FREEBIE : JANUARY 2014 DESKTOP

Holy cow, so how did the end of the year already arrive, is it really that possible? This year has been a whirl wind of events for sure and I am excited to say hello to 2014, but also sad to say goodbye to 2013... All in all the new year will be a fresh start. I have a few personal resolutions I'm going to be working hard to achieve. One of them I hope to share here on the blog monthly, which is that of creative an illustrative and/or designed piece as a freebie for my readers. So here you have it, my first doodle for the year ahead, a digital desktop for you to enjoy. To download this piece please click on the link below. Happy almost 2014!


CLICK TO VIEW & DOWNLOAD THE LARGE (1800 x 1125 PIXELS) DESKTOP ❯❯❯  JANUARY 2014 DESKTOP 

ARTIST : ALEX BADEA

I really wish I knew more about this talented artist, but I didn't find any info other than these gorgeous pieces an a name of Alex Badea. He seems to have a tumblr where I found a collection of his illustrative work but if you know more about this artist, please feel free to share a link in the comment section below so I can add it to the initial post. Can you believe that 2013 is almost at an end, happy new week ahead!

LINK ON OVER TO VISIT ❯❯❯  ALEX BADEA

WE MUST TAKE ADVENTURES...

Loving this print designed by Emily Weckesser of The Oyster's Pearl. Not only do I really enjoy this color palette, but the words on this piece are wonderful. Adventures! We must take adventures at one point or another to learn more about ourselves. Are you ready for the new year ahead, will 2014 hold many adventures in your near future? Make sure to link over to Emily's etsy to see more of her typographic works. Have a lovely weekend. :)
 

RESOURCES : World Adventure Typographic Print ($16)

COLOR PALETTE 50 : SCOUNDRELS BY CHRISTOPHER LEE

These monsters are amazing, aren't they!?! The color palette is equally as fabulous too. These stylized characters where doodled up by artist, Christopher Lee. To see more of his works click on the link below. Happy Color Palette. Happy Friday. Happy weekend!
 

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WHERE'S THERE 2 : SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

I would love to say I've traveled about the US some, sadly I still haven't, but maybe someday I'll make my way to California. It's a place I've always wanted to visit, maybe live there if the opportunity arose, but overall I would love to see it some day. San Francisco seems so fascinating to me. This photo of the trolleys captured my initial thought about the city, an though I'm not to sure if it's as lovely as pictured above I can hope it would be.    

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HOLIDAY GIFT WRAP : BLACK, WHITE AND A UNICORN

That's right, there's a unicorn on that gift. I mean who doesn't love a unicorn ;) Over the weekend, the guy I'm seeing and I did our gift swap. I'm sure this looks like a lot, but 90% of this is stocking stuffer items, like socks, playing cards, pez (yum!), stickers, an other trinkety things I picked up. We both share a passion for clean minimal design but with an aesthetic look. Black and white is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of clean and simple. I love polka dots, triangles, chevrons, organic nature-like botanical patterning and kraft paper... I am a sucker for kraft paper... oh and bakers twine... an washi tape! An sadly I couldn't find anything I was really drawn to out at the stores so I tackled it myself to make all of this gift wrap above. I was pleased with how it all turned out, before it was happy torn apart and enjoyed. To achieve all of these looks I printed out patterns I had created and cut it all and taped away. Are your gifts all ready and wrapped? Are you excited for tomorrow? :)

THE COUNTDOWNS ON

Are you ready for Christmas? The countdowns on. And could you guess that these two little people over yonder are beyond excited this holiday season, which makes my holidays that much more enjoyable. I can't wait to see these faces in a few days after Santa arrives with some gifts they have been dreaming of. These photos I took as we waited to see Santa, and though there was all this hype about "I'm gonna tell him all that I want" when getting up to see the big man, the little voices changed a bit, and the faces of awe and excitement left them a little speechless (an a wee bit nervous) about what they had initially come there to ask. Good thing mom double checked the Santa wish lists before hand an I'm pretty sure they'll be pleasantly surprised come Christmas day. :)

SOLEIL SUN UTOPIA ORNAMENT BY JONATHAN ADLER

I will probably mention him one to many times (an yes I included him in my holiday wish list too) because I love his design and stylized look to his work, but this Jonathan Alder ornament was a must have this year. I really don't splurge on gifts for myself, an especially around the holiday time. Things that aren't thrifted, or do I dare say... cheaper, I push aside...I really may want it and ponder over it for a bit, but usually pass on a bit... All in all, this ornament, well it caught my attention and since I had been wanting a piece by Jonathan Adler for quite some time, this one was a perfect add. I think I'll leave it out year round because it really doesn't scream holiday specifically. It also may now be one of my new favorite ornaments ever. The Utopia series, which this sun falls into, has the most wonderfully sculpted faces on not only ornaments but mugs, vases and more. You may check out more of his work thru the links below. Enjoy and Happy Friday! :) 



View more items from the Utopia Series >> HERE
BUY the SOLEIL SUN UTOPIA ORNAMENT (via Amazon $22)

RELAX.

I hope your weekend before the hustle and bustle of the holidays, is filled with a bit of relaxing and quite time too. It's so cold here lately that I'm looking forward to a big bowl of chili that I prepared for this evening. An maybe a bit snuggling up on the couch with a good movie too. Happy weekend sweet friends :)

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SANDI DOODLES : HAND LETTERED HAPPY BIRTHDAY

So my little brother just celebrated a birthday this past week. An since I have been trying to practice my hand lettering skills and thought it would be fun to letter a little something special with him in mind. You may see more of my doodles over on my prior blog or if you follow me via IG I've hash tagged all of them with #sandidoodles Need help with a doodle? Email me an let's chat, I'd love to draw you a little something special. Happy Friday. Happy weekend!


Sandi Doodles via IG (Instgram) >> HERE
Doodles shared on my prior blog >> HERE

COLOR PALETTE 49 : VINTAGE HOLIDAY PRINT

I take highly to analyzing color palettes. Matching colors together and creating compelling solutions not only for design purposes but for use in my day to day life, including wardrobe, and overall home decor themes. Over on my prior blog I shared "Color Palette", a color related series, and you may see prior colorways over here but I loved this series so much I am going to continue it here on Creatively Curated and I hope you enjoy it.

 

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HOLIDAY GIFT WRAPPING IDEAS

I love wrapping gifts, especially with kraft paper. In years past I would tie bakers twine around them and call it good, but this year I've been strongly drawn to black and white plus the mix of tan. I'm trying to add a bit of that into this years decorating with a few extra touches too. Here's a few inspirational pieces I gathered. So is all your holiday wrapping done for the season?

RESOURCES   1  /  2  /  3  /  4  /  5  /  6  /  7  /  8

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE BROTHER

I love this photo! It's from earlier this past Summer, on the Cape in Massachusetts, where I grew up and where my family all still resides. My brother and I had taken a trip to the beach an walked about for a bit to explore. This beach is beyond amazing. The marks in the sand from where the water hit, the clouds and blue sky above, the color of the rocks covered in algae. Everything about this photo I just love. And that guy in the photo, on the rock, well that's my younger brother Steven. Today's his birthday. An I'm proud of him every day, but especially today as he decided to celebrate his birthday on a new adventure, somewhere sunny, somewhere new he's never been to before, exploring the great outdoors, an creating his own special memories on this day. I hope your birthday vacation is going well little brother, much love and missing you always.

2013 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

I love the holidays. Especially the fact that I love giving gifts, an I'm probably one of the only weirdo's out there who get's excited about wrapping gifts too. I love packaging things and making a gift look all pretty an special. If I could included gift wrapper on my resume, I surely would, but that may seem odd to others I'm sure... But with that in mind I've always had a hard time being on the other end of the spectrum, the recipient. Don't get me wrong, I love gifts, but I'm not the type who has ever wrote a list or asked for specific things for that matter. Though I'm uncomfortable an feel greedy if I reply, I was recently asked, show me things you love. Which is an easier concept for me. So if you knew me well, you'd know it would look a little like this (above). Enjoy and happy new week ahead!
 
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HOLIDAY DIY'S : 5 LINKS I LOVE

With Christmas quickly approaching I can't help but think of last minute DIY projects to add that little extra touch to your holidays this season. There are so many wonderful ideas out there but here were five I spotted and loved. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. :)

RESOURCES  //  Top Photo. DIY IMAGES -  Image 1. Image 2. Image 3. Image 4. Image 5.

WHERE'S THERE 1 : BRUGES, BELGIUM

I often find myself day dreaming of taking a vacation. I really haven't ever been on a proper vacation before. Sure, I've traveled here and there for a wedding or two but traveling even outside of the states really hasn't been possible at this point in my life. But someday, it will be. I promise myself that. But for now I'm collecting points of interest that excite me. Places where the buildings have character and history that tell a story. Places where the plants, flowers and tree's I've never seen in person. Places where the weather is warmer, or maybe colder than I'm accustom too. All in all this new series "Where's There" is just that. A place of interest that I'm curious to know more of, somewhere new that excites me, and maybe, just maybe, somewhere I'll visit someday. If you've visited and/or live in any of the places I plan to share here please let me know, I'd love to hear all about it. Happy Friday, Happy weekend ahead! 


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ARTIST : BRIGETTE BARRAGER

Loving this illustration, and many other doodles by the talented Brigette Barrager. Her play on color, and her stylized characters has really created this overall retro feel dated from the 60's - 70's, which I just love, love! To check out more of Brigette's amazing work link on over to her portfolio below. Enjoy!

LINK ON OVER TO VISIT ❯❯❯  BRIGETTE BARRAGER

HELLO & WELCOME TO MY NEW SPACE - CREATIVELY CURATED

Hello and Welcome to CREATIVELY CURATED, it's great to have you here! I'm Sandi D, the prior writer/author and inspirational gatherer over on AdaLou, the Blog. It was not an easy decision for me to make, to move my blog to a new site, but you may read more about that over here. In short, with a major shift in my life, I decided it was time to say goodbye to my old space and continue being creative elsewhere, so Creatively Curated has been born with the hopes and dreams of something great to come. I hope you'll follow along as I share the things I love with a passion around art & design, typography, fashion, food and life in general.

For those of you who know me, thanks for joining me again, but for those of you I have never meet, a bit about me would be... I'm a mom to two wonderful kiddos, Wyeth age 5 (named after the artist N.C. Wyeth) and Penelope age 3. My kiddos and I live cozily just outside the Kansas City limits in a small town with our lazy spotted tabby, Luna. I am a designer by days for Hallmark Cards in their creative studio, and by evenings I juggle every other tasks under the sun, including, but not limited to late night pastry and sweet tooth artist. Besides being a blogger, you can find me and my daily photos being shared via Instagram, I love documenting life as it is (so I apologize in advance for flooding your photo feeds), or you can come pin with me on Pinterst (it's addicting, I'm sure you'll be hooked too...) or if you want to occasionally hear me ramble nonsense you can tweet me over on Twitter.

There's a bit more about me on my "About" page, but over all I'm an easy going, laid back 30 something mom, that enjoys the little things in life and sharing my creative side and daily finds. I have a bit of a sarcastic side which you may see come out from time to time but overall I write what makes me most happy. So I hope you'll stick around for a while and we can become friends, an thank you for stopping by my little space.


* Please note that the follow & subscribe buttons here on Creatively Curated will be updated to this new blog shortly, but currently they link to my old space on AdaLou. Thanks for your patience's as everything comes together.

** 12/11 1:14PM the Bloglovin' App now links to Creatively Curated, Hooray!!!

RESOURCE IMAGE by MURRAY MITCHELL