Urban Outfitters Interactive Home Catalogue

The 2012 Urban Outfitters Home Catalogue is a creative delight to browse! It's such an interesting interface, and is a work of art in and of itself. I loved looking through all the objects, and even plan to purchase a few items... take a look!
Urban Outfitters Home Catalogue

Ispirazione Toscana!

Tuscany has always been my dream destination, and although I have yet to travel to Italy,  my teenage obsession with the movie "Stealing Beauty" and my adult obssession with the book "Under the Tuscan Sun" (which is nothing like the movie, but is indeed any House/Decorating/DIYer's dream recounting of a home remodel in the land of grapes, golden sunsets, rolling hills, and slow work) have cemented it as a mecca of inspiration in my head. Well, a recent post on Apartment Therapy spoke to the place in my head that urges me to drop everything and make a run for Italy's rolling hills, that I just had to share it. It's eye candy galore to those of us who are vacation deprived!
 Click here to go to the original post on Apartment Therapy

    

   All images from One Week In Tuscany, on Apartment Therapy

Anastasia Drawing and Dreaming

Although I am terrible at blogging, I am indeed an avid follower, and daily stalker, of many wonderful design and lifestyle blogs. So, when one of my card's is featured by someone with a beautiful and inspiring blog that I hadn't yet discovered, I am always so excited!

Yesterday my "Rorschach Flowers" card was featured on Anastasia Drawing and Dreaming, a lovely lifestyle blog out of Australia by the artist behind Percival Road Designs on Etsy.

Her blog is a little bit lifestyle, a little bit art, and a little bit fashion, all with a keen design eye and a peek into Australian life! I love it.... Her Etsy shop Percival Road Designs is also filled with beautiful paper goods that I am thinking to by for Greta's 1st Birthday Party! (I can't believe my baby is going to be 1!)

All images from Anastasia Drawing And Dreaming, and Percival Road Designs

A New Year, A New Way Be Inspired...

(quote originally from http://www.momdot.com/inspirational-quotes)

As a new year begins, I feel the need to explain the lack of new work and updates in the world of Pretty.Simple.Things. I've tried to keep the personal side of my life separate from Pretty.Simple.Things, but I've come to realize, that one's art is intrinsically tied to ones place in life. In 2011 I lost a mother, and gained a daughter, all in the span of 4 months. My husband, my eldest daughter and I spent much of last year in flux while we cared for my sweet Mother-In-Law and took over her businesses in California. Her illness came on fast and furious and losing the woman who was such a nurturing, and grounding, fixture in our lives effected us and our day-to-day life greatly. We had only been back home in Savannah for 2 months when our second daughter was born. We were still feeling immense grief in our loss, and the surreal experience of feeling that grief, while welcoming one of the greatest joys into our life (seriously, our now 7 month old is the happiest, most joyful little being you've ever met) had us all a bit mixed up.

I'm sharing all of this with you because the last year has been so much about just getting through each day, that all feelings of creativity and momentum with Pretty.Simple.Things was lost to me. Up until recently I was simply trying to be a good mom, enjoy my children, and find my way back into a normal routine for our family. I was not able to find inspiration in the day-to-day, and had no motivation to find the time to get into my studio and create new work. I am happy to say, that the last 2 weeks I've turned a corner. I feel as if a fog has lifted, and I'm finding my way back into my right brain, back into wanting to create. And even though I haven't been able to get into the studio and print (having a 4 year old and a 7 month old has left me with not much time in the everyday scheme of things) but I have been sketching out new card ideas, and trying to carve a space each week where I will eventually have time to bring these new ideas into life!

One of the things that has helped me find and organize inspiration, in Pinterest! I absolutely love Pinterest, and if you haven't started Pinning - get to it! Creating your boards on Pinterest reminds me of being in Art School when I made mood boards for whatever project I was working on, only you can make them for all realms of your life, and it's totally addictive! I'm including a link if you want to "follow me" on pinterest and see what's inspiring me right now.

Jess Brown for Bottega Veneta!

If you've seen Jess's dolls before, you are sure to appreciate the whimsy and detail that go into each one. Jess is an amazing creator, who's dolls have been featured in almost every chic magazine featuring children's wares, and are coveted around the globe. My daughter loves her Jess Brown doll and I can't wait to get a second one for my newest addition (when she gets just a little bit older). Besides making her lovely ladies, Jess, along with my sweet friend Stacy, own one of my all-time favorite shops for women and kids called Maude in Petaluma, Ca. When we were recently in California for a visit, I stopped in to Maude to visit and do a little shopping, and Stacy told me all about Jess's latest project for Bottega Veneta. Life Size Dolls for there Store windows. The dolls started out in Beverly Hills and New York, and will then travel to Paris, Milan, and London.... So exciting! Below are some pictures of these amazing (and soon to be well traveled) ladies created by Jess!

Photos courtesy of jessbrowndesign.com

New Additions...

I've been on a long hiatus here at Pretty.Simple.Things, and here is one of the main reasons! We welcomed our second daughter on May 27th. Her name is Greta Suzanne, we call her Gigi...

Hearts and Crafts

For all of you in the Bay Area, you can find a small collection of Pretty.Simple.Things cards and notebooks for purchase at the Hearts and Crafts pop-up gallery/craft faire on Sunday February 13th, from 2-8, at Local 123 in Berkeley!

I won't be there in person, but my lovely friend, and fellow CCA alumni, Riki Henderson who is curating the show will be there. Go have a cup of coffee and check out the amazing work of artists (and some of my old friends) like Alika Cooper, Marci Washington, Kelly Brown, and Riki Henderson.

Visit the blog for more info on Hearts and Crafts

February 13th, from 2-8 pm Local 123 2049 San Pablo Ave Berkeley, CA