William Morris Wallpaper

If you've been following our blog and our vintage shop long enough, you know I'm a complete sucker for florals. Especially when they are as stunning as the antique wallpapers from 19th century artist, writer, and textile designer, William Morris.

I especially love his quote "Have nothing in your homes that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." - William Morris

links //

William Morris on Pinterest | http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=William%20Morris

Victoria & Albert Museum | http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/w/william-morris/

William Morris Society | http://www.morrissociety.org/

Portrait of a Lady | Fabulous Antique Fashions from Paintings

Why don't women get their portraits painted anymore? Gosh, they're so damn romantic! I imagine it's because no one really paints like this anymore and no one has the TIME or PATIENCE to sit for a portrait. I just love the idea of it. I wonder how I'd look painted. I wonder what I'd wear. Can you imagine what sort of process it must have been to get dressed for a portrait?

How does one even begin to think about that? Do you wear your favorite dress or the colors best suited for you? Or perhaps that is the same thing, perhaps your favorite dress is in your favorite color. 

Past the wardrobes in these gorgeous paintings of women, I am always so transfixed by their expressions and the lighting on their faces and their surroundings. Which of these portraits is your favorite and why? I mean think about that, why does THAT woman have your attention versus another?

Mademoiselle Vaughan by Paul Helleu

Juliette Gordon Low -Founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA. Painted 1887 by Edward Robert Hughes.

Michael Conrad Hirt, 1642

Portrait of a young lady, bust-length, in a pink dress decorated with rosettes, by Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-1789)

Julius LeBlanc Stewart - "Portrait of a Lady" - 1892

This one I adore because it's so NEW compared to all the others above. This is a portrait from 1944! Herbert James Gunn: Pauline in the Yellow Dress, c.1944

 Self-portrait Anna Bilinska-1857-1893

Erte's Erotic Alphabet + Numbers Suit | Art Deco Design

I came across these beautiful art deco illustrations by famed artist Erte and absolutely had to share with all of you. Here are a few of my favorite letters and numbers. You can view the entire set here



Which are your favorites?

Photography | Miyuki Yamanaka

I love the fashion decoupaged feel these photographs evoke by Japanese photograher, Miyuki Yamanaka. The use of textures from the garments themselves in the photographs add this layered effect that I'm kinda digging.


her own words: "I am a Japanese photographer currently based in London. Inspiration comes from the mundane scenes, which often relates to nostalgia and obsolescence. This has also led me to explore the themes; existence, death, time, constancy and family." - from M-Y-Pics.com

srcs:
m-y-pics | creativedepart.com/art

Mid Century Modern Art & Design Posters

A couple of weekends ago I visited LACMA's "California Modern" exhibit which features Mid Century fashion, interior design, graphics, art, and architecture. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for mid century modern interiors and art and try to incorporate it into the graphics I design and even my apartment.

I came across these vintage mid century modern posters and prints and absolutely had to share. The colors and shapes are so inspiring!



srcs:
Mid Century Modern Illustrations

Art | Sheltens Abbenes Cut Out Bouquets

Loving these artistic and photographic creations by Dutch artists Maurice Scheltens and Liesbeth Abbenes. At first glance I thought these were actual bouquets, then upon a closer inspection I was so pleasantly surprised they are actually crafted from paper! I knew I absolutely had to share with you!








All images from Sheltens - Abbenes. Take a look at their website, there is so much more loveliness to see!

Kunstformen der Natur : The Art of Ernst Haeckel + Other Vintage Biology Art

I love lithographs especially those pertaining to nature. My favorites being those related to coral, jellyfish, anatomy, and wild flowers. So naturally I had to share with you Kunstformen der Natur (Artforms of Nature) - first published in the 19th Century 1899/1904 by artist and more importantly biologist Ernst Haeckel who would later inspire many Art Nouveau artists.



Here are some more that are not by Ernst Haeckel but obviously in similar fashion. I do prefer a cleaner look and less clustered, some of Haeckel's illustrations got a bit too crowded, but that's just me.



Image Sources: Pinterest (Botanical Print Query) and Wikipedia

Design + Vintage: Water Colored Shakespeare + Sheer Floral Vintage Dress

I just love how this watercolor and colored pencil William Shakespeare quote from The Fabled Needle pairs so well with this sheer floral Terrace Blooms vintage dress from Adorevintage.

Artist Spotlight: Matou en Peluche

We first spotted the lovely artwork of Sam Battersby of Matou en Peluche over at Design is Mine and fell in love so much, we absolutely had to share it with you!


All the prints are extremely affordable (nothing over $20) and they're all so lovely and vintage inspired to boot!

Where to buy: Matou en Peluche

Artist Spotlight: InaLuxe | Kristina Sostarko + Jason Odd

I am loving the retro inspired patterns and the happy mix of colors from Australian based artists Kristina and Jason. The designs remind me mid-century modern vintage art, kind of that atomic 50's look. You can purchase their prints here.

Vintage Decorating: 10 Vintage Film Posters For Your Apartment

For chic and affordable artwork for your apartment, opt for vintage movie posters. There's something quite fantastic about the art and style of the 1960s, (mostly French films), but you could also go for campy movie posters or cult classics. The larger the poster, the better, they're perfect for open loft living or boxy white rooms.


Where to Buy: All the posters here are available at Film Art Gallery (for ORIGINAL posters) or you can purchase NEW versions at Movie Goods