HANDMADE BY - LILA RUBY KING

A contact of mine on Instagram had one of these sweet coloring books posted in her photostream and right away I knew it was something I wanted to share with you.  In fact, I think I might want to personally own one (or more) of these coloring books for grown up "kids"!

Anna, the owner and artist behind Lila Ruby King, is an Australian artist living in Greece (lucky her!).  She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Visual Arts and majored in printmaking with a minor in painting. She's also completed a certificate in Jewellery Design and Manufacturing.

In her shop, you'll find a great collection of handmade paper goods, fabrics, and porcelain accessories featuring her hand-drawn designs.  To see more of Anna's work, you can visit her Flickr Photostream!

P.S. You're not seeing things ... I switched back to my original blog design. It just felt more like home. :)
 

I COULD LIVE HERE - AN ECLECTIC HOME

Good morning ... hope your week's off to a good start.  :)

Today I thought I'd show you a home I found on one of my favorite decorating blogs, Deco Photo Blog.  Honestly, if this home was in a line up, it probably wouldn't be the first one I'd choose to live in, but I still love so much about it!  I admire the vast array of bright colors, the eclectic mix of old and new, the patterned wallpaper (look at the gorgeous wallpaper on the bedroom wall!), and all of the personal touches like the art work, the books, and the little keepsakes on the shelves.  It seems like the homeowner has put a lot of thought into the placement of each object and has brought in so many personal and meaningful pieces.

One of the most challenging parts of decorating our new condo (we sold almost all of our furniture and belongings when we moved here 10 months ago) was making it feel like "us".  For the first few months it felt like a hollow shell with blank walls, very few accessories (such as pillows, artwork, and decorations), and many of our beloved family memories (family photos and special things we've collected over the years) were still packed away in mile-high stacks of boxes.  Well, I can finally say it's feeling like home and once things are in a little more order, I'll post pictures on Simply Hue for you to see!

How do you personalize your home?  I'd love to hear a few of your tips.  :)
 

HANDMADE BY ... PEG AND AWL

I'm so impressed with the variety of handmade items that the Etsy shop, Peg and Awl, offers!  Many of their products are made out of wood and all are unique and one-of-a-kind.  If you like rustic, quirky, and want to make a statement in your home or in your personal style, I think you'll find their shop intriguing.  :)

Have a great Thursday, friends!  xo

Color Palette Generator

Hello! How was your weekend? Ours was really nice! We celebrated January/February birthdays and anniversaries at my oldest daughters house yesterday and it was great to have the whole family together. Missing everyone since we moved over an hour away to the "big city" of Kirkland, Washington. ;)

O.k., it's probably no secret that I love color. In fact, I started Simply Hue almost 3 years ago when I was a color consultant (I went into clients homes and helped them choose a color palette/scheme for their walls and decor). It was a lot of fun but because of my some health issues it became a little too much for me.

This morning I came across Big Huge Labs Color Palette Generator and have been playing around with it for the last half hour. All you need to do if you'd like to try it out is upload a photo/piece of artwork and click on "create". Voila! A color palette is generated based on the colors in the image you uploaded! For other fun games and utilities, follow THIS LINK.

I know there are other online palette generators that I'm not aware of so if you know of any, please do share them in the comments section below (so I can waste and whittle away even more time!). xo

In Search of an Area Rug

Good morning! How was your weekend? Did it feel like it was long enough? I had a good one. I walked with a new neighbor friend yesterday morning and spent the afternoon at the local craft store picking up supplies for my display at Westhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Elm on December 1st. Looking forward to this but getting very nervous. I really don't like being the center of http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifattention and still have so much to do.

Speaking of West Elm, I've been on a mad search for area rugs the last few days and West Elm is one of the first places I looked. They have some really beautiful, natural selections. Above are just a few. :)

In the end, I found this one on Ebay. It's nice and neutral and will go really well with our laid-back beach theme.


Off to put together a few items for my display! Have a great week friends. xo

Evolving Decorating Tastes

1 ~ Little Brown Pen, 2 ~ Esther and Harper, 3 ~ Very Lily, 4 ~ The Door Stop, 5 ~ Uncommon, 6 ~ Very Lily

Good morning! I have decorating on the brain a lot lately and thought I'd show you a few of the things I've been eyeing on Etsy (I actually just purchased the vintage mirror this morning!) It's funny how our styles evolve. When we first got married I would say my decorating style was Scandinavian. Then we went to Mission Style because of our old 1918 Craftsman Bungalow, and now I'm leaning towards a French Country/relaxed beach theme (I can't decide). Who am I?! Just kidding...I think it's natural that our styles change as we grow and change, don't you?

Has your decorating style evolved over the years? I'd love to hear about it! xx

Fresh Contemporary Designs by Iluxo

Good morning! Hope you're having a good week so far. :) I've been home a lot this week because our pup has some anxiety issues when I leave (working on that one) and the walls are starting to echoe a bit. ;)

While searching for a wall clock on Etsy, I came across the beautiful designs of Mariko from Iluxo! Mariko creates all of the beautiful items in her shop from her apartment in Los Angeles. I'm really drawn to the crisp, contemporary, organic appearance of her pieces and am saving up to purchase one of her clocks in the near future.

Here's what Mariko says about Iluxo:

"Iluxo is a handmade fashion brand featuring necklaces, earrings, hair pins and home decor. I'm Mariko, the creator and designer of Iluxo. I like to work primarily in wood, leather, and acrylic, using as few mass produced elements to my designs as possible. Except for the most basic components, such as chains and settings, everything I carry has been drawn, drafted, and designed by me."

Designer ~ Sarah from Be Still

Her Shop ~ Be Still

"Be Still Homewares was founded in January 2009. My name is Sarah Robinson and I'm an Australian Industrial and Graphic Designer with a love of fabric and pattern. On moving to Bangkok in 2008 I was amazed and excited by the fantastic fabrics available here. I decided to do something with all of this fabric. I currently live between Australia and Thailand."

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WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT SARAH'S DESIGNS:

I like the minimalist feel to them and the high quality elegant fabrics she uses. I can imagine her pillows displayed in an upscale home, in a fung shui setting, or tossed on the sofa of a cozy bungalow.

What do YOU appreciate about Sarah's designs?

Designer ~ Vered from Veroque

Her Shop ~ Veroque Beaded Jewelry, Her Second Shop ~ By the Belt

"My name is Vered and I live in Israel. I am the mother of two adorable children and wife to a wonderful friend.

During the year 2003 after I gave birth my daughter, I began to create art.
Soon I discovered the world of beads...
I decided this is what I wanted to do from now on.
Beads and needlework tap into my inner peace and I hope I can share that with you.

With all my heart, I enjoy seeing women wearing my jewelry...it always makes me happy.

The complex techniques I use I learned mostly from the Internet; some things I changed and added to creating various new items and techniques.

I devote hours and many days to beadwork and some are individual, "ONE OF A KIND" items.

I try to create special color combinations and designs.

Hope you will enjoy my shop and creations!"


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WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT VERED'S WORK:

As you can see by reading her profile above Vered puts alot of heart into her work and I think it shows. Each piece is so unique, feminine, and special.

What do YOU appreciate about her designs?

Btw, please drop by for "Art Talk" with Amanda from Mocking Bird tomorrow! It's really an inspiring article! xo