Guest Post from Tina {Luphia Loves}

Today I feel so fortunate to have Tina from Luphia Loves as guest poster. The first thing you'll notice when you visit Tina's blog is her amazing eye for fashion and style. She also has a weekly Giveaway that's really easy to enter. I'll let Tina take it from here!

The 60s was indeed an iconic decade. Aside from the Beatles and the fact that we set foot on the moon, let's not forget about the amazing pop art style, which also translated into fashion.





Want to stand out from the crowd? Just add bold colours and shapes!
{all from net-a-porter.com}

Thanks so much for having me today, Vicki, and your dear readers for reading this. :)

Tuesday Morning Inspiration

Image by Simply Photo

Good morning! You probably didn't notice, but I completely forgot to post "Monday Morning Inspiration" yesterday. Ah, well......it's always a good day to be inspired. ;)

I challenge you today to enjoy the simple things. Lemonade on a hot Summer day is definitely one of those things. Can you get outside for a walk or bikeride? Call someone you haven't talked to in a long time? Take a leisurely bubble bath? There are so many free and rewarding things to take advantage of in life. Just go for it! :)

Colorful Finds By Sandrine!

Travel Pouch for tickets, luggage "tad", and sleeping mask.

Vintage french promotional menu cards from La Bénédictine, a well-known liquor in France.

Handmade buttons!

Craftroom Tags ~ Downloadable in French & English

Handmade cards with a few Amy Butler designs.

I recieved these colorful images from a talented French designer a few days ago and wanted to share them with you. She's not only a skilled seamstress and crafter, but has a real talent for styling her photos! I asked Sandrine to tell us a little about herself and here's what she wrote:

"So, my name's Sandrine. I'm 35. I'm married with 3 children (Valentine is 9, Ben will turn 6 in 2 days and Audrey will turn 4 in 5 days!). We have been living in Chambery (a cute little town in the french alps) for 3 years - June 2006 to August 2009- but we're just about to move from France to the Netherlands (The Hague) for my husband's job.

I'm a former journalist specialized in HR topics, but when we left Paris -where we had stayed for 10 years- for Chambery, I also quit my job and decided to create my own business. My aim was to turn my craft passion into a job and also to be able to work from home in order to take care of my 3. In France, though, working women have much help from the state (affordable nurseries + free school that begins at the age of three). When you have more than two children, it begins to get difficult to juggle two careers and the children!

So, I mostly create sewing and embroidery kits and patterns and sell craft supplies from my on-line shop as well as at needlecraft fairs. I also began lately to sell handmade house accessories (mostly pouches) and offer printable paperie.

Well, I guess that's about all I can say about me! Thanks again!"

Colorful, Dreamy Images by Anna Aiden.....

Well, the weekend's here! Yay! Before I head out for a full Friday, I wanted to leave you with these "oh so romantic" images by Anna Aiden. For me, her beautiful photos really capture the essence of being a woman. And, if you're a nature lover or just love beauty period, you can really appreciate her talent.

Lately, I've been in awe of photographers! I've received so many amazing photos from readers and I'm more passionate than ever about pursuing photography. In my opinion, photographers know how to live life to the fullest. They're constantly seeking out the whimsical, the beautiful, the humourous, the romantic, and even the tragic moments in life.

If you're a photographer and have any suggestions or advice for those of us who are just starting out, please leave it in the comments section below. I know that I'm not the only one who will be listening. :)

Have a fun and safe weekend and I'll see you here on Monday!

Love, Love, Love Birds!

These precious ink and watercolor bird paintings were created by Little Doodles. I really like the softness and watery affect and the artist has a great sense of humor, too! Notice the birds with chocolate, the bird with a cupcake on its head, and the one with whipcream on top? Cute! :)

Colorful Mosaics By Love Stitching Red

I came across the photostream of Love Stitching Red this morning while searching for photos on flickr. Wow, this lady is talented! She's a textile artist from St. Ives, Cornwall, England and has a colorful blog if you would like to see more of her work.

Nature is the ultimate source to look to when you're deciding on a color scheme for your home.

I love how the artist uses her paintings and photography combined to create her mosaic. Doesn't the color yellow just make you feel cheerful? It's perfect for a room where you need a lot of energy, maybe an office or an art studio. It can also brighten a dark hallway if you use it in a lighter tone.

I guess I'm not the only birdlover around! This mosaic is so soft and feminine. The credit goes to the images the artist chose and also to the peach color palette she uses.

Green.....my favorite color of all! Green is considered a neutral color so it fits almost any color scheme.

I hope you're inspired to be creative yourself today! :)

Fun Happenings in the Blogosphere!

Good morning. :) I just wanted to give you a heads-up on some fun things that are happening at other blogs this week! First off, "Oh Hello Friend" is holding a very special event called The Lovely Package Exchange. It sounds like a lot of fun! For more details, take a look here.

Also, Amanda from Mocking Bird has a feature called "How to Create Dreamy, Film Like Digital Photos". She is definitely the person to learn from if you want to create feminine, whimsical photos! She's starting with the basics for beginners (like me) so her explanations are straightforward and simple. :)

The Colorful Life of Leslie Shewring

A few months ago I had the honor of meeting Leslie Shewring through an online blogging course we took together. Since then I've been a dedicated fan of her blog A Creative Mint and of her beautiful photo styling. Just look at these gorgeous displays that she creates herself and then photographs! I had fun learning more about Leslie and I know you will, too. :)





Vicki: Tell us a little about yourself!

Leslie: I grew up on the idyllic Vancouver Island in British Columbia. My mother is an artist and avid gardener so our family home was always a laboratory for creative ventures. At any given time we were doing art projects like painting ceramics on the dining room table and having flowers pressing in books on the kitchen table. My mother and father had an eclectic group of friends, which also influenced more critical and creative ideas.

While working on my interior design degree in Northern California I decided I wanted to go further and study architecture. Even though I did not practice architecture, it was incredible design training. Immediately after finishing grad school I had the opportunity to team up with a manufacturing and distributing company. In collaboration with them I developed, designed and did packaging direction for lots of products sold in many of the major retailers in North America. However, the products were very masculine and utilitarian. I would not call much of what I designed through those years feminine or pretty in the least! I guess I am now trying to get back to what I love which is more female, color, and pattern driven. In the last three years I have only done a few projects and my main focus has been my two little children. My daughter is three and my son is almost one.

Vicki: When and how did you get into photography?

Leslie: During grad school I took a couple black and white photography classes. I learned how to use the dark room and how to use the manual settings on a camera. I loved the class and took lots of photos of friends and some buildings. After school finished I pretty much stopped taking any pictures. I always liked it but did not make time for it except for the odd shot of a friend or my niece. After I got married my husband took most of the family pictures and he bought our digital SLR about three and a half years ago. I really did not pick up our camera until this past February when I took Susannah Conway’s “Unravelling” class. This was the first time I really used a digital SLR camera and I am still trying to figure it out!

Vicki: What is your favorite camera to use?

Leslie: I guess it would be our Canon Eos. I like being able to see the photographs I take immediately. With film there is always the waiting through processing and with digital it is instant! I just bought a mini Polaroid type camera, which is fun too.

Vicki: What is your favorite subject to photograph?

Leslie: This is a hard question for me. Today, I would say flowers.

Vicki: How does color inspire your work?

Leslie: Colors provide me with a kind of framework to work in for the week. I like having a little design challenge for myself, I know it sounds a little dorky but that is how my color stories started. I give myself a little problem and a time to complete a set of images. Otherwise, I would keep working on one color combination for weeks!

Thank you so much, Leslie! I'm inspired by your creativity.

**********

P.S. Leslie is also a talented artist, but wouldn't admit to it when I asked her about her artwork (Leslie!). :) Look at a few of her lovely collages below:




If you get a quiet moment today (those are hard to come by), visit Leslie's blog to view more of her amazing photo styling!

Reminder ~ Calling All Photographers!

Image by Isaberry

Just a reminder for you photographers (whether amateur or experienced) to send 3-5 of your favorite images to matissecolor@gmail.com. If your photos fit the basic aesthetic of Simply Hue I'll choose 1 or 2 of them to feature, alongside the work of other talented photographers, in a couple of weeks! Btw, no need to feel intimidated. There will be a large variety of skill levels represented. :) Thanks so much for participating!

Colorful Finds by Romo!

This light mint green is such a soothing contrast to the deep brown!


Wow, look at these amazing patterns and colors! Once again chocolate brown is the color that grounds this palette.


There's something so calming about this tranquil blue and deep brown color scheme........


I love the richness of chocolate brown! It compliments just about every color scheme and brings a feeling of security to a room.

This mornings post is purely to give you eye candy before your busy day begins! These high quality fabrics, wallcoverings, and trimmings are from a company called Roma which is based out of the UK. Unfortunately, their product line is hard to come by in the U.S. (you might want to check out Ebay for fabric swatches or pillow covers) and is generally sold to designers only.

This is one of those "you can look, but not touch situations". But, aren't they pretty to look at? ;)

Monday Morning Inspiration

Beautiful Image by Andrea McClain

Good Morning! Did you enjoy your weekend? Mine was a real mix of fun, laziness, and stressful discussions with my hubby about our finances. It may get a little old hearing about the "state of the economy", but I think it's worth a mention since it's affecting so many of us. I needed to hear these inspiring words by the late Christopher Reeve today. His final years were a true testimony of someone who kept positive despite the serious challenges he faced. I hope that your new week is filled with hope and encouragement. And, if you need a little laugh this morning, scroll down a few photos! ;)

Summertime And The Living Is Easy.........

Images by One Love Photo

Just had to post that last photo. ;) Did you get a little laugh? Awww, sweet Summertime....Kids' know how to live life to the fullest and these fun, whimsical photos by One Love Photo are a great reminder to enjoy the lazy days of Summer. They slip by way too fast.

In a few weeks I'll be posting an interview with Heather from One Love Photo. Stay tuned! :)