the haystack needle

custom watercolor portrait

I can hardly believe that in a few weeks, Dan and I will be celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary. I was feeling a bit nostalgic earlier and read through some really old email letters between us (we've known each other since we were 19!). It's amazing to be with him on this journey of raising Juniper together as parents, but sometimes my heart aches a little for those early days when we were just falling in love and you thought you would burst from being apart for even a short while. I'm pretty sure our anniversary night is going to simply involve a quick dinner at a local restaurant, praying that Juniper stays asleep or entertained until we get the check. Romantic nights are tricky with a two month old!

I always like to give Dan something special and sentimental for our anniversary. I checked out Jenny Vorwaller's shop and love this idea — a custom watercolor portrait you can commission her to make from a photo of your wedding day, your kiddos, or any loved ones. If I had the funds, I'd also love to have one of our wedding photos turned into a custom oil painting as part of the Commission Project. That could be a cool tradition to start. For each anniversary, we adopt one piece of art that means something to us. 

Image: Jenny Vorwaller, discovered via Frolic!

bunny photograph

I'm thinking I may need to get this bunny portrait print for the nursery. It's just too darn cute. The photo is by Debbie Carlos, whose work you may have seen around the blogs (she's the artist behind this awesome ice cream print.) I actually grew up with a gray-and-white bunny named Bugs (very original name, I know.) He was the sweetest rabbit, and since my dad wouldn't let us get a dog — Bugs filled in as an amazing pet. Dan loves animals, but sadly the poor guy is super allergic to dogs and cats (even hypoallergic goldendoodles!). It remains to be seen if he's also allergic to bunnies. Here's hoping bunny adoption is possibly in the cards — I'm sure our kiddo will want a pet someday. 

Photograph: Debbie Carlos

custom letters

I stumbled upon Anja Mulder's shop thanks to Ellie's blog and fell completely in love with these custom letters. I totally want to commission one for the nursery once baby arrives and we have a name in place. 

Image: Anja Mulder

vintage oil paintings

Speaking of decorating with vintage oil paintings, I've never been lucky with finding any cool paintings at flea markets or thrift shops. I just took a peek, and Etsy has a deep selection of vintage oil paintings across pricepoints (from $15 on up to $500.) I love this blueberry patch early 19th century oil painting (and the painter was born in Maine.)

prospect park #2

Living in New York (while the claustrophobic cluster of people huddle around the Times Square ball, something I'll never understand), I set low expectations for New Year's Eve . I've always imagined spending my perfect New Years being holed up in a cabin somewhere in the country with a fireplace, good food, and some dear friends. While that wasn't in the cards this year, we did wind up having the most unassuming, yet completely lovely New Years with some friends. As much as I love living in Williamsburg, I admit Park Slopers do have it made with their park. Prospect Park is pretty darn awesome. A group of us made our way to a snowy path in Prospect Park just before midnight to catch an unexpectedly amazing fireworks display above. For a moment, I felt that sense of magic you want to feel on the first of the year. I wish I had the funds to afford the large print of this wintry scene, Prospect Park #2. I've been trolling 20x200 for just the right landscape photo for our next apartment. Hope your New Years had a little magic!

Photograph: Joseph O. Holmes for 20x200

photobooth wall

 

Feeling so inspired by this idea: create a wall of photobooth photos. Mix in vintage ones (there's an eBay shop who sells them by the lot!) with your own. The perfect shot of humor for a room. 

Discovered via Fine Little Day

iphone photo prints

I loved this post that ran on ReadyMade's blog about getting prints made of your digital iPhone photos. I have a zillion photos on my iPhone (many I need to delete), but some of the shots are actually quite good. In the post, the author Megan used the photo app Lo-Mob to snap these photos of plums at her local market. There are so many cool photo apps. I'm a big fan of the ShakeItPhoto app, which makes your photo look like a Polaroid. I just downloaded Lo-Mob to try it out. And on the to-do list, make a few prints of some favorite iPhone photos. For more inspiration, see the ReadyMade post here.

Photograph: Megan Jeyifo for ReadyMade