xoxo...

One thing I rarely do: prepare for Valentines Day.  However, it being that I have an online jewelry shop, I decided that this year, it had to be done.  So, for a while, I have pried myself away from earth tones and steely grays and welcomed reds and pinks into my palate.  If you want to share the love, stop by my shop.

baby...

As I may have mentioned, my brother and his wife are expecting their first baby soon.  So, I've taken a little detour from my other projects to do some baby prep!  The last three weekends, I've hopped on the train to go to their house and paint the nursery.  Everything is almost done... hopefully I'll get some more pictures when the last touches are complete.  I also created the baby shower invitation shown above. 

This weekend: work, set design, boxes and falafels...

my shiny treasures...

As it ends up, I was able to do a little antique market shopping yesterday.  You know how raccoons can't resist shiny objects?  That's me with old boxes.  I had a lot to choose from, but these are the boxes I adopted.  I always go for the worn, unfinished ones.  I like transforming them with paint, image transfer, paper, collaging, etc., while still saving some of the old details. Last summer I did the same to some vintage typewriter ribbon tins, and all of them sold.  So, hopefully everyone will like these too!

sunday morning in bed...

After a very long work day yesterday, I am spending this morning in bed.  Last night on the train home, I finished The Reader, so now I am looking for a new book to read.  If you have any suggestions, let me know.  On my plate for today (when I finally do get up!): painting my brother's nursery, hopefully breakfast, and if I'm lucky, a little antique market shopping.  Have a good weekend.

new...

new creations from this weekend.

color...

Lately, I've been wanting to infuse my work (jewelry, art, etc) with more color.  And currently, I am not finding it when I look out my window at the frozen courtyard.  So, I thought a good place to start with for inspiration would be India.  Since I can't go to India, I went to the library instead.  I found a great book by Olivier Follmi, which weighs about fifty pounds and is full of colorful pictures.  There are some great images of women completely adorned with silks and embroidery and and patterns and jewelry; and there are plenty marketplaces and landscapes to get inspiration from too.

I've started to create new necklaces with rings that are collaged with different papers from around the world.  The amount of paper, prints and colors I've collected over time is pretty vast.  I like the way they mix together.  These are a few simple examples.

So, on this cold gray slush day, I'm feeling a bit colorful... and optimistic about the new year.  Cheers!