Friday Favorites

one: spurt by yellena
two: pear and antique books from xmarksthestott
three: tea for two by whiteapple
four: Queen Ann's Lace from lottahelleberg

This week of quiet posts has been therapeutic for me. I don't know why I haven't done these before. I'm ready for the weekend now! There's little on the agenda – perfect for percolating creativity. I can't tell you how excited I am for February. January has been one of the longest months. I'm blaming it on the cold.

Anything on your agenda this weekend?

XOXO
Jewels

Quiet post tres

Quiet posts are like a bowl of cherries in the sun. They help ripen sweetness and intensify creativity.

images found here

Quiet Post Deux

Second quiet post of the week.

XOXO

Images from our James Merrell

Self Portrait: PVE Design

Her images have been an inspiration to us all, her thoughtfulness a boon to our creative aspirations, and her genuine spirit a challenge to our daily lives. I present to you PVE Design:

My life as an artist and a mother stems from appreciation and having an eye for collecting things that fill my day with beauty. Some things such as my antique collectibles are more than just valuable and the children's gifts of hand made things that are priceless. Collectibles speak to me of those that have gone before and then the hourglass speaks of now and the future. As an artist we try to live in the moment and capture what we see or what we visualize, often it is very much like that of the grains of sand, falling through our fingers. I love artisans that have paved the way, delicate hand painted china serving a functional purpose. Artists, Writers, Historians leading us to victory in their words, their eyes and their time. The Silver represents my love for polishing my craft. Painting with a simple brush, and paint and micron pen, polishing the paper, leaving behind a trace in time. Passing these things down to another generation, collectibles.

In my kitchen, lemons remind me to make lemon-ade. My wooden "springerlie" mold passed down to me from my Mother and the wooden carved bird remind me that life is what you make it. We are like birds, we have the instinct to collect and to build our own nest, to give birth, to give new life and to bring meaning to each day by collecting and creating an artful life.

Inspiring others each day gives me such gratitude. I am thankful for those who have inspired me to be the best artist I can be. Each day I look forward to new inspiration, and to creating, seeing and working to put my feelings and my drawings on paper.

Note from Julia: if you're interested in participating in our Self Portrait series, simply contact me at my email address: julia {dot} cumings {at} yahoo I would love to hear from you!

Quiet post

The first of three quiet posts this week! Hope you enjoy!

Images found here:

Friday Favorites

one: Nigella twill clutch from lkestaedt
two: Vert neckwarmer from Urbanknit
three: Striped socks by jenoaks
four: Slanted bowl set by lurearts

I'm ready for more sunshine. I want to say that's the reason for the doldrums lately. There's so much going on in our country (via Mint) and even in our blog world to be excited about (Simply Lovely's challenge, Nichole's adventure, and Krissy's new addition), but I feel like I'm dragging this week, both emotionally and creatively. Maybe a weekend with friends and a trip to Milwaukee (to get me out of the apartment) will be good. Rev things up a bit.

I think there's something to be said for creative fallow periods. They help nurture us, quietly behind the scenes. They're a time for rest and recouping. And nothing makes me feel more unproductive *grins* I come from a family where down time usually involved a book, a craft, or a walk. "Lazy" was a bad word. Sometimes these uncreative times feel "lazy." Or maybe it has more to do with the fact that I so desperately want to be productive creatively, but when I'm feeling in the doldrums I just can't create and thus feel "lazy." Oi.

How do you handle the creative fallow periods?

Marie Clair Maison

A pile of beautiful, glossy magazines, a steaming skim latte, and an hour or two of precious free time. These are the things that made my evening last night so delightful. They've finally rotated out all the Christmas magazines, so the covers boast colorful new resolutions, Valentine wonders, and yummy new products! One of the large beauties I pulled off the shelf was Marie Claire Maison. Holy moly, I've never seen so much color nor so much fabulous detail. I loved it! Of course, with a lot of the imported magazines, it was a bit out of my price range (hello 10 bucks). And it was actually December's edition. But it was still amazing and I'll be on the look out for upcoming issues!

Self Portrait: Inleaf

My friendship with Lotta began almost a year ago! I remember quickly falling in love with her linen creations, so beautiful and natural. I couldn't believe how elegant the ferns looked on her pouches and pillows. She is indeed a most unique and beautiful woman! Without further ado, I present Lotta Helleberg's self portrait:

My self portrait is more a reflection about the past than the present, except of course for our sweet dog Freja - nobody lives more in the moment than she does. The old wooden horse (called dalahäst in Swedish) is the price trophy my dad won during a ski jump competition in 1949... My youngest son made the pillow for mothers day while in kindergarten. He embroidered his name on the back along with a heart... The crystal vase, a gift from my mom, holds a twig of my favorite plant for printing - the leatherleaf viburnum... The rocks were collected along the waters edge near my parents old house on the west coast of Sweden...The bird was made by my oldest son in Ms. Curries second grade art class. He is now taller then me and just got his learners permit... All these sweet little things may not sum up who I am, but they certainly symbolizes what I cherish.

Patriotism

I brought in cupcakes for the special day, not nearly as cute as Rachel's, but still yummy and festive. What an incredible day! I listened to his speech and couldn't help but feel a remarkable sense of patriotism. Patriotism! For the past eight years I considered "patriotism" a sad word, something that involved hate, an "us and them" type of attitude. Today I feel like rising to the challenge and asking what I can do for my country. We have the chance to redefine "patriotism," and nothing gives me more goosebumps!

Image found here

Spring Break

I love the idea of wrapping myself up in such sensuous frocks and lazying about! These colors remind me of a winter's sunset, soft and peachy.

So, news over here? We're getting ready for a trip to Florida in March. I'm already planning! Last year's winter was so cold and so hard that Andrew and I made plans back in May to go someplace warm for spring break. We've already bought the tickets and reserved the condo. We'll be situated a feet away from a private access point to the beautiful sands of Siesta Key. I can't wait! I just need to find the right bikini :) Ha, actually I need to get into shape before I think about the "right bikini!"

Friday Favorites

1. Rodolphe Earrings by JLeeOhioDesigns
2. Snacking from LeaSeguin
3. Life Mantras from lapomme
4. Purple and gold tote by JenniferBurkin

Sending you heaps of love! Have a wonderful weekend!

XOXO
Jewels

Sunshine

Right now we're experiencing minus 20-30 degree temperatures. The kind of weather that gives you frost bite and brain freeze. The kind of weather that makes hard-core winter people shudder. On the other hand, my parents are on vacation and enjoying the bliss and wonder of Hawaii. These images from Mentis Studio make me think of the warmth and sunshine they're experiencing!

Hope you're having heaps of fun Mom and Dad!

Some day

My little sister is just a few months away from her due date. According to her she's "HUGE!" I keep thinking about that line from Juno, "I'm a planet!" *grins* Some day I'll be able to experience such planetary hugeness. I found these images at Living Etc. I love the tee pee and the assortment of paintings on that purple wall! So much to love here!

Self Portrait: Le Papier

I had the pleasure of meeting this amazing artist one blistery cold day in November last year. The woman behind the charm and elegance of Le Papier is both beautiful and disarmingly real. With great joy and pleasure I give you, Vana:

The round box with the dried cream and red roses are from my wedding day (5 years ago). I like to pick at it every once in a while and think of the day I married my soul mate. The drawing underneath was done by me about 13 years ago during preparation for entering Architecture School . Where I come from one has to compete in a series of exams (drawing included) to be accepted into Architecture School . It reminds me of a couple of things: patience and being determined. The black moleskin sketch book is the one thing that goes with me everyone. I love writing down thoughts or quickly sketching something interesting. I have a couple of these and I treasure them dearly. The hand written letter is from my mom, written to me as part of our correspondence when I left home to come to the US for schooling. This one in particular was written for me to read on my wedding day. I can’t tell you how much this letter means to me. It reminds me of where I came from and explains a lot why I am so close to my family. The rolled up letter tied with the red ribbon is the first love letter I wrote to my boyfriend (now husband) explaining why I loved him and what he meant to me. We have both treasured our love letters and keep them in a box next to out bed. We love reading them to each other from time to time. The stones on top of the letter are little rocks I collect every time I visit a beach…these ones are from my hometown and I sweat I can still smell the scent of the sea. I like to hold them in my hands when I feel homesick. The marble statue (of Dea, the Albanian goddess) was a gift from a friend back home and I love using it for hanging my necklaces...The cute necklace (which happened to be my favorite) is from my dear friend Deb of Bonbon Oiseau.

Not much

Did you see that flash, that blur? Yeah, that was my weekend zipping by. So long, bye, bye, it was fun! Andrew and I did a whole lot of not much (definition: languid lounging). It was great! I made books, took myself on a few long walks, went and saw Valkyrie (did I spell it right this time, Andrew?), ate pizza and tons of bread sticks. I also did some camera research. I discovered that I know little about the kind of camera I really need, one that takes great indoor shots. Any suggestions? Oh, and the movie... it was "good." I say good because I think I would have preferred a documentary *gasp*. The film showed us the basics of how it happened and when, but there was no character development whatsoever, so when the drama started unfolding you couldn't quite get involved because you didn't care. How about your weekends? Did you guys get anything crossed off your list?

Images by Stephanie Hanes

Friday Favorites

one: folksy floral photo album from maydaystudio
two: turquoise tin trays from PeacockEnvy
three: flying umbrellas by Roadside
four: small bowl, blue by kiefferceramics

Friday is here and the weekend is just hours away! What happy thoughts! I've been slammed with work this week and feel a bit out of touch with everyone's posts, so I hope to catch up over the weekend. I wanted to write a special thank you to all of your who left comments about my New Years resolutions and my "tricky" question last Friday. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to hear your thoughts, your encouragement and your understanding. I really appreciated every word!

Here's a short list of things I can't wait to do this weekend:
1. Go see Valkerie
2. Research new cameras
3. Rearrange the office
4. Make a pot of blooming tea (thank you lovely sister of mine)
5. Photograph my closet *grins*

What's on your list?

"Neat"

Good morning! I think one of the reasons I'm in love with images of people's homes and creative spaces is that the cluttered messes become works of art. It gives me hope. Maybe if you took a really excellent shot of my extremely horrific craft closet, someone would think it was "neat!"

Images by Kristin Perers

Self Portrait: Bonbon Oiseau

It is with greatest pleasure to introduce you to the creative genius behind Bonbon Oiseau. She is one incredible woman, full of insight, tremendous detail and beauty. Her jewelry is breathtaking and her blog is just as wondrous! Thank you darling Bonbon :)

So here goes: The old photo of the accordian players was something I bought at the first and one of the only estate sales I ever went to when I lived in San Francisco. It was too goofy not to get, but also kind of elegant... it was either a memeber of the family of the person whose estate sale I was at or that person had a sense of humor too and just liked this photo. The hydrangea is from my backyard. I take them in every year and let them dry until they get dusty. I love hydrangeas and the way they dry out, so papery and delicate. The turkey feather is from a beautiful little farm we stayed on a little weekend in Pennsylvania. The turkeys were so awesome to drop one of their tail feathers for me! The eiffel towers are from my trips to France. It used to be a tradition that on the evening of the day I arrive, my friend Corinne and I drive over to the Eiffel Tower and buy a statue from the guys selling on the trocadero across the way...one year we bought each bought a glass one that has an LCD inside and lights up in all different colors but the top cracked off. Last time I was in Paris I notice the top cracked off hers too. We both thought that was pretty funny. Then there's my favorite lace, bought on my honeymoon in a little village near Ephesus in Turkey famous for their lace (it's lining a little willow branch nest I bought for a bonbon display. (in the back are shells and rocks I collect from everywhere i go where there are shells and rocks. I love shells and rocks)

Anyway, I'm not sure how insightful this is, but I suppose this says I'm a big fan of incongruous juxtapositions (can I use those words together?) I like to surround myself with good memories that tell good stories I guess. I don't buy so much as I find. I like all of my objects to have some meaning I think so if I lose them all, I'll be able to remember how special they were and what happened at the moment when they came into my life and why. (like the rocks I found on a beach in turkey while i was snorkling in shallow water and saw a baby octopus!) I'm not sure what kind of person this makes me but here I am. Rock me like a hurricane.

I used to cut up my shopping bags and make shadow puppets so when the light would come in the winter it would look cool...I wanted to do a big art installation but my mind doesn't get that big so I just made them for me or for my nieces when they were little...these are a couple of hanging ducks from Chinatown, next to my collection of poster John Derian sends out when he announces a show and those were the keys to my house in Banares in India in 1994!

Lunch walk

I'm getting ready to bundle up for my lunch time walk. I'm braving the wintry sidewalks that presently look more like a long snaky ice rink than anything else. I'm trying to boost my time in the sun, and, although I've never made it a priority before, I'm trying to get out of the office once in a while. I was the goon sitting over her keyboard, sandwich in hand, trying to manage the shift+apple+0 keys thingy. Lovely. Yeah, lunch out every once in a while is a good thing!

We had a wonderful weekend! One of my friends from Duluth came down and we did the town. State Street, the capitol building, The Great Dane pub for lunch and lots of coffee shops. It's so much fun seeing your home from a different point of view--you see how special somethings are!

images from Country Living

Friday Favorites

1. Dear Diary by pepperminte
2. Snow from BeadsBySam
3. Small Hollyhock leaf by hrsmithjones
4. Used from f2images

Okay, I have a tricky question to ask you: what is preventing you from following a dream or diversifying your art/business/craft? What is holding you back? I know that finances, responsibilities, and time seem to hold a lot of my dreamy dreams at bay, but there are other things that are keeping me from pursuing other crafts, other ventures and venues. Like fear. Competition. Lack of time to "brew" an idea.

What about you?

A New Year

I'll let these speak for themselves this morning! Each one is important to me, especially in this coming year. I've always loved the new year because of it's introspectiveness. I'm going to make myself another cup of earl grey and sit down with my journal and start scribbling about these precious things I want to incorporate into my life--some are already here, in my life, but I want them more so. I have faults a plenty, things I need to do better, or should do altogether. But, today is about bringing in the new year with fullness and gratitude. And for me, that's focusing on health, simplicity, travel, meditation, order and being.

Much love to you today as we celebrate this new year!

images from ngoc minh ngo