Blue and Theory

If you need a dose of color then look no further! Blue and Theory, the design portfolio of graphic designer and illustratior Kate Byrne out of NY is filled with fun colors, original hand drawn fonts and graphics to make you smile. I think her surface patterns are the best, I mean, look at that color. Boom. I have been toying with the idea of creating a geometric something or other similar to the one below, now I'm even more excited to get out my paint! And check out her tumblr for even more color fun, simply loving this skateboard deck!

photos via blue and theory

Making art

Every few months the husband and I get the urge to change up the house and this month it was the living room and studio. We {I} got busy organizing my studio to finally utilize all the space and in turn had tons and tons of scrap paper laying around. While I was deciding on what goes where, the husband decided to raid my stash of paper and a stock illustration book we had laying around and got his collage on. Using a mixture of recycled security envelopes {told ya I save everything with a pattern!} and illustrations from Lizzy Stewart and Robert Hunter, the husband created a few fun pieces for our small frames left over from our wedding. I'm loving the contrast of traditional frames with a very modern piece of art. And he always says he isn't creative! How do you use up your scraps of paper?

photos by our designed life

Realistic meets quirky

I'm totally digging these not so ordinary cushions and prints from Jaime Mitchell Illustration. They are the perfect amount of humor and are quite eye catching, I mean come on, a winking bear and a hipster polar bear, how can you not love it? He has such a realistic technique for the animals, they look as if the fur is waving in the wind. You can find the cushions over at Ohh deer as well as prints and iphone skins over at Society 6.

photos via ohh deer and society 6

Abby Diamond

I am loving these sketch like illustrations from Pennsylvanian artist Abby Diamond, this yellow and grey would be absolutly perfect in my muted colored bedroom. It seems to be the one space my husband and I can't seem to agree on how to decorate so it has remained rather plain with nothing on the wall and for some reason a million tables. But back to these little birds...I love the mixture of sketch and watercolor don't you? You can find more of Abby's creations on her tumblr or stop on by her Society 6 page for prints.

United Thread paintings & illustrations

I have been so into muted tones lately I might have a bit of a problem. There is just something about the greyed out hues that are so soothing, it just calms the brain. And when I came across these beautiful nature inspired prints from United Thread, my eye balls did a little happy dance. Artist Michelle Morin has such a detailed eye, I simply love the textures and patterns she creates in her imaginary worlds. Might need to pick up a few of these lovelies, they would make for a lovely natural collection in any room. You can also see a little behind the scenes to Michelle's creative process here.

photos via united thread

Quick break for icebergs

Drawn in with the striking blue, this Loose leaf iceberg image from Under the sun prints is the perfect way to add a little color to any wall don't you think? I love the idea of plain ol' binder paper as the main focal point; its the perfect touch of whimsy and fun.

photo via under the sun prints

Wayne Pate

There is something striking about this Rising of the setting sun print from artist Wayne Pate that just draws me in, I can't help but stare. Using a silkscreening process, Wayne has a very unique eye for shape and color, oddly enough my favorite is black and white, colors that normally make me uneasy together. Do you have reactions to any colors or textures? For me, black and white together as well as red make me nervous and a bit anxious, but if done well apparently I love it. You can find even more fun sketches from Wayne over on his blog along with his inspiration.

photos via wayne pate

Fun and quirky

I'm sort of loving these quirky illustrations by Chicago artist Laura George. I'm a big believer in surrounding myself with quirky and fun items and these prints, note cards and paintings are the perfect mix of design, color and personality. And I know its still early for holiday cards, but you have to think ahead if you are ordering them online...you still have to sign and address so leave plenty of time!

photos via laura george

Hipster fun

I just love these illustrations from New York artist Dyna Moe featuring the most entertaining version of hipster stereotypes out there. Hipster Animals features hilarious animals donned in their finest hipster gear and lets just say, I know several folks that can fall into a few of these categories, including myself. That little mouse, yep, that's me at every single show I attend.

photos via hipster animal 

Amazing details

I am not usually a fan of straight black and white; I think its the harsh contrast that starts to hurt my brain after a while, but these amazing drawings from artist Rachel Eardley are pretty fab. I love the style, very sketch like, but I think its the subject matter that stands out the most. I just love this window image, we all stare out our windows everyday but do we really take in all the detail? And those are some fierce drapes. Rachel's Polaroid collection is also a favorite, they remind me of Dear photograph with the additional images and 'extended scenes'. You can find even more from Rachel's collections at her site as well as her blog which features her newest work.

photos via rachel eardley

Muted tones, my current fav

Perhaps its the time of year but I am noticing muted colors everywhere and love every single minute of it! If I could have my way, my entire house would be decked out in these hues, but alas, I live with a boy and have gotten the "its starting to become a little too girly around here" talk one too many times. But a girl can still dream right? I blame it on our last place in Venice Beach where everything was dark heavy wood with dark blues, browns and beige. BLAH! Now I just want everything nice and bright, and for some reason, it means muted tones to me. Here are just a few gems that caught my eye that I would just love to add to my collection of fantastic pieces, if you could make a color change in your place, what would it be?

bunting, yellow chair, calendar, blankets, oven glove

floating houses, buffalo, flower table setting

Hand pulled prints

Over the weekend I finally got a desk to set up my own office space, I've been balancing a laptop on a sofa as well as using my dining table to draft on and the floor to craft. Hopefully I can keep it organized enough to have enough space to do everything I need. And with that comes a few new fun pieces to spruce up the place, and this giraffe print from illustration artist Eleanor Grosch is right up my ally. I'm in a major orange phase right now. I just love this style of screen-printing, makes me wish the husband and I would actually pull ours out and get designing already. You can find Eleanor's stationery shop here, the print shop here, or browse her site here where you can her full portfolio.

photos via eleanor

An idea

Its been a long weekend filled with trips to the pharmacy and lots and lots of cough medicine, but thankfully the husband and I are almost 100% back to normal. I've just got an annoying cough and stuffy nose. I was able to sit in on a few vegan cooking demos at the World Veg Festival yesterday that was luckily right down the street, and on my birthday! The husband even treated me to a special serving of pomegranate and dark chocolate soy ice cream, a gossip magazine and a lovely bunch of purple flowers {my favorite color}.

Anyway, it has been a while since I've been in the crafting mood and it seems this little illustration from Angela & Ithyle always turns it around for me, so I thought I would share. Sometimes you just have to sit back and let inspiration come to you, and I think this has worked its magic once more. I've got a slue of crafty projects waiting to be started/finished/drawn up, might as well start on something and see where it takes me.

photo via angela & ithyle