I don’t know about you, but my “winter blahs” are in full force right about now. Everything just feels like it takes a lot of effort. It’s cold outside, it’s easier to eat than work and old movies become your new best friend. It’s rather a natural thing – it’s hibernation time. But if you don’t watch it, you can find yourself becoming increasingly unproductive and just a little listless. That’s where My Pop Art art comes into play.

There’s an “outside in” approach to life that states if you change your environment, it will lead to psychological changes as well. We all know this to some extent; a new haircut can really make us feel like a million bucks, right? Well, the same holds true with your home. When it’s bright and shining amidst the drabness of winter than it can help lessen the heavy effects that this time of year can have on us.

My Pop Art provides bold and distinctive artwork based on photos you send them. So it’s not some random piece of artwork you pick up from a store. It’s artwork based on your artwork. The artists at My Pop Art use bright, vivid Pop Art style colors guaranteed to enliven any dreary and wintery household.

It’s an affordable way to boost your spirits during these dark times. So pick your best photo and send it in. Once you get it back, hang it in a highly visible place. My Pop Art will serve as sunshine in your house, guaranteed!

The end of the year can be a reflective time for many. You look book at what you’ve accomplished, events that have transpired, losses, gains, changes, perspective shifts. You look around you and see your surroundings in a whole new light. Perhaps you feel the need to do a thorough purging of your closets and desk, get rid of those old emails, maybe hang some new artwork (MyPopArt offers some inspiring art for the new year.)

Many of decide to make resolutions but somehow we know they are destined to fail. Why? What is it about resolutions that inspires so much resistance? Maybe they are too big and unrealistic. “I want to lose 75 pounds by summer” or “I want to run for office.” Of course, any of these goals are possible, but sometimes a looming resolution makes the Inner Critic inside of us scream, “No way!”

Perhaps instead of resolutions, we can think in terms of how we’d like to feel this upcoming year. “I’d like to feel healthier and lighter” or “I want to contribute more to my community.” These seem gentler for our often resistance psyche.

Or perhaps this is just a chance to reflect on the things you have accomplished this passing year. We often don’t give ourselves credit for the strides we’ve already taken, which makes taking others one even more difficult.

Whatever your choice, make some changes for your upcoming year that seem reasonable and full of gratitude. There’s a lot to be grateful for, of course. And don’t forget to tend to your surroundings. Some new artwork, a good purging, a thorough cleaning; these things all contribute to making the upcoming year seem like a clean slate.

As we say goodbye to the bulk of our holidays, we begin to reflect on our last year. What did we accomplish? What were our high points? Our low points? What would we like to achieve this upcoming year? Did we get anything we really wanted this holiday season?

If the answer to that final burning question was no, maybe it’s time to check out a site like My Pop Art, for an affordable post-holiday “treat.”

Listen, you probably expended tons of energy this holiday, doing for others, buying like a man/woman possessed. Maybe the way to celebrate the final days of 2008 is by purchasing something for yourself.

My Pop Art pieces really add a lot to any room. When you choose a bright, bold piece of decor for a room, it’s an ongoing gift. Every time you walk in it, you feel a burst of energy and warmth.

Maybe this upcoming year, you want to work on a personal project like a painting or a memoir? What better way to cast a spell upon yourself then obtaining a piece of inspirational art?

Or maybe 2008 was a trying year for you. Pop Art has an enlivening effect on your psyche. It might be just the ticket to be brighten those sagging spirits.

Whatever the case is, buying for yourself can be a wonderful process. It’s self-affirming. It says, “I count too!” Artwork is a perfect self-present because it’s the gift that keeps on giving. And giving to yourself is a way of honoring your accomplishments for 2008 (or lack thereof – you can celebrate your non-accomplishments too! Maybe you took it easy this year! Congratulations!)

After the holidays are over, you may find yourself with a mess of a house. People in and out, errant wrapping paper blowing about, tired toys finding their way under your feet. You may feel the pressure of a new year coming upon you. And if you were really good, Santa Claus brought you some cool artwork for your walls, like something from My Pop Art.

Most people are used to the idea of a spring cleaning but sometimes, in the heart of winter, your house needs a good “shaking out.” Why? Well, winters are a time for flus and colds and houses with recycled heat, must, dust and other particulates are no good for your health. Take a few hours, turn off the heat and open the windows. Give your place a good dusting. Shake out those throw rugs and wipe down the place (using non-toxic cleaners. You don’t need to use aerosol cleaners and other toxic products. More damage is done to your health by using that archaic stuff!)

Once you have an aired-out, cleaner place, you’ll feel that sense of calm and peace that comes from a cleaner, more organized environment. Then hang up your new artwork. Notice how a nice piece of artwork adds so much to a room, bringing light, color and ideas!

A winter spring cleaning? Give it a try. It may do something to that sense of winter blahs as well. Warm up your house this cold winter with some deep cleaning and new artwork! It will be spring in no time, I promise.

Now that a new year is approaching, it’s time to revisit your surroundings. Perhaps you ordered a bold, colorful piece from a place like My Pop Art. Once you hung it on the wall, the rest of the room felt dreary in comparison!

Often, a good paint job will bring the life back to your room. Some people are real naturals when it comes to choosing just the right color to enliven a room. Others of us need some guidance. How do you know which color to choose? If you pick a bold color, do you use it on all of the walls or just to accentuate?

Here’s a few pointers when you decide it’s time to change the face of a room or several rooms in your home:

• Having trouble deciding on your paint palette? Choose a design direction. If you’ve already chosen an interior décor or if you’re working with a room that’s already furnished, focus on a favorite fabric color, piece of art or furniture, or other object.
• Have color confidence–don’t be afraid to paint bold and bright. If your room is unfurnished, a vibrant color can fill it until you can.
• Consider yourself above all. Paint color should reflect your mood and personality. What are your favorite colors? If you’re having trouble selecting a color–try looking in your closet. The colors you enjoy wearing are the ones that make you feel good. You are the one who has to live with the color–so live with the shades you love.

Your new piece of Pop Art can dictate a color choice as well. Again, don’t be afraid to take some chances. Its only paint after all. You can try out a shade for a while and switch up later down the road. But remember, color affects us. So choose a way you want to feel and then choose a color accordingly. It’s called “working from the outside in.”

Pop Art artists would certainly love the day after Christmas, with toys and dolls tossed about. It’s a commercialism dream. It’s a feast of stuff! Now, the aftermath. What to do with those unwanted gifts? Why didn’t that toy work and where is that darn receipt? Why did my husband get that hideous polka dotted shirt?

Luckily the people who chose artwork from places like My Pop Art have less to worry about. The gifts they offer are well-liked, unusual and distinctive. The only concern, if you were a lucky recipient, is where to hang your new piece of Pop Art? How can you showcase it the best?

The pieces from My Pop Art are bold, artistic creations. You want to hang them in a place where it doesn’t overwhelm the other art of the wall, which it tends to do. The best idea? Find a wall that’s not overly adorned. As a matter of fact, I find a blank walls works the best. That way you dont’ have to worry about other artistic style clashing with it.

Hanging art usually requires the help of another person as well. It’s too time-consuming (and wall damaging) to keep running back and forth to see if it’s hung correctly. Feel free to experiment in a few different rooms as well. Maybe one room needs a little more brightening up then the other.

Yes, it is the day after Christmas. The time to sort thought the wreckage. Once you hang your Pop Art on the walls, you’ll welcome the new sense of decor it brings.

Not all of us are lucky enough to get a unique, bold gift from MyPopArt. Sometime you’re stuck, right? Aunt Milly gives you a yellow and green striped shirt that makes you look like a Ninja Turtle. Or your darling husband thought giving you a Dust Buster was the most romantic gift ever.

We all get stuck with some pretty awful gifts during the holidays but this is the day of “precycling” where it’s politically incorrect to just toss the gifts. Not to worry. It’s time for the art of “regifting.”

There’s an art to regifting. Here are some pointers when you open a present and inwardly go, “Ugh.”

If you are thinking about regifting this holiday season, ask yourself the following questions:

Is the gift regiftable?  Never regift handmade or one-of-a-kind items.  Signed books and monogrammed items are off-limits.  Do you have to be told not to regift free promotional items?  Some gifts that are good candidates for regifting include good (unopened!) bottles of wine, new household items and inexpensive jewelry.

How is the condition?  Only new, unopened gifts in good condition should be considered for regifting.  Never give partially used gift cards.  Don’t give items that you have owned for a long time.  A general rule of thumb:  if you have to dust it off, it is not regiftable.

Is this going to work?  Successful regifters use common sense.  If you are going to regift, be sure you know who gave you the item, so you don’t return something to the original giver.  Only regift items to people who are not likely to see the original giver.

So take a look at your gifts the day after Christmas. And instead of quietly tossing out that weird gizmo, think of regifting. Your unlikable gift might be someone else’s favorite gift ever…even that ugly sweater!

We all get ‘em. And we never know what to with the them. Do we rewrap and regive? Do we keep in a closet for a certain amount of time and then drop them off at the local Salvation Army (though you even wonder if someone going through a great hardship would wear that hideous tie.) My Pop Art gifts ensure peace of mind. You know you’re receiving a one of a kind gift that’s likable, enjoyable, celebrateable! Quality artwork is a longstanding gift; it can last for generations. No awkward silences after opening, just “oohs” and “ahhs.”

So how about a good “worst gift” horror story? There’s a lot out there but here’s one woman’s version:

“My husband and I were celebrating our first year as a married couple and were excited about opening our gifts to one another. He set one of mine aside and told me it would be last, as it was really special. We opened all our other gifts, then he handed me my “special” one. It was a very high-tech bathroom scale. Normally, I just sort of shrug things like this off, but this time I said, “Oh, no, you didn’t!” He said, “You said you wanted to lose weight and I thought you’d really love this scale!” He really had no clue.”

Don’t be a statistic this holiday season. Make sure you buy a gift that’s across-the-board liked! My Pop Art provides fun, inviting, built-to-please gifts. No scales here!

The U.S. Northeast just took a brutal Mother Nature wallop this week. Power lines down, ice dropping trees and buildings…scary. And if you don’t live there, perhaps you live in some other chilly parts of the country. The nights are long, the outside…not so inviting. So what’s there to do?

Choosing some My Pop Art for your home may be just the answer. The beauty of a Pop Art piece as part of your decor is the bright, vivid energy it brings into a wintery home. Pop Art is known for its bold use of color and during a dreary, cold day, it’s nice to walk into your home and seeing artwork light up your room, almost, as if by magic, adding heat to it. Could Pop Art even serve as an artistic fireplace for your home, warming up all the chilliest of corners?

There’s only one way to find out. Check out My Pop Art’s many selections of art gifts and decide on one that’s apropos for your interior design needs. Once you hang it, you’ll notice the transformation. Watch the temperature begin to rise. Really! Well, maybe it doesn’t actually warm your house, but its good for your soul, to see some vivid art jumping off your walls, begging for its 15 minutes of fame.

Pop Art on your walls for the chilly winter months…of course! What better ways to warm the cockles…whatever the heck cockles are.

Are you getting any warmer?

Did you know that there is a certain etiquette to the way you accept a gift? That’s right. Even if you’re secretly cringing over the ugly hat your sister gave you, there’s a way that she won’t know a thing! The great part with My Pop Art is that it offers so many cool gifts, there will be no silent cringing, only outward extolling!

But there’s more gifts out there than ones from My Pop Art so here’s some tips on how to handle the acceptance of gifts this year in the most gracious and warm fashion humanly possible.

1. Smile and say thank you, no matter how odd, ugly or wrong the gift is. A sincere show of appreciation is the only appropriate response.
2. Hold the sweater up to yourself and tell Aunt Bess how perfect it is for your upcoming trip to Cape Code. Open the book and gush over the pictures.
3. Let the giver know how you might use a gift of money. “Oh, Gran, now I can finish art school,” “I’m off to Istanbul” or “Here’s my new car.”
4. Live with the gift and learn to love it if it’s engraved, monogrammed, specially made or specially ordered.
5. Keep in mind that something like an engagement ring might be difficult to exchange, but it’s not always impossible. Be as diplomatic as humanly possible.
6. Talk to the giver in private if the gift is too expensive, too sexy or not suitable to the occasion or your relationship. Never discuss such things in public.
7. Write a more effusive thank-you card for a more special gift. In public, however, every gift gets equal time.