Minted Art Prints // A New Look for the Dining Room

I was perusing the artwork selection on Minted's site when, ironically, I received an email from Minted asking if I would review their curated Art Marketplace. Kismet! I'm all about blogging with authenticity, so it was an easy "yes".

Redecorating our dining room has been on my mind for the past few years. We moved into our current home five years ago, and we basically just squeezed in our existing dining room furniture & accessories, then moved on to deal with more pressing issues. Our current furniture is big, bulky, outdated (think Tuscan circa 2001), uncomfortable and our dining room just doesn't work with the rest of our space. The artwork in the room is no better; Dark, heavy… Not inspiring at all. We've been making-do for the past 5 years and I think it's time to remedy the situation.

Over the past few months I've been perusing various online art sites for inspiration. My plan? Find contemporary art & accessories and meld it together with timeless, useable furniture pieces. The only thing that I'm keeping is a silk & wool rug. Luckily it is a neutral transitional piece and should work well with many contemporary styles.

Using the artwork from Minted as inspiration, I came up with 5 different looks.

Look 1: Bold + Masculine

artwork: staredown by amy carroll via minted. | chandelier | chair | table | rug

Look 2: Black + Gold

artwork:    the rapids by rose lindo via minted.  | chandelier | chair | table | rug

Look 3: Beach-Inspired

artwork: beach by yao cheng design  via minted   | chandelier | chair | table | rug

Look 4: Ethereal

artwork: soft succulent no.2 by andi pahl  via minted.   | chandelier | chair | table | rug

Look 5: Neutral + Bold Color

artwork: abstract land series: fields 4  by verymarta via minted.   | chandelier | chair | table | rug

Now the hard part… Figuring out what style to go with! I'm terrible about making big decisions. Someone chime-in and help me out!

In the meantime, here's more eye-candy…

Aren't these strong, bold prints wonderful? They just demand attention.

artwork via minted: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 

When it comes to artwork, my eye is always attracted to pink and other feminine colors-- It just seems so light and uplifting. And yet I don't own anything pink or purple. No decor. No clothes. I may need to rethink my buying habits. :)

artwork via minted: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

One color that just speaks to me is blue. I have splashes of blue in every room. From a chair in a reading nook, to artwork in the living & great rooms. Calm and soothing, I love blues (and greys too)!

artwork via minted: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

What a goldmine of incredible art!  I've purchased some very cool cards from Minted in the past, so I am really happy to find the same quality of carefully curated and well-priced artwork in their Art Marketplace. There are so many eye-catching pieces that I feel that the possibilities are endless… What say you? Any standouts?

disclosure: This post is sponsored by the fine folks at Minted. As always, all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

St. Patrick's Day - Rainbow Cupcakes

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Yesterday the boys and I whipped up some easy Rainbow Cupcakes for a bake sale. We are competing with donuts, a bake sale favorite, so this year we decided to take it up a notch. Yes it's still tastes like a white cupcake… but it looks much more fancy with a little lot of color!

Here's why it's easy--
White Cake Mix (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme)
Eggs
Vegetable Oil
Buttercream Icing Mix (I used Wilton)… I don't usually like frosting, but this one was good.
Butter
Milk
Food Coloring (I used Wilton Gel)… The color is very concentrated and you don't need much.

Enlist the help of eager leprechauns to mix, stir & dollop.

Bake it…

Let it cool then… Frost it.

I didn't even bother with a frosting tip. I put the frosting in a ziplock bag, cut the corner and squeezed.

We'll see how these do at the Bake Sale!


It just occurred to me that the last time couple of times I've posted were also "holidays"… in February. Whoops, I really mean to post more often, but it's been a busy month (heck, a busy 6 months) and time keeps getting away from me. I do have a project that I'm working on… If it turns out I'll share it in the next week or so. Crossing my fingers, because it's a science experiment of sorts.  Have a great rest of the week!

Make // Minecraft Valentines - Free Printable

My six year old loves Minecraft, so this year we decided to make Minecraft Valentine's Day cards for his class. I kept it simple with swords for the boys and hearts for the girls-- All in the pixelated-Minecraft theme of course!

Perler Beads lend themselves perfectly for this. I have to admit that I kind of like working with them-- slow, pedantic and somewhat relaxing if you're not in a rush.  I had a bit of practice with Perler Beads when we threw a Minecraft-themed birthday party last summer (details HERE). 

You can obviously do a lot more with Perler Beads and the Minecraft theme-- Minecraft Creepers, Steves and Mobs, etc. If you're looking for more design ideas, check out these Perler Bead cupcake picks.

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