In Good Company: Besotted Brand LLC

Oooo...do I ever have a treat for you all today. My bloggy friend Miss B. has just opened her gorgeous online boutique: Besotted Brand LLC! You might remember Miss B's stamps from a recent Pinterest Picks post I did, or her other awesome work from features I've done on her blog in the past. But in my oh-so humble opinion, today just tops them all.

Inside the Besotted Brand shop you will find the most beautiful selection of handmade stamps and coordinated inks, luscious paper goods, stationery kits, photo prints and more. Aren't you practically swooning already?! Before you do though, skip on over to see everything Miss B. has cooked up for us. But do hurry...things are already selling out!

A huge congratulations Miss B. on the realization of this gorgeous dream of yours! I can't wait to shop and be inspired by you for years to come! xo Ez

Psst...if you have any paper goods lovers on your holiday gift giving list this year, right now would be a great time to check them off your list, don't you think!

Brilliant Branding: I Love Dust for Amelie and Friends

Just came across this awesome brand identity work created by I Love Dust for Amelie and Friends Restaurant and just had to share. I really appreciate how the even the simplest details (like their cup sleeves) have been treated with a touch of whimsy and style...I'm sure their customer's must love the experience of dinning with them. If you're in Chichester, West Sussex maybe you can pop in and let me know from first-hand experience! See more branding work from I Love Dust here and visit the Amelie and Friends site right here. xo Ez

Inspiration Daily: Harmony

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Mahatma Gandhi Photography by Esther Vasquez.

From Wares to Wear: Make this Photo into an Outfit

I fell in love with this stunning photograph by Linda Kuster a while ago and today I finally decided to put it to good use as the inspiration for a wares to wear translation.

When I was putting this outfit together I began imagining myself out exploring the woods on a crisp Fall day. There I would collect fallen leaves, acorns and other Autumnal treasures and stow them carefully in my bag. Later that day I'd meet up with friends for hot cider at a local book cafe and we'd spend the rest of the day chatting and laughing our cares away. Sounds nice, doesn't it?!

Inspirational photograph by Linda Kuster | Sweater - Romwe | Jacket - ModCloth | Claremont Stein Trousers - All Saints | Scotch Naturals Polish in Heather Blush and RMS Beauty Cream Eyeshadow in Spark - both from Future Natural | The Caravan Mailbag - Madewell | Basic Converter Gloves - Asos | Emmett Ankle Boots - J.Crew | Tan Super Skinny Belt - Asos |

Create Your Own Unique Wall Art for (Almost) Free

I came across a link for Rasterbator (yes, the name is skeevy sounding but not gross when you click on the link) in a back issue of Martha Stewart Living yesterday, and had to give it a try right away. Through their free and simple to use program you can upload any photo or image of your choosing and they will instantly convert it into an enlarged rasterized version (showing the shapes as pixilated dots) that you can print, reassemble, and hang on your wall in giant poster form. Free art...almost—you'll just pay for the cost of paper and ink, or having it printed at a copy shop!

Here's the photo of our dog Stella that I had converted. Once rasterized and printed my daughter and I put all the pieces together (it was like piecing together a really fun surprise puzzle—I didn't tell her what the image was going to be of, so she was really excited when Stella's face finally took shape). I'm sure you could be a lot more precise with the reassembly, but I think that it looks great even with just a few pieces of masking tape holding it together in back. For a more long term display solution I'm thinking I might pick up an affordable frame from our local craft store.

A few tips: Look for images to convert that don't have a lot of really dark areas or you will use quite a bit of black ink to print those portions. The printed sheet are also not numbered for the order that they will be reassembled in, but ours printed out with the bottom row (from right to left) printing first...and the top row (from right to left) at the end. When it asks if you'd like to include a faint border to aid in trimming your pages, be sure to select "yes." Now go try it out with your own images, and have fun! I'd love to hear how it goes! xo Ez

Psst...Wouldn't this also make a great gift or memorable decor for a party?! Love it!