Daffodil Creek
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Hey Friends!
It's been HOW LONG since my last blog post? Wow you guys, I am not ashamed to admit that I cannot do it all! Running a business, a home, a marriage and some semblance of a personal life is not easy to balance.
Here's a quick recap: My husband changed careers and we have moved from Northern California to Northern Colorado. It was hands down the best decision we have ever made. We LOVE it here - great schools, great church, nice people and beautiful mountain vistas.
Daffodil Creek has had a great year too! A number of my designs and original photos were picked up by both Hobby Lobby and Kirklands for nationwide distribution which is pretty awesome. (Might have cried a bit!) But I am very thankful this small business continues to flourish.
The Lord has given me a fresh vision for Daffodil Creek for 2020, so right now I am working on a complete revamp of the website and product line. I'm really excited to see it all come together under a more focused vision.
I hope you are doing well! I want to give a huge thank you to the faithful customers who have continued to support us over the years. You guys have no idea how much joy it brings me to see your names pop up in my emails time and time again. LOVE YOU ALL!!
Elizabeth
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How to Choose the Right Size Art
Shopping online for art is hard! There are so many factors to consider when choosing your art.
Do I want a framed print or a canvas wrap? What colors will work in my space? How should I frame it? And oh, hardest one of all... the SIZE. Ugh.It can be a bit overwhelming.
Well friend, I understand! And I happen to have insider knowledge that can help.
My very first job was in the framing department at Aaron Brothers where I learned everything you need to know about sizing and how to properly frame your art to make it last.
Generally, your art should cover 2/3 to 3/4 of the available wall space you'd like to cover. But just in case you're still not sure, I've created size charts that will help take the guesswork out of choosing the right size for your wall.
Framed Prints: The mat and frame will add to the size and presence of the print when you hang it on the wall, so with prints it's possible to get away with going a bit smaller.
But you can see in the example below, that 8x10 is pretty tiny. Now a grouping of 8x10's on this wall with thicker frames would probably work but an 8x10 by itself is well, sad.
Here is the thing: When it comes to choosing the size of your art, bigger really is better. I know that sounds like a sneaky up-selling technique but I promise you it is not.
I am speaking from my honest experience in my own home, and also helping many others choose the right size prints for their homes.
Dinky wall art just does not look right! It doesn’t. Okay so let's take a look at some larger sizes.
Now here my heart starts to beat a little faster. These sizes have ooomph, they have presence, they make a statement! And they bring the focus onto the beautiful piece of art you've invested in.
Canvas wraps: The Bigger is Better concept applies even more strongly when considering canvas wrap sizes, because they don't have a mat or a frame to add to their size. See how small the 8x10 and 11x14 are here?
My personal recommendation for canvas wraps is that 16x20 is the smallest size you should hang by itself on a wall. Anything smaller than that really gets lost.
Now here we have the larger canvases and once again my heart sings! They are stunning in the larger sizes. My personal favorite is 20x30. It's a versatile size that can be hung just about anywhere and stands on its own really well.
What we tend to do is look at the wall, look at our budget (eep!), and then skimp on the size because it’s more affordable. And then we spend the next few years wishing that gorgeous photo had more impact on the wall.
Don’t let this be you! Art is an investment that will last you many years. Make it a worthwhile investment and get the right size. Your eyes and the rest of your carefully curated home decor will thank you.
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Desert Season
What an interesting summer it has been. As God's timing would have it, the desert season here in the foothills has coincided with a personal desert season in my life. He is certainly a poet!
My husband, who has been suffering through is own desert season for the past year, decided to make a career change that has required him to be away training for six months. When he left the Army I thought our long separations were over but, never say never friends.
He departed at the beginning of June and I was left here in the middle of the desert with two small children on summer break, a business to run, and a broken heart that missed my best friend.
It hasn't been the best of times.
BUT - and there is always a but, or a therefore, or a nevertheless - even though it has been very hard, it has also been very GOOD. Have you ever noticed that hard and good often go together?
My camera was my therapy this summer. I took it everywhere, documenting our activities as well as my surroundings. I love photography because as I seek the beauty around me, it forces me to fall in love with not only the place I'm in, but the season I'm in.
And so out of this came some really lovely portraits of my children and some new pastel toned shots of cacti, succulents and even some butterflies!
The desert itself certainly has an austere beauty, and I have come to realize so has this season of our lives. I know this six months will pass, and I am thankful that I will have some beautiful things to show for it.
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New Tribal Prints!
The weather is heating up and this semi-arid part of Northern California is starting to look and feel a little desert-like!
The creative spark for this collection was inspired by my current season and surroundings. My design eye was craving a more modern edge and I wanted to celebrate the beauty of the desert with these prints.
I also feel these scriptures are powerful blessings to hang on your little one's walls! I've been wanting to incorporate them into some new prints for some time and I'm really pleased with how they turned out.
You can see all the new prints for boys rooms here and for girls rooms here!
What's next for lettered prints? Glad you asked! I've had so many requests for a canvas wrap option for our lettered prints and we are in the process of adding them to our inventory very soon.
Stay tuned friends!
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Country Living - Summer Mood board
The last time we made the journey into Sacramento, I had an amusing discussion with my 6 year old daughter Sophia about whether we were country folk or city folk. It went something like this:
Me: Would you rather live in the country or the city?
Sophia: The country. Definitely.
Me: How come?
Sophia: The lake, the hills and the birds. And I really hate the traffic in the city!
I'd say that pretty much sums up the main reasons we love our quiet country life! You can bet there will be plenty of lakes, hills, and country roads coming up for this family this summer.
Speaking of summer, I thought this mood board would be a nice warm up to the summer season that is just around the corner. We have lots of fresh cottony whites, sky blues and buttery yellows, with some weathered wood textures mixed in. Doesn't this make you want to curl up on the porch with a glass of lemonade?
The Daffodil Creek prints featured here are this adorable new laundry room print, and this popular windmill print.
Other images, top to bottom and left to right: 1 2 3 4 5
I hope this mood board gives you some fresh summery inspiration, friend!
