Industrial Vintage

I came across the beautiful work of Australian interior design firm Gardener & Marks on 79 Ideas (a gorgeous blog from the Czech Republic.) Gardener & Marks layer vintage and industrial elements to create elegant spaces that tell a story. Here is a little sampling from their various projects.

Images from Gardener & Marks

A Trio of Stamps

I don't always have time to stamp cards but I'm quite sure I'd make time for these stamp sets from Yellow Owl Workshop. It was hard to narrow down but this Trio of stamp sets strikes my fancy...

Orange Crush

Hello! It's been a very full and fun couple of days but I'm happy to be here now to share some of my orange favorites. 

Isn't this wedding dress just bold and beautiful?

Can't beat classic chinos in a citrus hue and who doesn't love Gwyneth?

Perfect little number for summer...

My sunglasses need this case...

And I had to include a new addition to my Shop...

*Wedding dress via Green Wedding Shoes
*Chinos from Lindex
*Orange and Cream Dress from Emerson Fry
*Sunglass Case
*Little Bloom Earrings in Orange

Little Bloom Dangle Earrings in Latte

As promised, I'm adding some new little items to my Shop with more to come...

Little Bloom Dangle Earrings in Latte

Don't forget the sale that's going on now at The Striped Straw. Enter coupon code SPRINGSALE when checking out at Etsy.

A Trio of Spring Shoes

Spring is ushering in not only warm weather and wild winds, but it's also giving me the desire to find some new shoes. I sported a pair of sandal wedges yesterday, much to the horror of my one C who does NOT like bare toes showing at all...on anybody. I, however, found it to be a refreshing change to kick off the socks and closed toes. Now most days, I can't be bothered to wear shoes with any heel to them at all. I'm on the go and I want comfortable shoes for chasing after three munchkins. But I would love to find some lovely heels for those rare but wonderful times of dressing up. And I'd be especially happy to have any of the following Trio of Spring Shoes.

Hey There Leather Heels

The Sandyback Sandal

J.Crew Wedges

Crazy About Craft Paper

I love craft paper. I use craft paper cardstock for making greeting cards and business cards. We've used craft paper on the roll a number of times for our boys' birthday parties. One year, we covered the table in craft paper and had the boys and their guests draw a scene from Star Wars. Another year, we drew a life-sized football player on craft paper, hung it up; and had everyone "pin" a football onto him while blindfolded for a fun twist on a classic game. Another year, we drew a treasure map on the craft paper for an Indiana Jones themed party and used it as a tablecloth and later artwork for their room. I also keep craft paper bags on hand for those times when I need a quick gift bag. I simply make a little decorative tag and attach it to the bag with pretty ribbon and I'm good to go. And how fun would it be to receive a package in the mail that was wrapped in craft paper and tied with string? Whether plain or patterned, craft paper is so versatile and has a timeless quality to it. Here are some lovely images of craft paper as well as links to a couple of fun tutorials. Enjoy!

Brown Dress with White Dots

Oh Hello Friend

Be sure to check out this tutorial on creating your own polka dot paper.

Craft Paper Tags

Inky Co.

Check out the tutorial for this paper wreath from Hello! Lucky.

Spring Sale at The Striped Straw

Hello friends! I am having a Spring Sale at my Etsy Shop from now until the end of March. Please use coupon code SPRINGSALE for 20% off all items. I will be adding new items throughout the sale so check back frequently to see what's new. Thank you for reading my blog and visiting The Striped Straw!

Chez Hippo

I've been looking for a little inspiration for changing things up in our 3Cs' room. And then I came across this charming space from Bonnesoeurs...

A colorful banner, a couple of hungry hippos, and an oversized mushroom...what more could one ask for? I love the soothing neutrals with pops of color, the built-in shelf for books, and the lockers and woven baskets for storage. And I think that simple desk design would be perfect for our 3Cs and easy to replace in the case of a boys v. furniture battle taking a wrong turn. All in all, a bright, imaginative space for playing and dreaming.

Succulent Blossom Necklace in Slate

The latest necklace to bloom in my Shop...

Succulent Blossom Necklace in Slate

Overheard

Happy Friday! I hope yours has been just lovely. We had our homeschool co-op today. I'm an assistant in the kindergarten class with my littlest C, which means never a dull moment. Today, I overheard him say the following to one of the other teachers while munching on his snack, "What if I painted on my forehead, "Love House" and then this goldfish was the girl and this goldfish was the boy and they went into the house." He then grinned and proceeded to eat the goldfish, or send them into the "Love House" as we apparently like to refer to eating goldfish these days. Isn't imagination a wonderful thing?

Well, in addition to chasing after little ones, I also managed to add this little set to my Shop. Introducing the Little Bloom Dangle Earrings in Periwinkle...

I confess that I love how these came out. I'm tempted to keep them for myself. They seem just perfect for spring. They'd also be beautiful for a wedding or as a gift for a bridesmaid.

Pretty Pairing

We've had an absolutely beautiful week of spring weather. Since my nephews and niece have been on spring break, we've spent the last couple of afternoons playing outside in the wonderful sunshine. The weird thing is that we had a snow storm last weekend and I've heard that the possibility of more snow is looming for this weekend. Fortunately, no matter what the temperature is, we live in a place that is sunny all the time. So, sunglasses are an everyday necessity. And I would love to welcome these TOMS Classic 301 sunglasses into my everyday wardrobe. I also think they'd make a pretty pair with these little bloom earrings in cerulean. 

Coral & Mint

A playful color combination that's been catching my eye...

1. London Candles
2. Mr. Frank Fox Cushion
3. Teapot
4. Curvy Chrysanthemum Vase
5. Little Bit Mini Bag

Vintage Loveliness

My mother-in-law, during her recent move to our town (yay!), came across some items that belonged to her mother. Before she gave them to me, she prefaced it by saying these items reminded her of what I create for my Shop. And she was right. It was amazing to see these roses that are so similar to my little blooms.

 But instead of making jewelry, my husband's grandmother would create pieces of artwork like these...

My mom-in-law remembered that, back in the day, her mother would use a dough made mostly from bread, which she tinted to various colors. (Isn't the rich plum color above beautiful?) And sure enough, she came across the recipe for the Bread Dough...

I love this connection to my husband's family as well as to the past. I love seeing his grandmother's creativity captured in time through the beauty of handmade treasures. It encourages me to press on in this journey of artistic expression. Here's to exploring your creativity and to bringing forward vintage loveliness!

Three Tier Succulent Ring in Green

Happy Monday to you! Just popping in to say hello. This was a very full weekend for us but so, so good. Somewhere in there, I added the Three Tier Succulent Ring in Green ...

For more details, please visit my Shop.

Black and White with Natural Light

 Some gorgeous images from the home of Anna Leena Karlsson, an interior design blogger in Sweden...

I love the black and white contrast and the floor-to-ceiling windows are amazing!

Via Residence Magazine.

A Trio of Chairs

One by one, our chairs are going down like soldiers on a battlefield. The battle? Boys versus furniture. The latest casualty? My littlest C's chair. In addition to gracing his fabric seat with a signature drawing in red marker, he also artfully decorated the wooden back with every Cars sticker he owned. Super. Two, no my mistake, make that three of our other, supposedly sturdier, wooden chairs have also cracked in half. A couple of those babies went down when the 3Cs knocked them over. But to be honest, my precious 3Cs are not entirely to blame. These chairs have a serious design flaw that makes their hefty selves crack up like toothpicks under pressure. So, the bad news is we have a rapidly declining set of suitable seating. The good news? Eventually we'll have to buy new chairs. Which leads me to a Trio of Chairs that I'm currently digging.

This Batto chair from 16th Workshop is made entirely of wood... no screws or nails, just joined elements. The quality design and craftsmanship of this chair earns it a spot on my dream wish list.

I really like this indoor/outdoor Steel wire chair from Terrain. My 3Cs would no doubt spend countless hours with their Lego guys hanging from each and every inch of the mesh. But that kind of sounds like fun so I may just join them.

I'm also partial to this galvanized chair with its delicate beading around the seat. Industrial but pretty. And if it loses a battle with the 3Cs, I think it would hang in there for the war and would serve us well over the years.

How about you? Do you have a favorite perch?