Kick Back and Relax

Lately it has been quite chilly here in the Windy City. I find myself so cold at times that I can barely function when I get home from work. What better way is there to relax after a long cold day at work by creating my own little spa at home? Here are a few things that I cannot wait to get my hands on.

Karmacrochet-Handmade Washcloths

MookaSoap-Moisturizing Bath Bomb - Jasmine and Calendula

Dennis Anderson-Elements Shea butter Soap bar Gardenia (Vegan Friendly)

Mireio Spa Pillow -- Montana Sky -- Lavender and Buckwheat Hulls

SpaLuxuries - Spa Luminary Candle with Tea Lights

It’s All about the Lighting

One of the most important features when decorating is LIGHTING.  It does not matter how amazing you think your space is, if it does not have good lighting its just a lost cause.  One of the first things that we did when we moved into our loft was swap all almost all of the light switches with dimmer switches.  It enables us to have task lighting when we need it and soften the mood when guests are over.

I also love to use lamps or track lighting as an artistic expression.  It is one of the easiest ways to combine art with function.  Check out a few of my favorites from fellow Etsy artists.

resurface-MORE-LIGHT 18inch / NOBLE

resurface-SOLO pendant light / CLASSIC STAR- 30% OFF until 2/14

resurface-MORE-LIGHT 16inch / SOUTH3rd

Hannah Nunn-Tall Goldenrod table lamp

File this New Years Resolution Under-Organized.

Did you know that January is national organization month? So it is officially time to get organized!

I live in Chicago and space is a hot commodity here. Anyone in a big city understands the need to use every inch of space efficiently, the problem is that it can take a lot of time and money to get organized. I found a few etsy artists that make organizing your home office stylish and fun.

I must comment on the first piece that I would love to have in my office. It is a vintage aluminum folding desk, and it would add character to any office. Once you have your desk set up it is time to accessorize with the other beautiful items I have selected below. Now go get organized!

Fusion Furniture Vintage Folding Desk

Fusion Furniture Vintage Folding Desk

Fusion Furniture Vintage Folding Desk

ekohdesign-Miss Mers Tins

Decorativeinstincts-Mocha Lattice File Organizer

starvingartistdsgns-Blue/Brown Circles Mouse Pad

thePurplePear-Trendy Tacks - Just Dandy

Valentine’s Day Cards

As many of you may know I met my boyfriend Jake at work in 2007.  You may also know I am not a very big valentines day person at all.  In fact many people are often surprised that I took Jake to Kuma’s for Valentines Day last year.  He had never been there before and I thought that if we did anything it should only be celebrated with great burgers, whiskey, and metal.  It doesn’t get any better than that!

modernemotive’s just launched her new shop last week, and I was eager to check it out because her blog is pretty fabulous too.  I was not in search of anything for valentines day, I just wanted to check out her shop.  So I was REALLY surprised that I stumbled upon a valentines day card that I not only had to have, but I had it shipped to me from Canada.  Oh and Hallmark is directly across the street from my office so I must have really loved this card.  It was just so perfect since we met at work and had to be sneaky for a while…I couldn’t have made a more perfect card myself.

modernemotive

City Artist Spotlight Series-CHICAGO!

Announcing the City Artist Spotlight Series! Every Friday artists will be chosen to represent the craftiness of their city. This week the selected city is my sweet home CHICAGO! I have selected 5 Chicago artists from Etsy to share. Feel free to comment if you would like your city or favorite artist to be chosen for next Friday spotlight.

MnMTreasures

alamodestuff

IMOTIME

SilhouetteBlue

noformdesign

Handmade in St. Croix

I just got back from my 2nd annual trip to St. Croix.  It is the perfect vacation spot because they do not have a large tourist population, the drinks are fabulous, and all I did was scuba dive and read on the beach!  I was looking for a break from work and inspiration for my own life, and I knew just where to find it.

As soon as I could I went to visit Mitchell Larson Studio in Christiansted.  Jan Mitchell has developed several new techniques in the art of fusing glass and each piece is more and more inspirational.  It is my absolute dream to have a studio/shop like this.  When you walk in you can smell the kilns upstairs where Jan works, and the glass is displayed in the main room.  Her husband Steffen Larson displays his photography in another room of the studio.  The combination is breathtaking.  It is a true inspiration to any artist that steps foot in there.

Jan Mitchell Glass

Steffen Larsen Photography

What did I get for Christmas?

I have been out of the country for the past week, but it is still not too late to share my Christmas gifts with you.  My lovely boyfriend Jake did a GREAT job this year on gifts. He figured out how to look on my favorites on Etsy, way to go Jake!!

He bought me the “in flight wings” necklace from locallibrary.

in flight wings necklace

And a few differnt pendants from thecharmlady

Cherry Blossom Pendant

Ring in the New Year with Handmade Calendars

I would like to share a few of my favorite handmade calendars from Etsy sellers. Enjoy!

Daisyjanie Original Illustrations

Annacote Screen/Gocco Printed Botanical Calendar

DelphineSTUDIO Letterpress Calendar

bluetricycle Printable 2009 Calendar- Sitting Pretty

Get Your Christmas Cards Here.

I would like to share another fabulous artist that I stumbled upon at the renegade craft fair.  AFavoriteDesign doesn’t just create stationary and cards they use a letterpress from 1913!  I might also be a little biased because they have a lot of really cool Chicago themed cards.  I am very proud to call Chicago my home and love to spread it around to everyone that I send cards to.  I bought these cards at renegade and I am using them as my Christmas cards this year.

My Christmas Cards this Year

Raising the Bar for Etsy Sellers

I have Etsy set up on my Google alerts to keep up on cool stuff that is happening in the Etsy community all over the world. Today I saw something really interesting from the Huffington Post. The article was about “The Hidden Economy of Women Online.” Something particular caught my eye, not just something about how Etsy is a good place to buy in a poor economy, but one of the most creative ideas I have seen come out of Etsy. Little Brown Pen has taken DIY marketing to a whole new level. Little Brown Pen created an adorable video, it reminds me a little bit of the HP commercials, where all you see is someones hands moving around. It is not a video saying hey buy my products, but it is an absolutely perfect demonstration of how easy it is to use the ready to print pdf templates at Little Brown Pen.

To all the etsy sellers out there, we should learn a lesson from Little Brown Pen, it has really raised the bar. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.