artist // kristy gammill

it's monday, kids! here's a little help getting perked up:

images via kristy gammill

don't worry. i peed a little when i saw them, too.

happy friday + izola giveaway winners

happy friday, all! is it just me or are the weeks flying by lately? i can't believe may is already upon us!

without further ado:

congrats to kecia, abbie and korin! please shoot me an email at tobe(at)becauseitsawesomeblog(dot)com with your shipping address so we can get these babies to you! for everyone else, izola is offering 20% off your next purchase through their website, so go snag the items on your wishlist! who knows how long that deal will last? big thanks to them again for sponsoring this giveaway, and for generally being awesome.

i also have to give a shoutout to the sweet louise of table tonic for mentioning me in this round of (always fabulous) 14 bookmark-worthy sites! i'm hoping for some time this weekend to check all of her recommendations out.

enjoy your weekend! ox

artist // ekaterina koroleva

wowed by artist ekaterina koroleva's style and range. her brights are easily some of my faves.

see more of her gorgeous work here. (her black and white, and zodiac series are particularly lovely as well.)

also, today is the last day to enter the izola giveaway. go get you some (before 5 CST)!

house guest // the vault files

today's house guest is none other than gaby from the vault files! i seriously cannot put into words how much i adore this girl's style. she's going to make me go broke with all of her beautiful fashion finds and stellar advice! she's also the super talent i'm sharing the apartment 34 where/wear column with, and i couldn't enjoy collaborating with her more.

take it away, gaby!

. . . . . . .

Hi everyone, Gaby from The Vault Files here, thrilled and honored to be a house guest on Because it's Awesome! I was very excited when Tobe contacted me to take part in this great series, and because I'm moving back home in a couple of months (I've been living in a very VERY remote island for the past 15 months) I couldn't find a topic more fitting than redecorating.

Do you ever feel like you want to throw everything out the window and start from zero? I often do, but, before actually doing that, I like to keep in mind some small (and not so expensive) changes that can go a long way:

And just as in Fashion, try to identify what can stay as is, what has the potential to be reinvented, and what needs to be tossed/donated/sold ;)

Do you have any tips on redecorating? I would love to hear!

Images credits: Pinterest / Dan Duchars via Desire to Inspire / Crate & Barrel Colette Bench / Caitlin Wilson Textiles Pillows / PopOColor Duralee red Ikat pillow / PopOColor Reversible Blue & White Ikat pillow / Ikea Hemnes Drawer Chest / Molly Madfis Campaign style chest

contributing column // where/wear

psst! gaby and i are over at apartment 34 again today with the 2nd installment of our where/wear column.

come peep it. we're classy this week.

type tuesday // le buro

i was too busy pimping izola's goods to tell you that i was over at the peak of tres chic yesterday, talking about my ideal monday. which i actually had yesterday! well, aside from bed at a decent hour . . . baby steps. big thanks to sam for having me.

getting back to my roots today with bold black and white type.

the poster series doesn't disappoint either

project by montreal firm inventaire // via behance

don't forget to enter to win a set of awesome handkerchiefs in the izola giveaway!

new sponsor + a giveaway

good morning, all! hope this monday morning finds you well-rested and ready to tackle a new week. i know i sure overindulged in some down time after last week's deadlines. if you're dragging today, i might have a little something to perk you up. nothing like kicking off the week with some good news, right? and, man, do i have a serious treat for you guys today -- a sweet giveaway!

some of you might remember a post on some very fine candle packaging back in february? well, it turns out, candles aren't the only thing the fine gentlemen behind that brand have going on. the company, better known as izola, has a vast array of well-designed products worth checking out. in fact, being that i came across their site right before eric's birthday, i was eyeballing a few items that seemed up his alley. honestly --- you guys know i'm a sucker for nice packaging --- i had a hard time sticking to gifts for him. i wanted a few for myself! case in point:

images via izola

when izola and i started talking (god bless twitter), they very generously offered to send me a few items (birthday gift? check!). i was nothing short of ecstatic both to give eric something he was bound to love as well as get to see these fine products in person! they definitely didn't disappoint. we've had a few items in constant use since their arrival, and the packages they came in went straight to my office for inspiration. double bonus!

the candle we eric received is their most popular scent, and i have to say, it's amazing. and even though we didn't really need a soap dish, i knew ours his would make a perfect ring catcher for us. but the gift that i'm really excited about is the set of natural cotton handkerchiefs that will eventually be framed and displayed in all of their glorious splendor! well-designed with clever phrases, they'll make a very fine wall statement. i'm thinking of balancing the graphic, masculine nature of them with ornate gilded frames, perhaps in the powder room.

but i'm not the only lucky one here. i'm thrilled to tell you that the fine gentlemen at izola have offered to give not one, but three lucky BIA readers a set of these newly-released handkerchief sets! simply enter by leaving a comment letting us know if you would like to receive the stars, pioneer, or forest collection (be sure to check out the phrases. they're unique to each set!)

"it's written in the stars"  //  "lost time is never found"  //  "peace and prosperity"

"pioneers! o, pioneers!"  //  "courage"  //  "sticks and stones"

"the forest for the trees"  //  "wild beasts"  //  "weather the storm"

they're such unique, classy pieces for the menfolk. of course, i highly recommend checking out the rest of their line while you're at it. i'm telling you, those flasks and martini shakers are begging to be gifted to the man in your life! had i known about izola when we got married, i think a few items would definitely have made the wedding party gift list. but i have a second chance . . . my brother's 30th is coming up, and I have a few of their items in mind :)

you have until thursday, april 26, 2012 at 5pm CST to enter. sorry, US residents only. good luck!

the fine print: winners will be chosen via random.org, and will be announced within 24 hours of being chosen. after being announced, winners are responsible for claiming prize within 7 days, at which time they will forfeit their prize. limit one entry per person. no purchase or payment necessary. in exchange for running this giveaway, i was gifted the products stated above. void where prohibited. giveaway sponsored by izola.

*though this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.

outdoors // dorothee schumacher

let's just continue lusting after amazing conservatory and outdoor spaces this week, shall we?

dorothee schumacher has got it going on.

i'm also intrigued by the combo of this:

and this:

throw in a turquoise kitchen with copper pots situation

images via the selby

and i ask you, who doesn't want to be this woman right now??

T G I F !!!

outdoors // in need of some patio time

you guys, this week has been exhausting. yesterday was one of those days that nothing goes your way. mountains of work to do . . . computer acting up . . . just hearing other people talk annoys the shit out of you . . . it was not pretty, to say the least. it's both a gift and a curse that tomorrow is the same deadline for my many projects. it might mean pulling an all-nighter if today doesn't go more smoothly than yesterday did, so cross your fingers for some creative genius.

i digress.

to that point, you might have noticed that there have not been many progress updates on the house lately. well, that's because there has been little to no progress on the house! unless you're talking about outdoors, which is where all of our spare moments (and spare pennies) have been going. this is definitely old news to those of you with yards, but i have to admit that this is my first yard to care for. which, let's not kid ourselves, the husband is doing most of the work. (bless him!) between a hot, dry summer last year and the fact that the previous owners left in late winter, we have had some fairly significant work to do. lots of landscaping to clean up, patchy grass to fertilize (responsibly, mind you!), 8,000 of those spiky sugar gum balls to corale, and leaves that are seriously still appearing out of nowhere . . . the list goes on. but it's surprisingly rewarding to see things transform to the beauty that i know the previous owners enjoyed.

then there's the matter of our empty deck. literally, once the weather warmed up and things started blooming, all of my priorities shifted from furnishing the house to outfitting our deck and patio! we have a fantastic space for which i have no photos (except this one from my move-in post), but i assure you, it's stupid awesome. and it needs clothes. once i started pulling research, i quickly realized that i gravitate towards the clean, modern wicker look. and i've since been educating myself on what to know about buying and/or maintaining that faux wicker beauty.

architectural digest

all this to say that i'd been pretty focused on a certain direction until i finally let myself sit down with this month's issue of elle decor, and i got an eye-full of erik hyman and max mutchnick's swanky LA grounds. holy heaven!

elle decor  //  photography by william abranowicz, landscape design by william shapiro

you guys are all invited over for cocktails on the patio!

just as soon as i get my chores done . . .

perfect package // this served here

beautiful clean and classic student work by marta gonzalez palacios:

via packaging uqam

i can see it served here:

via spitzmiller and norris architects