Thursday, April 30, 2009

more apartment therapy eye candy

It looks like Thursdays might turn into apartment therapy day here at 30 duo. I do love surfing their site and always find wonderful rooms.

How great is that pop of yellow and green in the room above? I'm becoming inspired to do a little sprucing in my bedroom. I have some good spots for the wall art that I will {hopefully} be debuting in the next month or so.


images: apartment therapy

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

stimulating the economy

I’ll be honest. I’m as much of a fan of the go-to chain stores as the next gal. Who doesn’t love an old stand by? Always reliable, always there, open late, weekends and on-line. However, I am employed by and am a true fan of the independent business. The towns I hold near and dear to my heart would truly not be the same without the unique, locally owned brick and mortars. This is what the 3/50 project is all about.

Awesome, no? I will be taking this to heart and buying some gifts at a local store, that, if it disappeared, would make me truly sad. I urge you to do the same.

3/50 project

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

storypeople art

I will be posting some vacation loveliness later, but I wanted to start off with storypeople, one of my favs. Artist Brian Andreas truly tugs on my heartstrings. Their base product is wall prints, but they have other products, like vases, benches, large wall hangings and (new!) necklace charms. The illustrations are so colorful and intriguing, but what I really love is the wording.

"Most people don't know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don't get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life."

"You're the strangest person I ever met, she said & I said you too & we decided we'd know each other a long time."

"There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other's cooking & say it was good."

...and my absolute all-time favorite: "I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that."

That charm is so adorable and I just love the colorful vases.

You can sign up for their mailing list here. If you don't seem to be getting them, make sure they aren't going into your spam folder. And you can send e-cards here. Love, love love!

images: storypeople

Friday, April 24, 2009

on the road

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm off to Maryland for the weekend to spend some time with college friends. I'll be back and blogging on Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend.

image: living etc

Thursday, April 23, 2009

apartment therapy eye candy

I found these images a little while back on apartment therapy and just love them! They are all uplifting and cheery in their own way. I especially adore the colored glass bottles. Great diy, don't you think?


images: apartment therapy

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

something i love

Don't you just love a nice stack of coffee table books? Charles Harper's Birds & Words and Williams Sonoma's Soup book are among my own collection. What are your favorites?

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

ecoist handbags

I LOVE ecoist handbags. They are made out of recycled materials.. candy wrappers, food packages, soda labels, subway maps, newspapers, and other waste-bound items. You can love what you carry and be doing something great for the earth. Wonderful!




I was first introduced to the company when I saw someone carrying one of their bags. I always feel better about recommending or featuring a product when I have seen it in person and this bag was high-quality and came highly recommended!



images: ecoist

Monday, April 20, 2009

curly girl design

I absolutely love Curly Girl Design. I was first introduced to their greeting cards, but they have so, so much more! The first product is a pack of sticky notepads, and the next two are some of her wall canvases.


I love the uplifting quotes and the whimsical, colorful, collage-looking art.





I am a sucker for a great coffee mug; this could be dangerous!

images: Curly Girl Design

Friday, April 17, 2009

vibrant colors of mexico

My sister went to Cancun last month and bought me this beautiful bowl. Pretty, no? Thanks, Dee.


I can't wait to use it! Have a great weekend, everyone.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

paper cloud

I love the products of Paper Cloud. Thanks to my very talented friend Kelly, I have seen one of their journals in person. They also have the most beautiful light fixtures and pillows. Everything is available in a variety of designs and colors.

It looks like they are getting ready to swap out the old for the new because everything is on sale! No better time than now to check them out.

images: Paper Cloud

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

London love

I love the products of black + blum, a London-based design company. They are functional, yet unique and interesting. The third product shown is their "salad plant." The green stems are salad serving utensils and the pot is used for dressing. Adorable!



I am especially enthralled with the last product, their fruit loop bowl. Love.

images: black + blum

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

fun at 1154 Lill Studio

Last week I was reminded of this wonderful company! If you are in Chicago, Boston, Kansas City or Philadelphia, you are probably already familiar with 1154 Lill Studio. If you're not already familiar, you're in for a treat. Lill has an array of ready-made bags, but their specialty is custom made bags. You pick the style and the fabrics and they make the bag/purse/pillow. Wonderful, don't you think?



I was drawn to the same fabrics every time I was designing. How great are these purses? Love, love, love!
And these pillows! So lovely. You can also host your own Lill on location party. Such a good idea.
Images: 1154 Lill Studio