I wasn't supposed to be shopping...

Restraint. It can be difficult. Balancing the love of beautiful objects with the desire for an uncluttered home. This time of year is difficult for me when it comes to restraint. The cold weather creates a desire to create a cosy nest. Coupled with the after holiday sales and the ease of internet shopping... Well, you know how it is.

So...I had been watching this beautiful vase on Etsy. When it went on sale, it was time to take the plunge, and welcome this divine vase into my home.

This vintage glass vase was designed by Diane Love for Mikassa. It fits perfectly with the retro mod vibe I'm going for in my apartment. It's made of frosted glass, and it's remarkable how it glows in the light. It's also fascinating to watch how it changes color with the changing light of the day.

I purchased the vase from Modern Specific. I can't stop moving it and photographing it! Humans sure make beautiful things don't they?

Procrastination...or....Humans Sure Make Beautiful Things

Hello dear readers.  The procrastination bug bit me hard today.  For the moment I am not interested in the chapters I have been writing.  I am working on a particularly difficult chapter on non-violence.  I am plagued with feeling helpless, yet I also feel arrogant.  I want to end violence, but who am I?    I am also working on a series regarding simple living.  Perhaps it is the lack of caffeine in my brain cells, but these topics are not flowing today.  It's not often that I don't have words easily spilling onto the page.  This is a sign that these topics require intensive prayer and meditation.

So why don't we be gentle with ourselves this week and focus, instead, on beauty.  Some would say beauty, art and design are superficial.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, art and design make the world a better place. They serve as an important reminder.  Yes, humans do some terrible, incomprehensible things.  But humans also do some amazing things.  Humans are capable of great kindness and extraordinary beauty.  When I need to cheer myself up, I think of color.  I am especially attracted to neon and fluorescents.  A great place to get a fix is Etsy.  Here are some things I find strikingly beautiful today.  Hope you enjoy!

I think I need these pillows.  El Rancho Relaxo.

Beautiful table runner from Wolf Textile.  Succulent sculpture from Waterstone Succulents.

Candle holder from Shade on Shape (cool name!).  Vintage Japanese trapezoid plate from Atomic Caravan.

Divine vintage headdress from Willow Moone.  Fab abstract painting by Christina B Studio.

Yep, I told you the procrastination bug has a mean grip on me today.  I just had to play with the Christina B painting.  Here it is in the previous incarnation of my living room.  Love it.

Hmm.  While I'm at it, might as well play with the fab pillows by El Rancho Relaxo.  Here they are in the current incarnation of my living room.  Love 'em.  I'm craving orange.  Why don't we have some fun with color for the next couple of days?  Thinking about color always cheers me up.

As always, please contact me if you make an Etsy purchase as a result of this post.  I like to make sure artists are properly credited for their work!  Thanks!  xo

Happy Holidays and a New Etsy Shop!

Hello dear readers. Like me, I am sure you are considering your pink holiday tree and unique holiday gifts for your loved ones. Might I suggest original and unique art? I have opened up an Etsy shop just in time for the holidays. I offer some affordable options. I have just a few items in the shop, but plan to update frequently. If you like to take a look, click here. Thanks for looking!

resin, baby

I know how it is, dear readers. After seeing the resin bracelets as sculpture, in Laura Olsen and Stephen Ormandy's home (featured below), you too want a resin bracelet sculpture. I know I do. But after visiting Dinosaur Design's wonderful website, you feel disappointed because you don't want to spend $250 for a bracelet. Well don't despair. Here's the solution - Resign Resin Design. Fortunately, the artist is having a love affair with resin. She makes fab bracelets, and they are reasonably priced!

Now you too can construct a resin bracelet sculpture. I'm fascinated by resin - I'll take one of each please! I'd like a resin bowl in hot pink, maybe I'll contact Resign to see if she does custom orders. Please let me know if you click over to Resign's shop and make a purchase. I enjoy supporting online artists. xxoo

Etsy Procrastination

You know how it is. You have a lot of projects going on. Your head is swimming with everything you need to do. Your to do list keeps growing, and you haven't checked a single thing off your list. So what do you do? Procrastinate. I am a master of procrasination. One of my favorite ways to procrastinate is perusing Etsy.

...

I discovered a fascinating artist I'd like to share with you. Rebecca Barfoot. I seem to be loving very feminine objects and decor lately, and Rebecca's ceramics and prints fit in perfectly. They have a soft romance and make me think of wistful Spring days spent day dreaming.

I adore her ceramics. These are slipcast porcelain reproductions of vintage bottles. I want them all!

Her prints are romantic and mysterious. I love her use of pink and blue and her soft hand.

Oh Papillon! Dedicated to My Mom

This sublime image is from flickr user MissKittyKat.

When I was a kid my mom had a tee shirt that was one of my favorites. It said "Oh, papillon!" and had butterflies all over it. My mother loved butterflies. Lately I have been seeing butterflies everywhere and they always make me think of her. My mother was a free-spirit at heart and to me the butterfly is the ultimate symbol of freedom.

This cute bowl is from Urban Outfitters. This would make a great Christmas present for my mom.But it wouldn't be enough. Perhaps she'd also like this Isaac Mizrahi bedding from Target.

And just leave it to Martha Stewart! Doesn't she just think of everything? A butterfly reath for the holiday season!

A search for butterflies at Etsy, revealed this print called "how i got my stutter" by Madelaine. I was instantly touched by this at once lovely, yet somber print. Here is a complicated soul, I thought, a real artist, perhaps deeply touched by the fact that butterflies are endangered. She said it better than I in her description: "... and i'm a sixteen-year-old self-representing artist specializing in artistic photography and digital art. I hope you enjoy my art, as each piece was a joy and tragedy to create - you'll find my metaphorical heart in each one."

Wow! You go, girl! Only 16 and so deep, I suspect that Madelaine is an old soul. Madelaine intuitively understands the purpose of art - to express the complexity that makes up a human being - the dichotomy between joy and tragedy.

It fascinated me to contemplate what the upside down butterfly about to get immersed in tea represents. Perhaps the burning desire to fly away thwarted? Perhaps the deep longing to be understood and to feel free to express uniqueness? Perhaps like my own mother who wanted to be a hippy but was saddled with great responsibility at too young an age. I think my mom would deeply feel this print, so perhaps this will be her Christmas present.

Madelaine, thanks for being an inspiration! Please promise me you will never stop creating and that you will never for one moment think that you are not an artist. You are.

Oops. This was meant to be a light-hearted ode to the butterfly and has taken on a new life. Much like the butterfly itself who is a master of metamorphosis.

Once, I called my love a butterfly. He asked me what color his wings were. Why purple, of course, I said. The thought of flying away together with those purple wings inspired this painting. I hope that this painting conveys wistfulness and freedom tempered with protection. Exactly what a butterfly deserves.

Big Purple Wings, 2005, 18" x 24", acrylic and marker on canvas