I love animals and old school sneakers.

I have always loved animals. Over my lifetime I've lived with and loved 5 cats, 8 dogs, 1 pony, 8 horses and one little brother. To say I am an animal person is an understatement. If I'm at another person's home for a social event and there is a pet running around, I'll spend more time talking to it than the people. So a few years ago, when I discovered the work of Sharon Montrose, I was beyond excited.

She is a brilliant photographer. Her studio shots are so clean and airy feeling with a fantastic use of white space that offsets the intimate portrait of her subjects. While the execution could feel cold and scientific she chooses the shots that give a sense individual life to every animal. Not to mention the sheer detail of their textures; the rough bristles of a coat, the shiny wetness of an eye, the strength and hardness of a shell, it's like feeling with your eyes. Check out The Animal Print Shop for yourself and I dare you not to fall in love.

"Baby Zebu No. 2" by Sharon Montrose

I also love old school sneakers. (Now, just bear with me here.) The first pair of new "school shoes" that I can remember picking out were black, low top Vans with the white side stripe. Imagine my surprise when I get an email for The Everygirl's weekly feature and the first photo is Sharon Montrose wearing a pair of slip-on Vans in black and grey check. I mean, come on! Awesome animal photos AND old school sneakers?! She is now my photography hero.

Vans Old Skool™ Core Classics

April's First Friday Art Post: Original Prints on Etsy

Welcome to the inaugural First Friday Art Post! The first Friday of each month I'll bring you great art from around the web, kind of like my own little art walk.

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I love printmaking. In college I was lucky enough to take a printmaking class in my last semester where we learned various processes from intaglio etching to lithography to reduction woodcuts. There is something so satisfying about the printmaking process. I love all aspects of the production itself, from the mixing of inks, to setting up a system for perfect registration, to rolling plates through the press. There is nothing quite as satisfying as a drying rack full of prints, drying and waiting to be editioned.

It's no secret that I love art. This has manifested itself in a bit of an art buying habit that I don't see the need to correct (Mr. P may disagree). Etsy is one of my favorite sources for finding original prints at less than bank-breaking prices. I love that the world-wide art community is so accessible via Etsy. I can buy a piece from a local artist or from one half the world away.

Without further ado, let me showcase some of the art prints I've already purchased for myself along with some of the pieces I have my eye on this-very-moment.

Own it ...

Peacock linocut print by Zoe Badger / ZebedeePrint

Before + After: Garden Bench

This iron and wood garden bench had been living in our garage for who-knows-how-long. I asked our landlord if we could use it and he told me that his wife has forgotten about it and he didn't want her to remember so we could do whatever we wanted with it. Hooray for us!



See the results after the jump ...

Minted's 5th Birthday, Get 15% Off

Don't wait, now is the time to order those save the dates, invitations or birth announcements! The sale ends on Monday the 8th.

This is an affiliate post.

Minted: Wall Art for Awesome Babies

I don't know about you, but when Spring rolls around I get antsy for change. Not major life-changing change, but aesthetic change. I'm happy to banish the grey skies and cold temperatures for a brighter and sunnier point of view which, for me, translates to adding more color to my life and my living space. Occasionally this means I put some sort of bright color in my hair but more often it means I buy art.

Maybe it's the art school kid in me but I am a bit of an art junkie. I give myself a small monthly budget for buying art from independent artists which means I spend way too much time trolling the web for budget friendly originals and prints from relatively unknown artists. Over the last year I've found that Minted has an ever-growing selection of outstanding art prints available in a variety of sizes, prices and color options. Some of them are even customizable and make great gifts! Plus, they are all created by Minted's infamous global community of designers! (Of which, I am lucky enough to be one.)

A color that has really grabbed my attention lately is pink, but not super sweet pastel pink. I'm really digging bright pinks, especially when paired with darker, sophisticated colors. While I am not inclined to base a room in my (temporary, sigh) home around pink but I am an equal opportunity color appreciator so I still have fun designing the "idea." Using Minted's groovy new inspiration board builder tool, I've matched up some pink-ish prints to curate a collection that is both sweet AND smart yet doesn't scream "Princess Party." This is the kind of art that would be perfect for a baby girl's room yet is adult enough to "grow up" as she does. Shoot, she may even take them to her future dorm room!

Sweet Sophisticate board by 2birdstone. See more wall art on Minted

Before + After: Flat File Cabinet

There is nothing quite as motivating as moving half-way around the world when it comes to finishing projects. As our move date approached I realized that I'd be unable to take any of the wet supplies I'd purchased (paint, thinner, etc.) with me and that I risked losing any hardware not already attached to the furniture. Enter the flat file project.

I got the bug for a flat file cabinet after seeing these two images on Pinterest and the Illusorio Cabinet from Anthropologie.

Modern 50

Desire to Inspire

 Without any luck on the local Craigslist or Bookoo I went to eBay UK and found this gem for only £12! All I had to do was borrow a truck and a friend and pick it up myself. The photos may be deceiving but this thing is a monster! It's probably four feet tall, nearly four feet wide and about three feet deep. It barely fit through the door way and was too awkward and heavy to move up the stairs so it lived in the dining room. It was homemade for an elementary school classroom out of pine and came with a thin layer of varnish and various glittery splotches of paste and paint. 

 

It's Baby Season

Is your bestie knocked up? I don't know about you, but I feel like I've reached that "stage" in life where it feels like many of my friends are welcoming cute, little genetic mash-ups (some call them babies) into the world. Are you desperately searching Pinterest for baby shower ideas? Lucky for the procreating world, their friends and family, Minted is stocked with some of the most darling and chic ready-made party decor items on the market to make that baby shower its absolute best!

Everything is beautifully coordinated, from the invitations to the welcome banner to the drink flags, thanks to the immensely talented stable of designers at Minted's disposal. So don't despair, you too can create a baby shower scene worth re-pinning! Minted has the talent and the paper, you have the muscle and the wallet. The hardest part is going to be deciding which set to use ...

Check out some of my favorite baby shower inspiration boards, all featuring assorted Minted designs.

Mint + Yellow Baby Shower board by 2birdstone. See more unique Minted baby shower invitations

Molly & Jason Mesnick's Baby Shower Decor

Big news came via twitter today! My "Animals Born Free" Party Decor suite at Minted popped up as the decor for Molly Mesnick's (of The Bachelor fame) baby shower. Jenny Cookie's created the sweets to reflect the invitation and decor. She even strung some of the table confetti to create a banner for the cake. Let's just get to Lisi Wolf Photography's photos that so perfectly capture the event and decor.

Photos of the shower have been featured on people.com as well as E! online, Yahoo, Project Nursery, The Bump, Lil Sugar, Babble and more. The shower was also shown on E! News!

Pretty awesome.

Inspiration Boards Just Got Easier

I love inspiration boards but damn if they aren't time consuming to create! I've made a few in Photoshop and the process is close to maddening. If you're like me and love the final product but hate the pain of creation, cheer up! Minted has launched a new, easy way to make your own. Not only can you make your own, you can submit your best wedding inspiration board to their current contest and win big bucks in Minted credit!

Watch the video and you'll see just how easy it is.

A Very Starry Night board by 2birdstone. See more wedding invitations on Minted

Trend Watch: Sun Prints

sun print cake see on OnceWed

So a year and a half ago I did a little post on flag bunting as inspiration for wedding stationery. Lo and behold, the bunting craze erupted into a mega-huge trend. You see it EVERYWHERE now so in an effort to find out if my post was prophecy or dumb luck I am throwing an official prediction out there for a future wedding and event trend ... the sun print.

I know that artists have been doing this for ages and that there are a great many souls using the cyanotype method of printing for artistic and education applications, but I am guessing that this easy to use method (you can buy kits for cheap at www.sunprints.org) may catch on as a trendy element of weddings and parties. The possibilities are endless! Everything from place and escort cards, table numbers, photobooth props, custom table linens and more will benefit of that pop of blue.

I LOVE cobalt hues (thanks to my Grandma's legendary "blue bathroom" and the collection of cobalt glass she passed down to me) so I couldn't help but try my hand at a sun print-like save-the-date design for Minted's latest challenge.


save the date cards - Sun Print

Do you think sun printing will be a big trend for the coming wedding season? Or should I go buy a lottery ticket and leave trend prediction to the pros?

Need more sun print ideas? Check out these links:
http://www.marthastewart.com/273140/baby-clothes-sun-prints
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2006/09/how_to_make_sunprint_paper_pat.html
http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/diy/get-inspired-by-sunprints-148995