February 18, 2010
We’ve skipped the tail end of winter it seems and have gone straight through to Spring! Every day a new report on Facebook or Twitter of flowers blooming here and there and it’s been this way for weeks…
The top photo pictured above is from Aude’s flickr stream, here. The hair accessories are all from the whichgoose’s etsy shop, here.
~Posted by: Amy
February 18, 2010
Today’s post has been brought to you via the Blog it Forward mashup! Thanks so much to Victoria of Swoonette for having this great idea, and to Victoria of SFGirlbyBay for all of her hard work in making it happen and giving it life. We are all writing about what inspires us, and linking from one blog to the next in a big ole bloggers mashup.
I am inspired by so many things on a daily basis – my friends & family, sunshine, nature, creating things, people who create things, and the list goes on…
But for me the one thing that ties it all together is “possibility”.
For me possibility lies somewhere between the wonderful feeling you get when you have a new idea and that idea coming to fruition.
Being attuned to possibility often means doing new things, and as the dictionary definition describes it – there is a chance for error. So with that hope to see something new there must be a willingness to set fear aside.
I have seen and heard of beautiful things happening because people believed in possibility. I have seen it in non-profits and in many of the heroes who we all venerate. Those individuals who despite great resistance – stood up for what they felt was right, for doing things a different way.
I see it in the Handmade Community – we are all knowingly or unknowingly part of what feels to me like an evolution… To a greater appreciation of the arts, to the belief that we all have talent that we ought to nurture, to a more careful consumption of goods produced in ethical work conditions, and often with a lower environmental footprint.
I am inspired by this Handmade movement on a daily basis – I greatly appreciate that it is earmarked by kindness, innovation, openness, creativity and a desire by many of it’s members to find daily work that nurtures them.
Thanks to Haley and Rose who blogged it forward to me yesterday, and I’m blogging it forward to hashai who will be blogging tomorrow about what inspires her.
And a hello to everyone else who is blogging it forward today!! 1). a life of my own 2). monna mcd 3). brooklyn rehab 4). piewacket 5). daughter earth 6). secret pocket 7). tam. me. 8). la petite sirene 9). tile envy
~Posted by: Amy
February 17, 2010
Vancouver is hopping these days – you’ve probably heard by now about a little event we’re hosting! Lots of things to see and do, and it’s wonderful to hear about the local artists who are exhibiting their beautiful goods so that visitors can see more of the diverse talent our province has to offer.
This Thursday through Saturday two open studio events are being held in co-operation, giving visitors a taste of our famed Eastside Culture Crawl. Some of my favorite locals will have their work on display at the Mergatroid building: Flight Path Designs, Bronsino, Patina Designs, and Su Foster. This is by no means an exhaustive list, you’ll find art, pottery, and much more from an extensive list of designers!
Thursday, Feb. 18th and Friday, Feb. 19th: 10am-6pm
Saturday, Feb. 20th: 12pm-5pm
Parker Street Studios (1000 Parker St.), Vancouver
Mergatroid Building (975 Vernon Drive), Vancouver
February 16, 2010
What are your favorite rainy day traditions? Or for those of you who still have snow, snowy day traditions? I don’t have any for either weather occasion, but I’m thinking it’s time to get some. Having said that I do get a big kick out of throwing on a cute pair of rain boots when the downpour is truly torrential. On the same note I’m loving this print from Michele Maule of Portland, the Umbrella print from Modern Pop, and these rain drop earrings from Emma.
~Posted by: Amy
February 15, 2010
I’ve already noted recently that you can find pretty much anything you’re looking for on Etsy – another thing that I constantly marvel at, just how much talent there is – every time I’m on the site I come across a wonderful new artist! I was so thrilled to stumble upon the work of Jenna Rose tonight. When I noted she was a fellow Canadian I knew I had to share her work. Each of her items features her own original illustrations, which she screen-prints with water based pigments and natural or organic materials. You can visit her shop here.
I also had a great time looking through her blog – and was so inspired by these illustrations from her sketchbook (pictured below).
~Posted by: Amy
February 15, 2010
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Things were far from quiet here in Vancouver, the perfect antidote for the mid-February blahs…
I blogged just the other day about working with what you have available to you and I think this post is in much the same vein. The art below by Yuken Teruya also makes me think about seeing art in the every day, and about working with found or reclaimed materials – no matter how humble their beginnings (take a close peek at each of the works below and see if you can determine their origins). Found via 2modern blog.
February 12, 2010
Looking at this site yesterday made me smile – so I thought I’d share it here today. Thanks to Lesley at Smidgebox for letting me know about it!
Katie Sokoler is a street artist and photographer from Brooklyn. From looking at her site it seems clear to me that she has a sunny outlook and chooses to look at the bright side of life! She encourages others to cultivate their own artistic talent – and what particularly attracts me to her projects are the vibrant colors she uses and that the materials are relatively inexpensive. If you’re in need of a mid February pick-up perhaps you can take Katie’s lead and create some temporary art to lift your mood and brighten your space!
Would love to hear your ideas for fun projects around your home or neighborhood – hope you have a wonderful weekend!
For more information on each of these projects (the stories behind them are enjoyable to read) do check out Katie’s blog here.
~Posted by: Amy
February 11, 2010
So you may not be a fan of pink – but I am very certainly quite enamoured with this dainty color… But I’m one of those gals who likes everything. Yes – really, everything.
I’ve gone through my phases – throughout high school I scorned those who listened to pop music and was very attached to my olive green pumas… I was into grunge the first time it was a trend – uhoh aging myself here… But I’ve lightened up some and for me fashion and art are no longer a way to identify myself, instead I appreciate and love art in all it’s forms – and I look to see what I can learn from each different artist and their point of view. So any style is good in my books from the very vintage and grungy to the ephemeral and the truly girly…
But enough about me – on to the pictures!
I was thrilled to stumble upon Jackie Rueda’s photostream on Flickr tonight. Her collages are just wonderful and I was excited to see that she’s a fellow Canadian. She is clearly multi-talented as she juggles motherhood and work as a journalist, TV writer and photographer.
The first set of pictures below are all available in her etsy shop.
Each of the gorgeous collages below are from her flickr stream. Please click on the link below the collage to see the credits for each individual photographer.
Click here for credits
Click here for credits
Click here for credits
~Posted by: Amy
February 11, 2010
It was very fun to meet the talented Portland illustrator, Lisa, of My Little Buffalo online last week. I was instantly drawn to her whimsical style, and the fun items available in her shop. I lived outside of Portland until I was ten – so it’s always a treat to connect with someone from there! Not only does Lisa have an Etsy shop here she also designs custom stationery and invitations.
As I worked on this post, I started to wonder where the super cute name My Little Buffalo came from? I hope Lisa will stop by today and let us know!
~Posted by: Amy
