DEAR SANTA,

I've had so much fun Christmas shopping and working on my Holiday Gift Guides that I thought I would put together a dream Christmas list for myself. If you have Santa's email address, please send him a link!

1. Plex Led Cuckoo Clock- Occa-Home for $200.00
I first saw this clock on Fab. but I missed the sale :( I love the cheeky and simple design and the vibrant colors it comes in.


2. Squares Blanket- Ferm Living for $149.95
This throw blanket was made for my sofa.


3. DIY Charm Necklace- Anthropologie (prices vary)
I've always loved the concept of charm bracelets and necklaces but I usually find the charms to be a little cheesey. Juicy Couture carries a cute line but even they seem a little bubbly for my taste. This new collection from Anthropologie is right up my ally, with tiny trinkets and oddities as charms.


4. Dark Nostaligia- Amazon for $45.00
This design book by Eva Hagberg is beautiful and unique. I had a chance to check out this book  briefly and I haven't stopped thinking about it. There are so many great hotel, restaurant, and bar designs in it! It would be a perfect source for inspiration.


5. Holga iPhone Lens- Photojojo Store for $30.00
Downloading the free app. Instagram has change my life. I take photos on my iPhone for work all the time, mostly of furniture while I'm shopping or project progress. With Instagram I can edit them to look like something off an actual camera. This Holga Lens would add another level to the editing I can do on my iPhone!


6. Sihouette Cameo for $299.99
If you are a crafty person, you need to check this thing out! It works like a home printer but instead of printing images, it cuts intricate designs into paper, vinyl, fabric and more. You can use your own design or work with the templates from the online store. I am dying to play with one.


7. One of a Kind World Globe- Etsy
I love globes and this one is so unusual. It's from the 1940's and over time the paper was removed or came off. The effect is this mix between modern and vintage, that Restoration Hardware should be all over. Sadly, this crazy cool globe has been sold, I want!!

1. Meadow Collection- Glassbaby for $440.00

While I would never expect Santa to spend this much on glass votive holders, I had to share. I found this company on the show 'Home By Novogratz'. The married design team works out of New York and the cameras follow them to a lot of cool local boutiques on the show. Glassbaby makes beautiful handblown glass votive holders and "drinkers"that are sold individually or in sets like this one.

2. Laguiole Letter Opener for $42.30

Laguiole is a classic knife and corkscrew company known for it high quality products. I like this because it's neon!

3. 'Untitled' by Dorthe Alstrup- 20x200 from $20.00 - $2,000.00

I would put about 90% of the artwork sold on 20x200 in my home. They carry limited edition prints for great prices and the artists involved are awesome. I'm always looking for art for my home, but lately I've been trying to fill a photography void. I love this print because it has such a playful story hidden inside and the colors are beautiful. 

4. Jessica Simpson Bede2 Pump- Belk for $79.00

I came across these at Belk last week and wanted to eat them up! Color blocking is real big right now and I love wearing bright shoes because I wear a lot of dark neutral clothes.

5. Stereoluxe AM/FM Radio and MP3 Dock- Urban Outfitters for $199.00

Design meets function- this is a beautiful way to accessories your home and listen to music. This MP3 player has a home in my living room.

6. Wildwood: The Wildwood Chronicles- Amazon for $17.99

Colin Meloy, the lead singer for The Decemberists, and his wife / illustrator collaborated on this book and I've been dying to read it. It looks amazing!

BROWN BAGGIN' IT

Last weekend I organized the Brown Bag Art Sale at Strongbox West. It was a really fun time full of great art and gift shopping. We had 16 artists involved, a keg and a couple food trucks. All art was under $100. and made locally.

ingrid ysla, acbd design, mary rebecca, fallen arrows

Check out my booth below, I split the space with Liz Jahn and Tiffany Skoog.

Thanks to everyone that came out!

IT'S ALMOST HERE..

Hey readers! I hope to see you out tomorrow at the Brown Bag Art Sale. It's going to be a really fun event full of handmade gifts and art, perfect for holiday shopping! Here's a sneak peak of some things you will see at my table..

STAY CREATIVE PEOPLE!

You must see this cool and inspiring video 29 ways to stay creative by Tu-Fu Motion Graphics Studio. I love the message, it made me want to start a project (or finish one) as soon as it was over. BUT I was extra impressed with the motion graphics and the fact that the whole video was done in arial font. Check it out and get creative!

I've also got some tips of my own that may help inspire :)


1. Try working somewhere new. Instead of sitting in your usual chair at your usual desk, find a new nook to work in. Change of scenery always feels like a fresh start to me. It doesn't matter how big your home/office is, you can find a new environment (work outside, on the floor by a window, in the bathtub, on your roof)


2. Get a new sketchbook. If I feel like I've been in a creative funk I treat myself to a new sketchbook. I do the same thing with gym clothes, if I've been bad about working out, a new racer back tank top will put some pep in my step. Because of this habit, I buy small notebooks so I don't feel guilty if I can't fill up all the pages and I often go back to old books.


Attached to this idea, I like to buy different shape sketchbooks every now and then. This challenges you to spread across the pages in a different way than your used to.

binderwerk, quattro, molskine, rhodia pads, heritage wirebound

3. Sketch in pen. This was taught to me at SCAD and while it's very frustrating in the beginning the pay off is worth it. Since I've started to brainstorm and sketch in pen I have become more comfortable with mistakes and confident when I put something down on paper. Without the option to erase you learn to except your mistakes and power through them. A faster pen on paper gives your mind the opportunity to continuously spit out ideas.

4. Pick up a magazine outside of your medium. I am an interior design magazine junkie and always pull a random handful out of my inventory to flip through when I start a project. Lately I've been looking at food, travel, fashion, knitting, even yoga magazines for inspiration. I think you can pull a more abstract idea from these images; a perfume ad turns into a color palette, a knit pattern into a wall treatment, a photograph of a cupcake starts a mood for a room. The more obscure the magazine, the better exercise for your brain!

I hope you're feeling the creative juices flowing. Now go out there and make something! 

HALLOWEEEEN

Happy Halloween! My husband and I moved into a house about a year ago so we are excited to spend the night at home with some friends, drinking festive cocktails and handing out candy to the neighborhood kids. For a low key Halloween, we're dressing as John Travolta and Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction (perfect considering our hairstyles are a similar to the characters).

"I got to know what a five dollar milkshake tastes like"

photo credit

Check out some Halloween ideas I found online this year and enjoy your weekend!

pintrest

pintrest

I love this idea! Take a bunch of glow sticks and empty them into a jar for an instant glow. This would make a great centerpiece for a party, especially if you had some beakers or an old chemistry set.

pinterest

Crafts by Amanda