Good Morning! Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Man….I’ve been working up a storm and have officially launched myself back into working full-time (which is a blessing). This past weekend, the boy and I took a road trip back to our  hometown in Indiana to watch our younger siblings graduate from COLLEGE! I can’t believe it!! It was nice to get away, but it is always nice to be home again. Enjoy your week with a little visual inspiration!

Notables this week:
1. I love the art walls in this home featured on Design Sponge
2. This South African beach house has me dreaming about my beach wedding next year!
3. The shop called Bailey Doesn’t Bark has some really unique (non pet) items
4. This cute little journal called Human Being is only $10. Might have to snag it.
5. This light filled kitchen, featured on My Scandinavian Home blog is soooo dreamy
6. More beautiful photo stories, told by Katie of Katie’s Pencil Box
7. I’ve fallen in love with this chair…I think I need 4 of them :)
8. These boots. If I have anything to say about it, they’ll be mine.
9. The neutral textures in this room are so amazing

I don’t usually post about fashion items, but when I see something that stops me in my tracks, I just gotta share. I stumbled upon Nanushka clothing company via one of my favorite blogs, Spell & Gypsy Collective. Nanushka’s pieces are so artistic and textural, they are stunning.

If you have some spare time, check out Nanushka and if you need a new blog, check out Spell & Gypsy Collective

Last week I took on an impromptu freelance project where I got to play around with watercolors and patterns. It was a job that I normally wouldn’t have taken on, but there was something about the process that I was drawn too, so I jumped in. Two days later the project was due and the result are piles of watercolor paper and water marks all over the place. Haha.

I’ll be able to share the project soon, but until then…here are some fun scraps.

Hello there! Hope everyone is have an amazing Friday and that you have something planned for the weekend! Usually I share some notable links with you on Fridays, but today I wanted to share a notable photographer with you, Katie Newburn. Katie is an amazing food photographer living in San Francisco. She’s been busy growing her body of work for a few years now and thought it was time to grow her brand image as well.

Katie and I have been in contact and working together for many months now. Our goal was to look at the logo she already had and make some refinements to it. We also wanted to explore other ways a logo or icon could be used for her brand. An example of this might be an icon for an email signature, a watercolor icon to be used as a graphic element on a business card, or even a watermark to be placed on top of her photos. The end result is a cohesive brand mark that can be used across many elements.

We’re also working to organize a large body of work and showcase the images in a designed and professional printed portfolio. The process has taken longer than expected because we’re trying to source the best printer for the job, but non the less…it’s all pretty exciting.

If you need help with branding for your business, shoot me an email!

This past Christmas I gifted my Fiancé with something he’s wanted for years…my blessing to ride a motorcycle. In the midst of doing all my research before I finally said yes, I rode on the back of a friend’s motorcycle and fell in love with the energy and the free spirited community in my city. I wanted to be a part of it now, just as much as the boy did.

I gifted the boy (and myself) with a weekend long riders course that we both thankfully passed this past weekend (both written test and driving test). The whole experience was extremely terrifying and much more mentally exhausting than I ever imagined. Riding on the back of a bike is a piece of cake compared to being the one responsible for making the thing move. I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and at points during the weekend I felt my limits being pushed. But we kept going. Both exhausted. Both terrified. Both over-excited…

We walked away from the experience with a gained sense of appreciation for those that DO ride. We’ve gained some valuable skills that will hopefully help keep us in safe hands. We’ve walked away with a spring in our steps and with a huge sense of accomplishment. We totally did it! We did it together. We were bold, brave, and terrified.

I’d like to think that with this experience under my belt I’ll feel more confident putting myself in more terrifying and challenging experiences. I want those experiences. I need them to grow as a professional and individual.

My favorite motorcycle instagram feed

*By summer we’ll be cruising on a bike of our own, with wind in our hair and a death grip on the clutch ;)

I’ve been really drawn to these African baskets. I absolutely love the mix of color and texture…and who wouldn’t love their unique organic shapes. These little guys are a bit pricey, but the craftsmanship is one of a kind.

What kind of house ware goods are you drawn to these days?

You can purchase these beauties here –>

I stumbled upon this podcast/video at the perfect time. I was feeling the morning blues of being uninspired and naturally…I was blaming myself for being uninspired. I kept asking myself..”I have a dream job, why can’t I just pull it together?” I came across this TED talk with Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat.Pray.Love) and she just blew me away. So much that I listened to it twice (she kind of talks fast too).

She does a really good job at examining the creative process and performance expectations. She has also developed a unique way of dealing with the constant pressure of needing to be successful…she calls this solution “the disembodied creative spirit”. Here’s my takeaways from the talk.

Podcast Takeaways:
- Is is right that you are afraid of what you were put on this earth to do? Afraid of not succeeding. Afraid of never being able to succeed again.
- Creative are naturally a little bit “undone”, but why do we have to be linked to suffering?
- We need protection from the results of our work
- Consider a separation, yet collaboration with your creative “self” instead of being so dependent on it.

Listen to more here–>

More Podcast reviews here: Embrace Failure, Chat with Pinterest Founder,  Learning to Balance with Joy and Naomi, Becoming Your Brand, Being More Present with Your Business, Surrounding Yourself with Art, Usefully Losing Control Of Your Brand

Today I’m sharing a little sneak peek of the new Veda House rebranding. It’s taken me quite a while to develop a look I was really happy with. I wanted an overall look and feel that was a contrast of light and dark, a contrast of thick and thin, contrast of subtle and bold.

I’ve discovered through this whole process that my personality and what I’m drawn to seems to be on either end of the scale. Its either really graphic and minimalistic…or its natural and moody. I needed a way to visually show the contrast.

A full blog launch will be happening in the coming weeks (as soon as I finish the new Veda House logo) as well a fun new project I’m calling “Studio Hours”.

Stay tuned. I’m pretty excited over here ;)

It’s been a super busy week filled with new design work, setting up summer travel plans and pasta making in the evenings. The fiancé and I had a really amazing weekend last weekend and look forward to another just like it! Happy Weekend!

Notables this week:
1. This beach house shared on The Style Files
2. A travel inspired home of Brandi from Mucho Mucho Bueno Bueno
3. An interview with Joanna Fowles (Textile Designer)
4. A fun little plant DIY on the Mariaemb blog
5. The shop tour of Spartan (photos taken by Jessica Comingore)
6. I’m in love with the Tumblr blog of Marte Marie Forsberg
7. Decorative power cord DIY via DesignLoveFest
8. A swedish home featuring botanicals via Remodelista
9. The photography work of Emiliano Grando