My own Miss M

Ta-Da! This is my 50th Blog Post. I can hardly believe it. As such, at the suggestion of my dear friend Jules, I am featuring my daughter, a 15 year old teen artist-- including some of her older works dispersed throughout. It's possible she was born with a paintbrush in her hand, yet I only remember the depth of her eyes (in which I was sunk). This girl is Tactile (with a capitol 'T'). She was born to create, and create she does. She sketches, paints, woodblocks, bakes, needlepoints, sews, makes puppets, wands, videos, and all manner of clever things. If she merely thinks of something that interests her, at her hands it becomes real; it becomes art.

The bottom line best part of all this talent is that she simply does it for herself and doesn't see that it's anything special, really. It's clearly a drive-- and the gift part is lost upon her since she feels it's only natural.  I am forever amazed by it (and will even admit to sometimes being frustrated by the mess of it all!).  Also, while I wish I had access to her current sketchbook, I simply don't at the moment!

Anyhow, Welcome to our world...

Lost * charcoal, 26.4" x 40" * final project for Gage Academy Intensive Drawing 2011 Summer course taught by Ryan Finnerty & Spyder Peterka. Find Ryan on this post I wrote.

Molasses Cupcakes w/ lavender frosting.

A few years ago, she'd frequently whip herself up her own bento box lunch .

Self Portrait in 2009- scanned in b&w 

Halloween Costume 2009, skirt sewn solely by her-- blouse and corset with the help of grandma. These days, she is sewing up costumes all on her own.

2011, sewn for Sakura Con. This is Miku from Moonlit Bear. The detailed needlepoint
 on the apron is shown below:

A birds nest hairpin and two rings.

How to properly wrap a friend's present:
newspaper comics made into flowers;
use a little wire, and create a bird name tag.

Sound & Vision * needlepoint * 2010 Assemble Gallery & Studio
entry for their 'Not For All The Tea In China'
themed contest (the #2 is the tag number is all).

Painting from a live model at the Gage 2010

Another live model at the Gage.

Woodblock print made at Angielena Chamberlain's
Georgetown Arts and Cultural Center 2009

Real life photo on the left, 4 ft tall spray paint art on the right.

Self portrait print carved from looking at a baby photo
in 2010.

Twins

An old favorite of mine...

Sketchbook (an old one, from an anime I think).

Testostrotoes sketch 2011
(specializing in Male Pointe Shoes)

Sketchbook

OK, multiple pages of the sketchbook during this period. It's a miracle the painted pages didn't stick together.

Live model 2011

Live model sketch night, Gage Teen Art Studio

Puppets made (at home) with a copper wire armature, and a
polymer clay overlay (Summer 2011). the cotton ball midriff
is there to give them shape for the clothing.

Hand sewn clothes for the puppets.

More of her cast. She had planned a stop-motion film, yet that's on hold.

She even whittled a few wands this past Spring. This one is Driftwood
with a heart of gold (maybe). 

The End Will Come * The End Is Near * Now It Has Come
triptych (you can't see the row of nails at the bottom of
the first panel). Summer 2006, age 10


At the rate she's going, I'd say it's really just the beginning... Lucky for us all, I'd say. I 'll be sure and remember that myself the next time my home is covered in paint or materials. 


Here's a big THANK YOU to all my readers. You're the best! 

Adorn

Imagine traipsing down the well worn steps in an ancient town when you stumble upon a jeweler's dimly lit shop. Entering into this candlelit wonderland, you are instantly drawn to her long necklaces featuring heavy charms, and to the snake bracelet wrapped around a tree branch. An antique porcelain baby doll is watching as you try on the stacked ring which goes perfectly with all of the jewelry you're wearing since it's silver and gold tones reflect your love of mixing things up.

REWIND! This not-so-old town is in Seattle's neighborhood of Fremont, yet the shop is just as enchanting and it is in the middle of a block that is on a slight hill. The jeweler is the self taught Kimberly Baker whose inspirations come from the alter of her mother's jewelry table and from her own travels. Find your own talisman amongst her wares. Be it a double unicorn charm, or part of a minx jaw dipped in gold vermeil, you will find yourself transported.

Kimberly's work gives me brief flashbacks to dark hallways in Morocco, hours spent as a child in at Catholic mass, or even in days spent engulfed in a fairy tale. It looks like the clash between good and evil is frequently portrayed through her beautiful metals--  yet don't you, too, feel as though these pieces are meant to both empower and protect us? 

New arrivals, Ladies of the Lake earrings and Prydwen shield necklace.

Both edgy and gorgeous, I'm drawn to it all. 

Photos courtesy of Kimberly Baker. Thanks!

Iridescent shimmer & rose tinted shine!

Not matter the weather, I can always count on a few simple products to make me look more put together-- and that makes me happy. While I always use a light layer of foundation and brown/black mascara, it's the next two products that finish that look:

Benetint Lip Balm $20 and Boots Naturals Stay Perfect Eye Mousse $7.99

This lip balm is available at Sephora-- it's like rose colored perfection for every skin tone.  A little goes a long way, and you never seem to run out. This tiny pot will last forever--- it's as if it's magically refilled! Plus, it's got Vitamin E and sunscreen. Smooch! I've never met a better lip gloss.

Not being much of a product junkie, I had to learn about the Boots line via a friend. The products were created in the UK in 1849 by an herbalist. They utilize nature based ingredients and there's never been any animal testing. It's a company that's been sold around Europe for awhile now, yet only recently available in the US (and at Target Stores!). They have their own Beauty Advisors in the stores who are there to offer assistance and to even give you samples. This was my first time using a cream eyeshadow-- and I'm hooked. One swipe of this product and your lids will remain delicately dusted with a light shimmer all the day long.

Give these a try, and tell me what you think-- and remember to enjoy this sun dappled day!

My vintage dress obsession!

I don't often think about the construction of the vintage dresses that I own unless they are exceptional in their details. It's usually all about the quality, shape, & pattern.  My absolute favorite one ever is one that was hand sewn in Germany a very, very long time ago. When I found it amidst the racks it had puffy sleeves that gathered with a tiny ruffle. Due to the pure genius seamstress capabilities of my mother-in-law, those sleeves were removed and I've been able to wear it for several years now. Whenever I do (which is 2-3 times a year) it gets gushing comments from the type of women who appreciate the details, and the colors--- and the depth of the construction; which in the yoke, seems unparalleled.  It's like wearing a piece of artwork. Actually, I sometimes think that I will display it on a wall when it no longer fits. Three of the photo details below are from this dress--  the rest simply complete the photo quilt of other gems hanging in my closet:

More time and energy went into creating some of these garments than I can even imagine. Send me your vintage dress pictures and we'll make a king-sized photo quilt of the pure goodness of their pattern, texture, and memories. What if we could see photos of the women who wore them before us? Wow.

As for the detailing on that German Dress? Here's a look:

My trick is in wearing very modern shoes and jewelry with these stunners. As a matter of fact, I've decided to wear one of them today. Bring on the high, wooden-heeled gladiator sandals and large golden earrings. Thanks for reading and for indulging my fashion sensibilities! Have a fabulous day...

Bike wearing what you like!

Given that you're not wearing a really long skirt or wide leg pants, it seems only natural that bike rides meant as transportation require nothing more than your regular street clothes. I suggest saving the high performance gear for those who do serious exercise or training rides; instead, just get on your wheels in a style all your own.

A great example of this is local artist Julia Hensley. I kept seeing cool pics of her headed out on her bike to ballet class or various other places in skirts. She wears a mix of form-fitting separates (sometimes with knee highs) and it works beautifully! Take a look at these pics she sent me:

Julia Hensley in this moody shot where the blue really pops!

A few things really got me to thinking about this topic recently. First off, my daughter was training for the STP ride with her dad, and the first few times she went out in her short skirts and regular shoes. As their rides got further and further in distance, she really needed those high performance clothes-- so it was easy to get her into them at that point! I remember always telling her to put boy shorts under her regular skirts though. I was inspired when another blogger posted this story regarding a 'skirt bike ride' which was arranged after a tourist from Amsterdam was warned by NY City Police that she was a distraction to drivers as she rode along in her skirt.  Really? Give me (and all women) a break!  The photos of that night show us where it's at in skirt biking (along with the ones I'm showing you here). Can I have that gingham dress with the slits in the shoulder, please?

I then remembered that last year my friend Rebecca Staffel posted pictures of a group of her friends meeting up for dinner on their bikes (I once did a post on her & her Deluxe Foods biz). They called their group Heels on Wheels. Here are some lovely, close-up shots from one of their nights out:

"A beautiful urban pannier." wrote Kat Marriner.

 I love that this lady named Sue Griffith bikes in these golden Pumas. She told me
 "They're not quite heels, yet it's a start!". Yes!

What do you wear while biking about town? Later this week I hope to share images of some remarkably cool new helmets from Denmark; they will protect you on your way--- in high fashion!

Photos are copyright and courtesy of Julia Hensley, Kat Marriner, & Sue Griffith. Thanks ladies!

gingham is so pretty and welcoming

Aside from my description regarding the history of gingham (and gold), I can't remember a single post with true gingham images. While searching the vast web recently, I came across a beautiful blog called pretty.gingham from Helsinki, Finland that is written by a woman named Tanja. I asked her if I could feature some photos from her lovely home, and she said yes. Her blog is really quite gorgeous and it makes me feel calm, rested and happy. I would feel right at home here with all her books, flowers, layered textures & patterns--- and comforting food. Of course, the Finnish books would give me trouble, yet that could be remedied!

Isn't her little Miss Doggy a sweet one? On one of her posts, she wrote that "She is a Lapponian Herder, also known as Reindeer Dog. In fact she has not even seen a reindeer and she is scared of skiers too..." Isn't that funny? I just love how Tanja lives with lots of gingham in her home. I think I'll start hunting for vintage fabrics to do the same. I'd also love to borrow from her wardrobe, too. If the sun in Seattle would ever return, I'd go and iron my one and only gingham top--it's a light blue and white pattern, and it makes me feel like sunshine!

Thanks to Tanja at pretty.gingham, you've got great style and take wonderful photos. I've been listening to the latest Fleet Foxes while posting this; it was the right choice.