First Thursday with Artist Matthew Coveny

This month's First Thursday event featured the artwork of Matthew Coveny.

Recognize that name? Aren't we lucky to have this kind of talent in our family?

Don't his paintings look great in the shop? I think they really work with those giant orange sea horses.

Seriously though - he is so talented and original... I'm a proud big sister.

Want to see more of Matt's work? Check out his website.

Thank You to The Style Side of Life!

I just received a lovely surprise. Shelly from The Style Side of Life visited the shop on her Key West trip and just featured some pictures she took.

Here are a couple:

See the rest HERE.

Shelly's site is new to me and I'm looking forward to reading more. She's going to be renovating her darling 1930s bungalow this year and I couldn't be more jealous. Can't wait to see the finished project!

Do you have any big renovation plans for 2012?

Where Did the Time Go?

I had every intention of posting some pictures of my home decorated for the holidays...write about a few more decorators on the Elle Decor A List...browse design blogs for more beautiful, inspirational images to share...

Of course none of that happened. But here is a belated view of my favorite Christmas tradition:

If you'd like to read more about my Christmas tree issues - check out my recent post on The Big Piece of Cake.

The tree is gone now...replaced by the furniture we moved to make room. And a beautiful Amaryllis flower is now blooming there to help ease the pain of not seeing lights and ornaments. Actually...I should be honest and admit that I'm kind of relieved to have everything back to normal. I loved my tree, but it was really, REALLY dead. Needles were everywhere. And it was beginning to smell.

I think I'll start the New Year with some pretty pictures. No theme - no color story - just a lot of pretty:

Wishing you all the best in 2012 - and A LOT of pretty!

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A Little Pink

I'll admit it. I'm not that excited about some upcoming Elle Decor Top 20 designer portfolios... And I've been avoiding those posts... But I will get back on track this week.

In the meantime, here are some very PRETTY (girly) pictures:

How cute is that bathroom? Makes me feel like primping.

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All I Want for Christmas: THIS CAMERA!

Yesterday, I posted this to my Wishing True blog - but I thought I'd share it here as well.

Have you seen the new Lytro camera?

You can get full details on the science behind it (light field mumbo jumbo) on the website. But putting theory into practice, the user can take a picture and then play around with the focus later. Here are examples of two pictures focused two different ways AFTER the image was captured:

The perfect camera for a regular Joes who are never going to become serious photographers with all of the lenses and technical training. And particularly good for events or action that you don't want to miss while fiddling with camera settings.

While I love my "real" camera and do want to learn how to do more with it - this little guy would come in pretty handy for on the go - every day picture snapping.

Now I'm curious to hear what users think...

Frame-able Fabric

In my next life I want to come back as a textile designer. I love pretty fabric and would definitely consider framing some that I've found as art.
Like these!

I found all of these images on Luli Sanchez, Lourdes Sanchez's website. As an artist and textile designer, Sanchez works in hand painted watercolor media. Visit the website to see more of her work, including her fine art watercolors.