Who lives in a house like this?

Ever wondered what life would be like if you lived inside the pages of a home furnishings catalogue? Well now we know, courtesy of an hilarious new blog Catalog Living.

WARNING: This is laugh 'til you cry and get stomach ache kind of funny. Meet Gary and Elaine, the couple who inhabit this catalogue life.

Picking up signals...

Elaine: "Gary and I have slept in separate beds for years, but last night he left me a tied-up stack of books on my foot-of-bed-bench. I think he’s in the mood."

Lacking inspiration...

Elaine: "Gary, have you finished writing that song for me yet? Gary? Gary?!?!?!"

A twist of something...

"Elaine was not amused by Gary’s passive-aggressive response to her request to “garnish the cocktails”."

Follow directions...

Elaine: "Greta, the invitation specifically said to bring a yellow or white food or drink. Now, please remove your brown cookies at once."

BYOB...

"Elaine calls it a “blend-it-yourself” party. Everyone else calls it an “Elaine-has-gotten-lazy” party."

I am telling you, this stuff never gets old. Follow on Facebook and Twitter for your daily dose of funny.

HIGH FIVE...Blogs

If it weren't for the many talented and inspiring bloggers out there, blazing the trail for people like me, I am not sure that I would ever have dared to start a blog myself. Like many of you, I read a number of blogs every day. Some I visit every day without fail (with the help of the fabulous Bloglovin' to make it all just one click away!), and others I might just pop into once a week or a month. I get a thrill from discovering new blogs that truly speak to me, and I thought I would share my latest finds with you.

A Cup of Kiez
Sisters Julie and Kerstin started this blog just late last year but they already have so much variety and enthusiasm in their posts, they come across as seasoned pros. Living near each other in Berlin, but originally from England, A Cup Of Kiez follows their lives through parenthood, creativity, love and adventures. They provide a mixture of local flavour, craft projects, family life and design loves, illustrating their posts with their own photographs and lots of personality in their individual writings. This is a great window into someone else's world which makes you want to grab a hot drink and settle into get to know these girls better. It has fast become a favourite.

Happy Serendipity
Lou writes this blog from Germany, as an outlet for her creative passions, fun thoughts and musings. You will find a mix of crafty tutorials, book reviews, latest purchases, design finds and glimpses into her own life. I love the fun aspect of her posts, her sense of humour and varied interests. I am also jealous of her ability to create, when I am still firmly in the "No Sew" arena! This girl has a passion for life and it jumps off the page. See for yourself!

Draw! Pilgrim
Pilgrim is a graphic artist who loves colour! Her blog mixes her talented designs with her own life, thoughts and craft and design projects. There is lots of lovely eye candy, provided by great photos that she takes to illustrate her posts (I so wish I could do that!) and creative montages of gorgeous shopping finds. I love the variety, vintage vibe and great energy in this blog.

Pancakes & French Fries
"Spontaneous. Odd. A little bit sweet, a little bit savory"...Doesn't that sound just like the kind of place you want to delve into? That is how Jules describes her blog and I couldn't agree more! A spirited mix of her personal commentary, family events, general advice and observations, she writes with passion and humour about a huge variety of topics, that make up her life.

Ish and Chi
Viv writes about decorating, interiors and fashion (all of which I am crazy about, as you know) in a style and presentation that is fresh and sparkly. You may know her own handmade work, gorgeous screenprinted posters found in her Etsy store of the same name, Ish and Chi. I have featured her work a couple of times and continue to love her design aesthetic. Her blog is full of interesting features such as her own home renovations and fashion styling. It really is a treat.

So, there you are, my most recent faves and I hope they become some of yours too. Please stop and by and say hello to these girls if you have time. We all love a little chat with our readers, believe me!

DESIGN THERAPY: Johnny Cupcakes

It will come as no surprise to my nearest and dearest, if I say that Johnny Cupcakes is my absolute all time favourite designer for unique T-shirts. It is a rare day indeed if I am seen without one of his quirky and cute designs on. You could say that I have a bit of an addiction. I prefer to call it LOVE!

Johnny Earle, launched his T-shirt line in 2001 whilst touring with the band On Broken Wings, selling his screen printed creations from the back of his car. The signature look of Johnny's designs is a cupcake with crossed skulls, the cupcake image appearing in all manner of places where you would least expect it, in each creation.

There is a humour and irony to his designs that have created a cult following for his wares and this is intensified by the release of limited edition shirts and invite-only releases at each of his stores. With stores in Hull and Boston, Massachusetts, and one in L.A. Johnny has established himself from coast to coast, for those in the know.

Johnny Cupcakes stores are set out like bakeries. The Newbury Street store in Boston displays t-shirts in glass cases and "fridges", whilst the L.A. store is more like a Willy Wonka-themed cake shop with over sized candy coloured ovens, that open and close letting out steam. Staff wear aprons and purchases are packaged in take-out style boxes.

Johnny Earle on display, Newbury Street Store

Interior of L.A. Store

I admire Johnny for his determination to go out on his own, and stay true to his ethos of a creative business that he controls, which has so far seen him recognised in 2008 by Business Week as number one in their Best Entrepreneurs 25 and Under awards, among many accolades. Yes, 25 and Under!! Yikes, this guy is seriously talented, and a genuinely funny and lovely person to boot. He regularly travels the country, and now the world, to give inspirational talks to young students about business and design. Johnny recently travelled to England for the first of his international lectures, stopping off in Leeds on his travels.

Follow his "freshly baked" antics here, to get a sense of the man behind the magic.

My all time favourites.....


from Johnny's Girls Collection, past and present

It is a testament to the strength of his brand that Johnny Cupcakes is going strong in 2009, despite the financial climate we find ourselves in now. Johnny, over to you...

**Update 08/21/09: Johnny Cupcakes has just be placed in 237th position by Inc. Magazine for their Fastest Growing Private Companies in U.S.A. piece. Read more here.. Nice**

(all images courtesy of Johnny Cupcakes)

Prescription for a Lovely Life..

I have spent many months thinking about how to start this off, after consuming some of the most inspiring blogs out there (decor8 , 10engines, design is mine, design*sponge, pretty little things... for example)and then rethinking my desire to share my inspirations with the world...there are so many that are so much better at this than me!
And then, I thought, well I better just jump in and find my feet without any thought to the consequences, so here we go......
Like so many others out there at this time, I yearn for a simpler, but still beautiful life. A life full of deliciously designed things to enhance my environment, made by inspired folk who really put their life and soul into their creations. I am ashamed to say that I am not actively creative.."actively" is my get out, as I spent my youth cooking, drawing, knitting, sewing, make-believing and now have lost my way with all of these things. So, I make up for it by "actively" following some of the most talented artists I can find, most often from etsy , but also from inspired bloggers I admire the most. I like to think of it as obsessively coveting as a "passive" artisan.