Feral Houses

Almost a year ago I blogged about the 100 Abandoned Houses project.  James Griffioen's Feral Houses express a similar sentiment, only perhaps even more starkly.  These houses aren't just abandoned--they're wild, they've reverted to nature.  There's no domesticated bliss here anymore.

If only the walls of these houses could talk.  I'd love to hear about the people who lived there--about the good times and about what caused the residents to walk away from their houses without handing them off to another set of caretakers.  And about what's happened since then--as the ivy started to creep around the window frames and the saplings squeezed between the floorboards.  I think there would be many stories to be told.

A Collection for Everyone

On January 1, 2010, Lisa Congdon started a year-long project to post a photograph every day of one of her own collections (real or imagined).  She posted them on a blog, appropriately titled A Collection A Day, 2010, which was apparently phenomenally popular at the time, though I confess that I didn't hear about it until after the fact, which was my loss because I would have loved to check in everyday to see the latest collection.  The 365 photographs are now a book--sort of a collection of collections.  Find out more here. 

The Ideal Bookshelf

I think these paintings by Jane Mount are fascinating.  Kind of like portraits of people's souls.  Jane paints people's ideal bookshelves---their favorite books, books that inspired them, that changed their lives, books that made them think. 

I've been trying hard to think of what would be on my ideal bookshelf.  It's actually a really hard exercise.  There are so many books that have meant a lot to me over the years.  To boil it down to just a handful is no small task.  Here are some I couldn't leave off the list: 

--Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 

--Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

--The Secret in the Old Attic by Carolyn Keene

--Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams

--East of Eden by John Steinbeck

--The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

--The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

--"B" is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood

--Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

What would be on your list?

Find the whole collection and ordering information on The Ideal Bookshelf website.



Color Me Beautiful

 When I was a kid, I loved coloring.  My art skills were questionable, but I still loved the freedom to create and I loved the vibrant colors in my Crayola box.  I remember marveling over all of those perfect crayons, in a rainbow of 64 colors, all lined up in a new box, and I confess that using the first crayon of the box for the first time required a bit of willpower to destroy that beautiful perfection.  But after that, it was a colorful world. 

Apparently other (bona fide) artists are also fascinated with crayons.  These carved crayons are the work of Pete Goldlust.  I'm not sure how well they'd hold up during the creative process, but they sure are amazing to look at. 

And check out this crayon sculpture by Herb Williams, which is one of a whole 3D series in which he uses only crayons.  (There's even one of a Crayola box!)  Apparently he has an account with Crayola, who sends him cases of 3000 crayons in a single color. 

Knot Good Enough to Eat

By  now, you might have figured out that I have a strange fascination with food art (especially dessert art). Artist Ed Bing Lee's food items are made by knotting (not knitting!) linen, cotten, and rafia to create these amazingly realistic guilty pleasures.  You children of the 70s may know the technique as macramé, but these pieces are a long way from the wall coverings and plant hangers I associate with the bell bottom set.  Key lime pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, but that strawberry ice cream cone is making me want to go visit my good friends Ben and Jerry. 

Bullet in Blue?

In the past, people have told me that they think Mr. Bullet looks like the Blue Dog. Made famous in the ads for Absolut Vodka, the Blue Dog has been a favorite of mine since long before Bullet arrived.

You can see the resemblance, right? It's clearly the big satelite dish ears, but I think it's also the earnest face and the soulful eyes.

The Blue Dog paintings are the work of Cajun painter George Rodrigue, who has a studio in New Orleans.  So I was really excited to see some of the blue dogs for myself when I was there this weekend.  They are amazing!
 
Did you know that when Rodrigue first began to paint the his blue dogs, modeled after his long-time canine studio companion, Tiffany, people didn't much care for the them?  Seems hard to believe given how well known and much beloved they are today.  You can read that story and other interesting ones on Rodrigue's wife's blog.  

All Aboard!

I've blogged before about how much I love taking the train.  Every time I'm in Union Station here in D.C., I think how much I like the huge posters on the wall advertising the various Amtrak routes and trains.  The artist behind these cool posters is Michael Schwab, and you've almost certainly seen his work around.  Think of the National Parks Services posters, the Lara Bar wrapper, California avocados.  The posters are for sale on his website, and while I'm not sure I would plan my whole decor around Amtrak, I think they could be really neat (as my dad would say) in the right space.  I love the old-timey look and the way they romanticize travel.  Who wants to go on a trip?

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Rich and Delicious

I don't know what I love more, these "sweet" little works in mixed media by Martha Rich, or the fact that her last name is "Rich" and she creates--among other things--food art.  Is it wrong that they make me hungry?

This Land Is Your Land, This Land is My Land

I'm a long way away (18 states, to be exact) from having visited all 50 states, but I'm still so jealous of photographer Carol Highsmith's undertaking in her 21st-Century America Project.  As part of the project, Highsmith will photograph the country, state by state, capturing the cities, towns and countryside of 21st-century America, and the life of its people.  The whole project is expected to take an amazingly ambituous 16 years.  She's donating her pictures to the Library of Congress, and you can find them here.

She's already finished Alabama, which she shot this summer.  I particularly love the way she included both iconic structures (the Pettus bridge in Selma) and everyday places (a candy store in Mobile).  Here are some of my favorites. 

I plan to check in on Highsmith's progress periodically and post highlights as new states are added.  In the meantime, I wonder if Highsmith needs a photographer's assistant?  If so, count me in!

Window or Aisle Seat?

I'm a die-hard window-seat girl.  I particularly love the time just after take-off and just before landing, when you can still see the ground.  I love trying to pick out places and landmarks that I recognize and to see the world getting smaller and smaller--or larger and larger.  From that distance, the world always looks so peaceful. 

So, it should be no surprise that I think Maxwell Mackenzie's aerial photography is just so cool. Mackenzie is known for his architectural shots, but the Fraser Gallery in Bethesda currently has an exhibit of his aerial work.  He takes the pictures while he's flying the plane (don't try that at home!).  I especially love the second one below of the deer running through the clearing. 

Paint Chips Revisted

Have you seen Sherwin Williams's new ad campaign, which features scultptures by paper artist Matthew Sporzynski?  Sporzynski's sculptures are composed of Sherwin Williams color chips and highlight the importance of picking exactly the right color for a project. 

I'm amazed at his creativity, and I love how each one is a little bit different.  The stuffed animal is a bit whimsical, while the birdhouse is so realistic.  Apparently, there are animated TV commercials that are equally clever, but I haven't seen them yet.  Such fun!

Dish Towel Robe

I'm frequently impressed by the creativity I see exhibited out in the blogosphere and often a tad jealous of everyone else's craftiness.  But every now and then I stumble onto something that really blows me away.  They may not be the most complicated projects (sometimes they are quite complicated), but more often than not, they're just so clever.  And generally (but probably not surprisingly), they usually involve bright colors.

Care's little robe, made of two terry dish towels from the Dollar Store, is one of those projects.  When I saw it on her blog, Obsessively Stitching, I was simply wowed.  Actually, my first thought was that it's just adorable, and my second thought was, "How did she ever come up with that idea???"  I'm still pondering the second.

I think the robe would make a darling pool or beach cover-up as well.  Care has 12-step tutorial on her blog, and it looks simple enough that I'm tempted to lug out my old sewing machine myself!

Modern Quilts

I just love quilts.  I really wish I had the patience to be able to turn little scraps of fabric into a beautiful work of art!  Years ago, back when I was still in high school, I took a week-long intensive quilt class in Chautauqua, New York, and had a great time.  At the end of the week, we had a completed log cabin baby quilt, which I've unfortunately lost track of.  I would love to do something like that again.  If anyone knows of anything for beginners (preferably in some beautiful resort setting!!), do let me know!

I particularly like quilts with traditional (or neo-traditional) patterns with bold, funky, modern colors.  Here are two that I think are just fabulous. 

First is this great quilt, called Scrappy Illusion from Anina at Twiddletails.  I love the crisp combination of the bright colors and the pure white.  Just breathtaking!

Second is Fruit Punch by Tonya at Lazy Gal Quilting.  I dream of someday having a beach house and decoration it in shades of pink and orange (and red and yellow), and this quilt looks like it stepped right out of my dream house! 

These make me want to haul out my old sewing machine and run--not walk--to the nearest fabric store!  If only I could promise myself I wouldn't lose interest and/or patience before finishing the second block!

Shrinky Dink Art

As a kid, I LOVED my Shrinky Dinks.  I thought it was so cool to pop my little artistic masterpieces in the microwave and see them dance on the cookie sheet until they emerged a fraction of their original size.  Of course, back then, I thought the sole utility of Shrinky Dinks was creating miniatures of Smurfette and Strawberry Shortcake (back when she wore the pinafore--before they sexed her up). 

Anyway, I was browsing Kalleen's lovely blog At Second Street, and I discovered that she is quite the Shrinky Dink artist.  Check out the straight pins and push pins she's given as gifts.  They're absolutely adorable.  If she and I were friends, I would be dropping some not-so-subtle hints. 

Kalleen's genius got my own artistic juices flowing, and I poked around a bit online to discover that Shrinky Dink crafts are a real art form.  Some of my favorites are below: 

1.  Water bottle tag by Whimsy Love

2.  Bracelet by I Love Blocks

3.  Dog tag by Making It Lovely

I think some Shrinky Dink trinkets will be making an appearance at an upcoming event hosted by me--I'm thinking they would be great place cards or buffet labels or gift bag tags.  The possibilities are endless!