Feature Friday: Happy Colors!

So.
Right now, as I'm typing this, there is snow falling outside my house.  Snow.
Argh.
I'm trying not to be a complainer.  Here where we live water gets scarce during the summer months, and we need the water runoff produced by the snow to help sustain our reserves during that time.  I'm trying to think of this as Mother Nature's way of helping us keep our garden watered later this year.
But seriously.  I'm soooo over Winter, right now!
Anyway, to help cheer myself up I'm featuring some fun finds, with a punch of sunshiney goodness!
Flowers and Little Bee Print by TwoEms

Fabric Leaves Tree by Two Girls Being Crafty

Egg Carton Spring Wreath by Krafty Kat

Nuthatch Granny Pattern by eggbird designs

Burlap and Fabric Spring Wreath by Nat Sprat

From the Prairie Notecards by The Wheatfield

Crochet Easter Egg Pattern by Easy Makes Me Happy

(If I've featured you feel free to grab a featured button from My Buttons page at the top!)
Have a Happy Weekend!!!

Feature Friday: Subway Art

It's everywhere!

What started out at a graffiti movement has now become a mainstream decorating phenomenon!

In college I took this fantastic class on Typography.

(I know. A whole class about Typography. Many of you are probably thinking, "How boring." or "How does a class about letters take up an entire semester?" But I was a Graphic Design/Illustration major...and I found it fascinating. Ask anyone who knows me...they'll tell you that I have a font library on my computer that rivals the National Archives. I'm obsessed. Just kidding. Sort of.)

ANYWAY...

Subway art takes all sorts of funky, junky, classic, basic, serif, sans-serif, and any other font styles you like, and throws them all together to create art, usually based around a theme:

Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, Families, Art, Hobbies, Kids, Cooking, etc. You name it...it's ART.

The best part? There are all sorts of fun DIY projects being done out there with this great Typographic style! I LOVE it! It's modern, clean, but can fin into ANY decor style!

Here are some of my favorites taken from some fantastic craft bloggers:


Valentine Subway Art by Eighteen25:




Family Rules by The V Spot:



Kitchenaid Mixer Subway Art by House of Smiths:




Christmas Subway Art by Craftily Ever After:




Inspiring Quote Subway Art by Shannon Makes Stuff:




Laundry Room Subway Art by Infarrantly Creative:




Sporty Subway Art by It Is What It Is:




Past Addresses by Tatertots & Jello:



As you can see there's no end to what you can make special with a little Subway art of your own!! (I know I have some ideas I can't wait to try out!!) Check out all the links...many of them have FREE printables available for making your very own Subway Art creations!! Have a great weekend! Happy crafting!

Feature Friday: Amanda J Photos & ArtisanMaskers

So, this week's Friday Finds, is a shout out to my lovely sister, Amanda! (I know....sometimes you just gotta brag on the ones you love!)

Not only is she a wonderful Mom of three, but she also has TWO Etsy shops! Crazy lady! ;)

Her first shop, amandajphotos, has been dedicated to her photography, which is absolutely beautiful I might add. She still does things the old-fashioned way...ya' know with real film...so her photographs are stunning! I have an original of this one



hanging in my front room...I LOVE it! It's so peaceful...whenever I'm feeling really stressed I just sit and look at it, and life seems so much better! In addition to prints of the photos she also offers bookmarks and cards!

Recently she's begun adding vintage items, and fun eco-destash items like this and this! So very cool! I picked up some of her stripped sheets, and can't wait to get started on a new bath mat! Very cool!

Her other shop, Artisan Maskers, is dedicated to paper mache masks like these:







I know. They're so awesome.

The best part is that most of the masks are made from salvaged and upcycled items! Each mask is hand made from scraps of paper...such a pretty way to recycle!! She has this fantastic stash of stuff to decorate with and mostly its just odds and ends that someone else didn't want! She's put together a group of crafters who all contribute to the site...each Mask is totally unique, because of the upcycled nature of the decorative items, and also because of the different crafters' techniques and styles.

She's had masks sold for Halloween, Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve, and even Prom! If you're looking for a truly unique costume piece, you really should check out her shop!