sweet somethings

This weekend we had an early dose of spring here in the Carolinas. 70+ degrees in February is such a treat. We tried to savor every moment before the sun went down. I love when neighborhoods come to life with signs of spring in the air. Warm weather is good for the soul.

Recently I decided to take some time each week to do something that makes my creative soul happy, even if it's simply buying some pretty flowers at the grocery store, like these lavender lovelies...

...Or, working on moodboards (a fav way for me to gain some inspiration). I did this Valentine-esque moodboard, inspired by COCOCO. Who can resist these three sweet somethings...Roses, Chocolates + Chesterfields...

How yummy is that chocolate leather + all that tufted goodness? 

❤️❤️❤️

I just wanted to take a moment to share a few things I'm loving lately...

Chocolate + cherries. {Image via thefirstyearblog ... 
link over to get the recipe for Cherry Cake + Chocolate Ganache.}

Spring fresh art. {Art via Etsy.}
 Spring Bouquet by Cortney North
{Link here to get yours}

Pink velvet. {Image via the stripe : the Quirk Hotel, Richmond}

Graphic details. {Butterfly design by India Mandavi. 
Image via Milk Decoration}

Cozy spaces. {Image via instagram brittnimehlhoff}

Feather love. {I made these DIY JuJu Hats for Smartstuff ... and I'm still obsessed. Source: My go-to Etsy shop for all that feathers}

Prop Styling. {Photo by Kenton Robertson for Belle Meade Signature. Styling by moi.}

and
❤️C R A Y O N  H E A R T S❤️
{I crafted these for Smartstuff. See my post here.}

...What are you loving lately?

Wishing you + yours a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

xo,

patti

dreaming...

hi friends.

I've been busy working on some collaborations and can't wait to share one I'm working on with my twin sister Pam Stasney. We have been scheming for years about how we can meld our worlds and work on some projects together...so we decided to seize the day and just make it happen. I'm completely obsessing about a post she's pulling together and am crazy eager to reveal all the inspiration + ideas to you (soon, I promise).

Until then, I wanted to just give you a few thoughts and let you know what's been inspiring me lately. Honestly I feel like I need to make more time to invest in experiences that lead to inspiration. I need to take myself on an "artist date" and reflect, explore, and soak in all the creativity that surrounds. I wrote a post awhile back about our "cinema selves." ... and right now I'm feeling the need to tap into that, to become that vision of myself.

I'm dreaming of it. And as the saying goes, If we can dream it, we can become it. Right?
And let me tell you, putting dreams into action is lots of hard work. Ultimately one of my goals for this year is to work smarter. I haven't quite figured it out yet. So if you have any tips, feel free to chime in. I am wide open.

Here are a few pretty pictures that have me feeling motivated to create, simplify, organize + believe in the power of dreams...

{image via La La Lovely}

{image via pinterest, Oh My Dear Blog}

Find a fun "Let's Stay Home" Pillow here.

{Image via pinterest, Bauble Bar}

... and an on-trend pink choker here (or get one in every color) ...
I also found a great source for a sweet pink suede choker via Etsy (link here to the Etsy shop). 

{Image via Sincerely Jules}

I am dreaming of an organized office space. fresh + simple styles for my home + fashion. 

...and finding new coolness on instagram...

{image via Studio 125 Mpls}

(I just spied a set of 4 Eames-style pink dining chairs ...
link here to get in on the deal.)

{chairs available via Amazon}

Plus, of course, doing a little crafting. 

My latest creation: 

❤️ C R A Y O N  H E A R T S ❤️

(blog post here)  ...

Tell me, what's moving + motivating you lately?

C'mon, spill. I need some inspiration! 

xo

patti

valentine diy: crayons + watercolors

I was so inspired recently when I stumbled upon this amazing blog.

I had this image pinned to my Art pinboard for quite awhile, but I finally got around to clicking over.  And, wow! I was so glad I did. Absolute inspiration!

Once I soaked in the beautiful color + texture of Alisa Burke's post "creativity-with-crayons" ...I couldn't resist. I had to PLAY. (Click over and take a peek. I promise you'll be inspired too.)

I have had a long-standing love for crayons + watercolors. There is something about opening up a big box of crayolas or a palette of paints.  It must be the vast array of COLOR + all the possibilities of CREATING.

I put a little VALENTINE SPIN on Alisa's crayon + watercolor idea. As you know, I've been all about pink + red lately. 

SO, here it is, my Valentine art creation...

All you need is a white crayon, watercolor paper, water, paint + a brush. It's kind of magical really. It's a fun one to do with the kids (I think I'll keep all the art supplies out...even my teens might go for it.)

...And while I had the crayons out, I decided to create some Valentine CRAYON HEARTS (some of my favorite things from childhood).

You just need a few ingredients: crayon shavings, wax paper and some ribbons.. plus an iron to melt the shavings within the wax paper sheets.  Here's how my creation turned out...

I ended up ironing the wax paper a bit more to further melt the crayons...

Though I did it all from memory, there is a great how-to here. 

{image via pinterest}

I hope you've had a great week.  And I hope this post brings out some good memories... and maybe even a box of crayons. :)


Happy Friday!

xo

patti