Gabrielle Kai Giveaway Tomorrow!

If you love the work of Gabrielle Kai, you'll want to stop by tomorrow for her photo giveaway. EVERYONE who enters will be a winner....you'll see why then. ;)

Dreamy Room Images by Debi Treloar

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to do nothing but post dreamy room photos today. I'm thinking maybe I need a vacation or a little getaway and these photos might just tie me over for awhile. ;) On a sidenote, my husband decided to surprise me with a mini vacation in a couple of weeks. Guess where we're going? Insert BIG SIGH here......The Hanford Nuclear Facility! Not quite the romantic getaway I envisioned (lol) but he's promised we'll make some fun stops along the way. The things you do for love......

I hope you enjoyed these lovely images by Debi Treloar. To learn more about Debi or to view more of her gorgeous photography visit her website. Enjoy your Tuesday!

Guest Poster ~ Gathering Spriggs

Good Morning. Here's a reason to be excited on a Monday. :) My friend, Heather, from Gathering Spriggs (an amazing blog about everything vintage) created a beautiful guest post! Come along with us to visit "The Shop Around the Corner", India Rose.






Hello Simply Hue readers! I'm excited and honored to be an active part of Vicki's vibrant blog. Over at Gathering Spriggs, I write a weekly feature titled " Shop Around the Corner" that highlights online boutiques from around the globe. Vicki asked me to pick one to share with you here today. So in honor of all things COLORFUL, allow me to introduce a vivid home furnishings textile company called, India Rose.

Now, I know what you are thinking. "How can a home furnishings company be an online boutique"? Well that is the unique angle of India Rose- offering an intimate on-line experience for you and me as well as wholesale products and so much more. The India Rose private label brand designs, creates and manufactures products for such stores as Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and Harry& David. (you may recognize some things). And if that isn't enough the six member staff also offers creative consulting for new product design.

Carter Bolick, founder and head designer behind India Rose once worked as a Pottery Barn rug designer before branching out to create her own identity as India Rose in 2003 (two years after the birth of her daughter and company namesake). Her husband has now joined the team to help with marketing, business and development (also a former PB designer, set to design a line of furniture for India Rose). So come along with me and enjoy the colorful world of India Rose.


Thanks Vicki for this exciting opportunity to be a part of all things COLOR-FILLED today!

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You're the best, Heather. Thanks for introducing us to such a beautiful shop. :)

Colorful World ~ Images by Amy Nieto

Friday already? This week went by fast! It's been extra fun posting this week and I really enjoyed the interaction with you. :) I've got some fun things planned for next week and an announcement to make, too....so stay tuned.

Enjoy these amazing photos by Amy Nieto, a very talented photographer and artist from Portland Oregon. If you have a chance take a look at her profile. One thing I learned while reading it is that she loves to wear BRIGHTLY COLORED PATTERNS. I'm inspired.

Carefree Images by Amy Nieto

I love kids' and think they make the best subjects for photography (other than when they have the wiggles). These images by Amy Nieto are adorable and take you back to more carefree days. Maybe we can make it a goal this weekend to do something childlike....lie on the grass and watch the clouds float by (be sure and look for animal shapes, too), run through the sprinkler (hey, why not?), or color a picture (you're never too old to color). Whatever you do, forget your worries for awhile. I'll see you here on Monday! :)

Beautifully Styled Jewelry by Kathi Roussel

When I look at this beautiful jewelry by Kathi Roussel all I can think is "YUM!". She has her photos styled in such an original way with earrings resting on miniature vintage chairs or draping over delicate twigs. Not only is her jewelry eye catching, but the way she displays it is a visual treat.

To see more of Kathi's exquisite jewelry, visit her Etsy Shop. Her Etsy Profile is very inspiring, too. Kathi is multi-talented in painting, drawing, sculpture, and of course jewelry design and was recently a featured seller on Etsy.

Dreamy Styles from "Saltwater"

Originally seen on my friend Heather's blog, Gathering Spriggs.

I love when I find a women's apparel shop that has gorgeous photos and not just your standard line-up of tops and pants. Saltwater is one such shop! They are a British clothing company based in London and Cornwall but have online shopping, too. Their prices aren't as low as Target, but are still pretty reasonable if you're on a budget. I'm not sure of the shipping fees, though. Hopefully those won't kill ya. ;)

Most of the colors used in their clothing are soft and earthy, such as OLIVE GREEN, CHOCOLATE BROWN, and WARM GRAYS. The RED dress above is one of the few items with BOLDER COLOR. Just curious....what colors of clothing are in your closet? Do you wear BRIGHTER, more VIBRANT COLORS or MUTED COLORS like Saltwater apparel? I have a real mix of colors in my closet....red, plum, green, gray, blue, black, tangerine, and even gold.

The Colorful Life of Katrina!

While looking for images recently on Flickr. I discovered the gorgeous work of Katrina. I especially love her series on windows and doors and wanted to show you a few today. Katrina is from Argentina and is obviously not afraid of color! I enjoyed learning more about her and hope you will, too. :) To view even more of her images visit her flicker photostream or her beautiful blog, El beso.

Colorful Images & Interview with Katrina

And if these weren't enough.....there's MORE!




Vicki: Tell us a little about yourself, your family, your hobbies, and interests.

Katrina: Well, I live in Buenos Aires, I am a mother of three children. I love gardening and decorating but lately photography consumes most of my time. I am image consultant but I am not working now. Well, I am just working for a little bistro in Palermo Buenos Aires( buenosairespastry.com/)

Vicki: When did you become interested in photography?

Katrina: At 12 years old I stole my father film camera, it was risky because my father used to have bad genius but when he sought the photos he decided to buy a camera for me. I chose a polaroid. Then I abandoned photography for 2 decades and I just started taking pictures again around 2007 for my blog (http://karina-elbeso.blogspot.com/) and this year I started studding photography.

Vicki: How does colour inspire your work?

Katrina: Colour is very important for me. I used to paint and chose vibrant colours. Matisse is one of my favorite painters. Lately I am using a pastel palette for my photos, but this is a new thing.

Vicki: What is your favorite subject to photograph?

Katrina: Sky, my kids, trees, so many things!

Vicki: What is your favorite color?

Katrina: RED

Colorful Finds by Hadley Hutton

Hadley Hutton's Etsy Shop
Hadley Hutton's Website

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Hadley Hutton's beautiful illustrations/paintings. I love her work and have purchased a couple of prints from her recently (the deer is my favorite) from her Etsy Shop. Her work has been featured in Domino Magazine and on several reputable blogs such as Creature Comforts, Poppytalk, Cuteable, and Decor8.

If you have a minute, read her profile. She was raised with a Mom who loved color and changed wall colors as often and most people change sheets!

The Stationery Boutique

I feel so honored today to post an interview with Jen from The Stationery Boutique. I love the simple, beautiful, contemporary designs that she offers in her shop. Enjoy her interview below!

Vicki: Tell us a little about yourself....your family, interests, hobbies.

Jen: Hi there! My name is Jen. I’m 32 and live on the beautiful Central Coast of California with my family. My husband, Mike, and I have been married for seven years and we have two beautiful little boys, Nathan who is four and Ryan who is 19 months. These days, I spend my time wrangling my boys, going to preschool gymnastics, playing at the park, doing laundry, sweeping massive amounts of cat hair off the floor, cooking, cleaning, diaper changing, playing referee, dislodging Lego’s imbedded in the arch of my foot, dragging the poor boys to the post office multiple times a week, and you know, basically wishing life would slow down for just a minute.


Oh, I love to cook. In fact, I sort of consider it my “me” time. For me, the most relaxing part of the day is when I’m in the kitchen, music on with a glass of wine cooking dinner while the boys are outside playing with my husband. Some more of my faves include: Starbucks, sushi, paper stores {i.e. Paper Source!}, taking tons pictures {which are sadly being held captive in my computer} and creating bright and colorful stationery. In addition to all that, spending time with my family is my favorite and most important pastime. Weekends are my favorite. We live by some beautiful beaches, fun zoos, and great places to eat.


Vicki: How did you start The Stationery Boutique?

Jen: I’ve always sort of had a “thing” for paper and stationery. I could easily spend hours perusing a pretty stationery boutique. Then spend another hour admiring it when I get home. Eventually I started realizing, “hey, I could do that”. The very first stationery item I made was for my wedding. After getting so frustrated that I couldn’t find a save the date photo card that I liked I decided to make my own. This was way before I even had a clue what Photoshop was. I used Microsoft Word to make my save the dates! I made my programs, too. Not bad, if I can say so myself.

Then I made my sister’s wedding shower invites, some birth announcements for my friend, wedding favors, birthday invitations, thank you cards… Meanwhile I left the work force to stay home with my kids. I finished my Bachelor’s degree in business management after the birth of my first son. I always thought about ways I could still stay home and make a little extra spending cash. That’s when we, my husband and I, decided we should try to make it a little business. So after the birth of my second son, we opened The Stationery Boutique. That was in November 2007.

The Stationery Boutique offers handmade invitations, announcements and personal stationery. I am still a work in progress and I’m learning as I go. Being a mom is by far the best job I have ever had. Running The Stationery Boutique most definitely comes in at a close second.


Vicki: How does color inspire your designs?

Jen: Color is a huge inspiration factor when I think about a new design. I love BRIGHT, BOLD COLORS, especially over a plain WHITE background. Color has a powerful way to communicate messages. To me, RED is passionate, BLUE is calming, YELLOW is cheerful, GREEN is fresh and natural. Most of my designs are of a single, bold colored image. I think there is something very appealing and attractive about that.


Vicki: What is one thing most people don't know about you? (I love asking this question, but it is optional. lol)

Jen: Hmmm, let me think here… I am actually quite shy. Always have been. Luckily, it’s never really held me back from anything, though. I usually just have to push myself a little harder than the average non-shy person to get myself out there. I will try to put myself in positions that force me come out of my shell, like becoming the president of the department club in college, or take a leadership position in almost every job I’ve had. Once I get my toes wet, and I get used to the water, I can jump right in. Especially now that I am a mom, I want to set the example for my boys to just be who you are and don’t be afraid of what others might think.

Oh, one other thing that most people don’t know about me.....I can actually recite almost every line from every episode of Friends. There, I said it.

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I love that last sentence, Jen. Don't worry, your secret is safe with us. ;) Thanks so much for telling us about yourself and The Stationary Boutique. You really are an inspiration.