living artfully

decorating inspiration

Color. Pattern. Texture. Balance. Good design. I think that home decor and scrapbooking have a lot more in common than you might think. My favorite layouts have kraft cardstock and a few key embellishments. At home I like a neutral base with well-placed pops of color. I don't like my pages or my home to be visually overloaded.

As a young girl, I loved to rearrange my bedroom and was always wishing for a new comforter set and paint color. These days, we're renters who are pinching pennies for our dream home. So I get my design fix from this list of blogs that I love love love. My favorite home bloggers are real people, featuring their own homes, diy-ing and solving real-life design dilemmas.

russet street reno
 

 

Sara from Russet Street Reno is easily one of my favorite bloggers. She blogs from south-eastern Wisconsin. Gotta love a local girl! She's an honest and hilarious DIY-er, fixing up a two-story home with her soon-to-be hubby.


house tweaking
 

 

When I picture the decor in our dream home, Dana's house at House Tweaking immediately comes to mind. Dana's family just put their house on the market to down-size into a home they can pay off quickly, so Dana can pursue her design dreams. I'm cheering her on!


nesting place
 

 

Nesting Place is my favorite place to go for DIY projects, like her fur ottoman, tree tump side tables, and wall of plates. Love her thoughts on imperfection, living in a rented home, and thrifting.


young house love
 

 

John and Sherry of Young House Love are immensely popular, and for good reason. They're remodeling and redecorating their second home, keeping it fun, affordable, and inspirational along the way.

I'm seriously hooked on these home design blogs. It's fun to be invited into their homes to see how they decorate and make each space their own. What about you? Do you find inspiration in home design?

hugs, sharyn

camera app obsession: infinicam

My love for hipstamatic is no secret. And six months ago, I honestly felt like nothing could ever be better. Well, I was wrong. Meet Infinicam.

 

For you iPhone, Touch and iPad users, the Infinicam app could easily become your newest obsession. It's definitely mine!

This app is designed to help you take your standard photos and transform them into endless combinations of picture styles and frames. You can take pictures while directly in the app, or you can load existing photos from your device into the app. From there, the magic happens. From this...

 

To this...

 
 
The Infinicam app offers 17 camera styles and 18 frame styles, which you can put together in whatever combination you like with just a click. You can custom design the combination or press the camera button to have the app generate a random new style. The app also crops, saves and emails your photos. And the most amazing part... it's only 99 cents.  

Right now, my favorite style is to combine the Grain picture style with the Safety frame, which is the style you see above. And for everyone who asked about the pictures from my minty love post, that's the Golden Hour picture style with the Infini 50 frame. Love!!

 

I will always love hipstamatic and the funky square photos. But Infinicam has so many more unique possibilities, the app runs faster on my phone, and I find it way more intuitive when it comes to selecting different styles. And because you can use it to alter existing photos, you know the photo is going to turn out - it's just a matter of finding a style you like. Whereas with hipstamatic and having to take the photo through its camera, the downside is that nervous wait while the photo develops, as you wonder if the photo is going to turn out.

Some Infinicam photos have already made their way into my JYC / December Daily album. And I see some scrapbook pages in the future, too! Have you tried Infinicam? What do you think of this app??

 

celebrating blog friendships

I blog for fun. For the inspiration. And for the creativity. When I started blogging in the summer of 2009, I didn't realize that I'd also keep blogging for the friendships!

I have met the most amazing ladies through Shimelle's class, Blogging for Scrapbookers. A year has passed since class, so in celebration of blogging friendships and the one year anniversary of BFS, we're having a party!

Today, I'm celebrating the talented ladies I've met who live all across the world. My jam-packed Google Reader proves that there are far too many to be able to name each individually. But it really does make my world feel so much bigger and happier to think of bloggers like Lee in Canada, who is a wonderful and honest memory-keeper who shares the best links. And Mel in the UK, who is funny and warm-hearted and rocks her Project365. And Sian, also in the UK, who is really one of the most engaging and talented writers you'll ever read. And Amy in Australia, whose style I love and who reminds me to choose scrapbooking embellishments with care. And of course, the ladies much closer to home, who I am so happy to have met through BFS, like Melissa, Nancy, Meghann, Deb, Rinda, and Alissa. And, gosh, hundreds of other bloggers who I met and so enjoy visiting. Thank you to all my BFS friends, who inspire, share their stories, and make us smile!

To celebrate blog friendships, Jo and and Lizzie have some amazing prizes in store for you! If you are playing along in the giveaway game, the letter you need to collect from me for the prize phrase is:

e

And that's not the only fun, because all these fabulous ladies are celebrating, too! So please check out their blogs to keep the party going...

lizziemade.blogspot.com

jennifersjumbles.blogspot.com

ispeakmelsh.blogspot.com

overatourplace.blogspot.com       

creatingpaperdreams.blogspot.com

gallorganico.blogspot.com

libertycottage.blogspot.com

scrapadventure.wordpress.com

chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com

mypaperview.blogspot.com

lifebehindthepurpledoor.com

clearingthebrambles.blogspot.com

fromhighinthesky.blogspot.com

rachelbsworld.blogspot.com

sunlight-simplicity.blogspot.com

journalofcuriousthings.blogspot.com

enjoytheridetoday.blogspot.com

thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife

sharyncarlson.typepad.com/living_artfully - you are here!

paperturtle.blogspot.com

amysoto.blogspot.com

snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

scrappyjedi.com

mayadahan.blogspot.com

kbwalker.blogs.com

melissagross.blogspot.com

xnomads.typepad.com/blog

debs14.blogspot.com         

curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com  

 

live a better life

September is a big month for online classes! There are quite a few that I was tempted to join, like...

• Shimelle Laine's "Learn Something New Every Day"
• Elise Blaha's mini book workshop
• Cathy Zielske's "Me: The Abridged Version" at BPS
• Jessica Sprague's "This Old Photo: Restoring Vintage Snapshots" 
• Crystal Wilkerson & Kristina Proffitt's "Blog Design Basics"
• Willette's "Finding Your Joy: Capturing Your Life Thru Photos"

If only there were more hours in a day! I'm still thinking hard about "Me: The Abridged Version," but the rest I'm passing on for now. Instead, I'm using September for personal growth.

I learned about The Personal Excellence Blog through my blog friend Lee, who has a special talent for always sharing the most inspiring links in her thoughtful posts. The author of the Personal Excellence Blog, Celes, is inviting readers to join her in September for a challenge to Live a Better Life in 30 Days.

Every morning for the month of September, Celes will be sharing an activity that helps to move you toward living a better life. The activities, which take 15-45 minutes, will be posted on her blog or you can subscribe via email. I plan to keep a private journal and an open mind... depending on the activity, I may post about the challenges here, too.

I'm very excited to take this opportunity to grow a bit! Do you have any plans for classes in September?

 

hipstamatic chicago

While in Chicago this past weekend for my birthday, I may have been guilty of taking about 200 Hipstamatic pictures with my iPhone. If you are an iPhone user and don't yet have the Hipstamatic app... beware! Once you download it, you will have so much fun that you will become obsessed with Hipstamatic pictures!

 
chicago river and cloud gate ("the bean")

The Hipstamatic app gives your photos a retro look. With multiple lenses, films, and flashes to choose from, you can achieve various effects like over-saturation, color tinting, and vignetting. It's a little unpredictable, but in a really fun way, and I love seeing how each of the images turn out!


intelligentsia coffee


crown fountain and buckingham fountain  


mercat a la planxa


molly's cupcakes


big star

 
willis "sears" tower and walking along the L 

There are some really great resources online if you have the Hipstamatic app on your iPhone. Shimelle did a post all about using her Hipstamatic and how to print and scrap with the photos. Super helpful! And Photojojo created the Ultimate Hipstamatic Guide so you can preview every possible combination of lens, film and flash available in the app.

And of course, not everyone wants or has an iPhone. If you want the look but can't download the app, my super-talented blog friend Lara created step-by-step instructions on how to use Photoshop to turn your normal photos into hipsta prints. Thank you dear Lara!!

I'm dreaming up ideas on how to scrap my Chicago pics. My initial plan to use photos from our traditional camera has fallen wayside now that I've fallen hard for the Hipstamatic app. What do you think of this style of photo? Do you ever apply retro effects to your images?

 

thirty before thirty

I love making lists and dreaming up plans for the future. And since I'm turning 29 today, I'd love to share my "thirty before thirty" list.

These are thirty things that I hope and plan to do in the year ahead. Some big, some small. A few challenges and a few things just for me. It's a list that I hope brings me joy and growth. So here we go...


1. finish reading the booker prize winners from 2000-2010
2. collect and scan my grandma's photos
3. take a cake decorating class
4. find two new musicians to love
5. see a play
6. run a ten-minute mile
7. buy a diana or holga and experiment with lomography
8. visit the modern wing of the art institute of chicago
9. go to church
10. create a high school scrapbook
11. make a pie
12. watch the top ten of afi's top 100 movies
13. refinish a piece of furniture
14. organize the basement
15. visit the apostle islands
16. learn more about my parents' childhoods and love story
17. find a new perfume
18. search for an affordable vintage typewriter
19. take my grandma on a date, just us
20. lose twenty pounds
21. take a digital scrapbooking class
22. raise money for breast cancer research
23. try indian food
24. attend the milwaukee film festival
25. eat veggies grown in our backyard
26. go to jazz in the park
27. organize our recipe collection
28. plan a trip with my bestie (and maybe hubbies, too)
29. sew something that's not paper
30. renew my passport

I'm hoping for a wonderful last year in my twenties before I enjoy everything being a thirty-something has to offer :)

 

ella inspiration

Lately I've been talking about books and thinking about my summer reading list. I'd love to keep the book talk going... but I have a whole different kind of book to share with you today!


 
I recently purchased my first e-book for scrapbooking and I am super inspired! I was skeptical at first, trust me. As much as I visit blogs and galleries for inspiration, I've never really thought much about e-books. And when it comes to paid inspiration, I've always preferred a copy I can touch. So although I had heard of Ella and was curious about the concept of e-books, I never really looked into it.

That is, until I heard that Studio Calico had put together an e-book for Ella. The book is called 8 is Enough and the concept is to create using any eight supplies and tools you have on hand. Less is sometimes more! All I had to see was this little sneak peek of the supplies Stephanie Howell used for her layouts in the book and I was sold!


  
There is a ton of great inspiration in this Ella e-book. Since the designers had to make four layouts from their set of eight supplies, they had to get creative with how to use and split up their items. Each layout comes along with design information and tips for stretching your supplies; some layouts have bonus tips, too.

If you're a Studio Calico subscriber, you'll love seeing new ways to use and combine their kits, too. And if you're not a subscriber, I think you'll still get a lot out of this book, but you may not have as many of the items on hand if you want to make an exact replica of any of the layouts. 

I decided to take the "8 is Enough" challenge and make one layout with just eight items. Using one of Stephanie Howell's layouts for inspiration, I made this layout about my birthday barbeque last weekend with Rocco.

 

In case you're keeping count, my eight supplies are:   
 
1. Die-cut Cardstock Accent Pack (K&Company)
2. Yellow Damask Patterned Paper, double sided (October Afternoon)
3. Brown Numbered Patterned Paper (Sassafras)
4. Blue Striped Patterned Paper (October Afternoon)
5. Paper "Lace" Doily (Wilton)
6. Chipboard Woodgrain Alphabet (K&Company)
7. Scallop Border Punch (Fiskars)
8. Pink Mist (Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels)

If you are looking for inspiration and have never purchased an e-book before, it's definitely worth a visit to Ella.  This book is just one of many interesting titles I noticed on their website. I will definitely be going back to check out more in the future, especially considering they are comparable to the price of a magazine.

What are your thoughts on e-books? Do you have any Ella e-books in your collection?

   

iron cupcake milwaukee - candy

Since we love cupcakes, we again jumped at the chance to attend Milwaukee's monthly baking competition - Iron Cupcake Milwaukee. This month's theme ingredient was candy and I was very curious to see if the bakers would choose more obvious ingredients (like chocolate candy bars) or if they would try to use really unique candies. We were blown away by the creativity! Here are some of the most interesting designs from the candy cupcake challenge...

Jolly Ranchers
 

White Chocolate Buttons
 

(L) Smores - (R) Maple Nut Goodies and Boston Baked Beans
 

Popcorn and Root Beer Jelly Beans
  

A huge variety, including Swedish Fish
  

Cinnamon Red Hots
  

Mr. Lemonheads
 

 

We loaded up on samples and learned a few things about how we like candy in cupcakes. Topped with Nerds? Not a personal favorite. Topped with Pop Rocks? Or a caramelized Jelly Belly? Delicious!

I'm overwhelmed by all the ideas! Have you ever made a cupcake inspired by or using candy?

 

iron cupcake milwaukee - cheese

There is something special about a cupcake that is both delicious and perfectly decorated. We love cupcakes around here and were super excited yesterday to attend our favorite local baking competition, Iron Cupcake Milwaukee.

Yesterday, the bakers had to focus on adding cheese to their cupcakes. From the more common dessert choices like cream cheese and cheesecake, to the more unique like bleu cheese and cheddar, we were blown away by the artistry and creativity. And we ate some pretty darn good cupcakes in the process. I could photograph cupcakes for hours, but here are just a few of my favorites...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite cupcake combined port wine, bleu cheese and pear. Isn't it amazing what some bakers can come up with?!

 

iron cupcake milwaukee

Is there such a thing as too many cupcakes? I hope not, because I have lots of yummy cupcake inspiration to share with you!

Tonight, we attended a local baking competition called Iron Cupcake Milwaukee. The bakers were asked to use curry in their recipes and were judged on both taste and display. The cupcakes were so visually inspiring (and delicious, too!), that I had to rush back and share photos of the cupcakes with you...

 
 

 My favorite! A Mexican hot chocolate cupcake with cinnamon and cayenne curry frosting.

 

 
 
  

 

 
 
 

We had so much fun tonight! We filled up our empty egg containers with the samples and then got to business tasting the cupcakes. Mmmmm :)  We will definitely be going to future Iron Cupcake events!

Have you ever baked a cupcake or dessert with curry?