8 Tips on Styling a Bookshelf

On Style Illuminated, I've put together a little design guide with tips on how to style a bookshelf. If you're looking to add a little pizazz and personality to your book collection (college students and bibliophiles, listen up!) you can check out the post here.

Happy Monday!

12 Goals for 2012: Follow a Bible Reading Plan

[Illustration by ParadaCreations on Etsy]

Goal number 12 for 2012 is to follow a bible reading plan. I am THE WORST when it comes to reading my bible regularly. (And it's full of such great stuff that really has changed and influenced my life!) 

Enter Youversion - an awesome bible app for the iPhone with a huge assortment of free daily reading plans. I now get short and sweet daily readings sent to my phone each night (yes, I need this to be totally idiot-proof to work for me!) and it's easy to track my progress and be aware if I'm getting behind. I started with several short reading plans - two and three weeks - and now I've just started a year-long daily reading plan. Wish me luck!

(Want to see what other weird and wonderful goals are on my list for the year? Check out the complete list of 12 goals for 2012.)

Happy Friday!
 

Lovely Web Links: April 26, 2012

[Awesome branding by Bri of Design Love Fest]

Short and sweet this week...here are a few web links that I'm currently a little obsessed with.

+ Seriously, how amazing is Ingrid Michaelson? Her cover of Rihanna's We Found Love is phenomenal.

+ Henri, the melodramatic French cat.

+ And just for fun...Pictureless Pins. Ha.

 Happy Thursday!
 

You Look Fabulous.

[Image via Funny Kittehs on Pinterest; original source unknown]

Hey you! Yes, you! You look fabulous.

Happy Tuesday!
  

Life Lately: April 20, 2012

This week: rockin' out on the Rhodes (my first time leading worship at Mosaic!); tacking up some inspiration in my office; stepping out in faith and applying to do something that kinda scares me (more on that soon!); making plans to finish a few paintings; and looking forward to catching up on some much-needed sleep tomorrow.

Are you on Instagram too? Let's be friends! I'm lesleymyrick on Instagram. xo

Happy Friday!
 

Tips for Using Pinterest to Organize Decorating Projects

On Style Illuminated this week, I've shared my favorite tips for using Pinterest to organize decorating projects. If you love Pinterest but you're not a decorista, these ideas are just as helpful if you're organizing content for blog posts, planning a party, or just keeping track of some of your favorite things around the web. Check out the post here. xo

Happy Thursday!

 

Lovely Web Links: April 19, 2012

+ I adore this Instagram photo by Holly Becker.

+ For you indie business owners: Kyla Roma shares what she's learned at tax time from her first year as a biz owner.

+ The best catalogs for design inspiration (and links to subscribe to them for free!).

+ 10 iPhone photo challenges presents some creative ideas for taking more interesting pics with your phone.

+ Just for fun: 35 unexplainable photos of cats and 63 reasons why boybands were better in the '90s.

Happy Thursday!
 

Styling The Sky Umbrella

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Tibor Kalman's iconic Sky Umbrella (you know the one!). I've always loved this design (the clouds remind me of the works of one of my favorite painters, Rene Magritte), so I was psyched when the MoMA Design Store asked if I would show you how to style this fun umbrella in everyday life. For me, everyday life pretty much means bouncing around in some sort of black and white outfit with goofy looks on my face - and clearly, today is no exception. Since it actually rained (which almost never happens in LA!) I thought this would be the perfect time for a little pattern mixing and umbrella posing. Disclaimer: I'm no model. Just an awkward girl with an umbrella and a dream.

The MoMA Design Store, with locations in New York, Japan and online, supports The Museum of Modern Art’s mission of educating the public about modern art and good design. All proceeds provide financial support for MoMA programs and exhibitions. Enter on Facebook for your chance to win a Sky Umbrella prize package, and use the code SKY20 for 20% off all versions of the Sky umbrella in the MoMA Design Store until April 30th.

 Happy Tuesday!

*Note: this is a sponsored post from the MoMA Design Store. I only accept sponsors who fit with the ethos and integrity of this blog, so be assured that they're really rad. Interested in a partnership? Let's chat!

 

10 Best Free Fonts!

[Typewriter photograph by J2Studios; rainbow background textures by Lost + Taken]

If you are a lover of Comic Sans, this post probably isn't for you. But if you're looking for some rad free fonts for your blog design or graphic projects, I've rounded up 10 of the best free fonts that I use and love. Most are available at dafont.com (and if you haven't heard of dafont before, well...you're welcome!). Click each graphic to download the font. 

 

Artistamp Medium: This is a fun font to use in digital collage projects, since it really lends the look of rubber alphabet stamps. 

Error: Simple and graphic. I think this font would be great on the business card of a graphic designer.

FFF Tusj: The loose and sketchy look of this font is so fun! 

Honey Script: This is a sweet script that's a little cleaner than handwriting, with a bit of a retro flair. I used this font on a wedding invitation design and loved the final look.

Impact Label: I love labelmakers. I also love labelamaker fonts. BOOM. 

Le Bain au Milieu de la Fin de Apres-Midi Vers 17:49: Fun fact - loosely translated, the name of the font is "The bath in the middle of the end of the afternoon around 5:49pm". I don't get it. But I like it.

LesleyFont: This is one of my fave fonts because, well, it's my own handwriting! (Seriously, how fun is that?) The font file isn't online, but if you're interested in downloading it, email me and I'll send it to you. 

Never Let Go: You may have noticed this lovely cursive in a lot of my blog graphics. I love its handwritten look and readability.

Pupcat: When uppercase and lowercase letters are the same height, I'm abnormally happy. Pupcat was also used on the wedding invitation, along with Honey Script.

Rough Typewriter: Typewritten fonts aren't going anywhere - and this one has just enough character and imperfections to make it interesting. 

Creative peeps and font enthusiasts - what's your favorite font? (Or just for fun - what's your least favorite?) Do you have any fantastic resources to share in the comments?

Happy Wednesday!
 

Creative Inspiration: Jaime Beitler

[Art by Jaime Beitler]

The lovely Mary Wangerin introduced me to the art of Jaime Beitler, and I'm smitten. I fully support any artist who is using their craft to encourage, inspire, and share God's love. High five, Jamie! 

Happy Tuesday!

 

Free Wallpaper! On Being Unique...

[Background image from Lost & Taken; design by Lesley Myrick]

I love this quote by designer Bunny Williams: "Everything in design is recycled...it's how we've put together what we've seen that makes us unique". Click the image above to giant-size it and download as a shiny new (and free!) desktop wallpaper.

(Like it? I'd love if you'd share on your favorite social media sites...click the links below! xo)

Happy Friday!
 

Lovely Web Links: April 5, 2012

+ Advice from Design Love Fest on what to charge your clients. (Also, an oldie but a super goodie: The Dark Art of Pricing.)

+ A great read by author Donald Miller: Some Thoughts on Self-Promotion and Why Arrogant People Think It's Wrong.

+ An amazing studio tour of a creative collective in LA. I have never wanted to work in a space so badly as I do this one.

What's your favorite creative post you've come across this week?

Happy Thursday!
 

Dress Your Desk with Poppin

Remember when I recently posted a photo of my shiny new computer on my desk? (Yes, I'm still very smitten with it!) Well, the lovely folks at Poppin wanted to help me dress up my desk a little so I've done some re-decorating with a few of their cute and chic office products!

Check out the full Dress Your Desk feature - where I share photos of my newly styled desk and chat about my dream job, personal style, and the favorite parts of my workspace -  on Poppin's blog today. (I've also curated a little board on Pinterest with links to the lovely Poppin accessories I've used.)

Happy Tuesday!




*Note: this is a sponsored post from the lovely people at Poppin. I only accept sponsors who fit with the ethos and integrity of this blog, so be assured that they're really rad.