Monthly Archives: September 2007

We Are Neighbors, Leaf to Leaf

A new love of mine is keeping a sketchbook. I have multiple ones going at once but I do have my favorites. Recently I adore the hardbound-type books. I usually use them to jot down quick compositions, color schemes, concept collages and other doodles. Sometimes I write little notes all over them til the picture gets covered in words! Last weekend I started a few finished detailed sketches which is very addictive! I found some beautiful folk art flower imagery and decided that its leaves could support a whole colony of little cabins. It was only proper to have a girl support the whole living structure. The cluster of houses was inspired by this little find (scroll down to see the white house) and the sketch as well from my moleskin last year. Here it is: We Are Neighbors, Leaf to Leaf

Graphite on creme paper with acrylic paint

Detail:

It was so hard for me to leave her faceless (I do get caught up in drawing features) but I kept her simple. Her face is so tiny!

a print can be found in my shop.

I would like to expand this idea, but for now I have lots of little sketches (very loose and not print worthy!) to develop into paintings.

Tell me doodlers which type of sketchbook is your favorite? I would love to know, as I am always looking for new ones to try!

Her Braids print, Etsy Storque!!

A new print of a drawing “Her Braids” is available in my shop

This strange little colored sketch came about when I was going through my vintage lace collection and found this:

The wreaths of plaited hair were originally supposed to be lace doilies but somehow became hair after the sketch was complete. I don’t even know if the braids are connected to the girls head, I was thinking Victorian hair art and mourning jewelry. If you have ever seen these in person they are quite creepy. My grandma had a bouquet of hair flowers framed in an oval glass dome and I will never forget it, real hair!

Braids wrapped around little cabin colonies, wolves, snow…a peaceful dreamland for sure.

Also…I am so happy! Today one of my prints was featured in the Storque on etsy! The featured artist, Lisa Congdon, choose a few things on etsy that she admires and my print Forest Cabins and Salty Sea Ships
is one of them!

weekend life

It was a beautiful weekend. Went to a few sales and found the best things for fall. After an absolute vintage dry spell this summer I have been having such luck finding things. Vintage cardigans, little dresses, books and ephemera, a floral prarie dress, pins and cameos, english rose earrings with golden filagree and a 50’s prom dress in peach tulle. I found this book and it is HEAVY with lots of full page images. I even got an old suitcase with beautiful gray satin lining and ribbons to tie down trousers. Its the type of luggage that was meant to lug onto a steam engine boxcar. We got a new (old) station wagon and it fits our trips and findings perfectly. We walked around Princeton, NJ and the combination of fallen leaves and cobblestone was too much texture to bear. I have had my nose in Pride and Prejudice for the first time ever and I was really missing out! Got a big, hefty art journal and I have been filling it with little sketches. I think I’m going to offer prints for some of them.

The thing I miss the most about summer is seeing the sunlight fill my room. We are approaching daylight savings time! Tell me, what do you miss the most about summer?

Adorn thyself

Today I went thrifting and came home with the best bag of goodies (and I spent five dollars and eighty four cents, to be exact!). My main find was a dollish dress in the palest shade of yellow with a sheer dotted swiss overlay. The sleeves poof out under layers of polyester lace adorned with a silky black bow woven throughout. The best part is the tag, which reads “made with love by Edna”. I am going to clean it up and wear soon, maybe for halloween. I also bought A handful of pretty cameos and hand painted button earrings. There was a lot of earrings stashed in old boxes but they were all clip ons which made me very sad. I finally have a copy of The Secret Garden which I never read as a child. I can’t wait to curl up into a ball and read it this weekend. Speaking of goodies, I found some delicate jewelry pieces of etsy…

Matryoshka Doll Sterling Silver Necklace by Luxe Deluxe

There is a teeny-tiny sterling silver matryoshka doll inside this locket!

English Rose Earrings by Luxe Deluxe as well

And finally…

Victorian Cuff Bracelet by Kjoo*

So delicate! I would love to see it in all white, but I love this one too.

I am off to relax and unwind from the day with some tea.
~*~*~

New print and a print set

One Misty Evening

is available in my shop

There is a print set available of these two forlorn sisters, One Misty Evening and One Misty Morning

also in the shop

painting

I am finally painting again. Aquired a bit of the sniffles this weekend, but I managed to start a new painting that is the sister of her.

A set will be available soon.

I know the way from my house to yours…

Sometimes I just like to doodle in my sketchbook. This is one of those doodles from today. It reminds me of my childhood, trying to devise a plan to get to my friends house (which was totally unwalkable and miles away). We mapped out a way to bypass the highways through the woods. The imagination of children is precious, I am thrilled when a teeny glimpse of it is rememebered.

Acorns in moss from the other day. Acorns are falling, fall is in the air! The weather has been absolutely perfect.

I unearthed a silly wooden doll (she is in need of some clothing!) and now she spends her days with Mr. Bluebird. She was purchased at a yard sale and came with a swatch of calico fabric and a colonial style dress pattern. I must of posted soooo many photos of this vintage bird find here, I just love him so much!

Have a beautiful weekend!

birds nest of hair and blue jay feathers

The other day…

blue jay feathers and hair that wanted to be tangled on bark.

cozy

Etsy has become my new favorite place to shop. Here are some things I recently purchased from sellers I love.

Thanks to the Miss Marmeecraft’s blog and especially her featured Friday Etsyness I found the wonderful knit shop of Coccole di Lana. My new fall accessory:

I just had to buy this snuggly neck cowl with a long row of beautiful floral buttons! I can imagine myself walking through the fall woods with a cup of spicey chai snuggled up in this victorian beauty!

I have been building up my vintage wardrobe with delicate little bits and pieces, and the vintage sweet blue dolly blouse was perfect! There is the most pretty lace details on its chest and collar. Shirt from Nerdybird.

And finally, I am so excited about my new paper doll sets! After cutting them out I took them outside for a little photoshoot. Delicate Heart and
Squall paper doll sets by Wool and Water.

Pressing flowers and time

I am thrilled…I hit sixty today on Etsy! I want to thank all of you for supporting my art and stopping by my shop! A recent schedule change has left me exhausted but I plan to have some new art up very soon. Septemeber (as lovely as it is!) is such an adjustment month for me, and I rarely have time to paint!

Anyways, my prints have been shipped off into the world like this:

And speaking of the word pressed…While rummaging through a junk shop I found this:

It is SO much more enjoyable to be pressing flowers than time!

I am going to press some pretty Autumn leaves. They are s-l-o-w-l-y starting to turn here. I was reading that you can dip them in wax as well to preserve them long term.