Hey Little Birdie | Shopping Blog

Here’s the kickoff of a new regular feature on Hey Little Birdie- Birds the Word. A simple explanation- one of my biggest inspirations is quotes (whether from books, speeches, lyrics, etc) so I am going to share something that is inspiring to me at the moment and add in an illustration (picture, product, you get the idea) of those words. To start, I had to make it all about birds (of course!)

sweet little paperclip bookmark from Paper Daisy Design Co.

Rise up this morning,
Smiled with the rising sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Saying, “This is my message to you-ou-ou.”

Singing: “Don’t worry ’bout a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right.”
Singing: “Don’t worry ’bout a thing,
‘Cause every little thing gonna be all right!”

Three Little Birds by Bob Marley

I’m an art nerd. A large part of my childhood was spent hunched over at the kitchen island drawing, or doodling on my notebook in class, or laying on the floor with a big pad of paper in my room.  My favorite place to wander was, and is, the Art store. How can you not get inspired seeing thousands of paints, charcoals, and pencils?  I honestly am most comfortable and content when I’m interacting with art – whether creating it, researching it, or heading down to the museum.  I mean that in the least pretentious way possible.  It’s just ingrained in who I am.

I thought I’d show this video today because it is always so fun to see artist’s push past the norm and come up with truly unique ideas… just when you think it’s all been done.  That is so inspiring!

So… I’m all about Art.  What do you geek out about?

Here’s to a productive weekend!

Procrastination from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

While browsing through my starred items in Google Reader (love that feature!) I noticed how many blog posts I save that feature pretty pictures of kitchens. I guess it reveals my complete dissatisfaction with my current kitchen and how much I dream of sprucing it up a bit. I am by no means in a place to undertake a total overhaul, but that doesn’t mean I can’t draw inspiration from some of the beautiful interiors that light up my laptop screen. Here is one of my favorites:

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(from Domino mag. Oh how I miss you!)

Although the appliances are tiny in this kitchen, I adore the bright green contrasted with the white and black. My absolute most loved color combo. From this picture, I can replicate some of the simple display pieces by spray painting my current drab accessories. A shiny coat of white or black on some of my outdated “old world” decor would instantly update it. I also can add in chic but cheap items from IKEA like this cute domed cake stand for only $19.99.

Another idea is to find a vintage beaker on etsy to replicate the elegant vase with branches. Here is an option:

Placing a branch from the yard inside (and maybe adding on some crafted mini tissue flowers too!) would be stunning on the counter.

One more thing I love about this kitchen is the extra large calendar date. Numbers and letters always suck me right in when featured in interiors, especially if they are in a bold, modern typeface (and not Comic Sans- that font makes everyone gag.) It would be extremely easy to DIY a calendar like this one at my local printshop and very affordable too.

After that, my big projects would be painting my maple cabinets a crisp white and possibly taking some uppers down and replacing them with open shelving. I like the idea of open shelves in the kitchen. It forces me to really organize and only keep things on hand that warrant every day use. Side note- I am really noticing how much “stuff” I have lately. The urge to sort and edit is getting stronger as I realize more and more how my home is filled with things I rarely use. I want my possessions to have purpose and value to them. And if a bunch of items are just taking up storage space 24/7 then why am I not donating them to people who could really use them? I just counted and I have 58 cups or glasses in one cabinet. I don’t need 58 cups! Wow, now I am getting all riled up, haha! But isn’t it amazing how one picture that inspires you can help you see things in a new way and cultivate new ideas? I love that.

Weeks are long and Friday’s always seem especially slow. With that in mind, I wanted to start Friday’s Hoot as something to help begin the unwinding process and jump-start your weekend.  Think something cool, something creative, something to inspire….

Today we have the Let’s Colour Project video:

Taken from the website, “Grey is out. Gloom is gone. It’s time to live our lives in colour.”

LOVE THAT!

Simple.  Sleek.  Modern Appeal.  Love this Genuine Leather iPad Case from FelTu: Fashion for Technology Users.

My husband is a budding photographer. And so, you would think when I started obsessing over this camera way back in February, he would have been all about it for me, right? Like he would have ordered it on the spot for my birthday or our anniversary or just cuz I’m cute, but… geez, sometimes it’s like he doesn’t know me at all.

All kidding aside… isn’t this new school version of a polaroid incredible? How fun would it be for your next BBQ with friends or a Girls’ Night In or just an afternoon at the park with the kids? All those moments when on the spot prints will add to the fun of the event.

Maybe this subtle hint will help my photog husband find his credit card. I promise to take pictures of him with this gem!

I don’t know why but I am crushing on faux bois (that’s fake wood en francais) designs lately. Maybe it’s the lack of greenery in the Phoenix desert this time of year or maybe the 112 temps are getting to my head, but whatever it is I want to take faux bois on a date and buy it a nice steak dinner. I’ve spotted gorgeous faux bois pottery on my beloved Martha Show, pretty faux bois fabrics in boutiques and even faux bois sterling silver jewelry. The funnest (yes I said funnest. not most fun. I don’t care if it is not technically a word. It should be. I like it)  application of woodgrain I have stumbled upon is this laptop decal on etsy.

I think it would make my macbook smile. I am torn between the pink and green versions. But I would probably default to green so my husband wouldn’t be too ashamed to use it if needed. Only $12 too, yippee!

Faux bois bonus for your furbaby: these darling collars on etsy. Cuteness!

It took me a little bit of time to warm up to the online magazine trend but I am so very happy that I did. With the cancellations of my three most loved subscriptions- Blueprint, Domino and Cookie, I have been suffering from serious withdrawal. And I have yet to find a current newsstand magazine that fully encompasses the subjects of decor, fashion, beauty, entertaining, travel, how-to, etc like those did. So it is with a joyful heart that I share with you my devotion to Lonny.

Maybe you are thinking this is old news because you’ve been enjoying it since its creation, maybe you’ve never heard of it yet or maybe you are like me and have previously turned your nose at browsing a glossy on the web. Well I am here to tell you it is the real deal! Such inspiration, wonderful writing and gorgeous pictures of course. It is my perfect mix of vintage modern eclectic design with splashes of lifestyle topics thrown in. The magazine can be viewed in many different ways so play around with the toolbar until you find the version that suits you best, and also don’t forget to browse through all their dreamy interior photos by clicking on the “decorate” tab. Thank you Lonny for filling the void!