precious pups.

I love this handmade jewelry by Danielle Maveal of Precious Pups. She is a talented goldsmither from Brooklyn who creates a ton of playful and sweet accessories, and also runs a fabulous shopping weblog with lots of eye candy.

ikea : new.

I am back from our lovely family vacation to Maui. I got lots of sun, drank a lot of tropical cocktails, and had a whole lot of fun. Photographs will be here shortly.

There is something extremely exciting about coming home to the new Ikea catalog resting underneath our mail slot. My husband constantly makes fun of the way I refer to it as my "pornography" and curl up into bed with it. As usual, tons of beautiful items this year. I can't wait to go to the new Portland store and see it all in person.

vacation.

There will be no updates until next Monday, August 13th. We're off to Hawaii!

lisa congdon : etsy shop.

The ever-so talented San Francisco designer Lisa Congdon announced on her weblog today that she has opened an Etsy shop! Beautiful artwork, greeting cards, sculptures, and more. Exciting!

johnny yanok.

Today's illustrator spotlight: Johnny Yanok. Johnny is an extremely talented artist who creates art in my favorite style, obviously inspired by the fabulous artwork of the sixties and seventies. He draws absolutely adorable characters that bring a huge smile to my face. His clients have included Cartoon Network, American Greetings, and Learning Curve.

links
-Johnny's weblog.
-his Myspace profile.
-some of his work at Boonika.
-his artist profile on Valentiger.

nature-inspired.

1. floral wallpaper from Secondhand Rose, 2. birds & butterflies fabric from Rapture & Wright, 3. leaf cocktail napkins from LUprints, 4. secret garden notecard from Clare Nicolson, 5. butterflies & dragonflies wallpaper from Cole & Son, 6. cherry blossom placemats from Kardelen, 7. butterfly & rose teapot from 2jane, 8. forest dish towel from Sprout Home, 9. orange zesty pillow from Absoluut, 10. block print nest stuffie from Art Goodies, 11. tree row magnet from Skinny Laminx, 12. basel duvet set from 2modern, 13. willow duvet & sham from Branch, 14. butterflies wall hanging from Avalisa, 15. aviary springs fabric from Reprodepot, 16. hanging copper wreath from Bunny Maxwell

sabrina ward harrison.

When I was eighteen or so, my sister-in-law gave me the book Spilling Open by Sabrina Ward Harrison, telling me that it completely reminded her of me. I remember curling inside a hot bubble bath and immersing myself in the pages, feeling, for perhaps the first time, fully understood. Every truthful word and beautiful picture almost brought tears to my eyes (and sometimes did). Sabrina writes extremely honestly about questioning and becoming yourself, feeling alone, body image, insecurity, and finding strength. Her art (which shows in many forms- photography, collage, illustration, mixed media, etc.) accompanies her work so very beautifully.

Sabrina has gone on to write two more books, Brave on the Rocks (based on traveling Italy) and Messy Thrilling Life (centered around a move to New York), both which I would highly recommend for self-help purposes, as well as design and art inspiration.

snowden flood.

These plates by New York City designer Snowden Flood have to be some of the prettiest I have ever seen. Wouldn't you agree?

posie : rosy little things.

I'm sure many of you have read the weblog of the ever-so lovely Alicia Paulson. I frequently get completely lost in her beautiful photographs and entries. She used to run a boutique here in Portland, but now sells her handmade goods through the web here. I'm absolutely looking forward to her book Stiched Souveniers: 30 Special Simple Things To Sew, which comes out next fall.

links:
-photos of her breathtaking studio.
-her flickr page.
-an interview with her at another girl at play.

etsy : children & baby goods!

I just realized that it was been awhile since I posted anything baby/child-related on here, so I decided to browse Etsy for some lovely and nicely designed kid's products. There is so much out there, it's hard to even narrow down!



fawn onesie by artopiary



plush birdie by chet & dot



alphabet blanket by quilt baby



elephant changing pad by jamtart baby



pear pinafore by bella sera baby



posie baby booties by out of the box



blue zoo bib by mountain aven baby



little gnome hat by coco & milkweed



diaper bag by pika peeks



bird blanket by one lucky baby

shims & sons : shop update!

One of my local favorite designers, Sally of Shims & Sons, just did a big update to her shoppe! I'm constantly following her work through her blog and her flickr photo page, and always get so excited to see all the new beautiful products that she creates.