Design Happens

You know those mornings when you pour a cup of coffee, run across a blog and find yourself pages in (and possibly drooling) 45 minutes later? That’s what happened during my first interaction with Designlovefest. It’s one of those blogs you have to pull yourself away from because it completely sucks you in with fantastic imagery, graphics and ideas. Bri Emery, the blog’s founder and editor, created Designlovefest in 2009 as a place to showcase creative images, typography, design and color on a daily basis. I stumbled across Bri on Pinterest and have been inspired ever since.

Bri Emery from Designlovefest

Not only does Bri coordinate Designlovefest, she’s also a freelance commercial artist in Los Angeles, the art director for online shelter publication Rue Magazine and she writes a column over at Oh, Joy!. And, as of last year, Bri has teamed up with photographer Angela Kohler to form Blogshop, a two-day workshop that offers photo-editing classes specifically catered to those in the blogosphere. It’s currently being offered in major cities around the U.S. and Europe, if you’re interested.

So, what are you currently in the market for? Color inspiration? Design ideas? An afternoon DIY project? Party recipes? Fashion styling? Designlovefest has it all. And maybe that’s why I can’t stop reading, because I’m searching for a little bit of everything. Dive in.

Make It:

Make It: DIY Picnic Blanket

This project has me DYING to head to the park just so I can lay down on something other than the old beach towel or beige sheet I usually use. Using a drop cloth, painter’s tape and three colors of paint, contributor Natalie Shriver creates an ombre-painted picnic blanket in stunning shades of yellow. Hello, summer!

Make It: DIY Camera Strap

Say ‘adios’ to that bulky, black camera strap you’ve grown so accustomed to. Now, you can still look stylish while snapping pictures thanks to one of my favorite projects from the Make It franchise. All you need is cotton webbing, masking tape (that will work like painter’s tape), acrylic craft paint, swivel hooks, glue and a needle and thread. Voila!

Make It: DIY Tasseled Pillow

Attention, beginning sewers: this is something we can do! So, the next time someone is at your house and comments on the beautiful tasseled pillow on your sofa, you can humbly respond: “Oh, that? I made it.” It’s the little things…

Food + Recipes:

Food: Violet Crumble

Whether you’re looking for a happy-hour cocktail recipe…

Food: Smashed Berry Parfait

…or tasty bites for any time of day, you can always count on contributor Jen Gotch. The mouthwatering recipe titles and descriptions are enough to reel anyone in, but I especially love the filtered photography that accompanies each post.

COLORFEST:

Colorfest: Baby Pink

This is one of my absolute favorite posts on Designlovefest. Contributor Stephanie chooses a pattern, print, photograph, etc. of inspiration and selects accessories and furnishings based on a highlighted color within the print. I’m not typically a fan of Baby Pink, but this post had me raise an eyebrow. So feminine and retro. See all of the Colorfest posts in one spot.

Head over to Bri’s blog and start reading (if you haven’t checked it out yet). Or, if you’re a longtime fan of Designlovefest, share your raves and favorite posts with us in the comments below!

Is there a blog you think we should be reading? Let us know below.