Inspiration Monday: Silhouette Season

It seems silhouettes are a popular trend these days. They create a unique statement and always look modern and fresh. Obviously, the idea of the silhouette as an art form has been around for ages, though in the past they seemed to have had an air of sophistication and stuffiness to them. But in the last couple years, the silhouette has been making a comeback and it hasn't just been side profiles that are popping up in home decor. Dogs, birds, people jumping, playing guitar and doing karate moves, have been showing up just about everywhere, even in mainstream stores such as West Elm:

and Anthropologie:

We hope this trend stays around for awhile. We've always been a fan and have actually created some invites with silhouettes on them. This one was for a friend's son's 1st birthday. They wanted to have a party that was kid and dog friendly:





A lovely friend of ours and author of the entertaining blog "The Nesting Game" recently sent out her Save the Dates. (A little background info on the couple: Molly is a writer for an advertising agency in Atlanta and her fiance is an art director, so we knew these Save the Dates would be fun and unique.) As soon as I saw the envelope in the mail I knew it was their STD. The invite came in a kraft envelope w/ their names and address embossed on the back flap. In retrospect, I wish I would have kept the envelope for a picture, but my husband happened to be walking into the kitchen as I was staring at the envelope, considering saving it for later, but the odd look on his face made me quickly toss it in the trash. (Sorry Molly). The Save the Date, however, was the main attraction and Jen and I knew right away we had to give a little shout out to Molly on our blog for creating such a unique STD.

A few months ago Molly had blogged about creating silhouettes for their hallway with pictures of their family. They created these colorful works of art that, of course, everyone loved:

Their Save the Date was a nice spin on the same project:

Thanks to Molly's blog and their Save the Dates I've decided to take up my own silhouette project since our living room walls are still pretty bare. I'll have to update the blog when I complete it. Until then, keep clicking on Molly's blog and checking back with us for some new inspiration heading your way.

~LGT

Anthropologie + Hatch Show Print = Amazing

Usually I hate getting junk mail...unless it's a magazine I subscribe to, a catalog to a store I love, but shouldn't even bother looking at their wares, or some kind of random windfall that has a nice fat check in the envelope. (Who am I kidding? A check for $5.95 was mailed to me recently for my mail-order contacts and I was excited). This past week I was doubly surprised when I received the new Anthropologie catalog. Let me tell you a little about my obsession with Anthropologie. I LOVE THIS STORE. Everything about it is beautiful. I love their clothes, their housewares, the smell of the store when you walk in, and especially the artful displays they have within windows and the different sections of the store. Their catalogs also amaze me. They aren't just a bunch of pictures lined up in a grid to sell clothes. Their catalogs are works of art. Seriously. I actually keep their catalogs for inspiration. Now, I know many of you probably think I'm a bit nuts, but I you have to admit this store is beyond beautiful. Needless to say, when I reached into my mailbox on Monday and got their new catalog, I was ecstatic to see they combined forces with Hatch Show Print (one of my favorite printing places of all time) to create the ultimate un-catalog. Not only are the photographs of the clothing beautiful, but everything about this piece of work is hand-crafted to perfection. Take a look at the cover, the headers and even the page numbers. All lovingly done by Hatch Show. Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do.

-LG