Welcome Summer Colors Week!

Please join us this week (June 17-21/13) for our 4th Annual Summer Colors Week! This year to play along just upload the color of the day (posted at our instagram the night before) all week long using hashtag #summercolors13 . Todays color? Yellow! You can check out all the lovely colors in the tag by clicking here (if you're not on the app). And if you wish to enter the daily giveaway as well, this:

1) Follow @poppytalk on instagram
2) Upload your daily color image to instagram with hashtag #summercolors13
3) Comment and tag one friend (eg: @poppytalk) at the daily giveaway post on instagram! Here is a link to Monday's.

Todays' giveaway:  A beautiful hand printed pouch from the folks at Bookhou!

I will announce the winner (picked at random) at the same time as the next days color announcement post. Good luck! Huge thank you to @bookhou for donating todays' beautiful giveaway!  Also meet me back here later today where I'll post a few of your images from instagram along with some pins too!

3 Sunday Reading | Chatelaine Summer Living

I picked up a copy of Chatelaine Magazine's Summer Living (special edition) this weekend and it's got me in the mood for a little summertime decorating.  Like most special editions, there's a few images you'll recognize from issues past, but they've done a pretty good job of keeping it fresh and interesting, offering up designer tips, weekend project ideas and room makeovers.  I snipped a few sneak peeks to inspire a little sunday reading for yourself. Check them out below.

Photo: Roberto Caruso

Loving the patio lanterns hanging on a string in this photo (above). I picked up something similar at Home Depot recently (we're using it for our Chinatown Night Market at the moment) but I think they will be around for summers to come.

Photo: Donna Griffith

Mix and match. Pretty summery fabrics in a variety of colours complement each other really well in this vingette.

Photo: Michael Alberstat

Love these custom-made oilcloth slipcovers made to give some indoor chairs a second life as patio seating.

Photo: Angus McRitchie

Toss cushions are a fun idea for the deck, don't you think? Love them around that extra big tree stump.

This special issue features decorating advice from Chatelaine’s design panel: Emma Reddington, Samantha Pynn, Andrea Mills, Kimberley Seldon, Michael Penny,Virginie Martocq and Julia Black! I checked online if there was a digital issue (but not that I can tell), but here is a link to their subscriptions online. Yay summer!

5 Weekend Project | Download a Masterpiece

I love this little project I found the other day from Ideas Magazine (out of S. Africa).  The Rijksmuseum, the world's leading museum of Dutch Golden Age masterpieces has a cool website where you can, (and they allow you to and encourage you to), download works from its collection to make them your own.  In the images shown here, Flow Magazine's design team produced  some gorgeous adaptations from their downloads from the Rijksstudio site and then Idea Magazine used their paper for this creative project.  From wallpaper, ottomans, pillows and more, the options really could be endless. Choose artworks and download your own pieces and adapt them using these as inspiration. I picked up my digital copy of Ideas Magazine through Zinio.com. Photo Ed O'Riley.

My posts elsewhere this week:
Linen textiles from IKEA? Who knew?
My serving bowls 

And not to forget! Join us next week for Summer Colors Week! For more info, click here!

5 Pretty Things from Apple White

Loving these summery pieces from a new shop to us, Apple White. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Apple White hand makes each item with amazing attention to detail and quality. Above: An adorable pillow cover featuring hand sewed tiny cotton flowers on a vintage bicycle image with a sweet blue and white polka dot bow. (Click here for a close-up of her beautiful work).  And a few more items we love below:

A floral fold over clutch

Anchor tea towel (flour sack cotton)

Paris market summer tote bag with applique

Apple White is in our summer market this month (visit her by clicking here), or check them out online:

shop website facebook twitter

6 Best of DIYs | Print Your Own Fabric

This summer we have a new series here on the blog, we're calling "Best of DIYs". With so many amazing DIYs we have in the archive, we thought for the summer, we'd feature some of the most popular. After 8 years of blogging, so many of these posts get buried, and perhaps forgotten.  So for those that are new to Poppytalk and for those that may have missed or forgotten, we bring you the best.  First off, this amazing Print Your Own Fabric by Karina from Maple Ash and Oak.  Karina did this DIY for us back in 2011 and we love all the little tips and tricks she offers up to print onto fabric using things you may have around the house. One of our faves!!!  Check it out!

Hello there, I am Karina from Maple Ash and Oak. Here I will show you a simple and inexpensive way to create your very own fabric pieces. No need for large screens, squeegees, and emulsion. Beautiful prints can be created with simple methods and materials. Most of the supplies are household items and the rest can be found at your local art or craft store.

What you will need:
*2-3 yards 1/4" Foam
*Fabric (for your prints and a cover cloth)
*Textile Inks (can be found at your local art store)
*Scotch Tape
*Markers
*T-pins or Sewing Pins
*Plastic Folders or Tray
*Scissors
*Exact o Knife
*Contact Paper (transparent)
*Containers
*Spatulas
*Iron
*Rubber Bands
*Stamps (optional)

Click here to get the rest of this Best of DIY.