Angela

Etsy artist Upper Tiny

September 19, 2013 by Angela

Summer may be over but my love of bright colors and all things cute is definitely not. That’s why when I found this shop, Upper Tiny, on Etsy, I knew I had to share it here.

Artist Jenn makes all sorts of paper products, little gifts, and art prints out of her charming drawings and paintings. One of my favorite things about Etsy are that there are so many artists who use it to make their work accessible. I love all the different products available in Upper Tiny from stickers to cards.

I love cute cards like this, and the cactus + heart is so adorable!

Customized stickers – perfect for books… a little practical and a little abstract at once.

Here I love the pyramid and geometric theme present in her work, but I think my favorite part of her shop are the color combinations. They’re cheery and bright, and yet very unique and interesting.

Of course, one of the best parts of seeing anyone’s work is getting a glimpse of their workspace:

(I really need a peg board now).

Read more about Jenn here, and if you like her work, be sure to check out her other websites below. There are more fun photos of her studio on her tumblr, too!

etsy | facebook | tumblr | website

Bookshelf and coffee table styling

September 18, 2013 by Angela

We’ve lived at our new apartment for almost three months now. Like I said in my last post, I decided to mix neutral beige tones with bright whites in my living room. Sometimes having a specific vision in mind can hinder the overall project, however. I had originally hoped my coffee table would provide that much needed pop of color, but after searching the famous Los Angeles flea markets, vintage boutiques, and thrift shops alike, I found nothing that fit both form and function – especially with our little space.

We gave up our (my) thrifty dream of finding the perfect vintage trunk or mid-century piece of furniture to paint, and headed to the mall. We came back with this small ottoman-style bench/trunk. It honestly doesn’t match anything but two months into our move to California, it was time to have something to put my drinks on. Now for executing my vision of a DIY vintage tray + this styling will be complete.

A few magazines + some pretty candles that I can’t light with kittens around.

Trying to beautify the boyfriend’s Xbox with a lit quote and fake flowers (Kona ate the dried rose I first had out.) When in the alcohol aisle of the grocery store I do not ask myself what cocktail I’ll be making but how flowers will look in the bottle afterward 😉

Little Harpo loves to laze around in the walk ways.

Not bad for a $20 Ikea shelf. Things were neater here, too, before our cats.

It’s nice to have things like boxes (also shown on my craft shelf here) and a coffee table that doubles as storage for use in a small apartment like ours.

DIY gallery wall

September 17, 2013 by Angela

My personal art gallery wall is nowhere near completion, I’m planning to expand it left and down, but this is how it displays the art above our living room sofa. We have a warm beige wall, which feels too dark at times. I realized after collecting different pieces with a similar aesthetic that most of it either falls into the category of neutral color or bright whites. Our couch is a light beige itself, so I decided to run with the idea of mixing white and beige, which I originally thought would clash. With the other elements of the room (more to come), I feel like the different colors of my art wall help tie things together.

Because this is the main wall and focal point of a small room, I’ve carefully arranged the elements. (but, this apartment is rented so framing everything was out of the question). Here are my gallery wall tips below…

Choose design elements in your art pieces that complement each other, not necessarily match. I did this inadvertently because I’m really into art that uses elements of nature. These are all depicted in some way or another by the different artists I chose.
Go with a few simpler pieces to create a balance. I think the clock and small photo frame break up the busy pieces of art.
Consider texture. The monogrammed A, clock, and frame are the odd elements out here, but I think they create a texture that my wall would lack, especially given the lack of framed work. I agree that you can’t beat a perfectly framed and balanced gallery wall, but that’s for later, when I own my home 🙂

What are your tips for displaying art in your home?

Find my pieces online here, here, and here.

Jordan de Ruiter clothing

September 10, 2013 by Angela

When I first started this blog I wanted the theme of finding to appear not necessarily in my travel posts or featured artists; I wanted found to describe the state of objects as I transformed them from thrift store finds to crafts, art pieces, or home decor items. Somehow, I haven’t transformed too many items in the past few months, and instead I’ve found new artists to look at, blogs to read, products to buy, and places to go. It seems that for now at least, these will be my main topics, while I search for those DIYs that got me thinking of my finds in the first place.

The other day I came across the Etsy shop, Jordan de Ruiter. I’ll admit, I kind of have a thing for handmade clothing shops exhibiting lots of playful florals, big hearts, and repeating patterns. Oh, and tulle… lots of tulle. You might not find me walking around in a fluffy tulle skirt any time soon, but when I saw Jordan’s shop, I felt one step closer to living that pretty dream…

The first thing I noticed in Jordan’s shop (besides the bold florals above!) are the different photoshoots her pieces have been on. I love romantic styling, and it’s always lovely to see a different artist’s take on handmade pieces – such as the scene depicted in the photo above, by Megan Bruekelman.

In the shoot above (Michelle Mez photography), model Cara Bisio Davidian wears the Jayne bustier with a bold print.

But I also really love the fun behind-the-scenes type images Jordan features in her shop.

Jordan de Ruiter is based in Toronto and features skirts, dresses, tops, and now, accessories. These are just a few of my favorite pieces… check out her websites below for more:

etsy | facebook | website

Malibu, California

September 7, 2013 by Angela

Today I’m starting a series called “found” where I share my adventures around Los Angeles – each place I talk about will be new to me and a reflection of my perspective as someone from not only the northwest, but who hasn’t had much opportunity for travel and adventures…until now.

One thing I’ve learned about living in L.A. is that a lot of people don’t go to the beach often. People here are career-focused and seem to spend a lot of time in their offices or cars. Of course, there are plenty of people who love the beach and no doubt the Pacific is one of the major draws of living in southern California – the beaches are always packed at any hour – but there are also people who stay inland almost as much as I did when I didn’t live near the beach at all. I’d always heard about Malibu and that going to the beach there is perfect for anyone who wants to actually enjoy the ocean as opposed to the more stereotypical socal beach attractions (which I do love + am still exploring)… but we really wanted to give Malibu a try.

Pulling off the coast highway to a brief opening in a long line of parked cars, we headed for the beach and spent the afternoon on a somewhat random patch of sand. The beach was full with people and it was a warm day even uncommon for the region (so I’ve heard) during Labor Day weekend. We had a nice, peaceful afternoon out in the sun….and I truly got a sense of how different laying on the beach at the ocean here is different from the northwest coast – and especially Puget Sound…

A small, good space for crafts

September 5, 2013 by Angela

Our small one-bedroom apartment doesn’t quite allow a separate craft room, nor a place to write (I normally bring my notebook or laptop out here instead). At first I was focused on gathering really pretty shelving to sneakily store my yarn away because I knew it would have to go in the main room. Eventually, not wanting to pay hundreds of dollars or search through disappointing Los Angeles thrift shops for months until I found the perfect solution, I settled on the practical: cheap Target + Ikea goods.

To spice things up a bit I added vintage book pages to the back of the main shelf, a bit of washi tape around the top border, and put mismatched boxes throughout.

Even though the shelf itself is pretty narrow, it will easily store large stacks of boxes.

I put pens over here as opposed to the drawers by my desk, which are already full with paint, stamp, and other craft supplies. It’s a little scattered but it’s not like I have to go far.

Here’s the magnet board above my desk.

One of my only complaints about our cute apartment is the lack of natural light. We only get a yellowy flood of light in the main room around seven a.m. when the sun is rising and even then it’s just enough to wash out a little corner of the room – so pictures like this aren’t so light and beautiful.

I really wanted a separate room for all my things at first – but with moving that definitely wasn’t going to happen, and I realized in the end that I don’t need it at all.