In this part of the world we're used to feeling Spring by late February:)
Oh well, I'll take it whenever I can get it. These pretty photos put me
in the mood even more!

The world seems like such a complicated place lately. I've decided to dedicate this week to true simplicity. Being a minimalist at heart, I find peace and rest in simple and uncomplicated things. I think its easier to see their true beauty that way. Over the weekend I discovered an amazing artist who captures quiet moments with amazing detail. The sand and sky in these photos are hypnotic.

Artist: Rebecca Villarreal

While on my long journey, I found lots of inspiring ideas that I want to share. The last leg of the trip was spent in Austin. (Thanks to one of my lovely cousins, who found us a wonderful hotel). Anyway, anytime I'm in Austin I try to stop by Homegirls. I can never resist their cool vintage furniture. This visit, the were displaying art by the amazing Alyson Fox. BTW, if any of you have been to Homegirls, many of the cool displays were done by Alyson. I've been a long time fan of Alyson's work, and really loved the prints that were shown.

If you can't get enough Alyson, she now has her own clothing line called A Small Collection. The clothes are wonderful, and the website presents them in the most charming way I have ever seen! I could look at the site all day.

(This is one of my favorite pieces).

Up until now, I haven't been to keen on the whole wall stickers thing; but I found some that are really tempting me. They are from Ferm Living. My two favorites are the Love Birds and the Power Pole. Perfect for a contemporary home. Maybe just like this one that I just happened to be driving by. I don't know anything about it, I just had to take a picture. It appears that this house is in fact a duplex that is joined by the unusual metal pieces "weaving" the two parts together. Very cool.

This is a very funny statement to make, since I can be so shy. Luckily, when I get to meet a fellow blogger; I can walk in and feel like we are old friends! This week I had the pleasure of meeting Cheryl, of Stash Studios. We have been communicating via our blogs and email, and decided to have lunch. I'm glad to say that Cheryl and I hit it off immediately, and had a great time. We talked about blogging, parenting, and our mutual love of "good junk".
Cheryl is a woman of many talents, including being an amazing photographer. I gathered a few a her photos that I love, taken while at one of my favorite places...Round Top! Check out more photos on her Flickr site.

(I think I bought some of these exact bottles!)

Cheryl is a contributer to Refueled Magazine, so many of you may be familiar with her work. If you haven't read this magazine, check it out here. It will change your definition of "Country Style".

Happy Sunday! I'm sitting quietly web-surfing while my boys take an afternoon nap. I stumbled upon a great artist today, named Betsy Walton. Just thought I would share some of her work. Some of these paintings can also be found at her Etsy store here.

I would love to have some of these furniture pieces! The amazing texture is achieved by painting directly onto the fabric. It is made by an artist and furniture designer named Draga Obradovic.

Before, my "Creative Displays" week ends; I thought I would add the work of Riitta Paivalainen. She uses second-hand clothing to make these surreal installations. Found via Brocante.

I wanted to share these fantastic paintings by Michele Katen. Here are a few of my favorites, especially the top painting titled "Modern Home"...how could I resist?

Ooh, This puts me in the mood to go to the beach! Thanks Michele.

If you are not familiar with Maira, you do not know what you are missing. She is an illustrator and artist among other things. I featured her book The Principles of Uncertainty (here). Besides her work, Maira is known as a personality. Her quirky and hilarious observations of every day life are truly unique. Her sense of humor is what I relate to the most. I absolutely love her outlook!

I have slyly alluded to my distrust of wallpaper. I know its the hottest thing out there, I just don't like the "permanence" of it. I have used wallpaper on some of my projects, but I usually keep it to a minimum. So, you can imagine my delight to find the work of J. Prichard Design.
Jennifer Prichard crafts these beautiful porcelain pieces that are made into spectacular wall displays.