paper pendants to make . .

i so love faerie lights & garlands

cant wait to make this

lighted paper pendant

tree journal by kreativlink

whilst lookin for a new journal

i came a cross this lovely

kreativlink

kris waldherr . . .illustration

kris waldherr
author, illustrator, and designer

dreaming.

via

nicht viele worte heute.
nur ein danke an euch.
fürs lesen und für die lieben worte.

love, hippiegirl♥

faerietale furniture . . . sticks

hand crafted & hand painted

delicious designs at

sticks

Inspiration - Grey Walls

All shades of white on walls will always be a classic and popular choice but I have to say it's really nice to see these deep greys making an appearance. I have a client at present with grey walls and it's amazing how the colour changes during the day - some times with a green tone, other times slightly brown.

The top two images are from the cool Ilse Crawford. These rooms are from the Whitechapel Depot in Notting Hill. The black and white details look great against the grey. The crisp white walls and ceiling help balance the grey and keeps it very modern.

The last three images are from Nate Berkus. The first one, overall very harmonious. The second one - I especially like how the leather chair just glows warmly against the dark walls. And the last one - the layering of greys on greys with walls, table and bench seat in various shades and letting the white lamp and neutral sofa stand out.

Stand Up to Your Obstacles

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them.
You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have.

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Painting: Obstacles by Bruce Price

paris i'll miss you. last day.

der letzte tag. natürlich der obligatorische eiffelturmbesuch.
sehr schön war's.
paris i'll miss you :)

[top:london camdenmarket.shorts:levis DIY.bolero:h&m.boots:pimkie.]

nun werden sicherlich wieder aktuelle outfits folgen.
doch die paris eindrücke wollte ich auf jeden fall mit euch teilen.

peace, hippiegirl♥

branch buttons . . wooden treasures

the branch button shop
natural perfection

Product - Emeco Navy chairs

I think these Emeco Navy 1006 chairs are great and look especially good with a timber table.

Such a great history behind these chairs and they are made from 80% recycled aluminium, which means they're incredibly light. Read about the history here

The top image is in the kitchen of one of my clients. We source them from Thonet in Wellington, as well as the Dairy Table the chairs are with. The middle one is an advertising agency in New York - check out the Emeco website for more images. And the last image is another dining scenario which I saw in Apartment Therapy.

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

This is a slight variation on an old recipe from my mom’s recipe box. I absolutely love oatmeal cookies and this is the best recipe ever! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies

¼ cup shortening

½ cup butter or margarine

1 egg

1 ¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 ½ tsp vanilla

Approx 2 ½ cups flour *

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

3 cups oats

¼ tsp cinnamon **

1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 375. Grease baking sheets.

Combine shortening, butter, brown sugar, egg, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended.

Combine oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix into creamed mixture at low speed just until blended. Stir in raisins.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls (cookie scoop) of dough 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 10-12*** minutes or until lightly browned. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Cool completely on sheets of foil.

* The original recipe only calls for a cup of flour but that’s not enough. I didn’t measure exactly but just put in enough so it’s not super sticky.

** I don’t measure the cinnamon because I love it so just dump some in if you’re like me.

*** Definitely err on the side of underbaking. You’ll be glad you did.

One final note… as if there could be more, I know… With the cookie scoop, you get very rounded cookies. If you like them more traditional looking just flatten them a bit after you scoop them onto the baking sheet. You’ll see what I mean in the pictures.

sea urchin rings - star of the east

sea urchin rings from

star of the east

charla khanna - textile art dolls

charla khanna
sumptuous

"works of textile art"

New Work - Minerva, Bookshop and Gallery

After looking at the library inspirations yesterday - I thought of Minerva - a bookshop and gallery dedicated to crafts and textiles. I designed this store last year.

Check out the old furniture we kept from the client's previous space - big chunky table, chairs and an old counter; which we combined with simple white walls and book displays. The orange lights and central runner divide the space up and leads to the retro orange doors (which I posted last week) at the back of the store.

I enjoyed this job as we transformed a dark concrete shell to this warm and inviting retail space and the client is delighted - which, at the end of the day, is essential.

Click on the images to see them bigger.

Photos by Neil Pardington.

ED HALL

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Ed Hall received his B.D. in Graphic Design, and his M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Florida. While in college he did political cartoons and illustrations for The Florida Independent Alligator, UF's school newspaper. After college, Hall worked for several weekly publications in and around Jacksonville, and finally settled at The Baker County Press in Macclenny (just outside of Jacksonville) where he continues to work as the weekly cartoonist. He also does weekly cartoons for The Ponte Vedra Recorder and a monthly cartoon for The St. Johns county Business Ledger.
For the last 12 years, Ed has owned and operated Design Alternatives, a home-based residential design service. And for a few years, he was an adjunct professor of drawing at Flagler College in St. Augustine and at The University of North Florida, Jacksonville.
Ed's cartoons and political illustrations have been featured in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Tallahassee Democrat, The New York Time's Scope Magazine and on CNN Headline News. Overseas, his cartoons have been featured in Eulenspiegel, Germany’s premiere humor magazine.
Over the last 12 years, Hall has won 9 Florida Press Awards, 3 Newsmaker Awards, and numerous fine art awards in national and international competitions. In 2003, Ed was presented the 53rd Annual Green Eyeshade Award for weekly cartoons by The Society of Professional Journalists. He has also won the Florida Press Club Award three times (2003 & 2006, 2008), competing with cartoonists from newspapers up to 75,000 in circulation.
In 2003 Ed was invited to join Artizans, a Canadian based syndicate. Through Artizans, Ed’s cartoons appear weekly in publications and newspapers across North America.
Hall's cartoons and figurative art work have been displayed regionally and nationally, most recently at the American University Museum in Washington DC, the Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the Fowler Gallery in Provincetown Massachusetts, and the Laredo Center for the Arts in Laredo Texas. He was also awarded a one-person show at the Reddi-arts Gallery in Jacksonville Florida. Other recent awards include best of show in Behind the Mask, Inside the Head a Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts exhibition in 1997, and best of show for Figures of the Millenium, a St. Augustine Art Association show held in 1999.

In 2003, Hall published his first book of Political Cartoons entitled, Code Red – Editorial Cartoons by Ed Hall. His second collection entitled Diversions and other Political Observations was published in 2006. His cartoons are also consistently featured in Charles Brook's "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year (2001 through 2009)."
Hall is a member of the Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts, the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, the Florida Press Association, and the Society of Professional Journalists. His work is also held in the permanent collection of the St. Augustine Art Association.

www.halltoons.com
www.halltoons.blogspot.com


When did you first decide to become a graphic designer/ illustrator? Was there a pivotal moment?

I had been in college for about 18 months, majoring in Architecture, but I was finding the calculus courses to be a little overwhelming. I had taken art classes all my life (both private and in high school) but had never really considered making it my vocation in life until that Summer. I can clearly remember dreading the phone call to my Dad to tell him that I was changing majors. But much to my surprise, he never batted an eye; he just said to do what I loved. I’ll always thank him for that. So the next semester I enrolled as a Graphic Design Major. Interestingly, I had to make a very similar telephone call my last semester in Graphic Design, to ask if it would be OK to stay in school and get my Masters Degree in Art. Once again, without hesitation my parents agreed that this would be best for me. I think that their belief that I could really make a living eventually with my art, helped me to believe in myself.





Who or what inspires you?

Everything inspires me. Movies, architecture, music, theater, ballet (well maybe not ballet). I studied the German Expressionist almost exclusively in college. Egon Schiele, Kokoschka, Gustav Klimt. Those guys were getting it done at a time when I would have liked to have been working. The raw energy of the Expressionists still fires me up to this day.






Where does your training come from? Self-taught? College/Art School?

I’ve always been able to draw anything that is set in front of me. My parents noticed it early on, and really pushed the art thing. Especially my mom. She was a huge influence on me becoming an artist. She would sit me down in the middle of the kitchen floor with a huge roll of butcher paper and just let me go nuts. I guess that was better than me drawing on the walls! Although, I have 6 years of higher education (Masters Degree) under my belt, I think you definitely learn more out of school than in. The University environment is WAY too political. I found this out when I was teaching studio art after college as well. The professors all have their own agenda, so anyone who comes in with the students in mind, (and the students begin to like) is immediately drummed out because they are seen as a threat. Kind of counterproductive huh? Check out Art School Confidential. They got it right.





How do you keep "fresh" within your industry?

I keep fresh by trying to stay involved in the local art community. I’m a member of The Jacksonville Coalition for The Visual Arts, and attend a figure drawing session every Sunday at the local community college. I enter shows whenever possible. I also try to seek out liked minded individuals and creative types. Attending gallery openings, concerts, etc. all opens up your mind to new ideas about art, and keeps you sharp.







What are some of your current projects?

I’m currently working on character development for a comic book/graphic novel that I want to publish. I’m assembling a team of writers and pencilers, and I plan on doing most of the inking and coloring myself. I also have my syndicate cartoons, and political illustrations that I do every week. Those keep me pretty busy.







Which of your projects are you the most proud of? And why?

I like the covers that I’ve done for The Washington Post. They’ve allowed me to use both my cartooning skills and my figurative background to produce some pretty eye-catching illustrations.





Are there any areas, techniques, mediums, projects in your field that you have yet to try?

I’m intrigued by tattoo art. The fact that it incorporates the human body on a very physical level - ink on skin. I think it would be cool to re-think this medium in a whole new way - like with a full-sized figure tattooed onto a full-sized figure.






Any advice to the novice designer/ illustrator?

Don’t worry about sending too much stuff to an editor or art director. It’s their job to sort through stuff. They’re used to it. I used to fret over pissing off editors by sending them tons of cartoons until one of my editorial cartooning buddies gave me this piece of advice. And you know what? It worked. I kept sending and within a year I got a job with the publication I was soliciting - The Washington Post.

Oh, and draw all of the time, even in your sleep. Keep a sketchbook active at all times, and look for the beautiful mistakes in there - those are the things that can be magic.






What makes a designed piece or illustration successful?

The single most important thing (and the thing most usually ignored) is composition, and the play of positive AND negative space. It is what starts the drawing out on it’s course, and if it is not considered at the beginning, the illustration is doomed.






What do you do to keep yourself motivated and avoid burn-out?

Draw from life - a lot. I find that keeping busy, be it sketching from the live figure on Sundays, or studying the structure of the skeleton I have in my studio, helps to rejuvenate me.






Finish this sentence. "If I weren't a designer/illustrator I would have been a..."

Professional surfer - the wave kind, not the internet kind.





And finally, what is the best thing on prime-time TV right now?

Without a doubt, it’s got to be Rescue Me. It’s gritty, it takes chances, the characters are believable, and, having friends and family roots within the Jacksonville Fire Department, I know these guys know firefighting. It’s also politically incorrect, which I absolutely love.