Brighten up your winter with a new tropical color combination or two. In this inspirational rethink of a simple chandelier, the fixture was painted a cheerful canary yellow and the shades were re-covered in contrasting wallpaper patterns of pink, yellow and red. Pink trimming on all the shades adds a dash of style and subtly pulls the various papers together.
In this photocollage from the 1860s, the artist painted the interior scene and added photographs of 14 family and friends (including the pooch) to liven things up a bit. 
German born artist Horst Glasker is not only a painter. His art includes his music, performance, sculpture, installation, and architecture. This project of color, architecture and words was created in 2006 in Wuppertal, Germany on the Holstein, steps built in 1900. It is called "La Scala" the Italian word for stairs.
It's winter alright and no one is going anywhere. There is so much snow outside, the entire town has just called it another day off. After the second big snowfall this week, even the sturdiest snow shoveling enthusiast might feel a tad overtaxed.
With advances in photography in the mid nineteenth century, sharing and swapping inexpensive photo booth style portraits became so popular it was called cardomania. The availability of photo portraits inspired amateur watercolorists and artists in the 1860s and 1870s to include cut outs of these images and insert them onto scenes or create scenes around them.
Ever since I saw the goldfish trash bags, I've been feeling nostalgic for the little swimmy pet that entertained us in his traditional goldfish bowl in the kitchen of my childhood. Maybe goldfish, real or imaginary, are making a comeback through industrial and home design? Where will we see them next?
