Cherries and Teacups...

4x4 inches / oil on panel

So I was cruising images, looking for some inspiration and ideas for my artwork. And I just so happened to stumble across some amazing still life paintings, impressed by their realism and the attention to detail, I had to investigate further into who had made these beautiful pieces...

It was then that I found Jeanne Illenye's blog....which is where I found my absolute favorites, these three paintings of Queen Anne Cherries and a blue Italian teacup.
Her blog shows her wealth of talent, in flowers, chocolates, fruits, and other items including a baseball! Check it out here!

"Predominantly a self taught artist, Jeanne received her initial training at an early age through private instruction. She later attended the Ridgewood School of Art in New Jersey and Pratt Institute in New York. Inspired by the Dutch Masters Jeanne utilizes a warm, earthy palette and elaborate, fluid compositions punctuated by strong contrasts. She incorporates signs of age into her work as a reminder of nature’s delicacy and transience."

Well, I'm certainly impressed, and definitely inspired! Also, check out her ebay site to view her work available for purchase!

Oh, and one fun fact about Jeanne Illenye is that she can write with both hands simultaneously back ward and upside down - just like Leonardo DaVinci!! Nice! - Now that must be handy!!


6x6 inches / oil on panel

4x4 inches / oil on panel

Heaven in a Heartbeat.....

I. Am. In. Love.

This is a stunning 4046 sqft. Colonial style house in Fayetteville, TN. Built in the late 1800's this four bed, 3.5 bath, sitting on 43.540 stunning acres, is my living dream come to life....but that's not all, the one thing that makes my heart float, is that wonderful, perfect, dream-worthy wrap around porch...oh.my.gosh.

A house ready for a home, full of dreams, possibilities, and a future....just look at that gorgeous kitchen (though I'd seriously be tempted to paint it duck egg blue!!) and those huge old wood floors, beautiful...

Uh oh, I think I may get addicted to searching real estate now!!

Mother-Of- ohsogorgeous- Pearl....

Also hiding in the July issue of 'Interior Design' was this little beauty, a gorgeous wood cabinet on a bronze base...but it was all of the gorgeous unpierced Mother-Of-Pearl buttons on the front that made me love this piece! Oh the ideas and inspiration that this piece sparked off in my head!!
By Pride Sasser Home Furnishings, this piece is beautiful and timeless....

Lovely Lime!

It's a quiet afternoon at work, and so I was browsing through the July issue of 'Interior Design' while drinking a Nespresso Coffee.... It seems lime green is a bit of a theme in this issue. Now, I'll admit, It's never been a favorite color of mine, nor would I think to put it all over my house....But! I never thought it could be pulled off quite as well as two of the featured houses...Have I been convinced into loving lime? Um, no...But I'm definitely inspired! And somehow left feeling refreshed!!

For super Lime, check out the article "Guest Appearance" (shown above), a guest house in the hills of LA, created by Architect Istanbullu - and with only one lead, to "encourage contemplation". And I think he succeeded! He explains that the green cement-fiber panels on the exterior "are like blades of grass moving in the wind".

Below must be my favorite article featured in the magazine, "Romancing the Ranch", with it's lime green window frames, it adds a beautiful punch to the dark wood, this revamped 1950's house in LA is a clean, fresh, wonder..I love the careful use of bold patterned wallpapers, mosaic tiles, and the hot pink patterned chair....But my absolute favorite part of this house is the stair case (pictured below), gorgeous natural wood with a huge colorful bookshelf, painted a delicious duck egg blue...and to top it all off perfectly, and huge chandelier in that same blue...I wish I could have this staircase in my home!!
I actually first saw this image in the blog Desire to Inspire where they were showing photographs from Eric Staudenmaier's portfolio, I loved it then just as much as I do now!

Monday....

Yes, I'm having one of those Monday's....Can I go back to bed and start again?! Or better yet, can it be Friday already?!!

Apartment Redecoration Part Two!!

So, this is my living room, The lamp and the rug are my Roomie's - sorry this pic isn't too great, I took it in the evening, and well, one of the sacrifices of living in NYC is the occasional lack of windows - The huge window in my room makes up for it though - which you'll see later!

And ahhh, my Sofa, oh how I love you!! Down filled, and an antique dream, it's absolute heaven to sink into....shame the photo doesn't show it off enough!! Also, you may notice the Lulu DK cushions! Perks of working for the company!! Bloomsbury in Tourmaline, and Chant in Sky...check out the fabrics here!

Well, when I moved in here the wall behind the bookcase shelves were an awful white, dirty and not so pleasant... So I chose a warm pale creamy brown, which goes a dream with the wood and the sofa..without being "beigey"!
Okay, so I like my lounge...it's pretty cosy, and super comfy, and still feels big even with the three seater sofa (again - imagine NYC apartments, and how rare this can be!!) And I promise to get better pictures asap!

There is just one thing I would love in here....and that's in the picture below! I have a soft spot for cow hide rugs...and this cool creamy beige and white would just add that bit of pop, lightness, and a much needed curvy shape into my living room...oh yes..love it!! (and the lamp too!!)

Beautiful Moments...

After a weekend of 98 degree stifling heat, tonight a rolling Thunderstorm decided to visit New York and give us all a bit of cooling off....

I seem to have a fascination for Thunderstorms, and this one didn't disappoint me! A shudder of thunder, and a crack of lighting whipped across the sky directly above my head, enough to make me jump...I felt like a child again, surprised and loving the excitement of it!

So out under my apartment building's covered front steps, I indulge in my fascination (and my little smoking addiction!)....I stand there and watch the heavens open.

I look up, and the bolts of lighting spark bright white flashes on the windows across the street, and right in front of me the heavy fast rainfall shines orange, lit by the streetlight near me...It was an absolutely stunning moment.

And while the leaves of the tree in front of me shakes with the pouring rain, people scatter for cover, the streets of the city turn into splashing rivers, the city air is getting a glorious clean..

There is something I find so beautiful about a Thunderstorm so huge above New York City...It's so unbelievably powerful, stunning and natural, and that it can even dwarf a city such as this one....I stand there in complete awe and just watch it....and smile, New York has such perfect moments sometimes...

My Apartment's Redecoration, Part One!

So I've been promising to show you my big apartment redecoration for wayyy too long!! So finally I've pulled together some of the first few pictures of my bedroom, pre redecoration!

Sadly, I totally forgot to take ones before I removed out most of the furniture and my clutter, so these will have to do....and anyways - the place was way too cramped, messy and bland..you didn't miss too much! In the above and below pictures, just add a big nasty wood dresser (twice the size of the white one above, although slightly shorter), two bedside tables, piles of books, papers, tubes of paint, a laptop with no home, an armchair...and well, place it in annoying places where there are way too many 'void' unusable spaces (which just seemed to collect empty bags, shoe boxes, as well as Oscar's fur and toys!)......does that help for a visual?! Hopefully you'll enjoy seeing what I've been doing to improve it - and hopefully as much as I've enjoyed doing it!

Music to watch the world go by....

Sometimes in fact, images and words don't exactly express how I'm feeling.... Sometimes it just takes the perfect song, with perfect lyrics......to sing to, hum to, or to just make me smile...

Standing Still...

Sometimes I just feel like an image could best explain how I'm feeling, rather than words...sometimes it's the other way round....
Right now? It's the above and following images...something quiet, powerful, mysterious, and stretching out before me...So I guess this is how I'm feeling, standing here, taking a moment, a life unknown stretching out before me, but delicately lit along the way....

Vroom Vroom!!

How British could I be right now?! Yes....I'll have one of these please!

Okay, to some people this might sound a little odd, but yet here I am, a 27 year old with absolutely no driving license, never even a learning permit, and no lessons or tests ever taken....shocking right?! How have I made it through life this long without it?!!!

And of course, then you may raise the question, "why on earth would I need one if I live in NYC?!"

Well, of course, these things are good to have - what if a pregnant friend of mine needs to be driven to the hospital and her husband isn't around?!!! And, it's also good to help drive on lets say...long weekend trips to North Carolina perhaps?!!

Then I was thinking about getting a moped permit....and getting one of these gorgeously old school, wonderfully pink, classic Vespa's!! Now that would be fun - zipping around the city...well, except for when it snows....ahem....ha!

Well wish me luck on the test!! How hard can it be anyways?!!


Perfect Powder Pink...Love it!

Hot pink? Love this photo!

To Take A Moment.....

I have often been the most content and peaceful in my life while I have sat on a park bench. Sometimes I have done it with company, other times alone...I sit there and I watch the world tick by in front of me.... watching people going around doing their things, filling their time, or even just how the sunlight moves through the trees. 

I sit there and I think about my life, the people in my life, how lucky and grateful I am for those things, and the world around me....I've sat there for hours, I've sat there for only minutes.. but every time it brings me wonderful moments of happiness, perspective, and memories.

I'm reminiscing tonight, and with it, I have found some photography for you which reminds me of those such moments in my life....

Independence Day Weekend!!

It's officially the beginning of my long glorious Independence Day weekend!! To start with, I've got two Barbeques to hit tomorrow and I'm going to love every second of it!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend too!!

Light, Glorious Light!

So I've been pretty busy recently! I'm undergoing the drastic redecoration of my apartment! Of course, my big problem is, I don't want to show it off until its all done and perfect! - but then you can't have fun watching it all change!!!! So for now, while I gather the photos ready for you, I'll start by dreaming with you a little instead!

Ohh, Hello Moooi! How much do I love Jurgen Bey's Lights?!! How much would I love to have this beautiful lamp in my apartment right now?!!! I'm sure you would recognize his stunning "Shade Shade" lamp below - one which I have admired for as long as I can remember! I love how he mixes the old and traditional with a sharp twist of modern, he does it seamlessly... But when I saw the above Light Shade, I was in Love! Capturing my heart with my passion for traditional art on the shade inside... perfection!!!

Although my heart I leave with the Light Shade above, I do have a soft spot or two for the following lights! Appealing to my more abstract side, these are pretty intense - and in the right place in a home, would look a dream!

Pink! I just painted my walls in my room this gorgeous, hardly there, soft pink (I'm truly embracing my femininity here and loving it!! You'll see what I mean with photos soon!!!)

And so in that breath, I fell over myself when I found these lights in the pictures above and below! Andromeda flawlessly creates these stunning handmade glass lights, I am still in awe of the detail and precision in these pieces... Andromeda was founded in 1972 in Murano, Italy - a glassmaker's heaven since 1291, where else could these beauties originate from?! 

Wood, Beautiful Wood! Crispy clean, warm and inviting... How amazing would this light below look in the perfect den? Or lounge? Or Hallway? Or pretty much anywhere?!!

Through the wonders of the designers Guillermo Capdevila and Jorge Pensi for B.Lux, and one of my favorite little stores, 2Modern, I bring you the Helios Wood Pendant Lamp!...with 18 panels of clear varnished wood, and a core of 7 sockets, this perfectly constructed and gorgeous light certainly would not dim any room!!