Eye-catching Window Displays

[right photo image source: Lucky Magazine]

1000 paper airplanes.  That's how many the talented Katie Kulper folded and hung with string in our store windows. It was a magnificent sight, and people walking by would come into our shop just to marvel at the display. It's no surprise that Katie is now a window display designer for Anthropologie, famous for their creative window designs. Check out these Anthropologie displays using discarded books.

[image sources: casasugar.com, flickr]

I'm actually not much of a shopper, but I do enjoy seeing the creative mind at work dressing up a window.  Here are a few more favorite designs.

found styrofoam cup installation by Indo Projects

 Zoe Bradley

papercut dioramas

My Week

found grandma's pink doily in my memory box and now it's hanging on the wall

created a few paintings on black paper.  this one with six feathers i decided to keep . . . for now

fabric that my dear friend brought back from Uganda.  i feel loved

finally having time to hang some of my art on the wall, even if it's temporary

i'm thrilled about my new estate finds: metal boxes (at a buck apiece)

 one of them is full of aged note cards. i'm brainstorming ways that i can reuse them

the notes (some typed and some handwritten) are all related to trees and plants

my thought is to hand print my designs over the text

a couple of my ideas so far: shipping tags, mini zines . . . any thoughts?

new to my Etsy shop: Summer Thunderstorm 

mixed media on 4" x 4" birch panel

Show and Tell: Korean treats

My mother brings food whenever she comes over for a visit.  Many times it's an oversized jar of kim chee that she made the day before.  Accompanying the kim chee is usually some kind of snack for each member of the family.  Dried fish, for example, is normally given to me, and sweet rice cakes are a treat for the girls. 

I  love the colors of rice cakes, especially the pale pink.  Each color is a different flavor, and inside of each rice cake ball is sweet bean.  Yum.  I've never made my own, but I found this recipe today.

Here's the dried fish that my mom recently brought over.  It's coated in honey and sesame seeds.  If you look carefully, you can see the bones of the fish.  So, there's definitely a crunchy factor to this snack.  Not a fan favorite in the household, but I enjoy it. 

And then there's the guilty pleasure treat- Choco Pies. 

Choco Pies are essentially a Korean version of the moon pie.  They look sweeter than they actually are, but maybe that's me trying to rationalize eating one.

The packaging is classic.  Normally I steer clear of packaging like this in a market, but I am not as discriminating when it comes to international food products.  A double standard, I know, but I can't help but be amused by phrasing like "It's Now."

My art headed to the Lone Star State

We Are 1976 is an indie focused retail, studio, and gallery space in the trendy Henderson area of Dallas, Texas.  They carry a cornucopia of home goods and current art.  I spotted these bento beauties on their website and am absolutely in love with the retro design.  I just might have to pick up a couple for my daughters. 

This week, I shipped off a stack of my art prints to the Dallas shop.  Sometimes I find packaging art precarious.  I worry about the slightest bend, so I tend to overcompensate.  In this case, I used more than enough twine.  At least I had fun playing around with the design!

If you happen to be in the Dallas area, I'd love to hear about your visit to We Are 1976.  And let me know what you think about the prints!

For those who favor lace . . .

lace covered trees by Janet Morton and Pene Durston

lace stenciled floor 

lace fence by Demakersvan

lace covered piano by Joana Vasconcelos

lace tunnel 

  

Last days of summer break

a lovely evening at the free symphony concert in downtown Portland

making sachets with lavender from the garden (i made the one in front and my seven year-old designed and made the cool contemporary one in the back)

marveling at sunsets outside our window

savoring the last hot summer days before the great hibernation of the sun

getting ready for the start of a new school year

New print, "Bloom"

I thought this piece had gone to the "point of no return."  It's been sitting on my desk for some time now, waiting to be salvaged, cut up, or chucked entirely.  This week, I finally took one last stab at completing the work.  I have found that many times, this problem-solving stage yields some of my most creative works.  I think it's because I am willing to take more risks at this juncture in the creative process.  

In this particular piece, I decided to create a more dramatic contrast by adding an indigo wash to the bottom portion of the work.  The dark background, in turn, allowed me to layer some patterns on top in lighter tones. 

I am very pleased with how the piece turned out and am just as enthusiastic about how it looks as a print! The colors are vibrant and the small details are preserved.  I really love how it looks in a white mat and frame.  For more info on the print, go to my Etsy shop here.
 

Rocks on my mind

 

I am in love with Paul Horiuchi's collage, Rock Garden (1960).  The use of color (or lack of) and the placement of objects make this piece so striking.  I also have a thing for rocks as exhibited in prior posts here and here.  I think I took more photos of rocks in my travels this summer than of friends and family! 

rocks at Tahoe and Crater Lake

You can imagine my delight when I recently came across Margaret Oomen's crochet covered stones.

 

They are simply gorgeous (my favorites being in the second row).  You can try to snatch one in her Etsy shop if you're lucky.  If you're interested in making one of your own, there is a fabulous tutorial on The Purl Bee.  The instructions are relatively easy to follow as long as you know the basic crochet stitches. I just happened to have a round rock sitting on my desk, so I made this crochet cover for it. 

I love the idea of a hidden message on the underside.  The crochet cover framing the message actually reminds me of a hoodie around a face.  So, that got me thinking about making these little guys. 

 

I have a feeling there will be more rock people to come.  Already picked up three rocks this afternoon from the gravel road nearby. 

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Just posted is an interview featuring yours truly.  Check it out here.  Thanks Chrissy!