DIY art with punch

There are some really fantastic kids boutiques in Toronto now that are selling such modern and interesting products. I found myself in one of those stores this week with the baby, and found this cool craft/art project by Junzo Terada.

These punch out cards allow kids (or grown ups) to assemble these colourful animals, and then you (or your kids) can either play with them or better yet, use them as cool art! I was thinking they would look great on shelves in a kids room, or displayed in a shadow box frame and hung in a series of 4 or 5.

Fun, right! I love this kind of stuff!

I saw this at Baby On The Hip, but I also found it on Amazon.

Images from Amazon

Feeling Blue

At this time of year, it seems that the world gravitates toward warm colours in anticipation of the colder months ahead. But before blue conjures up images of frost and cold, I thought I'd give it one last hurrah and celebrate it as one of the loveliest colours in the home.

Blue looks so amazing with just about every other colour, and as the photos show below, it can be cheery, calm, moody or whimsical. It's definitely one of my favourites. What about you guys? What colours make you happy?

The Cool Hunter

Coastal Living

House Beautiful

Small Place Style

Young House Love

Indigenous Dialogues

Martha Stewart

 Top image from String

Shadow puppet wallpaper

What little kid doesn't love shadow puppets? Imagine being surrounded by them in your room all the time. Paper Boy Wallpaper out of the U.K. clued into this and designed this fantastic wallpaper.

 This is such unique paper. Here are a few other styles available.
 

You can see the full collection here.

Tea Please

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging (see my post of beverage labels for more proof), and the other day we were at a gorgeous grocery store that carries really high-end products for a browse, and I found myself spending an unusual amount of time in the tea aisle.

I like tea, especially in the autumn, but it was the packaging of this stuff that had me captivated for so long. Aren't they beautiful? It's the kind of thing that you buy and keep out on your kitchen counter to show off or use on your desk for paper clip storage and stuff. There are so many colours and styles it's sure to fit any scheme! Am I the only person out there who buys tea strictly to fit in with her decor? Tell me I'm not!!!

All images from Kusmi Tea

Life in a foot

How cool is this project that photographer David L­iittschwager undertook! Liittschwager travelled to five unique environments around the world, including a rainforest and a city park, to chart and photograph all the creatures that passed through a one-cubic-foot cube that he placed on the ground. He spent three weeks on the project, and it was featured in National Geographic. You can read about the whole endeavor here, but check out the picture! Some of these creatures were only a few millimeters big. So cool!

 The Guardian

What to do with kids art

I think this is such a genius idea, and I really hope to do it myself when Brigham starts getting crafty! I know that parents often struggle with what to do with all the art projects that their kids create, and many opt for digital storage. But that's no fun when you don't get to see them! The best part of this is that it looks fantastic and is a chic and subtle way to brag about your kids! 

Images: Remodelista

Low-Budget, High-Impact room update

I saw this image on one of my favourite blogs - Little Green Notebook - the other day and thought it was a fantastic way to make a huge impact in a room without spending much money. And, you can easily do it yourself - even better! It looks to me like all that was used was some wallpaper and some trim to frame it. The trickiest thing about a project like this would be finding somewhere that will cut the trim for you on a 45 degree angle (unless you have a saw at home), and hanging wallpaper in a straight line! But if you can manage those two things, imagine the possibilities! Something like this would be great in a series of three coordinating patterns, too.

Little Green Notebook

Images of Autumn

Martha Stewart Living

Fall is my favourite time of year. The crispness in the air always has me wanting to nest. Right now, I'm staring at my living room trying to decide how I can redecorate on a budget to make it more seasonal. Without leaving my house, I'm thinking I can change up the art on the walls (DIY or recycled from somewhere else in the house); add some candles and a throw, and search for anything orange that I may have lying around (my favourite autumn colour).

While I try to figure it out what to do at home, I'm looking for autumn inspiration from around the Internet.

Martha Stewart Living

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

House and Home

BHG

Martha Stewart Living

BHG

BHG

Apartment Therapy

Martha Stewart Living

Martha Stewart

Sabre Flatware

About a year ago I found a line of flatware from Paris at a tiny boutique in a tiny town and fell for it pretty hard. Since then I've been trying to collect little pieces here and there as budget allows. I thought I would share it though, as this past weekend I found myself in the same tiny boutique in the same tiny town where my collecting began. The stuff I've been buying is what's shown above, but they have tons of really cute patterns - some of which can be seen below, the rest on their website, Sabre.

Thirsty?

Whoever said you can't judge a book by its cover didn't know me! I (sadly, maybe) almost always judge a book by its cover - before I've read it, that is. I'm a visual person, maybe that's why I do it, but I bet most people would agree that they are more likely to pick up a book if they are intrigued by the cover. The same can be said for just about every other product out there that incorporates some element of design.

Unique graphics can draw you to a packaged product, and when I came across the following site, it reinforced my opinion on the subject.

Tell me the packaging on some of these bottles doesn't make you want to run out and buy them. Some of them I would keep after the drink was gone and use for flowers or keep on display in my house. They are so lovely!

Images: WDL