I love a good positive message now and then because, though it may seem on my blog that I’m all rainbows and unicorns the truth is, I have moments when I want to throw stuff at my computer screen. Let’s face it, as much as we freelancers love to well, freelance we still face the same emotions in our home offices as we once did in our corporate ones. And today, I felt one of those moments when I came home from a fabulous ladies luncheon only to realize how much work laid before me and after all that fun with the girls, how little motivation I felt to actually DO any of it.

And when you work from home you have to continuously pull from the deepest part of yourself to stay motivated and on top of things. In a traditional work environment, you usually have people physically in your face to remind you that there is work to do. At home, alone, you can simply shut your laptop and THEY ALL MAGICALLY GO AWAY. Poof! And some days, like this afternoon, I shut my laptop. Hard. And it felt good. I went out and bought a very tall, very vanilla, very delicious latte and circled around on foot a bit aimless for about 30 minutes to sort of burn off how truly unmotivated I felt.

Then when I was less of a crab with a serious case of poor me, I returned home, opened my laptop and the motivation and joy returned because a few of my friends who I think must be psychic, sent some hilarious emails and well… those positive messages made everything that was black feel very, very light and white again. The rainbows and unicorns are back in my heart. :) And so, here are some positive messages in the form of pop art for you today from The Poster List.

Enjoy!

(the poster list)

If this doesn’t inspire paper lovers out there, I fear nothing will. Jayme McGowan of Roadside Projects in California is an amazingly gifted artist and 3D illustrator known and loved for her intricately cut paper and whimsical characters who, lucky for us, makes some of her originals into inexpensive prints available here online. You may even be lucky enough to find a few gorgeous originals.

As I look through these I cannot help but to imagine seeing her work turned into pop-up books based on her magical visions or even bigger, life-size theater sets or stop motion animation. Of course, her art is simply lovely as is, but it can’t help but make one dream which is what makes her work so special — you cannot help but look at it and see movement, stories and well, life!

(images: jayme mcgowan)

Ready for a book review? I’ve been dying to share this one because I’m guessing anyone who pairs old with new and who has a thing for feminine bohemian style must have a crush on Emily Chalmers. Right? Emily is a London-based author, stylist and the shop owner of Caravan who has a brand new book set to release on February 28th that you simply must get your hands on. It is called Cheap Chic published by Ryland Peters & Small. Here are a few views of my personal copy from the publisher. Want to take a peek?

If you loved Flea Market Style then I highly suggest Cheap Chic. It is soft bound, so it’s easy to toss in your work bag and flip through during your commute or in a cafe during lunch. It is also accessible in that it gives you tons of inexpensive advice on how to create a distinctively stylish home by explaining how to mix things that you already own with flea market treasures and chain store finds.

My dream kitchen shown above.

The first part of the book, The Elements, discusses pattern, color, fabrics, window coverings and furniture. There are also sections on storage, display, lighting, flooring, accessories and materials used indoors. Then you begin the next part, The Spaces, which features chapters on cooking, eating, relaxing, sleeping and bathing areas and home work spaces. A lot is covered but thankfully it doesn’t feel overwhelming because there is a equal mix of imagery and words to keep it flowing from page to page without moments of zone out or the feeling of giving up and moving on to the next decorating book.

In fact, this is one of the few recent titles that I want to finish reading because the author seemed to “get” that most people who love decorating books do not want to read detailed explanations and long-winded personal opinions in every single paragraph. It’s uncomplicated, straight forward, no-frills, and not a dose of smugness. Emily shows that money does not buy style and that budget interiors are nothing to be ashamed of – in fact, it is a badge of honor when you use intuitive and style to create a budget-conscious home that is also style-conscious.

Cheap Chic was photographed by one of my favorite interiors photographers, Debi Treloar, so each of the 200 photos are light-filled and composed expertly. It’s important to note that I’ve not already seen the homes featured in other books or magazines already. My biggest complaint with decorating books is that some tend to recycle what has already been published, almost relying solely on stock photos, so the result is too often a book that you open and instantly feel like you’d seen it already — and it feels about as fresh as last week’s headlines. Cheap Chic, at least in my opinion, seems to have paid attention to ensuring photography and homes were fresh and interesting.

So that’s my little review of my new favorite book. But I’m not finished yet as there is a terrific quote I must share. When the author opened with words from Andree Putman I knew I was a fish in her net, “[To have] style is to see beauty in modest things”. Amen.

Disclaimer: I’m an Amazon affiliate and earn 4% on the sale of this book if purchased through this link.

(images: holly becker for decor8)

I’ve been thinking lately a lot about minimalistic organic white ceramics and how I naturally gravitate towards them when I’m out shopping. And more recently, I’ve been dreaming of white and gold ceramics and jewelry and I’m not sure where this obsession stems from. Then I remembered Up in the Air Somewhere which is Chicago-based designer and artist Susan Dwyer because she uses some white and gold in her work…

Susan makes some of the most stunning papier mache and ceramic vessels and spoons… and because she does not use molds, no two pieces are alike making them each display subtle differences from the last. This isn’t helping to tame my desire for all things white and gold… :) So, so pretty.

On a personal note, I’ve been wanting to paint things white with gold trim and I’ve set my sights on some pear-shaped wood coasters that I have and a brooch that I’ll have to work on later this week to satisfy my curiosity.

What about you, do you have any particular obsessions lately?

(photos: Ben Syverson)

It’s time to highlight some of my personal favorites over at Etsy this week! Today I have an eclectic mix for you, a little something for all starting with art that has heart, then moving on to pom pom headbands (you’ll see!), sweet fabrics, crafty finds and wrapping up with some pretty sweet prints by (surprise!) a guy – let’s face it, the ladies tend to dominate over at Etsy so when I find a guy with a great shop I usually do a little woot! woot! dance in my seat. Have fun!

Love is in this air with Sarah + Bendrix from the UK. Don’t these look like something you’d find in some amazing London flat in Livingetc magazine or something? Love these. And best part, they look great on display long after February 14th.

Maranon is amazing! Her knit and hand embroidered accessories are edgy and bold. Imagine wearing this pom pom headband? I can’t, but it’s very cool, especially for fashion shoots, runway, or if you’re hosting a fun cocktail party at home – it would be a riot to see what your friends think when you answer the door with giant pom poms on your head which remind me a bit of a mouse. Really sweet. The necklaces on the other hand, I would totally wear. Some of these would be great with a black turtleneck, some skinny jeans and a pair of caramel leather boots.

On the prowl for fabrics that are sweet and colorful, perhaps for crafts or the bedroom of your little one? Scarlet Fig by fabric designer Laurie Wisbrun sells her own original designs available to ship worldwide — fabrics and pillow covers are available.

Littleclouds is from the UK but recently moved to Hong Kong on a little adventure where she crafts all things cute from paper and fabric. You can’t help but notice her slight nod to her English roots in her products — and I like that. Her tea bag coasters are screen printed onto cork and are a personal favorite of mine.

I haven’t shared work from Carving My Initials in awhile so in case you’d not read about him before, here is your chance to be exposed to some gorgeous lines and shapes – these are prints made from original paintings by artist Jim DeLucia in Rochester, New York.

(images linked to their sources above)

Australian photographer Jillian Leiboff recently visited ici et la, a store in Surry Hills Sydney that is known as a source for stylists because it stocks lovely French finds both new and old. I’ve spotted their name in some of the Australian magazines that I subscribe to, so when Jillian offered to share her visit with decor8 readers today I grabbed at the chance to take a peek inside of their new Nickson Street location. Maybe as you review the images below you can look for the shop dog… easy to find and so cute!

From lighting to vintage linens, signs and toys you can find so many things to bring back to your nest. At least if you live in Australia. For the rest of us, we can simply look upon this beautiful store and do a little window shopping and dream of Spring when we can find similar things at a flea market near to home.

What caught your eye? I love the striped fabrics and the ribbons the most, but the linens and vintage books stacked neatly tied with a bow really appeal to my romantic side.

Thank you Jillian for sharing your photos with us, I wish I had a Jillian in every city of the world sharing shop tours, this is always such a treat for me! Thanks again!!!

(images: jillian leiboff)

Let’s dive into the week with the inspiring work of photographer Anitta Behrendt who lives in Copenhagen whom I found back in September 2008 in German decorating magazine Living & More (blogged here).

I recently saw her on someone’s tumblr site and now I cannot remember who… but anyway if you read design magazines in this part of the world chances are you may be quite familiar with her work already. And if not, perhaps seeing these photos today will be a fresh glimpse into some very lovely interiors shot by a talented lady who makes beautiful rooms even more radiant. While peeking through the photos shown please be on the look out for buttons hand sewn onto a sofa. You’ll want to run home and duplicate the look!

With turquoise being the “it” trend color for 2010, some of these rooms may even give you a few ideas on ways to introduce it into your home if you don’t already have this breezy blue… one of my favorite colors. Especially since you will likely find it readily available in most stores so if you’re out shopping it should be easy to find.

How can you bring turquoise into the home? You can paint an accent piece, like a cabinet, bookcase or table in turquoise, even something smaller like a picture frame or a stool. Or if you’d like to be subtle, paint the inside of a cabinet with glass doors and inside, place all of your china and/or white porcelain so that the white really jumps out from the turquoise background. You can add a print from Etsy to your walls which lots of turquoise in it, or look for solid or patterned throw pillows to toss on the sofa or bed. Even glass bottles and vases, or pots, turquoise is nice as a bold statement or as a simple accent. You can even use clothes, jewelry and handbags as decorative accessories so pull out those turquoise beads and place them on a hook over your dresser. It goes with so many other colors from red to black, yellow to green, and looks especially nice with chocolate brown though I tend to prefer it with white and black and a touch of lilac and pale lime. In my home, I use turquoise in all of my rooms as an accent, for instance my taper candles are a light shade and my candle holders are white and silver.

Aren’t these rooms beautiful? I hope that you’ll take a moment today to look at Anitta’s online portfolio where you can be exposed to more of her lush interiors. Some days I just want to move to Copenhagen because I’ve not been and for a small city it certainly seems to have a lot of talent living there… Perhaps I’ll drive up this Spring or take the ICE. I need a mini break and I just have to see this city to believe all the hype for myself. Since moving to northern Germany I’m exposed to Danish life + culture so much more, time to get up there and shake a tail feather! Ha ha! Does anyone even say that anymore? I feel so behind with American slang it isn’t even funny!

Anyway, enjoy Anitta and I’ll be back with more goodies in a few…

(images: anitta behrendt)

Thank you for joining me on decor8 this week, as always it was nice to play hostess and share inspiration and ideas with you. I have so much going on this weekend, including another place to go see (we’re searching for a new flat) and a lovely little local ladies meeting here in my neighborhood with some designers I admire as I’m baking an idea that I want to share with them to promote creativity and design locally. And to get me in the mood for Spring, I went out and bought some flowers at the market, though tulips are all I could find and a few sprigs or this and that, but they make me happy so I went with them again… I tried to create a little Spring in my home this morning, and thankfully the sunshine is helping me out.

I also have materials to write for week two of the class that I am teaching and a podcast to record, and of course date night with my husband. Like most of us, I’ll be busy again until we meet back on Monday but it is a good busy and fingers crossed that the place we look at is THE place and I can put aside my apartment hunt and get on with my life because really… isn’t it the most consuming task ever? My goodness! So with that, I wish you all a cozy and wonderful weekend and I hope that you can find something that will bring in a little bit of spring to your home this weekend too.

Bis spaeter!

(images: holly becker for decor8)

From my title you may assume this post will be about some dumb new American reality show where beauty competes against brains to win the bachelor or something. But no, I’m simply pulling together inspiration for my next apartment (we’re currently on the hunt) and I thought I’d share some from Skona Hem in Sweden and they happen to include a rack and some books and I am simply making an attempt at being clever with my quirky title.

I love the pendant above, though I wonder if little Greta is missing her ballet tutu and hasn’t thought to look up? And I’m digging the clothes rack in the home below, not because I’d ever consider doing it now (my clothes are not nearly as hip as this homeowner), but because I had one from an old store in my bedroom in Boston for years and my friends would laugh at me for not having a proper closet. They thought it was so tragic that I had a vintage rolling clothes rack in my bedroom. I wish I could have pulled out this exact photograph below to prove to them that I wasn’t only too broke to afford a proper closet, but apparently I was hip and cool to have even used one in the first place. Plus we all know that once the Swedish give something their stamp of approval that things we once saw as strange suddenly become Oh My God desirable.

What do you think of books with pretty covers displayed as art? I see this idea in lots of decorating magazines here where a series of 3 shelves are installed, usually slim ones with lips created specifically for leaning art against the wall, and instead of photos and prints you see cookbooks or artsy books. I loved this idea when I first spotted it a few years ago and the more I see it lately I’m considering the idea for my kitchen. Would you do it? Anything in these images that catches your eye?

(photos: skona hem)

I’m so star-struck by stylist and author Shannon Fricke in Australia. I wait for her posts in my inbox and the very second I see one I immediately click over and fall in love. Take this gorgeous image she posted below for example, this is something that she recently styled for a magazine… how beautiful.

Her blog and all three of her books have had a tremendously positive influence on me since the first time I discovered them. And you know what she did one time? She sent me one of her books with a lovely note that I will always cherish, it is what drew me to her right away — she’s not only talented and successful (you can read her column in Inside Out magazine, one I subscribe to just to read her words) but she’s really down-to-earth and sweet.

It’s been awhile since that lucky day when I received her gift, but I’ve not forgotten the kind gesture and so Shannon, this post is a little shout out to you and the magical work that you do. From your writing to your styling and photography, it has all touched me so greatly and in addition, has provided the total escapism that I sometimes need during cold winters as I watch this lady style gorgeous settings in sunny Australia.

Before I wrap up this post, Shannon found a gorgeous photo from Anthropologie (above) that I know I’ll keep and post to my inspiration board because I love a good butterfly print and these absolutely have my heart. What a lovely room. Shannon sure knows how to pick the best spaces for sharing on her blog.

Shannon, you’re the best!

(image t0p: shannon fricke and bottom: anthropologie)