Beth Emily

Ethereal art like Beth Emily's gets me every time. I sometimes wish I had my own little gallery so that I can feature & sell art prints like this.

 

Want: Bouquet Art Print

 

Majorly crushing on this art print of Oana Befort's original watercolour illustration simply titled Bouquet.

 

Want: Fjallraven Kanken Backpack

With all the adventure travelling we do, Bobby & I usually carry backpacks while on the move as they're really handy to tote essentials & to stow away. I have an ancient EastPak that I've had since my boarding school days & although it's still going pretty strong, I think it's time I get a replacement. I've been shopping around for a simple & classic backpack that's hardy, water resistant & not crazy pricey (hello, USD795 Anya Hindmarch Maxi Zip Backpack). Enter Fjallraven Kanken. Simply known as the Kanken, it's been around since 1978 & it's incredibly popular in its home country of Sweden not to mention in countries like the US & UK. I love the squarish shape & the top handles but most of all, I love all the colours they come in! I'm having a very, very hard time choosing one but I'm leaning towards gender neutral coloured ones like Frost Green. Warm Yellow or the combination of Navy & Bright Red. Which would you choose?

And the picture below was the clincher for me…

 

Hello 2013

I'm not one to make resolutions, much less stick to them but this year I thought I'd do just that & prove myself wrong. Some of my many resolutions is to declutter my house, stop buying unnecessary craft supplies & trinkets (which has created all the clutter to begin with), to be more careful with the people I let into my life & to keep a daily journal instead of my current haphazard version. How about you dreamers? 

P/S: To help you welcome the new year, how about some awesome motivational art or the calendar above from locally based Neue Graphic? They're offering a 15% discount till this Friday with the code NOW2013 so grab some posters while you still can! Here are a few more of my favourites below…

 

 
 

Wishlist: Filigree Skulls

I think I nearly let out a gasp when I first saw these intricate skulls. Made by artist Joshua Harker, they were made with the help of 3D printing & funding from Kickstarter. More of the story here at Etsy's blog.

Wishlist: Kaleido Trays

I have a secret collection: trays. Yup, trays. I don't know how it happened or when it started, but I now have about 20+ trays ranging in sizes & materials. I don't know what I'm going to do with all those trays & I haven't even used some of them but they sure look pretty lined up in my kitchen. So how about adding more to my collection? Yes, please. Especially these geometric metal trays at APlusR that you can combine into different combinations. So cool.

 

 

Pilen

The mister & I love outdoor activities so recently we had a look around a bicycle shop to check out the options & prices. I immediately fell in love with the more classic looking bikes & told the mister that I want mine to look like it belongs in the 1950's with a wicker basket in front. Hence begins my hunt for a hardy, versatile bike that can take some abuse yet look very classic & that's how I came across Pilen bikes from Sweden (here's a very thorough review by Lovely Bike). It was love at first sight but too bad, the price tag is pretty hefty (starts at USD1500) so my search continues. The Pilen Special in cream with a wicker basket pictured below will forever be my ideal.

Cambridge Satchel

This gorgeous 15" red Batchel (which is just a satchel with a top handle) is being made just for me as I type this & in approximately a month's time it will be in my loving arms. I've been coveting a Cambridge Satchel for ages & ages but I kept putting off making the purchase. Until recently that is... You see, my darling husband got me the new Macbook Pro for my birthday & I think my MacDreamy (yes, I've named him) deserves a nice bag for me to carry him around. Yes, that's my excuse & I'm sticking by it! ;)

What makes this bag so special for me? Firstly, if you purchase it directly from the maker, it's handmade to order using the finest English leather, which is stiff to begin with but will soften with wear & age.  You can also get it embossed with your initials as I did & with a design this classic plus the fine workmanship, it's sure to never go out of fashion & will last you forever with proper care. Truth be told, I'm also hoping I can one day pass it on to my future kids so that they'll have a little piece of me with them whenever they use it. I'm a sentimental fool, I know. Hehehe.

I'm also eyeing this silver 11" satchel pictured below by the way (so much for sentimentality!). Check out the Cambridge Satchel site for more fantastic designs & colors. You're sure to fall in love too.

Picture source of top photo here & bottom here

Glamorous Camera Straps

 
These Bloom Theory camera straps are gorgeous, darling! Can’t decide which one I like best though.

Chalk It Up!

This Mini Goals Chalkboard is an excellent way to keep you on track, don’t you think? Imagine the satisfaction of crossing off the things you’ve done with the specially made “write it, do it, erase it” eraser on the hand painted chalkboard. I’d be grinning from ear to ear.

Hand painted Mini Goals Chalkboard by Mary Kate McDevitt

Retro Aprons

As a new wife who works from home, I find myself in charge of cleaning the house. But as someone who hates to clean, the house can get, well, let’s just say a little unorganised. So I think I need some motivation & getting one of these retro inspired aprons might just be the ticket. You think not? Yeah, I think so too but they’re cute so I might just get one anyway. Which one do you like? Links to the Etsy sellers’ listings below.





Turquoise/Brown Houndstooth & Creamy Florals Apron by Creative Chics
Spring Can be Early Sweetheart Apron by Creative Chics
Retro Ice Cream Sundae & Popsicle Apron by Boojiboo
Alice In Wonderland Apron by loverdoversclothing
Retro Housewives Apron by ImaginAprons (I wouldn’t actually get this but it’s so funny that I couldn’t resist adding this here! Hehehe)

Handwritten

  
Inspired by a conversation I had with @IAmAnida awhile back about kad Raya (thanks babe!), one of my resolutions for this year is to start handwriting to friends & family members instead of dropping them the ubiquitous email or Facebook message. I personally love receiving handwritten notes & letters (that’s how my hubby wooed me by the way, no kidding!) so even if it’s just a simple note, a little effort to put pen to paper will be sure to delight.

Here’s a very nice post on The Anatomy Of A Thank You Note because if you’re like me & you’re a little rusty on writing personal letters, a thank you note is the easiest place to start because IMHO we all have something or someone to be grateful for that has been left unspoken or unexpressed.

Admittedly, one of the things I like about writing letters is the stationery & as a crafter, I love collecting small works of printed art that is the humble greeting card. All you crafty types out there are nodding your heads in agreement now, I bet! Here are my Etsy picks of cards (links below). Hope they will inspire you to pick up a pen too ;)





 
Write More Handwritten Letters print by Mary Kate McDevitt
Letterpress Merci Card by Presse Dufour
Embroidered Hello Card by Blue Eye Brown Eye
Braille Letterpress Notecards by Fourth Year Studio
Par Avion Post Cards by Humunuku Shoppe
Simple Scallop Letterpress Notes by Ruby Press

2012 Calendar Round-Up

This is serious. Every year around this time I go on a calendar hunt. You’d think a calendar is a pretty simple thing to get right? Not for me because I need a calendar that I can proudly hang up in my craft room so it must be handmade, unique & because I’m a sucker for memorabilia, it has to last a lifetime so quality is important. Thanks to Oh So Lovely Paper’'s fantastic 7 (SEVEN!) part calendar round-up, here are some great calendars that I’m lusting after & one of these will be mine pretty soon but I just can’t decide… they’re all so purdy! Care to help me decide?

Rifle  Paper Co.

Ilee

Smock

 Ink & Wit

 Spread the Love

 Odd­ball Press

 Black­bird Letterpress

 Ella Leach Designs

 Steel Petal Press

 The Paper Thieves

 Cicada Stu­dio

 Curi­ous Doodles

 Lisa Rupp

 Found

 Humunuku

 bookhouathome

 The Wild Unknown

Update: I've made up my mind & I'm going to go for the Lisa Rupp calendar. I got one from her last year & loved it so much (in fact, I still love it) that I think I want to start a little tradition. Bad news though... the calendar design I want is currently out of stock till after Christmas, so I'll be stalking Lisa's Etsy page till it's back! Sigh, the things I do for a nice calendar.