Mapping It Out

I have always loved maps, both old and new.  Today I found myself marveling at all the creative things that people do with maps, both traditional and modern.  From t-shirt designs to jewelry, from art to tablecloths, I love them all!

United Shirt of America on Threadless

River Thames Brass Cuff Bracelet from Jezebel Charms on Etsy

Colorful US Map Print by Lazy Daisy on Etsy

Map of Canada Pillow Cover by Nicole Tarasick on Etsy

1901 Antique City Map of Stockholm by bananastrudel on Etsy

Vintage California Tablecloth from VINTAGE DYETOPIA on Etsy

Perhaps someday I'll have a crazy map themed room!

All images in this post belong to their owners.

On Letters and Things

In some respects I have old fashioned taste.  While I embrace the ways in which technology lets us communicate quickly and efficiently, I still love the old fashioned art of letter writing.  I love the feel of good paper and seeing ink on the page.  When I open a letter, I imagine the writer sitting down and thinking of me as they wrote. This fills me with joy.

 

When I have time, I love to make cards for friends and family by hand.  However, I admit that I don't do this as often as I would like, but I am usually glad when I take the time to do this.  Usually I opt for a collage technique.  Recently, I've enjoyed using scraps from an old wallpaper sample book my mom gave me. 

When I don't have time to make a card I love using cards from small letterpresses.  As we enter the new year, I've been thinking about stocking up for the upcoming birthdays and weddings in 2012.  Esty offers some lovely options.  Here are some of my favorites.

Berry Birthday from Smock.

"Congratulations on tying the knot" by Leland Manufactory

Cupcake Wrapper Letterpress Birthday Card from FINE DAY PRESS

Special Occasions Letterpress Variety Pack from ilee

I wish you all a letter-filled and joyous 2012.

All Etsy images from their respective owners.

Birthday Calendars

My grandmother had a birthday calendar in her hallway; with 11 children and an ever increasing number of grandchildren it was necessary. The concept of the birthday calendar is simple; it's a year-less calendar with days so you can just pen in the birthdays. My grandmother's calendar featured Monet's impressionist paintings that were perfect for a year-less calender, adding to its timeless, dreamy quality. 

I've been searching for one for a number of years and I finally feel like I am getting close to the right one.  The challenge is to find images that you will enjoy year after year.  Long live the birthday calendar!

 Birthday Calendar from Linda & Harriett

letterpress birthday calendar by larkpress on Etsy

Time Flies Birthday Calendar from ModCloth

images from their respective owners

Pillows!

I love this video for "Is There a Ghost" by Band of Horses and it made me contemplate great bed linens.  I have always been a fan of cheerful bed linens.  I always think it's a great place to play with patterns and colors in a room, plus you can make your bed and throw on a plain duvet and no one needs to know what is underneath.  Here are some of my current favorites for a colorful and summery bed.

 Woodland Organic Sheet Set from Pottery Barn

Everyday Percale Bedding from Garnet Hill

I Heart Trees Percale paired with French Dot Percale, both from Garnet Hill

Flecked Stripes Sheet Set from Anthropologie

images from their respective owners

Blues and Golds and Everything Goes

Marimekko Linens from Crate and Barrel.

Harvested Honey Coat from Anthropologie.

Lovely things

Spring is in the air and I am inspired by bright colors and interesting designs. Below are a few things I am currently loving.

The ultimate cardigan
I may own this beauty in 2 colors already, but I can't help coveting even more! The sweater has some cashmere in it too, so it's warm and soft.
GAP ($49)

Chains Indoor-Outdoor Rug
Cost Plus World Market ($39 to $479 depending on size)

Vera Neumann Scenic Mugs
Anthropologie ($8 each)

Christmas Ornaments 2009

My review of 2009 would be mixed. However, I can confidently say that creatively I missed my mark. I am hoping 2010 will give me more time to focus on things I enjoy doing and that I will have more to show from it. I did manage to squeeze out a couple ornaments for friends this Christmas.

For Sarah, Dan, and Hazel a tree:I also made a little ornament stocking for Hazel's first Christmas, but I forgot to take a photo of that one.

A beaver for my friend in Portland. Her last name is Beaver, if you're wondering.
As for projects that I started in 2009 that I am hoping to finish in 2010:

• needle felted squirrel
• 2009 summer travel photo album
• Amy Butler travel bag (to be fair I never even started this one, I just have the pattern)
• framing prints
  
• the great American novel
  

Setting the Table

In a perfect world, I would have gigantic kitchen cupboards to fill with stacks of dishes for endless dinner parties. In reality I have a small kitchen with even smaller cupboards so I content myself with daydreaming of a pantry filled with items from Fishs Eddy like the below.

Light Bright

Last spring while shopping at a flea market I bought a giant glass lamp. I was attracted to the design in the glass and was sure it would look lovely when lit up. It was only $20 because the wiring was faulty, also because it weighed a lot and I am sure the seller just wanted to get rig of it. The lady who sold it to me urged me not to plug it in as it would cause the fuse to blow (I think she learned this the hard way). I heeded her advice and was sure my dad could teach me how to rewire it. It only took me about 6 months to buy all the supplies and get a lesson from my dad.

It costs an additional $15 to get the new wire, a more attractive chain, a new plug and a switch. I also had my dad help me hang the lamp to make sure the ceiling wouldn't fall down, but here are the results and I am quite pleased! Not too bad for a $35 investment and a little elbow grease!

Coffee of the Day

Available at tableandhome.com.

Changing It Up

Spring is in the air (or at least I hope it is) and I've been gearing up to do the annual spring closet purge and try to sort through the detritus I seem to gather. I have a bit of a hard time getting rid of stuff and always feel daunted with the piles of stuff that accumulate around me.

As I was trying to sort through stuff I realized I wanted some sort of change in my room. It came in the form of a new bedside lamp. I purchased a couple lit branches from the University Bookstore and put them in a vase I had. The pictures don't quite do the best job because I had to turn off the flash for the "after" shot, but hopefully you'll get the idea.

Before:

After:

This is what all invitations should look like

This week I discovered the letterpress invitations at Bella Figura and I find myself wanting to plan a formal event that requires theses gems! The website holds infinite possibilities of fonts and designs. I found myself wondering, "Would these be over the top for a happy hour?" Okay, maybe a little, but one can't help but dream.