Mountains of Old Books become Mountains and Landscapes

Someone on Facebook (I can't remember who!) recently posted an article about this artist, Guy Laramee, who takes stacks of old books and carves them into gorgeous mountain ranges and landscapes.  

I would love to see a video of the artist while working, as I am curious how he gets started on each piece.  I can't even imagine the hours of work that goes into these incredibly detailed works of art.

I think this one is particularly breathtaking.

I love art from an unexpected media!

Vintage Book Dog Art

Come again? These are not two things that would normally go together, but once you see this adorable art by Paste, you'll know what I mean.

The artist, Denise Fielder, found a box of vintage books one day.  My guess is that most people would display them or toss them, but she visualized this creative idea - use the varying yellow shades to create art!  That they are of pups makes me like them even more.

Books & dogs are two of my favorite things & I can see a bookified (is that a word) Derby in our future (she does custom orders!).

Giveaway! DaVinci Quote Print from Claremont Road

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return" - Leonardo DaVinci

I love quotes, and this one from DaVinci is one of my favorites.  My sister has loved it for a long time as well, so I knew I wanted to gift her something involving this quote.  I originally turned to Etsy, as one does when looking for these kinds of prints, but only found one that wasn't her style at all.  Google searches turned up nothing as well!  I then turned to Brooke from Claremont Road, owner of Curious & Company, for help.  She is the one responsible for my Bien Living branding - logo, fonts, colors, etc. - and she exceeded my expectations with this design as well!

I have an additional 8" x 10" print and I would love to share it with one of you!  It is printed on Kodak Endura Metallic paper, which gives the print a great depth and sheen.  

I framed her print in an Artcare frame from Blick.  The frame isn't included in this giveaway, but I recommend framing it in something similar.  The crisp white mat really makes the blue background and white letters pop.

She loved it!  

And now for the fine print: To enter, simply leave a comment below.  For additional entries, you can tweet about it (I just entered to win a print from @claremontroad on the @BienLiving Design Blog!) &/or post it on Facebook (mentioning the Bien Living FB page).  Come back & leave a comment letting me know.  

Also, I'd like to expand my audience, so feel free to blog about it!  That will earn you an additional entry as well.

You can enter through Friday, March 11th at noon.  I will use Random.org or Derby to select the winner!

Picture Wall Gone Wrong, Gone Right

I love picture walls.  Well, for the most part.  They seem to be everywhere these days & I can definitely identify which style I like & don't like for me.  For example, walls where there are all different types of frames scattered all around look great when I see them online.  The reality is, I am much more of a symmetrical, clean lines, structured girl. 

So this picture wall that I did 4 years ago?  It's got to GO. 

Lately I've been thinking that it is just too random & too much of a mess.  I love the pictures, but not the layout.  Plus, it's time to update with new pictures (ahem, notasingleweddingpicturehangsonourwall) and art.

We have pictures from early trips to Jamaica, the kiddos (so little!) boating, our friends wedding in Italy (which was held in a castle a la Tom & Katie...but before Tom & Katie did it) and other pictures from when we were first dating.

As much as I love them, it was time for something new.  Enter Ribba frames from IKEA and These Are Things art, my jumping off point for the new display.  I love their take on the city map (other cities include Columbus, Manhattan, Brooklyn, San Francisco, LA & DC) &  helped them with the Chicago version - they sent me a map as a thank-you.  I also purchased one of their world maps for my mom for Christmas, which I'll blog about later. 

If you know IKEA frames, you know they aren't sized for standard US photo/art prints.  I decided to buy a large Ribba frame and cut/modify the mat, which I don't recommend unless you've spent the last 3 years of your life cutting boards (hello, design school!).  But if you do, here is what you'll need.  Make sure you use a brand new blade, or be prepared for disaster.

Anyway, I surprised myself when the mat turned out perfectly!  Sure, I didn't have the beveled edges and mitered corners, but it really doesn't make that big of a difference.

Since I wanted to cut down on the clutter of the previous layout, I decided to hang 2 more pictures and call it a day.  This ring shot from our wedding is one of my all-time favorite pictures, and I finally hung a wedding picture as well!

Our photographers were Ashley & Philip Colhouer of 13:13 Photography, in case you're interested.  I highly recommend them.  Highly.

All together now!

And there you have it!

Before:

After:

I was shocked at how it completely transformed this part of our dining room. It was such an easy update, which is always key with me :)

Time to Make a Clock!

I may need to rearrange some artwork and find space for this DIY wall clock.

I saw it while browsing e.louise's website and knew that I had to blog about it.  You can buy the kit, including frames, from the British store, but I think this would be a fun and easy DIY. 

Round up inexpensive frames from IKEA or a craft store, paint them all one color or various colors, as pictured above.  Then all you need are wall clock hands - most come with dots and a template that you can use to help arrange the frames - and you're set!

If I do this, I would frame modern, graphic patterned paper and trace/draw the number on top.  You can also buy numbers from any craft store - look for a fun font! 

I think this is such a creative idea - is there anyone out there who has tried this?  If so, please share your results!  I would love to see them.  If I end up doing this, I will of course share the process with you! 

Click here to buy clock hands

Great sources for pretty paper: Paper Mojo, Paper Source, Blick