Category Archives: Art + Design

Besty of Etsy: Matte Stephens.

Art + Design

Matte Stephens, you have my heart.

Because my heart thinks there is nothing more charming than a scuba diving gent with an eyepatch and pipe trying to charm a bouffant-wearing mermaid with a strategically place trout.

J’adore!

Oh and then, there is THIS. Every cat should wear a monocle and bow tie. And carry an nice brolly too.

And speaking of umbrellas…

Glasses on toast? OK–and let’s add some to the bacon.  What’s so funny, Senor sausage?

I love your palette of muted greens and oranges.  They are worth decorating a whole nursery around.  Anyone?

 

Thanks for making my day, Matte! I hope he made yours too.

 

Mid Century For This Century :: Eames Elephant.

Art + Design, ,

We all love Eames, right? And they clearly loved us enough to make such a wonderful piece as their 1945 toy elephant made of plywood.  But not enough to make it actually available for the public buy.  Only a few exist and when  you do find them be prepared to part with tens of thousands of dollars.


Vitra started selling miniatures of the toy elephant for a mere $145.00–we are talking about the miniature, which is less than three inches. So much for getting one for your own kiddo.

Until now. Vitra has launched this great and very lovable sculpture for the public, but this time it is made of  plastic. PLASTIC!  That fellow from the pool party in The Graduate was on to something.

And Vitra is launching this just in time for Charles Eames’ 100th birthday. Happy birthday to US!


Available at Modern Seed for just under $300.  I know, I know. It’s a touch spendy. But man–oh so gorg!

Would you drop that chunk of change on one? Preeety darn tempting, no?


Modern Kiddo Chit Chat: An Interview with Rachel from the Small Craft Online Class.

Art + Design, Crafts + DIY, , , , ,

Hurray! I’m super dee duper excited about this first ever online crafting class geared towards making fun stuff for kiddos. It comes to us from everyone’s favorite crafty bloggers, Miss Elsie from A Beautiful Mess and Miss Rachel from Smile and Wave.

The online craft class is called Small Craft and yes, I’ve already signed up and I hope you will too. Because it is going to be oodles and poodles and schnoodles of fun. Yes. THAT. MUCH. FUN. And how could it not be with Elsie and Rachel at the helm? Exactly!

And because by the end of the class you’ll be able to make something as button cute as THIS:

Or, oh-my–word: THIS!

Oh, the delights that await us in the class. There are quite a few amazing projects that the lovely ladies have labored long and hard to share with us. And I’m so glad they did.  Including:  a Mid-Century Modern Fort, cool necktie patterns, a traveling puppet theater, DIY lunchbox, monster bibs, storybook plushies, upcycled dress up chest, and a ton of other cool crafty treats.

So, let’s get to chatting with Rachel, one sassy half of the dynamic duo behind Small Craft. We met for an e-cup of chai at that great online coffee house around the corner—and here’s what the charming and talented Rachel had to say!

DOTTIE: First off, thanks so much for taking time out of your very very busy schedule, Rachel. I just have a few questions, but I’m dyin’ to know–what inspired you lovely ladies to create this online craft class?

RACHEL: Elsie and I have been teaching handmade craft classes for two years now and really wanted our Fall class to feel fresh so we created a class with a kiddo theme that catered to those who want to encourage creativity and stimulate the imaginations of the little ones in their life.  I have two kids and Elsie has two nieces that are getting a lot of fun presents for Christmas this year!

DOTTIE:  What lucky kiddos to have such a craftastic mama and auntie!  I have to admit as a craft junkie, there are sooo many good crafts out there—do you have a favorite?

RACHEL: My favorite kinds of crafts are those that involve ordinary or unexpected materials that have been put together in a new way.  One of the crafts we’re sharing involves building a fort out of PVC pipe and joiners and uses a drop cloth that can be painted, embroidered on, or decorated with fabric.  Both items came from a hardware shop but the end effect is something both versatile in it’s composition and neutral enough to be customized.  Sebastian has been taking ours apart and using the PVC pipe to create his own structures.  I love that he’s having fun and learning about engineering, too!

DOTTIE: Sweet! I think hardware stores of totally craftapaloozas too.  And what a cutie that Sebastion is.  Say, both you and Elsie have very glamorous and full lives–when do you guys find the time to craft?

RACHEL: Crafting is a part of both of our jobs as well as something we love to do so it’s scheduled into our daily or weekly routines just like any other work related task.  However, crafting for personal gratification is a high priority.

DOTTIE: Amen, sister!

RACHEL: We usually feel refreshed and excited after spending a little time making something just for fun and think it helps us stay balanced as individuals.  I’ve been known to let the laundry suffer in order to finish a quilt but most creative women I’ve talked to about the balance of housework and crafting time admit to their own piles.  Free time is rare but instead of plopping on the couch and watching T.V. I like to spend it focused on a new project.  If I didn’t find it so fulfilling I wouldn’t make it a priority.  And my house would be sparkling!

DOTTIE: And quilting is so much more fun than laundry.   I think I would be willing to give up Grey’s Anatomy to finish my quilt. You are my inspiration.  By the way, one of the reasons I am super excited about the class is that you are doing it with your gal pal, Elsie.  Just like me and Alix.  You two clearly have a lot of fun together—any behind the scenes stories you can tell us about creating this class?

RACHEL: We got together one afternoon at Elsie’s new store to shoot our video tutorials and promo video. During one of my tutorials the girls left the building to get coffee next door so I could shoot in silence.  They locked me in so no one would wander in to check things out but there are huge windows spanning about 100 feet across the front of the store and a lot of foot traffic outside.  At one point during my shoot there was a man with his hands and face pressed up against the glass just staring at me.  It was all I could do not to look at him and have to start my tutorial over.  Then I had a fly that kept landing on the art journal I was trying to share.   I would naturally swat at it and have to start over every time.  I’m sure Jeremy, Elsie’s boyfriend, was amused during the editing process when he heard the words that came out of my mouth after the fourth take!

DOTTIE:  Hee hee!!! Pesky flies! I hope to see more outtakes! That sounds like a hoot! But I must wrap this interview up–any last words, Rachel?

RACHEL: We are so thankful to get to work together and have been enjoying the company of Elsie’s sister, Emma, who just moved back to open her cupcake shop inside the new Red Velvet Art store.  This means most business meetings also involve cupcake recipes that she’s testing which also means our next class should be a workout video.  Ha!

DOTTIE:  Tee hee! I’ll sign up for that class too!

Thanks Rachel for doing the interview and just being awesome!

I’m particularly excited about this class because you don’t have to be a wunderkind crafter to join. You just have to be willing to take a leap onto the craft boat and enjoy! No sewing machine–no problem, there are still tons of great crafts to try out for the beginner crafter.

Sign up fast for the last few spots!

Modern Kiddo Chit Chat: An Interview with Mila’s Daydreams.

Art + Design, ,

This week I’m soooo excited to bring you a special interview with Adele Enersen, of the charming blog Mila’s Daydreams. A week or so ago, Dottie sent me a link to Adele’s site and I was smitten! I think you’ll agree that Adele and her husband came up with an utterly original idea to document baby Mila’s first year. Adele graciously agreed to chat with us over a virtual cup of tea—all the way from Helsinki, Finland!

“While my baby is taking her nap, I try to imagine her dream and capture it….” Such a lovely notion. Before we get to the interview, let’s take a look at beautiful baby Mila! I think you’ll agree that this photo series is just about the cutest thing ever.

Surfer Girl:

Her Super Pinkiness:

Nirvana:

A Space Odyssey 2010:

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman’s Baby:

Candyland:

A Little Ray of Sunshine:

ALIX: Hallo Adele! Thank you so much for chatting with us. OK, tell me….who is this beautiful baby?? We love her! Can you tell us how old Miss Mila is and is she your only child?

ADELE: Thank you! Mila Mau Natalie was born in May 2010, and she is now 2 months old. As you can guess, she is our first and only child. (At least for now!) She is a very happy and smiling baby who loves to eat and sleep and doesn’t cry much. Now that she has started cooing, she has actually taught US to speak. She has already taught me and the daddy how to say: “Guu” and “Hayyyy” so well. Haha!

ALIX: Hee. She sounds adorable. We know Mila is the star of the show, but I think everyone would love to know a little more about the amazing woman behind the scenes! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

ADELE: I’m 32 years old and I’m married to a most wonderful husband ever. I used to work as a copywriter at an ad agency, but right now I’m on my maternity leave—for at least couple of years. I feel that I want to be with my precious little family now, especially when Mila is so little. My husband is also a creative person, he’s a composer and his studio is in our home, so we get to be together every day. He’s very involved and a great father! Actually, he’s the first man that I could even think having babies with.

Meet the beautiful ADELE….the Woman Behind the Magical Photos:

ALIX: OK, you must tell me HOW did this amazing photo series come about?? And how often to do you take photos?

ADELE: I think all new parents go crazy with baby photos of their first child—maybe we are just a little bit crazier! I often found myself staring at the sleeping baby instead of sleeping myself. We wanted to capture our memories in photos but we found that we had a lot of pics where she sleeps. One day Mila fell asleep on the floor and my husband placed his conductor’s baton in her hand. She looked just like little fencer! So I got the idea from my hubby. The next day when she fell asleep, I built a little forest set with pillows and blankets over our living room rug and gently carried her to the middle of it. I quickly snapped some photos. Unlike you might think, she is not constantly sleeping on a floor! haha. I take pictures a few times per week, never more than one in a day, but I try to make at least one photo every week.

ALIX: Each photo is such a fun “moment.” How do you decide what the theme is going to be? I love how you use every day objects to create the scenes—do you use things around your home or do you buy props for each photo?

ADELE: Usually I get ideas from her clothes. While I’m dressing her in the morning, I start to create a scene in my mind. I use things from our home: rugs, blankets, curtains, scarves and even my clothes. I want to keep this photo hobby light and easy, so I don’t see myself buying things for this. It’s more fun to discover old stuff again, like you can see an elephant in your cardigan if you want.

ALIX: I really think this is one of the sweetest and most special ideas I’ve ever seen! Can I ask you, do the photos take a while to set up? Being a new mommy can keep you so busy, how do you find the time?

ADELE: Ideas can be cooking up the back of my head for a few days and in the meanwhile I do all that stuff like every mother does … lot’s of tiny laundry, cooking meals for the family, cleaning our house etc. When I’m about to execute idea, I’m ready, so it takes only a few minutes. Sometimes an idea just happens right away. Also, I have a lot of time to stare at our living room carpet while nursing my baby on the sofa surrounded by blankets and pillows.

ALIX: I think I already know the answer to this one, but how has motherhood been so far??

ADELE: SO LOVELY. The time of my life! I would say the only negative thing about this kind of love is fear, fear of losing. I’m so afraid of all the stupid things “what might happen” that I never been before. They are irrational fears like “oh my god, what if she falls out of an open window!!” when she is actually nowhere near the window. But really it is a special time. We truly live in love.

ALIX: Amazing. Thank you so much for spending this time with us Adele! (Or as Mila would say, “Guuu….Hayyyy!”) We can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Dottie's Kraft Korner: Summer Crafting for Kids.

Art + Design, Crafts + DIY, ,

“MAAAAHHHMMMM… I’m bored.”

Are there more nerve-wracking words to be uttered by a child?  I think not!

This of course is usually said in a very nasal voice on a very rainy day after every jigsaw puzzle in the house has been finished, the stack of World Magazines have been read cover to cover, and the only thing on TV is marathon of Inside the Actor’s Studio.

What to do? Well, CRAFT of course!

I’ve rounded up a few dandy kiddo crafts that would keep your wee one busy for perhaps an hour or two. And allow you a bit of free time to attack your own crafts or take well deserved nap. Oh, that sounds so great, doesn’t it? Or get a massage. Or get a mani/pedi while getting a massage. A girl can dream.

I remember picking up stones on walks as a kid.  Usually that was the extent of the fun. But oho–not if you take this very clever idea from Maya at Maya Made, who has this grand tutorial on making these stone dolls. Aren’t they adorable?

Our darling Allison over at Petit Elephant shared her dandy recipe for making sidewalk paint that looks so cool and easy that I might have to try it out for myself, regardless that the Peach can’t even hold a paint brush yet.

If ever there was a time to make a fancy fan, it would be during this heatwave back east. And this pretty fan tutorial looks so easy and breezy from Zakka Life.  Heck, you could prolly make enough for the whole family even. I’m sure they would appreciate that. And perhaps you can eat all of the popsicles needed to create it as well to cool you down, eh?

Sometimes, you gotta go old school and return to your own childhood for some of the best craft gems out there, like the old turn-the-milk-carton-into-a-birdfeeder trick.  No hot tub time machine needed for this blast from the past. But it still is great today because it involves recycling something that would be landfill and turning it into something that helps nourish wildlife. I like this version with the Moorish architecture undertones.  And this version with the little shingled top is so button cute.

This last craft might need some parental guidance, but it  just begs to be done for summer.  Make your own fishing poles from Imagine Childhood by way of the Crafty Crow.  Hmmm… looks like you have to drink a bottle of champagne to get that cork.  The things you do for your child…

So, even if rain isn’t in sight yet (as much as it is begged for like it is back East right now) just remember these craft goodies for later in the summer when you hear those dreaded words…