A Taste of Italy

We like art in our family.  We like art a LOT!  I particularly like water color paintings.  While looking for some art online, I stumbled on to Rita Zaudke’s gallery.  Immediately I was smitten and shared my amore with my hubs.  He fell even harder than I did.  We ended up with this print below – Santa Maria Maggiore Della Neve.

We gifted another print, Juliet’s Balcony, to a very dear person.

When we visit our recipient, I always ask permission to go look at the print.  Both of these prints immediately relax me and make me feel as if, even for only a minute, I am in Italy.

When you order one of Rita’s pieces, she sends it with a handwritten note giving you the story of her inspiration.  I LOVE that!  Rita’s work is worth it.  Please go look through her complete gallery here.  You won’t regret it!

This post is strictly my own personal opinion and I was not paid for it.

Do you want a Caribbean Holiday?

I have wanted a cork board for a while now but have not been able to find one I really liked.  So I made one.

Online you can find a recipe to make your own chalk board paint.   I used some Olympic latex paint in the shade of Caribbean Holiday to make mine.  The picture doesn’t do the color justice.  It’s quite lovely if I do say so myself 😉  I used two pieces of sheet metal for my magnetic chalk board and then used the same size of cork board to make the “checker board” pattern.  I also found some polka-dot napkins in a similar shade to the paint to modge podge the frame.  I love it!

If you want to take a Caribbean Holiday as well, let me know.  I have the supplies for a second one!

Color Trends for 2011

I found on the Pantone site the list of Pantone Color Trends for Spring 2011.  There are some fun colors coming!  They even have a PDF that you can download for free ( Pantone PDF .)

I LOVE color!  Granted, Pink is not my preferred color.  But Silver Peony is such a delicate shade, that I might have to admit to liking a pink!  The color palate is quite a mix of bright and muted tones that promote versatility.

I think Honeysuckle, Russet and Silver Peony would transfer beautifully to satin fabric.

Can’t you imagine a New Year’s Eve party wearing a gorgeous tailored satin shirt in one of those colors paired with a nice pencil skirt or slacks? Who wouldn’t look and feel great?!

Here are a few other fun images.  Definitely go check out the Pantone site and let me know what you think about the palate.