April 30, 2010

can you still feel the butterflies?

You might remember this post from a while back where you get to see the very boring 'apartment white' colour of our bedroom. Next, you might remember this post where I thought about making some lovely wall art to put above our bed to add a new dimension of colour and interest to our room. And finally, you might remember this post where I gave you a sneak peek of the butterflies in progress.
Today I bring you the finished result: a cacophony of butterflies above our bed.



The difference this makes in our bedroom is unbelievable. It feels more interesting and gives your eye something to look at when it first walks into the room. It is a great focal point I hope to compliment with some gallery style picture frames on the adjacent wall with similarly themed pieces. Maybe one frame will have some of our favourite butterfly-inspired lyrics from Jimmy Eat World that Caleb put on the first mix-CD he ever made me: "Can you still feel the butterflies?"

But, that's another project for another day. For this project the process was very simple and only required a little bit of time and some items I had around the house.
I searched 'butterfly silhouettes' online and found a set of them that I then shrunk to fit one print-out. I cut those out and used them as my templates.

Then I took card-stock I already had in the house and cut it out into about 3"-wide strips (make sure a whole butterfly will fit the width of the strip). I folded the card-stock vertically and then traced half a butterfly on it. Then I cut them out and stuck them on the wall using Scotch poster tape. Because we're currently renting, I needed to use an adhesive that would not remove the paint or damage the walls but would be strong enough to keep the butterflies on it. I chose the poster tape because it is removable and designed specifically for painted walls. Hopefully it lives up to its reputation and we're not surprised when we take them down.
That's all there is to it. Very simple and money-friendly project that has added some needed variety and interest to our otherwise plain bedroom.

April 28, 2010

fabric flower garland.


How much fun would it be to string these little flower pom poms all around your home to welcome spring? (Or to celebrate a birthday or any other special ocassion?) I love these little guys and have been saving up scrap fabric from craft projects and clothes that have too many holes to be really clothes anymore in the hope that one day I'll be able to sit down and make a beautiful garland. If you are equally inspired, you can find the instructions on Once Wed here.

April 27, 2010

spring into pink.

Today I'm feeling relatively uninspired - the creative juices are just not flowing. But, I know I'm in the mood for pink. Here is a little pink inspiration for you - it is very cheerful.

I found all of these beauties on etsy right here: 1. light pink czech beads 2. orange blossoms 3. red beads 4. sanctuary 5. pink bow 6. best friends

April 26, 2010

spotlight.

These past couple of weeks I have not been able to stop listening to Mutemath's album Armistice. It is a great album to crank up in the car when the windows are down and the sun is out. It is a perfect welcome to spring. "Spotlight" is probably my favourite song on the album right now. The music video is pretty neat too - I think Caleb told me they did it all in one take! (How did they not poke their eyes out?!)
Mutemath is no stranger to interesting music videos. For their song "Typical" they filmed in reverse (meaning they sang and played the song backwards). See the filming of it here for the Jimmy Kimmel Live show.

April 22, 2010

(500) days of summer.

This past week Caleb and I watched (500) Days of Summer starring Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. We really enjoyed it. Set in LA, the movie chronicles Tom Hansen (Gordon-Levitt) as he falls in love with Summer Finn (Deschanel). It is the perfect blend of indie style and mainstream story telling. I loved the costuming, wallpaper, and setting. A wonderful movie to watch.
He believes in true love like in all the pop songs and she, well, doesn't. The story is super cute and doesn't end quite like you'd expect.
Hope you have a fun time watching it.

April 20, 2010

bright star.

This afternoon I watched the movie Bright Star. Written and directed by Jane Campion, Bright Star shares the love story between Fanny Brawne and nineteenth-century poet John Keats.
Everything about this movie is beautiful. The setting - the London countryside - is resplendent in every season. The costume is period appropriate and the use of colours and attention to detail is wonderful. The music is just right - strings and some vocals. Of course the actual story is magnificent as well - even more so because it is true. Overall, for about two hours you feel captivated and fully involved in a story, a mark of success for a film.


I highly recommend it. And, if you read poetry, like I've been trying to do recently, pick up a book of Keats' work. It is romantic and sweet and lovely all at once.
See, for instance, this excerpt from his poem Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil

And she forgot the stars, the moon, and sun,
And she forgot the blue above the trees,
And she forgot the dells where waters run,
And she forgot the chilly autumn breeze;
She had no knowledge when the day was done,
And the new morn she saw not: but in peace
Hung over her sweet Basil evermore,
And moisten'd it with tears unto the core.

April 19, 2010

carnival.

This weekend the carnival game to our town. So on Friday night we thought it would be fun to go and get some snacks and go on a ride.

We decided to opt out of the ride part though because it was going to cost nearly $10 for one ride on the ferris wheel and it was really cold out so we couldn't justify it (plus, $10 for a ride on a small ferris wheel?!). Instead we bought a big bag of cotton candy and some popcorn, walked home and watched Spider Man 2. It was a great start to the weekend.

April 15, 2010

high five.

Today, apparently, is National High Five Day. This past Sunday, The Globe and Mail shared with its readers tips on how to perfect five different types of high fives, so today I thought I'd share with you these illustrations by Dakshana Bascaramurty for your own celebration of National High Five Day.
The Globe also includes a note cautioning against the fist bump, "*And don't do this: Fist bump (unless you work in the Oval Office or have a communicable disease)."
Hope you have fun high-fiving your way around town today.

April 13, 2010

bookplates.

Just like Miss B over at The Blah, Blah, Blahg I love all things library. So today I want to share with you the library bookplates that she designed back in December 2008 to download for free and use for your own personal library or as a sweet gift for a friend, I don't think she'd mind.

You can download these beautiful bookplates from her post here. Bookplates seem so hot right now. At Christmastime I received this cute personal library kit, and recently Design*Sponge has also featured bookplates. I definitely want to jump on this band wagon and design a set of my own to share. In fact, I'm in the process of designing some and figuring out how to make them accessible to you. Enjoy whatever you're reading today.

April 12, 2010

stop motion 2.

Today I want to start off the week with a little stop motion. If you recall, I love stop motion. On the weekend Caleb and I did end up watching Fantastic Mr. Fox.

This movie is beautiful. It felt a little too indie at some points for us, but overall, we really enjoyed watching it. The colours in the background and a lot of the costumes are beautiful burnt oranges, amber, and golden yellows. The attention to detail in the filming is magnificent. This movie truly is a wonderful piece of art.


Since February, I've seen even more commercials and videos filmed using stop motion cameras. Then last week I saw this stunner on the Urban Outfitters site.

It is a video camera made by LEGO that films in either live action or stop motion. All you need are a couple of AA batteries and you're ready to start filming. How much fun is that?! The do-it-yourself-er in me is so excited that anyone could make their own stop motion videos (with such a unique looking camera at that).

Last week I didn't get to continue showing different paper projects that I've found and admire. First I was sick and then Caleb was sick so the week didn't turn out quite like we expected. So, I promise that soon I will continue sharing my love of all things paper with you.

April 7, 2010

emma van leest.


Move aside paper snowflakes and chain paper dolls, today I want to share with you the gorgeous work of Melbourne-based artist Emma van Leest. Emma uses paper to create absolutely gorgeous scenes and cityscapes.




This week I'm going to focus on paper creations, come back soon to check out more beauty from paper.

April 1, 2010

sneak peek.

This past week has been super busy but today I want to end my mini-hiatus from blogging by showing you a sneak peek of the butterflies I've been making for our bedroom.

Show you more as it goes along. Have a happy Easter weekend.
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