Blogspiration

Blogspiration - that's Blog Inspiration for those who didn't catch that ;) not Blog Perspiration, although I'm not doubting the level of work that went into this blogger's work.

Justina Blakeney of The Jungalow is one heckuva inspiration. Every day I get into work I log on to her site to check out her new projects, photos, ideas, and posts. I am also an avid follower of her Instagram page @justinablakeney , which also includes her amazing work.

She's also the mother of the Face the Foliage project, which you've probably seen now all over Instagram and includes awesome pictures of "faces" made from flower petals, sticks, leaves, etc.

 



You will never look at nature the same after this - everything turns into a facial feature now :)

She recently had a book published that will be released on April 14th called The New Bohemians: Cool and Collected Homes. You can purchase the book from Amazon and can clink on that link (^^^) I've included to directly purchase it.

This is the kind of book you will always refer back to for ideas and inspiration. Totally worth the purchase!

Seriously if by this point you aren't heading over to her site or following her on Instagram you need to. While you're there take a tour of her home, which she calls the Jungalow. I think I'm going to start squatting there and living with her... Maybe she won't notice me for a bit :)

Return of the Funky Site - Beyond the Picket Fence

It feels like forever since I've done a Funky Site and I've run across some really awesome sites lately, thanks to Pinterest!  The first Funky Site I want to feature is a blog called Beyond the Picket Fence, and this blogger has some amazing ideas and pieces. I really like the projects she posts and we have similar taste in styles.  She is great with re-purposing items and does some really neat work with re-purposed wood.

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This rolling side table is made from plywood then painted and aged.  I love this piece and the aged look and colors on it.  

This is a close-up of a piece of wood she features in her tutorial on how to paint and age wood the way she does it.  I really like the way her pieces turn out so I'm going to have to try this technique! It really puts a great shabby chic, recycled look to the wood.

Some of my favorite things that I found on her blog were the pieces she makes out of recycled wood pallets.  Pallets are all over the place to it's awesome to see such beautiful pieces made out of them.  She made this amazing bench/side table out of a pallet and other pieces of plywood. I am in love with this piece and, once again, the colors used on it.  I think it's amazing that it's made from a recycled pallet, and I think it's amazing that it looks like a neat, vintage piece.

 She made this amazing bench.......

.....out of this pallet! I love it!! 

Continuing with her pieces made from pallets this book holder/shelf was also made from a recycled pallet.  She painted and aged this one the way she does her other pieces.  This is great for an entrance way, laundry room/mudroom area.  

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This is something she featured on another part of her blog that I thought was beautiful.  This is a beautiful space for a kitchen/dining room area.  This was originally from The Ironstone Nest. 

In the same post as the one above she featured this beautiful piece from Life as a Thrifter.  This beautiful canvas was made from recycled pallet wood.  This is all inspiring me to pick up hundreds of pallets and make things...........   :)

That's a little taste of this Funky Site. Make sure to check her out more at Beyond the Picket Fence!!!!!! 

Berry Cool Site!

Today's Funky Site is theBERRY - an awesome, visual website with loads of great pictures, ideas, food and culture.  I recently ran into it and I now end up checking it multiple times a day eagerly awaiting Morning Coffee, Take a BERRY Break, the quick celeb catch ups, and everything else.  Here are some of the awesome things I've found on theBERRY....

Inspiration for my Halloween costume

 

Check out theBerry.com everyday for more great pictures, ideas and fun!!!

Look! Listen!

I recently found out about this absolutely amazing and creative artist.  Her site is this go-round's Funky Site! I am blown away by her work, and I am so incredibly jealous and inspired and intrigued. I am totally smitten! The artist's name is Erika Iris Simmons. Through her site you can get to her flickr account and her blog. Check her out.........

 This is from her "Ghost in the Machine" collection where she uses cassette tapes to create portraits (Jimi Hendrix pictured).

Here she uses strips of paper from Oscar Wilde's book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" to create his portrait.

This is a portrait of Beethoven made out of his own sheet music. 

Here she uses the "guts" of a baseball and it looks amazing.  

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There is beautiful flow and movement in her art. She uses everyday found objects and creates amazing pieces out of them.  She is an incredible artist and I'm in total awe of her!

Double Funky Site!

This go 'round, I'm doing a bit of a double Funky Site.  I'm doing a Funky Site by way of another Über Funky Site! First, I have to give a shout out to HGTV's Blog, "Design Happens" - I love this blog and all the places it leads me. They have great ideas and great taste of what's interesting and attractive.  It is kind of a Permanent Funky Site on my list!  Before I do my second and actual Funky Site of this post I am going to give a quick little feature of what kinds of awesome things can be found at HGTV'S Blog - interior/exterior design ideas, interesting finds, and Do-It-Yourself projects. I am not going to designate a whole Funky Site, because there's just too much, and it's added to everyday, but I'm sure I will mention it again and I am seriously encouraging you to visit it!! 





Some of the items featured on their blog are more of "dream" items for me... like this amazing lounge chair with a canopy to cover you from the sun when you need it. This piece is beautiful and so classy. I love the bright red pillows! 
Modani sells these amazing love seats.

Other ideas featured on their blogs are more attainable for me.  This is a colorful and visually stunning way to decorate with baskets.  I have a soft spot in my heart for baskets because my grandma weaves beautiful baskets. I also love the woven rugs and rustic wood table they feature in the picture.

This is another interior design that I love. It's so rustic, but so clean. From the detailed, antique-like mirror to the rustic table and weathered pots, the clean, white hardwood floors and the worn bedframe, all look great in the bright space they are in.  I love the addition of fresh-cut white tulips!!

These shiny, "Oscar the Grouch homes" are amazing as planters!! This is such a clever idea! The colors pop so well against the clean silver.  This is a fun and easy DIY project from their site.  They suggest you screw on the wheels, which can be optional.  For the larger cans, they fill the bottom 1/2 to 2/3 of the way with empty 2-liter bottles then start adding dirt - a nice way to take up the space and utilize recyclables. I wish I had space to do something like this!
For instructions on how to do this, go here!

The last item for HGTV's Funky Site leads into my main Funky Site feature. These amazing glass bubbles are from West Elm.  Practically floating in them are air ferns, which basically live off of air, only needing a little water on the base once a week.  This looks so other-worldly and alien-like. I ended up buying the two smaller round ones and bought air ferns from an online store....!!! I am extremely excited to put these wild things up. 

This purchase leads me to my main Funky Site....

The ever-amazing HGTV Design Blog has led me to an amazing store called West Elm.  They have great furniture, accessories and ideas. I bought my amazing glass bubbles (above) from their site! They have a lot of other great items. Let me show you...   :)




This is a really unique ceramic side table. It can be beachy or kind of vintage, shabby chic.

I also love this tree stump side table.  It's so rustic but I think still works perfectly with so many different styles. I think it would look great even with the ceramic side table above.





At first sight I wasn't sure about this mirror, but I love it now. This is a "round coco mirror" and it's made out of dried coconut pieces!





This is so quirky and fun. It adds a great flare and style to shelves.





This is a dream item for me, but an absolutely beautiful and classy settee none the less.  It would look great paired with pillows with bright, bold patterns.


West Elm has some great pillows along with other home accessories.

I think bright patterned pillows matched with a bold colored pillow work perfectly on a white couch.





Even these little recycled-glass bud vases are great. They're perfect little vases to display fresh wildflowers around your house. Right now they are on sale for only $3.99!!




This is another great accessory they have.  These glass teardrop table lamps come with a raffia shade.  I love the right one with butterflies in it!!





West Elm also has beautiful plateware designs.  I love this Jason Polan Botanical Dessert Plate.





This Henna Dessert Plate has a beautiful and interesting design.  A good alternative to plain, white plates.

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West Elm also has a great section called We Love where they feature information on the artists featured in their collections, behind the scenes videos, and local guides to cities they consider home.