Just a little shopping around...

I've found myself shopping for decorations for a future house. And not really so much of that cute stuff over at Target or Target.com. I really like the idea of having lots of handmade things all over.

Remember the kick-butt program I found that would turn any picture you download into a "Paint By Numbers" image? I would love to get a few girls together one weekend, pick my range of paint colors to coordinate with the house decor, have a selection of images ready to go with canvases and brushes, and set those girls to decorating my new house with original artwork! Who's up for it?!?

I've been peeping around Etsy quite a bit, too. The daily report of Etsy Finds that comes to my email account is a great way to get my shopping spree headed in the right direction. Lately, I've been attracted to a lot of milk glass (milky white glass in lots of different shapes, mostly vases) and little love birds made out of tons of different materials.

This super cute and whimsical wreath by artist Agnes Blum at her shop, KnockKnocking, is right up my alley, and I can absolutely picture it hanging inside the kitchen on the door leading out to the carport. The perfect place to make seasonal changes!

I think this small ceramic plaque by Sikiu would be adorable in any space... on a tiny stand on a side table in the living room, hanging in the bedroom next to the door, in the bathroom with other little bird artwork... the possibilities are endless!

This trio of wall hanging bud vases by Eikcam wasn't on the short list of milk glass or bird inspired art, but they are high up on my list of wants because they would pair perfectly with a set of original watercolor paintings I purchased many years ago in Florence, Italy and have yet to frame, hang, and adore:


(see the paintings and how perfectly they'd match up to the bud vases? forgive my pitiful camera phone image)


And then, some of the pretty milk glass I've found:

I'll let you know if I actually purchase any of these pretty things once all the papers for the house are signed! For now, I'm trying to stay as frugal as possible and just looking around.