Le Petit Cadeau

Mysterious Egg

Today, whilst walking with the lovely Kate, I found this egg in the gutter. It looked so mysterious just sitting there - like some long lost gypsy relic (though it's probably of Asian origin rather than European).

 

I suspect it's an un-found rogue egg from an Easter egg hunt that washed up during the last rain. Whatever it is, it was fun to find and reminded me of this post over at Anna's blog where she asks the question, "Have you found anything lately that gave you a gasp-y good feeling?  What was it, what was it?"

 

And yes, I think those are some mildly sinister looking bats as the main decoration. Who knew the Easter bunny had vampire connections?

DL & Co.

I'm in love with the packaging used by this company - D. & L. Co. -  I first saw it featured in a society/design newspaper/magazine several years ago and was instantly smitten. Then at my first hat class, DeAnna had a Thorn Apple candle in her studio. I oohed and ahhed over it, and she said something to the effect of, "Oh yeah, that's my friend Douglas. He's an absolutely amazing designer and does fabulous windows for ___ ."(Sorry, I forgot who - Barney's maybe? - but I saw photos and they were, indeed, fabulous with a capital F.)

His website is worth exploring - more elegant packaging and some darkly beautiful objets d'art.

Apple Brain

Another dog walk find - an apple that looks suspiciously like a little brain.

I love nature oddities. Well, in the plant world anyway. I pick up heart shaped leaves every once in a while, and I'm always intrigued by conjoined fruit twins or really oddly shaped vegetables. So, I took some apple brain portraits.

A happy accident -

Playing with the happy accident -

Hats and More Flowers

Here is some excellently sweet eye candy from Gil Fox Hat Designs. I love the crumpled casualness of the hat adorned with a simple bow.

A lovely cabbage rose - a shape that continues to allude me. I don't know why I'm so obsessed with the cabbage rose in particular and why I continue to be so wildly unsuccessful in my pursuit of it. I haven't given up yet and fully expect one day to produce a cabbage rose that lives up to my expectations - or maybe I'll just lose interest completely and move on.... ;-).

 

 

Another Vintage Library Treasure

Another book that slipped through the cracks and is now so old that it is cool and fresh looking again. As is obvious from the title, it deals with silhouettes. I'll let the pictorial excerpts speak for themselves - except for the one below, upon which I feel compelled to comment.

I like the illustration, but it appears the artist cut up original antique prints. Maybe at the time this piece was made, antique prints were abundant and considered junk, but the thought of cutting up centuries old prints horrifies me. I know people still enjoy cutting up original antique and vintage paper goods, and I wish they would stop. I've seen stuff that people have made that I like, but altering originals instead of preserving them still doesn't seem quite right to me. I love to seeing old images incorporated into current art work, but only if they have been reproduced some way and the originals preserved.

Paper People

Paper People, by Michael Grater (1969),  is another book I was surprised to find at the library. It seems like once books reach a certain age, they are taken from the shelves and sold at library fund raising sales.

As a child, I really disliked the collage/simple graphic/mid-century style. Now, I find it interesting and charming, though it's still not among my favorites. I get a kick out of it, can appreciated it, but it fails to make my heart flutter most of the time. Still, I found this book worth a look, and I think I will probably try my hand at paper cutting....

Fashion Plate

This is one of my favorite prints from my rather diminutive collection. It is the oldest fashion plate I have, though I would looooove to find one (or more) older, as I am obsessed with 18th century fashion. I love the extreme high hair and the ridiculous frippery. Unfortunately, fashion plates from that period are extremely rare, and I haven't been lucky enough to run into any. Even if I were to stumble upon prints from that period, their cost would more than likely be prohibitive.

So, for now, I'm content to take in her subtle coloring and elegant costume.

Renegade

Went to Renegade this past Saturday. It was great fun seeing all the stuff people make, and it was fun buying a few things, too. First stop was The Black Apple, where I bought this lovely pin.

I love this packaging.

I knew if I didn't snap her up right then, I wouldn't get a second chance. I once made my way over to a Black Apple shop update expecting to browse and casually shop. Hah! Everything sold out in under four minutes. I had to laugh at myself and my leisurely shopping expectations. I also bought this little treasure.

It's a re-print of a Valentine, and it's the sweetest thing ever. Halmark definitely pales in comparison.

Next purchase - Gigi.

Sorry for the lousy photo. You can see her relatives at Mama's Little Babies. It was sooo hard to decide which pin to take home with me. I finally decided on Gigi because of her little feet. Cheri really knows how to wield a pair of scissors - and choose an image. They're all so charming and/or funny. I have a sneaking suspicion Gigi won't be my last MLB purchase.

This super little notebook also made its way home with me. I am going through a circus-y/carnival phase, so it fit right into my latest obsession. Plus, Nora Aoyagi, the person responsible for this excellent illustration, and I share a fascination with silhouettes.

Here is a smattering of business cards I picked up along the way - Each site worth checking out. Here are links for the artists/crafters whose business cards are pictured but not mentioned above - Alice Jarry and Handmade Whimsy.

Little Treasures

Today, whilst walking the lovely Kate, I came across some excellent natural treasures - all quite beautiful, though one sad. This butterfly appears to be a casualty of someone's car. The body is smashed and the left side shredded. Every time I find a dead butterfly, I pick it up and store it away for some future art project. I'm sorry this one met such a grisly end.

I also have been collecting seeds and seed pods lately. I think I'll plant the little black lovelies and store/display the acorn-y things in a dish somewhere.