Live and in person!

Howdy everyone! I will be out at the stART on the Street Festival this Sunday, September 18 in Worcester, Massachusetts from 11am-5pm! If you're in the area, be sure to stop by my tent! I'll be debuting a lot of new products that will be available in the online shop soon, but it would be love to meet some of my customers in person!

We're going to have great weather and it looks like Worcester knows how to have a good time! There will be a lot of artisans, vintage sellers, music and (of course) some yummy food. Hope to see you there!

-Kami

Image source: stART on the Street

the LBD team

Meet Simon, Officer of Shipping and Receiving
(and gnawing on box corners when i'm not looking)

Studio Sweet Studio

(Sunken Treasure Studio/ photo: Sophie Schellekens

If this was my studio I would never, ever leave!

My friend just sent over an link to the site Studio Sweet Studio and I couldn't be more in love. Looking at all of these artists' spaces and where the magic happens is so inspiring! Go look!

Helen Rawlinson's studio (her Etsy shop is here)
Swoon. Can I please have all of these papers?!
I bet it smells so inky and wonderful in her studio, too :)

Images: Helen Rawlinson

Lana Pelana's Studio (her Etsy shop is here) Doesn't her stuff make you smile?


Images: Lana Pelana

So fun to see the artist + studio + the art! Even with Etsy, you don't always get to see the people behind the work. Ok, what are you waiting for? Get over to Studio Sweet Studio and check the spaces out!

Have a great weekend! -Kami

good morning!

If you want to make this cinnamon bread, you can find the recipe here at the Italian Dish blog. This was my first shot at making the cinnamon bread and it turned out a little dry, but that's not keeping me from eating it! The Italian Dish is a great recipe resource for any italian food-lovers! (or if you just like great homemade food!)

hgtv design star

Did you see it?!

Ok, I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea and not everyone drains-their-brains with cable tv, but I like me a good design show.

Last night's episode had a good mix of designs/styles as the designers revamped different rooms in a seaside bed & breakfast. There were some nice pieces in each room (ok, most rooms), but my fave was definitely the room done by this trio: Karl, Meg and Mark.



I'm hoping Meg keeps going strong, since I've fallen in love with this bed.


(Note: I'm not sure what is going on with the pics on HGTV's site...they're look very dull. The colors were much more vibrant!)

Check out more pictures from the episode at HGTV's website.

Image source:HGTV

New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a safe and fun celebration. Hubbie and I had a great time meeting new people, playing games and eating great food. It was a fun night!

And now onto a new year: 2011! Have you made your resolutions yet? Do you make any? I'm never too strict with myself on resolutions, but I've got a few:

1) Work on my Etsy shop as much as possible!
2) Be a better listener
3) Stay in touch with friends much better than I do
4) Oh, and the usual—get my house organized! (this is more like a weekly resolution :)

If you're looking to get your home, office or car organized, Etsy has posted a great listing of unique and fun items that will get you excited to clean up and organize. All of these are great ways to decorate your home and get organized, but I've definitely got my favorites!

I think I must have this Reclaimed Wood Desk Caddy from PegandAwl


This would get me excited to do laundry! Laundry Room Boxes from PattisPrimitives


Never lose those keys. Or necklaces. Or scarfs.
Super-Sweet Wood Sign with Hooks from LoveNostalgicWhimsy


This is just the cutest little canister. I might use it for garlic, as it's intended, but I'm sure there are 1,000 other uses for it, too!
Canister by Bella Joy Pottery


There are so many cute items on this list. If you want to get organized in style, check it out!


Image Sources: pattisprimitives,
lovenostalgicwhimsy
bellajoy
pegandawl

Budget-Friendly Holiday Decor

Now that it's officially December, my mind turns to the holidays. Besides a few white lights and sometimes a nice, fresh green tree, I'm not too big on holiday decor. I blame this on my current apartment (not a lot of room) and my lack of off-season storage (no room at all). Maybe someday when I have a larger space, I'll be more seasonally-inspired. For now, though, I like to keep things minimal. This diy wreath project over on Design*Sponge caught my eye, though. It's wintery, without being too "Christmas-ey," and with its soft colors, it could stay up for a few months. I always have leftover grocery bags and spray paint around, so this would be a "free" decor project that wouldn't take up any floor space. Free and cute? Perfect!

Click here to check out more images and the full instructions at Design*Sponge.

Image source: Design*Sponge

Happy Friday!

I caught the sunlight was coming into our bathroom window at sunset the other day. It was so pretty, I just had to snap a shot.

The Nars bottle that you see is their Monoi Body Glow II. I love this stuff. I got it before I went on a trip to Greece five years ago, and I still have it. A little goes a long way, and every time I put some on, I feel transported to a tropical locale. It's a tahitian gardenia scent and there's even a little dried flower in the bottle. If you're feeling very un-tropical some time this winter, I would highly recommend purchasing a bottle!

Happy weekend everyone! Think tropical! xo -Kam

Musical Inspiration!

Working on my Etsy shop usually occurs after a full day of work, which means that I usually need a little energy. For a little non-caffeinated pick-me-up, I always put on a little music while I work! Thought I would share a sample of what's been playing in my studio tonight:

- - "My Love" by The Bird and the Bee

- - "Lisztomania" by Phoenix

- - "Evacuate the Dancefloor" by Cascada

- - the entire "Sigh No More" album by Mumford & Sons
(but especially "I Gave You All" and "Winter Winds")

- -"It's Been Done" by Angela McCluskey

- - "Prisoner" by Hacienda

- - "He Can Only Hold Her" by Amy Winehouse

- - "The Promise" by When in Rome (for old times sake!)

I like the fun mix of upbeat, dance music and moody, folky, nighttime music. Hope you find a few songs that you enjoy! Put them on and get creative!

You can purchase these all of these songs on iTunes (and probably Amazon, too!)

xo - Kami

Where have you been?!!

I don't call. I don't write.
The nerve.

I guess I have some explainin' to do.
Well, I've been just a little busy with my personal life lately. It's as simple as that. I have been feverishly planning the most wonderful event: my wedding to the loveliest, sweetest man, which is going to happen in 30 short days! (Eeeekkkk!!!) I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are. Everything is finally falling into place and the "to-do" list is getting a lot shorter. I'm just hoping that the Chicago weather holds out for us and we have a sunny, crisp fall day!

A few weeks ago, I also completed my first ever sprint distance triathlon here in Chicago. That was a HUGE personal goal for me that I have been working on since February (and hey, it didn't hurt that it helped me lose a few pounds for the wedding!). I am so proud of myself for accomplishing it. Sports have always played a role in my life, but I have to say, swimming for a half-mile in open-water never has. Beyond casual swimming, I had no idea what I was doing. So I signed up for some lessons this past winter and then practiced, practiced, practiced. Obviously, swimming in a race setting, with a bunch of other people was the panic-inducing portion of the race for me. But thankfully, the swim went better than I could have ever hoped. The rest of the race was HARD, but very fun. I literally caught myself smiling so many times because I was so excited and proud. There's nothing that will make you more proud of yourself than doing something that seems a little risky, a little out of reach, and makes your nervous heart beat a little faster just thinking about it. It's worth it! Prepare, train, set yourself up for success and go do it! You'll be so proud of yourself afterwards. Promise.

Ok, enough pep talk. I'm just feeling so energized lately and am ready, with all of my personal plans falling into place, to step back into my Etsy shop and the blog world and send some positive energy and lovely cards your way! I hope you'll come along for the ride! xo-Kami


This is literally what I yelled out as I exited the water, "Yay! I didn't drown!"

Dream Locale: The Viceroy Palm Springs

Well, I've already got my wedding venue, but the Viceroy Palm Springs looks pretty darn swanky. I love, love, love the yellow + black and white color palette that they have for this whole hotel! Yellow is my favorite color and playing a big role in my own wedding, but the Viceroy takes the yellow to a whole new level of hip, California cool. It's 90 degrees here in Chicago, but Palm Springs is still looking pretty nice :) Especially that pool.


Check out the full post over on The Wedding Chicks blog.

And after your done ogling the images of the Viceroy, head on over to Lane Dittoe's website. He took all of the above photographs and there so much great wedding and couple photography on his site.

All photography by Lane Dittoe Photography
Source: The Wedding Chicks

FREE Father's Day Cards!

Hello Lovelies,
Well, I have been a very bad shop owner lately. I'll admit it. Between traveling and planning my own wedding, I have been been a bit neglectful and have left you in the lurch without any Father's Day cards! Shame on me! I sincerely apologize for the oversight. I DO love my papa, and I'm sure you do, too!

So, to make amends, I've posted some free, yes FREE, Father's Day cards that you can download as a PDF file and print on your own personal computer (or take to your local copy shop). NOTE that these are only for your personal use (not for selling them or for stealing my ideas). Just print 'em out, cut and fold along the lines. Then give the card to your Dad this Sunday with a big hug and a kiss!

Here are the 2 card designs (2 color options for the first design)
Simply click on the LINK below the card image to go to the pdf file download.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dads out there! -Kami

Happy Daddy Day! Card - BLUE

My Pops is the Tops Card

Happy Daddy Day! Card - RED

Etsy Love! :: Dancing Pen Calligraphy

I just wanted to spread a little Etsy Love to a fellow Etsian, Elecia of DancingPen. Isn't her work beautiful? And to top it off, she's a sweet shop-owner, with super-customer service. I'm lucky enough to have her addressing my outer envelopes for my wedding invitations. She also does calligraphy for a range of other products--marriage certificates, vows, placecards, poems and I'm sure much more!

I admit, it is a little splurge to get calligraphy, but even on a budget I wanted at least one extra special touch to our invitations. After seeing so many beautiful calligraphy samples on wedding blogs, I knew that I wanted calligraphy. Elecia is going to use white ink on dark grey metallic envelopes and I cannot wait to see the results. I'll have to control myself until August, but I will be sure to share the results when I get them back! Until then, I need to get working on the overall design of our wedding invitations. It's definitely on my "to-do" list for this month.

Top image source: Dancing Pen Calligraphy

Go Ride a Bike!

The weather forecast for Chicago next week is looking a little better and my goal is to ride my bike to work at least two times next week (with my helmet, unlike the cute lady above. Yes, you look chic, but put on that darn helmet!). My trip to work is only about a 15-minute bike ride versus a 5-minute drive in my car. I know, I am such a lazy American. A 5-minute drive! However I defend myself on the basis of these three facts: 1) I am absolutely, positively, never-in-a-million-years a morning person. It's just not pretty in the morning until I have some coffee and the clock strikes 11am. Unfortunately, I need to be at work much earlier than this. 2) I am currently training for a triathlon, which is both the reason I should be riding my bike to work and also the reason that I should not. My body is just so doggone tired lately and biking even just a few more minutes is not the most appealing idea. Also, if I have my car, I can whip over to the gym at lunch and get a run or a swim in. So being lazy and driving actually allows me to workout more (i'm sure that you love this logic. ha!). 3) Lunchtime=errand time. I get so much of my weekly shopping and errands done at my lunch time. No car = no trunk, which poses a logistics problem for how I would actually get all of those groceries and Target purchases safely home.

Okay, enough of my faulty logic (or excuses :), I'm just going to try and ride my bike to work twice next week. It is fun and energizing and actually does wake me up a bit more than the coffee.

Are you able to ride your bike to work or get in a bike ride during your normal week? Maybe for just a quick errand or for a fun ride with the family?

And speaking of biking, Chicago is also having a fun event over Memorial Day weekend (Sunday, May 30th to be exact) called "Bike the Drive." They shut down the busy Lake Shore Drive to cars for a few hours and let everyone come out for a nice ride with their families along the lake. It's not a race, it's not competitive—just everyone out there, all ages and all athletic levels, pedaling around for fun. 30 miles of undisturbed biking along the lake and in the heart of Chicago. What could be better than that?

I'm signing off until Monday, I've got a "spa day" scheduled with my sister tomorrow, a lot of work for the shop, some workouts and most importantly some relaxation with my sweetheart planned. I hope everyone has a great weekend and is able to get outside for a nice walk, run or maybe even a bike ride! -Kami

Top Image Source:A Cup of Jo blog (more on this Australian blog later. It's great!)
Bottom Image Source:Strawberry Luna "Going to See My Baby" Art Print

Ahoy, Dresser!

How fun is this dresser? I'm definitely filing this away for future use. This was painted by the folks over at Chroma Lab. They have some great ideas on their site for creating whimsical and textural design with just a bit of paint. The great thing about decorating with paint is that it's affordable and easy to change. Now that's my kind of design!

Image Source: Chroma Lab via Design Sponge

Getting Some Work Done

Hello, lovelies! I've been hard at work on a BUNCH of new stuff for the shop. There's just never enough time in the day, is there? I hope that everyone is doing great and getting ready for summer (it's almost here!). I've got a lot of new prints coming to the shop, as well as some great new cards. I can't wait for show-and-tell time. Until then, though, I need to sit down and crank some work out! And doesn't the desk above look like a lovely place to be if you have a lot of work to do? Just add a cup of coffee or tea and I would be set for more than a few hours. Ta ta for now! xo -Kami

Say "Hello" to the Future of Laundry

Okay, so I digress from my normal design rants. I don't normally get excited about cleaning products, but this new laundry detergent from Method just rocks. And I feel that I just have to let people know. I purchased it on a whim at Target the other week, mostly because I had walked to the store and realized that I was going to have to carry back anything that I bought. Eyes scan shelves and land on a laundry detergent bottle that promised to wash 25 loads and was smaller than a grande Starbucks drink. Sold! (Ok, so there's some little nugget of innovative packaging design appreciation in this post...) I initially bought the smaller version just to give a try, but we've loved it and have since bought this larger 50 load pump bottle. This 50 load bottle is the size of a 20 oz. soda bottle. I haven't counted, so I'm not sure how many loads it actually does, but it seems quite close to what the bottle promises.

Good things do come in small packages. This new super-concentrated, small packaged detergent is probably the most eco-friendly option on the laundry detergent shelves. Less plastic waste (the Method website says 36% less plastic is used to create these bottles vs. other concentrated detergents. 50% less plastic compared to normal detergents. whoa). You're buying a super concentrated detergent (so less water) and less weight to lug from the store and around your laundry room. Bonus: it saves space in your laundry area (my laundry area is a tiny closet, so that's a big deal to me!).

If you're still not convinced, the Method Laundry website outlines everything much more scientifically than I ever could. Take a look and next time you're out of detergent think about giving this brand a try for a few loads. The earth will thank you. (ok, i'm literally stepping off the soapbox) xo-Kami

Image Source: Method website

Modern Dollhouses

Like a lot of girls, I had a dollhouse when I was a kid. My younger sister and I would set up our dollhouses in a circle (our "town") and play for hours. Each of our dollhouses was a different style. I had a rustic, wood cabin while my younger sister had a pink and blue victorian as well as a larger painted traditional house. We exchanged furniture, "redecorated" and played for hours in our imaginary, little world.

Fast forward to almost 20 years later: I come across these "Modern Dollhouses" and the stories of their collectors on The New York Times website. I seriously gasped when I came across the first image. Who ever thought that you could have a modern dollhouse? As a grownup? Genius! The thought hadn't even occurred to me, but what better way to live out your modern furnishing obsession without going bankrupt? Personally, I love modern furnishings, but they're really not in the budget at the moment and also not really in-line with my hubbie-to-be's style.

The current collectors seem to be about portraying "real-life" in miniature (if not better-designed) versions of their real lives. In some of the pictures of these modern dollhouses, like the one below, it's hard to tell if it's a life-size room or the dollhouse. The amount of detail put into these houses is amazing!

I'm not sure if I could get into full-on collecting (especially because there's just no extra room in my apartment now!), but it might be fun to have just a few mini-modern furnishings spread around as little surprises.

Ok, you've got to check all the pictures out. They're just fascinating! Here's a link to the full slideshow. Enjoy!

All Photos: David Azia (for The New YorkTimes)
Source: The New York Times

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the lovely mothers (and motherly figures) out there! I'm thinking of all the Moms in my life today and thanking my lucky stars that I have all of these wonderful women surrounding me. Hug your Mom! (or I hope that you at least sent her a card! :) xo -Kami
Me and My Mom circa 1985 (wasn't she sweet to let me play in the warm, clean towels?)

If you need to find me...

...I'll be here. At my (pretend) home in Napa Valley, California. Doesn't it look heavenly? Have a great weekend everyone! -Kami

Photo: Erhard Pfeiffer
Source: Remodelista