Color love...

I think our dining room (where the majority of our books live) looks cluttered and came to the conclusion that the books are what's making it look cluttered. So, today my ridiculously obsessive side took over and I started covering all of the books with newsprint. I thought it would be a quick task...it's not.  Apparently I forgot about those years of covering text books with brown paper bags in school.  I am, however, forcing myself to finish one shelf in order to get an accurate idea of how it'll look. So far I really like how it looks, but I kept thinking about color wheels as I was covering. Take a look at some that I found on flickr...most from the color wheel love! group. The photo above is from my purple crayon. Below are photos from the purl bee...


reya....


knautia...


little birds...


and Miss Fumi...


I'm not sure that I'll continue. Hmmmmmm.

I'd like to know...

Today is Monday, so that means it's time for I'd like to know, a weekly post dedicated to talented artists, designers, musicians, etc...all people I'd like to know and who I thought you may like to know of too. Today I'd like to know...Misato Suzuki whose artwork I found via Little Paper Planes. I especially love Misato Suzuki's paintings, but I could really look at any of her work all day long. I've been avoiding the studio for the last week or so and these totally make me want to get back to work. Hooray!

Snarky...

I've been a complete flake lately. Not being in school has messed up my sense of time. Last night I fell asleep at an ungodly early hour and now here I am writing a post at 4 am. I need to get into a routine...quick! I saw this armoire from Anna James's Verona collection over at Apartment Therapy San Francisco yesterday. It was a Hot or Not post, which ignited a flurry of comments including:

ha, another white hipster doing "graffiti" on furniture, expecting big bucks and thinking they are so radical. it will be perfect in the apartments that look like they are from the 70's and owned by kids that dress like they are from the early 80's."
and..."Just when I thought new furniture couldn't get any crappier...I would say HIDEOUS plus...just take it to the landfill now."
I'm always surprised by the comments people leave on blogs. The AT post was a Hot or Not, so it was certainly an invitation for critical comments, however (and perhaps this will ignite a flurry of critical comments here), what I don't get is why people leave negative comments seemingly just to leave negative comments. Case in point, here are some recent comments about our house on Apartment Therapy:


"OK, I'm not a fan of this. If a piece of art is really art, it deserves to be hung so that it can be appreciated. Clustering, like this, works best with pieces that can't stand on their own. And, in my opinion, this kind of arrangement needs to relate to something in its general vicinity and I'm afraid relating to ceiling just doesn't do it for me. Weird for weird's sake isn't good design. That said -- whatever floats your boat."

"Don't like it. It's too high, and REALLY jammed together unattractively. Besides, from what I can see of the artwork, there's nothing that unifies these pictures (nor do they look very interesting, given the limited view of the actual art). What's the point of having a mob of pictures attack the upper corner of your wall?"

and..."The reason "it's not often we see..." is that thankfully most people have sufficient taste not to plaster their art in a corner at ceiling height. So not a fan of this."

I don't mean to single anyone out (these were the snarkiest comments) and I'm not being totally fair because there were positive comments too. Everyone certainly has a right to their own opinion, but wow!!! When I'm bothered by something I try really hard to ask myself, What should I be learning from this?.  My conclusion in this instance: maybe I just need to develop thicker skin...and better taste.  :)  BTW, I love this armoire. I think this lack of sleep is making me a bit snarky.

Exchange...

A few folks have been asking, so here's a nesting doll exchange update: I'm still waiting for a few stragglers, but will be shipping out the dolls on May 30th. Thank you all for being so patient...I promise it'll totally be worth the wait. They're all really lovely. I'll be posting all of the photos on that day and also have a special surprise lined up, so be sure to check back on May 30th!

Biggest fan...

Sorry for missing yesterday. EZ E and I are traveling about again this weekend...my best friend is getting married so we're helping with shower plans. I thought I'd share the rest of the photos from our trip to MASS MOcA. This top piece is by Jenny Holzer. This was in a huge room with giant bean bags on the floor and you could lay on the bean bags and watch the text move around the walls and ceiling. In the past I haven't been a huge fan of Holzer's work (although I do think she's a very important artist), but this completely won me over. It was so beautiful! This bottom piece was in the Kidspace at MASS MOcA and is by artist Devorah Sperber. These pieces are made using spools of thread! I'd never heard of Sperber before and loved this exhibition. The folks at MASS MOcA consistently choose amazing contemporary artists and create inspiring exhibitions. I wonder if they could create a position for me as their biggest fan?!

Collected...

Often what I admire about collections isn't what they actually are, but how they're arranged. Such is the case with these vintage brooches. Don't get me wrong...I like me some vintage brooches (yet another damn collection that I have squirreled away). Today's Collected post features beautifully arranged brooches from loves me not (above), Amy Artisan...


Design_Ski...



and suzanneduda...



These have inspired me to do something with my hidden enamel pins. I especially like the idea of collecting just one color...perhaps yellow. Can you tell I'm obsessed with yellow lately? Maybe it's because I can't wear yellow. It makes me look sick. I'd love to see an entire wall covered in yellow (or maybe even green) enamel pins. Uh oh...new obsession!!!

Stupid budget...

Oh man. Tonight PRH and I hashed out a new budget (perhaps one we'll actually follow) and I'm now in freak out mode. That inexpensive cabin solution...not looking so inexpensive today. As a result of my freak attack and my ridiculously stubborn dedication to building a cabin (it doesn't even have to have electricity!!!), I'm filling up the shop with vintage finds and will be releasing five new prints this Friday. I'm also resisting the urge to buy these that I found via ohdeedoh today. Friends With You has a lot of great things, including a book that's been on my wish list forever. Some of you may even remember the toy that I wanted to buy "for EZ E" a while back. New budget=no more new toys (unless it's a special occasion). Blast! Stupid budget.

Remembering Robert...

Yesterday was a very sad day in art land. Robert Rauschenberg, one of my favorite artists of all time, died at the age of 82. Rauschenberg was a huge influence on my work and I have long admired his brilliant use of everyday materials. What I loved most about Rauschenberg was the fact that he pushed the boundaries of the definition of art. He also seemed like such a genuinely nice person. Here are a few of his pieces, including a car that he painted.

Shop update...

Just a quick hello to let you know that I've updated the shop!

I'd like to know...

Today is Monday, so that means it's time for I'd like to know, a weekly post dedicated to talented artists, designers, musicians, etc...all people I'd like to know and who I thought you may like to know of too. My parents live three and a half hours away and PRH's parents live four and a half hours away (their houses are 45 min from each other). We've been thinking about building a cabin somewhere between our parents' houses not only so we have a place to truly relax when visiting, but also a place that acts as neutral ground where both families will feel welcome to hang out when we're in town. I've started doing some research and found an amazing (and inexpensive) solution. So, this week I'd like to know...architect Paul Stankey and his brother Scott Stankey. Their shipping container cabin was featured in the April/May 2008 issue of ReadyMade magazine and I think it's awesome! It cost $15,000.00 to build (not including land and labor) and is such an inventive structure. A quick search on ebay revealed that used shipping containers are only about $1600.00! Cabin, here we come!

Glowing like coals...

We're home...we actually just walked in the door at 11:30 pm. We're all exhausted, but I had to post the photos from the exhibition we saw this weekend at MASS MoCA, an installation called Being Here is Better than Wishing We’d Stayed by The Miss Rockaway Armada. I absolutely love the poetic way they've described what they do:
"We are floating down the Mississippi River on a raft we built from trash. The catch is that we don’t know much about boats or rivers, and we don’t have any money. We know we are blowing crazy hot air, but if the idea makes your eyes glow like coals then you understand what we’re doing."
My eyes were definitely glowing like coals when I saw this installation. According to the MASS MoCA website:
At MASS MoCA the Miss Rockaway Armada will transform the Hunter Center Mezzanine — a place where students and other visitors gather to eat lunch and discuss their museum experiences — into a dynamic, interactive space. Using wood and other materials salvaged from MASS MoCA’s campus, the group will craft an environment that exudes the aesthetic, vision, and essence of The Miss Rockaway Armada’s experiences on the Mississippi River. The idea is to build a new, fantastical environment that inspires a sense of possibility and wonder.
My photos don't do this project any justice, but I'm sure you can tell from the descriptions (and my glowing recommendation to run and see this) that it most certainly was a fantastical space. For more information about their project at MASS MoCA, take a look here. For more information about The Miss Rockaway Armada, click here. Enjoy!

Small school...

PRH, EZ E, and I went to MASS MoCA and the Williams College Museum of Art today. Julie Mehretu (top) and William Kentridge (bottom) had work at Williams and both exhibitions were just gorgeous. We've been fans of Mehretu and Kentridge for a while and we couldn't believe that their work was at a small school tucked into the hills of Western Massachusetts. MASS MoCA is my favorite museum and we saw one of the best exhibitions that I've EVER seen there. I took a ton of pictures and will share them tomorrow. This is one of the images by artist Edward Burtynsky (below) that I really liked though...

Vay kay...

In all of the craziness of this week I forgot to mention that PRH, EZ E, and I are away on a mini-vacation. We're picking up artwork (ok, so maybe a little business related) and visiting friends in Massachusetts. Today we went for a lovely visit to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (I worked there before we moved) and then we're meeting up with friends for dinner. I have to admit that it's been absolutely wonderful to be back in the Amherst/Northampton area...it's so beautiful and clean and progressive. It was a great coincidence to see Studio Cochineal mentioned on Design Sponge today because they're based in Holyoke, Massachusetts (not far from where we are now). I love this piece in particular and even have a perfect spot in our house for it. Studio Cochineal will be showing at icff next week (booth #2172). I'll be back tomorrow (and back next week with my usual Collected post). See you tomorrow!

Last call...

Getting the mail has been so fun lately because each day brings more and more nesting dolls for the nesting doll exchange! Here are two teaser sets: the left photo is from Kathleen of Cake + Pie and the right photo is from Sandra (aka Sosser) of bricolagelife. Beauties! I inventoried all of the dolls today and sent out reminder emails. I've already started photographing and shuffling and will start re-packaging and shipping out the dolls very soon (within the next two weeks). So, if you haven't sent your dolls out yet...this is a friendly reminder to get on it! For more info on the swap, take a look here and stay tuned because I'll also be posting photos of all of the nesting dolls here and on my flickr page. I think you're all going to love what folks have done. They're all so interesting and different!

Color scheme...

I'm incredibly sentimental (just ask my best friend whose eraser collection from fifth grade I still have). EZ E's first birthday is less than one month away and I'm obsessed with making his birthday special (like he'll remember). I can't believe that I've turned into one of those freakish moms who makes a huge deal out of their kid's first birthday party...I'm turning into my worst nightmare. I made this birthday garland for him today, figuring that we could start a tradition and use it every year on his birthday...well, at least until he's too embarrassed about it. I also thought it would look cute above his crib. This is the front with the animals and the back has removable "Happy Birthday" letters. It should probably say, "ABBEY IS A FREAKSHOW" instead. We're having the party at my parent's house and I'm hoping that they'll paint all of their lawn furniture orange to match the color scheme of the party...I'm kidding!!! That would be crazy!

Cookie...

Many thanks to the always charming Joanna (of A Cup of Jo fame) for initiating the tour of our house/interview on the Cookie Magazine blog today. Today was EZ E's first full-day of daycare (many tears shed on the part of both EZ E and me) and I was moping around the house...seeing the Cookie interview brightened my day. We've also changed the apartment around a bit, so it was fun to see. Thanks, Joanna!

I'd like to know...

Today is Monday, so that means it's time for I'd like to know, a weekly post dedicated to talented artists, designers, musicians, etc...all people I'd like to know and who I thought you may like to know of too. This week I'd like to know...John Copeland. Not only are Copeland's drawings/paintings great, but his sketchbooks are stunning (and completely fascinating inside and out). Our friend Tim gave us a book of his work (available on his website) and I highly recommend checking it out.

Suzy B...

For some reason, last week I was thinking a lot about airbrushing and feminism (what a combination) and decided that I absolutely needed an airbrushed portrait of Susan B. Anthony. So, we went to the mall and here she is. I will admit that it's extraordinarily tacky (I insisted on the florescent pink dress), but I'm kind of in love with her. I had it done at the Rainbow Airbrush Co. and then stretched the t-shirt onto a canvas. I'm planning to incorporate her into an installation, so she probably won't live in our dining room for very long.

Oh, and here's some lovely ranuculous I picked up this weekend...just in case good old Suzy B. is making your eyeballs burn.

Trim...

I saw these abandoned houses on Automatism (originally from English Russia). They certainly beat the abandoned houses in our neck of the woods! I can't imagine why they're abandoned. Aren't they amazing? You can see more pictures here.

Design dilemma...

I just want to lay in bed all day today. I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I'm obsessed by our lack of a headboard (above). I saw the image below on emmas designblogg and the bottom image on Design Sponge. I love both "headboards" for a few reasons: these are both inexpensive solutions; I wouldn't have to commit to a headboard long-term; and they both fit with our quirky design sensibilities. I bought the materials to make both and just can't decide which would work better in our bedroom. What do you all think?