four-dollar pine cone garland

 I was so excited to find these tiny gold pine cone ornaments at the dollar store last weekend.  I scooped up three packs (four cones on each) and a spool of twine from the kitchen section.  This little garland is the first of my holiday decorations so far this year but it is starting to get me in the spirit for more...

shop update, holiday coupon code, AND a giveaway!

Hello friends!  It's been another long break due to an overly packed schedule but I wanted to pop in today and share some new prints I have up in the shop.  The peach and mint floral pattern prints are 5x7 inches and are $10 and the woodland NC print is 8x10 and is $12. 

Order now for your holiday gifts and like Heart & Craft on facebook for an exclusive coupon code!  I'm also offering (for a short time) custom state prints in the same style as my woodland NC for just $50.  Leave me a comment here or send my a message in my etsy shop to set up an order!

And the most exciting news of the day?  I am offering a giveaway of one FREE custom state print to a reader!  Like the shop on etsy and facebook, then leave me a comment here telling me what State you'd love to get for yourself or to give as a gift!  A winner will be announced next Friday, November 23rd.  Yay!

fall photos

One of the many outtakes from my little sister's engagement photo shoot last week.  No that is not the bride to be, that is me, being obsessed with the 30 inch balloon decorations I made her.  Simple pleasures.

See the rest of my instagram shots here.

raw color

I'm back to my preferred palette of soft neutrals and pastels.  I would love to play hide and seek in this curtain of fabric scraps by Raw Color.

for fall

As the Summer comes to an end I can feel myself being more and more drawn to the darker, moody colors of Fall and I'm ready for the season change.

one // two

inspired: for the walls

Lovely wall hangings by Justine Ashbee.

thiebaud: land and figure

So inspired by the color schemes in these Wayne Thiebaud paintings.  I love the way the figures almost completely match the landscapes even though they were painted decade apart.  And those girls just look so damn cool, don't they?

1/Girl in White Boots, 1966
2/San Francisco West Side Ridge, 2002
3/River Cloud, 2002
4/Girl in Blue Shoes, 1968

pretty finds for friday

How lovely is this wedding reception styling?  Seen on Weekend Carnival.

richmond

Some of the more quiet details from our trip to Richmond this past weekend.

bedrooms

We've finally gotten our bedroom cleaned up, simplified, organized and ready to be painted.  Yesterday we picked up a bunch of grey paint color chips to see what light hue might work in the space but now I am finding myself drawn to these all white rooms.  Would I get too bored or feel blah in an all white bedroom?  My studio is all white now and I love it- so is sans color the way to go?



I especially love the creative use of the garland in that top room.  You know I'm a sucker for a good garland.

room one, two, three.

shop update

It's been a while since a proper shop update and I have some new items listed!  There are some new screenprints, garlands, and some super fun new printables.  Some are not as new but have only been in the shop for a month or so, so maybe new to you.  I have some simple new garlands up, but I am planning on phasing out most of the garlands as it seems that Etsy has had an influx of garland makers- you know how it goes when something hits big.  I am going to focus on more artwork and a line of printable invitations for now, both of which I am really excited to work on.  I'm also working on a few other decor items that I can see are starting to trend right now.  So as long as I can stay focused, expect to see some cleaning out and some adding of work to the shop.  I'll continue selling my garlands and work here in town at Design Archives. 

Besides that (because you know I can't do just a handful of things at once) I am still furiously posting over here, pinning here, and becoming addicted to Instagram.  I'm also finishing work up this month on a super secret design project that hopefully I'll be able to share with you by the end of the year.

Also- anyone in need of a super amazingly talented graphic designer?  My husband and I love working on projects together but he's just finished school and is looking for a full time position.  He's funny, cool, will make your work place an awesome environment (and I'm not just saying that- ask anyone who knows him) and he's open for business.  Check out his site and more of his work here.  Feel free to contact me with leads or inquiries for him.  xo

back on track

Or maybe not?  It's been almost three months and I know I won't be able jump right back in to faithfully blogging daily but I do owe you (and mostly myself) the effort.  Without going into too much detail I'll just say I got into a bit of a creative rut (more like a pit) and it was hard to crawl back out.  I have been busy; however, blogging here, selling here, and working on lots of other projects in the meantime.  Unfortunately, this little space had to take a back seat and suffer a bit.  While I'm still contemplating how to maintain and make this a positive, creative outlet; I'm unsure of what the end results will look like.

I don't like to get super personal here so that's enough of that.  Now I'll just share some snapshots of what I've been up to in the break (with no captions so use your imagination).  Oh, and while I am reshaping this place, please pop over here and see some especially rewarding projects I've been working on.  xo.

one year

One year ago today, as tornadoes made their way through parts of our state, the sun made it's way out and I got to say I do to my favorite person in the world.  A year later, and almost seven years strong, we are doing some pretty cool things together.  Work and life seem a lot better when you get to share them with someone you love.  I am a lucky girl.

pretty pairings- double time

As I was pulling images for this peach & mint inspired pretty pairings post, I realized I had way too many pretties in this color scheme to just choose two.  So here are four lovely items in some fresh pastels.  Enjoy!

design, dress, planner, necklace

life lately

Just wanted to share a few photos of what's been going on around here lately.  I don't think they need much explanation; we've been enjoying the weather, enjoying visits with family over Easter weekend, enjoying holiday candy and traditions, and learning to take things easy.   I'll be back this week to share some new work that will be up in the shop- so stay tuned!

weekend

It has been one of those non-stop, 16-hour-days, body aching kind of weeks.  I am ready for the weekend but not quite ready to kick into weekend gear.  I'm taking some downtime before diving head first into what should be a few nice spring days complete with a wedding to attend, projects to complete, and a handful of new camera apps to play around with.  What are your weekend plans?

*above iphone photo edited with camera bag & phonto apps.

pretty pairings: peach and pastel

Now that Spring is officially here I am ready to dress in sweet pastels and neutrals all season long.  Gone are the days of layers of grey and black and back are sheer blouses and a softer palette.  I am a happy girl.  How great is the combination of this perfectly accessorized outfit and this paper garland in some of my favorite colors for the season?

outfit: eatsleepwear, garland: source unknown-sorry!

Welcoming spring!

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring (yaaaaaaay!), which is in a tie with Fall for my favorite season.  I think Spring wins out due to the anticipation of gardens, deck dinners, and cut-offs.  Hop on over to Collect&Carry to see all of the spring brights I pulled together just in time for the colorful season!

Diebenkorn

Today at work while preparing for a new unit for my art 3 class, I was reminded of the lovely work of Abstract Expressionist painter, Richard Diebenkorn.  Like some of my other favorite painters; Schiele, Freud, and Neel; his juxtaposition of linear elements with washes of color just makes me so happy.  I also love the complete breakdown from aerial landscapes all the way to angular color field paintings.  There's such a lovely evolution, almost decay, of his style throughout his work that is really just beautiful.  Makes me feel all fuzzy and inspired, which is a good thing considering all of the new projects we are about to be jumping into.  (more on those soon!)

Introducing...

Eeek!  You guys I am SO excited to share this news with you today.  It's the secret project I mentioned a few weeks ago and it's finally ready to be shared!  Collect & Carry is a new blog project that I am running with my sister, Liz, and our friend, Allison.  We are sharing our love for food, fashion, diy, crafts, home, garden, and design.  We are all official with our collectandcarry.com and it is like Heart&Craft on steroids!  Liz is a gardening guru and expert on all things delicious, while Allison is a vintage fanatic with a fabulous sense of style for both the home and body.  I'll be adding my modern touches and love for design, fashion, and crafting tutorials.  It is going to have something for everyone so please- stop by- share our link- pin our posts - add our boards - follow our tweets - friend us - tell your friends - and leave us some love!

PS. What does this mean for this little-love-child-blog of mine?  It's not going anywhere!  I may focus more on what we are doing in the shop, in our lives, and occasionally share with you the projects that I am posting over on C&C while still blasting you with all of my endless stream of inspiration from all over the place.  Sound good?  Good

Carry Through

Tonight my brain and body felt totally overwhelmed, exhausted, and uncooperative. I literally couldn't hold a thought for more than a few seconds without losing it or jumping to something else. So (after far too long in this state) I turned off the tv, the computer and the phone, and went into my studio. I sat for a bit, walked around for a while, wrote down some thoughts and tried to shut my mind down some. This is something I struggle with a lot but need to work on more. Just taking it easy, organizing ideas, making plans, and giving myself the time to carry them through.

Maybe I have a new years resolution after all.

a little affirmation

Sometimes after a long week, not much rest, some uncertainty about the future, and not much of a break in sight- all you need is a deep breath and a little banner to tell you things are going to be alright. I'd love to do some major decluttering of my studio and hang this right in the middle of a freshly painted wall.

affirmation banner by Secret Holiday Co.

lauren moffatt spring 2012

Last year I used Lauren Moffatt's lovely spring collection to inspire my honeymoon wardrobe packing. This year I am even more excited about what she's designed. From the floral, ruffly-strapped swim suit, to peter pan collars, to the belted skirts with ankle boots, it is pretty much perfection. A bit out of my price range, I am already scheming how I can recreate some of these looks with my thrift store finds. See the entire collection here.

easiest party decor ever

When we decided last Monday night to have a small get together for the mister's birthday I thought I'd have plenty of time during the week to set up a menu and nail down some decorations. So when I woke up on Saturday from a really busy week with absolutely nothing done (read- not even thought about) I was a little panicked. After a morning of errands and a small but efficient shopping list I was ready to cook and set up the decorations. I knew the decor had to be simple so I had the idea of lining the wall behind the table with crepe paper strips and really wanted to try the wooden shapes garland that Jenny had shown here. A long strip of double-sided tape was all I needed to adhere about 60 long strips of basic streamer paper to the top of the wall. I painted thin sheets of balsa wood in matching colors with craft paint and cut into geometric shapes with an x-acto. I then used a multi-sized hole punch to (carefully) punch into those and strung them onto waxed cord left over from the Christmas bracelets I made for my girlfriends. It all came together pretty quickly, cost less than $13, and made a simple yet colorful impact. Sometimes a time crunch and last minute ideas are the best.

summer shapes

I guess I must be yearning for summer, or at least springtime, because this morning I found myself playing around with photos I took last summer at the Outer Banks. Yep, I'll take warmer weather any time.

open me

Today I wanted to share some quick invitations I put together for our little birthday shin dig this weekend, in honor of the mister. We had a snow day off from school/work on Monday so I had time to put together these invitations and figure out how to mail them with a metal brad and string around the outside. After designing, printing, cutting and assembling them I was happy to find out that with just a 20-cents extra stamp (making them non-machine-runnable) I could mail them out.

I am so looking forward to our little celebration! Now I just need to clean the house and figure out a menu...

birthday boy

Happy Birthday to my love. To a sweet, talented, humble, hilarious, hard-working, patient, and unrelentingly loving husband. I am so happy to have celebrated the last 7 of your birthdays with you, I can't wait to celebrate a year of marriage in April, and I feel honored to know I'll celebrate this day with you for all the rest of our years. I love you, mister! xo.

belated birthday dinner

This weekend we celebrated a belated birthday (mine) and an upcoming one (the misters) with a sushi dinner with my in-laws. Not only was the food absolutely delicious (I actually tried fish for the first time in over ten years), but the ambiance and styling of the restaurant were impeccable. It's amazing how the environment can really make a dinner experience. It was a great night but I am even more excited for the birthday celebrations, crafts, and sweets later on this week.

loving confetti

Jenny's amazing confetti table cloth for Oh Happy Day reminded me this afternoon of my deep love for this simple party supply. The colorful paper pieces instantly make you smile and throwing some in the air makes you feel as giddy as a kid. Really, try to frown while your tossing confetti, just try.I think when it comes to confetti, keep it simple and colorful. Circles are classic, a mix of shapes, is super fun, and metallic is glamorous. Use it to decorate a gift, to dress up a simple invite, or just to add a little fun wherever it lands.top photo from decor8, middle photo from Oh Happy Day, bottom photo by my husband.