ORIGINAL WALL ART

I really enjoy this illustration. Jake drew it a couple of weeks ago, and there's a whole story that goes along with it. Who knows, maybe it'll end up as a children's book one day! Just in case, I won't spoil it by telling you the story now. 

But I think the image stands alone, anyway. It makes you look at it and wonder just what is going on in the picture. Who are these little short men, wanting so desperately to eat from the apple tree?

And, of course, the image makes for some excellent wall art!

But then, I love framing all Jake's art. The man is talented.

Eric Orchard: Old Man Watching Sesame Street

     I read the post I've linked to below on Eric Orchard's blog, and it made me smile. I can just picture it, you know? In the visiting lobby at a retirement home, there are old people everywhere, talking or grumbling, a lady with white hair is having her nails painted a dusty rose color, and an old man with hairy ears is picking at the piano. But over in the corner, out of everybody's notice, there 's this one little boy. His Dad is visiting an older friend whose birthday is today, but having grown bored with that, the boy has sneaked away to the corner television to watch an episode of Sesame Street. No one pays him much mind. And then in rolls this old man in a wheelchair. He looks like the guy from "Up". And he notices the kid. No words are spoken, but the man parks his chair beside the young boy, adjusts his glasses, and silently, in unspoken friendship, they enjoy Sesame Street together.

Sometimes I think it's the little moments like that in life that are the most beautiful.

Eric Orchard: Old Man Watching Sesame Street

ILLUSTRATION COMPETITION

If you're an illustrator and you haven't heard of the Communication Arts Illustration Competition, it might be worth checking out. A jury made up of nationally distinguished designers, art directors, and illustrators judges the competition, and the winning entries are distributed worldwide in their Communication Arts Illustration Manual and on commarts.com. This is a very beneficial thing for you as an artist because it gets your work important exposure with key people in the industry. Creative directors follow this competition. 

If you're interested in knowing more, just follow this link. The entry deadline for free submission is January 7, 2011, so you've still got some time to figure out what you want to do.   

RAINY COFFEE SUNDAY

It's a rainy Sunday afternoon here in Charlotte. It's not the kind of rainy afternoon that sends you crawling into bed and falling asleep with the lights off and the rain at your window. It's not a lethargic rain at all. No, it's the kind of rainy afternoon that puts a crackle in the air and makes you want to curl up under a blanket and read a really good book that transports you somewhere magical. 

Which is what I think I shall go and do now - after I brew myself a pot of rich, hazelnut coffee to fill the downstairs with that glorious, roasty smell. 

I'll leave you with this image, illustrated by Jake, painted with watercolor.

  

ACROBAT

Well, it's already that time again - Illustration Friday. And here's the pick of the week. The topic was "acrobat".

I really like this image. Very whimsical. :)

Below is the image that Jake submitted, which I also really love (and not just because he's my hubby). I think it does a great job of capturing that magical excitement of going to the circus as a child. 

(Well, unless you were one of the kids scared of the clowns.)

50 Beautiful Hand-Drawn Web Designs

50 Beautiful Hand-Drawn Web Designs

I came across this post on another blog and had to pass it on. You know how I appreciate good sketch work. Such creativity!

Art Stamps

     Postage stamps. How many times have you slapped one onto an outgoing letter without giving it a second glance? I know I rarely notice the things beyond whether or not they're crooked when I stick them on the edge of the envelope. I mean, let's face it, they're just, well... stamps. I suppose some people do start collections and put their stamps in special cases, but those people are the exception. For most of us, postage stamps are no more than little stickers that allow our mail to get where it's going. And I suppose that's fine. But yesterday, for whatever reason, I was shuffling through the mail and a particular stamp caught my eye. It was so intricate. And colorful. It was, in fact, a tiny work of art. And as seemingly inconsequential as it was, it brightened my day a little bit.
     So I'm sharin' the love.
     I did a little research, and turns out, stamps are made in just about every art style you can think of. (In my search, I found stamps representing the work of such diverse artists as Louise Nevelson, Norman Rockwell, Georgia O'Keefe, and Andy Warhol, to name a few.) And there are stamps to mark just about every occasion, too - weddings, graduations, births, historical events, holidays. There are movie-themed stamps and comic book stamps and sports-related stamps and music-themed stamps and stamps of toy collections and stamps about love and stamps about agriculture and stamps about aviation... the list of "commemorable subjects" goes on and on.

     I even learned that, if you're interested in submitting your own idea for a postal stamp design, there's a place you can do that. (Want to?)

     And I discovered a blog completely dedicated to the creation of personalized stamps - http://dorincard.blogspot.com.

     But the coolest part of my stamp research, hands down, had to be discovering MyArtStamps.com. This company allows kids to create personalized stamps as a fundraiser for their schools - or just for the fun of it. The children simply create an original piece of artwork, submit it to the site, and the drawing is transformed into stamps that can be purchased to raise money for an organization. I would've eaten that up as a kid! (If you have children, you might think about mentioning this program to their schools.) 

     This site is definitely worth your checking it out for yourself, maybe even consider buying some stamps - after all, you'd be supporting education. But in case you don't get the chance to hit it up right away, here are some of my personal favorite designs:

     I feel like getting my electricity bill in the mail would be a little more tolerable if it came stamped with art like this.

Affordable Chic

     I remember a few years ago, before I was married, I was living with a roommate named Joanna. The girl had amazing style. You know her kind - the type that can pull off leather pixie pants with a sequined top, black velvet blazer, and fabulous pumps, and make it look as effortless as slapping together a PBJ. She was uber chic and urban and voguish and completely carefree about it, always looking like a million bucks, but I knew she didn't make that kind of money. So finally one day I just asked her what her secret was.
     Joanna told me she'd made a habit of when she came across an outfit she liked, in a magazine or a high end retailer or wherever, she would make a mental note of the styles, the cuts, the materials, etc., and then scavenge much cheaper stores for similar pieces, putting together designer looks for way less.
     Now, I realize this isn't a novel concept. People have been doing it for years - you can't afford Anthropologie so you shop from Ruche; you can't justify splurging on a "real" Mulberry handbag so you plan to buy from their Target line (available in stores October 10 - December 31, 2010, btw). It's smart shopping for those of us on a tight budget who still want to look trendy. But what I never realized before Joanna led me on to this approach is just how addictively fun it can be! Not only do you end up with some envy-inspiring outfits, but you get to smile all the way to the bank while wearing them, guilt free.
     Well... all this to say, I've begun doing this with apartment decorating, too. And you guessed it, it's equally thrilling! Take this room, for example:

   This room, which I came across on one of my favorite blogs, Design*Sponge, belongs to the Minnesota home of photographer Kimberly Cornelison and her husband Alfie Ferreyra, who do photo shoots for all kinds of cool home and garden magazines. I LOVE their style. So... I set out to see if I could mimic it on a budget. Check out what I found:
     Starting with the table, which appears best I can tell to be simple, white, and round, I found this odyssey table at CB2 for $199.

     Next comes the table runner. And again, we're in luck. While it's not identical, this one from seller floratouch on Etsy has the same clean lines and black and white color scheme, and it's only $12 bucks.

     Another awesome find on Etsy were these French bleu damask candles, 2 for $8.00, from seller TheShabbyChicCottage.

     As for the dinnerware and whatnots on the table, I set out on a little thrift store adventure. The thing with thrift stores, of course, is that they're entirely unpredictable. Sometimes it's a bunch of junk, and sometimes you can't believe your good fortune. On my trek to the local Goodwill today, I found these:

 

     The sugar and creamer set were $2.99 each, the flower vase was $1.99, and the white ceramic bowl was $3.99. A steal, if you ask me.

    I also found these mini containers at Goodwill and thought they were cute, especially for just $.50 a pop!

     And I couldn't believe this find - an entire set of these 6 dainty Corelle mugs for $3.99!

 

     Now, I realize some people are a little squeamish about eating and drinking off of previously owned dinnerware. I personally believe in the absolute absolving power of hot water and some good dish soap, but if you're one of the uneasy ones, never fear. Just keep tabs on clearance events at places like Crate and Barrel, Sur La Table, and even Anthropologie has good sales. You have to be patient, but you can get some great stuff this way. 

     For example, this kado blue rice bowl is on sale right now at Crate and Barrel for $5.95:

     Also, CB2 is currently having an online sale where you can get these drinking glasses for between $.50 and $.95 each, and pieces from this white porcelain dinnerware set for $2.95-$4.95. 

 

     

     In addition, this cute little shatter-resistant bowl is only $3.99 at Sur La Table:

     You see, with a little patience and a good eye, you can snag some really great dinnerware pieces for a fraction of the original price. You probably won't find enough of some clearance items to score an entire set, but I happen to like the whimsical appearance of a mix-matched tabletop anyway. 

     And to carry on the eclectic theme, in the Minnesota home's breakfast nook that we're mimicking, they've chosen a bentwood bench as part of their seating. Not what you might expect to be pulled up next to a modern white table, but I think that surprise and the fact that it works is part of what makes the effect so delightful. This is another one of those items that you have to be patient and watchful in order to find it at a bargain price, but hey, I was in luck today! Guess what else I found at Goodwill:

     True, it's not exactly bentwood, but for $15.00, I'm not going to be too picky. I think it will look just great in our little room we're putting together, especially once we accent it with a chic, decorative throw pillow, like this one I found on Etsy from seller KenilworthPlace, $25:

     For the chandelier in the room, I browsed Ikea's online supply of lighting fixtures and found a nice substitute in this Lerdal chandelier, $49.99:   

     And that, ladies and gentlemen, just about raps the room up, except for one last thing - the wooden blinds on the window. To get this look, I found a similar product at World Market, their chunky bamboo roll-up shade, priced between $24.99 - $39.99, depending on the size of your window:

         Ouila! They're you have it. A cute room with decor you can be proud of - both for its style and its price! 

    

Moleskines

     Before I met Jake, I never realized what a big deal a notebook can be. Sure, as a writer, I've always liked finding cute journals, and I do understand being somewhat picky about the layout of the pages and the line ruling and all of that, but I just never imagined that one type of artist's sketchbook could be SO vastly preferable over another. I was, however, thoroughly ignorant, for this is the case with Moleskines.
     Moleskine is the brand name for an entire line of notebook-like products, designed to fulfill different purposes, including planners, diaries, albums, and, yes, sketchbooks. They are made by an Italian company based in Milan, are typically bound in a coated, leathery-feeling cardboard, and include an elastic band that holds the notebook closed. Every notebook's spine is sewn  in a way that allows it to lie flat when open (great for artists!), and all Moleskines are packed in a colored paper banderole, which helps with easy identification of its type.

     Apparently, this type of notebook - though not the specific brand (Moleskines didn't arrive on the scene until 1997) - was popular among artists as early as the 1800's, used by such household names as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Vincent Van Gogh. Handmade by French bookbinders who supplied the stationery shops of Paris, these nameless notebooks became the standard creative tool for those who wanted to enjoy drawing outdoors - to put down impressions on paper, to paint from life in the streets and cafes, or to capture unfolding emotions and changes in light. 

     Who knew?

     All I know is, my husband loves them. Yesterday, he was telling me how he's run out of sketchbooks to draw in and how he needs to buy a new one. And then he sighed and said, "I'm gonna have to get a Moleskine." (The sigh, if you were wondering, was due to the fact that these little notebooks are not cheap.) But apparently, they're worth the price to those who use them. Jake went so far as to call the paper (and I quote) "thirst-quenching" in its quality. Hahaha, makes me laugh. 

     Needless to say, we bought him a new sketchbook today, and it was a Moleskine. If you're interested, they're on sale right now at Barnes and Noble for 20% off, but I'd hurry. The sale ends October 12th.   

 

     Jake started drawing in his new Moleskine pretty much as soon as we got home. Not sure what he's working on, but here are a few random sketches I like from old Moleskines...

     For more artwork done exclusively on Moleskine sketchbooks, check out skineart.com.

ICE CREAM

     Among the many blogs and contests that my husband follows as an illustrator is a website called Illustration Friday. Each week this site puts out a new topic and challenges artists to illustrate and submit their interpretation of it. One winner is chosen every Friday. There's no real prize for winning, except the glowing satisfaction that you did, and of course your illustration receives the honor of being displayed on their website for all the world to see, which is pretty cool in and of itself when you're trying to gain recognition for your work and make a name for yourself. But I imagine that, even if you don't win regularly, it's still a good thing to participate in because it keeps you drawing, keeps you stretching your skills and your creative ways of thinking.

     Well, this past Friday's topic was "dessert". And here is the winning image:

     Cute, huh? It was submitted by Joanna Pass, a self-taught (impressive!) artist from the UK. 

     Jake had intended to submit a piece for the "dessert" theme, but things got crazy this week, and he didn't finish it in time. Still, I'll show you the unfinished illustration because I like it and it makes my mouth water for ice cream. 

     There was more he wanted to do with it, of course, but even as is - the way the chocolate is running down into the strawberry scoop, which looks so creamy you can almost smell its fruity sweetness - doesn't it make you nostalgic for those special summer visits to the ice cream parlor as a child? 

     I love ice cream, but lately I've been all about some gelato. (I think it started with my trip to San Francisco's North Beach, where the Italians make it right!) Gelato is, of course, very similar to regular ice; from what I understand, the main differences can be attributed to a few differing ingredients and to the fat content, but it's the texture that makes the difference to me. Mmmm...You just have to try it for yourself to understand - which is why I'm giving you just such an opportunity!

     Originally, I thought I would post a recipe for chocolate gelato, or vanilla - one of the traditional flavors featured in Jake's illustration. But come on. It's September. And everybody knows September means the end of summer - which equates for me with the end of peach season. Therefore, to help you say a last farewell to hot days, blue skies, and lightweight cotton sundresses - here you are, a recipe for peach gelato. You don't  even need an ice cream maker for this one. So, my advice? Go sit out on the back porch, close your eyes, listen to the birds cooing in the trees, and savor all the sweetness between the spoon and your tongue as the last of summer melts away...

Recipe: Peach Gelato

Total time: 20 minutes, plus 2 1/2 hours freezing time
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: This technique, which skips the ice-cream machine, was taught by Sicilian chef Ciccio Sultano, singled out by Gambero Rosso as one of Italy's great young chefs, when he cooked at Valentino last year as part of their 30th anniversary celebration. It couldn't be easier, but the fresh peach flavor is astonishing. The texture should be somewhere between soft-serve ice cream and dense, chewy traditional gelato. Depending on the sweetness of your peaches, you may want to add more sugar.

3 pounds peaches, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup sugar, or more, to taste
1/2 cup mascarpone, crème fraîche or yogurt
1. Cut the peaches into very small pieces. The smaller you cut them, the faster they will freeze and the finer the final texture will be. Arrange the peach pieces in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet and freeze solid, about 2 hours.
2. Put the frozen peach pieces in a food processor with the sugar and grind briefly. Add the mascarpone and pulse until the mixture is smooth.
3. Empty the food processor into a small container and freeze again, 20 to 30 minutes, before serving. If the ice cream freezes solid, simply process it briefly again before serving.
Each of 8 servings (using mascarpone): 143 calories; 2 grams protein; 21 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 7 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 18 mg. cholesterol; 8 mg. sodium.

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*Recipe provided by Los Angeles Times/Food

A Ketubah for Jacob

     I couldn't very well blog about Jake's anniversary gift to me and not post anything on my gift to him, now could I? I'm not as creative as he is with these sorts of things, so before September 7th, I did a little hunting on the internet, thinking...Paper. Paper. What is a good anniversary present made of paper? That's when I stumbled across the idea of a ketubah (spelled many different ways, including ketubah, kettubah, ketuba, ktuba, kattubah, or katuba, among others). I'm not Jewish, so I hadn't heard of this before.
     Apparently, way back in the day, these were marriage contracts that stated the obligations of the husband to the wife (back when marrying a woman was equivalent with gaining some really pretty property, they wanted to make sure the woman had some legal protections). These days, of course, we women have our liberty and independence, but the ketubah tradition has been carried on, now outlining the couple's joint vows to one another and what they intend for their future home and life together to be like. It's also usually set into an artful background, depending on the couple's decorative style. I found all kinds of gorgeous ketubahs online, but let me tell you, these things aren't cheap. I was already sold on the idea of displaying a beautiful ketubah near the entrance of our home, though, so I enlisted the help of my good friend, Stephen Crotts, who happens to be a very talented artist.
     I gave Stephen the words that I wanted to have written on the middle of the paper, and then I told him about some meaningful events/places in Jake's and my history, and asked him to sketch those around the periphery of the text. I think it turned out great!

     

     Let me take you on a clockwise trip up and through the images, starting at the bottom left, where there's an illustration of the famous Arch in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Jake and I took a glass-bottom boat ride to see that while we were on our honeymoon in Cabo. 

       A little further up the left hand side, there's an image of an oval table, set with plates of food for a lot of people. This represents the place where Jake and I "re-met" - the home of our dear friend Courtney, who is in her early twenties but is a Jewish mother at heart, always inviting anyone and everyone into her house for a homemade meal. We had a lot of memorable dinners around that table.

     Above the table, Stephen drew the Clemson University football stadium because Jake and I originally met at a football party for a Clemson/USC game. And above the stadium is the sign for a local Charlotte restaurant, The Penguin, which serves the most delicious heart-attack food you'll ever eat. We went there on our first official date.

     Rounding up and over to the top left corner, there's an illustration of the rock quarry at the farm where we got married, with Jake and me in the foreground on our wedding day. (The airplane in the background is symbolic of the first time Jake told me he loved me.) Awww....

     In the top right corner - the New York City skyline, which represents a monumental trip we took to the big apple after we'd first started dating. And under it - yep, that's a hot dog. You can laugh, but soon into dating, Jake and I discovered we share a mutual love for Sonic coneys - so much so that it was our food of choice to celebrate the night we got engaged.

     Under that is an illustration of the Tillman bell tower, an iconic building at the college from which we both graduated.

     The final image is the dock at Jake's family's river house. It was on a weekend trip there that we realized we wanted to get married.

     Last, but certainly not least, the text, framed in its own special box in the center of the ketubah:

     Yep, that's the ketubah. Not a bad one-year anniversary present, if I do say so myself. And I do realize all this is incredibly personal and I've presented it at the risk of quite possibly boring you to tears - but I just had to share the artwork. Gotta show off my talented friends. :)

One-Year Wedding Anniversary: Gifts of Paper

The first year of marriage has come and gone for Jake and me. It really flew! So in keeping with one-year traditions...

... we ate the top layer of our wedding cake (which, as a side note, was  beautiful but not so tasty after a year of freezer burn - does anybody know a secret to preserving these better?)...

... we headed to Asheville, NC for the weekend, stayed at a romantic bed and breakfast, and celebrated with a delicious tapas dinner one night...

... and, of course, we gave each other gifts made of paper. From what I understand, paper symbolizes strength in the way that its individual threads interlace. A very appropriate analogy, I think, as the first year of marriage is typically a time of adjustment, with both individuals figuring out the whole we-are-now-one thing, and the beauty and strength which can come from that bond.

So anyway, Jake, being a creative artistic type, never ceases to amaze me when gift-giving occasions arise, and paper was only too perfect of a theme for an illustrator like him. Here's what he made me:

It's a shadow box, with illustrations of us on our wedding day, and in case you can't make out the text in the little blue bubble, it says, "I love you more now than I ever have before."

Sigh.

What other unique gifts have you seen or heard of for first-year anniversaries? Calendars? Jigsaw puzzles? A copy of a favorite book? Sheet music? Whatever it is, I'm curious to hear about it!