Spring.

Today while I was out walking, I saw purple and yellow crocuses sprouting up all over the neighborhood.  It might still be a little early but I’m going to go out on a limb and say Spring is here! This cheery artwork from Ish & Chi is made with the very Spring-like fabric of Amy Butler and Heather Bailey.  See more of these beautiful creations here.

Love.

Create your own customized Amy Butler wall art through Artaissance. Choose your favorite Amy Butler design, select the size and choose from acid-free paper or canvas.  Start here.

Beautiful.

Watercolors by San Francisco based artist and surfer Serena Mitnik-Miller. Available through Serena & Lily.

A favorite artist partnering with a great cause…doesn’t get any better than that.  The folks over at The Working Proof have partnered with Amy Ruppel in the release of an edition of her “This Land is Your Land” print. This print was inspired by the forests surrounding Amy’s stomping ground, Portland, OR, so it’s only fitting that 15% of the proceeds for the sale of each print will go to American Forests.  For $45 you get this gorgeous print and help American Forests in their goal to plant 100 million trees by 2020!

Seeing as I am in complete lala-gaga-loveland with the baby, it’s no surprise that I want the latest edition from 20×200, titled “Lovebirds” from Lisa Congdon.  This is the third edition from the fantastic San Francisco artist and co-owner of the gallery/boutique Rare Device. As per the usual from 20×200 you can buy an edition of this print starting at $20, love it!

Such pretty illustrations from the Japanese artist Takahisa Hashimoto.  I have contacted him to find out if he will be selling any of these digital illustrations. In the meantime we can admire from afar.

(via Fly)

I feel transported this morning thanks to artist Jean Jack. These serene paintings of farmhouses and beach structures take my mind on a trip to two of my favorite places.  The beach houses remind me of where we got married on Cape Cod and the farmhouses are reminiscent of the houses and barns you see on Rt 1 in California on your way to Pt. Reyes and Tomales Bay.  Enjoy.

I have to admit I was a little weepy on New Years Eve this year. You see, after spending every New Years Eve for past fourteen years as a duo, the hubs and I are about to become a trio.  As we prepare for our family portrait to change I think it’s important to take a moment and appreciate how blessed we’ve been to share so much time together just the two of us, even as we excitedly plan for our little one.  So when my friend Molly sent me these darling prints by Melissa Bryant I thought, what a sweet way to commemorate our expanding family!  Melissa’s prints of chair families are so imaginative and with my love of chair re-upholstering and interior collages I pretty much have to have one.  Melissa accepts custom orders for her chair family portraits and pet portraits as well. I’ll have to incorporate our cats George and Shrimp into my custom portrait as well because after all they are members of this family too!

The über talented typographer/illustrator Jessica Hische now has an online store! If you live in the Boston area you might recognize her work from the Boston Globe where she did six different covers for the magazine.  All six images are now available as an archival print on velvet fine art paper. The velvet paper makes it sound so decadent doesn’t it? Her work reminds me of one of my favorite typographers Marian Bantjes’ work.  Oh and did I mention if you buy one of her prints this week 100% of the proceeds will benefit the ASPCA? Get to it here.

(via Claremont Road)

Check out the newest items in Sanna Annukka’s shop.  She has two new screenprints in more subdued and sophisticated palettes than her usual bright and bold color patterns and a new set of beautiful carved wooden birds.

The screenprinted carved birds are called Sielulintu in Karelia (a historical province of Finland) which means Soul bird.  The ancient belief is that these birds deliver the soul to newborn babies and also transport the soul to the afterlife at the moment of death.  It was believed the Sielulintu protected a persons soul at it’s most vulnerable; when dreaming, and it was tradition to keep a carved wooden bird by the bedside to keep the soul safe during sleep.  I wouldn’t mind having one of these for the bambino’s room!

(via DesignSponge via emmas designblogg)

You can literally feel the tension in the tangled web of these urban landscapes from artist Amy Casey.  Amy writes that she is “inspired by natural and unnatural disasters, personal fiasco’s and the never-ending stream of bad news coming in from the media, the world inside my paintings has been turned (sometimes literally) upside down. The ground has crumbled underneath them and the sky is falling. In the wake of this, my created world bands together to come up with coping plans”  Although this might sound pretty grim, there is beauty in exploring these ideas through art and realizing that to some extent we are all in this together.  The print above titled “Residential Web” is currently being offered through 20×200 starting at $20!

I love that the old 35mm format is making a comeback. It helps that these cameras look cute and that they are affordable (all under $150).   Each one of these cameras has it’s own unique features which makes them so fun to use. The Golden Half Camera (on the left) takes two shots at once allowing you to create your own artsy diptych photographs. The Blackbird (in the middle) takes you back to the 1920’s with its analog twin lens that gives you three different photo formats to choose from and it leaves the old school sprockets along the side of the picture when developed.  Lastly, the rubber encased Slim Angel (on the right) gives you a super saturated wide angle photo.  You can find them all online through Poketo.

I am drooling over these frothy concoctions by artist Will Cotton. You can almost smell and taste the sticky sweet confections portrayed in his paintings.  It’s no surprise then that he has an oven in his art studio where he bakes the sugary treats which are used as models in his paintings. That’s one studio I’d like to visit.

Alright, I’ve spent way too much time looking at these, you’ll have to excuse me. I’m off to find myself a french macaroon and a puffy cloud to eat it on, wish me luck!

This series of illustrations titled “Missed Connections” from artist Sophie Blackall makes me miss living in a big city. One of the great things about a city like San Francisco or NYC is that you are surrounded by strangers everyday and, although there is anonymity in that we all seem connected in some way. Whether it’s a smile of acknowledgment to the pregnant woman waddling down the street, a random compliment to the girl with the great haircut on the train, or an admiring glance towards that cute boy waiting in the coffee shop line in front of you, there is a real joy in acknoweldging strangers. And there is that part of us that hopes that someone notices us too.

Sophie became slightly obsessed with reading the missed connections posts on Craigslist and using them as inspiration she created these illustrations.  The ones she has chosen are funny, sweet and honest, I love them all.  Watch this excellent video created by Radar about the Missed Connections project, then go to her blog to see more and then go to her Etsy store to buy one!

(via Greedy Girl)

I have a new favorite website to share with you! Art Wall is a virtual display space for independent artists to exhibit their work in the form of an artfully arranged Art Wall. Founder Katie Stephenson makes it easy to find art for your home by perusing her virtual rooms where you can view her carefully curated art ensembles.  Some of the artists she is currently showcasing are Lorena Siminovich, Jill Bliss and Harry Stooshinoff.   If you find yourself smitten with a certain piece just click on it and you will be redirected to the artists website where you can buy from their shop.  I love this idea especially because I aspire to having an art wall myself, something that looks haphazard but is obviously a finely curated arrangement of interesting pieces (like this).  If you need more inspiration, Katie has created a Flickr group where users can post their own art walls.