Good Old Things

 

What is Spring good for?

I would have to say getting out to explore the simple things around me. In this case, I've had my eye on an abandoned house close by. It sits on private property so I don't want to share the exact name or location to assure it will remain free of vandals. 

I can't help but imagine the families who lived here and wonder why this old beauty was left to decay and have birds roost in the upper levels. When something interests me, I need to learn more about it and I did find out this farm was established in the 1870's by a wealthy tobacco manufacturer. The stables here were one of the dominant racing stables in the 1920's, bringing victories in both the Kentucky Derby and three Belmont Stakes. Today, the farmland around this structure is a self-sufficient stock farm, producing its own grain and supplying other farms as well. It is owned by a wealthy family who chooses to remain private and limit visitors. 

What are your thoughts? Have you been out exploring too?

Lovelies

PegandAwl

andiespecialtysweets

estatehound

I remember growing up, my father would play the accordian most nights and I'd fall asleep to those gentle songs he'd fill the house with for hours at a time. Back then, I never knew how much I'd miss those times but think of them each time I see a lovely accordian. They always remind me of being a little girl and special times.

Above are some of my most recent favorites. Please take a moment in your holiday season this year to find some original items for gifts. Using reclaimed, vintage and handmade items is a great way to do so.

A Sky Full of Kindness

"We're all the same people we were when we were children, we're just bigger and pretend that we're not." -Rob Ryan

Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan from Etsy on Vimeo.

What could be a greater way to celebrate the world than acknowledging the beauty in the everyday?
Read the full Etsy blog post here: http://etsy.me/handmadeportraitsrobryan

 I just adore his work and if you have a chance to check out his site, you can find it by clicking here: Rob Ryan

Taking a trip...

Hi everyone! Starting tomorrow, the shop will be on vacation until September 26th. If there was something you have your heart set on, you may want to claim it now. Your order will ship ASAP.

I'll be in Seattle visiting my little brother Sam for a very much needed vacation but will be updating my blog during this time. We always have fun and it's going to be great to see his side of the world. I'm looking forward to being in the Northwest and experiencing all it has to offer; it's all so exciting!

We've been getting ready for our Fall shows, making new hats, creatures and tons of fingerless mitts in many colors. They're perfect for texting and a busy life while keeping you toasty. 

See you soon!

Lovelies

earthseawarrior

 

mwest0425 

andiespecialtysweets

These are a few of my most recent favorites. They can all be found on etsy and the links are below each image. Please take a moment and check out their lovely shops. Thanks for supporting handmade.

Fregley

I can finally share Fregley with you! He was made especially for my partner Haley (The Zen of Making) and created entirely of cotton. He was my first creature to feature a cable running up his left side. I can imagine this technique being used in a few different ways and I'm already putting it to use on a new little monster in the studio now. I'm so pleased he made her happy and I know he excited to learn he was moving to Brooklyn. 

Thanks again to the Handmade Gift Exchange sponsored by Craftaholics Anonymous.

Hollyhocks!

Each year the hollyhocks multiply and multiply in the garden outside my bedroom window. I find them so lovely and beautiful in the way they open one by one. Early in the Spring, I staggered the way they're planted to space them nicely and give them enough space to delight me for years to come. Maybe I should find another color to mix within? Any suggestions?

Handmade Gift Exchange

After hearing about it via Liz Noonan a few days ago, I signed up to participate in Craftaholics anonymous' Handmade Gift Exchange. It's my first time participating in it and I've been paired up with Haley who is the brains behind The Zen of Making blog. It's twice as lovely to be partnered up with someone so inspiring and creative and I'm looking forward to surprising her.

Baby Driver

As I felt them surround us with their sweet gentle faces, I realized summer is here and look forward to seeing them again soon. I was thrilled to share them with my nephew. His excitement mirrored my own.

Solar Sewing

I found this video via etsy and thought it was pretty cool. I've recently purchased the Doodle-Stitching book and envy the technique. Artist P.Nosa is behind this video and there are many videos on his site. Have a look and tell me what you think.

Alexa Meade

Alexa Meade uses acrylic paint applied directly onto her subjects. Sometimes, she also paints an entire vignette around them, making your perception of the real and painted blurry. She is a 24-year-old artist from Washington, D.C. who compresses a 3D concept into a 2D plane. I am in awe and amazed by her work. It's bright and bold!

 (via)

Springing Ahead!

I can't help but to be excited about Spring being here. My seedlings are inches high, my gardens are in the process of being cleaned up and I even noticed my little robin coming home to check out her empty nest. I posted some photos of her beautiful blue eggs last year. Inspired by her and also by having the honor of watching her tiny fledglings take off each year, I've created a small nest with removable eggs. It's in the shop and I plan on making a few more of these for the shop in the next week, so check back. 

What inspires you most in the Spring?

Inside Out

"I wish for you to stand up for what you care about by participating in a global art project, and together we'll turn the world...INSIDE OUT." -JR

Can art change the world? Yes! Have a look at the 2011 TED Prize winner's wish here: 

from TED.com:

Working anonymously, pasting his giant images on buildings, trains, bridges, the often-guerrilla artist JR forces us to see each other. Traveling to distant, often dangerous places -- the slums of Kenya, the favelas of Brazil -- he infiltrates communities, befriending inhabitants and recruiting them as models and collaborators. He gets in his subjects’ faces with a 28mm wide-angle lens, resulting in portraits that are unguarded, funny, soulful, real, that capture the spirits of individuals who normally go unseen. The blown-up images pasted on urban surfaces – the sides of buildings, bridges, trains, buses, on rooftops -- confront and engage audiences where they least expect it. Images of Parisian thugs are pasted up in bourgeois neighborhoods; photos of Israelis and Palestinians are posted together on both sides of the walls that separate them.

JR's most recent project, "Women Are Heroes," depicts women "dealing with the effects of war, poverty, violence, and oppression” from Rio de Janeiro, Phnom Penh, Delhi and several African cities. And his TED Prize wish opens an even wider lens on the world -- asking us all to turn the world inside out. Visit insideoutproject.net ...

"I would like to bring art to improbable places, create projects so huge with the community that they are forced to ask themselves questions."

JR, Beaux Arts Magazine

Matthew Cusick

Matthew Cusick was born in New York City in 1970 and graduated from The Cooper Union with a BFA in 1993. His work has been exhibited internationally since 1996.

Cusick lets his work be guided by his various materials: maps, atlases, encyclopedias and school textbooks. “I like to catalog, archive, and arrange information and then dismantle, manipulate, and reconfigure it. I use maps as a surrogate for paint and as a way to expand the limits of representational painting. Through a process of cutting up and reassembling fragments of maps from different places and times, I am attempting a more complete representation of an existence, one that incorporates the geographical and historical timelines of that existence within the matrix of its image.”

lil fish studios

Look what the mail brought today! 2lb of unsorted vintage buttons from lil fish studios. She's had give-aways and listed these bags before, but they were always sold out by the time I got to them. This time, when I saw her post on twitter, I jumped at the chance and I'm not disappointed in the least. There are some real beauties here. I am full of ideas and excited to create things just for certain buttons. If you have a moment to check out her etsy shop, please do.. She does fine work and ships quickly too.

The Boxy Lady

The Boxy Lady is one of four structures Derek Diedricksen built on the property of his Stoughton, MA home. It's extremely small, portable and can possibly be used to help the homeless. Each is mostly made from scavenged materials such as pallets, discarded kitchen cabinets, storm windows, etc. and cost less than $200 on average.

via

Knit For Needs

There are so many blogs, but not as many doing such a fine job as Knit For Needs. 

They collect more than just knitwear! If you'd prefer to crochet something, that is welcomed too! They collect and donate any and all hand knit/crochet items directly to people in need across the U.S. 

From their site: 

"Blankets, hats, mittens, scarves, socks, slippers, toys... anything you'd like to donate, even if it is just one item, would be much appreciated by someone in need! If you do not knit/crochet and would like to support our cause, we will accept yarn and monetary donations that would be used to make more items to donate as well as for shipping costs."

Just this past December, when Atlanta, GA was bombarded by storms, the founder and her daughter personally handed out hats, mittens and scarves via Rescue Atlanta. There is a facebook group dedicated to this wonderful cause here. For the address and other information, please be sure to check out the Knit For Needs blog. 

I'm starting a hat for them today!

Be Linen

I've been falling more and more in love with linen lately. The way it falls, the softness and the beauty of linen stuns me. I found this lovely short film about linen and wanted to share it with you.

Esther Hörchner

Esther Hörchner is an illustrator who has created a tea set with a sense of humor titled Naked Girls Tea Set. I love that the lady in the cup has left her underwear and shoes on the spoon and saucer. Wonderful stuff by Esther Hörchner who by the way is a fabulous illustrator, more of that on her website here. Imagine the conversations this set would start!

Nestrest

I need one of these! They look so relaxing and inviting. Can you imagine an afternoon nap in one of these? They're designed by Daniel Pouzet and Fred Frety for DEDON. Well done!