Sweet Sweet Life

weekend plans

Happy Friday, everyone!

I'm looking forward to a few long naps this weekend, interspersed with lots of the following:

Working on and finishing my wonky little pouf.  (I do have a ways to go, but really, I could have completed about a dozen of these babies, with all the ripping out I've done.  I''ve abandoned the pattern, so it's all trial and error.  Mostly error.  But I'm learning more this way, I keep telling myself...)

...lots of music...

 ...and good books...

...and watching a favorite movie or two (I couldn't resist this poster!  I love the movie so, so much...).

Add generous amounts of baking, crafting, and time spent with my lovelies, and I have myself a really sweet weekend.  I'll be back Monday with a fantastic home tour (really!), a finished pouf (hopefully), and lots, lots, more to share.

Hope your weekend is filled with all that you love.  Cheers!

xoxox.
 

sweet hearts

Hello, dear ones!

Look at this super-sweet nod-to-winter/Valentine's Day decoration!...It's from here, by sharna11 on flickr, and I love it to bits:

The clever mom who made this said she couldn't bear to take down her snowflakes, and I don't blame her--they are super-lovely.  So, she added a heart garland, and presto!  Ready for Valentine's...The white snowflakes and brightly colored hearts look really cheerful together, I think!  And I love that it's not just white and red, although that would be sweet, too.

Click on over to here for her instructions.  (And I really love her because she says her sewing machine scares her, and I'm so down with that sentiment.)

Glue.  It really is the answer to everything.

Have a great one, sweets!

xoxox.

bright, fresh and lovely :: lisa

Hello, sweet friends!

It's back to Scandinavia!  Gothenburg, Sweden to be exact, for a wonderful peek into Lisa's happy, sunny, positively sweet home.  As you will no doubt see, she's in love with color and all things bright and fun...

 
And she's cute as a button.

Pinks, blues, spring green...everywhere, and I can't imagine not loving life, when living in this sweet space, can you?

Lisa's crafty and creative, in case you couldn't tell.  She spray-painted both the picture frames and the ceramic owls in this photo in her signature colors...She then added 1970s fabric to the frames, echoing the pillows.  It's like candy, isn't it?!  Like an Easter basket filled with treats, it just delights the eyes and heart...

(Like I always say, "Fun art = happy thoughts."  Well, I don't say it, but I believe it!)

Here is how Lisa describes herself and what's important to her:  "I love sun, love, cuddle, traveling, South Africa, England, happy people, nature, animals, fixing peoples' hair, playing in photoshop, to make someone happy, a nice cup of tea, lazy mornings in bed, food markets, 2handshops, paint, decorating, music that makes me shake my tushie, a good beat, sweet kisses and walk barefoot in the sand."

She's young, she's lovely, she's full of life, and her home reflects everything that she loves.  You feel as if you know her, by seeing her home, and I love that.

For more about Lisa, check her sweet blog, Pink Friday.  And be certain to check her flickrstream for many more beautiful, sunny, cheerful pictures of her sweet, sweet home.

Thanks so much, Lisa, for sharing your space with us.  I get happier every time I look at it!

Cheers, my dears!

xoxox.
   

i like knowing more about sophie blackall

Hey, sweet friends!

Just a quick little post here to urge you not to miss the featured-seller interview with the wonderful Australian artist (living in New York) Sophie Blackall.  Doesn't she look sweet, and very in control, all at the same time?!

In case you were not aware, Ms. Blackall is the mastermind behind the wonderful Missed Connections blog and illustrations (which I believe I have gushed about before), and is also a rawther successful artist.  Oh! and a mom.  I love her work, and I'm sure you will, too.

Go see!  Interview here, totally-wonderful-and-life-affirming-in-a-bittersweet-way blog here. 

Cheers!

xoxox.

brian wildsmith-inspired color tiles!

Hey, there, sweet friends.  Remember this?  I spent yesterday making our own set of tiles, and had a blissfully non-stressful time doing it.  It was lovely to just sit and paint simple colors and lines, nothing from a pattern, just wingin' it.

Here's what I came up with:

I took the colors directly from this book (below), Brian Wildsmith's Puzzles, which I found out about from wonderful Nath, and promptly ordered used, as it is no longer in print.  (Here is Mr. Wildsmith's homepage, if you are interested.  His work is wonderful.  Don't know how I missed it as a child, but I adore it now!)

It's such a lovely and clever book, which truly celebrates color and shape and I thought it would suit perfectly as our inspiration:

Here are some of the shapes that Sofia made, and like Merrilee (who came up with the original, super idea), I love that she worked "out of the box":

And Olivia made equally beautiful designs, of her own sort (it's amazing how much I think these designs represent their ways of thinking...so cool!):

I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to velcro them to something that can hang, as a sort of re-arrangeable piece of "art," as Merilee suggested.  I also had the thought that if the front of your refrigerator was big enough, or you reduced the size of the tiles, it would make a fantastic magnet set for your little ones (or you, when you are trying to decide what the heck to make for dinner...)

All in all, a super-sweet day of painting with my girls, a fun open-ended "toy," and a potential cheery decoration, all for under $5.  You can't beat that!  (Thanks, Merrilee!)

Have a great one, my dears.

Cheers!

xoxox. 

i'll take one tattoo-man necklace, and an octopus brooch

Hello, sweet friends!

Very, VERY cool stuff from a shop called Mama's Little Babies...Would you ever, in a million years, guess that these are made of shrink plastic???  That's how good Cheri, the artist behind these lovelies, is at what she does:

So awesome, no?  Really, imagine the possibilities!  And these stunning pieces are quite affordable, 'though they look quite intricate.

Cheri Lewis, the proprietress of this cool little shop, has a great eye for intriguing images, and knows exactly how to put them together and finish them off perfectly.  There's much more to see in her shop!

Shrink plastic.  Can you believe it?  I love it.  I just do!

xoxox.

lovely idea for littles (and me)

This is such a fantastic idea!  Five-inch square geometric tiles from the home store... you paint 'em and let your little ones create masterpieces...

From the wonderful blog mer mag, which I will henceforth be checking more often, because her ideas are super, and found via the ever-rockin' elsie marley.

Merrilee, from mer mag, says she was thinking of putting velcro on the back of the tiles for a moveable art installation.  Brilliant!

Home Depot, here I come!

xoxox.
  

everyday french style :: artist fifi mandirac

 
 
It is an honor for me to have artist Fifi Mandirac's home on Sweet Life today! 

Fifi is creative, lovely, and full of life--it comes as no surprise that her home is, too.  Actually, these images come from a variety of Fifi's spaces, including her current home, her former home, and her lovely studio. 

But let's look, shall we?  So much loveliness...

Fifi's living room is simply wonderful.  Playful, colorful, surprising, and fun.  It makes me smile, in every little detail.  She says she uses vintage toys in her decor as she would sculptures...and I love it.

Kitchen...charming.  Light pink walls and lots and lots of happy memories called upon by sweet vintage finds, fresh flowers, and colorful accents:

It's a "no rules" decor, it's cohesive element is that it is all just what Fifi likes.  And it works.

Fifi's studio (below) is inspiring, happy and bright.  Just the sort of place for a sweet, sweet person to create sweet art!:

Fifi says she "needs colors like [she] needs a beam of sunlight."  I can so relate to that.  Maybe that is why we both live in sunny climates?   (Perhaps just lucky, on that particular score...)

And her daughter's room?  Well, it has all the required elements.  Cozy?  Check:

Fun?  Check:

Restful?  Check:

Surprising?  Check!:

(Tell me:  what girl doesn't thrive under a disco ball?!)

So!  About wonderful Fifi:  She lives just north of Paris, and creates in a little studio in her back garden.  Her blog, which you will love, is filled with wonderful creative ideas, as well as Fifi's own products, like this adorable memory game with Fifi's signature "Maroushkas":

And lucky us!  There is a wonderful and somewhat more thorough home-tour here on Decor8 from August of last year.  A sweet chat with Fifi is also included, with lots more lovely photos.  And don't miss Fifi's blog and website and flickr stream for much more inspiration, beauty, and style.

Thank you, Fifi, for allowing us into your sweet home.  It was a delightful pleasure...

Cheers, sweet friends!

xoxox.

some dads rock

Did you guys see the awesome Daddy Story posted on Bloesem Kids the other day?  It was about Joel Henriques, a work-at-home dad from Portland, Oregon.  He's an artist, toymaker, and one really wonderful dad to lucky 3-year-old twins...

The activities he does with his kids are incredibly lovely, his own creations are super-cool, and he even bakes.  It's not fair, really.

And good news!  He's thinking of opening an shop for his wonderful creations, like these:

I absolutely love these dolls.  And the elephant puzzle, but mostly those dolls...I'll be watching, and I'll let you know as soon as his shop is up and running.  Joel is a professional artist, as well as being a dad and husband, so we'll be patient.  Mostly.

But for now, do check his Dad Story, and his blog.  Just lovely.  Yay, for dads! 

Bye, for now...

xoxox.

yesterday

The sun finally came out...

Lovely little games were played...

The merest touch of knitting was attempted...

A bit more crocheting (yes, that's the pouf in the works!  Do you think it's supposed to have wavy edges at this point?  I'm a little worried...and inexperienced.)

The chalkcloth arrived...

I went upstairs for a bit, leaving the girls and their uncle alone with the chalk...

 
 ...and came downstairs to this!  No matter.  It erases beautifully, serves as a tablecloth should (meaning, easily wiped), and I love it (and the wrinkles are slowly disappearing!  Yay!).

Good books were read...

And these lights, in the backyard?  They stay up year-round.  It's lovely to eat dinner next to the patio and see them, merry and bright...In the summer, you can pretend it's an Italian patio.  If you squint and have enough wine...

Thanks for swinging by, sweet friends.  I hope your day is filled with pleasures, big and small...

Cheers!

xoxox.