Sunday Blog Share: Julep by Minted

I have a confession. I'm just not that into Pinterest. I know that's a pretty unpopular opinion but with only so many minutes in the day - I have to choose my social media wisely. And I LOVE blogs. Yup, always have - probably always will. They are such an inspiration to me - from personal style blogs to glimpses into family life to new recipes to try to home and project ideas. I read them on my phone while I nurse, on the ipad in bed...I love the beautiful pictures and unique points of view and never-ending feed of inspiration.

One of my new favourite blogs to browse is Julep by Minted. When they asked me to check out their site and blog, I was super excited to dive in. I was already a fan of their products and it was so great to have another great addition to my blogroll. If you're not familiar, Minted is a gorgeous online paper and gift goods shop that crowdsources independent designs from all over the world.  Luxe wedding invites, cool cards and beautiful artwork are just a taste of what they offer. Designers get a commission on each of their sales. Cool, right? Julep is a curated collection of design-influenced blog posts inspired by their artists and products.

Yesterday I gave you a peek inside Huck's nursery decor and one of the things I'm working on is his gallery wall and adding more images in general around the house. It's funny because it can take me a long time to put art and photos up on the wall but once I do - I love love looking at them. They give me so much joy every day and they really add richness and depth to our home. Art is such a personal thing, isn't it?

Minted has some gorgeous wall art prints and I'm especially loving these bathroom pairings they shared on Julep.

images via Julep

Slowly but surely, I'm adding new pieces around the house and adding a touch of whimsy to places more unexpected rooms. I'm thinking of grabbing this vintage KitchenAid mixer print for the kitchen, what do you think?

print from Minted

How do you get your daily inspiration? Are you a blog lover, a Pinterest gal or an Instagram fiend? All three perhaps?

Are you a fan of art in unexpected places?






**Disclosure: I was compensated by Minted for this post, but all the thoughts, opinions and curated ideas are my own.

Etsy Love: Nature Mandalas

What a whirlwind yesterday was, I'm still glowing! On top of that, it's warm today so my thoughts are drifting to spring....I can't wait to pack up and head to the lake for lazy weekends and flip flops. But let's save that for another day - there's still a lot of winter headed our way!

My agency recently moved into a new office in the Exchange District and I've been surrounded by four blank white walls for about a month now. I'm definitely in need of some artwork and I was thinking - since I can't keep a plant alive to save my life and the budget won't allow for weekly fresh flowers - why not think about pretty blooms art prints as a fresh, long-living alternative?

This is where the Etsy Love comes in (doesn't Etsy always save the day?)! I'm completely smitten with these gorgeous fine art photography prints from Etsy shop Nature Mandalas. Love the botanical theme and the colours are so soft and subtle yet still vibrant. So pretty, don't you think?

 

 

 {all images via Nature Mandalas}

These are definitely a contender for my new space! The first one is my fave... How do you decorate your workspace friends? Do you prefer homey touches or clean and uncluttered?

PS: Thank you soooo much for all your love and amazing responses to my Winnipeg city guide on Design*Sponge. It was truly an honour to represent our great city to the DS readers! If you haven't had a chance yet, you can check it out here!

Hope you have a lovely Wednesday friends!

Thursday Blog/Website Share: Art.com

Friends - do you know about art.com?  You probably do and I'm just late to the party!

But I thought I would share on the wee chance you haven't discovered this awesome site yet. I love, love to give gifts that mean something and I think one of the easiest ways is to get an inexpensive print and frame it yourself. They have the widest selection of prints in everything from classic art reproductions to maps to vintage advertisements to concert posters.  Plus they offer a price and size range in most of them - from simple, low cost prints to more detailed gyclee prints to photo prints to high-end actual canvas art! 

Imagine picking up the Thelonious Monk print for the jazz lover in your family....or a print of your favourite classic children's book for a new wee one's nursery...oh the possibilities! Plus I would love to receive a gift like this...hint hint!

{all images via art.com}

I've been lost in this site for hours!  Hope you enjoy and happy Thursday friends!

PS: Michael's has a huge selection of poster sized frames and I picked up mine for a steal with the 40% off coupon!!



Etsy Love: Studio KMO

It's been just over a year since we've been in our house and I must admit - I've been finding it hard to put artwork on the walls without all our reno's being done.  Like it seems too 'finishing touch' and the rooms aren't ready for that yet.  But I know I should just buckle down and pick out things I love and enjoy them today.

I have a love for travel so these amazing ink drawings and hand-cut maps gave my heart a little flutter! Check out Studio KMO's Etsy shop here. This map of Manhatten is a pen and paper drawing. How stunning is this?

 

My heart just swoons for this delicate drawing of Vancouver.

Can you believe this is a hand drawn and hand cut map of San Francisco - gorgeous!

{all images via Studio KMO}

 I love artwork that features cities or destinations or somehow captures travel memories. These are so unique and I think they'd look great on our walls. Maybe a collection of cities we've visited together?

How do you commemorate your vacations friends?  Photos, keepsakes, subway tokens?

Etsy Love: My Wire Empire

Good morning to you! So one of the rooms in our house that is on the renovation 'to do' list is the office.  We've been holding back on this space because when we add an upstairs bathroom, odds are we will have to do some work in the ceiling of the office.  So there's no point in tackling it yet.  But that doesn't mean I don't dream about it! 

My vision is that it will be bright and organized and charming.  I also feel I can be a bit more quirky with wall art in the office than in the main living room. So I've been searching for pieces that incorporate furniture, to give me inspiration when I'm working in the office.  I stumbled across these totally adorable prints in artist Melissa Bryant's Etsy shop My Wire Empire.  Aren't they too cute?  I'm thinking about buying two or three and having a little series on my office wall.

 {All images via My Wire Empire}

I just think they are so adorable...now the hard part is picking my favourites!  Which one do you like best?  

Do you have your own home office?  If so, how did you decorate it (or is it just a pile of papers and a laptop like mine??)?

Inspired by...Paste

While flipping through the new issue of House Beautiful this weekend, I came across these delightful little pieces of artwork.  They company is called Paste and well...that is exactly what artist Denise Fiedler does! Using the pages of old books, she creates collage-style paste art.  I'm especially drawn to her collection of chairs.  The third is my favourite and I think it would look perfect hanging in my studio!

{All images via Paste}

She also does these amazing collages of animals, fashion imagery and portraits.  You can check out her full collection on her website.

What do you think of this nouveau collage as art?

Thursday Blog Share: Poppytalk

I love finding Canadian blogs, what can I say?  I'm a Canuck through and through.  Plus I often find some of the resources are a little more accessible to me, which is cool.

Today I'm sharing my new find Poppytalk.  It's a design inspiration blog filled with scrumptious recipes, handmade ideas and exciting new developments in homes, style and design, with a focus on putting the spotlight on emerging talent.

They also have sister-site of sorts  Poppytalk Handmade, which  acts as an online curated artist market with rentable space for crafters and artisans to share and promote their goods.  It's a wonderful hodge podge of inspired talent and amazing creativity!

I loved browsing through all the unique offerings, it's great to check out a site that's put together by many artists - so many great points of view!

Have a lovely Thursday my friends.

Etsy Love: Sometimes I Swirl

Since I love to share my Etsy finds with you, I thought I would turn it into it's own series!  Say hello to Etsy Love...my gush affair with my Etsy faves.

To kick it off, I'd like ot introduce you to Sometimes I Swirl.  Now come on - is that not the best name EVER?  Sarah is a visual artist from the midwest with a very unique point of view.  I love the stark, modern feel of her pieces.

{All images via Sometimes I Swirl}

Aren't they unique?  Not for everyone I'm sure but I think one piece in your home could really create a statement.  You can also check out Sarah's fab blog Hennessey House here.about her adventures in first-time home ownership.

Happy Monday friends!

Many lovely things

Some people are born artists. 

My friend and co-worker Anja Studer makes jewellery and purses, shoots amazing photography and paints lovely pictures.  She simply creates.

In May, Anja will be  moving into a work space in the Cre8ery Gallery here in Winnipeg, as well as showing her work in their upcoming summer show.

You can sheck out Anja's blog here and her flicker portfolio here.

I'm lucky enough to have Anja taking my photo for the blog sometime in the coming weeks.  I'm so excited for a professional photo shoot!  Watch for it...

Written with love, Lenore