity. I admire those who have the patience to perfect a single design, no matter how much time it takes, it’s inspiring because I lack the gene called extreme patience.

Denise Sharp, owner of Studio d.Sharp, is a visual artist with a fine arts degree in both printmaking and sculpture and seems to possess the gene that I lack. She makes and seems to perfect so many lovely things, collecting ideas and items then pulling them together to form something lovely to sell in her small specialty shop online under the same name. Her Eiffel Tower boxes are magical (Marry Me!) and I especially enjoy the buckle and ribbon technique used to secure and embellish a pretty gift – what a fantastic idea that I want to try making at home myself because I could easily commit to that given that it appears to be a pretty quick project to pull together. Have you ever tried it?

(image: studio d.Sharp)