Happy Weekend

01/ A whiteboard and marker has never looked so good.
02/ Matchbook-sized stories.
03/ Inspiring conceptual work from Anouk Kruithof.
04/ Anatomy of a paper bird.
05/ The Chap Olympiad! A battle of gentlemanly prowess.
06/ Liking these DIY paper clay barnacles a lot.
07/ New York is paved with random food.
08/ 50,000 gummy bears = 1 full-length gown. If you were curious.
09/ Looking at ribbon scraps a little different now.
10/ Outdoor wallpaper exists.

0

Happy Weekend

 

01/ A Swiss Animal Knife!
02/ Charcoal colored walls stenciled with white florals.
03/ An entire miniature city built with metal type!
04/ I could move right in to this microcabin in the woods.
05/ A badass rocking horse named Hesus.
06/ Tiny, detailed matchbook landscapes.
07/ Loving this lookbook for Zlda’s The Boyscounts collection. (via More Design Please)
08/ A fun DIY ombre crane garland for summer entertaining.
09/ A beached whale right in the middle of an Argentinian forest.
10/ Gale force winds to the face? Don’t mind if I do. (PS: Colossal killed it this week.)

4

The Basics of Herbs

This spring I started a windowsill herb garden in my kitchen. Herbs seem to be the only things I can grow, so I stocked up on curly basil, cilantro, mint, and sweet basil. The thing is, I only know a dish or two that I like to use each of them for. Basically I have a lot of herbs and not a lot of recipes. That’s one of the reasons I got really excited when I came across Illustrated Bites’ The Basics of Herbs and some other illustrations detailing how to best prepare them. The second reason was of course the illustrations themselves. Now I’m all set to take on a crazy world of flavor, just in time for summer! (via Ritzy Bee)

6

You Can Do It: Create a Gallery Wall

Creating a gallery wall can be really intimidating. I know it was for me. The first time I made an attempt was a few years ago, and can only be described as comically sad. I tried to do it freeform, without a plan. Just nailing and hanging as I went. The wall I used wasn’t big enough, or a good location. Just all wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

A few months ago I was chatting with my friend Natasha, who works with Minted. It just so happened that they were planning on releasing their first ever limited edition and custom print art collection and we decided to collaborate on this little how-to guide. Several of the pieces I used are from Minted, as well as a few from other sponsors, and quite a few I previously owned. I’ll share where everything came from and where you can get it at the end.

A large central wall works best for a gallery wall. You want it to be a focal point, not a side thought. I chose the space over my couch. You’ll want to visually divide your wall into quadrants. Your art can then either be built off of the horizontal line, the vertical line, or both. I went with the last option.

 

After choosing the artwork from Minted, I went about filling in the spaces. I knew that wanted a variety of sizes and mediums. Illustration, painting, photography, etc. I was so excited to pull out pieces that I’d never found the perfect spot for before! Next I nerded out and hopped on my laptop to lay it all out. You can do the same, or print out thumbnails and play with arranging the pieces that way. Whatever works for you, just remember the goal is to have a plan.

I didn’t want the end result to feel flat, so I chose frames of varying depths. The majority are from Plywerk and are 3/4″ bamboo platform frames that I adhered my art to. One is a printed canvas from Thumbtack Press. Everything else I framed in simple glass frames or adhered to the wall with black and white striped washi tape.

 

I used contractor’s paper (you can get it at any hardware store) to lay things out on the wall. This step is a little time consuming, but you’ll thank me later. Measure all of the frames you plan on using, then cut out paper accordingly. It also helps to label each piece of paper as you go with the art it’s representing. Then working off of your axis (vertical, horizontal, or both) to begin laying out your gallery wall. Try and keep the margins between pieces the same, I went with an inch. Once your paper is taped up you’re going to go ahead and hammer in your nails. Go back to your frames, measure horizontally and vertically where it hits to hang from the nail. Mark it with a pen or pencil on the paper you’ve hung and hammer away, right through the paper. Fun, right?

 

You’re so close! Rip off the paper and hang your frames. Fine tune anything that’s acting up, but remember that the point is not for things to be perfect. Things are going to adjust themselves according to how your home sits, etc. And tada, you’re done! Not so difficult, right?

 

 

1 painting by Erin Cooper/Pippin & Pearl

2 + 3 Toronto and Cherry Blossoms by Anabela Carneiro/Fieldguided

4 After the Heist by Patrick Leger from Thumbtack Press (Sponsor)
Thumbtack Press is like a nebulous cloud of rapidly changing art matter. Picture trillions of creatively charged particles smashing into each other, exploding, fusing together, spinning – everything moving, moving, moving. TTP exists to foster that nebulous cloud. They help it grow by injecting new particles and catalysts, always dedicated towards the creation of something that’ll push the cloud of art matter forwards. Of course, they’re also an online store where open edition prints by top illustration, lowbrow, and character artists from all over the world are sold.

5 je t’aime from Minted (Sponsor)

6 type study new york from Minted (Sponsor)

7 Silly Kitty from Minted (Sponsor)

8 vintage Pittsburgh map

9 Constellation from Minted (Sponsor)

10 In a Row from Minted (Sponsor)

11 Black Bear by Ryan Berkley from Little Paper Planes

12 Let’s Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow by Mike Monteiro

13 Painted Ferns from Minted (Sponsor) (not yet released, but based on this invitation)

14 Antlers by Besotted Brand

15 Trust Your Instincts by Ashley Goldberg from Little Paper Planes

16 Read More Books book page print by Weather + Noise

17 Vintage Keys from Minted (Sponsor)

18 Gloves by Caitlin Keegan from Little Paper Planes

19 Oh Darling, Let’s Be Adventurers screenprint by fifiduvie

20 Be Nice Or Leave letterpress by Louella Press (no longer sold)

21 Red Elusive by Cori Kindred from Little Paper Planes

Frames for all Minted prints were sponsored by Plywerk, eco-conscious bamboo mountings and maple art panels. Stay tuned later this week for more on their fabulous product and the good they’re doing!

Disclaimer: All Minted prints, Plywerk frames, and Thumbtack Press canvas provided in kind.

13

Happy Weekend

01/ Pretty paper flowers with real branches
02/ Festive origami bunny garland
03/ Can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Little Paper Planes: 20 Artists Reinvent the Childhood Classic
04/ String art is definitely trending!
05/ Desktop power lines to organize all those cords
06/ Ombre accordion folders to brighten up your desk
07/ American Girls photo series – I had Samantha
08/ Love the super saturated colors in these (inedible) RIT dyed eggs
09/ Ready to entertain with these brush stroke napkins
10/ Lisa Congdon’s 365 Days of Hand Lettering project is both pretty and smart

1