What a wild and crazy day! I’ve been so busy but couldn’t wait until this moment when I would sit down before my computer and talk to you. I really love connecting with you each day through this blog, it really keeps me going… Especially now as I’m living in a totally new country — I find I need my blog more than ever because the connections I make online give me so much positive energy and motivation to get things done.
So, how are you doing today? All is well in my corner, I’ve been a bit nutty with my schedule this week and tomorrow I will go to see a property I’ve had my eye on for a second viewing… and my husband is coming with me this time (he sends me out for the first rounds knowing how particular I am, so this makes it easier for him!). I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of what I’ve found… If he likes it I will be jumping up and down. If he doesn’t, well… I’ll move on to the next property and perhaps it will be even better. I always say, Thorsten knows best and 99.9% of the time, he does.
And though I’ve just moved here, since we are living in our vacation apartment which was never meant to be a place of full-time residence, I’m already feeling cramped and ready for my own home office space again so I want to move soon. Working at the dining room table is very demotivating as I’m not one who can easily focus like this and finding space to take photos is also a challenge. I do so much better locked away inside of a room alone! Plus I want my mommy! I am dying for her to come stay with us and she’ll need a bedroom because I’m hoping to host her for at least a month next Spring or Summer. Oh I can’t wait to have her see my world here… Our big appointment is tomorrow afternoon, so we shall see! But I tell you this… when we move I will not be going anyway after that for a long, long time. You know this feeling, right? You just burn out from packing, unpacking, packing, unpacking. After the next move, I’ll be done for about 100 years. :)
So what shall we talk about today? Well I want to first and foremost thank Carolin for interviewing me for her article, Zeig her Deine Zimmer: Wohn-Communitys und Home-Style Blogs, all about design blogs that appeared today in a German newspaper called Badische Zeitung. It was fun to have an interview with a journalist here, and I like how the article turned out. It was in the newspaper this morning and online too so it’s great exposure for decor8 in Germany, that’s for sure!
I’ll be back soon with some things to blog about… stay tuned! :)
(image: holly becker for decor8)
Stop whatever it is that you are doing. Just stop. :) Now slowly scroll down and take in all of this gorgeousness because let me tell you, the Milly design studio of fashionista Michelle Smith as featured in the gorgeous pages of Traditional Home magazine will have you inspired.
What a fantastic workspace, and furthermore, what gorgeous clothing — my goodness I need Michelle to make over my wardrobe quick! I want one of everything. If only my wallet would allow for such luxury. But the eye candy that is her work studio in Manhattan has my eyes bulging at the moment. That light! That space! That view! And all of that white with bright, fruity colors! Can it be that my dream studio does exist, because um… I think I just found it.
“I wanted my studio to reflect the style of Milly–clean, smart, sexy, and glamorous,” says Michelle, creator of polished designs with exuberant dashes of unexpected hues that have flattered the figures of celebrities such as Thandie Newton, Kelly Ripa, Anne Hathaway, and Beyoncé Knowles. – Traditional Home.
Well Michelle, you’ve nailed the look. From the sexy Sputnik chandelier to that fancy pants sofa, how could anyone not feel inspired in a space like this? What do you think? You can read all about Michelle’s style tips over on the Traditional Home website so please, go check it out!
(photographs: Squire Fox for Traditional Home)
Hello friends and welcome to another week of Etsy finds, I think you’ll be inspired by at least one of these great sellers today! I’m excited to share with you these five shops in particular because they’re all relatively new finds for me too so I share your excitement. From screen prints to portraits, scarves to gorgeous wooden things for your kitchen, there’s a little something for everyone!
First up is print maker Dee Beale in the UK. Her screen prints, which feel very Scandinavian to me, are just lovely!
I am so happy to learn that Lisa DeJohn now has an Etsy shop. Her illustrative work is so fun and full and detail and imagination… The ducks rowing totally remind me of the Charles River in Boston in front of Harvard. I wonder if this is what inspired her work?
Yokoo Scarves & Accessories will keep you warm and cozy on crisp evenings… These are utterly gorgeous and most can be custom made in any color of your liking.
I found out about Art by Elizabeth Bauman over on Victoria’s blog this week. These portraits are just great! Good find, Victoria and so very, very you! Please see Victoria’s portrait collection from various artists over her sofa for a little decorating inspiration.
Gorgeous, organic wood things for the home by Nature Design… The cups are amazing, I cannot stop looking at them! I imagine an interiors stylist or still life/food photographer could do something really neat with all of these gorgeous goodies.
(images linked to sellers above)
Today I feel inspired by the soft watercolors of London-based Australian illustrator Donna Huddleston. From costume and set design to now a fine artist, Donna has experimented with a number of interests landing her on what appears to be her most successful to date: her delicate, enchanting works of art. Her drawings have a distinct fairytale feel with futuristic elements woven in, like each character could be on stage or behind a camera posing, twirling, pretending… then fading into your imagination as you exit, their story popping up randomly throughout various parts of the day that follows. How I would love to own one of her pieces and I wish so badly that she would release limited edition prints because the painting in the lower right corner below… well it would be proudly displayed in my home!
Like you, there are many artists that I often dream of either meeting in person or attending an exhibit of their work and Donna is one of them — I’d love to see her illustrations up close and personal. If you could curate a gallery show, who would you select to partake? My dream is to curate a show, despite that I guess I already do it virtually on a daily basis. What I’m saying is, something live – because most of my work is concentrated online and I crave to do more in-person with people who inspire and motivate me because I would prefer more of a balance in this respect. I tasted the experience a little when my own work was part of an exhibition in New Hampshire once where I wrote a declaration of interdependence and I co-curated a show in Los Angeles, but never have I had the opportunity to curate an entire show on my own… How fun!
Tell me, are you fond of a particular artist at the moment? Have you been to any inspiring gallery shows lately and found a new favorite?
(images: donna huddleston)
Today I’m thinking that I’d love to own everything in the Little Circus shop… I love that all of their products inspire curiosity and an appreciation for the small, the handmade, the lovely. All items are made by crafters and artists worldwide — mostly small ateliers churning out pretty things by hand. I currently see a trend in thinking out there that also inspires me personally — the trend of thinking small. Not in terms of dreams and goals, but in terms of doing 5 things exceptionally well vs. 100 things not so well. I notice this increasingly becoming popular as it relates to how we work and live. It is better to be small and really good at what you do, filling a niche that is unique to you – to be a giant in your field but not a corporate giant or some massive brand. I appreciate and respect those who have chosen to stay small, focused and grounded.
In addition to those writing books and producing beautiful magazines, designing clothes that make us drool, and food show hosts that get us in front of the stove and off of the sofa, this is a shout out to the smaller makers out there who may not be “known” in terms of being a household name like Jamie Oliver or Donna Hay or Martha Stewart. I respect the small zine authors and self-publishers and makers who are motivated so very deeply by their passions — those processing orders at midnight as their little ones sleep (Jenna!) and those producing interesting content that is authentic (Nichole!), and others who work so diligently to create something with a personal stamp on it (Lena! Tara! Alex! Mati! Lisa!Jason! Kelly-Rae! and also to my dedicated friends making and writing and encouraging our online community in so many countless ways). There is a human being attached to the products and/or services these great people offer. There is heart. And if you are one who makes something and wonders if anyone cares, if it all really matters, let me tell you right now. It does matter. You matter. In fact, people like YOU inspire me and so many others. I wouldn’t author this blog if I didn’t appreciate all makers despite size or popularity. Like Little Circus for instance — a shop with heart & soul which makes it a very special place to find very special things. Please have a look around… There is definitely a good vibe within their shop full of treasures…
And so I’m thinking that this week, in my Talk It Out column, we’ll discuss the value in focusing on smaller batches, less is more thinking, the trend of being small but great vs. big and overbearing. Not that big is always overbearing but there was a trend that made people think for many years that ruling the world was the ultimate goal. I’m suggesting otherwise. So think over this topic until Thursday when I post Talk It Out and we’ll discuss it then. You have a few days to let this idea simmer and stew. Sound like a plan?
(images: little circus)
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