After yesterday’s art to inspire post I wrote over on Scoutie Girl, I thought I would follow up over here with one of my favs from that roundup – a print from Near and Dear. This shop is pretty dang cool, especially if you like prints, posters, and inspiration…with a variety of inspiration prints + gifts for loved ones, like mom and dad for the upcoming Mother’s Day and Father’s Day holidays and anniversary / wedding gifts for your soulmate.

To get the full gist of the Near and Dear print line, you’ll just have to stop by and check it out.

And don’t forget to use this FREE SHIPPING code at checkout: PNS412

Obsessing over your product photography? Not sure how to get the perfect shot with your point-and-shoot or DSLR?

Don’t worry! You can totally do this.

Great photos are just a couple of clicks away. And to make things a little less overwhelming and a lot more doable, here are nine photography articles that will help you turn your photo duds into total delights.

1. above Create a simple portrait setup with natural light + white reflector (via Savor Photography blog).

2. Ten (photography) things not to do from Elsie Larson of A Beautiful Mess.

3. Lindsay of Shrimp Salad Circus shares 5 secrets to great product shots.

4. Go behind the scenes with Lauren Elise in her studio while she shoots her latest diy.

5. Putting together a mini in-home studio (via Clickin Moms)

6. How to photograph your embroidery (via Stitch Punk)

7. Top ten tips for better product photography (from papernstitch – that’s me)

8. Photography school with Camille Styles – all about aperture.

9. Learn how to make an animated GIF using your newly awesome photographs with the help of my Seattle buddy Jenny from Hank & Hunt.

Want more? Visit my photography tips and tricks pinboards now.

This weekend was filled with sunshine and I wanted to carry that into the start of this week.

So I am sending some sun rays your way via Laura Johnston at Le Animale. She just launched this really cool and totally adorable line of chroma totems and the golden color reminds me of the sun. Each one is made to your tastes – choose your favorite animal AND your favorite color.

Of course, if you’d rather display these little guys on a shelf than around your neck, check out the figurine totems. They’ll fit in the palm of your hands…

Aw, so cute! I want that dino…and the sloth (my favorite animal). Visit Le Animale for more from Laura’s shop.

This contributor post was written by Beth of Parsimonia.

A year or so ago I was walking around our neighborhood in Santa Monica when I spotted a high school girl wearing a floral print dress with spaghetti straps. I did a double-take, then carefully kept walking, making sure I hadn’t entered some weird time warp that had thrown me back into the ’90s. Turns out, I was still in post-millennium times, but the fashions of my youth were slowly creeping into it — and they haven’t stopped. Only now, it’s all about neon and, more recently, tie dye.

The latter is one I can definitely get behind, mostly because it’s something you can do yourself and modern adaptions aren’t quite as colorful. Instead of jamming six shades into one piece of cloth, crafters are keeping it simple with two-tone techniques and more subdued hues. These five DIYs are just the tip of the iceberg, too. You can take this technique and transfer it to tons of things: shorts, skirts, dresses, bags, maybe even some curtains? Go on: Grab some rubber bands and get wild!

1. (above) Tie-Dye Tissue Paper by Honest to Nod

2. Tie-Dye Jeans by Here Is Now

3. Tie-Dye Hair Ties/Bracelets by Jenny Bevlin

4. DIY Bleach Tie Dye Top by Honestly WTF

5. Tie-Dye Shoes by Julia’s Poppies Design

6. Tie Dye Denim DIY by State of Unique

7. Tie-Dye Napkins by Sun and Glory

Beth is the writer behind Parsimonia: Secondhand With Style, where she blogs about her first love (thrifting) and her second love (cooking), as well as DIY projects, sustainable style and other bits of inspiration. She lives in St. Louis with one husband, one fuzzy dog and lots of dreams, and recently launched an online vintage store.

Can you keep a secret?

Here it is…. I spend a lot of time on my computer. Big shocker, right? Ha!

During “normal” work hours, I work in my office on my desktop. And at night, I take my office on the road (read: to the couch or dining room table) and use my laptop.

Did I just describe your working scenario? If you’re on the computer as much as I am, visit MacStickrs for a little fun. You can put little decals (like Wayfarer glasses) on your laptop’s Apple logo, assuming you have a Mac – and I am about 92% sure that you do.

Check out this clever video from Aleksandr to see how they look…

Side Note: I love it when shops create videos for their products.  It makes so much sense for your customers  because they can see the product in a more three-dimensional way than a photograph. 

Receive 15% off the already super affordable prices at MacStickrs with the code ILOVEMACSTICKRS at the checkout.

Daria Vintage is after my heart, combining two things I adore: vintage + polka dots. Check these out…

Coral Polka Dot Dress + White Polka Dot Dress (the back of this one is really cute)

Gray Polka Dot Dress (look at that collar) + Flutter Sleeve Blue Polka Dot Dress

Of course there are other styles too – like this 70s print dress, which is my absolute favorite. I think I would just get it hemmed a little shorter.

That’s the key to buying vintage (at least for me) – getting vintage clothes altered to fit your body perfectly will turn a dated dress into something totally new again!

Visit Daria Vintage now to check out Ksanti Soewarto‘s vintage stash.

For the love of all things dipped and dyed…

papier mache bowl $10 via mr kitly // gold dipped triangle studs $10 via petiteco // leather clutch $88 via gift shop brooklyn // black ombré horse $79 via the good machinery

indigo ikat dot blouse $139 via xsilk // gold dipped geo ring $18.99 via amerrymishap // painted spoons $30 via milk farm road //   tanya aguiniga rope bracelet $75 via reform school

ombré tights in navy $45 via bzrshop // soft splatter loop scarf $25 via white moth // wooden bead necklace $10.76 via heuteschmidt // copper and dipped rubber arrow ring $24 via miju

golden sunshine rib dress $58 via karina manarin // mini wood bowls set of two $16 via windandwillowhome // linen summer tote $60 via jeanie deans // yellow multi triangle antler $89 via cassandra smith

Christina is the writer behind the design blog, Down and Out Chic. She’s a budget-friendly design huntress that’s passionate about art and the handmade movement. She adores all things striped and polka dotted and would spend most of her afternoons vintage shopping if her closet were big enough. Find her on Twitter or at D&OC.