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Monthly Archives: August 2007
Favorites on Etsy
A want list for Wednesday (payday is only a few days away, isn’t it?)
Foxes, skeleton key clutches and little floating houses, here they are…
Tobacco Leather Skeleton Key Wallet with Vintage Steel Key by Urban Heirlooms
I have had my eye on this shop for some time, especially the skeleton key clutches. I would love to carry one around, as they seem to be a joy to behold with their rich leather and antique key closure!
Fox and Chicken Needle Felted Pair by Motley Mutton (and the gangly goats)
What a lovely little pair! I am a huge fan of anything fox related, so this pair strikes my fancy to the umph degree.
A Fox Lady and Her Bird by Sarah Ogren
Sarah’s collages are a double dose of whimsy! I especially love the fox head on the Victorian body
And finally, as it has always been, I am ever-so-enchanted by the work of Art and Ghosts.
Here is a current favorite of mine, Architecture of Dreams.
I think I have turned into an Etsy addict, as recently I made a few purchases on there for myslf. I will have to share my things later!
One Misty Morning Print
I am ever-so-excited about this painting, my first oval! A rather forlorn looking gal reads in the shipyard on a cold, cold misty morning. The rest of the story is for you to construct. I imagine her hat to be sewn from a very thick piece of felted wool, hence her being able to concentrate on her book and not shiver to death. How I wish I had a hat like that! Thats the fun thing about painting…dressing the characters in imaginary clothing that becomes oh-so-real. The original piece is painted in acrylics and papers on a cotton oval canvas.
A print is available in my shop
And the Winner is…
All the names are on folded bits of paper and inside the cozy patchwork teapot…
The winner is Katelyn, with Ginger Peach and or a Chai Latte, yummy!!!
Katelyn, please email me your address so your teapot can be on its way! sarah@sarahblankstudios.com
And THANKS so much to all who left a comment here with their wonderful Autumn tea suggestions (and I still think the fav was Chai latte, how could it not be?). I am off to make some tea!
ps- A shop update sometime tomorrow (evening, maybe). I have a new painting finished and ready!
Monday’s Whimsy
And now, a little bit of Monday’s Whimsy. And a whimsical Monday it is, for I returned from a trip with lots of vintage goodies. And socks! I have been very, very crazy for socks, especially knee socks.
I discovered the BEST paper store ever, The Paper Source. I am thrilled that they have a website. Their store was so lovely, packed with so much paper, and the BIG flat sheets (not the square 12″ by 12″ scrapbooking kind, although they do carry that on their website). I bought a stack of pretty papers that remind me of dollhouse wallpaper. I sometimes use paper in the backgrounds of my paintings so these will be perfect. I am always on the lookout for calico prints.
Have you ever seen a spider spinning a web? I spotted one in the woods the other day. The way that the the sunshine was beaming down upon it it looked like a silver orb amongst the trees. As I approached closer, I saw the spider was only half complete with his wonderous silky creation, so I stood there and watched for a few moments. The spider was big and scary and I tried not to get him in the photo.
This morning I found a perfect feather…
Which reminded me to take a picture of these little guys. They are salt and pepper shakers. I think they are just so folksy and wonderful! I think that they are supposed to be penguins, but I am imagining them as blackbirds. I love blackbirds, especially red-winged ones. They are very particular about where they live, so the conditions have to be just right to see them. They enjoy a setting that is half meadow and half watery, like a lake or pond. What is your favorite bird?
A little sneakpeak at a painting I have been trying to finish, on an oval-shaped canvas. It needs a lot more painting details (especially on the boats), but I am hoping to be done with it today, and it will soon be in my shop. The girl is a bit forlorn, and reading. I think she will need a companion, to be painted on another oval canvas.
Have a wonderful Monday, the last Monday of August!
Teapot Giveaway!
Remember this?
Well, I have been cleaning out my studio (more about that later!) and I have decided to do another teapot giveaway as special thanks to everyone who comes to my blog! All you need to do is to leave a comment here telling me your favorite autumn tea. Then, on Monday at 8:00 pm I will write down all your names of tidbits of folded paper, toss them in the teapot and see who is the most lucky winner!
My favorite autumn tea (and I won’t be surprised if it is your favorite as well) is a creamy, cinnamon-y chai latte. I love to walk through the woods with a warm cupful in my mittened hand and daydream.
So, the little fabric-covered patchwork goodness is waiting for you… please son’t be shy! I would LOVE to send this your way!
What have I been up to? Well, I have decided that my under-the-eaves studio is much too cramped, so I am moving things about trying to fit them so my workspace is more efficient. I don’t sew much due to all the painting so I am putting away my ceiling-high fabric stash, and replacing it with a vintage dress form. Awhile ago I purchased a lovely victorian lace blouse (very well wron and torn from the turn-of-the-century…in black!) So I though I would display it for the autumn months ahead. It really is a magical piece of clothing with a bit of darkness and mystery due to the age and the coloring of the lace. It has handstitching throughout and that within itself is a joy!
The days have been dark and dreary with lots of rain. And cold! Despite the dampness I managed to bundle up …gosh, it’s August… and take some pretty walks. I even collected some acorns yesterday. I have been painting a new piece as well. Oh, and books! I went to the library yesterday and brough home the most delicious stack of books. Hooray for rainy days.
A Print Set
So, I’ve decided to offer these two as a set. They really do go great together!
Here they are-Ships in Bluebird Cages and The Very Reluctant Farewell
And now that I look at them, they seem to be a bit of a sign of the crist fall months ahead. I know its hard to imagine in the heat of August, but you can image, can’t you?.
Doesn’t this say fall too?
This little guy was growing in the woods amongst crispy leaves and a few soggy rotten things as well. I do think he is a little omen that my favorite season is nearer than it has been all year!
The Very Reluctant Farewell print
The painting to compliment Ships in Bluebird Cages is complete and I am ever-so-happy with it! Still quite large (for me) it measures 16″ by 20″ and is painted in acrylics on canvas with a flowery paper collage background. A girl in a pastorial setting says goodbye to the cardinals as they sail away one-by-one in tiny ships down the stream. The birds fly out of a vacant birdcage high above in the branches. As you can see, the cage isn’t full of the winged creatures…they simply appear at its hinged door and leave. This time there is only one bird cage, and I do think that the girl and the cage are one in the same.
Prints are available in my shop.
Now my head is swimming with new painting ideas, I am off to sketch!
ETSY MAIL
Look what arrived! A print from Oh My Cavalier!
Julianna’s art is so beautifully delicate and victorian-inspired, I am in awe! I will be in a search for the perfect antique frame to compliment this print. Also, her package was stuffed with surprises…
You can get prints and other goodies at the Oh My Cavalier shop. She also has a pretty blog.
Here is a little snippet from my walk in the meadow this morning…
Monday’s Whimsy
Gosh, how did this happen? Never before was I under the spell of pink until I acquired this beautiful vintage sheet during a thrifting spree. It was a little wrinkled gem staring at me amongst a stack of shabby, faded linens. I think it was the rose motif that got me. It makes the most perfect picnic tablecloth, whimsy fit for a Monday indeed…
After purchasing the sheet in all its pinkness I stashed in away in my ceiling-high fabric stash thinking “I just wish it wasn’t pink!”. But then, yesterday I was foraging through my goodies looking for something pink to compliment a forest find and my liking for the piece of fabric was renewed.
The forest find was this, doesn’t it look like a miniature pink tree?
Full circle indeed, here is a snippet of another painting I have been working on non-stop (and hopefully ready to post tomorrow).
The trees are almost pink. More of a peachy color (as much as I try to like pink I still tend to lean more towards peach)
And another find, a ceramic calico hand…
I love disconnected hands! They look perfectly odd on my shelf, and they hold trinkets, feathers and stones. A collection has begun!
Last-but-not-least I would like to share a favorite storybook as of recent. The images by illustrator Angela Barrett are highly detailed and slightly chilling. I love how she uses neutral and greys with tiny bits of bright (think pinks and oranges) within her artwork. I was pleasantly surprised when I removed the book jacket to find this delicate design on the bookcover…
I plan to spend the rest of the day eating my raspberries and painting~
What is YOUR favorite color and why? Please do tell!
Early Morning Meadow
Sometimes being outdoors is just what I need to recharge. The other day I was quite perplexed. I literally started to entwine ivy in my hair (its better than twirling the hair around my fingers I guess).
I had this idea…I wanted to do a self-portrait photo shoot of sorts. I kept twisting and snapping, til finally the ivy vine snapped right off the plant. I was supposed to be painting, and here I was with ivy all tangled in my hair, my broken little ivy plant, some great idea! So that was that, I was off to my favorite morning spot, one that I hadn’t been to in quite awhile. It is a beautiful meadow with a large pond in the middle. In August it is blooming with all kinds of wildflowers and Purple Loosestrife (which is actually quite an evil plant as I am crushed to hear, it is so pretty). Shortly after I arrived I was completely lost in the dusy, dewy, dreamlike surrealism of the field.
I started to snap photos of all its little treasures and trinkets…
This is the largest snail shell I have ever seen! The moss was so perfect and green too. But no, I did not take it home. It stayed there to do what is does best, BE a home!
Two hours later I went home. Those two hours flew by! I felt like I was in some kind of time warp! Doesn’t this happen when one is captured by the fairies?