holiday shopping is fun...

One of the places we visited on our short trip to Gaylord was a shop called The Old Spud Warehouse. It's a very unique place filled with lots of things. It's one of those stores that has so much stuff that you have to walk around twice and you'll see something else you hadn't spotted the first time. While not everything is my taste exactly,( I tend toward the modern), I had a blast finding tons of unique things. They have great jewelry pieces for reasonable prices, purses, sculptural elements, furniture, artwork, clothing you name it. Everything is presented in little artful vignettes with a backdrop of colorful walls and time worn floors.  
<> The Old Spud Warehouse lives in a circa 1900 former farmers co-op building used by local potato growers as a railroad shipping point to get their harvests to market.<>

The bones of the building have been maintained, with the slatted walls that promoted circulation to prevent rotting still intact. The metal walled engine repair room and the 12 foot high basement (because potatoes crush under their own weight at 11 feet) are now used for shopping. Check it out next time your passing through! I loved this piece-what you can't see is that it was coated in a glossy resin-very cool Yumminess from Jen's Kitchen... I have a sandwich mantra,"It's all about the bread." If you start off with some really good bread-you'll be that much more excited about your sandwich and inadvertently you'll become a gourmand. This in turn will propel you to fill your sandwich with yummy, fresh, more healthful things-or at least balance some of the good with the (bad)-but-it-tastes-so-good stuff! I made this simple sandwich last week and it was so yummy! Remember to grab some "good" bread for your Turk leftovers when you're out shopping! :) whole grain garlic "good" bread sliced ham/turkey 1 slice of sharp cheddar 1 slice of hot capicola mixed greens thin sliced honey crisp apple lt mayo mixed with horseradish to taste olive oil drizzle drizzle, then grill or toast the bread with the cheese (open faced)   I used the toaster oven. Just until warm and slightly crisp-remove and top with your other "stuff"  YUM!

Etsy artist finds....Snug studio

I really like this little shop called Snug. They have a cool, modern, simple aesthetic that really appeals to me. The little cutting boards are so fun-I like the cloud. You may recognize the little birdie mobile from my Monday Room Envy post. This shop is in Hannover, Germany-sound familiar? When I was searching for a bio on Snug I came across a post from Holly Becker (decor8) from last year about these artists. She lives there as well and says she has visited their workspace often. Click here for a link to that post. Snug was founded in 2010 by Kerstin Reilemann, an interior designer and Berit Luedecke, an architect. They say that "the greatest source of inspiration are their own childhood-memories of camping trips and things like their grandmother serving coffee. They mix natural materials such as wood and ceramic with a healthy dose of modern design and viola-snug-ly goodness!

Anyway, check out this cool Etsy shop, their Big Cartel store, website, and blog to see more designs!

Happy shopping....

Snug Studio-Etsy shop

Pretty spaces....

I love to look at other peoples work spaces. Studios, shops, drawing rooms,whatever. Fill a space with wrapping paper rolls, cards, ribbons, buttons and other crafty, pretty things and I'm a fan. Anyway, I found myself looking at a tour of a cute little bridal/studio/shop in NY called-Papel New York.(this site is under construction right now). I knew I would like it when I spotted my favorite papers from Elum and Snow and Graham hanging on the wall in rolls! I always dream of having a gorgeous craft room with pops of color everywhere and a spot for rolls of gift wrap-lol-what on earth I would do with that I don't know-but I want it!!! Here are some pics...

Have a lovely weekend!

A Little Shopping...

I'm heading over to All Saints school to get some work done on the mural today and (hopefully) finish that up this week! I'll post some pics of my progress too- so watch for that!

Today I'm posting a couple things I like from Fred Flare. If you haven't heard, it's a quirky little shop with gifts that are sometimes downright ridiculous! Perfect for finding fun kid things or something useful yet unique for a hard to shop for teen or even teacher! Personally I love all the little Matroyshka doll merchandise and the retro iPhone4 cases are a hoot!

Have a look...

A. Feathered Friends Pocket Planner-$16
B. Measuring Cups & Spoons in assorted shapes-$12-14
C. Panda Skillet-$34
D. Russian Doll Nesting Containers-Set of 3-$20
E. Vintage Camera Pencil Sharpener-$18
F. Gin & Titonic (Ship and Iceberg) Ice Cube Tray-$12
G. Vintage Snoopy Lunch Box-$15
H. Matroyshka Carafe Set-$24

Have a great weekend...

My little boy turns 5 tomorrow and there is much to do! We have a great day planned including a birthday party, complete with mini golf, bumper boats, go kart racing, chocolate cake, and transformer stuff! Whew! Have a great weekend!~

I'm leaving you with some images from the cute shop Darling Clementine.

Hope you like...

A LITTLE SOMETHING...

Here are a couple of cool summer storage things from a great lttle store called Life Guard Press. Psssst-they have lots of cute gift items and back to school stuff too!

Check it out...

HOWKAPOW...

I know it sounds silly right? Howkapow is a cute little shop I came across during one of my Internet journeys and I felt it was definitely worth a mention! This UK based shop is owned and operated by a young, husband and wife team and features emerging and independent designers. They have an eclectic and unique offering of things like jewelry, home accessories, art prints and kitchen things. Their philosophy is " that investing in bright, new designers with original ideas is how innovation truly flourishes."

Here's a few things I like....

A. Cushion covers in Aqua and Pebble-E40.00
B. Hand Shadow Pendant Rabbits-E25.00
C. Triangle Mug E9.95 or a set E35.00
D. Walnut owl-E25.00
E. Sustainable Seafood Tea Towel-E9.95
F. Firehose Messenger Bag-E199.00
G. Camera Print-E15.00

A FEW THINGS I LIKE....

I'm back! Camping last weekend stretched into the middle of the week so I just went with it and took the remainder of the week off as well! My boys had a blast getting tons of fresh air and dirt in every place possible! I had fun too, walking the beaches in search of snail shells, biking and playing all day long! It finally felt like summertime! Ahhhh, back to reality and hot shower.

 I have been super busy around the house too. When my husband is away I have extra chores like grass cutting and such. I actually don't mind it all that much, it's just an additional thing though. I am happy to report that I am nearly finished with my staircase project! For those of you who don't know about this catch up here. Well, I'm actually finished painting them-hooray-I did use my time away from the blog wisely-I still need a runner though and I'm pretty sure I've settled on one-I'll post some things this week regarding that. I've also begun painting the trim and doors in our house-a pretty BM Atrium white gloss. The wood is old pine and beat down. I'm loving it so far.

Our kitchen however is in the most need of some love. It will be the next big project around here and ~hopefully~ will begin in the fall. I've been looking around at lots of kitchens and kitchen things getting ideas. I'm gravitating toward an all white kitchen that is simple and slightly modern, with natural elements like wooden slabs for cutting and potted moss. I also like shades of gray and cream for wall colors and plan to get pops of color from artwork.

Today I decided I'd post some kitchen things I love right now from West Elm....

Hope you like...

1. Bird oil and Vinegar set $19
2. Modernist Mugs $10
3. Bird Bottle Opener $8.50
4. Field Study dessert plates 4 for $32
5. Modernist Bowls $8
6. Acacia Slabs $24-$36
7. Kitchen timers $12.95
8. Wooden measuring spoons $9

WEEKLY INSPIRATIONS................CYCLE STYLE

I've been feeling the need to simplify a bit so I'm doing things a little different today. I'm featuring a little shop called Cycle Style. It's  a mod little Australian cycle accessories store. I've picked a few things I think are super and I'm sharing them with you! I'm loving Australian things right now-blogs, shops, art-everything seems so colorful in Sydney!!! Now that it's finally nice outside, it's time to dust off my cruiser, get her shined up and put some accessories on the ol' girl!


Hope you like....

1. Wicker Bakers Basket-$159.00
2. I love my Bike bell-$14.90
3. Chartreuse Poppy Classic Rack Tote-$119.00
4. Claude Navy Waterproof Trench- $169.00
5. NutCase Helmets variety of mod patterns-$89


HERE'S A PIC OF MY LITTLE CRUISER.. an ELECTRA TOWNIE

MY MOM CIRCA 1971...

                                      

HAPPY TRAILS!

WEDNESDAY ETSY ARTIST FINDS...A HINT OF MINT

Another round of Etsy artist finds for you. Today the selections are centered around this weeks minty theme...

SUPPORT HANDMADE!

LILY BELLA FABRICS: This busy stay at home mom of four boys LOVES being surrounded by fabric. Her husband calls her "project girl" and she says she always has some kind of creative project going on as a beautiful distraction. Etsy is well known for the artists that sell their creations but there are also thousands of suppliers who provide the materials we need to create the art we sell. Don't forget to check ETSY first for beads, yarns, fabrics, jewelry making supplies and more--before buying from a big box store! 

MICHELE MAULE: I instantly loved the mixed media pieces this Portland based artist creates. Her work is colorful and simple and the subjects make me smile. She says she loves heading to the dog park on Sundays with her terrier and riding her bike around the city. Michele received a degree in Drawing, Painting, and Print Making from Portland State University in 2005 and hopes to one day make a living as full time artist. Have a look...
 

LITTLE BROWN PEN: This NJ shop consists of a pair of artists who love to capture the city of light from a different perspective. Their work shows Paris with pops of color against a backdrop of time-worn grays, weathered white and muted brown surfaces. I really like what they've got going on...Check them out in these places too:

VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttp://littlebrownpen.com
VISIT OUR BLOGhttp://littlebrownpen.blogspot.com
FOLLOW US ON TWITTERhttp://twitter.com/littlebrownpen

SWEDE 13: Angela resides in sunny Florida along with her hubby and 3 teens. She studied journalism in college with an emphasis in the arts, but now spends her time collecting little treasures. Her passion for antiquing has inspired her to create things as well as share her finds in her Etsy shop Swede 13. Angie's shop has a beachy, vintage, shabby chic, cottage feel to it that I liked. Another thing I like about these kinds of shops is that they have an ever changing inventory mixed with one of kind creations. Stop on by for look.... 

SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR
 THURSDAY ART ADDITIONS....