shhh... it's a surprise

i have really been loving the artist selflesh that i found on etsy... but art really hasn't been in the budget this year if you know what i mean. and so you can imagine how delighted i was when i stopped by her shop, and found a listing for a (very affordable) surprise piece of original artwork or print. the catch? you don't know what you're getting until your package arrives. i wasn't worried, though, i would pretty much take any piece in her shop. so... my package arrived today and i was super excited to open it and see what i got!

here it is! a small little piece of heaven. i am so excited to get an original piece. it's only around 4x6, but i can't wait to get it in a nice frame with a crisp white mat. will have to photograph it again once i get it framed...

hope you all have a nice weekend! the addy's are saturday, and i'm excited about getting out of the house for a change...

green envy.

yay for green. i wish i had found this paper when i got married... i pretty much would have covered everything with it. and it matches my walls... what more could you want?

finishing up a few more books... i have a feeling things are about to get busy.

blog love.

i'm always looking for new blogs to check out. since d*s has featured several of knack studios furniture makeovers, i decided to check out her blog... and it's fantastic. her photos and furniture makeovers are gorgeous! i know a lot of people don't like it when wood is painted over... it's been a very heated debate at d*s (as well as at home!) and for me, it really depends on what kind of shape the wood is in and what the end product will look like. that being said, i love this blue dresser! i don't have the heart to paint over any of our current pieces... but i know there's a forlorn piece out there that's just waiting for me :)

more type.

you have to have dish towels, right? so why shouldn't they be pretty and have type all over them? i'm really starting to think that i might could make something similar with my gocco printer... i do have some black and white fabric ink... really loving the numbers/symbols one!

h&m products, found on poppytalk

more little magnets.

making some more magnets that i'm actually going to sell! (instead of just hoard) they should be at the local hodgepodge here pretty soon :)

little dishes.

lace dish by dgordon

christmas is over with. we got valentine's day out of the way. now what? i need to start thinking about a few upcoming birthdays... and thought these cute little ceramic pieces i found on etsy might just be perfect for a few people on my list...

i've always loved little dishes. they come in handy for everything. a little catch-all in the entryway, jewelry dish in the bathroom, or a perfect way to serve olives or dip when there's not much space left on the table. i guess i think that everyone should have a bunch of little dishes stashed away like i do :) i know not everyone shares my fascination with handmade objects, especially ceramics... but, what do you think about these? having a very hard time picking out my favorite...

cherish dish by palomasnest

bee dish by mymothersgarden

sweet leaf dish by sumiko

more hand lettering.

is it possible that i have become even more obsessed with hand drawn type? it is. all of you d*s readers probably already know this, but there's a great guest blogger, sarah miller, this week who is focusing on hand lettering, calligraphy and illustration... can't wait to see the rest!  image above from sarah gardner

hand drawn type love.

some afternoon eye candy for the type lover in us all. linoleum block print... can you imagine carving out all of that beautiful type backwards? 12th sonnet print from lizzyhouse.

wallpaper.

i've never really cared that much for wallpaper until recently. we have some dated vinyl (white so it blends in) in our front entry and guest bathroom (we've already torn it down from our master bath) and let me just tell you, texturing walls sucks!

it's kind of sad that the first part you see of the inside of our home has been one of the most neglected. we haven't painted it, nor hung art or photos there. the bookshelf isn't organized and is probably dusty... and really just needs to be replaced.

since the entry hall connects (and can be seen from) the living room, i'm really wanting to tear down the existing wallpaper and put up something fresh. i've done a little searching, and have found some very nice selections from graham&brown. these are my favorites... there are so many beautiful ones to choose from! 

we're also planning on painting the living room a different color. while i do love the peachy color it currently is, sometimes i really just want something a little more calm and relaxing. we're thinking a light bluish-gray would look nice with all the white trim and still go with our furniture. 

will update if and when we finally get around to selecting some and ordering it... and of course post some photos of the before & after...

my new favorite thing.

well, friends, it has officially been over a week since my last diet coke! and guess what? i feel great! i've been sleeping better, haven't been craving sweets or random foods and just feel better in general. before that, i was down to drinking 1-2 a week... but even then i could tell a major difference in the way that i felt after drinking one. water is now my main drink of choice.

my new favorite thing? tazo's herbal passion tea (thanks brandi!) i have some of their green and black teas also, but i feel that if i'm going to drink something hot, it should have some flavor to it. it also helps keep me warm in our chilly office... this particular one is pretty potent, so i like to stretch the bag out to at least 2 cups. their website (above) is really different and makes me curious to try some of their other flavorful teas. i also really love their packaging :) 

one of my good friends says it takes 21 days to start new habits... i am excited to start this new habit and to form a few more good ones. yesterday, i signed up for a gym membership (with the same good friend) and we're going to start taking classes (probably pilates, spinning and zumba) and working out to get back in shape. healthier eating is another habit i want to form. doug and i just eat out too much, and we're trying to be better about that and also what we put into our bodies. 

we don't think about it much as kids and teenagers - the things that are put into the foods that we eat - but now that i am older and think more about the future, it really scares me with some of the things that are out there. this summer i am hoping to start my own garden so that we will have some fresh, clean veggies to munch on. i am also making an effort to eat more chicken and fish. i don't know that i could go the vegetarian route, but i can certainly stop eating so much red meat.

sorry about such a random post... just things i've really been thinking about lately and hope some of you are as well!

stacking type.

i know most of you have probably already sighed over this image from design*sponge, but i just had to share it here as well. most graphic designers fall in love with type at some point in their schooling/career, and find ways to incorporate it in their world outside of the computer. this is a very lovely example from the studio of mike perry and anna wolf. (btw, they have a lovely home as well!) this image makes me dream of piling type up on our fireplace to create a 3d word jumble or devoting an entire wall to painting random letters from a printout of the entire helvetica family.

or just look at this gorgeous space from somethingshidinginhere. love love love the western type blown-up huge and painted in a lighter shade. i would love to do this in our entry way, with a huge "hello!". maybe when we find out that we'll be staying in lubbock a little longer, i can convince doug to let do some more extravagant things to our home. 

nerd love.

i feel like these were made just for me and doug. i love you, my darling nerd :) 

fun buttons and magnets from buttonempire.

goodwill to all.

so... i have yet to decide if this is a good thing or not. shopgoodwill.com. it's setup as an auction site where you can bid on stuff. i guess the thing that irks me is that they're taking some of the best items out of the physical store so that they can sell it online. but... it also helps you find things that you can't seem to find locally (but i thought that's what ebay was for?) so... what does that leave the rest of us in terms of thrifting and the thrill of the hunt if it all jumps online?

feel the love.

for those of us that don't have the cash to spend on a swanky vday gift, why not spread some love? as in... some sweet, free, downloadable 'love coupons' from houseofthree. they have a unique new online company with lots of digital downloads for scrapbookers, bloggers, and even invitation templates! i'm guessing the last two are blank so you can use your imagination a little, if you know what i mean :)

friday already?

i can't believe how fast this week (well... this year) has already gone by. it's already february and things are just moving right along! i have a feeling orders for books are about to pick up due to all the spring/summer weddings approaching...

here's a few books i finished up this week... really loving the indian chintz from paper-source on the book above. it just looks like it will be a fun wedding...

the book below has one of my favorite papers too, a dark krinkly brown that reminds me of tree bark. 

hope you all have a great weekend!!!

upholstery heaven.

sometimes i dream of someday owning my own little vintage shop. how awesome would that be? i can see it in my mind... and i already have quite the collection started. maybe with some handmade stuff thrown in by local artists/crafters. if that were ever to become a reality, i would want to have some classic antique pieces... and a few funky updated ones. we all see the chewed up chair with good bones, that buffet that just needs to be refinished or the dresser that would look fabulous with a nice, shiny coat of paint. i find them all the time and imagine what they could look like. well, these folks have totally read my mind. 

i have a couch that is sitting in our sunroom that i've been planning to reupholster for about half a year now. fabric has been the hardest thing to decide on, but now i think going with something funky and fresh is definitely what i'm leaning towards. will post pictures if i ever get it done :)

above ^^ slipper chair from Lotus Bleu

danish modern armchair above from Lotus Bleu

black armchair from Henry Road

pair of end chair from Henry Road

estate sale finds.

finally got out of the house on saturday and went to an awesome estate sale. got a few pretty cool things. thought i would share them... will probably be going back this next weekend to see what kind of a 'sale' they're having...

these are some really cute plates. light yellow with a scalloped edge. couldn't find a stamp on the bottom of the plates though...

really awesome blue lace dress. seems to be handmade as there is no kind of tag on the inside, and the lining looks pretty diy. this might be the winner for the addy awards...

also found some really cute green pillows. they match our green chairs perfectly and look great on our purple couch! 

diet coke.

last week i realized how much i have let certain things control my life. the most prominent (to me, anyway) being diet coke. i've been drinking these since before i can remember. i was diagnosed with hypoglycemia as a young child, and since sugar was now out of the picture, i have let diet coke become a staple in my everyday diet. many of you probably remember me from school as always toting around my gigantic bookbag in one hand and my diet coke in the other. well, i've known for a long time how bad these really are for you. artificial sweeteners can really cause some damage as far as messing up your cravings and sending the wrong hunger signals to your brain. i have been consciously ignoring these facts and thinking that one a day can't hurt me. well, i don't think i want to take that chance anymore. 

i'm hoping that 2009 really is a year for change. economically. socially. i know this year will have a lot of changes for me too. doug will be graduating and starting his career. the possibility of moving is always looming ahead (though i really want to stay in lubbock at the moment). i am continuing to grow as a designer and hopefully in the near future... photographer. and i think it's time to take charge of my health instead of just saying, oh, i'll worry about that when i'm older. well, i'll tell you something. i'm not getting any younger!

i just wanted to share with you all that i've been doing so well. chugging water constantly. my last diet coke was on 1.07.09... until today. i just couldn't stand it any longer. my caffeine withdrawals were starting to finally kick in and i had to have one at lunch. but - i understand that i'm not perfect, and that sometimes i'll slip up. i just wanted to share my progress with my friends and let you know it's okay to scold me if you see me around town with my infamous silver can.

on a lighter note... how cute is that little piggy magnet by FunkyRecyling? i'm thinking my fridge needs one as a daily reminder of what i could end up looking like if i don't get this under control...