a creative mint

Aquas, Blues and Yellows

I wanted to begin with a BIG thank you to Holly at decor8 for her wonderful post on me last week.  I was beyond thrilled and floated into the Memorial weekend.  Unexpected support like that is so sweet and Holly's generous spirit is very special.

The color palette for this post was inspired by the amazing inspiration board posted by Kathryn of Snippet & Ink back in January.  I could look at her collection of aqua and mustard yellow photographs forever!  Even if you are not planning a wedding all of her inspiration boards are incredible to look at.

In my first image I painted the little flowers, peacock and color swatches with watercolors. All of the beads and pendants have been purchased over the years from Kings Beads a tiny little shop full of fabulous stones, beads and jewelry making supplies.  Some of the fabric swatches in these photos are from the inspiring Diamond Fabrics who are very generous with their customers allowing free fabric swatches of most of their inventory.  The flowers in the photos were either snipped from the garden or purchased from the flower mart and then arranged by me at home.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this collection of photos and I hope your week goes well!

Pretty in Pink Mood

 

 

 

I am still all caught up in pink even though I have left the island.  I thought I would use my fleeting color inspiration to do this little collection of photos for you. The pretty Tokyo Milk soaps, the Lollia hand cream and the little carpet folded in the first image are all from Anthropologie.  I also used some of the beautiful little beads, antique buttons and spools of thread that I have purchased in the past from the wonderful French General store which is located in Los Angeles.  Some of the other items have been purchased on trips, like the wooden piece in the second photo is from Jackalope in Santa Fe, NM. I basically run around my house rummaging through closets, drawers and shelves to find things that I think may work together.  

Cherry Blossoms on the Island

This week I am back on Vancouver Island on the west coast of Canada, where I grew up.  Spring blossoms have come late this year because the winter seemed to drag on.  I feel so fortunate to have got here in time to see the blossoms blooming around town.  

 

 

 

Don't you think the first image of the pom pom looking blossoms is unusual? I couldn't believe it when I saw them growing that way! 

Inspirational Blogs

I just finished a 4 week online class called Blogging Your Way taught by my favorite blogger Holly Becker of decor8.  The class was phenomenal.  If Holly runs the class again I would recommend RUNNING to get a spot!  Her blog is an endless source of inspiration for me.  Visits to decor8 can seriously make any day brighter.

The Blogging Your Way class had about 200 bloggers enrolled. As you can imagine I found lots of new blogs to read! The following five are a sampling of some that I am really impressed with.

 

Fresh 365

I was so excited to find this blog! I have already begun emailing my friends the link to Fresh 365.  It has a vegetarian focus on seasonal, local and organic products. I literally salivate while reading Erin's recipes and staring at her photographs. Check out her recent post on Savory Blackberry Tarts -Yummy!

 

Finely Inc.

There is something about the aesthetic of Sophia from Greece that keeps me coming back to her blog Finely Inc. She has a beautiful collection of images and links that are sophisticated and elegant.  I particularly liked her recent posts Day home collection and Collage by Elisa Archer.

 

Style Your Life

Jennifer from San Diego's blog Style Your Life is a great place to find cute and affordable outfit ideas. She has a really good eye for putting pieces together and she provides good links. My nineteen year old stepdaughter is a fan and yesterday picked up some capri jeans Jennifer suggested!

 

Artygirl

Wini's blog Artygirl from Melbourne, Australia is this really cool and interesting collection of images by Australian and international designers.  I was so excited to hear about an Australian artist that I had never heard about before via Artygirl.  Wini's post on woodblock artist Cressida Campbell sent me quickly to Amazon to purchase the artist's latest expensive but FABULOUS book.  Since the book arrived I cannot stop staring at the images...AMAZING. I also liked the recent post on Australian artist and designer Chris Chun. 

 

Hodgepodge Illustration

Lynsey, of Hodgepodge Illustration, is a really creative illustrator living in New York.  I am completely taken with her fashion illustrations!  I can't wait for her to open an Etsy shop so that I may be able to purchase some of her work like Snow Day or Springtime. 

 

I hope you enjoy these links and I may be back with more links from my class... there are just so many that are so good!