color blast

| July 27, 2009

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holder_webWe’ve accumulated a few illustration books/magazines lately, and I haven’t had the time to go look at them more throughly. A few pieces from American Illustration 27 that caught my  eye tonight- looks like color blast is the theme.

Top: Me Up A Tree for the column “On Language” for the New York Times. I’ve been using a lot of cut paper recently & I love the look of the “D” & “A”

Bottom: Both by Andrew Holder. (r) Two Bears. Reversible 6 color silk-screen (l) Untitled. Installation for Neon Frontier Show.

g’night. ZzZz

small spaces

| July 24, 2009

workspace

I’m not very good with small spaces. More room please!

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Christopher Silas Neal in the recent 3×3.
Always good to have him close by for inspiration.

We booked the chapel we wanted! Now I’m at Rice working on back to school things while B works. My goal was to have the entire month for all 3 classes laid out by today, but it’s been more time consuming than I thought. It feels like a million years since I spent hours in a library. Ah, I miss it, especially the one at RISD-such a cool space. Is it weird to feel anxious and nervous for the school year to begin? I wonder when that feeling will go away.

We’re looking forward to collaborating on a zine with our Riley friends!

a world of thoughts

| July 15, 2009

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Last year, while discussing my final project for the intro to jewelry class, one of the teachers told me to check out Dutch jewelry artist Lucy Sarneel. I was fascinated by the way she combines metals and other materials in a very fragmented way. It was as if each section told a different story. Each had a beginning and an end, and the transitions were clean and distinct.

The more I learn about Dutch artists and design, the more I feel like it fits my aesthetics. There seems to be a tradition of mixing uncommon techniques and materials that give each piece a handmade (searching for the word)… familiar sort of quality?

To me a jewel represents a place in the world in which one can loose oneself like in the sparkling of a diamond or the carefull observation of little plants or moss.

The alienation that results from the competition between ‘the natural’ and the ‘artificial’ is an aspect I try to give form to in my jewels.

Allthough a jewel is a small object it can be a world of thoughts.

I prefer buffets over seated dinners

| June 30, 2009

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photo by Jen Gotch. amazing photographer.

So, after today, I am going to take a break looking at all the wedding porn (didn’t make the word up, but it is so perfect). It’s a year away. Yep, I realized it’s not that far away, but I think I need to focus on our end goal: that everyone has a good time and knows how much we appreciate them celebrating with us! My dad is very eager in the planning stages, and for a while I started obsessing over all the details. Do I really need to worry about linen folds and table number cards? I want things to be pretty and different, but that can be achieved without following the costly traditional route, right?

Anyways, I still plan on DIY-ing as much as I can. One, it’ll make the process a lot more enjoyable and meaningful. Two, I’ll still feel in control of some things. However, there are a couple of things that are out of our control, such as venues and dinner set-up. I prefer buffets over seated dinners because you have to interact with more people and you can eat seconds if you choose! But when I suggested that, it was like (scoff) We can’t ask Vietnamese people to wait in line for food! I know some people are going to talk no matter what, but this is one battle I will not fight ’cause I won’t win. Heck, if I had it my way, I would throw a huge party by the beach. Bonfires, s’mores, twinkling lights . . .  should have waited for someone else to be the first to marry :)

Haven’t checked with B yet, but here are a few things I think I’m going to nix: professional photographer, videographer, traditional engagement shots, groom’s cake, bouquet and garter toss, veil & ring boy.

Instead of having a photographer, I’m hoping to get some of my photo friends to take a few shots for us with different film formats. So far I plan on using polaroids, black and white 35mm, and a holga. During my wedding web borrowing mania, I came across A Desert Fete, and I fell in love with their images. Definitely a look I want to go for.

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Gorgeous photos by Michelle Pullman. check her out

This is not going to turn into a wedding blog. We’ll save it for another website muahaha. Some things I look forward to when the wedding bells do ring: Seeing all my family from all over the world, hanging out with our Notre Dame and RISD friends, the rehearsal  dinner, & before and after activities. Oh, and marrying B! duh.

rounding out the beak and shortening the tail

| June 24, 2009

water_colorquick watercolor sketch

So, I went to jury duty on the wrong day! When they called my name up, I was certain I was picked for the jury! Instead, the lady in the front told me, “Unfortunately, you are scheduled for tomorrow. You may reschedule in the next room.” Oops. But, on the bright side, I was able to move my date to the end of July, after our trip to Chicago. Other pluses: I woke up before noon, became more familiar with the Metro system in Houston, and I studied in the waiting room. Not too shabby, eh? For some reason, I feel like I’m still going to be picked, even though only like 1% of the people called in are actually chosen. I just have a feeling…

I ended up sleeping in till 1pm. Meeh. Kinda counter-productive. But I did get around to testing out the Spool bird pattern. I used some cheap felt we had around, and my next trial will probably be with floral fabric. Click here to download the pattern. I think I’m going to make some tweaks for the next one, like rounding out the beak and shortening the tail.

spool_birdHelen Ward’s version

sample_spoolbirdMy trial version. Please ignore the poor stitchin’

Marimekko

| May 4, 2009

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I think this came out some time ago, but, while searching for patterns, I came across these Marimekko desktop wallpaper. I love patterns that follow a more organic arrangement. For my next project with my students, I’m thinking of using these designs and the book Over & Over for inspiration and references. Yay, my desktop is no longer boring!

My cousins came down with their kids this weekend, which meant tons of food every day—sushi, crawfish, Blue Bell Coffee ice cream, etc. But the best part was holding and playing with babies. I also got a haircut, and it was funny how some of my kids at school reacted. My favorite comment from a 9th grade boy:

“Miss. It looks way better! Before it was…”

“Frizzy?” (Motioning like I had a huge puffy ball on my head)

“Yeah…”

My first year has been going by so fast that I wish I wrote down all the funny things I hear everyday. One of my favorite has to be when I asked students to design their resume and one shy girl pulled me over and asked,”When you say dates, does that mean we have to write how many dates we’ve been on or something?” She looked so relieved when I explained what I meant. :)

Working on: Save the Dates

I do not reproduce events

| April 23, 2009

This week, we’re starting an introduction into jewelry with my beginning classes. I’m hoping for no injuries! While putting together my presentations, I remembered these two artists who greatly influenced my love for jewelry. Although I only have one class under my belt, I’m dying to make something!

08napMelanie Bilenker

Nap. Brooch. 2008. Gold, ebony, resin, pigment, hair

“The Victorians kept lockets of hair and miniature portraits painted with ground hair and pigment to secure the memory of a lost love. In much the same way, I secure my memories through photographic images rendered in lines of my own hair, the physical remnants. I do not reproduce events, but quiet minutes, the mundane, the domestic, the ordinary moments.”

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Iris Bodemer

A beautiful and initmate alternative to the tape and bandages we wrap on the rings we inherit or acquire.

My Bodemer inspired necklace made with beads and trinkets I’ve collected from different significant events and places (cousin’s wedding, Chicago, Providence, favorite outfits, etc.

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home sweet home

| January 24, 2009

erin wasson at home | photo credit: the selby


I am a huge fan of the NY Times’s The Moment blog, and one of my favorite posts was the feature on The Selby, a magical website that gives us a glimpse into the spaces of creative types. While I do love magazines like Dwell and design*sponge sneakpeaks, I appreciate how chaos and imperfection can be celebrated in The Selby. *gasp* messy floor and mismatched furniture?! Gorgeous.

I just finished watching Silence of the Lambs (half of it spent under the covers asking Trang and BJ for a play by play), and I can’t shake the images and eeriness out of my mind. What a better way to avoid a nightmare then to surf through these rooms and live vicariously through their beauty?

Let’s get BJ to post, eh?