Happy Accidents--DIY Art

I bought a new rug for my hallway, and it had creases that needed to be flattened out. So I grabbed some big art books off the shelf and came across this one that my boyfriend bought me awhile ago.

I had totally forgotten about this book...We have like 8 bookshelves in our apartment. Two poets equals lots of books. Anyways, I started flipping through and found all of these great images. So I promptly starting tearing out my favorites and deciding where to put them. I used existing frames and hung them in different spots throughout my place.





These go very nicely with my other botanical prints (below) that I bought at a store in Fairfax called Circa Home and Garden.



I love these kinds of happy accidents. That book would have just sat on the shelf all by it lonesome. Now the images have a new life! And it's spring (almost) so these prints are fitting!

Changing out artwork is so easy. Do you have projects like this to celebrate spring? Send them my way!

Holy Moly, I'm in Love

Seriously, I just found this stylist and interior designer. Her name is Abigail Ahern, and she has a store in London, Atelier.

The items in her store (but not necessarily designed by Abigail herself, thanks to a reader's comment!) are so whimsical, so Alice in Wonderland.

Or these crazy art pieces. I especially love the sunbather and the hand hooks:

Or this bookcase wallpaper:

I love the humor and playfulness. Take this ostrich leg table, for example:

I am in awe. I wish I could see these pieces in person.

*Images from Atelier.

Spray Painting Party!

I had a total crazy spray painting day. I must have been high from all the fumes. Maybe I should have worn a mask. Yes I did all this in one day.

I had all these nic-nacs and other various things in my house that I was not happy with. I loved the shape or the style, but not the colors. So voila, spray paint! I mainly used black and white to make my apartment feel more uniform, more calming. Here are the before and afters. Some I don't have before's, so bear with me.

Candleholders before:

Candleholders after (sans candles, I like it better this way):

Chandelier dressing before (these are just cheap branches with beads I bought at a craft store):

Chandelier after:

Mirror before (I loved the shape of this mirror and the large frame border, but the yellow with the leaves had to go):

Mirror after (crisp, glossy black):

Garden pot before (I also rearranged this hallway with different art, plant, rug, etc.):

Garden pot, celery green after:

Some random afters:

Night light (it was maroon and mustard before):

Bird (it was brown and ugly, very 70's before):

Mail holder (it was brown and had grapes on it before, ugh!):

Whew! I think that's it...I may have missed some. I hope you'll find some love for spray painting, too! And wear a mask.

Have I Died and Gone to Heaven?

I just came across this house tour on Livingetc. after reading Door Sixteen's post on display shelving. I love reading her blog, and I've been turning to other people's blogs for style inspiration and also for a little name dropping. I'm new to the design world, so I'm trying to get a sense of where people find great designers and who these designers are. So if you have favorites, send them my way!

Here are images from Anna Parker's home in west London. She's an actress turned interior designer. I'm not normally drawn to white, but lately everything is white on white. I love the clean brilliance to these rooms and the small pop of color. To view more of her home, go here.

I Love You, Artichoke

Since it's Friday, and I still haven't taken pics of my before/after spray paint projects, I thought I'd post some of my wish list items. So, it's not all things artichoke, but the first two are. Enjoy!

Urban Outfitters: Artichoke Stool

Anthropologie: Artichoke Votive

Anthropolgie: Abalone Chandelier

Anthropologie: Effervescent Chandelier

And as I was posting these amazing chandeliers, I was reminded of that truly great Saturday Night Live skit. Saturday Night Live-Saturday Night Live - Chandeliers - AOL Video

Happy Friday!

Handmade Jewelry

This weekend, I had a small poetry workshop at my apartment with a few friends. A fairly new friend, Alison, was wearing the most beautiful necklace and earrings. And what do you know, she made both pieces! Her jewelry is all handmade, usually created from recycled/repurposed materials. I really love these two necklaces. The combination of the hardware with the ribbon is just lovely.

Check out her website at http://retoldstory.com/.

I also know another jewelry artist through my work at the Art department at George Mason University. I meet a number of the MFA graduate students, and they're all producing such great work. One abstract painter turned jewelry-maker has done really well for herself selling her jewelry in stores here in the U.S. and abroad. Check out this swallow necklace and this dagger heart necklace.


Here's her website in case you'd like to purchase. http://www.odetteny.com/.

Happy Friday!

Okay, so I couldn't resist a Happy Friday post. It's 65 degrees here in Virginia, and I'm loving it. I spray painted a ton of things white yesterday (pics to come). Think spring, think spring!

From the Beginning

So I've been thinking about starting a blog for sometime. I didn't want it to be about poetry (my first love), so I decided on design (my other first love). In thinking of a title, I automatically thought of "Macho Purse." I used to carry around this enormous bag, probably a thrift store or T.J. Maxx purchase. It looked somewhat like this one, though not a Marc Jacobs bag, and much more macho! I don't know why I carried it around. I don't usually stuff my bag full. I guess it was because it was beautiful and I gave it a name, so I had to carry it... Also I came up with this name for some friends who needed a name for a band they were putting together.

An old boss once told me I was the kind of person who liked to surround myself with beautiful, organized things (I told her my dream jobs were to work at a plant nursery, create scents for a perfume store, or work in an antique shop, among others...) So here's to "Macho Purse." I hope you'll enjoy reading this blog of art, design, some poetry, and whatever else comes to mind.