Muzo Collectibles by Paige Russell

I'm loving the clean aesthetic of these porcelain and wood Müzo Collectibles by Paige Russell. Mix and match the pieces you like best and create a festive holiday scene (or use them as sweet decor all year round). I rather fond of the little polar bears myself!

Inspiration Daily: 11. 22. 10

Image credits: 1. blackberry dreams, 2. Language, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled

A Wee Interview

Hello and happy weekend to you bloggy friends! Before we all head off on our merry way (hopefully for a weekend of relaxation and memory making) I wanted to invite you to pop over to A Place for Twiggs blog where I was invited to participate in a special Blogging by Bloggers week-long series. Perhaps you already know me well, or maybe this is your first time stopping by and you're curious to find out a bit more...either way I hope you will enjoy reading what I had to share, and be sure to check out interviews by the other lovely bloggers (Brittni, Tara, Victoria, and Erin). What an amazing bunch of genuine and talented ladies! Thanks again to Claudia for inviting me to be a part of the fun! I'll see you all next week. xo Ez

In Good Company: Heart Zeena

Check out the textiles and sweet handmade printed goods in etsy shop: Heart Zeena. So adorable! You can also find more of Heart Zeena's pieces in her Big Cartel shop. xo Ez

Holiday Stamp Carving

Hello lovelies. Since it's Friday, I'm back again with another one of my photos/personal projects. Last weekend I did some much needed cleaning in my office and decided that it was time to bust out my rubber stamp carving tools (and make it messy all over again of course). I have carved a few simple stamps in the past, but I decided to be brave this time around and went for a much more complicated design then I've attempted previously.

I drew a little ink swan doodle a couple months ago and decided that the design would be both fun and challenging to attempt to carve. After tracing the outline onto tracing paper and leaving off a few details (like the feet and crown) I then transferred the outline onto my stamp block and got started. I found out right away that the details of my stamp design would have to be different than my sketch, simply because the stamp provided such a small area to carve, and my tool doesn't create very nice circles or dots. When all was said and done and I finally had a chance to test the stamp out I was really pleased with the results. I already have a few plans for this stamps and am dreaming up other stamp ideas for this weekend. I can see that this whole stamp carving thing could become addictive. Watch out!

By the way...everything I know about carving stamps was learned through the marvellous tutorials/posts that the incredibly talented Gennine has shared on her blog. It is far easier to accomplish than you might think, and the feeling of satisfaction that you have when you try something challenging and new really can't be beat. If you've been thinking about giving it a try don't wait any longer. Do it now. You will be so happy you did! xo Ez