Spring??

 

 

Nothing but cold and snow on the hill. Looking forward to mud ( yes! mud!)....and flowers of course. 

 

Garden cabbage, 'Persian Carpet' Zinnia, Hydrangea 'Unique', Arborvitae, Silver Buddleia, Heptacodium,  Cup Plant





Brugmansia



Beets, Zinnia, Begonia, Kale, Fennel, Celosia and Cherry Tomatoes 

Wine Bottle Wonderland

 

 



This was my Christmas 2013 gift wrap. A bigger version of my Etsy shop packaging




 

I LOVE Latin botanical names. (geek)


 

This is the back of the bag.


 

This was all well and good....simple and straight forward..... BUT then I had this thought..... How cool would it be if you took a  bottle of wine to a party and instead of being filled with spirits, it contained a little snowy scene and lights? Your host slides off the bag and WOW, a little glowing world. What a dramatic reveal!(Unless he REALLY likes wine and doesn't care for crafty kitch.... people, choose your giftee carefully. These take forever to make!) here's how it turned out....




 

You can stamp cork! 'Comfort and Joy to You'





 



Oohh. It really is kind of dramatic.....




 



The whole scene





 

1. Glitter floral branches from Michaels  2. Martha Stewart self hardening clay for snowy base  3. Tiny stamps  4. Heatless Mizzy Wheels and a tiny grinding bit for drilling the glass  5. Paper images from the net covered in Martha Stewart Decoupage and coarse glitter  6. Tiny silver wire lights -Amazon $6   7. A cheap (cheep) feather boa



 



The owls came out the best.



 

Everything has to fit thru the neck of the bottle so the animals are all paper -covered with decoupage and glitter. The owl has been given some depth with two layered wings and face and a tiny tuft of boa feather.


 

Hare.



 

Drilling the hole was surprisingly easy. I used 2 grinding wheels and a flex shaft.


 

I liked this quote. Something from the Peaceable Kingdom paintings would have been even better.




 

Finished!



NEW YORK CITY

 

 

NYC December 2013

 

 

I needed some happy.....It's been a tough year. A trip to NYC always works wonders when my heart's a little heavy.... so off to the city we go. New York at Christmas time is a magical and awe inspiring showcase of creativity. I always leave excited and renewed. The materials and techniques in the windows alone are breathtaking. As a maker of things, you could adopt, incorporate and embellish on this treasure trove of ideas for the rest of your life and never empty the well.

Christmas vendor village set up in Union Square. Magical at night.
 Visit Fishs Eddy on 19th St. while you are there.

 

 

Chalk art in Washington Square Park. This says it all....




 

Anthropologie in Rockefeller Plaza.
 If there's a common thread to many windows this year, it's a handcrafted- Russian Winter- story tale vibe.

 

Detail. It looks to be made of simple materials. Yarn, thin wood, paper and paint. So clever...

 

Large Russian nesting doll made of paper mache. Simple and very cool.


 

Hand painted of course.


 

I think this was my city wide favorite. The 'fur' is fashioned from small wooden pegs wrapped with wool yarn.
 There's another window with a wolf clawing a burlap tapestry. My photos didn't read well, but it's worth an online search for a look. Genius....
 


 

Russian bear fur.

 

St. Patrick's Cathedral. Peaceful, even with extensive renovations all around



ABC Carpet and Home.
 If you know and adore Cody Foster products, ABC has the entire Christmas catalog on display. A Cody Foster Feast! Expensive... yes. But unique and exquisite. When will this company get a brick and mortar store in the city?

Bergdorf Goodman
These windows featured a year of different seasons and holidays. I believe this was Spring. The tree roots continue and give a little subterranian scene which I did not photograph. Darn!



 

The shovel really elevates the scene above just fairy tale beautiful. It becomes so much more mysterious.
 What is going on here?



 

A tortoise, a snail, bugs and grass, and yet it still works as a Christmastime tableau.




 

Tiffany and Co.
 I think these house are made of paper.The most magnetic moment is created by the scene featuring a single tiny lit window with a itsy present perched on the sill....see below. 

 

Under the child's bed in the ABC windows. Break my heart adorableness.
Maybe the best NYC trip of all time.
Thanks Mom!

Vintage Botanical Chart Finds

 

 

VINTAGE BONANZA!

 

 

The Dandylion



Mold and Fungi- For Halloween?....chic AND creepy!

The Snail



The Spider...COOL! Pricey, yes but just use this every October and forgo any cheap, disposable Halloween decorations you are tempted to buy.



 I went looking for vintage décor on Etsy this morning and turned up these very cool and relatively affordable German fabric school charts. All from discoverprints.etsy.com. None of the prints are terribly old -1960's hence the (almost!) affordable prices. Shipping from Germany will add another $50, but well worth it. Instant quirk and character for your wall. Love Love Love.

Well Hello There.....

 

 

 Ribbon Dying Experiment #1

My poor little blog.....SO neglected.  It's busy season at the day job. When I last posted, dyed ribbon was the obsession du jour. This is how my first experiment played out.... The dying went fine -great color, even on the roll of rayon ribbon. The cotton fabric was slow to wick up the color. I think it needs a deeper bath and should be wrapped tighter on a spool. Easy enough.

My jubilation was short lived- when I rinsed the ribbon, all the color washed out! Bummer....My chemicals were quite old. Will try it again with a new batch.

 

 

Packaging Pinboard.... Options, Materials and Ephemeral Ideas

This post is a haphazard compilation of pictures and materials that MAY lead in a new direction for my Etsy store 'branding'. I use the term loosely as it implies a deliberate and thoughtful editing process that I never fully commit to. I'm always pulling threads out of the air and they don't always belong to the same sweater. I like the nautical vibe that's popping up in some of my pieces. I like the random squid and whale graphic I bought as a digital image. I like the dip dyed silk ribbon-both process and product. So there you go.....a pin board of potential. 


Recycled Silk Sari Yarn from yarnyarnyarns.etsy.com

Hand Dyed Silk Ribbon From flowerseedpaper.etsy.com






Cool Graphic.....Whale Loves Squid? Stamped on dip dyed cotton?




I LIKE This!

Current Packaging and Graphics

Looking For The Threads To Tie It All Together...

Fresh Nest

PINTEREST FINDS

Test Tube Cool

 



Gilt and Grime
 Gold and Silver Leafed Old English Pots
 



Hand Stamped Fabric Chair -Remodelista.com



Ahhh Pinterest. I have no time for you, but you lure me in with your beautiful, elegant and oh so clever ways.....It's Spring... time for clean white walls, a neutral color pallet and lots and lots of linen.LOTS.