when my folks were visiting we planted winter veggies in our garden: a couple varieties of spinach, black seeded simpson (my favorite lettuce), red leaf lettuce, baby carrots, and a couple different varieties of beets. it was great to have mom and dad helping out as i remember helping with a garden when i was growing up. we planted them on a tuesday evening and by saturday morning i was giddy to see a few wee little sprouts had pushed their way thru the top surface of the soil. oh, sweet little sprouts..work your magic!!!
ursula hargens
i fell in love with this platter when chris, my folks, and i went up to georgetown to see the current ceramics show that chris and patrick veerkamp curated. this piece is by ceramic artist ursula hargens
if you click her name to see more of her work scroll about half way down the page.
round top
one of my favorite events of the fall is round top antique and flea market halfway between austin and houston. my folks typically come to town to visit and we all head to the best flea market around. it's everything from grandma's attic goods and not-so-goods to high end antiques...there is pretty much something for everyone. i love that my mom and dad come for this fun filled adventure. my mom will look for vintage toys, quilts, or new additions to her flamingo collection. chris will be on the prowl for pink rose of sharon depression glass for his mom and fine pottery pieces for himself plus whatever the rest of us are looking for. my dad is interested in anything cowboy, leather or western related including books....when he finds his way into a book collection it's pretty tough to get him out. my dad, is a looker....that's where i get my "i want to look, touch and read everything that comes in my view" approach. as for my interests, well, they cover a fairly broad spectrum and include things like vintage linens and glassware, to vintage beads, glass & sequins, to vintage furniture, most old things that are pink, things with good texture, old dollhouse goods, and so much more. since chris and i have pretty much filled our house up with vintage or seconds furniture that pretty much leaves room for adventure to be all about items i can use in my work, the "vintage beads, glass & sequins, random plastic toys that can be cut and shaped. i can pretty much go to just one little white house and spend all day there just digging and searching for the right textured and solid colored glass and plastic specimens for my work. but, this time i decided to go there last just so i could enjoy the rest of the show as well. did i mention my mom and dad are here with me too, yeah!!! :O) here's a few highlights from our all day extravaganza at roundtop....
the nicest fella from colorado runs this "coffee bug" and he serves up a fine glass of iced tea....so we can keep up maximum shopping stamina :O)
christmas, NO, vintage christmas, HELL YES!!! this was the first booth i walked into as opposed to just glancing while walking past. she had such a delightful assortment of vintage christmas goodies. the collection was sweet and soothing and not strictly red and green which i loved :O)
i couldn't resist these sweet little baby shoes.
some of my treaures: some red bakelite buttons, a creme textured button, some gray/black found pebbles, an old peachy velvet powder puff, vintage photo that came with the old jewelry box, and an old velvet ring box.....i wish i had a whole collection of little vintage/antique ring boxes. i have always liked small spaces & boxes, i use some of these shapes as well as shapes from vintage salt and pepper shakers as inspiration for my beaded boxes.
these were a steal.... i love vintage salt and pepper shakers, they are grouped amongst my affection for small containers that come open :O)
another vintage pink jewelry box with really awesome flip out sides to hold rings....the box was a sure pleaser!!! also a few old plastic curlers for a possible bracelet idea, some random shells, a found balloon, (did i mention i have a thing for found balloons), some single clip earrings with great plastic cabs. & a few empty matchbooks.
a new discovery in the little white house, vintage sequins from france.......can't wait to come up with some designs for this lil' babies
a real highlight was hanging out with these cute great dane puppies....if they didn't get 200 lb + i think we would have been bringing home a new baby. the one on the left with the pink and blue eye was pretty fond of chris and i. he was pretty irresistible!!! but would have destroyed our home...it's small and filled with a lot of breakable things. i think brinkley would have loved him, though. at just 7 weeks old they were already about 40 lbs. twice the size of brinkley.
more pics. to come.....
etsy treasury
yeah!!!! i was finally able to get on etsy and catch a spot in the treasury list for etsy. here's a grouping of a few of my favorites....
olivia jeffries
illustrations by olivia jeffries the dream-like imagery is done on found and repurposed paper....you, know i love that
she currently has a show at pulp in omaha, ne it's good!!!
here kitty kitty....
i hung out with my good friend trisha for a bit today and photographed some of her art cards and also some of my other friend christa's crochet and ceramic pieces. here's a few to feast your eyes on....... check out these clever little "fish" cat treat cards. artist, trisha allen utilizes containers that would typically "meet their maker" in the landfill and puts them to use in her original card making whimsy.
www.badfruit.etsy.com....coming soon by friend trisha allen
also, these great egg cards made from a reused plastic egg and paper. what a hoot!!! i just can't get enough :O)
love thy finger puppet
i couldn't love this little guy more if i tried.
finger puppet by christa mares is made by hand of crocheted yarn. i think she should do a whole backyard of them and have them displayed on tall dowel rods so you could walk thru them. oh, the joy!!!! she's a peach and you can find her on etsy. www.yellowbaby.etsy.com
also....by yellowbaby is this really sweet beaded bag. i love how the beads and type of yarn make it seem like a treasure found at an antique store....
another beautiful piece by christa (yellowbaby) is this amazing lil ceramic box with full on quirky japanese goose decorated lid.....love it!! who could deny this :O)
these eclectic little boxes coming soon in her etsy store.
alma and clara
i am in love with you alma. alma is the sculpture above created by margaret meehan. "clara" is the drawing below. both of these pieces are some of my favorite works i have ever seen, ever. the fuzzy line between beautifully innocent and curiously unusual is walked steadily upon. margaret's work provokes a similar question that i feel is consistent in my work. what is beautiful?
speaking of beautiful, margaret is such an amazing, incredibly generous and talented women. i am a happy girl for knowing her.
i found...
the rings i have been dreaming about in my sleep........molly proctor makes fabulous, completely handmade vintage inspired resin rings. BIG YEAH!!!! i have been looking for solid colored rings with a clean and simple design made out of plastic for far to long....with no real success. most of the plastic and resin rings have a design of flowers or stripes which have never appealed to me. BUT, molly's rings are perfect in every way, the shapes, the colors, the whole kit and kaboodle :O)
gomer
this piece "gomer" was made by an old art fair friend of mine, betsy youngquist. she makes these amazing and incredibly ornate sculptures made of glass beads, vintage glass and refused vintage doll parts from old doll factories. we met my first year participating in the laumeier sculpture park art festival in missouri in 2001. can gomer come out and play, a.k.a. come live with me :O)
flies are small
when i saw this at my grandma's house on my last visit home (for her birthday) i thought it was totally hysterical. her dog got ahold of her fly swatter and used it as a chew toy until the outside perimeter was eaten away. hahaahhahahaaa!!! i had to get a picture of it. i have much appreciation for the earlier generations that will use everything until there is not an ounce of use left in it. after all............................. flies are small!!!! cheers to you grandma...you're the best, xoxo.
innocent.eerie.beautiful
i am completely smitten with the work of loretta lux
her images are sweet & innocent and yet eerie all in the same breath. click her name to see more works.
where do all the balloons go???
this is a very sweet, dreamlike video about le ballon by gloglink. i love this!!!!
recycled handmade cards
these whimsical and incredibly clever cards were a gift from my best friend, trisha allen. she uses recycled and repurposed containers left over from household items to inspire and house her handmade cards. this "throw away" prescription bottle was given a new life with a brand new and personalized label. the handmade cards that resemble pills are tucked inside the container. these little guys are coolest cards ever. trish will soon have an etsy site at www.badfruit.etsy.com