At Home With Lucille Ball

photo via House Beautiful

Happy Monday! I recently came across this article on House Beautiful featuring photos of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz at their Southern California home in the 50's and 60's. The interior shots are great, but I especially enjoyed the photos of the garden and pool. How perfect is the white and pink furniture set above? It reminds me of my Patio Party fabric print. :)

photo from Getty + CBS via House Beautiful

Check out the article for all of the retro goodness. I could really use a dip in that pool right about now... Have a great week!

P.S. Looking to outfit your retro abode with era-appropriate houseplants? Check out this post for ideas!

Cheers to the 4th!

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Happy 4th of July weekend, friends! For all you lovers of vintage packaging and typography, check out these great graphics on these packages of fireworks.

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So great, right? If you want to see lots more, click on the sources!

P.S. Looking for something special to add to your red, white, & blue outfit? Check out this patriotic paper flower headband project!

For the Love of Pink Flamingos

The world got some sad news this week with the passing of Don Featherstone, the inventor of the iconic pink flamingo lawn ornament. To commemorate his unforgettable contribution to mid-century kitsch I did a little round up of cool pink flamingo products that will add some feathered flair to your sofa, pool, tabletop, or feet!

1. Pillow from Zazzle
2. Pool float (so cute!) from Sunnylife
3. Glass from Ikea
4. What the Flock? card by Vitamini
5. Must have 10 Piece set from Home Depot
6. Flamingo Print Vans (love!!)


Have a great weekend, friends!

P.S. 4th of July is coming up fast! Check out this red, white & blue flower headband project.

Friday Finds 6.19.15

photo via Instagram

Happy Friday!! I planned to share a craft project roundup today but my laptop was not cooperating last night. It's been a long week, so I decided not to fight it. I have a list of fun links instead, today!

• I just debuted a new fabric print (above)! The Vintage Lawn Chair fabric is available in three different colorways, black and white, aqua and white, and multi (above). Each chair is hand drawn and is based on classic, retro lawn chairs. It reminds me of summer cook-outs in the backyard. You can find all three options in my shop!
• Adorable cactus pincushions - I need to make one! 
• Speaking of cacti, these paintings (yes, paintings) are incredible. 
• I love this super-simple diy ring holder.
• Also, this clever wood planter. 
• Did you hear? Etsy just started a crowd funding pilot program.
• Adorable is right. (They're looking for these guys right in my backyard!)
• I have a big stack of fabrics that I'm excited to start sewing with. I started collecting pins of patterns in my sewing and fabrics Pinterest board but I haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet. Are there any clothing patterns out there that you love and recommend? I'm thinking simple shirt dresses and pencil skirts...

Have a great weekend! XO

Friday Finds 5.22.15

Hey, yall! Happy Friday to you! It's Memorial Day weekend so I hope you have something fun planned for the next couple of days. I'm going to take it easy, catch up on some reading, finish up a few projects. Here are a few cool things from around the web that I think you might enjoy:

• I just started reading this book and I'm already hooked. Can't wait to get to work! Kinda... ;)
• Super cute and so easy to make - you might already have all of the supplies on hand!
• I love these quilted zipper pouches.
• A new place to store those airplants you keep buying!
• Remember these origami bats? These beautiful pieces were also created with the wet folding technique and they're incredible!
• I'm still thinking about that Mad Men finale. I enjoyed this final toast.
• Selling at any craft fairs this spring? Check out this free printable checklist! 

Have a good one!

*Photo via my Instagram account.

Friday Finds 5.1.15

Happy Friday! I have a bunch of new projects in the works, but I feel like I'm always saying that, huh? I like making new, special products for up-coming shows so I made these new acrylic pins with my trailer, vespa, and doxie illustrations. They're so cute - I'm thinking about making them regular products in the shop. I'm also working on restocking a bunch of products, so I've been busy in the studio lately. In the meantime, here are some links from around the web that I thought you'd might enjoy:

• These earrings are lovely!
• I'd love to find one of these during my afternoon walks.
• Betty Willis, the designer of the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign passed away last week. I enjoyed reading about her and her work.
• The best wetsuit I've ever seen.
• I've been planning a bunch of sewing projects and researching patterns and tutorials. Check my Sewing & Fabrics Pinterest board for my favorites.
• Patchwork Shows are coming up! You can find me at the Oakland location, May 10th.
• I'm having a spring cleaning sale over in the Etsy shop! Once these items are gone, they're gone, so act fast!  

Photo via my Instagram account. 

Friday Finds 4.24.15

Happy Friday to you! I hope you had a nice week. I've been working on a few different things - some diy projects for the blog that are works, shop updates, getting ready for Patchwork Show, Oakland in a couple weeks. And just for fun, I started working on another weaving. I really enjoy the how relaxing it is! Maybe I'll work on a post about it here on the blog. In the meantime, here are a few cool things for you to peruse:

• I love these painted wood bowls
• Learn how to embellish a basic tank top with sweet and simple embroidery stitches
• I need to get some wood beads so I can make this necklace
• Jillian Bremer's honest talk about business on Design Sponge is a really good read
• I just watched Somm. Have you seen it? It's a documentary about the difficult road to becoming a Master Sommelier. It reminded me a lot of taking finals in college and going to job interviews, ie: super stressful! But it also reminded me how fulfilling it can be to work hard to get really good at something. You can find it on Netflix. 
• If you're missing Don Draper's mod apartment already, you can read about the set and furnishings in this LA Times post from 2012. How had I never noticed that wallpaper in the kitchen before?
• I kicked off my Small Biz Series last week with the topic of getting started. Check it out and get a free printable, hand lettered by me, of one of my favorite Maya Angelou quotes

Have a lovely weekend!

Friday Finds 4.10.15

We made it to another Friday! How was your week? Mine was jam packed - I've been working on a bunch of new card designs over the past couple of weeks and finished making the final adjustments the other day. I've already made the screens with the designs and now I'm anxious to get them all printed so I can share! I'll be spending some quality time in front of my printing table over the next few days. I'm also planning to take a little road trip to visit a friend this weekend and I'm looking forward to the break since I usually work on the weekends. Anyway, enough of me! I've noticed lots of fun and colorful stuff on the web this week that I thought you would appreciate as well:

• These diy tassel necklaces are adorable.
• Can I have a garden full of these paper plants, please? 
• Speaking of fake plants, I'm dying a little bit over these cacti made with plastic bottles.
• I want need to make these mini piñatas for Cinco de Mayo.
• Ice Cream Cheesecake - say what?! 
• And speaking of cheesecake, have you heard about the Golden Girls Legos?

Zipper photo from my Instagram feed. Follow me there to see what I'm up to, or to just look at Baci's puppy pics. :) Have a great weekend!

Friday finds

Hello and happy Friday to you! How was your week? Mine was full of new work and new projects! I just started teaching a new Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship Program session in Santa Cruz this week. From what I saw in class everyone makes really cool/beautiful/unique things so I'm looking forward to seeing their progress as they get their work listed for sale online!

This week I released a new series of retro themed travel cards. So far I have France, England, and Italy, countries that are all near and dear to my heart. I'm looking forward to adding to the collection!

Here are some other cool things from around the web:

• @hotdudesreading. It's a thing and it's hilarious.
• I just finished The Paris Wife (loved it) and now I'm researching everything and anything about Hemingway. That's one thing I love about historical fiction, it inspires you to learn about real life stuff!
• Too much cuteness!
• I love this Kilim-inspired painted basket project
• This time capsule pink 1950's kitchen article by Retro Renovation has been making the rounds this week. It's especially dear to my heart because it features the same oven and range as my sweet retro apartment kitchen.
• Help me choose some art for my bedroom makeover!
• Craftcation workshop signups just opened up! Make sure to sign up for one of my Simple Screen Printing workshops. I'd love to meet you and teach you my favorite and most addictive printing method. :)

Have a creative weekend! 

6 Valentine's Day DIYs to Try

I love doing Valentine's Day crafts! It's right up there next to Halloween...and Christmas...and Easter. Ok, nevermind. I love any holiday-related craft, but Valentine's Day projects are special in that you can enjoy them all year! There's nothing wrong with pink, red, and hearts, if you ask me! Here are a few of my favorites spotted around the web.

1. Paper Heart Garland from Sweet Paul
2. The cutest Valentine's Day Pretzels from Leanne Bakes
3. Sweet Pom Pom Treat Bags from PB Teen
4. Cut Heart Gift Wrap from The House That Lars Built
5. Paper Fringe Heart from Julep
6. Gold Heart Stamped Vase from Hello Natural

Have a crafty weekend! 

*All photos via their respective sources

Friday Finds and a Redesign!

Did you notice? The blog has a brand new look! I've been working on spiffing things up around here: bigger images, a better organized sidebar, updated about page. I hope you like the improvements!

In the meantime, here are a few noteworthy things from around the web:

• I'm teaching a screen printing workshop at Craftcation this Spring! You can still get in on early bird registration. Find out more here.
• I started weaving last weekend and ugh, I'm hooked! So fun! I'm using this loom and can't recommend it enough. I'll share my results soon! 
• Make these cute pins for the love bugs in your life. 
• These quilted coasters are adorable and a great way to use up those fabric scraps that you can't bear to toss!
• Tie your scarf into a bow! I can't wait to try this.
• "Enchanting Macro Photos of Wet Ladybugs" - need I say more?
• Photo above is one of my retro ranch paper cut designs with my New Digs cards, available in the shop.
 

Have a creative weekend! I can't believe it's February already!

Friday finds

+ Hi there! I'm working on some design updates around here, so some things might look a little wonky while I work out all of the details. Everything will be ship-shape soon, so make sure to check back again! +



I've got a few fun projects in the works: a bedroom makeover (!), a little studio update, some new shop products, and a few fun diys for the blog. I can't wait to share, but they're not quite done yet, so I'll have to hold off for now! In the meantime, here are some cool things from around the web:

• I've been enamored with yarn and weaving lately. This tutorial makes me want to go out and stock up on supplies right now!
• Stunning paper sculptures based on postage stamp designs. 
• These face planters are so dang cute and look really easy to make.
• Valentine's Day is in less than a month! Click through the blog archives for lovey-dovey diys from years past.
• IKEAs new SPRUTT collection looks so good! That cart is calling to me.
• I started a new Pinterest board named "My Mid Century Home...of my dreams." I think retro house enthusiasts will enjoy it! It's full of period house plans and architectural illustrations (my favorite), furnishings, and housewares that would look great in a MCM home. Check it out! 

And speaking of projects, take a good look at the blog because it's not going to look like this for much longer! I'm working on a redesign to give it a fresh new look for 2015! Come back next week and you'll see it shiny and brand new!

6 Paper Holiday DIYs to Try

Now that the holiday shipping deadline in the shop is looming near (place your orders today for delivery in time for Christmas!) I have the luxury of planning the crafts I'll do in all my free time. It's no secret that I love paper projects, so I've collected a few paper DIYs that would look great hanging on a Christmas tree or on a spicing up a winter-themed party table.



1. Pretty snowflake garland (in a can!) by Art Bar
2. Sleek black and white ornaments by MiniEco
3. Colorful modular origami ornaments by How About Orange
4. Dress up a plain string of lights with these pretty glittered cones by Sinnen Rausch
5. Simple, modern ornaments by Curbly. I'd like to try this with metallic papers.
6. How cool is this doily forest? Project by Oui Oui Oui Studio

Milkshake, a free typeface from Fairgoods

The fine folks at Fairgoods have a brand new typeface, Milkshake, up for grabs on their site. It's a hefty script with a bit of retro flair and is right up my alley. I really got a kick out of the promotional video they made to go with it.



Mmm, milkshakes... Head over to Fairgoods and download it for free!
Happy weekend! 

Friday Links

Wow, there goes another week! I've been extra busy around here because I just started teaching the Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship program at my local community college this week! It's a brand new program and is still in the pilot stage, but it's geared to help creatives start Etsy shops from scratch, giving them all the necessary resources and basic information to get a running start. It's a really great program and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor and share my experience with local artists. They're planning to roll out the course nation-wide fairly soon, so keep your ear out for a program near you!

Meantime, here are some links from around the web that I thought you'd enjoy:

• Verve Coffee Roasters is my fave and their Capitola shop has the coolest graphic wall (above).
• I just started reading #GIRLBOSS and I'm really enjoying it so far! Have you read it?
• My pal Rachel just debuted the cutest photo holders in her Etsy shop this week. I don't think I can pick a favorite...
• Check out this cool bleach dyeing technique! I want to try that on a scarf.
• Are you ready to drool over a beautiful craft space? Check out Lia Griffith's studio tour! 
• This pin cracked me up! Now I know what that means!

Also, if you're in need of some puppy wrinkles...



You're welcome.
:) Have a nice weekend!

A little reminder...

...that You Got This! Beautiful hand-lettered desktop wallpaper downloads for your computer by Oh My Deer for Designlovefest. Head over to download this one and others. Happy Monday!

Follow me, maybe?

A couple months ago Google broke my heart and announced that they were suspending their GoogleReader service. Ha-what?! But I use Google Reader every day to read my favorite blogs! If I just keep using it every day like nothing's wrong, it won't go away, right? Alas, we're coming down to the deadline and I'm getting the daily reminder alert that my beloved reader will be nowhere to be found come the first of July. Booo...

In the wake of this news, lots of other great reader alternatives are making themselves known. My two faves so far are Bloglovin and Feedly. If you use these, too, just click here or the "FOLLOW" button in my side bar. It'll take you to a page with links to both! 

Friday finds. 7.20

I'm really feeling the yellow/orange/teal vibe lately. Here are a few of my favorites around the web this week:




1. Awesomely yellow Keurig Mini coffee maker. This would look great in a retro kitchen - especially one with a teal and yellow color scheme...
2. Teal pom pom fringe. I love this stuff. I'll be using pom pom fringe in a new project coming up soon!
3. "Second Homes for Leisure Living"  Great retro interior illustrations.
4. Great cacti and succulent pillow from SkinnyLaminx.
5. Felt barrette in the best colors.
*All photos via their respective sources.

Have a great weekend!

Missing Mad Men.

Since season 5 ended, I've found myself feeling aimless. I can't help imagining sleek 60's interiors, reliving Don and Megan's arguments, and reminiscing about that time when Lane gave Pete a knuckle sandwich. Ok, so it's not that bad, but I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I can't wait for the next season!

I was delighted when I saw these "behind the scenes" photos shared on Whorange this morning.

I love orange sherbet too, Don. Call me. ♡

Photos by James Minchin III. See more here.

Friday finds. 6.15

Lately I feel like the days have been getting away from me; it's already mid-June and Father's day is this weekend! Here are a few of my favorites from around the web this week.

1. These Celadon sheets from Serena and Lily are so pretty. I love the painterly pattern.
2. I need to make these half-way to heaven peanut butter cookies! They look so delicious.
3. Heath Ceramics just released their tile house numbers in Neutra fonts. They would be perfect for the mid-century ranch that my dreams are made of. Take a look at the Heath website - they have these in an Eames font, too.
4. Check out Vitra house, via SFgirlbybay. Its a showcase home filled with unique furnishings in every room, each on a different theme. Check out the rest of the "rooms" on the Vitra page. It was hard to choose this one as my favorite!
5. Beautiful illustrations Julianna Brion via Grain Edit. James and the Giant Peach was one of my favorite books as a kid and this cover looks so fitting for the story.

That's all I've got for this week! I hope your weekend is great and don't forget to let your Dad know that he is loved. I found this hilarious mug at the thrift store and plan on giving it to my dad for Father's Day:

You'll never guess what his name is.
:)