Here is upcycle*idea no.3.  I cannot take credit for the coming up with this idea (noticed I added 'compiled by julie rais) :).  There is this great company called, Timber, who makes these and many other wonderful wooden products. I found their website while I was online today.   

I'm headed down to Baja today, so I will be looking for some interesting drift wood.  I look forward to trying this project when I get back.  I don't know what my internet service will be down there, so I may not be able to post as often or at all.  I'm not sure who is checking out my blog, but the service that counts 'visitors' shows that there are 20 to 40 people stopping by for a peek everyday!  Thank you for taking the time to look and please let me know what you think!  

I've been busy with company and getting ready for a road trip, so I missed a day or two on adding to my blog.  This morning I had a chance to put together Upcycle* Idea No.2.  I'm really excited about it.  

This is an easy DIY project.  Start collecting jars and pick up some chalk paint at the hardware store.  I didn't put this on the chart below, but put a coat of gesso or primer on the glass and let it dry BEFORE painting on the chalk paint.  This will keep the chalk paint on the glass when you fill it with a cold drink.  Enjoy!

I've been racking my brain because I want to give my blog some focus.  Yesterday while looking at  Recycled Home, I thought it would be interesting to show the process of how junk yard waste can be transformed into beautiful decor jems. Considering this more, the word upcycle popped into my head.  After a little research, I learned that in 1994, Reiner Pilz coined the word while talking about a demolition directive, calling it downcycling. He stated, "what we need to do is upcycle where old products are given more value not less." 

So here is my first "upcycle*idea".  The bottom right photo is from the book Recycled Home, the others are stock images I found online.  With a little Photoshop magic I put together my interpretation of how to take this idea and do it yourself.  I hope you enjoy it!

Yesterday while out running errands (which included a pit stop at Anthropologie's sale rack...where I got a rad sweater for 20 bucks), I saw the this line.  People waiting to buy the new iPhone outside the Mac store @ The Forum in Carlsbad.  I was shocked.  I'm not in the habit of whipping out my phone to take pictures, but this called for documentation. The quality of my photos isn't great, but I took them on a enV3, not an iPhone. ;)

I have a mild obsession with 100LayerCake's blog, the weddings they post offer endless unique ideas. Since I'm getting married next year I guess the obsession is valid. We are having a destination wedding and I am scheming on how to style the wedding without actually being there until the week before.  How much stuff can I package in a box and send over before hand? Do people even do that?   Here are two weddings that are my recent favorites.

I am not sure where I am going with these, but I really enjoy making them. In the past month I have been playing around with variations of these teapots in Photoshops. I am using the silhouettes of the teapots I have hand painted.  Other than posting them on the front page of my site, I haven't figured out where they will end up.  I guess that is the beauty of making art, you don't have to have an answer for everything, things can just be. 

I love Gardenology in Encinitas. Yesterday I stopped in and 're-fell-in-love' with all the white furniture, beige decor, and beautiful knick knacks.  I sat an extremely cozy chair and started paging through a great book called, Simply Scandinavian.   Here are some images from the book.  This book might spur me on mini-decor revolution in my home! 

It's time for a new header!  Here are three that I've designed, not sure I've worked it out quite yet.  I want something simple and clean. Here are some website headers that have caught my attention: Paperfashion, Kate Bingaman Burt,&  Madison Brotherton

Today I went on a online scavenger hunt.  I wanted to peek into other artists studio spaces. To my delight I found lots of inspiring and creative studios.  In the "lookie-look world" we live in these days, it is sometimes scary and sometimes wonderful how much information we can access.   In this case, it was all good!  Here is a glimpse into 6 different studio spaces.
(studios: Kelly Rae Roberts, Ashley Boccuti,Unknown, H. Gallacher, Brad Ford Smith, &  my studio)

When I find myself in need of creative advice, I turn to Humble Pied.com. I stumbled across this site a year ago and after watching 3 or 4 clips I felt recharged and ready to refocus on my creative pursuits.  

The video below is with Jessica Hische.  She is an illustrator who mostly focuses on typography, her work is stunning.  Her advice really resonated with me.