throwback thursday: paper dolls

November 20, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in artist, home decor, illustrations, inspiration, interior design, Local, nyc, syracuse, kitchenware, decor

It's strange when you identify with certain words so much that when you see them it's as if you're reading your name. I perk up every time I read the words "paper doll." My name was taken from a 1980's soap opera called Paper Dolls, my first blog was The Life of a Paper Doll, and my personal Instagram still remains @paperdoll_ta.

Yesterday I received an email from my favorite local kitchenware store, Fishs Eddy, with the subject title "Paper Dolls Box #2 [small size]" and I got SO excited. For those of you who are not familiar with Fishs Eddy it is a kitchenware company run by Syracuse alum (woo!) in the Flatiron district of NYC. Their store's interior is a little piece of upstate NY countryside heaven. You can find everything from archival plates, to quirky dinnerware, to classic table settings. It's such a great shop. My DG sorority sister and best friend introduced me to it when I first moved to the big city.

What I love about Fishs Eddy is the story behind it because.. if you can guess.. I can relate to it so well! The owners were wandering through the small towns that make up upstate New York and stumbled into Fishs Eddy. This little town is where they discovered a barn filled with dishes and bowls and platters! And they got to take home all of it! When they brought everything back to their apartment in NYC the seedling of Fishs Eddy started to sprout!

While attending Syracuse University you found yourself doing a lot of wandering through backroads and small towns. My friends and I would make a point to find cool little undiscovered (to us) streets and antique stores to run around and get lost in. This company reminds me of that moment in my life.

Fishs Eddy has been collaborating with illustrators and artists for years. This particular project, Paper Doll Box #2 [small size], is something that designer Todd Oldham brought to the table. The funny thing about this scenario is that Todd didn't actually draw these dolls, he discovered them at a flea market in Ft. Worth Texas! You can read his story any more on the Fishs Eddy blog! These girls and boys are now printed on a tray, a glass and a pillow which make up the collection. Go to fishseddy.com to shop it!

All photos are from fishseddy.com

pet portraits: stella monstarr

September 18, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in art, home decor, illustrations, wall art, pet portraits

I watched this little kitty grow from the tiniest kitten who woke me up by snapping the hair elastics on my wrist to the most spoiled pampered cat I know. Here is the completed illustration of the one and only Stella MonStarr. Stella lives in Sea Bright, NJ where she sun baths by day and curls up in a bean bag by night.

the crab + the moon is now doing custom pet portraits! Please email us for pricing!

pet portraits: olive angelina benicula who

August 26, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in art, flower crowns, home decor, illustrations, pet portraits, wall art

Olive Angelina Benicula Who, also known as Olive the Cute, is a rescue who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Her birth name was Betty in her days of biting rope and mild gingivitis. She loves sports radio and her lamby. Her mother spoils her with all organic goodies and lots of hugs. She is a hipster pup and I am also her auntie. Who loves her very much. You can follow her on Instagram at @olivethecute.

flora grubb gardens

August 22, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in california, flowers, home, home decor, inspiration, interior design, photography, plants, wall art

I am still thinking about my trip to Flora Grubb when I was in San Francisco last week. Their space was so inspiring and fun. The first thing I said to the owner was of course...... do you allow pictures.

What made this moment even more perfect was the little coffee shop inside. They had an awesome playlist going.. I had my tea in hand and everything in the world was right.

If you're ever in the area it's a great little place to grab a coffee and walk around for a bit! They have great things for the home as well.

If you're not in the area you should visit them from the comfort of your home at floragrubb.com!

metal + crystals + skulls

August 13, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in art, california, home decor, inspiration, interior design, plants

During my travels to LA I found myself on my favorite block of Abbot Kinney Blvd and in The Juicy Leaf. I was perusing for cactus and succulents and stumbled up these beautiful pieces of metal, crystal and death. I've never seen anything like them. If only I had an extra $2,800 in my pocket. If only.

Austrian Crystal Encrusted Skulls. Makes my heart skip a beat.

You can only find these pieces at The Juicy Leaf or on their website thejuicyleaf.com

LA love affair

May 26, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in jewelry, wall art, home decor, art, california, sundays, sunsets

There was a clear color pallet today.

Pale pastels of a moonstone.

adorn your plants

April 06, 2014 by Taryn Antoniou in home decor, interior design, plants, sundays

Everywhere I've lived the first thing I do is make my own little gypsy cave. My Brooklyn bedroom was the first place that I actually took my time developing. My room now is my favorite place to be.

Over the past few months I've added color and life through floral, fabric and p l a n t s ! The addition of plants, whether real or fake, is what really sets my room apart from any other place I've lived. The amount of natural light I get definitely plays a huge factor as well. Plants can really transform a space from feeling flat and dismal to a space with dimension, character and life (quite literally)!

Today I decided to elevate my flower child haven even more by implementing stones and other forms of nature to my plant babies for their own little makeover. I have added special stones, shells and gold flecks to each pot and plant arrangement. I have to say I l o v e the final product! I'm a big believer in the power of stones, so I figured why not mix the elements, both plants and stones, and have them live in my most serene space. Now everything in here has it's own special jewel or flower crown.

My favorite is the lapis lazuli. I read that I am suppose to alway have a piece of lapis touching my skin. Knowing this I took my lapis stone and adorned my favorite plant that from time to time I use on my skin. Now Al has his own piece of jewelry.

It's really making me smile on this beautiful S U N D A Y .