May was most definitely a month of highs and lows. I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with Pretty Haute Mess and attended the Adobe MAX Conference in LA. Having a Press badge was so much fun! And I had Bebe’s photo printed on a t-shirt, which was just about the best thing ever. The Black Keys put on a great show to end the event. Back at home I made over a Goodwill cutting board with a bright neon pink edge. (Don’t worry, it’s just craft paint and the food won’t be on it.) We celebrated my Mom’s birthday and I made this Orange Coconut Cake. The weather heated up and I went back to my summer breakfasts of Noosa honey yoghurt, blueberries, and oatmeal. Then May 20th came along and upended everything, I watched on television as a town 20 miles from my was demolished by an F5 tornado. Instead of feeling helpless I jumped into volunteering at Animal Resource Center, I’ve been there every day since helping displaced pets be reunited with their owners. And then I took on two foster litters of 8-week old kittens, eight in all. We’re ready for you, June.
Have you fallen for the nail art craze? I have to admit that I thought it would be long gone by now, but this trend seems to be sticking around. I’ve managed to resist thus far, but when nail art is actually art, well, I get a little weaker in my resolve. I’m digging a few of these handmade nail decals, especially the Rothko ones above.
I love the painting style of Cape Town-based artist Katrin Coetzer. The palette she works with, the texture she incorporates, and even the perspective. Katrin’s latest exhibition is entitled Honeymoon and makes me want to hop on a plane for a vacation asap. (via Miss Moss)
Honeymoon marks a personal current period in artist Katrin Coetzer’s life, where she is forging a connection between her inner world and the geographical spaces she visits – real, imaginary and remembered. Honeymoon further references a waning sweetness and suggests the meeting point of fantasy, place and memory. The content of this body of work is centered around themes of spatial exploration, & exotic vs local seen through the lenses of feeling and itinerary…
Virginia Johnson‘s illustration style is sososo good. It’s bursting with bright colors and playful strokes. And that sweet dachshund just kills me dead with his little red collar!
PS: Virginia currently has a sweet collaboration happening with JCrew.
I’d love to add these key pieces to my summer wardrobe. Doubt I’d ever take the earrings off, and this necklace would dress up a plain tee in a heartbeat. I love the size of the bag, perfect for tossing in extra things on the go. The tee and Vans are just asking for a pair of jean shorts! A sweet dress that’s light and airy would be just right paired with these sandals for date night or drinks on the patio. And a suit is of course a must!
Lovers of sweets, rejoice! TADAM! Jewellery, and the three Lithuanian friends who comprise it, have created a line of handcrafted jewelry featuring mini donuts, chocolates, and confections. Sweet pieces that won’t cost you a calorie! (via designboom)
There are tips and tricks aplenty out there when it comes to appearance, they’re everywhere. Pinterest, magazines, blogs, everywhere! I’ve combed through more than my share and come out the other side with my favorites. Do you have any tried and true tips for beauty and fashion??
My hall bath is one of those rooms that never feels quite right to me. It’s a perfectly nice room, but the major components – cabinetry, light fixture, etc – just aren’t really my style. So while a major renovation isn’t in the budget right now, I like to switch up the smaller pieces (RE: inexpensive) to make the space feel more like my decorating personality.
When I bought my house all of the plumbing fixtures were shiny and new… and cheap. I replaced all of the sink faucet sets within the year, but the showers went by the wayside. In fact, I thought I had really awful water pressure until I switched them out a few weeks ago! Now I actually look forward to showering, and having a handheld showerhead makes bathing my two dogs loads easier. I’m definitely regretting waiting so long to own one. (BONUS: No tools needed to install!)
Bathrooms usually don’t have more than ten or so hardware fixtures, so it’s a relatively easy update that makes a world of difference. Think of it as changing up the accessories you wear with your favorite outfit – it changes everything! I went with a simple brushed nickel knob to keep with the same finish as the rest of the room.
Bathroom walls can be overlooked and neglected if you don’t have a lot of space to work with, but that doesn’t have to be the case. I recently swapped out a few small pieces for the work of my friend, Jaime Derringer. I opted to use small pieces of double-sided tape to secure the piece directly to the backboard of my frame rather than mat it because I love the natural feel of the brown. I already owned them and the art was a gift, making this a zero cost project.
Because this is my hall bath and doesn’t require a lot of necessities on the countertop, I brought in my small collection of glove forms to dress up it up. Not only do they add a dose of my personality and style to the space, they also cost nothing because I simply moved them from another area of my home. Zing!
As a little bonus design expert Cassandra LaValle of coco+kelley has answered a few of my own design quandaries – maybe they’re yours, too!
Did you know that May is Home Improvement Month? Cause it is. And in celebration of changing up the space you live in, Waterpik is giving away a home improvement package to one lucky Design Crush reader! You have the chance to win a Waterpik Rainfall+ showerhead along with a bunch of other goodies ($100 value).
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Congratulations to Cassandra!
To Enter:
1. Tell us about your latest home improvement in the comments section.
2. Leave a valid email address in the form. (For notification purposes only.)
3. Do it all before 11:59 pm CST on Sunday, June 2, 2013.
