I "bought" this floral candle holder at my mother's garage sale a couple weekends ago (for free). I think it's really pretty. My husband thinks it's odd. But, it's hard to object to a family heirloom, right? What do you think...pretty or odd?
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Aren't Flowers Cool?
One of my best friends came for a quick visit from Oregon last week and gave me these gorgeous flowers. Aren't they lovely? If you look closely, you will see what beautiful works of art they really are...not just the arrangement, but up close as well. I played around with them for about two minutes in Photoshop...see what cool effects you can make?
This is adding a simple "cut out" filter to the two original photos:
And this is the effect you can get using the "poster edges" filter. I think this turns the original photos into the style of some old botanical prints that I've seen somewhere:
Thanks for the visit and the flowers (and the Jumbo and bath toys) Melinda and family! It was great seeing all of you. Shall I blow these up to super-sized prints for your house???
P.S. I know I promised to post more cool things my sister has made, but my photography just doesn't do them justice. I'll play around a little more and try to post again about her fabulousness this week!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Martha's Gamecock Cottage
My sister gave me this adorable painting for Christmas. It is of the historic Gamecock Cottage which is located near the house I grew up in on the north shore of Long Island. It was built around 1864, and has been an aviary, a boat house, and a summer cottage. It is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is located at the end of West Meadow Beach peninsula.
She painted it in one of her new styles that she started using for her Hello Cape Cod , and Hello Boston books. It now sits proudly in our playroom! I love it, and it's a great reminder of where we grew up.
Monday, April 26, 2010
My sister is incredible!
I may have mentioned that Jake has been going through a big Brown Bear, Brown Bear phase right now, and has the book memorized. So, imagine his excitement when we arrived at my mom's house the other day...we were greeted by my nieces wearing a yellow duck and green frog t-shirts that my sister had made using Brown Bear fabric. Jake was handed the prized brown bear t-shirt. Then she gave him this adorable quilt that she just whipped up! She's pretty incredible like that! AND, she also gave him this pillow which he is nuts about (and so am I!). My niece told me that my sister just sketched it out (using a SHARPIE) on some felt and stitched it together. He's so proud of all his new things, and was quite the big toddler on campus at daycare today when he strutted in wearing his new tee, and carrying his new blanket for naptime!
My sister Martha is pure genius at coming up with some of these projects. I've been known to find some pretty incredible things just stuck in her basement that she just thinks no one will want, or hasn't had the chance to display anywhere. Proof of this...my mom had a garage sale last weekend, and some of her old college art projects were selling like hotcakes. We were actually quite hysterical about this, as one woman made her dig through my mom's attic to try to find more things, and made her sign the back. Having lived side by side with her while growing up, and always making projects, we tend to take it for granted that people actually WANT things like this!
This week, I'll show just a few of the items my sister has come up with that I've sequestered to decorate my own home. Stay tuned...it's my Martha week!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Shutter Shock!
We had our photoshoot last weekend. The photographer was great, Jake was adorable, and loved it. They shoot against a white, seamless background, and they play music, and generally have fun. We switched Jake's outfits, brought his guitar, and books and he was beyond a terrific sport about it all.
After an hour, Jake was done..."my go home". So, we packed up, I took him to the car and my husband stayed inside to schedule our "viewing". Then they handed him the PRICE LIST!!! WHAT!!!???
Keep in mind, I am an ART DIRECTOR and have HIRED photographers for shoots! I've gotten MARRIED and hired a WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER!!! I've reviewed countless portfolios in my day, so I can speak from some experience that I have never encountered such ridiculous prices in my entire life.
First of all...you can only buy their framed prints. No chance of making your own album, or wallpapering your guest room with photos (not that I was going to, but I should be able to do whatever I want w/ the photos, right?).
If you wanted one large photo of their "JAZZ" series...a 30"x40" photo is $3,800.00. OR, perhaps a more modest 10"x10" print? A mere $800.00. Or, maybe you'd like to do a little series, a larger 20" x 30" framed photo flanked by 4, 8"x10" photos? $4,800.00. And, if you can't quite decide which photos you like best, for $1500, they'll make you an album with 10 photos. Can you believe this?
Now, if I WAS going to spend $4,800.00 for FIVE photos (no matter how well framed they are), I think I might not be looking for the photographer in a MALL...no matter how high end the mall was. I think I'd do my research and find someone who offered a number of tailored packages to work with me to decide what would be best for us. Afterall, I am the customer. Or not. Since, there was no way that I would show up at that viewing and see all the adorable photos of my family. I'm weak. I'd buy something, but I wouldn't feel good about it. And, that's the thing, if you don't show up for your "viewing" you forfeit the "free" 8"x10" photo (just read the fine print!)
So, no thanks for all that. And please, if you happen to come near one of these stupid Venture Portrait kiosks in the mall, make sure you ask exactly what the prices are first, and what you get. They're evasive at best.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
If they only knew...
Nanny:
Grandma:
His Aunt (TeeTee):
And she thought he never mentioned her! Ha!
Hope you had a good weekend everyone!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Let's Make a Cake!
I've got felt on my mind lately...I've been looking for creative ideas using felt because I want to make Jake a Brown Bear, Brown Bear felt board to play with (he is currently obsessed with the book, and reads it to me several times a day. He's gifted like that!). In my searches, I came across these crazy cute felt CAKES! How much fun is this? They come with about 60+ felt shape to decorate the felt cake to your hearts content. I didn't have anything quite as elaborate planned for Jake, but perhaps we should make a Brown Bear cake?
Available at Mahar Drygoods , and Twinkle Kids (the creators of this fun product!)
Monday, April 5, 2010
Print+Pattern is in print!
One of the first blogs I became hooked on, Print & Pattern, is authored (and in a sense, curated) by a talented British woman who goes by the name Bowie Style. Her blog highlights the best of print and pattern designs worldwide. I was excited when she announced a couple years ago that she had been approached to create a book...and even more excited when I stopped by her blog today and realized it's now available!
The book, Print & Pattern showcases 120 of the top print designers with bios of each of the artists. Some of the artists included in the book are: Orla Kiely, Cath Kidston, Sukie, Carolyn Gavin, and Helen Dardik. I can't wait to get the book in my hands...I'll be excited if I see some of the artists I've worked with over the years featured in her book! The book is published in the UL by Laurence King, and will be distributed in the U.S by Chronicle Books .
More sneak peeks are available at her site here.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Bye Bye Daddy's Ties
How cool is this Tie-Die Easter Egg Kit? You transfer the designs of neckties ONTO EASTER EGGS! I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind if we sacrificed a few of his ties for the project (would he?). Actually, the kit comes with recycled ties to use and are supposedly "deceptively simple" to make.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Dear Easter Bunny
I've never considered writing a letter to the Easter Bunny, but perhaps we should send him one of these lovely cards (just in case he was planning on bringing something ordinary like jelly beans!)
The first four are from one of my favorite card companies, Great Arrow Graphics. The hand silk-screened cards have such bright vivid graphics that really stand out...I love almost everyone that they produce! The company started in 1984 in an old car warehouse in Buffalo. The building went from cars to cards!
Rising to new heights
My husband and I spent a large part of the day messing up our basement stairs. It's suddenly become an "urgent" project, because we are having the basement carpet installed on Wednesday, and they are going to put a runner down the stairs. The stairs are just not attractive. We first decided a nice coat of dark stain would do the trick, but it didn't cover up the pre-existing mess of old paint stains, uneven coloring, dents, old nail holes...you get the idea. We've (I've) now decided it just needs to be painted...simple (sort of?), clean and classic, black and white.
If I had more than about 30 seconds for this home project, I would love to do something incredibly fun like some of these inspiring examples I found tonight in a last minute search. But with only 2 busy days to go...and without time to even buy the paint (I'm having my wonderful handyman pick some up for me)...I think we'll just err on the side of basic.
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