Monkey Mind Design

It seems to be an Etsy featured artists week around here.  What can I say?  Etsy is loaded with talented people who deserve to get some kudos for their excellent work.


Why do I love Monkey Mind Design?  Sweet sentiments with crisp, clean adorable artwork, and great photos of her products!  MMD was started by an Art Director/Graphic Designer who quit the advertising world and joined the self-employment line instead.  Based in her Denver, Colorado studio, the cards are all designed and handmade by MMD.   

The Nebulous Kingdom

I came across this shop full of prints created by French artist Anne-Julie Aubry while looking for other things on Etsy.  The images were so beautiful that I’ve kept a tab open for a few weeks now, and it’s about time to I finally shared it with all of you. 

Early Morning


Papillons Bleus


Princesse Mandarine


Tea (white background)

“Oh, I Could Write a Sonnet…”

Easter is coming up this Sunday, but it’s not too late to get a little gift for that little someone in your life or to send a card.

Funny Baby Bunny Hat from Hookaholic

Pearly Pinkerhoff from Trafalgar’s Square

Vintage Easter Spring Digital Collage Sheet from Shabby Addict (the image is sent via email so no shipping delay)

Vintage Easter Bunny Cards Digital Collage Sheet from Wishhook (the image is sent via email so no shipping delay)
Blog title song lyrics from “Easter Parade” by Irving Berlin

Hey Zee

I’ve left the sunny and warm weather of California behind for the week for a land that is just breaking out of winter.  No snow left on the ground here, but the colors of Spring have yet to make their visit to Ohio.  It’s a little bleak for this California girl.  That must be why I’m so drawn to the pretty pastels in these photos by Zee Longenecker aka Hey Zee.




You can purchase her photos here.

Hanne Rysgaard

Love these cute milk carton vases by Hanne Rysgaard. 

Happy Tape

Happy Spring!  Did you have a good weekend?  Pete and I had a fun picnic with friends in Dolores Park.  The weather was okay though not as nice as on Friday (record breaking temperatures in the Bay Area), but it was fun nonetheless.   
I’m loving these new prints and colors of Japanese washi paper tape.  I’ve had a lot of fun using them to wrap presents and decorate cards for Christmas.  I’ve been considering using it to create a “frame” for our TV which is hung on the wall (something like this).  I also liked this fun and messless idea for decorating eggs for Easter as well. 

Happy Cheer Pack




Tapestry Tape


Make-a-Frame 2pak
Available from Happy Tape. 
P.S. I am currently on my way to Ohio for work for the week, so posts might get spotty towards the end. 

Photo Finish

I took these photos of the 16th Ave Mosaic steps a few weeks ago.  I’m trying to make sure that I visit some tourist spots that I haven’t been to previously, so I don’t just fall into a routine and miss out on these types of things while I’m living here.  I recommend starting from the top in order to enjoy each section as it unfolds behind you, and so you can better appreciate the details of each.   

More information about the stairs can be found here and the location is here.

images by me

Roll Up Roll Up & Welcome to the Circus!

So the circus has come to town… or at least the blogosphere.  While I’m not too sure you should run out to decorate your home in a circus-inspired frenzy (see this Living Etc. article here).  If you were feeling inspired by all the circus acts going around, you could still enjoy it… in moderation.


A striped ceiling like this favorite Domino shot of Jenna Lyon’s son’s room.  The modern elements in the room, such as the furniture and the black wall, keep it grounded in reality. 

The modern, muted, colors in this circus print wallpaper from Hygge & West keeps it from being too cutesy and kitschy.


These unique prints from Jayme McGowan create quite an interesting collection.  These are 2D prints made from photographs of the artist’s original 3D cutouts. 

Or you know what?  A little bit of kitsch never hurt anyone, so why not get yourself this adorable little carousel ring from ma grand-mere? 
top image: Anthropologie

ABC Paper Cups

Spotted these on the TheDieline recently and fell in love.  Aren’t these just the cutest?  


There are so many things you can do with them…

A Mother’s Day breakfast in bed… shhh… don’t tell the kids…the middle one is filled with a mimosa. 


You propose by taking her on a surprise picnic and setting up the cups to spell out “Will you marry me?”, and she responds by arranging the cups to spell…”yes”.
 

Wouldn’t these make a fun gift bag for a party?  Once the party is over, each kid gets to take a cup home filled with goodies.
images via TheDieline

Sit with Me

A few chairs caught my eye at Crate & Barrel recently…




I can’t quite commit to having a patterned sofa, but a chair in a fun pattern seems much less daunting making it an easy baby step away from having from all solid furniture. 

Liberty of London for Target

So how did you all fair with grabbing your piece of the Liberty of London Target Collection that launched yesterday?  I didn't get out to a store, but when I checked online last night it seemed to be as big a blowout as the Orla Kiely Target Collection.  There were just a handful of items left in the housewares categories, but the clothing looked to be mostly available.

I picked up this Paisley duvet below for our bedroom.  I like to keep my bedding in shades of green and blue, so this was just what I've been looking for.   We upsized from a full bed to a queen bed when we moved, so I've been on the hunt for a king-sized duvet cover.  Hopefully it will last awhile.     

If you didn’t get what you wanted from Target, there is also a Merci Liberty Limited Edition Collection available for purchase online directly from Liberty of London that is super cute as well, and they do ship overseas.

Pretty Trays

Anyone else suffering from the time change?  It’s been particularly difficult today when I have to be at work by 7am which really feels like 6am and getting up feels like I never went to bed at all.  Let’s face it, just because the clock says 10pm doesn’t mean I magically fall asleep at what was 9pm only yesterday any more than 6am suddenly stops feeling like 5am just because the clock says so.  However I do welcome the longer hours of light after work now, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.  It will just take a week for me to be awake enough to enjoy it.

Anyway, on to the eye candy right?  These lovely trays would look great propped up against the wall on a shelf (like I’ve done with a pretty tray I got at Ikea) then place a small vase or other mementos in front of it to create a nice little vignette.  They would also look great hung on a wall alone, grouped together with framed photographs, or other artwork.  You could also just hang a bunch of them together until you need to use them… decorative and useful. 

Available at Table Art.

Photo Finish

I took these photos the weekend before last at the Chinese New Year Parade.  I was lucky to grab some shots of the floats and the people before the parade started while it was still light outside.  It was a lot of fun to be able to walk around and get up close before the parade began.  There’s so much energy and excitement in the air as everyone waits for the march to begin.








images by me taken with my iPhone