The Day for the Outdoors Sale At One King's Lane

I know that a lot of you are excited for Spring.  For us who live in the tropics, we can already feel the heat of summer.  These are days to enjoy the outdoors, have picnics in the park or by the beach, or hold afternoon barbeques in the lawn.  In line with the fine weather, HGTV pairs with One King's Lane for the Day of the Outdoors Sale, (Wednesday, 4/3 - Friday, 4/5)!

I'm imagining buffets in the garden with family and friends so I picked up some great finds from the Help Yourself collection.  I love that the Bumble Bee teapot is now only $12, and the 3-pc Creamer, Sugar & Saucer set is now just $18.  I like the Mason Ball jar, striped straws, dotted napkins, and checkered plates - they would look cute together. If you like window shopping online like I do, check out One King's Lane, browse over the various collections on sale today, and find practical interior design tips by HGTV. I'd love to know what caught your eye?

ModCloth Top Featured in The Carrie Diaries

Do you watch The Carrie Diaries? I don't get to watch it so often but it is interesting to note that for the second time around, a clothing piece from Mod Cloth was sported on the show.  At the beginning of episode 112: "A First Time for Everything", Carrie Bradshaw was spotted wearing the Up in the Tee Tops from ModCloth. The orange peplum blouse is printed with green trees mixed with azure and coral patterns.  Carrie paired it with a statement necklace and a shorter necklace in gold chain.  Pretty :)

Featured Handmade Shop: Serejkin Dom

Anastasia Maltseva lives in Kyiv, Ukraine.  She is the designer and owner of the handmade shop Serejkin Dom.  I fell in love with her creations the first time I saw them.  I had featured one of her lovely necklaces here and asked if she wanted to be a featured shop on my blog.  Thankfully, she said yes :) If you are into pretty, whimsical things, you'll surely love this little shop too.  I hope that you will take a moment to read through the whole interview and get to know more about the talented artist behind this handmade shop.

Let's get to know the Entrepreneur:
 
Why the shop name? 
My shop's name, Serejkin Dom, in Russian means House of Earrings.

How old is your shop?
I've started it in 2008 and since then, my shop has been growing and developing.

What inspired you to start your own home business? 

I don't remember properly how it began. It was summer and I was bored and so I made my first super simple beaded earrings. But it wasn't something surprising: I have a very creative family, who taught me to sew, paint, etc. from childhood.

What was the toughest challenge you faced so far and how did you get over it?

The toughest challenge I faced was me and my fear. Fear to try, to start. When I was creating my etsy shop I didn't know, how it would be and if it will work or not. 

What tips would you want to share for aspiring home based entrepreneurs like you? 

Well, never give up! We have great opportunity to see everything around the world through Internet. Just look around, find your muse and create!

Where can we find you online? 
You can find my shop page on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, tumblr, Instagram and Etsy. Am I a geek? :)   We have a Russian language on-line shop and blog as well.

Let's get to know the Artist:

What are your inspirations?

I find my inspiration in things around me: flowers, music, birds songs, nature, buildings. I really like buildings and think all of them have soul. Especially old ones.

Can you give us a peek on the creative process involved in your craft?

Recently I work in the morning, because of the day light. All process of making earrings or necklace can last for a 1-2 days. Everything starts from a sketch. And if I see in my mind something that I couldn't embody right now, then I start searching of supplies, gemstones etc.

What are your personal picks from your shop?

Oh, I'm in love with our new spring collection: it's so fresh and delicate like morning air and dew on grass.

Let's get a bit personal:)

What do you do when you're not busy in your shop? 

On my free time I like to travel and photograph. And I like to drink coffee with macaroons in a little cafe in an old town.

What are your favorite shops? 

I can't pass by shops with all that cute interior stuff! It's obsession! Speaking about etsy shops I can stand out Coriumi, KaroArt and For Strange Women.

What's inside your bag? 

I'm a girl, so in my bag you can find 5 or 6 red lipstick :) Than there are cardholder, documents, wallet, touch phone (I can't live without it) and my notebook for sketches and plans.

What makes you smile? 

I try to smile for everything, every little moment or pretty thing. I smile at morning, when the sun wakes me up. It gives me energy for the whole day. 

What is your message to customers and the people who support you? 
Just notice beauty of the world and give some love to each other.

~*~*~*~

BIG THANKS & HUGS:

 Serejkin Dom

ModCloth Love Your Look Contest

Have you heard of the latest contest going on at ModCloth?  Beginning today through 7 AM PST on 3/18, check out the new Style Gallery, upload your own photo wearing your favorite pieces from the shop, love images, and share the looks that inspire you throughout the week of 3/11-3/18.  The outfit that gains the highest community-generated loves will win $100 ModCloth gift card.  Two random lovers of the winning photo will each receive a $50 gift card.  Here are some of the looks I hearted from the ModCloth Style Gallery.

Interior Design: French Inspired!

French interiors never fail to mesmerize me! I love looking at them in magazines and online. Though I can't see myself living in an entirely French loft, I'm actually drawn to the French country style and I would love French accents in my home.  Sometimes, it's just nice to window shop online and today, my shopping list is inspired by these romantic photos.

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One King's Lane

  metal milk can

"Lunch in Provence" by Rachael McKenna
fleur-de-lis cake plate 
French print market tote
white pitcher 
Eiffel print
recycled glass Carafe 

"French Chic" by Florence de Dampierre

metal baskets

Shop Love: All the Pretty Pastels

I'm loving all the pretty pastels from "Go Softly" Boutique at Shoe Dazzle especially the lace Oxfords which comes in pastel blue, pink and beige; the Parisian-inspired crocheted ballet flats with spiked studs across the toes; and the pastel + gold spiked-studded accessories.

via: Shoe Dazzle

Interior Design Shop: Lulu & Georgia

Hello. I hope everyone's had a wonderful weekend. We're not yet back home which explains the sporadic posting. I promise that once I got back my own work station, I would be sharing photos and would be visiting blogs again.  I hope you enjoyed reading my most recent vintage shop feature and interview.  

Meanwhile, I realized that it has been some time since I created an interior design post.  Interior decorating is one of my passions and I can spend hours browsing online home furnishing stores and interior design magazines.  Today, I came across Lulu & Georgia, an interior design shop based in California.  I love their collection of rugs, throws, and pillow covers.  Of course, I just had to share this great find with you all.  You can check out their shop here, follow their blog or follow them on Facebook.

Coupons: 25% Discount on Photo Book

It would be so cool to create my own photo book . I have lots of photos that I would have like to print and compile in an album.  It would've been so easy through Blurb because you instantly can make your own wedding book, photography book, cook book, or a family album.  The samples from the website look really nice.  You can even publish and sell your books online.  Found these interesting titles there :

books available via: Blurb

btw:

This weekend February 22 to 25, Blurb is offering 25% discount on your entire order.  Just use the code  FLASH25OFF 

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Window Shop: Yummy Brown Accessories

I seriously NEED and WANT the vintage camera bag but these other three goodies look just as good!

bohemian terracotta necklace : LAccentNou

oversized leather weekender : Refinery29
foldover booties : Shoe Dazzle

vintage camera crossbody bag : Yes Walker

Kitchen Essentials: Wooden Cutting and Serving Boards

I stumbled upon this quirky shop online through Pinterest and couldn't help but share it here on my blog as well. Ashes & Milk features the work of selected artists who have a passion for creating things using traditional methods.  These cutting and charcuterie boards were designed and handcrafted by Geoffrey Lilge, a craftsman from Canada.  These stunning pieces have been painstakingly made from a single piece of wood. 

Ashes & Milk

via: Astrid

Window Shop: Stella & Dot Spring Line

I love fashion accessories that incorporate semi-precious stones and beads with subtle accents of yellow or white gold.  Here are some of my favorites from Stella & Dot's Spring Collection.  I think these pieces are very versatile as they can be worn with floral, plain or printed tops; and can be mixed 'n matched with various outfits: dresses, blouse & skirt, or tee-shirts. 

Which of my picks caught your eye?