Etsy Pick of the Week: {Blue & White}

Guys, I think I'm nesting. You know, that thing that women start doing later in their 20's/early 30's when they get really into their houses and start collecting stuff and hunkering down. Yeah... it might be happening.


These little finds from Etsy just exacerbate the problem. They're fabulously refreshing summer additions to any home. 

• Ikat Lumbar Pillow - from Kathy at The Cottage Cupboard- in Montreal, Canada - $47.95
• Sea Coral Print - from Kerri at Driftwood Interiors in Brisbane, Australia - $25 

If you're in love with the coral print now is a greaaaat time to grab it. There is a 20% off coupon (JUNE2012) available now at the Driftwood Interiors shop. Happy nesting!

Gardening: 3 weeks of growth

I'm so happy that I started planning my little garden back in February and got to planting in late March. Already my plants are seeming huge and it's still June! 

These photos represent the growth stage 3 weeks into planting:

I planted these Bachelor Buttons so I could transplant them to pots and save money on annuals this summer! 3 months later, they're currently in pots and blooming :)

Osapalooza 2012

Top: H&M // Necklace: MiMi by Sorrelli // Earrings: Sorrelli //Sunglasses: Karen Walker "Number 1" 

A big thanks to everyone who helped make the annual Osapalooza party (and my 26th birthday) such hilarious, dance-party-infused fun last night! I have been having a summer bash every year for the past 10 or 15 years, complete with poolside BBQ, slip&slide action, and lots of good friends. It seems this little tradition just keeps getting better and better as the years go by!! I'm looking forward to a couple more decades of poolside debauchery to kick off each fresh new summer. 

Do you celebrate your birthday each and every year? A birthday tradition is kind of any awesome idea if you ask me :)

Wonderful Wall Paper

I'm considering some wallpaper options for my walk-in closet. I have a little nook that I want to revamp and utilize as a jewelry display area (for my insane collection of Sorrelli jewels!). 

The space is a very pale robin's egg blue with walnut-colored wood paneling. 

I think one of these bright hues is sure to inspire and energize---right? Turq and yellow are two of my favorites.

• Yellow Ikat  -from Graham & Brown
• Teal and Gold Damask - from Graham & Brown
• Vintage Floral - from Etsy

Etsy Picks: {Father's Day}

My dad is a camera-enthusiast through and through. This Leica iPhone case will turn his Instagram habits into photo masterpieces. Or maybe not, but it'll make him look pretty cool while he's snapping away.


And obvi the Star Wars card is a must. Hilarious.

• Leica iPhone sticker- from stijnbrattinga - $5.50
• Luke I am your father- from LarsLoveLetters in Salt Lake City, Utah- $4.50

Silk Screening: {invitation adventures}

Last week my boyfriend and I made silk screened invites for an upcoming summer party we're hosting.

The basic requirements for a silk-screen project are:

• the screen
• ink
• Speedball Diazo Photo Emulsion (light sensitive paint) 
• squeegee
• inkjet transparency (for printing your design)

We prepped the screen by painting photo emulsion on a clean piece of silk (set in a wooden frame) one night after work. As soon as we were done painting, the wet screen was propped up with plastic cups and put inside a large suitcase in the basement. This shielded the screen from light and allowed it to dry completely for 24 hours in the dark.

Wildflower Garden {Stage 3}

This photograph is from June 5th - it represents the wildflower garden about 2 months after planting the seeds. You can see that some of the flowers are actually blooming and are really taking shape (they're not just little baby seedlings anymore)!


While hanging out by the new wildflower patch and taking these photos, I saw at least 4 butterflies feeding on the nectar and pollinating the various plants. It was amazing! I can't wait to see what week 12 brings in terms of blooms and life.

Wildflower Garden {stage 2}

I planted these wildflower seeds back in early April, and after 4 weeks of germinating (and almost daily watering for the first 2 weeks) this is where we stood with the budding wildflower garden. 

Here's my long overdue garden update from the end of April which shows what I'm calling "Stage 2" progress! How cute are all of the teeny tiny seedlings?

For a reference of all the types of flowers we planted, see my original Stage 1 post here. 

Warholian Wonders

Continuing in my freelance writing adventures... I just wrote a little article for the June 2012 issue of Berks County Living about a great Andy Warhol exhibition that's currently at the Reading Public Museum here in PA. Fun fact: did you know Warhol was a Pittsburgh native?

When you walk into the Reading Public Museum between now and June 17th, you’ll be greeted by a six-foot lineup of Campbell’s soup cans. The cans pay homage to Andy Warhol, whose screen prints of the iconic soup cans hang in the second floor gallery space as part of a temporary exhibition featuring the renowned pop artist.

Warhol had an interesting relationship with American products like Campbell’s soup and Coca-Cola. He made consumer products the subject of many of his photographic works and publicly celebrated their ubiquitous qualities. He is famous for interpreting the everyday and mundane aspects of regular life in neon layers of silk-screened prints.

The Warhol exhibition starts with a 1967 self-portrait of the artist as a young man, a screen print on plastic with a simple white and red palette. Included in the exhibition are some of Warhol’s other portrait works, including prints of actress Elizabeth Taylor, first lady Jackie O., and Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger. The second room of the exhibit opens up to a series of Marilyn Monroe portraits, six of Warhol’s most distinguished prints.

Across from the celebrity portraits, you’ll find screen prints of dollar signs, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, and Chanel perfume bottles. These consumer products juxtapose with the celebrity faces on the opposing wall and expand on Warhol’s admiration of consumer culture. The exhibition also includes some of Warhol’s later works, including traditional cowboy and Indian imagery and his cropped version of the legendary Birth of Venuspainting by Botticelli. The final rooms of the exhibit feature Warhol’s Silver Cloudsinstallation, an interactive part of the curation that involves huge silver balloons, perfect for young art aficionados to experience.

If you haven’t been to the museum to peruse the gallery of Warholian wonders, we truly recommend a visit before the exhibition closes on Sunday, June 17th. The talented museum curator has put together a great selection of iconic and unique works by this celebrated Pennsylvania native.

SEE THE EXHIBIT BEFORE IT’S OVER!
Reading Public Museum | 500 Museum Rd., Reading | 610.371.5850 |readingpublicmuseum.org