show and tell: swaps

There are times when I think we should go back to the barter system.   I have yet to trade my art for more practical things, like chickens or grain.  But I have had the good fortune to swap my art for some pretty sweet stuff.  Here's a look at a few recent trades with some talented folks. 

These hexagonal shelves in my bedroom were custom made by furniture craftsman and fellow blogger, Josh Jackson.  Working only with reclaimed wood,  Josh salvaged the wood for these shelves from the living room of an L.A. home.  

I really love how the shelves finish off the room. To see more of Josh's handiwork, go to his website here.  Josh is also a very gifted writer, capturing the beauty and fragility of life on his blog, Jack at Random.  A must read, especially for those who have lost a child in utero. 

This beautiful silk blouse was made by Dani Kishino of Xsilk.  The silk is hand dyed in small batches using non-toxic dyes.  Dani also hand paints on some of her shirts, which can be found in her Etsy shop here.  So comfortable and flattering, this blouse has become my new favorite piece in my wardrobe. 

I've been a big fan of Natasha Newton's handpainted rocks for awhile now.  We connected this summer via Etsy, and we decided to swap painted rocks.  These beauties came from the beaches of Suffolk, England.  That's about a 5000 mile trip!  Be sure to check out more of Natasha's lovely art  here. 

Some of you may recall that I've run a couple of swap-a-thons in the past.  This is where I swap credit in my shop for items that readers make or already own.  It's been a year and a half since the last one, so I'm thinking it's time to run another swap-a-thon.  (And my tea selection is quite pathetic, so I'm really hoping that a winner or two can help me out with this.)

Look for more details and not so subtle hints in the next post. 

My week

i am in love my new hand-dyed scarf and pouch from driftwood & fossil

what a great project for kids!

i bought this dinosaur topped jar at a school fundraising event last weekend

a dear friend of mine is in Uganda for the year to help children of the AIDS epidemic 

she sent me this wonderful recycled burlap bag she found on a recent trip to Rwanda

much love and thanks, T!

glorious weather this weekend

everyone's out and about enjoying the sun, at last

this photo was taken on a walk through Tryon Creek Park 

magnolias . . . one of the reasons i love spring so much

started a new 11 x 14 painting

i'm working on six pieces for an online show coming up

more info to come in a few weeks

My week

Painted these for my daughter who turned 12 this week.  On the day of her birthday, my husband and I chaperoned a class field trip to OMSI [Oregon Museum of Science and Industry] where the featured exhibit is Body Worlds.  My group was ready to move on after 20 minutes, which speaks more to the attention span of adolescents than the exhibition.

My dear friends brought back for me some anchovy stuffed olives from Spain.  I'm already on my second can today. 

I shipped off some of my original works and prints to a boutique in Beacon, New York called Blackbird Attic.  I'm the featured artist at the shop from March 10 - April 13.  Wish I could follow my works to New York, but that'll have to wait for another time. 

Here are two new originals that will be part of the show:

night journey and mountain glow, 2012.

client project- julie nolan jewelry

In addition to creating an original work every day for the last four weeks, I took on a client project.  If you are an Etsy regular, then you've most likely seen the beautiful collection of jewelry designer Julie Nolan.  Julie is currently redesigning her website, and I was honored to be asked to create an art work for her landing page.

Based on Julie's likes [deserts and tribal patterns] and elemental designs found in her jewelry line, this is what I came up with:

While I was working on the new design, Julie was busy working on a major order for Anthropologie! Her pieces are expected to land in stores any time now, so keep your eyes open.  You can always find her full collection in her Etsy shop, too.

Working on client projects has been an exciting part of my fall and winter, so I added a new section to my website.  Check it out here. 

I swoon for Pendleton

I've been focused on a big client project (will tell soon) since returning from Ireland.  Yesterday, I needed a little break, so I headed to the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store.  The store is just a ten minute drive from my home, but this was my first visit.

I dragged my husband along and the second we stepped foot into the large warehouse, he knew that he had a rabid Pendleton fan on his hands.  My eyes got really big, I had a huge smile on my face, and I turned to him and said this is my Disneyland!

It is really quite amazing how powerless I am to bolts of exquisite fabrics.  And there were so many beautiful fabrics to look at, my eyes were speed jumping from one pattern to the next! Then, I turned the corner and saw this spectacular space.

It's an enormous showroom of blankets and tapestries- one of my favorites being the gray panel on the right. My husband noticed the floors right away, which is the original hardwood flooring from the Pendleton Mill.

The initial reason for the store visit was the remnant table.  I was thinking of making some throw pillows for our couch, until I found a queen size wool remnant I couldn't resist.  It would go perfectly with the rustic headboard we made last spring!  The wool fabric just needed a finished edge,  so, I bought ten yards of wool tape at the store for $1/yd.  The total for the remnant, edging, and cute little pouch (in first photo) came to $55, which I thought was a great deal considering Pendleton blankets go for upwards of $200 - $300. 

It took me about two hours to double stitch the binding onto the blanket's edge, which includes the cutting and pinning.  My husband is thinking that we should give blankets to family for Christmas, but I'm already talking about making blankets for our future cabin in the woods!

image via The Portland Collection blog

I love good fashion as much as I do good blankets, so I was pretty much freaking out when I saw this new collection online.   It's called Pendleton, The Portland Collection (TPC), and it just launched a few weeks ago.  The three designers all hail from Portland, and, together, they have created a stunning collection that marries modern, indie fashion with Pendleton heritage.  This video captures bits of their inspiration, work space, and creative journey.

Porcelain necklace giveaway!

Here's your chance to win a handmade porcelain necklace by Emily Jull of Nesting Emily.  I have one similar to the blue necklace pictured, and I get compliments every time I wear it.  Keep in mind that each necklace is one-of-a-kind and can vary in shape and color from the one shown above. There's another photo of the necklaces in yesterday's post. 

To enter the necklace giveaway, all you have to do is visit Emily's shop here and then leave a comment below about your favorite piece(s).  One entry per person please, and make sure that your name links back to an email address so that we can contact you if your name is picked.

Two names will be randomly drawn this Friday, July 29, at 11a (PST).   If you are a winner, an email will be sent to you shortly after the drawing.  The names of the winners will also be posted below.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Congratulations to Sara K. and Rebekah Leigh!

my week

two miracles- my nephew and niece

born 9 weeks early at 2 lbs. 6 oz and 2 lbs. 14 oz. 

they are so precious //  these photos were taken when they were just hours old

my brother is soothing the babies with his fatherly touch

 since moving into our 1924 home six years ago, i've been wanting to paint it black

it should make the color of the greenery around the home pop!

. . .  now if only it would stop raining

my boots are put away for the summer

just bought these cute sandals on Etsy for $16

/// new work ///

top three pieces are going to Tilde

[a number of my original works will be available for purchase here starting July 1]

and my latest addition to my Etsy shop,

cabin in the woods

Tom Tierney's fashionable paper dolls

My girls think I'm famous because I have a blog.  I told them that I'll be famous once I'm a Tom Tierney paper doll.  Tom Tierney is a well-known name in our household, as the girls have been collecting his paper doll books for years.  For her birthday a couple of weeks ago, my youngest got the latest paper doll collection of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

A handsome couple indeed.  Here they are dressed for a "ball."  The much talked about wedding dress is actually not in the book, but you can request it online at Dover Publications.  It should be on its way to our home.

I love Tom Tierney's paper dolls for so many reasons.  For one, the books are very affordable and provide countless hours of fun.  Cutting out the dolls and clothes alone keep the girls busy for a good day or two!  The collections also showcase period fashion and memorable outfits worn by celebrated figures.  The girls particularly favor the Hollywood glamour dresses of the 1930s - 40s.

I'm not sure if my uniform of leggings and oversized sweaters will ever make a desirable paper doll wardrobe.  Good thing I can be "famous" blogging in the comfort of my home (and clothes) and still be adored by my two greatest fans.

Artists I like: Ana Montiel

[image source: www.anamontiel.com]

As much as I enjoy styling my home, I would gladly give over free creative reign to London-based artist Ana Montiel.  Her Bauhaus-like geometric patterns adorn house walls, home accessories, and fashion items.  I'll take one of each please!  Triangle table runner- perfect.   Hand-drawn wallpaper- love it.  Decked out refrigerator- why not? And the open-air structure on the pond- can it be more dreamy?

In 2010, Montiel released a limited-edition book, Visual Mantras.  There are only 127 copies, and each one comes with an original watercolor drawing.  To take a look inside the book, play the video below. 


Visual Mantras. An artist book by Ana Montiel. from Ana Montiel on Vimeo.

My art fair finds

Art fairs are a test of my self-control as a shopper, and often times, I fail.   It helps to be a vendor at the art fair, so that you're stuck in an 8 x 8 ft space for most of the day.  But even then, it only takes a few minutes for me to find several must-have products while on a break. . . I'm an efficient shopper to a fault. 

Artist Jill Bliss was my neighbor at the Rieke Art Fair this past weekend, so I didn't have to go far to find a number of things I wanted to take home with me.  I snatched this lovely (and huge!) paper weight, which was her last one.  I really don't have a need for a paper weight, but I couldn't resist its crystal ball likeness.  When my youngest daughter, who collects snow globes, asked if it could be hers, I quickly replied, "Nope. It's mine."  All mine, I thought.  I think I'll call it my precious. 

Both Jill and I love to draw things in nature.  She just came out with a new drawing book that is quite brilliant.  There are nearly 200 pages of art instruction, beautiful drawings, and plenty of blank space for the inspired artist. 

I taught drawing for many years, and trust me when I say there aren't enough great instructional books on drawing.  This is one art book that I'll definitely keep in mind when shopping for an enthusiastic learner. 

I have a weakness for handmade sketchbooks, and it took me all of 10 seconds to claim this one as my own.  I was chatting with Clare Carpenter of Tiger Food Press when I spotted the hand printed and bound artist book in her booth.  This is what it looks like on the inside:    

The pages are in an accordion design!  My plan is to draw one very long illustration.  If I make it past page three, I'll count it a success!

Here is another hand bound book I bought from Clare.  The floral cover is vintage wallpaper, and there are two silk ribbon ties.  My brother is getting married this month, and I thought this would make a perfect wedding guest book. 

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 

Also . . .

Sunday Brunch is an online dress shop that features an artist each month.  On their home page, they pair an art work with a dress that complements it.  I'm flattered that the New York-based shop chose to feature my art for the month of May!  As part of the feature, I wrote some thoughts about my art and fashion.  You can read it here.