Links to Love: April, vol. 1

Photo from Anthroplogie Blog. Photo taken by Anthroplogie.

Photo from Anthroplogie Blog. Photo taken by Anthroplogie.

This week has been full of appointments, a handful of work, and an unnecessary interruption of being down for the count yesterday with a terrible cold. Thank goodness it is Friday! Everyday seems a little closer to true spring and out of the winter woods.

Here are a few links to interest and inspire you this weekend:

-Check out the stunning Earth Day displays by Anthropologie promoting the awareness of the monarch butterfly here! See more of the window displays with #AnthroEarthDay on Instagram.

- Did you know April is National Card and Letter Writing Month? It's not too late to start writing! Join Egg Press and Hello!Lucky as they promote this great month with the #Write_On campaign.

- Hopefully this new take on the font Comic Sans, Comic Neue, will bring a positive light to this much loved to be hated font.

-This yummy Thai Frappe recipe from the ladies over at A Beautiful Mess would make a great brunch addition this weekend!

- I really enjoyed this article, 4 Reasons You Should Always Pay Designers & Developers by Jon Acuff. It had some oh so familiar truths.

-Check out these beautiful photos of Washington D.C. cherry blossoms by the talented Erica Baker of Erica Baker Photography. Does isn't make you wish these beauties were planted everywhere?

Artisit Admiration: Paola Navone

I have had a fond love for Paola Navone's collections at Crate & Barrel since they started collaborating. Her gorgeous patterns, whimsical shapes, and Mediterranean influence place a joyful and easy air to each piece that would enhance any space. Her three new collections exclusively through Crate & Barrel are: Pic-nic Collection, Party Collection, and Fish Collection. Being a sucker for the black and white combo lately - it was love at first sight for me. With the strong accent colors varying between deep blues and vibrant teal, with watermelon patterns thrown in-  I'm head over heels for all three collections!

Check out more about the collection and her process with the video on Crate & Barrels page.

 

Artist Admiration: Dear Hancock

Image by Dear Hancock, Lookbook 2013

Image by Dear Hancock, Lookbook 2013

My humor has always had two strong hitting points: 1. Literal takes of a phrase and 2.  animals being personified in prints and drawings.   The artists behind Dear Hancock nail both of these on the head for me. Among their stationary you find whimsical and quirky interpretations of the world around them. My favorites of their work include the literal desk calendar for 2013, big happy birthday truck card, and their bunny cards (seen above). You can find this fabulous chubby bunny feature on almost a dozen different of their greeting cards. Among my favorite : Ski Bunny, Dad Bunny, and my all time favorite, Love Bunny. Doesn't he just steal your heart?

I admire Dear Hancock for the variety of simple and whimsical stationary products they offer, while continuing to update and adding to popular concepts. To me, each piece tells a loving and somewhat goofy story of these two talented artists behind the brand, and the way they see the world.

Go take a look at their new look book or follow their blog !

Image by Dear Hancock, Lookbook 2013

Image by Dear Hancock, Lookbook 2013

Artist Admiration : Rifle Paper Co

Since I first saw her illustrated wedding invitations floating around magazines and blogs alike, I have been attracted to Anna Bonds work and her company Rifle Paper Co. 

The palette of  mixed muted colors with pops of fun colors have always inspired my own love and work  with floral motifs. Their latest look book is stunning with their product displayed mixed among sweet paper cut out flowers, and gorgeous fresh flowers that make each page truly pop off the page.

Find more of their look book images here and here.

Look Book 2013, Rifle Paper Co.  

Look Book 2013, Rifle Paper Co.

 

Rifle Paper Co. Look Book, 2013

Rifle Paper Co. Look Book, 2013