I heart art: The Summer Project

Want summer nostalgia without the sunburn and sand in hard-to-reach-places? Then feast your eyes on the dreamy art of Samantha R. Sano. The Dallas-based graphic designer returned to painting this summer and appropriately named her effort The Summer Project. Through the venture, she wanted to "escape the hustle and bustle for a while to take a deep breath, get reinspired before fall, drink lots of iced tea and jump feet first into the deep end."

So if you're not living in Phoenix where it's pretty much summer year-round (Yeah, it's still 100 at the end of September), then you should probably snatch up one of these incredible pieces.

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Check out more lust-worthy art here.

I heart art: black-dicefish

Sometimes I curse technology. Other days, I don't know what I'd do without it. This is one of those times. Thank goodness for Tumblr. Because of the always-inspiring blog site, I now am obsessed with the artwork of black-dicefish. It can be difficult to find the source of Tumblr content, but thankfully it only took two clicks to get to these beauties. I don't know anything about the artist, but their work is incredible.

[Allure]

[Unicorn]

[The Warmth Of The Sun]

[The River Flows Through Me]

[Sunny]

More heart-worthy art awaits here.

Five for Friday: Even more pretty pins

This weekend is going to be way chill (and most likely devoted to picture editing) considering the past few and upcoming have been and will be non-stop go, go, go.

I'm still in full-fledged love with Pinterest and thought it would be fun to share a few of my fave pins from this past week. I'm thinking of turning this into a series because there are soooooooooo many pretty images out there.

Hopefully your weekend is just as gorgeous.

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Get your Five for Friday fix here.

Design crush: Boucherouite rug

File these lust-worthy rugs under "really amazing ish that I'll never be able to afford." But a girl can dream, right? Originating in Morocco, Boucherouite or "rag rugs" are made with leftover scraps of fabric and inexpensive materials. The abstract and colorful creations are perfect on the floor or hanging on the wall.

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More crush-worthy design found here.

The It List

Where is the month of March going? Another Friday is already upon us... take some time to be inspired by the great blogs I have rounded up today!  Happy weekend!

• one hundred inspirations pulls together this Rachel Bilson look for less (less than $100 even!) - this is a perfectly simple look for spring and summer!
• thought and musing takes a gloomy day and brightens it up with a bold blue top - I love how this color adds instant punch to any outfit!
• a spot of whimsy features 'it' girl Amanda Seyfriend... it such a beautiful spotlight on such a uniquely gorgeous gal! (find a spot of whimsy on twitter!)
• rosy + tart gives a quick tutorial (it's so easy, it's hardly a recipe) on how to roast tomatoes and it has my mouth watering for farmer's market season! (find rosy + tart on twitter!)
• second street east shows off some great home goods she found at The Foundary - I am loving this unique little side table! Decor blogs always have such a great inside track! (find second street east on twitter!)
• the capital barbie scopes out sweet pleats for spring and summer - and shares her ideas on how to make pleats work for you! (find the capital barbie on twitter!)
• daily crush is loving the look of several stacked bracelets and I am too, what a fun and creative trend. She features inspiration and tips on how to get the look for yourself! (find daily crush on twitter!)
• a spoonful of dish is inspired by Inslee Hayne's girly and chic illustrations. So cute!
• undeniable style bought a very pretty small desk and gains inspiration on how to style it... if you are tight on space but still need a small work area, this is perfect! (find undeniable style on twitter!)
• sweetie pie style is crushing on mini-bags... they are perfect with a sundress or shorts for spring and summer. I am loving them too! (find sweetie pie style on twitter!)
• mama loves papa takes a vintage thrift store find and refashions it into something more current.  I 'sneaked' the before picture above... click through for the after! (find mama loves papa on twitter!)
• keep collected is rocking the most perfect spring look in my opinion. The hair, the necklace, the jeans... I love the simple appeal.
• shen dove style is spring-ready with a great cropped trench.  I just love trenches in any form lately and this look is amazing! (find shen dove style on twitter!)
• walking around {where the sidewalk begins} has this pretty summer tunic on her wish list... I think it's on mine now as well. I love this for the beach or pool! (find walking around on twitter!)
• rose a la mode sneak peeks some of her fashionable duds from the Texas Style Conference last weekend. I can't wait to hear more! (find rose a la mode on twitter!)
• turn up the rad takes $4 Anthropologie cloth napkins (four dollars!) and turns them into throw pillows. Ta-da! I love these kinds of DIY's! (find turn up the rad on twitter!)

the it list is organized by jill of good life for less... for information on how you can be involved, click here!

Prettiness for your neck

There aren't a lot of chances to show off necklaces in the winter, considering the space is most likely occupied by a scarf. So I've been doing a little online window shopping/wishful thinking for spring and wanted to share a few of my faves.

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Five for Friday: Tablescapes worth celebrating

In honor of my nephew's first birthday today, I present pretty party tablescapes for your viewing pleasure. Even though most of these themes aren't appropriate for a 1-year-old's party, some of the details like candy stations, bunting flags and fun colors do apply.

1. A trip to the candy shop 

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2. A punch of color

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3. Love and sweets for all

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4. A pretty and sweet treat

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5. Let's take a journey

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Love letters

Letters and words make me happy, and these hand printed and pulled linocut beauties by PerlaAnne put quite the smile on my face. Each letter is $10, so you can buy one or a few to make words as shown below.

And if you wanted to DIY, imagine the combination of fonts, sizes and frame styles. Yeah for typography.

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365 days of color

Keeping that resolution to get organized in 2011 just got a lot prettier thanks to Michelle Armas.

The Atlanta painter, graphic designer and branding expert's Antonia Calendar is the perfect addition to art-starved walls or desks. And after the year is finished, cut off the calendar portion and frame the print.

If you're looking to spend a little more cash, Armas creates colorful masterpieces that look like they could just burst off the wall. 

Check out her blog and an interview she did with Little Paper Planes. 

Wise Math

Zena

Capri

Marbles

Madeline

  

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127 hours and beyond

The fiance and I saw "127 Hours" a few weeks ago, and the movie's stunning visual aesthetic has stayed with me.

Danny Boyle, who continues to be one of the best directors out there, uses captivating reflection and dream sequences to deliver James Franco's first-person interpretation of the true story of Aron Ralston, the outdoors enthusiast who became trapped by a boulder in Utah for more than five days in 2003.

According to Boyle's Q&A session at the Chicago International Film Festival, the crew shot for a week in Blue John Canyon (where the real event happened). Since it was difficult to get to, Boyle and Co. helicoptered equipment in and camped there for six nights. 

Some have balked at the idea of watching a movie that shows a man amputating his own arm to escape a rocky prison. But, seriously, the five-minute scene is worth experiencing the rest of a visually-impressive film.

Even the official movie posters and wallpaper are pretty. Loving the simple, yet powerful font used in the campaign. Check out the Web site for even more visual goodness.

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