Inspired By: Photographer Dan

I just discovered the exquisite botanical photography of Dan aka Durango99 (on flickr) the other day and have been enjoying wandering through his flickrstream ever since.  Dan's editing skills are phenomenal...the colors he enhances divine.  But there is something more about his work that really captivates me, and that is that he seems to really "get" the essence of what he is shooting.  I'm not sure how better to describe his body of work than to say that his images are like intimate conversations that we as viewers are lucky to "listen" in on.  I hope that that makes sense.  Either way I hope you'll stop over for a visit to his stream and see for yourself.  Enjoy!  xo Ez

(images posted with permission by Dan)

One Good Thing: You Are My Sunshine Art Print

I'm really loving the graphic appeal of this bright and cheery You Are My Sunshine Art Print from Blacklist Studio.  You can see all of their sweet prints in their shop right here and visit their personal site here.  Enjoy!  xo Ez

Inspiration Daily: Coal + Ice Blue

Image credits: 1. bluemoon, 2. l'hiver en bleu IV, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled

An Inspirational Collaboration: Vanessa + Kelli

Hello and happy Friday lovelies!  To those of you here in the US...happy 4th of July weekend!  I hope that no matter how you will be spending the next few days, they will be filled with friendship, just the right amount of sunlight, and laughter until your sides ache.

Today I have the great delight of introducing a special collaboration between two of the sweetest ladies around: Vanessa Warren and Kelli Trontell.  You're going to love what they've created to share with us all today, so please be sure to scroll all the way down to take every last bit of inspirational goodness in.  But first let's start by asking the ladies about what inspired this gorgeous series, and how it was working together on such a lovely collaboration, shall we?

"Collaboration is a passion for the both of us. We have been inspired by so many other creatives and blogs (such as the fabulous Creature Comforts), so when we had the idea of mixing our creativity (styling + photography), we wanted to do our very best in hopes to inspire others and give back to those who daily inspire us. With the 4^th of July holiday upon us, we decided to get creative and pull from our Southern lifestyle here in Music City - Nashville, TN. We met in Nashville five years ago after packing our bags and moving away from home (Vanessa - Dallas, TX // Kelli - Orange County, CA) to follow our dreams. We have always been creative in our own way and inspired by one another…so this collaboration was the perfect fit!"

Wasn't that absolutely fantastic everyone?!  You're going to want to see more from these two ladies, so:

• Vanessa Warren’s designs & stylings can be found here: butterflyspArks | Facebook | Twitter
• Kelli Trontell’s lifestyle photography can be found here : Kelli Trontell | Facebook | Twitter

Enjoy your weekend everyone!  xo Ez

Free Download: Printable Party Bunting + Cupcake Toppers

Hello there everyone!  Today I wanted to share with you all a new download that I made for Free Printable Party Bunting + Cupcake Toppers.  Of course I was mostly inspired by the upcoming 4th of July holiday here in the US, but these would work great for a nautical themed party, a child's room decor, and more.  The sky's the limit, so play around with it and have fun.

Supplies Needed:

• Card stock
• Color Printer
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Twine (for bunting)
• Beads (optional - for bunting)
• Toothpicks (for cupcake toppers)

Simple directions are included on the PDF.

SOME OTHER USES:

Decor for my daughter's bedroom:

When my daughter saw me putting together my first sample bunting she immediately wanted to know if she could make one to hang in her room.  So yesterday afternoon we created one to hang above her bed.  For an extra special touch we threaded gold beads as spacers between the flags.  The entire project only took about 30 minutes and the finished results are so nice.  I have one very happy 11 year old.

As a Simple Invitation / Card:For an easy little invitation I just snipped the cupcake flags in half and glued them to a piece of colored card stock.  I made this one really quickly as an example to share with you, but I'm sure with some more time and thought that the results you could come up with would be truly fabulous.

Also, I didn't get a chance to photograph it, but another sweet idea would be to use the smaller flags to make a mini party bunting.  This you could use with traditional decorating methods, or perhaps you could drape it on a wedding cake for an unexpected and affordable touch, or use in place of ribbon on your next gift package.  I'm sure you can come up with even more clever ideas and I'd love to hear what you make with your free printable.  Enjoy!  xo Ez

In case you missed it up above...here is your free download:

• Printable Party Bunting + Cupcake Toppers (includes 5 large bunting flags + 10 small cupcake flags - print as many pages as you'd like)

Guidelines for Use: For non-commercial use only.  If you'd like to share this printable on your blog (hurray) please link to this post directly and do not host the actual file(s) on your site.  Thanks for sharing!