Decal Dilemma

Months ago, Groupon featured $20 for $50 worth of Dali Decals . I figured it was such a good deal, I had to pounce. I made these stencil panels (top left corner) for my room in New York when I lived there, and am always searching for a way to do something similar, but neater. I love what Little Miss Momma did with her decals. Mounting the decals on canvas is great because you can move them around the room with ease and don't have to be as crazy about their initial placement. I covered two 18x24 canvases and one 22x28 one in White Linen acrylic paint by Martha Stewart and applied the decals according to the directions from Dali. Here's an (obvious) tip - don't affix the decals outside, even if it is a beautiful day. Any wind will make you crazy.

We aren't positive what we're painting the nursery yet, so I stuck with a white background. I did a custom order from Dali, which was super easy and relatively quick to arrive. All three of the athletes below are part of a series. And obviously, I used colors that will coordinate with all my nursery stuff. What's the dilemma? I've made and purchased so many things for the walls in my tiny nursery, I'm not going to have room for it all!

Indie Rock Poster Book!

Okay, okay, this is old news. The Indie Rock Poster Book, successor to the very popular Indie Rock Coloring Book released by the Yellowbird project, came out early this year. But now that I'm looking for cool stuff to put on the walls in our new house, this purchase has become inevitable. It's awesome because it's cheap and features really cool prints that are frame-worthy, and did I mention they're all artists' renderings of really good indie rock songs? "Your Ex-Lover is Dead" is one of my favorite Stars songs. Love this interpretation (best picture I could find).

Not the biggest fan of The National, but this print by Frank Chimero is pretty cool.

I certainly won't have a place for all 30 prints, but I think I can put a few to good use...

It's Never Too Early to Learn Geography

I'm loving this new map I got from Fab! It's from These Are Things and I love it. It absolutely matches what I have in mind for my nursery, color-wise. What is Fab, you might ask? It's like Gilt, Rue La La, and Hautelook except they exclusively feature home stuff. They have jewelry sometimes, too. Think of Fab as a sophisticated and wide-ranging Fred Flare online sample sale. I'm not linking them here because if you want an invite, you should email me so I get the credit! They feature everything from kitchen tools from brands like Zyliss, frames and other home stuff, from brands like from Umbra, and furniture and other bigger items, like Public Bikes. I am a big fan. Sign up now (by emailing me or leaving a comment asking for an invite :o)

Cute Ways to Count

I've recently discovered Binth - the company makes beautiful modern prints for the home, and their baby stuff is gorgeous. I love their baby book, though I have no intention of buying it, as I'm crafting my own, scrapbook style. But still, you can get a sense of their style...

I love this numbers poster. It matches what I have in mind for my nursery perfectly.

I'd jump on it, however, I'm still toying with the idea of doing something with my embroidered table numbers. Not sure yet, though. What do you think?

Michigan Baby

B went to U of Michigan and he likes to make sure the whole world knows it. I got him (and the baby, of course) this print for the nursery from Area Fare on Etsy. I used a white frame that will match the white + primary colored nursery I am envisioning in my head. I've started a ton of craft projects (ton = 5 or so) to keep me occupied. It's my version of nesting. I've resorted to heavy crafting since I technically don't even live in my house yet...

NYC, Holler

I've begun to plan and take pictures of decor for the new digs. I bought this great painting from Kirkland's (I know, I'm officially old) the other day on super sale -- originally about $100, marked down, then marked down again, to total less than $50. Yay!

It's a little dark and oldschool-y, but since the home we're buying is easily over 100 years old, we're trying to stay true to the house and not try to go too modern. I like the idea of more classic furniture and decor in the house. Though the palette of art at Kirkland's tends to be drab and oldhead-ish, they had a number of nice pieces. I'm a fan of these:

But, B says we have too much New York stuff. He's definitely right about that, but can you blame me? I miss the city. Anyway, we really want to incorporate some New Orleans-y stuff into our new place, so watch out for more posts about that.

Literary Wall Decor

I love these posters that can be purchased from the Canadian site Postertext.
The text behind the posters are from the books the scenes illustrate. Genius! I'm going to have to get the Gatsby one. And definitely Frankenstein, which goes down as one of my favorite books ever. And probably Dracula, too. And Jane Eyre for my mom (her fave). And they're taking suggestions! How sweet would a bullfighting scene set in front of The Sun Also Rises?? I'm getting way too excited about this. Buy buy buy.

Ork Shows NOLA Some Love

I've been a fan of Jenny Beorkrem's neighborhood prints for a while, and I just checked out her site and found that New Orleans is her latest edition. And bonus -- $5.00 from every purchase of a New Orleans poster from orkposters.com is donated to three New Orleans non-profits: the St. Bernard Project, YAYA - Young Aspirations | Young Artists, and The Idea Village. We have the Brooklyn and Manhattan posters framed in our living room. I think I'll buy New Orleans and Philadelphia next. Now if they'd only come out with Dallas and Durham posters, I'd have all the places I've ever lived covered. I won't hold my breath.

My Fair Lady

What a busy weekend. I had training for the summer, a birthday party, a playoff game to watch, (go Redwings), Greece prep to do, and in the midst of all this, fairs to check out!

First up, the Greek Fair near Atlantic Ave. There isn't much to look at, but the tirapides I had were delicious. I also got to spoke to some kind folks from Greece who clued me in on a few things to eat while I'm over there. I also checked out the Atlantic Art walk - not as big as I anticipated, but lots of cool art to look at. My favorite is Cannonball Press. Cool and mildly disturbing woodcut prints for $30.

Sunday, I hit up the much-anticipated Renegade Craft Fair. I behaved myself very well. I don't look at these fairs as an opportunity to buy everything in sight; I mean, I'm not one for necklace containing fabric or fibers, and soon, all the tshirts and prints start to look the same. But I do enjoy grabbing all the business cards from my favorite booths so I can buy later or share the love. So that's what I'm doing. I think later, I'll post sites from fairs and events past, because God knows I have enough business cards in my rolodex.

New York-Centric
Ceramics by Denise Long- really cool ceramic tiles of iconic structures around the city.

On the Walls
Tugboat Printshop - Interesting etchings and woodcuts
Dolan Geiman - Awesome works of art, though a little pricey. "Contemporary Art with a Southern Accent". A perfect description. Ideal for a New Orleans home.
Seattle Show Posters - Self-explanatory. They've also got some non show prints - I got the one for $5.
Brainstorm - cool prints. They had a neat bike poster I considered buying.

Tees
Chalkboard Tees - self-explanatory. I wouldn't wear one, but would make a great gift for a kid or silly adult.
Clothmoth - cool tshirts, inluding one that says "Yay Seratonin!" . Appeals to the psych dork side of me. I bought some buttons but that's all.

Etc.
May Day Studio - Journals and albums made from Bingo cards. Love them!
Final Approach - Ridiculously awesome custom suitcases. Great gift idea for a traveler, or if you're just looking for something unique for yourself. I can't imagine wanting to take these on a real trip though - they're just so nice!

Not that New Orleans is lacking in culture, but I'm gonna miss these little craft events. Thank goodness for etsy.

Wall Decor Take it or Leave It

Last year, at the Renegade Craft Fair at the McCarren Park Pool, I purchased one of Jenny Beorkrem's Posters. I adore her work. As you've probably figured out, I love living in cities. One of the best things about living in a metropolitan area are the distinct cultures that crop up within a city. I live in Caroll Gardens right now, a really family-oriented Italian part of Brooklyn. I used to live in the Village, which you probably know is eclectic in and of itself, full of students, and always awake. I have a lot of memories of the places I've lived, and think it'll be fun to have maps like these on the walls of my new home in New Orleans.

Like I said, I already bought one, but I want to exchange it. It's pink and yellow - I don't know what I was thinking, as it does not match anything in my apartment. Jenny has graciously said I can exchange through mail, and I'm trying to decide which ones to get and what colors. Brooklyn is a given, probably in black and white. But do I also spring for the Manhattan? Or the New York City? Do I also venture out into other cities? I love San Fran, and as soon as the Philadelphia one comes out, I'm all over it. Naturally, Boyfriend likes the Great Lakes one. Posters and screenprints are between about $18 and $30, and of course I'd frame them all nicely. But is it weird to have so many posters by one artist in your home? Besides the Brooklyn one, take or leave which posters? And in what unobtrusive color? Check out the website to see which ones are available, though I'm leaning towards b&w.

Venturing to the Other Side of the Gowanus

This morning, I ventured out of Carroll Gardens over to the Brooklyn Lyceum on 4th ave and President for the Anti-Depression Craft Market. I used to be in this area more often, when I lived near the Gowanus Canal. Everything was under $30, which was great. I didn't go nuts at all though, and escaped with only this great print by Dailey Crafton. I got it in navy ink and it is very reminiscent of places I've lived in New York.

Afterwards, I stopped by Brooklyn Mercantile on Fifth Ave and 4th St. in Park Slope . I had been to look around previously, but this was before my interest in sewing began. The setup is nice, as they have a lot of kitchen and household wares for sale in the front of the store. The back is dedicated to fabric and notions. It didn’t seem like they had a ton of selection in the fabric department; I’d definitely turn to Brooklyn General, around the corner from my house, first. They actually have a good amount of notions, and I was able to score a tailor’s chalk pen, bobbins, thread, and embroidery floss. But they didn’t have a great assortment of colors for the latter two items, and none of the displays were in good order. Maybe they were between things, I don’t know, but it seems like you would want your store to be in tip top shape for the weekend. They do offer an array of classes, which I may be interested in sometime this summer. Apparently, there is a sewing room downstairs, but I didn’t get a chance to check it out. I'm not writing the place off, but feel the same for this place as I do for Fiber Notion - I won't be making any special trips.