Handmade With Love
If you couldn’t already tell, we’ve been collage crazy around here, and Julien Pacaud is yet another artist whose work we adore. With a focus on retro imagery of men and women, the French mixed media artist pieces together stunning collages that smolder with warm, earthy hues and play upon themes surrounding the universe and relationships. Check out a few of our favorites below, and then head on over to Julien’s website, where you can hear songs he chose for select pieces.
Beth Hoeckel wears many hats. Along with creating mixed media art and working in photography, the Baltimore-bred visual artist creates gorgeous collages using vintage photographs. Composed by hand using paper and glue, each collage carries a unique feeling, with her Point Of View series catching our eye with lunar imagery. The collection features people, backs turned, gazing into the universe atop of the moon, mountains or flowers. Spy a few of our favorites pieces below, and check out Ms. Hoeckel’s shop for more.
Last year, Jessica Silversaga composed a dreamy 80-page book of photographs taken between 2008 and 2010, dubbed Where No Endings End. As the first book in a series, it catalogs imaginative and sometimes sinister depictions of nature, girls and boys with gauzy black-and-white and pastel-hued imagery painting its matte pages. The book looks amazing and we can’t wait to see what else the Stockholm-based photographer has in store. But, in the meantime, peek through a few pages and check out a short clip of the book below, then head on over to Ms. Silversaga’s shop to purchase one of the last copies.
On Friday, I mentioned Dallas Clayton and his magical children’s book, An Awesome Book!, in our end of the week inspiration diary. Initially written/illustrated/published for his son, the book turned into so much more, taking Clayton on a life-changing adventure to schools, bookstores and concerts across the world, and eventually landed in the hands of Harper Collins.
Clayton’s latest endeavor is an art project composed of 100 hand-illustrated, original pieces entitled “One Hundred Ways To Say I Love You.” The California-stationed artist/author created the project with a goal of making unique, handmade, inspiring and affordable art for “kids of all ages.” In the collection, you can find rainbow-hued creatures smile, jump, dance and wave with wonderful statements declaring love scrawled above them.
What I adore most about this project (and the book, for that matter) is it’s message, not only to children, but to adults to love one another, to create, to be inspired and to never, ever, let go of your imagination and what makes you unique. In a world that can be very ugly at times, it’s messages like these that can bring smiles to people’s faces, and even influence them to create something of their own. Check out a few pieces from “One Hundred Ways To Say I Love You,” after the jump, and visit Dallas over on his website for more wonderful bits of art.
Emily Winfield Martin has been lining her Etsy with gorgeous illustrations and paintings for years now. Under the moniker The Black Apple, her work conjures up fairytales and whimsical settings and people that we just adore around here. One of her recent collections depicts ladies with flowers — from roses to pansies — adorning their hair. It’s such a lovely batch of paintings with a retro vibe that we couldn’t resist sharing. Have a peek at a few favorites below, and visit The Black Apple to swoon over more of Ms. Martin’s art.
Happy Autumn, everyone! This month, we’re so happy to welcome back Devin Wais of Ooooh Stitchy, Monica and James of Sea & Asters, and to introduce you guys to Angela of SmilingSilverSmith. We’re really excited to work with these guys and gals, whose work we adore and think you will, too! So have a peek below, and don’t forget to stop by their shops for some fall gems. xo
Through her shop, SmilingSilverSmith, Angela creates a unique and adorable line of jewelry that would put a smile on anyone’s face. We’re especially taken with her collection of silver rings that features mugs and teacups, detectives/disguises, and even nods to pop culture and trends, like her Dr. Who and mustache numbers. Head on over to SmilingSilverSmith to decorate your hands, and visit Angela on Twitter and Facebook.
Along with pumpkins, of course, plants are one of our fall decor must haves, and lucky for us Sea & Asters features lovely pods, terrariums and plants. Created by Tampa-stationed artisans Monica and James, the shop is chock full of beautiful, handcrafted planters that we can’t get enough of. Our favorite designs and plants from the pair are these adorable color block and autumn-hued pods, their darling chalkboard pods, and this air plant assortment. Spy Monica and James’ creations over at their shop, Sea & Asters and visit them over on Facebook.
Armed with an embroidery needle, threads and fabric, Devin Wais creates imaginative designs and immortalizes bits of pop culture under the moniker Ooooh Stitchy. Her collection of wall art includes Arrested Development lines, rainbow-hued foxes, nods to literature, and Party Down quotes, all of which have become favorites around here. Visit Devin over on Etsy to decorate your walls, and follow Ooooh Stitchy on Twitter.
Along with Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath, e.e. cummings is one of my favorite poets. His work is beautiful, romantic and, if you’ve read “may i feel said he,” you know his words are sometimes comical, which made falling in love with Julene Harrison’s creations really easy. The UK-stationed artist paid homage to cummings’ [i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] with a lovely cut-paper illustration, which alone would’ve been enough for me, but her entire body of work is just stunning. The amount of love and detail put into each piece, along with the quotes/phrases she chose to recreate and her typography skills, are so inspiring and jaw-dropping, it’s no wonder she’s been commissioned to create countless pieces. Have a peek at some favorites below, and head on over to Ms. Harrison’s website for more.
