Sometimes an idea is so simple it can be genius. That’s what happened to artist and photographer Leah Macdonald. While at art school in California, Leah was exploring ways to manipulate the surface of photographs when she picked up a bar of beeswax at an art supply store. She melted it in a pot, poured it over a black and white photograph and fell in love with the result. Taking it one step further, she blended in colored paints — a 5,000-year-old technique called encaustic painting — for an even richer, layered texture. The thick, natural wax combined with the paint transformed the photograph from a flat print to an ethereal, almost mystical piece of art.

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When Kathryn M. Ireland entertains at her home in Santa Monica, Calif., you know you’re in for a treat. But the delicious food, the endless bottles of wine and a fascinating guest list that often includes Gossip Girl actress Caroline Lagerfelt, The Guardian star Simon Baker and even Lindsay Lohan, pale in comparison to the designer’s own home. Lush rooms filled with eye-popping fabrics, antiques and a dizzying layer of textures are the real reasons you never want to leave.

The British-born Kathryn, a star of Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorator, has an uncanny ability to create homes that not only feel lived in but improve with age. Her signature style includes classic, comfortable furniture upholstered in her own textile designs or vintage fabrics she’s found while traveling the world. Mixed in are antique furniture, stacks of books, vintage rugs, art and ceramic vases often filled with garden roses. It makes for interiors that are both intriguing and inviting. It’s also a perfect reflection of Kathryn herself, whose big smile, energetic flair and warm embrace make you want to plop down on one of her comfy couches, adjust a pretty pillow behind your back and talk for hours.

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A sunny afternoon in May, I popped my head into a friend’s studio and saw a display of art work that instantly tickled my imagination. Visiting for the weekend was Swedish illustrator and artist Linn Schrab, whose quirky and meticulous drawings were so unique I asked her to be Sweden With Love’s July Creative Crush.

When I look at Linn’s art, my storytelling gene kicks into gear. I can easily conjure up a happy — and even funny — tale based on her wonderful characters. “I’m inspired by folk art and native art, because you can tell it comes from the heart,” says Linn. “I’m also influenced by the stories of my childhood. My grandmothers used to tell me a lot of tales when I was a kid, and those stories pop into my head when I sit down to draw. I’ll wonder what that old man looked like who played the accordion and always wore his hat crooked.”

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Chances are you’ve come across artist Andrew Bannecker’s work before. His charming and emotive illustrations are often used by companies such as the Gap, Google, Neiman Marcus, Nike, Starbucks, Target and Volkswagen. But it’s not because of his celebrated status as one of the world’s top illustrators that I picked Andrew’s work for June’s Curated, Sweden With Love’s monthly art show. It’s because of the way his art makes me feel: joyful, happy and a little bit childish.

Andrew works out of his studio in Washington, D.C., where he keeps a colorful collection of old paraphernalia. He favors objects made of wood and metal, and his interests range from toy rocket ships to vintage signs. His pens are stacked in a mug decorated with mustaches in different shapes, and in front of his computer screen sits a row of quirky porcelain figurines.

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Breakfast at my house usually happens at the kitchen island, an antique storage cabinet with a large butcher block on top. Cereal, bananas and raisins are everywhere but in the kids’ bowls and you can always count on my 18-month-old daughter to throw her yoghurt on the floor. At the end of the meal, it’s anything but pretty.

So when I stumbled upon Swedish ceramic artist Mia Blanche’s kitchenware in soothing pastels, I felt an experiment was in order. Wouldn’t simply holding something this exquisite and pretty in your hands, not to mention eating from it, make mealtime more gracious? The first time I introduced the colorful Sven bowls decorated with a little horse, the kids squealed with delight. And as I had hoped for, they ended up treating their new bowls — and the act of eating from them — with a gentleness that was both surprising and sweet.

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Who knew pottery could have a sense of humor? Peek inside Swedish artist Sanne Dahlstrom’s studio and you’ll see how. Lining her shelves are everyday objects such as coffee mugs, plates, flower pots and bowls painted with quirky figures that are bound to make you smile.

Sanne applies a white glaze on her wares and then paints them by hand using bold black, red or blue colors. Her inspiration often comes from a desire to solve a problem for a friend or family member. Her female “Superhero!” bowl was created for a girlfriend who needed cheering up. And when her son Albin recently moved into a 225-square-foot apartment in Stockholm, she surprised him with a set of bowls and mugs that fit into a shoe box.

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Blame it on a piece of jewelry. In 2000, San Diego-based marketing and sales rep Linda Wente fell in love with an amethyst necklace that was out of her price range. She resigned to the fact that she couldn’t afford it when, a few weeks later, she went back to the store and it was on sale. But as the sales clerk wrapped it up, the necklace broke and the gems came loose. “I was so upset!” says Wente. “My friend said, ‘Just tell her you’ll buy the beads for $30 and then you can fix it.’ I had no idea what I was doing, but I went to a local bead store, repaired it and then I just couldn’t stop! I made necklaces, bracelets, earrings, you name it. It was like opening a Pandora’s Box.”

It took another ten years before she had the courage to venture out on her own. Today, a mere two years after launching her jewelry company Perlin Design, Wente’s pieces are sold in stores from Los Angeles to Sydney, as well as on her website, www.perlindesign.com.

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