Wishing True

Charlotte Moss Bangles

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:51:00 +0000

Ever since I picked up a Kate Spade bangle on Ebay (totally random green one I never thought I'd wear as often as I do), I've acquired a bit of a thing for enamel bangles.

And how cute are these Charlotte Moss bangles for Halcyon Days?

I don't like to go TOO Lily Pulitzer with the pastel preppiness (I live in the DC area, which in certain circles can go a little overboard with this summer look) - but that pink one is so sweet.

Looks like I have a new Ebay search item...

Elle Decor's A-Team (Part III)

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:45:00 +0000

Have you seen Elle Decor's "top 25"? I'm posting about them on Style Key West each week for the rest of the Summer (and possibly longer...). The next two are:

Victoria Hagan

Charlotte Moss

Stop by and let me know what you think of the list (or of these specific designers)!

Needful Things: Nadinoo

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:59:00 +0000

How gorgeous are these designs in Liberty prints?

See more in the Nadinoo Etsy shop.

SOLD!

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:34:00 +0000

Remember when I agonized over the Rennes metallic silver market bag vs. the powder blue bucket bag?

Then time passed and the blue bucket was snapped up by someone else.

THEN I did a more thorough Etsy search for a good tote and found several other options (including that original metallic silver market bag).

Then more time passed and I was still unable to commit.

THEN I got an e-mail from Rennes saying that they were having a 20-50% off sale.

So guess what I bought?

The Metallic Silver Market Bag (30% off!)

Lessons learned:
1. You almost always end up buying the first thing you like.
2. You are sometimes rewarded for laziness.
3. Rennes is having a great sale right now - check it out!

Now I just wonder if it will arrive in time for BlogHer...

Rediscovered Etsy Shops

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:55:00 +0000

Do you add Etsy shops to your favorites with wild abandon and then promptly forget about them? Me too! So every once in a while I try to browse through my list and reacquaint myself with those forgotten treasures.

This time around, a couple of jewelry shops caught my eye.

First, Elephantine. I have a thing for delicate chains with simple little pendants.

Like this one:

eastern holiday

I could wear that pretty much every day.

But another item really charmed me - a take on the best friends necklace from middle schools past:

you and me

Might have to keep both for myself though...

Another shop was Pradman Jewelry.

I would LOVE to buy one of these:

personalized monogram pendant

I have a serious thing for monograms...

I also want one of these rings:

Prehnite and Moonstone (a combo)

Chrysoprase (single)

How about you? Do you have any favorite Etsy shops that recently resurfaced?

Best Vineyard Website EVER

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:26:00 +0000

I can't remember where I found this link... But Swanson Vineyards has the most creative, charming website I've ever seen. Wine, family owned businesses, wine, chic in the know people, wine... It's all there and wrapped up in the prettiest package of THIS!

Can you believe I've never been to Napa? We've been meaning to go for years, but then the kids came and...well, maybe in a few more years. It's a little dream of mine - love the attainable ones, don't you?

Visit Swanson Vineyards HERE, as well as their fantastic blog about Napa: Alexis' Napa.

And speaking of wine - I'm part of a group called The Clever Girls 1000 and we're currently launching The Clever Girl's Wine Club. I'll be announcing discounts on wines as they are released (every two to four weeks) and will try to post reviews as well. Check out the current listings and let me know what you think. I'm placing my own order now...

Two GREAT Sales!

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:38:00 +0000

First - one from Wishing True favorite, Kathlin Argiro (her wrap dresses are MAGIC and worth every penny - especially when they're on SALE!)

Click image to enlarge details or click HERE.

Then of course is is the Summer Sale at Rikshaw Design (up to 50% off). The baby stuff is adorable - but I simply must have one of the "mom's" kurtas!

Currently on sale:

Now I just have to decide which ones I like best...

Pretty Paper Good[nes]s

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

These make me happy.

See more in The Guilded Bee shop.

Elle Decor's A-Team (Part II)

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:37:00 +0000

Have you seen Elle Decor's "top 25"? I'm posting about them on Style Key West every Monday for the rest of the Summer (and possibly longer...). The next three are:

Waldo Fernandez

Steven Gambrel

Suzanne Kasler

Stop by and let me know what you think of the list (or of these specific designers)!

*All images procured directly from the designers' websites.

Bagless in Northern Virginia...

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:35:00 +0000

Remember when I wrote this about trying to find a good neutral/metallic bag? Well - the powder blue bucket bag seems to have been purchased by someone else, so I'm no longer plagued by the decision to opt for that color rather than the silver/pewter I had in mind.

But I'm still bagless!

So I decided to do a more serious Etsy search last night to see if I could find something fabulous.

The bag that comes closest to what I had envisioned is this:

Yeah - that's the SAME Rennes Chateau bag from the earlier post. So as far as the Etsy indies are concerned - that's the only game in town. But I did find some others that are pretty super - even though they're not exactly what I wanted:

The Opelle Lotus Bag
(It's so pretty I actually want to lick it...)

Lenwood Leather's Hobo Purse/Traveler Bag

(I think I might actually be able to fit one of my children in that...)

Feel Handmade Small Clutch

(Okay - totally impractical, but also very lickable...yum!)

Patkas Silver Gray Leather Hobo Bag

(Probably a tad too unstructured for my needs, but I bet that lethah feels like buttah!)

Jenny N. Design Baby Ruche Bag
(The color is "pearl" which will probably closer to white than silver or pewter...but we may have a winner!)

Morelle Truffle Bag
(Red even! I must be drunk...)

So...what do you think? Should I take a chance on any of these beauties?

As Seen on Television!

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Do you remember this Martha Stewart craft idea from last year?

I'm not really into crafts, but this is one that I actually like and think I can do.

But I'd have to buy an infomercial product to do it. Which doesn't really bother me since I HAVE admitted to being brainwashed by informercials before... But the name really bugs me: the KnitWit.

And how about these old patterns?!

Martha can make anything look good.

We'll see how it works out. If all goes well, the ladies in my family will be enjoying some fancy KnitWit fashions this holiday season....

Like Butter

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I was paging through the recent issue of Elle Decor and saw a picture of these gorgeous pale yellow linen pillows:

Like little pats of butter with spun sugar flowers. The taupe tones down the girliness a bit and makes them just about as close to perfect (for me) as they can get.

And I was shocked to read that they are from Pierre Deux! Nothing against the old school French country decor shop...but when I think of Pierre Deux, I'm hit by a nostalgic wave of quilted handbags and cosmetic cases in their famous Provence prints (a staple for girls in my 1980's DC past). In fact - the first time I saw quilted Vera Bradley bags, I had to do a double take, as the styles were so reminiscent of the PD styles I remember.

Anyway - I checked out the website, and it seems that PD quilted bags are not quite as prolific as they once were... And these pillows are a collaboration with Ankasa based on an 18th century toile.

I love them.

And while I was there, I checked out the rest of the pillow selection. So if delicate embroidered linen isn't your thing, here are some bonus images of peacocks I found quite charming:

I don't think you can ever really go wrong with peacocks - at least not tasteful ones from Pierre Deux.

Design Process: LuLu DK

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:51:00 +0000

I've always been fascinated by textile design. Specifically fabric - but the more I learn about wallpaper (and how it's not just another incarnation of the same thing), I've had to widen the scope of my obsession at bit.

One designer who would be high on my list of "people I wouldn't mind being" is designer, LuLu Dekwiatkowski of the fabulous LuLu DK line.

And I base that assessment on her talent, creativity and (at least seemingly) rock star life as a designer, artist, business owner, mother and world traveler (and possibly a few other things - but you get the idea).

Her design process is an art form in and of itself, and all of the images I've seen on the LuLu DK website and blog (Trail of Inspiration) make me covet her profession even more.

She often starts with collages (her own inspiration boards so to speak) which are actually fine art pieces that not only show in galleries, but were also compiled in a book, LuLu, a travel journal/art book/autobiography, with accompanying paintings and photos - all of which represent her "travels, life and loves."

I love how you can see these "inspiration collages" alongside the finished product - as well as in actual decorating projects:

The Trail of Inspiration blog is really wonderful in that LuLu really invites you into her world with bits and pieces of her thoughts and work - all in the most charming images. I was particularly taken with these:

My favorite posts of LuLu's though are the ones describing her textile design process. There have been three so far. Here are some excerpts:

"First I hand paint my artwork onto cloth (painters drop cloth) with acrylic paint and coffee (coffee with milk makes the perfect beige tone). Once the design is finished the screen printer will send me a rough replica on paper, to see if they have matched my vision properly. Once I approve this, they then carve a screen that will be used to print the fabric (a screen is usually a large metal or wood board that lays on a long table and has carvings of the...design on it.

"In the mean time, I send color swatches (above) of all the different colorways I want the mill to do fabric samples of..."

"As I mentioned in a previous blog posting, the bright yellow fabric [below] is my original artwork which we are in the process of making into a linen/cotton fabric.

"I send the original design to the screen making mill and they mimic the design the best they can on the computer in some cases and by hand in others. They then send me a paper sample showing the fabric reproduction that shows how the fabric will look and how the colors will be divided.

"Once I approve it, they will make a screen. A screen is a large wooden or metal board that will lie on a table and create one color of the design. There is a different screen for each color in the design. Each color of a design is printed individually and then left to dry so that the next screen can be placed on the table for the next color to be printed....and over and over. So the more colors a design has, the more screens a design has, the more runs a fabric goes through and of course the more time-consuming and expensive a fabric is.

"In the design above I asked the screen maker to make this design a little washy and toned...Above is an extreme version showing the depth of variance I am able to achieve, if I desire. The design can be more single toned like the original or double toned like the CAD...depending on how extreme I choose the 2 colorways to be. This design has 2 colorways, so for it to be extreme I would pick a light yellow and a dark yellow. For it to be more single toned (like the original) I would pick 2 similar yellows....Once the CAD is approved the screen printers send the carved screens to the printing mill and they start on all my color ways..."

"The next (and most exciting) stage of fabric making! The colorways arrive!

"Here is a sampling of our Sunburst fabric which I have written about in past post...I always make a ton of color samples...mainly because I don't want to go back to the mill to have others made and also because I am so particular and in love with color, so I want to see every option. This season it is all about bright pastels for me...We usually pick 3-6 colorways per print and I think the ones that dominate the photo are my general picks from the 20 options that came."

Hopefully there will be more of these to come. I can't get enough. And HOPEFULLY, I've represented it all accurately - since I pulled everything directly from the blog.

I could write more (I didn't even touch upon the Matouk bedding, linens and decorative pillows and Elson & Company carpets!) - but I think that's enough inspiration for me today. Now I'm off to dream about my imaginary life as an artist/textile designer...

Elle Decor's A Team (Part I)

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:30:00 +0000

I'm back from vacation and I'm starting the week with a BEAST of a design post over at Style Key West today.

Have you seen Elle Decor's "top 25"? I'm going to post about them on Style Key West every Monday for the rest of the Summer (and possibly longer...). The first five are:

Jeffrey Bilhuber

Murial Brandolini

Darryl Carter

Eric Cohler

Robert Couturier

Stop by and let me know what you think of the list (or of these specific designers)!

*All images procured directly from the designers' websites.

Guest Post: Averill from Odi et Amo

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I'm on vacation this week and asked a few friends to fill in for me. Today's guest is Averill from Odi et Amo. I found Odi et Amo through my good friend Christy of A Lil' Welsh Rarebit. She had been telling me for months that I needed to check out her Averill's design blog, and once I did, I couldn't believe it took me so long. She has such a great eye and everything she writes is so well thought out and researched. Her blog offers far more than just eye candy, and I'm so happy she agreed to fill in for me today!

Welcome Averill!

{Sea Island, Georgia}

Hi! I'm Averill from Odi et Amo and I'm thrilled to be guest blogging today for Kate here at Wishing True while she's away on vacation. (Of which I am very envious.) With summer in full swing, I've transitioned into full on vacation-mode. Since I already took my summer trip in early June (Note to self: next summer, be sure to schedule trip for later in July or August to avoid the summer blues of having taken your trip far too early), I'm resigned to daydreaming about beautiful beaches, idyllic coastal towns and (of course) beautiful and idyllic coastal cottages. Please join me as I indulge in a little virtual vacation to Sea Island, Georgia, and to a gorgeous family vacation home designed by Jim Howard (husband to one of my favorite designers, Phoebe Howard).

The formal living room is striking and elegant, but not fussy thanks to a bare floor, plenty of texture and that fabulous wall color (Benjamin Moore's Shenendoah). The pops of fuchsia flowers and throw effortlessly create visual contrast and a sense of fun.

The custom balustrade (designed by Jim Howard, who is an architect by training) is whimsical, but still elegant. The undulating shape of the wrought iron mimics the waves outside the door.

The casual, two-story den is where I imagine the family spends most of their time (when they aren't outside enjoying the beaches or golf courses, that is). The color palette from the living room is brought in here as well, but dressed down further with wicker furniture, bamboo blinds and plush upholstery.

The dining room is perfectly suited for large, casual family dinners. The linen-upholstered walls are elegant, but dressed down and look beautiful with the gilt sunburst mirrors and antique oak sawhorse table.

The Vitruvian scroll molding in the dining room is a more overt reference to the ocean. It's absolutely beautiful, isn't it? Good design is so often about the small details.

I love the open, airy feel of this kitchen. While I'm a huge fan of color, I can always appreciate a predominately white kitchen. The stained island provides contrast and brings out the golden tones in the marble countertop. The valence adds the sole hit of pattern.

I'm also a fan of white bathrooms, especially with more traditional fittings and tile. And that scalloped pendant by Barbara Barry has been on my wish list for years now.

I love the crisp canopy of this bedroom: it reminds me so much of an outdoor awning or umbrella. The bench's double row of nailheads is an elegant spot to put your flip flops on in the morning. The layers of blue in this room are also beautiful, from the softer wallcolor (BM's pearl gray) to the more vivid, intense teals of the bench seat and gourd lamp.

The distressed-oak ceiling is the real star of the master bedroom, and the tall canopy bed only serves to further bring focus to it. Gauzy white sheers puddle around the canopy, reminiscent of mosquito netting and enhancing the tropical vibe. The steely blue carpet grounds the space and injects a bit of color into the otherwise neutral room. A pair of x-benches are a great way to finish off a bedroom and work in just about any interior.

I hope you enjoyed our all-too-brief virtual vacation to this stunning Sea Island home. Thanks again Kate for inviting me to guest post -- it's been fun!

All images courtesy of House Beautiful.

Guest Post: Karen from I Don't Think Prada is the Answer They're Looking For...

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I'm on vacation this week and asked a few friends to fill in for me. Today's guest is Karen from I Don't Think Prada is the Answer They're Looking For... I'm not sure where I first found her...but I do know that I loved the name of her blog (even if I didn't immediatly recognize The OC quote). Karen is a "real" interior design professional and she always calls me on my uneducated criticisms of other real designers. Love that - thanks for keepin' it real, Karen. Plus she's funny and finds good stuff on YouTube, including clips for great shows I might have missed due to an already full television viewing schedule. I owe my love affair with Modern Family to Karen...don't know what I'd do without her.

Welcome Karen!

Hello Wishing True readers! My name is Karen and I was thrilled when Kate asked me to fill in on Wishing True while she took a well-deserved break! I racked my brain for what would be a fun topic to discuss with her design-savvy readers -- decided to stay away from any discussions of Twilight, the World Cup, or Beiber fever, hope you don't mind -- and really, it comes down to two topics: shopping (especially virtual shopping!) and design.

Have you ever noticed that designers or celebrities will have really great home accessories, like an antique vase or a collection of mercury glass, and they'll casually mention they got it at a flea market in Paris, or they picked it up during an impromptu trip to Morocco? Who does things like this? I don't know about you, but the flea markets near my house don't have 19th century crystal chandeliers for $60. Some of us have to be resourceful in regions with more Costco's than shops spelled like 'shoppe'. And while my day job as an Interior Designer gives me access to wonderful high end accessories, my real life attempts to decorate my apartment (plus a friend or two!) has sharpened my shopping skills on a real life budget. So if you're thinking about freshening up your home on a budget, here's a list of places to check out first ...

1) Home Goods (or Marshall's or TJ Maxx)
Here's the thing about Home Goods: you have to be in the mood to sift through alot of junk to find your treasure. But it's worth it, and many designers and home stagers don't want the secret to get out. In addition to accessories like vases or bookends, you can also find great linens, mirrors and lamps for less than department stores.

2) 20 x 200
Finding art for an 'average' person's home can be depressing at times ... like when that $99 Art Show rolls into your local convention center, shilling oil paintings of fruit baskets. Or those giant black and white posters of a random dock on a lake from Ikea. 20 x 200 is a nice alternative: it features art starting at $20! So whether your thing is kites, big yellow taxis, or a vintage-ish beach scene, they've got you covered without dipping into your savings.

3) Etsy
You can find anything under the sun in Etsy's stores, and support small business, too! Talk about a win-win situation. My favorite Etsy shops include Katie Armour Home - a great place to score milk glass - and littlebrownpen, who's got adorable photos of Paris.

4) West Elm, CB2 & Z Gallerie
Although it's a bit of cliched HGTV advice, changing out throw pillows or adding an object to your bookcase really can make a big impact with a small amount of cash. Profiles are both current and classic (although this is also screaming for DIY if you're crafty!) and this blue vase is the perfect summery accent!

Many thanks to Kate for inviting me to stop by! And if you have a favorite place to shop for inexpensive treasures, share them in the comments!

Guest Post: Robin from Around the Island

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I'm on vacation this week and asked a few friends to fill in for me. Today's guest is Robin from Around the Island Photography. We first met through our personal blogs (she originally started writing at Around the Island), and I've so enjoyed watching her photography business take off. I love it when people turn a hobby into a career - so inspiring. And I'm thrilled that she was able to do today's guest post. She always reminds me to look for beauty in unexpected places.

Welcome (AND Happy Birthday!) Robin!

As a photographer and avid travel nut most of my consumerist fantasies tend to revolve around either travel or camera equipment – or better yet – new equipment to be used in some fabulously exotic location – but when reality sets back in again (no, we won’t be jetting off to Tahiti or Bali this year, or for that matter next year or the year after, unless my very fiscally conservative economist husband is secretly buying masses of lottery tickets without telling me – not very likely) I like to refocus and reframe a bit, reminding myself that to find joy and beauty and wonder, all I need to do is to look around me.

It’s in my child’s smile, or in the perfect petals of a single flower, or in the flight of a parrot as it wings its way by my kitchen window. It’s even better when I have my camera at hand and can quickly capture this fleeting vision to save and savor another day, bringing a smile and a feeling of peace on a day that I need them most.

The ability to share the beauty I see all around me is the driving force behind Around the Island Photography, my online store. Beauty and joy grow best when they are shared, not hidden away. My camera gives me the chance to capture and create this beauty, and then to offer it to you to bring into your own home so that it can bring a smile to your face as well.

It can be simple

It can be dramatic

It can be serene

It can even transport you to faraway lands

So what says beauty to you? How do you bring it into your home and your life?

Guest Post: Kristin from BonBon Rose Girls

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I'm on vacation this week and asked a few friends to fill in for me. Today's guest is Kristin from BonBon Rose Girls. Kristin and her partner in crime, Megan write daily about their two passions: interior design for Megan and fashion for Kristin. If you're ever feeling the blahs, drop by their site for a large dose of fun, enthusiasm and eye candy. Never a dull moment with the BonBon Rose Girls...

Welcome Kristin!

Hello lovelies, I'm so excited to be filling in here on Wishing True! What I adore about this blog is that I can always count on finding an abundance of pretty! I can expect the same from Tory Burch. Every so often, I become obsessed with a designer and pretty much want everything that he or she puts out...not that I can actually make that a reality. HA! Right now Tory Burch is speaking to this fashion luvah's soul! Already a fan favorite with the preppy set, ahem Revas,

Ms. Burch is appealing to the non preppy side of my fashion personality as well. Here are some pieces I'm currently lusting over...

I'm dreaming of pairing this gold embellished tee with a pair of leather skinnies and killer stilettos!

Tie dyed leather? Be still my heart!

Aviator sunnies just got so much cooler!

And the piece de resistance...a gorgeous cocktail frock. Could you just die??? I'm currently trying to resist the urge to purchase it for a wedding I'll be attending soon. Le sigh.

So tell me lovelies...Is Tory doing for you what she's doing for me these days?

All images via Bloomingdale's

Guest Post: Mariska Meijers

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I'm on vacation this week and asked a few friends to fill in for me. Today's guest is Mariska Meijers, an Amsterdam based artist and designer whom I've written about before. She's living my fantasy life (or at least one of them), painting, designing and even writing in her blog, I Used to be Snow White But I Drifted. So you can just imagine how thrilled I am to have her here as my guest. I truly am.

Welcome Mariska!

I felt honoured when Kate asked me to do a guest post on her blog. It is my first one and therefore quite an adventure not having the comfort of my own stage!

The title Wishing True fits me like a glove as not so long ago this former corporate girl was still wishing to be an artist/designer and today it is true!

But back to Kate. She is a busy girl. I do not know how she juggles all three(!) blogs and her full family & social schedule. So respectfully I say this one is for you Kate, and thank you for asking me!

Describing Wishing True, Kate says it is her "pretty things blog" so I decided to rummage through my paper files and select some images that inspire me. Some are already a few years old so forgive me if I can not always recall its source. For me the connection between the pictures is that they all represent warm eclectic interiors with great use of colours and each having their own personality.

Flamboyant interiors of French stylist, designer and decorator, Philippe Model

Living room of fashion designer, Nanette Lepore

Dutch interior of Arno Verhoeven and Jaap Eckardt

Source unknown

Wishing you all an inspiring day!

A New Favorite, A Short Break and A Promise of Good Things to Come

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:21:00 +0000

I just discovered new resource for interior design eye candy: Kelly Green. This Australian decorator posts the most lovely images...

Kelly Green is now a daily read for me. Maybe I'll even stop lurking and comment every once in a while.

Also - I will be leaving for a vacation on the West Coast tomorrow. So I won't be posting anything for a while.

BUT I will have some fabulous guests filling in for me - so be sure to check in.

See you in a week!

Attention All Artists! BlogHer + Kirtsy = Opportunity...

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:33:00 +0000

Actually - the official line was "BlogHer + Kirtsy + You = A Stroke of Genius" - but my subject line was getting a little long.

This year, Kirtsy is teaming up with BlogHer to add art and fund raising to the Voices of the Year Gala at BlogHer 2010 (taking place August 6-7 in NYC). It will now be the Voices of the Year Gala and Art Auction, "curated" by Kirtsy.

Immediately after the community keynote, at a reception and Gala, the Kirtsy team and BlogHer are "working to transform the words and images of the keynoters into healing action for the Gulf Coast, with an auction of inspiring works that will live on after the conference, raising money to help fund the long-term recovery efforts the Gulf will need."

The Gala space will also be a gallery featuring custom-commissioned art works that evoke the spirit of the Voices of the Year finalists. Then the works will be auctioned off post-conference, with proceeds benefiting the Nature Conservancy, "so that BlogHer ‘10, and everyone there, has the opportunity to contribute in some part to what will be a long recovery process for the Gulf."

Want to be one of the artist who contribute to this effort? Well of course you do! BlogHer is huge and Kirtsy is becoming quite the online force to be reckoned with...so it's an opportunity to get some incredible exposure.

Contact the Kirtsy team via e-mail to tell them you'd like to be a participating artist (see link below for a page with full details, including a link to the e-mail address).

And in the meantime, read more about the event on the Kirtsy blog and on BlogHer.

*Images via Kirtsy.

Du Buh Du Dolls

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:45:00 +0000

Has it actually been a whole year since the last Mad Tea Party? And I thought the last two Du Buh Du parties couldn't be topped... Just look at these images:

Did you know that you could win one of these dolls OR a commissioned one? Go HERE for more details.

Want to Win This?

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:43:00 +0000

I do! Visit BonBon Rose Girls for more details on how to enter (giveaway ends today at midnight!)

New Favorite: Shann Spishak

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0000

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it here one or fifty times...but I have a thing for miniatures. A pretty picture makes me happy, but make it a tiny one and I'm in love.

On Ada & Darcy recently, Kellie featured Shann Spishak, an artist who makes miniature reproductions of her oils and I think I may like them even better than the originals. Especially the $15 price tag - perfect for gifts...for me.

And speaking of gifts for me (Chris, do you even read this blog?), here are a few of my favorites:

A series of the chairs with art or the tiny still life images would be perfect for a corner that needs a little something.

I also found some pastel pieces that I really like. Here is one that I would love to put in a sunny breakfast room:

Now - does that one come as a mini too....? Check out the Etsy shop for more.

Birthday wishes for Nie Nie

K8Hood@gmail.com (Kate Coveny Hood) — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:19:00 +0000

Mr. Nielson has opened comments on Nie Nie's blog in honor of her birthday today. Send her some love HERE.