Wordless Wednesday

These gorgeous double exposure portraits are by Dan Mountford.

The Canvas Tree

Hello my dears! I'm so excited to talk to you about something that has been a long time in the works. My genius brother-in-law has officially launched a website called The Canvas Tree. It's a way to connect artists and graphic designers with the art-loving masses.  If you've ever shopped for affordable art on Etsy, 20x200, or Society6 you may or may not have noticed that most of it comes printed on heavy duty paper or card stock. If you want to hang it, you need a frame.  But what about wrapped canvases? You get museum-quality, ready to hang prints without the extra hassle or cost of a frame.  Society6 has a limited selection but they usually start around $85 for the smallest size.

That's where The Canvas Tree comes in. They have combed the web for great artists and graphic designers and proudly features their work on custom wrapped canvases in various sizes, starting at just $39 for an 11x14 canvas. The good part? Everything is made here in the U.S.

Here are a few of my favorite prints, from a test photo shoot I did while I was in San Antonio:

Are you ready for the BEST part? For the grand opening, The Canvas Tree is giving away a 16x20 canvas of your choice to one lucky winner. Click here to enter. You can also like their page on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Got empty wall space to fill? Need a gift for someone? Head over to The Canvas Tree. And tell all your friends!

And before you ask, no, this post was not sponsored. I'm just so proud of my bro-in-law and his entrepreneurial spirit. The website looks awesome and I'm excited to see it grow!

Wordless Wednesday

Photographs by Maia Flore
All images found via Redwood Collective

Wordless Wednesday

Ok I'm totally cheating by using words, but I'm just bursting to show you these amazing embroidered photographs by Maria Aparicio and friends. The pictures by themselves are wonderful but the thread just adds a whole new flavor that I'm really digging. I would love to have a wall full of her prints.

All images found on her flickr (and loads more, go have a look!)

Painting the States

I have a mild addiction to Pinterest. In case you have a life outside of the internet didn't know, Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board, where you can 'pin' things you find all over the internet: recipes, photos, tutorials, shopping finds, etc. Your pins are organized however you like and are a great source of inspiration for style/cooking/photography/weddings/future projects. 

Well, something finally came of my Pinterest obsession. Last week, I came across this:

Source

Which led me to this:

Source

WHAT. I'm all for cute art bits on Etsy. But there's a tutorial on how to make this it myself? It looked so easy, even for someone who the last time she picked up a paintbrush was to help her Dad paint the front of the garage. 

Now normally I express myself through baked goods, but after nearly three months of kitchen experimentation, my hips have sent me a cease and desist letter. Also, my bridesmaid dress recently arrived in the mail and while I love it, I had a conference with my abs and we agreed we'd like to see a little more of each other before the wedding in December.

Henceforth, I am in need of a new pastime. 

So the Pinterest find was kismet. I got myself to the nearest craft store and found a ridiculous bargain on canvases and some of those 2 oz bottles of acrylic paint. 59 cents a bottle. Not joking.  Obviously it was meant to be.

Thus armed, I began my foray into the art world.

My first attempt: our dearly beloved Indiana

Why just do one? Another of my favorite states: Massachusetts

close your mouth, stupid.

And then, because I'm having so much fun, I did an 8x10 of the whole U.S. with a heart over Indiana.

For obvious reasons, I put the 'hot' in 'hot mess'.

After all this, a normal person would pat themselves on the back and move on with their lives.  But I'm insane I have too much time on my hands to do that. And also I have a lot of favorite states. So I went back to the craft store and went a little nuts.

If anyone needs me, I'll be painting myself into kitschy, state-shaped oblivion.

At least until I go on vacation. In two days.