a DIY to try

The perfect carryall for trips to the beach or the corner market - I think I need to make one of these Liberty drawstring backpacks from The Purl Bee. Their site has a great tutorial and a kit to make your own.

Could see this dressed up with a little embroidery. What about making one for each of your bridesmaids?

art on the road

One of my favorite recent internet finds is the Drawn the Road Again blog by Chandler O'Leary which features her incredible sketchbook work documenting her travels. Love her style, love the subjects, love the blog.

Here are a few of her recent entries, but click over to read more.

juju hats

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I've had some extra time on my hands recently and as in other periods of free time, I'm having trouble sitting still. Instead (as in other times) I'm wanting to fix and change everything about our little house. So I've been cleaning, and sorting, and reorganizing - moving drawers and boxes into new drawers and boxes, trying to eek out the tiniest bit of extra breathing room for our overstuffed closets. Along the way I've also been making laundry lists of all the little touches and details that would make everything perfect so I could finally just relax on the couch and watch some daytime television.

Not necessarily at the top of the list is a juju hat. I know, I know, what the hell is a juju hat? Call it a bamileke or a cameroon headdress or just a giant circle of feathers. I love the texture, the color, the global feel of it, and although I would love to pick up one on my travels, I'm not sure if I'll be making it to Cameroon in the immediate future...

The Juju hat is a ceremonial headdress worn during royal court affairs - they are also known as the tyn or bamileke. The feathers represent wealth and prosperity and are woven onto a raffia base that splays open into a giant circle, creating an incredible piece of wall art.

Unfortunately these symbols of prosperity and wealth require some of both to obtain. Coming in between $300-600 each, let's just say I won't be picking up on anytime soon. For those of you in a position to purchase Table Tonic in Australia has a great selection as does African House on Etsy.

Here are some inspirational rooms featuring my new favorite piece of decor.

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Natural hued options bring out the texture and depth of the headdresses and look incredible on both dark and colorful walls - while adding to the monochromatic chic of an all white room.

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The brightly colored headdresses offer a perfect pop of color on and otherwise blank canvas or a beautiful complement to painted walls. I can't get enough of the reds/pinks/purples in these deep green rooms.

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What do you think? Want one? Or is this just another strange decorating fad?

phone cases-photographers

White Marble case Case Scenario

If the cute and quirky illustrations from Rifle Paper and Cartolina don't fit the bill - what about these slightly more glam photos of minerals and rocks blown up to spectacular effect? I'm especially fond of the white marble case which would look so chic wrapped around a white iphone. 

Pink Agate case from DS Brennan

Pink agate and sparkling amethyst designs are featured in DS Brennan's Etsy store. If the geodes and gemstones aren't your thing, they also offer a range of other natural photo subjects.

Amethyst case from DS Brennan

Indian Bloodstone case from Weston Earth Images

Or something from Weston Earth Images who are widely regarded for their photographic processes transforming natural materials into printed designs for products like iphone cases and silk scarves. 

Banded Agate case from Weston Earth Images

Agate case from Weston Earth Images

Mica Schist case from Weston Earth Images

phone cases - illustrators

Hello Case by Cartolina

My poor little iphone has been naked for too long. Neglected by my indecisiveness and design-commitment phobia, it may finally be time to bite the bullet and put a case on it. These new beautiful options should make it all the easier to find the perfect fit, with darling illustrations and colorful prints...or will my love for all of these designs keep me in the same place I'm in now? Maybe you'll find a new look for your phone out of these options from Rifle Paper Co. and Cartolina.

Blue Flowe Case by Cartolina

Cartolina's line of iphone cases just came out and may be my favorite of the bunch. The vintage imagery inspired by colorful ephemera is lush and colorful, but every time I think I'm sold on the Ciao case, I look at the magic carpet again....

Ciao! case by Cartolina

Ship case by Cartolina

Red Poppy case by Cartolina

Magic Carpet case by Cartolina

Hydrangea case by Carolina

Leopard case by Rifle Paper

Rifle Paper brings their signature quirky illustrator style to cases featuring everything from speech bubbles and stripes to blossoms and the big apple.

Hello Hello case by Rifle Paper

Gold Stripes case by Rifle Paper

Spanish Rose case by Rifle Paper

Pink Ombre case by Rifle Paper

New York case by Rifle Paper

Stephanie K Clark

I adore the embroidered dwellings created by artist, Stephanie K. Clark. I love all of her work, but something about these...so great, especially the trailers and RVs. From the complex shading of the central image to the backgrounds loosely outlined with wandering black thread - there's not a detail missed.

From Stephanie:

"I consider myself a painter and I paint with thread...The embroidery floss is my palette and the needle is my paintbrush. I create a method of embroidering the threads in an arrangement that would initially create value, color, depth and as I lay the colors down they instantly blend themselves... Depending on what fabric I’m embroidering on, is compared to a certain kind of paint. When I embroider on canvas it feels like oils; it flows, it blends, and it’s rich. When I embroider on loose shear or silk, it’s like a watercolor; its delicate, the thread goes where it wants to go, and it moves with the fabric. My work blurs the lines between fine art and craft."

Check out all of Stephanie's work on her website.

Also - obsessed with this shark!

Via The Jealous Curator