My Girly Gallery Wall

What bachelorette pad would be complete without a girly gallery wall? Over the past year or so, I've been collecting prints and art pieces without much thought to how they would all coordinate together or how exactly I was going to hang them. I'll admit, I totally wung (winged?) this gallery wall (as evidenced by the MANY nail holes hiding behind each piece as I inched everything up, down, over and back again until I was satisfied...don't tell my landlord!). But now that it's up I have to admit the colours in each piece look perfect together...almost like I planned it!

 I really like how the art is framed by the doors flanking each side of the bookshelf (one leads to my walk in closet and the other to my bathroom) and I kept the highest piece in line with the moulding around the door to emphasize this. I purposely positioned the pictures around the TV to take the eye away from this big, blank, black rectangle.

Like my prints? Shop them below:

YSL Leopard Loafers (I scored the original watercolor, but you can get the print!): The Aestate
Gold T: (Gift from my big bro!) Chapters/Indigo
OUI graphic print: The Aestate
Lips Print: The Aestate (now available on Made by Girl)
Audrey Hepburn: Gift from my mama purchased from a vendor in NYC
Landscape: Flea Market Find!
Small Lamp Watercolor: Painted by yours truly! See it up close here
Butterfly Taxidermy: HomeSense (read about it here!)
Audrey Hepburn Triptych: Gift from my boyfriend, oddly enough also purchased in NYC!

Do you have a gallery wall in your home?
xox

You might also like: Gallery Wall Planning / DIY Large Abstract Canvas

Blurred Art

Thom Filicia Lake House via House Beautiful

Ever since seeing this image of Thom Filicia's lake house in the photo above, I've been a bit obsessed with the blurred piece hanging above the credenza. The hazy ambiguity provides just enough narrative (mother, child, beach) while still feeling abstract and arty. Initially I thought it was a photograph but after staring at it for so long I'm not so sure (I couldn't find a source). Either way, I'm tempted to throw a gaussian blur on all my photos and have the printed out and hung all over my room. Crazy, yes? I smell a summer project.

The fascination eventually led me to discover the amazing work of Philip Barlow. I just love his paintings in which he captures this same blurred quality. To me, the genius in Barlow's work is truly his ability to understand and recreate light.

Sea of Glass by Philip Barlow

Glow 2 by Philip Barlow

Slipping by on 34th Street by Philip Barlow

Light Space by Philip Barlow

Pretty spectacular in my opinion. I'm feeling inspired. Have a wonderful Monday my friends!

Wear/Where: The Lips Trend in Fashion and Home Decor

Today, it's all about paying some lip service to lips. There's something so feminine and sexy about a big ol pair of lips - Angelina Jolie knows what I'm talking about - and I'm loving this fun playful trend popping up in fashion and decor lately. I've been all over this. As long as I have my bachelorette pad, I'm taking advantage of as many girly things as possible...but let's be honest, even when I'm living with a man, the lips are going to stay.

sweater / print

This is  a great example of how fashion and decor are major influences on eachother. I am in love with my watercolor lips from The Aestate. I've posted about them more times than I probably should, but they are that good. Apparently Forever 21 was loving those lips too because they made a sweater looking suspiciously similar..... which I of course bought and can't wait to wear all fall.

Are you loving the lips trend? Big fat kisses to all of you xoxoxox.

I Love Landscapes

via Matchbook Mag

via little green notebook

via little green notebook

I love  good landscape oil painting. It adds such a traditional element that seems to blend seamlessly with most styles of decor. I'm on the hunt at local thrift shops and flea markets for the perfect one!
Do you have a landscape hanging on your wall?

Wednesday's Art (that I'm covetting)

Alright guys, I haven't created any doodles in a couple of weeks, and that makes me a bad blogger. Or maybe just a busy one. But I couldn't leave you high and dry today, so I'm sharing some really cool art that I'm seriously considering purchasing for my new place.

Y'all better recognize this girl is on a strict budget, so these are all cost friendly prints. Lovely.

1. Ink Blot art by Jessica of The Aestate

'Ingenue' via The Aestate

'Papillon' via The Aestate

Ahh too beautiful! I only need one, but which one? What's your vote guys?  Helppp!
On a side note, psych was one of only 2 B's I got throughout my University degree (still holding a grudge against it) so I'm surprised I'm drawn to these pyschology inspired prints..Actually look at them, I'm not surprised at all

2. Gold Perfume art by I See Noise

Chanel No.5 via I See Noise

Coco Chanel via I see Noise

You caught me, I posted about these prints before in my Birthday Wishlist in June. But, I'm still wishin away y'all! They are the perfect pair. I want both.

Speaking of Art, Charmaine received her original Dining Room painting in the mail and has it hung up and framed:

 via My Best Friend Craig

 Seeing my work framed and hanging in someone's space fills me with so much pride!
I have another specially commissioned doodle to reveal soon!
If you have something you'd like doodled up, don't be shy ;).

Lastly, with all eyes on the London for the Olympics and my blogging friend Ashleigh helping out at Olympic Park, I did a guest post over on her blog all about adding some London swag to your decor! Check it out.

Thanks for stopping by :) xo

Watercolor Wednesdays?

No doodle today but...

I took a trip to the craft store to pick up some supplies! It's been awhile since I've worked with watercolors, but I'm excited to get experimenting with these! Maybe next week will be a Watercolor Wednesday instead of the usual Wednesday Doodle!
Also...

Picked up this GLITTER for an upcoming DIY project...I really hope it turns out and I can't wait to share it with all of you!
Have a lovely week :) xo
 
ps. Enter my giveaway!!!

2D Deer Heads {an alternative}

Deer Heads, antlers, and skulls are a major interior statement that is trending. I'm a huge fan of this look, and have found some images of 2-dimensional deer heads that no one could object to! A great alternative to achieve the look without breaking the bank, or if mounting a deer head just isn't your thing.

^^These DIY deer antlers are made from Japanese washi tape applied to the wall! Read more about this project HERE.

via

^^These abstract antlers would be easy to recreate with some orange paint on brown paper and a frame!

via

^Go more literal with a painting of a deer head. This adds an instant rustic vibe!
Which is your favourite? I love the Japanese tape deer! Too cute and so simple.
xoxo
Tiffany Leigh

Wednesday's Doodlings 2

A colorful chippendale style chair by yours truly! Wouldn't this be fun in a bright kitchen? I love a good coral inspired fabric. I'm still feeling a bit under the weather, hopefully tomorrow I'll have enough energy for an awesome post! Love you all,
Tiffany Leigh

Look what I found!

On a recent outing to Homesense, one of my fave stores, I came across something that instantly made me think of this beautiful bedroom:

via

Okay.. are you ready? Check it out:

 (Please excuse the image quality, all I had was my phone camera!)
This art piece has a very similar vibe to the one in the inspirational image. The white horse, mane blowing in the wind, an all white background. I think the price of $220 is fairly reasonable! What do you think of this find? Are you a fan of equestrian art? Personally, I love it!

xox Tiffany Leigh

DIY Print Art

If you're looking for an inexpensive art solution, then this is perfect for you! I made the above prints simply using some wallpaper and frames.

It's as easy as three simple steps:

STEP ONE:
Visit your local wallpaper store and ask for some samples of high end, beautiful wall paper that you think might work in your space.This will be your print...and the best part is that it is absolutely free!

I loved the demask print in the bottom left, but decided to go with the branch pattern in black and white, as well as white and purple. Plum is the accent colour in my bathroom (which is the room I was planning to hang these in), so I liked the idea of using the same print in two different colours, and my shower curtain has similar branches on it.

STEP TWO:
Buy some nice frames, make sure it has a nice matte to give the print a polished look. I went to my local Walmart and picked up these silver frames for around 20 dollars each. I liked them because they had a white matte and a smaller silver matte in the middle. Frame the wallpaper (you can use the matte to crop the image exactly where you'd like it). You can crop three different areas of the same wall paper to make each frame different, but unified and cohesive.

STEP THREE:
Hang your art! Hang your frames in whatever way you want! I chose to hang all 3 in a level row, in the pattern of black branch, purple branch, black branch. Do whatever suits your room and your style.

Hope you enjoyed this easy DIY! Let me know if you give it a try. xox
Tiffany Leigh

Inspirational Art: Henry Hargreaves

New York City Subway, in ribbon

Paris Subway, in pipecleaner

How fun and amazing are these works of art photography by Henry Hargreaves. I discovered these pieces via CMYBacon. These are two of five from his Subway Series. He also makes a map of Washington's subway using M&Ms, London's in dyed spaghetti, and Moscow's in yarn. The ribbon and the pipecleaner shown above are my favourites though. Here's why:

I love the whimsy and the fluid line of the ribbon used to depict the New York City subway. I think that this is an interesting and contradictory way to illustrate a highly organized and structured system of the hustling and bustling city. The transparency of the ribbon gives depth and dimension. Absolutely brilliant.

The Paris Subway is a favourite simply for its clean line and fun colour. I especially like the pops of lilac, pink and minty green. I think that pipecleaner would be the easiest medium to try and do a DIY of this project in... hmmm, maybe one day!

These works would definitely make great conversation pieces! I'm truly inspired by the work of Hargreaves.
Are you?

Love always,
Tiffany Leigh

Designing with Maps

So... my boyfriend is kind of obsessed with maps. No joke, his favourite website is Google Maps. I simultaneously find his endless knowledge about the geographical world both attractive and irritating. I say irritating because he and I frequently have Jeopardy showdowns and he always gets the geography questions right and ends up winning. I may not know much about geography, countries, states, capital cities, etc... BUT one thing I do know is that maps make for some fabulous design. So this one's for the man in my life, because I know if we ever get a place together it will mean including maps in our decor.

Set one: Vintage Maps

 ^ This one reminds me of a school house for some reason, but I think the saturation of the colours in the map is gorgeous.

Check out THIS Etsy dealer to purchase your own vintage maps!

Set 2: IKEA map

This map has a more subtle, muted colour pallet than most of the vintage maps. It's been used by the young upcoming designer Sam Allen, as seen below:

 

 Works so well with these neutral colours and natural materials.

More Map Fun:

^ Try cutting up a large black and white map and framing each piece!

via http://www.atelier688.com/

 ^ Map pillows are a fun way to add a traveler's whimsy without making a big commitment. Globes are another accessory that does this!

^

^^ Designer Kate Hayes uses a map and a globe together in her personal home

^ It's a bit late for holiday decor, but aren't these globe snowmen created by interior designer Emily Henderson adorable? She does a how-to on her blog

Lastly, and this is probably my FAVOURITE idea of the bunch (although they are all lovable), is this adorable little art project, easy enough for any DIY-er:

Since I live in Ontario, and my guy goes to School in Nova Scotia, I'd love to cut out and frame each province like this. Perfect for any long distance relationship like ours :)

Okay, so now I want to pack up and travel. Luckily I just booked a flight out east for reading week!
Do you like this trend?

Love always,
Tiffany Leigh