geronimo!

i love instagram, it's no lie.

nor is it a secret.

but i love watching more than participating.

i don't really feel my life is filled with that much interesting, beautiful, exciting stuff to shove into the world's face... but i know that i am! so i am trying to be better at it. seriously, life is beautiful. (cliche but true. don't roll your eyes at me.)

i feel a tangent coming on, but the other day at dinner with friends, i was discussing this very same fact: that i should/want to be taking more photos. i love photos. i love taking photos. i certainly love looking at photos. i want to document my life from here on out with tiny little square grams with innately cool filters applied. (oh the filters... they alone make ordinary life fancier.) so we implemented a one-(at least)-a-day photo challenge. of which i am not holding up my end of the bargain, but i intend to... fully.

you can follow along here: @jabarrier

back to today's post.

this lady, jihan zencirli, creator behind (my favorite) geronimo balloons,

creates the most lovely instagrams.

her life is full of craft, color, frill, ballooooons, and pretty festiveness and i can't get enough.

her instagram feed instantly makes me happier,

even in the crappiest of days or moods, and there have been a string of those lately...

her photos make me smile.

so i'm sharing a few with you today,

but you can follow her daily

@geronimoballoons

and i encourage it.

this was a sample.

there's so much more.

not only does she share her balloon/frill making, she has a cute little pup with 3 legs, and she drives the. coolest. vintage. light blue. car. ever.

love her.

love her balloons.

JILL

marble walls. one way or another.

big fan.

anyway you want it. you can have it.

the expensive stuff coming from the earth:

(the marion house book)

or you can just use it in paper form:

this one from a long time ago:

(coco +kelley)

and this one!!

from lonny's recent issue.

i love this junk. especially with the skull and the cream band of tile over the white.

perfection in my opinion.

she used the same paper i bought awhile ago and framed.

it's not expensive, around $5 a sheet. and they're pretty large.

i bet the whole bathroom couldn't have cost her more than $100 in supplies.

waaaaay cheaper than any other wallpaper.

and it looks hot.

i'm thinking you could also do this in a kitchen for a backsplash and just place a piece of plexi over it for protection. or just one wall in your kitchen or bathroom.

and if you wanted it to look even more like marble, you could cut it up into uniform squares or rectangles and lay it in a brick pattern... lots of options!

jenny komenda even used it to line the outside of a cheap plastic waste bin.

happy friday.

JILL

heartsies

this v day, my color obsession is hot pink and gold.

actually don't know if i ever got over my love for neons and hot pink from when i was little, so i'm thriled it's so haute right now. and gold with anything = yes.

wouldn't you like to get one of these in the mail?

i'd like to get one of these in the mail.

where to find them? go here.

and then i thought this sparkly sweetheart neckline appropriate for valentines dinner.

probably for a fancy dinner at home because going out has proven to be so nutty on v day.

throw on some neon pink underpants lipstick and you're set.

ok, maybe both :)

because we should all ---

love.

JILL

{dress found on pinterest, here}

merry christmas!

however you say it...

wishing you a very merry christmas.

with my photoshop skills growing and growing over this past year, i was really excited to make our christmas card from scratch this year. here she goes.

warm wishes.

JILL

i was going to but i didn't.

i was going to do something sorta like this--

or this--

in white, tan, and mushroom.

then changed my mind because all the wood that used to be so very very present (i.e. the giant dark and looming built-ins and the dark and dingy trim) got painted white and suddenly there was no more.

so i liked this left alone in it's woodsy state.

i still liked the thought of the graphic flag somewhere, so i made this--

(my english uncle is going to be so happy!)

with paper from hobby lobby and a vintage brass frame.

i even used this to help make sure my jack was anatomically correct.

the mat is a dark brown that came with the frame, and i was either going to replace or spray it white but i think i like it the way it is.

my new fave color combo is gray/black with brown.

i have more to share on that in a bit.

i guess you can call this my november art.

darn. i fell off the wagon again.

but i have already made something else and have a bajillion other plans for more. i have to fill that wall. it looks lopsided as is. so i guess it's going to keep going in 2012.

love.

JILL

{top images from sheridan french and design*sponge}

you can find jan, feb, march, april, may, june, july, and august here. then i stopped.

give it a whirl

this is a fantastic example of how fantastic a little marbled paper can be.

this could have been their grandmother's or found on craigslist for peanuts. and instead of painting it or even getting rid of it, they added some paper-- turning it into something kinda show-stopping, and for probably only $8.

i always go right to paint for a piece of furniture that needs reviving. i need to remember there are other options! now add a little shelf styling and if this was yours, i might try to steal it.

JILL

{image from pink wallpaper}

cheree berry

a mix between martha stewart and kate spade... with a penchant for paper goods.

she's clearly a friend of color, and knows it's the smaller details in life.

here's her wedding that i've loved since, oh, i don't even remember how long ago it was published in martha stewart weddings magazine (click to see more). i've saved the issue (told you, i have a weird thing with magazines).

but it's beautiful. my favorites below. 

and with an invitations and stationary company, you wouldn't expect anything less than perfection from hers.

 here are some others she's done.

you can find them in some stationary stores, and online. she also does custom for brides and babies.

light years better and more beautiful than an evite!



pretty.

JILL

love.

i received an email this morning letting me know that rifle paper co. {a def fave} has their cards up for valentine's day.

i can only imagine the smile on anyone's face that receives one of these beloved expressions this valentine's.

and how cute to add to any inspiration board or frame on a desk or in the perfect spot in a girly bathroom.

send them to everyone you know and love. it is contagious.

xoxo

elle.

i have never been a lover of valentine's day (the intentions seem off), but i think rifle's cards have changed my mind.

little yellow leaf

i have a friend from gradeschool i'd like to tell you about.

she and i used to do all sorts of crafty things together. from drawings on notes we'd pass in class to the hair ribbons {complete with puff paint} we'd make for our whole volleyball team.

now she makes invitations and other paper goods. quite beautifully, too. this is megan, of little yellow leaf.

here are some of the things she's been up to:

custom christmas cards... i particularly love the one wrapped with a bow.

everything she does is custom and delightful, made just for you.

you should check her out, especially if you're in the market.

JILL