Thursday, October 30, 2008

Cardinals

A couple of years ago I spent sometime in North Carolina visiting with members of our family.  We had a wonderful time and one of the lasting memories that I came away with was the sight of a wonderful red bird called a Cardinal.  The Cardinal, I was to learn, is the mascot for North Carolina. Join me here in discovering these beautiful works of art!

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Cardinal in the Snowby

ara133photograpy

 

 

 

imageCardinal and a white picket fenceby

yankeegirl

 

 

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RED CARDINAL QUILTED LOG CABIN TABLE RUNNERby

woodsheddesigns

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CARDINALS IN DOGWOODby

GalleryArtAndGifts

 

 

 

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Hand Made Perching Stained Glass Cardinalby

glassnwood

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Oh Canada

No matter where in the world you live, I think it's important to have national pride. I am a Canadian and think that Canada is a pretty great country. We're first to celebrate Thanksgiving. Our elections are done. Our banks are still healthy. (Just saying - tongue in cheek!) We get real winters where you can skate on ponds and go tobogganing. And we've got talent. From Howie Mandel to Celine Dion, and a whole slew of famous and not so famous talents all born north of the 49th parallel.

Canadians are well represented in the visual arts and fine craft fields too. These are just a few of the artisans from north of border that are featured on Etsy.



Lori Mirabelli from Ontario.




Poetic Designs by Yolanda Prang from Ontario.




Robert Glass Art from Quebec.




Lenkart from Ontario.




Fallen Roses by Jennifer Scott from Ontario.




Studio 17 from Ontario.


In all seriousness, talent knows no boundaries and no matter where in the world you are from, beauty and style are still an important part of our everyday lives. Be proud of who you are and where you are from; and support independent artisans!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Festive Fancies

Etsy stores are already filling up with wonderful festive goodies... here are a four wonderfully earthy decorations to invest in now, so that when the time comes for you to bring your tree in, it will have some wonderful accoutrements to wear for the holidays.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

DSG Dressed In Fall Colors

Autumn evokes so many warm feelings of abundance and the rich colors of changing leaves are an obvious choice for decorating home and hearth. Here is a sampling of how Design Style Guide artists catch the fleeting essence of autumn's leaves in their art and designs.


Let's begin our tour with this lovely photographic print from Ara133 Photography. I chose this particular photograph (out of a whole host of beautiful fall photographs) for its simplicity and starkness. The white background gives the illusion of a painting instead of a photograph, but with the depth and detail characteristic of photography!



This gorgeous table runner from Cranberry is a case in point, right down to the maple leave beaded fringe. But it doesn't stop at leaves, as her table decor selection covers every season and holiday.

This delightful original painting by Debra Linker, entitled Yellow Leaf, captures the color change up close and seems to possess the power of illumination.


I absolutely love this pillow cover from Umber Dove. It is aptly named The Tree Hugger and I love the play of tree trunk and tree ring and leaf design and, though the color is a bit more subtle than some of my other choices, I couldn't resist giving it a spotlight!

I must admit I have a thing for coasters of all kinds right now and these lovelies from Teresa's Ceramics struck my fancy. I love how the leaves are in mid-change and how they seem to be "fossilized" in the irregular-shaped ceramic squares.


Finally, I discovered this brilliant pair of etched copper maple leaf wall tiles from Copper Leaf Studios and decided that no parade of autumn leaf decor would be complete without a touch of shimmery, rich, warm copper!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Fabulous Website Alert!!

Gold Pear on Red
From: Torrie Smiley

The new Design Style Guide website is up and running and it looks FABULOUS! Be sure to check it out to find marvelous and unique home decor items to add style to your living space. This site is also a great place to shop for inventive,expressive gifts. Interior designers will find it indespensable for creating innovative looks for clients using items that are one of a kind and not found at the markets. The website is visually stunning and extremely user friendly! Visit it once and you will return over and over, I promise!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

thank god, there's a hephalump here

As I’m writing this, the weather here in Maine is dismal. I peek out the window onto a scene of gloomy gray, broken only by an untidy smear of orange where a couple of stubborn trees still grasp the last handful of their bright leaves. I’ve been looking for reprieve at my computer, and I’ve found it. It seems to me that tsktsk is the opposite of a rainy day.

What could be more cheery than a trio of hephalumps? Gentle hephalump, baby hephalump, and party hephalump stare up inquisitively from my monitor, their eager looks like the expectant gaze of puppies at the Humane Society, and I can’t help but want to adopt them all! How endearing they look with their colorfully branded hides, emotive trunks, and dainty black toenails.



Aussie designer tsktsk produces delightful matryoshka-doll, folk-girl and bird illustrations as well. Of these, my favorites are the quartet of gals with names derived from Native American words: Wapeka, Lakota, Sakari, and Tehya. The blues and tans in these compositions are rich and soft, and on the figures' faces quiet emotions are mirrored with rare accuracy.

For more insight into this artist’s creative life, you might want to visit tsktsk blog.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Something to cheer us up with!

These days, no matter whether you listen to the radio, watch TV or read the newspapers, they are all filled with doom and gloom!  Not wishing to seem frivolous but I thought it won't do any harm to stick our heads in the sand for a short moment - just to cheer ourselves up before dealing with the reality of the world again!

So I intend to pick out some warm and comforting images to do just that!

San Geronimo Aspens by JeanHoodimage

Geraniums in Terra Cotta Pots-original watercolor by Yankeegirl
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English Themed Vintage Slide Lampshade Honeysucklecreations
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Monogrammed Lavender Sachet by Decorativeinstinctsimage

CONTEMPORARY CERAMIC BATHROOM SINK by Slavkoimage

Natural Agate and Iridescent Black Glass Gem Night Light by Designedwithglassimage

And so, I hope you have enjoyed these various items selected from our team and that they helped to brighten up your day, just a wee bit!

Here is one last one to add to my selection - hope it raises a smile?

Buzzard Character -3 by Teresasceramics
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Monday, October 20, 2008

Fall for Autumn Colors

Fall colors are so lovely. Unfortunately, I live on the Gulf Coast where we do not experience four seasons. Thankfully, though, with the help of my fellow Etsy artists I can get enjoy the beauty of fall in the 85 degree weather!




This 5X7 photo titled October Sky is from ara133photography: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14756432. She has many other beautiful photos so a quick click into her shop would be well worth your time!


This fine art print from signetart's shop is a beautiful creation that can be found at:http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6957831. There are many great collage creations in signetart's shop!



This original 8X10 oil painting is by catbird7: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14944282. Catbird7 has many great painting,(check out Evening Doves as well).

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Room With A View - Switchplates

The ubiquitous switchplate - everywhere, in every room at least once, and often an overlooked opportunity for affordable wall art and self-expression. Whether you're a country mouse or a city mouse, whatever your decorating style, there is a switchplate to match your room and personality. Here are just a few from a wonderful array of handmade and hand embellished switchplates on Etsy:








a la mode














Mosaico Decor













Rathina Decor










Lindsay's Lights













Pieces in Time













Marcia's Passions













Funky Chicken Designs

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Special Birthday Gifts for Scott

October is a special month for my family as there is 3 of us with October for our Birthday month. Scott and I share the same day, 22nd, and Robert is Halloween, 31th. These items are all from members of Design Style Guide and sell on www.etsy.com


Fun Day At The Beach

www.reniebritenbucher.etsy.com


original painting - 36 x 24

www.MatthewHamblen.etsy.com


Jimmy the Silly Sock Monkey 11 x 14 Print

www.ElegantSnobbery.etsy.com


Freshly faked mini Halloween green cupcakes!
from www.FrostedFakes.etsy.com


Lollipop Rack-Medium

www.Shauneil.etsy.com

I hope you will visit these artists at etsy or at least search for your favorite artists with using the team tag of interiordesignteam the next time you visit etsy. Well I had better get back to painting...you may visit my etsy shop at http://paintwithbarb.etsy.com/ for all types of oil paintings.