Bhangra Bangles

I love the vibrant color of these bangles by Rosena Sammi. A favorite jewelery designer among celebrities, these were recently worn by Jessica Simpson in Allure. These are sold as a pair of solid or striped bangles for $45.

Blah, Blah, Blah

I had to laugh at myself when I saw this blanket on Donna Wilson because I can picture myself coming home and wrapping up in this on one of those blah-kind-of-days. It says so much without saying anything at all!

Decorating With Yellow

Best Yellow for a Hallway {Benjamin Moore Bright Yellow Natura 2022-30}

Best Yellow for a Kitchen {Farrow-ball Citron 74 Modern Emulsion}

Best Yellow for a Piece of Furniture {Benjamin Moore Yolk Natura 2023-10}

Best Yellow for a Dinging Room {Benjamin Moore Yellow Raincoat Natura 2020-40}

Best Yellow for a Bedroom {Benjamin Moore Moonlight Natura 2020-60}

Happy Monday everyone! What a gorgeous morning. Even my sore back and limbs could not keep me in bed on this sun-filled day. It's a great contrast to the gloomy wet day we had here yesterday and makes me feel like summer is getting closer. To continue on with the sunny theme, I thought I would post some of these great Yellow paint colors I came across in the April issue of Real Simple. Being a huge fan of Yellow I would love to find a way to incorporate it into our interior decorating, perhaps I'll start with a piece of furniture and go from there. Baby steps, right? Be sure to check out Real Simple for more tips on decorating with Yellow.

Have A Nice...

I was catching up on two weeks worth of Happy Lady Eats posts last night (man oh man does Joy have a lovely compilation of things going on there) and could not resist this clever food cloth by Kenjiro Sano. Anyone who enjoys food can appreciate this message!

I hope you all have a great weekend, we're headed to a ski resort in central WI on Saturday. I know what you're thinking (well at least the Midwesterners). No snow, 50 degree weather and sunny...good luck, right? Even if there is no snow, there will be plenty of food, drinks and games to help the time pass. We are however missing out a birthday celebration for one of my favorite people in the whole world, Emily of A Nutritionist Eats--does giving you a birthday shout out in the blog world make up for us not being there?!? Hope you have a wonderful birthday Emily, you deserve it!!

LWD Spotlight: Cole + Josephine

This month's LWD Spotlight is brought to you by Nicole of Cole + Josephine. I instantly fell in love with her whimsical and colorful paintings. She puts a fun, dream-like twist on everyday people, objects and creatures. Besides being a super talented artist, wife and mother she is also very sweet and by her answers below, very intuitive and honest. I could not agree more with all of her insights. Thanks Nicole for participating in LWD Spotlight! Be sure to stop by her blog to say hi and check out more of Nicole's work--sounds like there is a give-a-way on the horizon! Now onto the questions...

1. You were obviously born with the natural talent to draw and paint, at what age did you become aware and start to take note of your artistic ability? How did you decide to make art a full-time career?

I can’t remember a time without drawing. I don’t even think I realized that a lot of people aren’t artistic in that way; I didn’t recognize myself as different. Drawing was just something I did. I believe I was born with it as a part of me. I do remember being about 10, and I was drawing in my room when my Dad walked in. He said, “You could put that on a t-shirt.” That was the first time that it really hit me that, hey, I COULD put that on a t-shirt. It didn’t occur to me that this talent could be useful in some way.

I didn’t really plan on being a full time artist. I didn’t save up and write a business plan. I had a baby and was staying at home with her, and I realized this would probably be the only time in life (short of retirement) that I could devote myself full time to trying to be a working artist. If I didn’t try, I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life. So I started calling myself a full time artist and followed up by applying myself to being one.

I know only a handful of all artists actually make it, but I would never forgive myself if I didn’t try. I don’t want to be 70 and feeling the void of an abandoned dream.

2. I have some friends toying around with the idea of starting an Etsy shop, do you have advice for them as a shop owner yourself?

Don’t expect to take off your first day, and don’t expect yourself to just be “found”. It is extremely rare that anyone magically becomes an overnight success. Etsy has become enormous, and you have to apply yourself to getting looked at. The “if you build it, they will come” mentality does not work anymore. Newly listed items are no longer guaranteed to be rolled across the front page, so the new item visibility has dropped markedly.

Chat with other artists, blog, twitter, face book, use Flickr. Put your work out there for people to find. Don’t hide under a rock - no one will ever find you. If you don’t have the time to do all of them, pick one or two and do them really well. Having a lot of poorly done venues gets you less recognition that a select few of outstanding accounts. For example, I am great at blogging, so that is where I devote most of my time. In fact, that’s how I got this feature!

Hmmmm… now that I think about it, you should go check it out.
http://www.ColeAndJosephine.blogspot.com
You will love it! This is where I really sell my personality, which is so vital to the handmade product. I believe that people want to get to know me, and a blog is the perfect way for me to achieve that. I interact with my readers, and I talk about my life. However, I do have boundaries, so I never post pictures of my daughter face or anything too overly personal. I don’t write anything I couldn’t have my Mom read.

By the way, I am going to be having an amazing give away VERY soon, so subscribe to my blog and keep an eye out!

3. Everyone has those days when they are uninspired, unmotivated and have hit a creative block; how do you deal with those days and what are your "go to" places for inspiration?

I usually sulk about it and organize my house. I find that I am most productive in a clean, orderly space. Separating out drawers and filing paperwork clears my head.

Then, I pick myself up and start browsing the internet, looking through books, or tearing up magazines. I have a huge filing system full of inspiration torn from magazines. Because I am an organizer, they are separated and filed by category, so if I need a picture of a flower, I can find it.

I also follow tons of blogs, and I love all of the random things other people find and share. You never know what will light your spark. For purely art inspiration, I like hifructose.com and juxtapoz.com. When I’m really frustrated, nothing gets me going like reading comments people leave on my blog. I have so many encouraging and kind people that follow me and believe in what I’m doing; that motivates me more than anything.

Personally, I usually avoid the Etsy forums. Some people love them, but I always end up feeling depressed and a little hopeless. There will always be people there that tell you that they hate your banner, your avatar, your product. People will think you charge too much or too little. I welcome constructive criticism, but too much of the negative is discouraging. Besides, if you are looking for someone to tell you your new banner is good, you probably already know deep down that you could do better. Listen to that little voice inside you (the good one; ignore the bad one).

4. Josephine and Cole are both beautiful names, how did you decide on that and what was the "shop naming" process like for you?

This is the single most important bit of advice I can give anyone: Make sure people can spell your shop name!!! I really cannot emphasize that enough. I had a fairly successful shop on Etsy before. The name was Theoleanderblack. No one can spell that. It was not a name I could move forward with, so I felt it absolutely necessary to change it. That means I had to leave behind my outstanding seller rating and my trackable sales record. So now, I’m trying to relaunch myself with a usable name in a cruddy economy and a giant Etsy. It was a very difficult decision to make.

Cole is a nickname my husband uses for me, and Josephine is my, my mother’s, and my daughter’s middle name. Both names are very special to me, and I think they are a good representation of my personality. Part of me is serious and melancholy, and part of me is colorful and optimistic. Also, I was able to create two art shops with related names.
The serious, introspective artist lives here: http://www.ColeAndJosephine.etsy.com
The fun, colorful, sarcastic artist lives here: http://www.JosephineAndCole.etsy.com

I also Googled the heck out of names. I wanted a name that would have very little competition and that wasn’t already a brand so I wouldn’t have to change names when I hit it big (knock on wood).

Paul Smith Sam Bag

Bags are on the mind lately. I'm a little distracted this morning and came across this lovely Sam Bag by Paul Smith, available in a hibiscus and floral camo print. Wouldn't it make a great grocery/beach/travel bag? I'll take one of each please.

Oh and be sure to check back tomorrow for another LWD Spotlight (you may remember last month's ModernBird feature)! This month's feature on Cole + Josephine will discuss how to get your creative business going, from inpiration to etsy. Stay tuned!

{Photo source: Paul Smith}

Birthday Wish List

I'm not sure if it was lack of inspiration for today's post or just my sheer excitement for these new accessories but I decided to share the beginnings of my birthday wish list with you. (JPK Paris Nylon Shopper + TOMS) With over a month and half until my 27th birthday I can assure you that this list will grow!

Any purchases that you can't get enough of lately?

{Photo source: Nordstrom}

Ladder Up

I'm not sure if it was my crazy baby dream over the weekend, or a recent invite to a friend's baby shower, but kiddies are on my mind! Not so much the endless crying and sleepless, as the adorable little outfits and creative decor ideas fit for a kid. Growing up with what you would consider a traditional room, I am already scheming ways to incorporate a ladder (and possibly a slide) into a little one's room. Here are some ideas that got me started!

{Photo source (top to bottom): Marie Claire Maison, Remodelista, Ohdeedoh}

Flowers in May

After spending just over a week in Minneapolis and California I am more than thrilled to be home. Today will be spent unpacking, doing laundry, getting organized for our move to Minneapolis and catching up on blog posts.

I found Flowers in May via Design Work Life and fell in love with these adorable posters right away. Wouldn't they be sweet in a little girl's room? I especially love their titles (from top to bottom): Today I feel like baking, The best things in life are sweet and Paris, I love you.

Happy weekend! What are your plans?

A Peak Inside: The Selby

natalie wood - fashion designer and artist

at her home - sydney australia - may 15 2009

mark righo and mark wagner - founders MKII

at their home and studio - clapton london - may 5th 2009

keith abrahamsson - music label director; and kate young - stylist

at their home - nyc - january 12 2010

I love the idea behind this blog--snap shots of people in their own personal spaces. Photographer Todd Selby is their capturing it all and showcasing it here on The Selby. Getting a glimpse into people's homes and work spaces is so inspiring. Stay tuned for Todd's book, The Selby is In Your Place, being released this May!

{Photo source: The Selby}

Happy Saint Partick's Day!

Ah, what I wouldn't give to be in Ireland today, drinking a pint of Guinness. Having tasted many Guinness pints while living in Dublin, nothing compares to a fresh pour from the brewery itself (no matter how authentic the pub). But, I will take what I can get and slam one back today in remembrance of my time spent living on the Emerald Isle.

{Photo source}

Faceted Hanging Tray

I spotted this Faceted Hanging Tray on Design Milk the other day. How beautiful? Because I'm not a big indoor plant person (I wish I had a green thumb!) I would definitely use this as fruit/veggie basket. I think it would also make a great holder for yarn and other colorful craft supplies.

Guest Post on "After I Do"

Good morning! I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I am taking today off from posting but you can catch my Guest Post over on After I Do. Krysten's got a great blog going on and was sweet enough to have me write a post while she was on vacation. The post is on "traditions" and is a big detour from my usual content on LWD. It's very personal and was kind of stretch for me, but I happy with the way it turned out. Plus it features are great recipe for this soda bread--part of my St. Patrick's Day "tradition." Enjoy!

Icelandic Horses

Just beautiful. Happy weekend everyone!

{Photo source: Icelandic horses}

Backstage at Chris Benz

I came across these wonderful photos on Igor + Andre. The images were taken backstage at the Chris Benz Fall 2010 runway show. Click here to see more.

{Photo source: Igor + Andre}