Category Archives: mondays whimsy

Teeny Tiny Delights

Posted on September 10, 2007 by Sarah Blank

Some whimsy for your monday, embroidery and forest bits (perhaps another hankie for the squirrels!):

And the most delightful vintage pointy shoe pin given to me by my mom:

Reminds me of these recently acquired shoes

I wish they fit!

1 Comment


Life, whimsy, painting…September!

Posted on September 3, 2007 by Sarah Blank

The last few days have been spent in such relaxation…taking long walks stepping in the crunchy leaves (while closing my eyes and imagining its Autumn), reading, scouring thrift shops, painting and sketching a bit. The other night we had a camp fire with toasted marshmallows in the country. For the first time in a long time I saw the sky scattered with stars. And it was COLD…a light wool sweater type of cold! I love September. So, from now to the end of October, its all Autumn here! It comes and goes to quickly, I am going to savor every second of it, and I’m sure you will want to too!

A few things as of recent…

My desk, newly cleaned and cleared-off. I have a new project in the works, the pile of paper covered masonite in the top left corner is a hint of it’s preparation. The sketchbook on the lower left side is brand new, and probably the best sketch book I have ever had for many reasons. It has a soft, flexible leather cover that I’m thinking will accommodate the bulge of papers pasted on its pages. It feels so good in my hands! I just can’t wait to fill it with doodles.

Some vintage clothing I am ecstatic about! My very cluttered shelf to the right. Good clutter though.

Thrifted things from last Friday. Oh, except the old medicine bottle.

Martha Labels, Kiki Smith, Embroidered bee, a odd couple I snipped from an old book, tree card from Whole Foods, and another Kiki.

A peak at the first painting in the new project I was writing about above. She is painted on beautiful handmade paper with little petals captured in the pulp, which is giving her a very soft feel. She will be in the shop very soon, along with the others.

6 Comments


Monday’s Whimsy

Posted on August 27, 2007 by Sarah Blank

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!

4 Comments


Monday’s Whimsy

Posted on August 13, 2007 by Sarah Blank

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!

13 Comments