Happy New Year!
Hey there! Phew! The holidays are OVER! I hope everyone survived unscathed and is ready to take on this great new year!
My blog posts have been few and far between lately with all that’s been going on. Here’s what I’ve been up to this past month.
First off, if you didn’t know already, I am my mom’s primary caregiver. She has M.S. and I also help run my father’s construction company and take care of their home, the house I grew up in. So, not only did I have to get my own apartment ready for x-mas and keep the cheer alive there, I had to do it at my folks’ house as well. Taking care of two homes is exhausting enough as it is but during the holidays, I go into this insanely hyper-efficient Martha Stewart mode and it takes a toll on me once it’s all done.
So, yeah, I cleaned and decorated 2 places which meant that once I opened the storage closet, I had to organize that as well. I had to haul everything to my place and then haul it all back after I took it down (since we don’t have enough storage space).
I baked 7 dozen mini pecan tarts, 12 dozen oatmeal cookies and 6 pounds of fudge. That all went in a bunch of tins to give away. I don’t know how I managed to lose weight this month but I did. I guess running around like a maniac will do that to you.
I painted a blatant rip off of this painting by Hannah Stouffer, only I used oranges, reds and browns, which is now in our livingroom.
Then there was shopping… well planned out shopping spread out over 2 months so I wouldn’t be broke come Christmas. Since we were going up to NOVA the day after Christmas to see the bf’s family, I had to add them to the list as well. We had a really nice visit and I finally met his sister after a whole year! She’s awesome.
I got the bf a Navy issue peacoat and books, and treats and tshirts, some xbox thing, and more silly treats. He got me those flashy Onitsuka Tigers with the gold on them that I have been coveting for months as well as a Marimekko shower curtain and fabric panel I plan on stapling to a canvas. Oh, and he told his sister to get me this sweet sweet mounted deer head wall decal from Decor Designs on Etsy. The one I have is like the center one. It’s above a door so along with the painting, we’re getting a real ski lodge effect in there!
“Hetkiä/Moments” shower curtain
“Pelimanni” fabric panel designed by Iiro A. Ahokas
Since my mom can’t shop, I pick out things I want (which is sad and awesome at the same time) so, she hooked me up with a bunch of matching bra and panty sets which I was in desperate need of, a fresh bottle of Kenzo Amour, a handbag, and a few things I’ve mentioned already.
My father made us a round wood kitchen table. Six months in our apartment together and we were still eating on the sofa. My dad makes reproduction Chippendale style furniture and truly hates clean modern design so, he had to put his stank on the base, which really isn’t our thing but oh well, it’s a table and I’m thankful.
We ordered 2 of these chairs and just got them on Monday, from of all places Sears! Seriously, they have a line that’s attempting to compete with Ikea-style design. They’re completely awesome and we’re ordering 2 more this week. They go great in the living room as well so, we will probably keep 2 in there until we have people over for dinner.
It snowed about 10 inches the weekend before Christmas. So there were magical walks and lots of cozying up and staying in. I loved every minute of it!
my neighborhood
New Years Eve, we decided to keep it low key and avoid the insanity. I fixed a big steak dinner and we took a walk around our neighborhood with a giant mimosa in a plastic container and shared earbuds, listening to music and looking at Christmas lights. It was magical until we witnessed a 3 car accident right at the intersection we were about to cross. Luckily, the bf grabbed the back of my coat before I darted out. My hero!
This past week, I got a wild hair to tackle my parents’ basement, again, but way more seriously than I ever had before. I swear, my father should be on Hoarders. Only, he actually collects antiques with inherent value and they are over running my parents’ home. I have sorted, organized, wrapped and boxed tons of stuff in sturdy plastic boxes instead of the open dusty torn cardboard boxes everything was thrown in. Old toys, trains, antique tools, pottery, old kitchen gadgets, you name it. Then the closets down there needed to get cleaned out so I could get the boxes in there. Holy crap. I filled a huge trashcan in one afternoon and there have been two enormous car loads to the Goodwill truck this week already and it’s just Tuesday.
This Spring I plan to start painting the entire interior of my parents’ home and convince my father to redo the outdated bathrooms and replace my mom’s bedroom carpet with hardwood flooring. It WILL be done.
Oh, and have you seen the Valentine’s Day stuff in the stores already? OMG.
jellyfish
We have only discovered about 2 million different species of animals but it is estimated that there are 10 to 100 million species waiting to be noticed by us.
Swiss born, Italian photographer – Guido Mocafico did his part by photographing new species of jellyfish for his series and book entitled Medusa. (You can purchase it here – it’s outrageously expensive on Amazon.) Do a search on Modafico and you will find amazing studies of 17th century paintings, snakes, smoke, tarantulas, death, architecture… he has also photographed many campaigns for major fashion houses. I am in love with his work.
an appreciation
In March, I was dying to see the documentary on the designer Valentino’s career, Valentino: The Last Emperor. Last night I finally saw it and I watched it again today with my mom. Just incredible.
The most touching moment that got me teary was when one of his seamstresses from 1964(?) came to his monumental 45th anniversary career retrospective and she and Valentino were both brough to tears. I looooved watching the women sew and construct his visions for his final critique. He was such a graceful man, treating the ladies with such reverence, giving due credit to them for their masterpieces. Without them, he would be nothing.
In the Oct 2008 issue of Vogue there was an article about the seamstresses of haute couture, explaining the process of turning a designer’s drawing and idea into a reality… what an integral part they play in high fashion. It was a fascinating read and has stuck with me over the past year (I had a hell of time digging that article up… thought it was W magazine). While my mom and aunt had explained a lot of it to me when I was a child, I really had no idea. These women’s talent, patience and expertise is unrivalled. Every tiny stitch done by hand, each bead, each sequin, each minute rolled hem on the finest silk chiffon, all of the excessive basting and complex pattern making and cutting – all by hand. Watching the documentary made my respect for haute couture all the more palpable. Growing up around two serious sewers and sewing a bit myself, an appreciation for a talent like that swells in my heart but now it’s about to burst.
Check out this video on “The Making of a Chanel Haute Couture Outfit“
Recently I got into a bit of a tiff on a little goth blog about Steve Madden ripping off a pair of Alexander McQueen shoes that really tickeld the fancy of the goth scene. (Steve Madden ripping someone off? Can you believe it? McQueen is suing!) I stood firm in my belief that fashion is art and that an artist has rights to their intellectual property. Just because you can’t afford it doesn’t give you the justification to buy what is essentially stolen goods. I would rather do without and fortunately there were a few other commenters who felt the same way. The argument went on and on and well… I really don’t care because as I pointed out, it’s not about a desire to achieve a certain look that you feel unjustly entitled to have, it’s about ETHICS. Someone threw around a comment about the couture designers having enough money to afford some loss to (everyone’s new euphemism for theft) “inspired by” pieces… like that makes it okay. What a bunch of commie bullshit. Oh! It gets me so mad! Even the large companies that have stood the test of time have financial burdens, investors attempt to ruin long standing reputations for the sake of the bottom dollar (even Yohji Yamamoto recently filed for bankruptcy), and at the end of the day there’s a designer, an artist, who simply wants to see their vision realized and appreciated when they share it with the world.
I really wish anyone who has a love for fashion, is new to this whole thing of fashion blogging, or just loves a good documentary will see this film. If it doesn’t instill in you the realization that fashion is art and an appreciation for the excruciating hard work involved, then I don’t know what will. (You can watch it on your computer on Netflix.)
rivers and tides
Last night, the bf shared with me a beautiful documentary about artist Andy Goldsworthy called Rivers and Tides. It was a slow peaceful film about a man who creates (mostly) temporary art in natural surroundings. It may be old news to some but I was floored. The man is a damn genius. His photographs and this film are the only ways he can preserve the painstaking efforts involved in creating these stunning pieces, with no tools others than what nature provides. Rainbows of leaves in still water, spiderwebs of stalks suspended in air, coiled shells of rolled up leaves places in the nook of a tree branch, swirls of icicles passing through rock, bloody waterfalls of ground iron rich stone, green snakes of leaves held together with thorns winding down a river… He opens up in the film about his thought process and emotional connections to what he does. Here are some pictures of his work, which really don’t do any of it justice.
balloons
I was just tipped off on these pictures from artist Andrea Galvani via notcot. I’m not a big fan of photography on walls but I would love to have giant prints of these three photos going down my hallway.
who knew you were an artist?
I have been bemoaning my bare walls for a while now and am in the long process of fixing this problem with a project that has become way more tedious than I had intended. Last week, I was talking with an old friend about her own place. She and her husband bought their first home and it’s quite large and they’re having a hell of a time filling it, especially with this economy and a new baby zapping their finances. I told her about some inexpensive crafty projects she could get herself into (like I’ve been doing but less tedious) and she wanted me to send more info her way.
These are the tips I sent her for creating inexpensive abstract art for your walls.
First, you need a plan.
- Where is this painting going to go? What size would look good in that space? Get your tape measure out and figure how much of the area you would like to occupy. Most of the canvases you can get on the cheap are rectangular. Do you want it to hang vertically or horizontally?
- The bigger the canvas, the more expensive but you can also consider doing a pair of paintings. They can be placed side by side as you paint, treated as one, and then placed a few inches apart on the wall. You could do a series with as many canvases that you want.
- What is the color scheme? Which emotions do you want to evoke with color? What is going to complement your decor? (Abstract art can be at home in any setting.) Do you want to stick with a cool or warm color palette – or everything in between? Or do you want a greyscale painting?
<<<COOL vs. WARM>>>
- How do you want this painting to look? Seriously! What painting have you seen that has left you thinking about it when you walked away? Why was it so compelling? What were those brush strokes like? Were there any other techniques employed like drips or bleeding of colors together? Do you think you could try your hand at a similar style? Can you see yourself sitting down on your living room floor for a few hours, or a few weekends, making it happen?
- Draw out a plan. Use markers or colored pencils if you can. Write notes. Think in terms of layers – like what colors should you use first. Write down the steps you want to take and the colors you want to use. If you are into being organized and feeling like you have control over a situation, this is especially good for you. If this type of painting is something you have never done before, you will feel less helpless when you sit down with everything in front of you. OR you could pick a color scheme and just go crazy and see what happens. Either way, I think even Pollock made plans.
- Craft stores have huge sales all the time. You can get fairly large pre-stretched, pre-primed canvases for pretty cheap if you keep up on the sales. Here you can find all sizes and 2′ x 3′ ones for $12!
- Artist quality acrylic paints are pretty expensive but crafting acrylics are dirt cheap. Look for 2oz bottles like this. They come in an insane amount of colors and usually run about $1 a bottle. If you plan on painting a background color, you may want 2 bottles of that base color, especially for large or multiple canvases. Check the finish of the paint. Some are matte, glossy, iridescent, metallic, pearl, etc. Don’t forget you can blend your own colors as well with the 3 primary colors and black and white, or mix any other shades of colors together.
- Styrofoam plates are great for mixing colors on. If you mix a large quantity of a certain color and don’t plan on using it all in one sitting, put it in an air tight container. It’s so difficult to mix the exact color over again.
- I like using 3″ foam brushes for applying base coats and sealants. They don’t leave brush strokes and are super cheap.
- Larger canvases usually have a reinforcing board down the middle. Think about this when applying a base coat and painting in general. Try to paint with it and not across it as you can sometimes get some paint build up on the canvas where the edges of the board are underneath. Under the right light or at the right angle, you will see it when you’re done and it may drive you insane.
- Do you want to use brushes to paint? Think about the size of the canvas, the size of the strokes you want to make, and if you want to do any fine line work. Check out the acrylic paint brushes available at the store. There are so many different types I can’t even begin to go into it.
- You can also paint with cheap plastic squirt bottles, various shaped/textured objects, your fingers… use your imagination. Puffy fabric paint of all things is awesome for texture. It’s what I’m using right now in my tedious secret project. There’s also spray paint – to be used outdoors.
- Do you want to add any other elements to your art like hand drawn effects or imbedded objects?
- Plastic drop cloths are about $2, and there’s always newspaper. Don’t forget to protect your floors, and have damp paper towels ready for quick clean-ups. I always manage to spill something.
- Acrylic paint is thick. You can change the opacity by simply mixing it with water. Practice on paper first to see what you’re working with before you put anything on the canvas.
- If you are painting in layers, make sure to let each layer dry for about 30 minutes, unless you want a bleeding effect.
- Keep your brushes in water when not in use. Acrylic paint washes away from brushes and skin and most surfaces pretty easily with soap and water but once dry, it can ruin fabric and harden up your brushes.
- Think about sealants. Let your painting completely dry and add one or two coats of acrylic gloss, Mod Podge, or even spray sealant (in a well ventilated area).
- Hanging an unframed canvas is totally acceptable . Framing is super expensive, unless you get creative with that as well. This is up to you.
- Just remember that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. You can plan all day long and have wonderful intentions but I’m telling you now, unless you are a miracle worker, something is going to mess up. If just one thing goes wrong, you’re lucky. Just relax and embrace it. You’re not recreating The Kiss. Happy accidents can usually work in your favor. The project I’m currently working on is taking a bit longer than I expected. That’s okay, because it’s going to be awesome. For god’s sake, have fun! Express yourself!
Here are some inspiration pieces I sent my friend, to get her creative juices flowing. Maybe they will inspire you! All via Design Milk.
Nicole Poko – she freezes paint and works with the cubes in various ways!
By implying that anyone could create abstract art such as this, I’m not trying to insinuate that these artists don’t have talent. You must have an eye for it and an ability to manipulate your medium through familiarity, and a bit of bravery.
This is pretty much what I’m trying to say:
So… do it!
maps
If you follow any design blogs, you surely saw Emily Fischer’s “Soft-Maps”, which are maps that have been embroidered into quilts. I can’t imagine the labor involved in her commission-only designs but the prices certainly reflect an enormous amount of work. Her stitches remind me of Sashiko which is simple but does take some getting used to so that it speeds along nicely. You have to be a special type of person to do this kind of work. Quilting is one craft I never got into since the traditional designs and old-fashioned fabric choices really don’t do it for me. It’s so nice to see an old art get a modern twist. Maybe it will inspire younger people to try their hand at it. Cold weather is creeping upon us and it’s the right time to think about starting a quiet evening/weekend project. This could easily be done in the form of a throw pillow or embellishment on a t-shirt, or something bold like your neighborhood slanted and incomplete at the hem of a blazer. Some embroidery needles and thread and a white or blue washable chalk pencil (to draw your outline) would cost less than $5.
I have been subscribing to the Hand Drawn Map Association for a while. They remind me of my childhood, when I would make up imaginary lands and draw detailed maps. Here is an interview with artist Shane Watt who also creates imaginary maps.
There are also companies that sell old aeriel photographs in various sizes to frame and hang in your home. You can find your hometown or a place you’ve always wanted to go.
This is one of many dresses by artist Elisabeth Lecourt. I don’t believe these are sold for wear though.
Totally wearable, I was turned onto Christian Francis Roth’s fun line of clothing Francis by gorgeous jewelry designer Wendy B. (her jewelry and her hilarious blog). She also writes for the Francis blog. Wendy helps the lost find their way in her map dress! This dress is too cute! (on sale right now!)
An etsy search for “map” revealed thousands of items.
Isotope makes awesome tees. I really like the graphic nature of maps on clothing. It’s a random geometric pattern that could be paired with just about anything and look chic peeking out from under a blazer or cardi.
Have you heard of Dream Heels? What an awesome concept! They are a take on Threadless where instead of tees, people submit and vote on which pattern of pumps they will make. This Parisian map concept is currently a contender!
This handmade decoupage plate can easily be recreated with some diy help.
Maps are also finding their way into jewelry. This pendant by XOHandworks is special to me since my dad is from Serbia.
bare
I have been in my new apartment for 3 months now and my walls are still bare. The boy and I have never procrastinated so much on a project as we have with these walls. Thankfully we both agree on wanting a large singular piece on each of the major walls, as opposed to clusters of small framed pieces.
I have fallen in love with many smaller prints on etsy from talented artists but really don’t want to get into the habit of having dusty little frames all over the house. Maybe something small would be cute in the bathroom but seriously, go big or go home.
My mother did gift me with her huge Carlton Abbott painting of a couple embracing. The lines are thickly drizzled and are lucky to have survived the mischievous hands of my childhood. (I was constantly compelled to pick the thick paint off but thankfully it wouldn’t budge.) It’s in the bedroom above the mantle and it’s all we have as far as art. (I called the artist at his engineering firm in Williamsburg this week hoping to get some questions answered about the piece to build provenance but I haven’t received a call back yet.)
Then, there’s the total cop-out to not putting anything on your walls. This apartment belonging to Klaus Biesenbach, the curator of MOMA’s multimedia exhibits, was featured in W magazine. This is pretty much how I saw myself living for quite some time. I wrote about my appreciation for open space about a year ago here and I definitely understand Biesenbach when he says “small objects make me nervous”. A few select things, sure. There have been so many criticisms on this style of living, such as it being “institutional” and so on but I get it. I love a large expanse of nothing but my current home is never going to be that. Even if I could, it’s not the right space so, I need to embrace it and add some warmth to balance it all out.
You know those brilliant ideas you have floating in your head for an artistic masterpiece… you know, the ideas that require you to actually get off your rear and get supplies, dedicate a few evenings to make sketches, do test runs, familiarize yourself all over again with your art supplies, and actually make something happen? Well, I have about 5 of these visions in my head and I finally got some motivation today and ran some errands picking up supplies and getting high gloss enamel paint mixed. I’ve already started this evening and I’m waiting for a second coat of paint to dry before the fun stuff begins.I will post pics and details of my project soon once it’s all done!
bandages
Maybe designers have taken a cue from Gwendolyn Huskens’ 2008 project “Medic Esthetic“. I’m really enjoying these asymmetrical bandage-style boots for Fall. Of course, these are all outrageously expensive but I’ve linked some much cheaper interpretations at the bottom.
Balmain multi-zip suede boots
Christian Louboutin Nitoinimoi Bandage ankle boots
Balmain suede buckle bootie
Rodarte F2009RTW
Some inexpensive options here: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
food genius
I love to cook and bake and I have often wondered if I should post about this hobby but, I have been reluctant to since there are already so many great foodie blogs out there. Other than mentioning the occasional wondrous eating experience, I can only put my finger in so many pots (hahah) when it comes to this blog.
Finally, Ji from Luxirare has been getting some coverage on one particular food adventure – “pie pops“. Of all the genius culinary creations this girl whips up, it’s her pie pops that are driving people wild. So silly. (Her style is also ballsy as hell, and she designs most of her own insane clothing.) (an interview)
Her blog is a bit difficult to navigate so I have found [I think] all of the food posts she has done. (I will continue to update here.) Be amazed at her flawless execution and beautiful photography. Salivate.
(note on 10.28.09 – I just saw that her blog has been redesigned so finding things is a lot easier in the archives. I had to redo all the dead links here so I’m sorry if you hit any in the past few weeks.)
Hot Wings (brilliant!)
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