Artists + Scholastic = Affordable Posters

I think being a mom is the most amazing job and I don't think that I've ever felt 'lost' in this world since being able to come to this one understanding.  I often wonder if I'd ever continue to explore my love for books or illustration or art as much as I presently do if I hadn't any children.

Even as an adult, watching reruns of The Magic School Bus , and old episodes of Popeye "(I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.")  allows me to return to a distant memory when creativity and happiness reigned and there were no worries over the future or 'the truth' or politics or anything that leads to disputes in our day and age.



So it shouldn't come as a suprise that I still occasionally visit the site of Shel Silverstein and Scholastic, sometimes for my own enjoyment and also for the treasures that I might unfold for my children.



Presently, the Scholastic site is offering 12 beautiful  17" x 22" posters for $3.95 each or all 12 for $29.95. You can check them all out here.

Anthropologie Style...

When I was a little girl, I remember being fascinated by the way the perfect arrangement of color and shape would make me feel. My posters were always very symmetrical. My alphabet Mickey Mouse sheets were always neatly tucked in when I woke and I always made sure my oversized Mexican blanket was folded and tucked away as to not distract from the overall aesthetic of my room. Sure, I didn't know words like aesthetic or symmetrical, but my eyes knew eye candy and they were drawn to it like bees to honey.

Last week my husband came in with a truck load of mod planters. I knew I would need every. single. one.
Would I hang my oversized pots along the fence in my backyard? Would I make a huge installment of an outdoor garden indoors? Or would I just hold on to them...just in case?

All of the above.

The first thought that came to mind was Anthropologie style. Anthropologie displays are like an explosion of artful delights. Why decorate with one pink poodle when you could decorate with ten pink poodles? Why decorate with ten streamers when you could decorate with one thousand?

When I saw all my pots, THAT's exactly what came to mind. Why would I decorate with only two or three pots when I could decorate with 50 pots! And that, my friends, is Anthroplogie style. Fill your life with an explosion of artful delights.

More Block Printing + Videos

About five years ago I first came across D*S and I fell ever so in love with the mixed array of eclectic interiors which fit the bill perfectly, very much in tune with my Domino Mag.

I also owe credit to D*S for the introduction into block printing.

I've always had a kind of DIY sense to me. It's kind of ingrained into my genes to make things out of nothing. It wasn't uncommon in our home to gather some buckets, lay a piece of plywood on top, throw some colorful fabric over it and declare it a table.

But when it came to block printing, I had this archaic idea of carving my design into a block of wood. I even went as far as to purchase a Dremel rotary tool in hopes of simplifying the process, never knowing there was a simpler technique in existence. Hence, it takes a village to educate this lady who formerly lived in a bubble.

Design Sponge posts have been scattered with an assortment of painted cards, rugs and curtains all made from the block printing technique.

I just bought myself the Speedball Deluxe Block Printing Kit and I intend to tackle some nautical inspired curtains and zodiac plastered aprons. I'd love to give some away to family this coming Christmas, if I can master the technique.

Source: bhg.com via Kimberly on Pinterest

The video above is a bit lengthy and the additional techniques seem unnecessary but I included it in hopes that it might inspire you to get out and start making some prints using block printing. Because personally, I just can't get enough, a la Depeche Mode style.

Illustration: Jane Mount

The colors in these prints are so intensely yummy.

Although I absolutely love to read books, I'm just barely building my home library but I think these Jane Mount illustrations would perfectly suit any modern day library or home library, esp. mine, to give the illusion of a stacked room.

I would love to see this wall papered just about anywhere in my home.

A Palate for Pallet(s)...and tables

                                      
#1

vs.

#2

Let me rephrase:

Free (with DIY power and pallet scraps)  vs. $449.00

Of course table #2, complete with higher price tag is gorgeous, but will it come with the same satisfaction in knowing it was custom built?

Maybe I can have both: Table #1  for the outdoors. Table #2 for the indoors.

Everything does have a solution.

  How about you, building anything lately?  

backyard escape...

Just before we moved to Texas, we lived  in Arizona.

And just before we moved out here my boss asked me if I'd ever been to Texas to which I replied ''no'', to which she replied,

"well, at least you've got air conditioners..."

I didn't really get it. Aside from having lived in AZ for a brief 6 mos., I never left sunny California. 

I thought everywhere was like CA, or  AZ, or coastal Mexico (Pacific Ocean side).

Warm, desert-like, with welcoming bodies of water. 

I was so wrong.

Needless to say, I get it now.

With that in mind, it is a darn little shame that come Fall is when I start to consider enjoying the great outdoors.

 My choices: clockwise, top left: Pottery Barn's Backyard Movie Night , Audiovox's Acoustic Wireless Speaker, anything designed by Jamie Durie, and patio heater .

Have a wonderful weekend!

What's it like in your neck of the woods? 



I know my mind tenders to wander quite a bit: some months I'm a little more into design, other times fitness and other times wellness.

No worries, around the cooler months, my mind tends to wander back into design again. As the summer days shorten and the cool weather weaves it's way into my life, I don't mind chiling and sipping latte's as I freely peruse the neatest little things for home design....with limited yearnings for outdoor play.

This is not so good for my body, but very good for the design spirit in me.

I know it's not exactly "cool" just yet, especially in my necks of the woods-Texas. It is a "cool" low 90's and I was able to enjoy an outdoor lunch without breaking a sweat, and wearing a long-sleeve in the process.

Call me crazy, but my California spirit just cannot be cooped up indoors for 8 hours straight.  And in inspiration of both a little fitness and a little design, I came across this (Found @ Fresh Home) excellent design idea to store your bike during the winter months, or just as a storage during non-usage hours if you live in a sweeter climate than mine.

Enjoy your Friday, and extra Labor Day Monday.

I know I will.

;)

I just had to stop in again and post this which I spotted over at Apartment Therapy. More lights at different heights...what a sexy recurring theme, and since it's for little ones, it makes it doubly nice.

Is there any particular style that makes you happy?

At Great Heights...

I love the transformation a room takes by hanging overhead lights at different heights. It feels like Christmas in...August. Such a cool approach to making a home look modern. And the pops of color....i love it.

BEFORE & AFTER



Images are from HGTV's Home by Novogratz.  Read Cortney Novogratz's blog here. And catch Home by Novogratz on HGTV on Saturday at 10/9c.

What do you think of the show?                                                 

Remodeling on the lowdown

My bedroom is getting an overhaul today but, alas, I'm not well equipped mentally to prepare in advance and detail the process.

There are perks to being the wife of a contractor: price discounts on carpet (and landscaping and...), the husband is equally inspired by home remodel and decor and there is never such a thing as spending too much on the home so long as the purchase is made at Home Depot, or at a bargain. Thank you Home Depot.

Yesterday, was normal, as usual, and then at around 8:00p my husband gets a call that a client cancelled her carpet installation. Thus, leaving the carpet sub-contractor with a wad full of carpet and a longing for a home to intall it in.

Since it was at a bargain price, and our bedroom carpet was in need of some major TLC and it gives us a reason to deadbolt the sucker of the room (the kids have coined our bedroom their primary living quarters), my husband declared the carpet ours.  I made a suggestion that the room would need a paint job to up the romance ante so my husband is painting our bedroom in Martha Stewart MSL309 (which I could find no where on this www) as we speak do whatever it is we are doing.

And so, if I have never said it before: I have the absolute best husband in the world. 

While researching what makes a room romantic, here's what I concluded:

S-E-X

Chandeliers

 

Large headboards

Four post beds/ posterbeds

A rad room with a view.  And since most urban homes don't fit this criterion, make yourself useful and become that rad eyeful.

Add in some side lamps/chandeliers/mirrors:

 

And you can declare making babies your profession. 

In the words of Junie B. Jones (First Grader, and my son's favorite character) Wow-e-wow-wow.

Translation: I love this bedroom...

And this one...

Image credits: HGTV

A Door Tale

When we first moved into our new home some 2 years ago, the very first room we remade was the kids' bedroom.  I'm ashamed to say I still haven't gotten around to posting any of my very own home decor ideas, the boys' room included.

Growing up, my brother and I shared a room. It wasn't up until our teenage years that mom and dad upgraded to a larger home to suit our needs.  I personally had the space to accomodate each boy with their own bedroom but, call it tough love or an attempt to teach true camaraderie, I opted for a shared bedroom for the two.

The end result? A really, really messy playroom and no one accountable for the mess. This summer, my oldest will be 8 and my youngest will be 6. I don't know if you have any kids, or if my kids are a unique breed, but it seems the teenage years seem to come around much younger these days. Hence, my 'teenagers' need their own space.

When I told my husband that I was ready to move the children into their own little rooms, he quickly confided he wanted no doors.  I'm not a boy, never have been, so I trust him, partially. Thinking realistically, we can "limit" the amount of door each child gets. :)

How would I DIY this? Funny you ask. Wait, were you asking?   Some months ago, for some more months we had a family member living with us. Some wise person once told me "These kinds of things end badly." I trusted her, but thought to myself, But I'm different. It turns out I'm not different but that's enough about that.

He ended up leaving abruptly, deadbolting the lock and jolting the scene.  And so, now I can't get in without doing some damage to the door.  Hence, the idea to sudo-chop the sucker in half and move on to the DIY portion of this whole thing. Can you dig it?  The kids had already managed to do some sort of damage to the door while it was in "occupancy", now to just convince the hubby I'm up to the task...

Image credit and for more door inspiration, visit here.

Freebie Friday + Something Pink

Some news: 

Something went awry with Blogger yesterday and erased yesterday's post. It's as though yesterday never happened, it's good to know we can pretend some days never happened. ;)

Enjoy your link here for use as a scrapbook page or frame it up.  Enjoy a wonderful weekend.

-Jennifer

Yum Yum Zatarains (and how it relates to a Zorro tale)

How sexy are these New Orleans homes?

I don't really 'get' the shutter look on homes, esp. when they are veneers and hold no real purpose but when you've got authentic shutters that open and close it is just darn sexy.

These images remind me of hacienda spanish style homes, just pop in some bougainvilleas and it's as though you just popped into a scene in Zorro.

On another note, relating to Zorro, my husband used to work for an advertising studio out in Los Angeles some years ago and he told me he posed for the advertising poster of Zorro. He also told me his name was Georgio when we first met, his name is George. So the validity of this story is your call. I didn't even remember this factoid until just now.

{Note to self : Ask husband if he was being truthful about Zorro tale}

Images obtained from Lonny Mag. Be sure to check out Lonny Mag's new May/June issue!

Adios!

an epiphany...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Festive Fiestas (and Siestas)

Another thing I forgot to mention about this 180 degree personality shift from crafter to health enthusiast in  the warmer months is that I become somewhat of a party girl. But not the beer pounding kind, but a shrimp pounding kind in fiesta fashion.

But don't get me confused for the Paris Hilton partying type because as soon as I start feeling "cool" again some flying object (sand, mini monster truck, poop or something that appears to be poop) is often making a landing on my face.

Ah, the sweet smell of humility.

And while everyday can't possibly be a party, not even a fiesta, at least we can decorate it as such and feel like a fiesta, or possibly a siesta.

Photos and super-nifty party decor by Short Cake.

May All Your Days (and Backyards) Be Full of Whimsy...

  

Photos care of Playscapes

  

Monday's are always a bit harsh for me. It's the end to a wonderous time spent with the people I love the most in the most beautiful sanction in the universe, my family in my home.

As Sunday evening rolls around, I get a bit testy just knowing that I have to prepare myself physically and mentally for another work week.  Even though we own a business, it can be a bit fickle and the need to secure something 'safe' for the family is ideal.

As the workday ends, I'm always fascinated with adding specks of color to their day and I remind them (and myself) that regardless of how the world treats them, how mundane tasks can be, they have a haven at home (or in my arms).

Check out the Museum of Possibilities full  Flickr. And for backyard and playground inspiration check out Playscapes.

( A Pinkier ) Freebie Friday

Laminate + fill in the blank daily with ONE thing you are grateful for. Whenever a 'crisis' arises in your day-to-day activities meditate on this ONE thing you thank your Creator for.

Adopt this mantra as an apple a day to keep the doctor away.

Available here.


For a more grown-up version, click here. Chalk your way to gratitude.

Hey, Happy Friday!

..............................................................................................................................................................
 ::Terms & Conditions::



I believe sharing is caring. I believe design should be fun, friendly (comedic if the occasion calls for it) and affordable. I believe everyone has an equal right to make their house their home & haven. That being said, please feel free to share but always do so giving due credit to LaTendedera and a link back to this original post. And please, do not duplicate material for sale. All rights reserved. I thank you in advance. I'm glad we're friends.

In Living Color

It's been a while since I posted something in color, so when I came across this Pom Pom garland design by MillaLove on A Subtle Revelry I was { and continue to be } in love.

If you haven't already, may I prescribe a clicks quantity of cheer available @ A Subtle Revelry.

Feel Free to Think of the Song everytime you see this...

...hold on to that feeling...{ puts down microphone}.

I had to throw in some finds for the home. Check out this Lisa Congdon print and gift these to your little ones. And in case you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, click here.

PS. When was the last time you gave your little ones a gift, ahem, that don't require batteries?

Freebie Friday + puppy love

Two consecutive days into the gym game again and I get a compliment. For that you  get a freebie. See, compliments go a looong way.

The link here.

..............................................................................................................................................................
 ::Terms & Conditions::



I believe sharing is caring. I believe design should be fun, friendly (comedic if the occasion calls for it) and affordable. I believe everyone has an equal right to make their house their home & haven. That being said, please feel free to share but always do so giving due credit to LaTendedera and a link back to this original post. And please, do not duplicate material for sale. All rights reserved. I thank you in advance. I'm glad we're friends.