Style Lush

Crayola Washable Whiteboard Markers

by Megan

I promise that this will be the last time that I speak of accessories for our easel. One side of our easel has a white board, and if you have any experience with white board markers, you know that they leave much to be desired. They're messy, they leave an odd marker dust behind when they've been erased, and they're far from washable.

So, when I saw Crayola Washable Whiteboard markers at Target, I knew that we needed to replace the markers we had on hand.

In their favor, they do seem to wash from clothes and hands quite easily. They are tougher to erase than traditional white board markers, but that's a small price to pay for the ability to keep your clothes clean, and avoid that awful dust. For the record, I absolutely do NOT recommend the dry erase crayons. They're about as well thought out as colored bubbles.

{Photo credits: amazon.com}

A Great Photography Gift for the Parents/Grandparents

By Sara

This past summer my siblings and I decided to get together to have some professional photos taken to gift to our parents for their anniversary. My sister, being the clever Pinterest-obsessed girl that she is, came across a great idea: each person holds up a letter to spell out a word. We chose the word 'family' and the result was really pretty great,.

We had the second version blown up and printed on a canvas (at Costco of all places! Great prices and super fast shipping.) My mother, the stoic woman that she is, had a little tear in her eye when she opened it. The bonus is that we can gift this same print to our grandparents for Christmas as well. 

Or you could try it this way too (all in a row, of course):

The first way worked better for us but the second could be really cute in a frame with multiple openings. I think family photos are always the perfect gift and a sure winner with the grandparents.

(My apologies to my husband and siblings for posting their (pretty and handsome) faces all over the internet! All images are mine.)

Creative Christmas Countdown 2012

by Hillary

Advent calendars featuring Christmas-themed activities instead of candy are nothing new around these parts (check out posts by Jen, Jennie, and Lawyerish for more inspiration.)

The Creative Christmas Countdown 2012 by Creative with Kids is a little different (and a lot exciting!) Twenty-four bloggers have put together an advent calendar of Christmas-themed activities and art projects. All you have to do is subscribe to the countdown via email and you'll receive a daily email with a brief description of the day's activity.

Supply lists will be emailed the last week of November so you can be prepared for the first Christmas activity on December 1st.

Do you do activity advent calendars or do you use candy to countdown the days to Christmas? My mom sewed beautiful advent calendars for me and my siblings. She'd fill them with toffees and hang them on the wall. I used to sneak bites of my siblings' candies and then wrap them back up and put them back in the advent calendar half-eaten and sticky. I can see the benefits of an activity-based advent calendar, is what I'm saying here.

{Photo credit: creativewithkids.com}

Reader Question: Custom House Portrait

By Sara

A lovely reader, Brandi, recently wrote in with a great question. Her parents have recently moved to their retirement home and have sold the home where they raised their family. Brandi wants to gift her parents with an illustration or painting of their old house and forever imprint their home in their hearts and on their wall. When the question came in, I immediately thought of Patricia van Essche of PVE Design. Patricia's work has been featured around the web and in the blog world for years and I've always adored her hand drawn and whimsical interpretations of people and places.

pve design, custom home illustration

 

pve design, custom illustration

Emily actually wrote a post back in January highlighting the beautiful work of Rebekka Seale.

And in terrible news, it looks like Rebekka has been overwhelmed with custom illustration requests and isn't able to take on any new ones at this time. So sad but understandable because her work is just lovely and loved by many. 

There are many other talented artists out there. How about the simple and crisp illustrations from House Love Shop? This special little shop has been featured on Apartment Therapy and Design Mom (those who KNOW).

House Love Shop custom illustrations, 8 x 10, $65

Or how about the whimsical watercolors and mixed media pieces from The Art of Michelle:

The Art of Michelle, custom pieces starting at $150

I also found a beautiful illustration from Mary Jeter Art that is in a similar style to PVE Design:

Mary Jeter Art, custom illustrations starting at $160

Then we have the modern interpretations from JPress Designs:

JPressDesigns, custom illustrations starting at $99

I hope these beautiful illustrations give Brandi some great ideas and resources to consider when planning her custom house portrait. I know her parents are going to love it and she'll definitely win Daughter of The Year!

Posters for Bookworms

By Tara C.

There are few things I enjoy more than curling up with a good book. My almost 9-year-old son also loves to read. He will disappear for hours at a time with a good book. He is a huge fan of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. When I saw this poster hanging in our local library, I immediately thought it was something he would like:

It turns out that anyone can buy this poster, and many others, from the American Library Association.

For younger children, I like this Ladybug Girl poster:

And, of course, this Where the Wild Things Are poster:

Something about this odd, steampunk-style Take Time to Read poster really appeals to me, too:

I also learned from a friend about Doedemee's amazing collection of re-imagined book covers. A European graphic design studio gather 100 artists from 28 countries and had them re-design classic book covers. A portion of each poster of these images that is sold goes to fighting illiteracy. I chose a couple of my favorites to share here, but you really should go take a look at the whole collection if you are at all interested in literature and/or design. Some of them are just gorgeous. But then, I do have an English degree around here somewhere, so it's possible I get more excited about this sort of thing than a normal person.

Here's Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights:

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott:

The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster:

While I am not familiar with this book, I love this design for An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro:

If you are interested in any of these posters, you should know that the design company is in Belguim and all the the prices are listed in euros. Alas, for those of us in the U.S., this could be a pricey endeavor with international shipping costs and all.

Kid Art Displays

by Megan

Now that my oldest child is in kindergarten, and my daughter has discovered the joys of coloring all day every day, I'm looking for some ways to display all of their masterpieces.

They have a ton of wall space in their rooms and I would like to take advantage of some of that space. My number one choice are these Art Clip Racks from Pottery Barn Kids.

The only thing I don't like is the $39 price tage for something that I could, if I were so inclined, probably make on my own.

I also love the idea of mixing some of the pieces from the Stanton Wall System, also from Pottery Barn Kids.

I really like the galvanized magnetic boards the most, and I think those pieces could really grow with each of the kids, and they could use them for whatever they want once they're past the age of displaying handprints in their rooms.

I've also seen an assortment of art cables, like these from Land of Nod.

Unfortunately, our own Christina tells me that these are terrible quality, which is unfortunate, because at $10.95, these were the budget winner of the group.

What do you do with all of the kid art that comes into your home, other than send it straight to the recycle bin?

{Photo credits: potterybarnkids.com, landofnod.com}

San Luis Obispo, California: Open Studios Art Tour

By Janet

There are hundreds of amazing things happening in San Luis Obispo (it is the happiest place in the United States, after all), but one of my very favorite is the annual Open Studios Art Tour.

The Open Studios Art Tour is the largest visual art event in San Luis Obispo County, and is organized by the SLO County Arts Council. The self-guided tour takes place each year over two weekends in October and features work from several hundred artists throughout the county.

Simply grab a map, get in your car, and try to visit as many studios as you can fit into four days! With over 230 artists, it's impossible to see everyone, but it's sure fun to try.

It's so much fun to peek into artists' homes, barns, garages, and studio spaces and to see the tools they use and the books on their bookshelves.

The 2012 Open Studios Art Tour will be on October 13 & 14 and October 20 & 21. The tour is completely free to visitors (other than filling up your gas tank and stopping for a slice of pie at Linn's). Do consider joining us!

(Personal photos)

Crazy Accents in Home Decor

by Christina

I love Design Star and just finished up the kitchen episode and it got me thinking about my home and if I have anything that would be viewed as completely nuts. And, I guess I'm more boring than I thought becuase I can't come up with anything shocking. I'll have to work on that.

The reason I ask is this .......

These seriously horrifying hand pulls that are, well, hands. I mean, okay, sort of cool in theory but after installing them? Not really working. A conversation starter, to be sure. Functional, no. Fun, yes. So it's a toss up if you have a fake kitchen that's just for TV. In that case, I guess they are fun... maybe.

Do you have anything fun and wacky at your place? I'm now on a mission for something less expected. (but not those hands, yikes)

(Photo from: HGTV dot com)

Sticky Mosaics

By Elisabeth

We'll be flying on a plane for 5 hours soon and I'm already feeling the anxiety of how the flight will go with three kids. We've flown before with the whole crew, but my 14 month old was an 8 month old and was less, loud, if you will. Trying to entertain and please his every need will take most of my focus.

I do have two other children to consider, as well, but I already have them taken care of. A friend of mine recommended I purchase some Sticky Mosaics since each board entertains her kids for a good hour!

The My First Sticky Mosaics will be perfect for my 4 year old. And the vehicles are right up his alley.

And the more difficult Pirates version will be just right for my 7 year old to focus on.

With 4 and 5 boards for each kid plus a movie or two, (plus 8 trillion snacks) I just might have this long flight covered! Wish me luck!

(Photos from: amazon.com)

Currently Coveting: African Wedding Necklace

by Christina

West Elm just previewed their latest collection via Elle Decor and a few things caught my eye but this is by far my favorite thing.

The equivalent of a bridal bouquet. Traditionally worn at weddings by Masai
brides in Kenya and northern Tanzania.

I think these are incredible and so unique. They would be a stand out piece on a mantle or bookcase or anywhere you can think to place one. So beautiful. Don't you think?

(Photo from: West Elm)