Art to carry

Leslie Oschmann from Swarm searches flee and second hand markets in Belgium and Holland for beautiful oil paintings to give them a new life; in necklaces, on tables, chairs and to carry around as a bag. Before she started her own company she worked for Anthropologie and Habitat where she refined her skills. I simply love all of her work and it sells out rather quickly. The leather handled carry bags is her new series. She designed them this way to show signs of wear with use and age so that the stories of the paintings live on.

Pretty prints

Australian company Little Branch sells fun and cheerful art prints, greeting cards and has a gorgeous range of wrapping paper. All of their images are hand drawn, mostly using water colours which gives it an extra romantic feel and the materials used are environmentally responsible. The company was set up by graphic designer Maree Oaten and artist Anna Johnson. Both used to work for impressive companies, like Jimmy Choo and In-Style magazine. That explains why the illustrations have such a fashion feel about them. Love it.

Animal tea party

Practical? No. Cute? Oh yes! I love these plates with fluor animals on top of them. They come from the web shop Made by Gup, ran by Dutch Stylist Jasmijn Stegeman. She sells the loveliest stuff in her shop from vases, to pillows and furniture. Some items she makes herself others just look so good she adds them to her collection. Visit her website here.

Light as a feather

Birds and feather necklaces are sizzling hot right now. I found this pretty and affordable necklace at This Charming Girl, a company ran by Scottish designer Jacqueline Currie. They have got a great vintage inspired and contemporary jewelry collection. In most of the pieces parts of old jewelry are used and recycled.

More flowers...

Well it is spring after all so an obsession with flowers is no more than normal this time of year. I still have a thing for the vintage flower look and discovered great quilts and bed covers at urban outfitters. Little house on the Prairie and a seventies interior revisited.

Spring bags

With spring finally arriving I actually feel like shouting it from the rooftops, but of course there are more subtle ways to celebrate it. By adding some accessories to your outfit like these beautiful handbags designed by Mary Jo from Trust Your Style for example. They were originally designed to go along with your wedding dress, but I think all the single girls out there wouldn't mind trotting the streets with one of them dangling on an arm. The coloring and detailing is simply gorgeous. I've been following Mary Jo's blog for a while now. She's a beauty editor with her own clothing line, full of gorgeous feminine dresses. To go to her website, click here.

Butterfly purse & animal candles

When I went shopping the other day I couldn't resist checking out the new Laura Ashley collection. When I was walking through the store in my home town my list of items labeled 'I want', got longer and longer. I saw the prettiest cakestand, lovely toiletries especially developed for gardeners (which I am not, but the package and illustration are very pretty), the woodland animal candles which will make such a lovely gift and last but not least the butterfly purse. Happy shopping everyone.

Latest article revival of handmade goods

Normally I don't publish my journalist writings on my blog, but I'll make an exception for this one. I'm very pleased with the outcome of the story and the way it looks. It's a trend story for Dutch magazine Home&Living about the revival of handmade goods. People want to add some personality and unique items to their homes. In this article I write about shop owners working with local creatives and artists. So all you creatives and artists out there keep up the good work. There are lots of people wanting to buy what you are making...

Country living

Botanical is not only for those embracing country living and riviera maison anymore, because it's one of the interior trends of the moment. The birds, the bees, the flowers, the butterflies... All are an inspiration for current decorating. If you don't want to change your whole interior you can add a botanical detail by using this set of ceramics. It's by Big Tomato Company . They have a large and affordable collection which among other things exists of mugs, dinner plates, butter dishes, sugar bowls, jars and tea pots.

Alice's pillow cases

I only just discovered these pillow cases at Urban Outfitters and now I badly want to order them. It's the original drawings of Alice's tea party printed on cotton and nylon. A definite looker in the bedroom and who knows it might even open doors to Wonderland.

Crocheted art

I adore these installations by Seattle based artist Mandy Greer. She uses different disciplines to create her art works and transform spaces into magical dreamy landscapes. She basically crochets and weaves the environment like a princess of fate behind the spinning wheel. Speaking of fairytales, one of her first works was called The Wolf Prince and the Parrot Princess . So it's not really a surprise she likes to refer to literary, mythical and archetypal stories using her installations.

Building houses in the air..

Yes. This is for real and not photoshopped. This house is floating in the sky attached to 300 air balloons. Speaking of a building castles in the air... It is part of a new National Geographic Channel series named How Hard Can it Be? that will be broadcasted this fall.
To read the full story and see more pictures go to My Modern Metropolis
Via: My Modern Metropolis and Million Dollar Design

Painted doilies

Aren't they little gems, these painted doilies? I think they will cheer up any brunch or dinner table and wow your guests. But they might just be too pretty to use. In that case hanging them on a wall is an option. They are made by the French Helene le Bechec. She doesn't have an online shop yet, but her blog is lovely. She regularly posts about what she's working on. Very inspirational.

One of a kind

In the woods you'll find all kinds of creatures and lots of inspiration for furniture... The Dutch Kien Hertoghs from K-Studio makes beautiful pieces while painting flowers onto the furniture and applying branches. She describes her work as recycle design in which she isn't interested so much in the material used in the original pieces, but she likes to keep the history of the object alive. All of the objects are one of a kind.

Snow moon & blossoming flowers

I fell for the first image of the full moon that was taken this February. Each of the thirteen full moons in a year have different names and themes according to old beliefs. The one in February is called Snow Moon. I love how the dreaminess is captured in this photograph by ORphotography. Searching for more work of this artist I came across the beautiful blossoming flowers. All of the pictures seem to have a seasonal theme. I think it's what we all need right now, seeing that spring is approaching. If not outside then certainly on an image. Or at least I do.