east ashley

happy mother's day & a new print

flower print - 8x10

First, Happy Mother's Day!!

Also, a new print of this original flower watercolor painting is now available in my shop. This painting is something completely different for me, especially compared to the the existing prints in my shop. It definitely stands out a bit next to all my other paintings with white backgrounds. (So much for shop cohesiveness!) But as much as I like the crispness of my existing prints with their clean, white backgrounds, lately I've found myself drawn to moody antique oil paintings of flower arrangements with stark black backgrounds. So dramatic.

That inspiration led to this watercolor. It's possible there may be more of these, but you never know. My inspiration and creativity have been mysteriously fleeting, if not altogether absent, lately (is it ok/acceptable to admit that?). So I've been pouring myself into sewing and crochet projects where the existence of patterns and finite projects has helped ease me along. Although I would like to think that there will hopefully be some similar paintings ahead, we shall see where my mood and inspiration lead! That's the beauty of creativity I guess. You never know what direction it will go. And even when you feel like it may have abandoned you for a while, it reappears in new and unexpected ways.

pictures

Over the last several months I've been thinking about (ok, over-thinking) what to do with a specific wall in my living room. For the longest time I couldn't decide what to do. Hammering nails into my plaster walls is not something I enter into lightly, so I wanted to be very, very sure I would like it before getting out the nails and hammer (I've already decided that my next project will involve hanging pictures from the picture rail -- less commitment and no nails required!). So I debated different options and kept putting off actually making a decision. I considered hanging some of my grandma's fabric in embroidery hoops. Or a series of three of my camera watercolors to match my vintage camera collection on the nearby shelves... But nothing felt exactly right. 

To help me along, I recently I started a new Displaying Art board on pinterest to collect ideas. I really liked this pin, so I finally settled on a grouping of art prints and vintage postcards in mismatched white frames. I lucked into a frame sale at Michael's, mapped out an idea for the grouping, and got to work. In retrospect I wish I would have hung them a bit closer to each other.... but.... I'm still happy with how it turned out, and I like that I can keep adding to it and easily change out prints when the mood strikes.

Below is a print of my Savoy watercolor painting (the 8 x 10 inch print cut down to fit inside the square frame).

I purchased this print of a vintage picture map from Stories and Divinations on Etsy. I love the bright turquoise color.

And this is a vintage post card of Notre Dame that I picked up at Hunt & Gather. (Which reminds me that I'm overdue for a return visit... to Hunt & Gather and to Paris.)

The red poppy is another print from my shop (the 8.5 x 11 version trimmed down to fit the square frame).

The small frame on the lower left is an American West print by Mae Chevrette from Etsy. The Chrysler Building print (below the red poppy) is a pen and ink drawing I did a few years ago (not currently available in my shop). Finally, the small frame in the center is the vintage Minneapolis post card I talked about in my last post. 

And yes, that is a sad looking couch, isn't it? So sad. I really, really would like a new, stylish couch (like this), but it also needs to be comfortable. Oh, and at a price I can afford. Needless to say, the search has been frustrating. I recently just ordered a slip cover to try to hide my existing couch to give that a try, but I'm not counting on it working.

Oh, and pinterest? After initially being a bit indifferent about it, I'm now addicted. Totally and completely addicted.

old minneapolis

Saturday was a cold, dreary day, but I somehow managed to venture out with some friends on a tour of old Minneapolis. I'll admit that I wasn't really looking forward to spending 3 hours walking through the wind and rain, but I ended up having a great time. History, food, and friends. A great combination. 

It was a bit too wet and cold so I decided to leave my camera at home. Instead I captured the day with my instagram phone app, which made the bleak gray sky a little more interesting. And a little more bearable.

Spending the day imagining the streets as they were over a hundred years ago reminded me of a vintage post card I recently purchased. It is from 1912 and shows a great illustration of downtown Minneapolis.

And a charming note from a dad back to his family in Indiana. Click the image for closeup view.

Dec 12-16-12 noon

My Dear Wife & Little Ones, I arrived O.K. there is some snow here but not very cold. I will stay at the Andrews Hotel. Well I have had my dinner and I must hike out to the Bull Tractor office and get buissy. By. By. 

With Lots of Love to all your Dear Hub & Old Dad

L.J.S.

and... another sorbetto

I am relatively new at this sewing clothes thing, but I've already found my go-to pattern. This is my fourth (or is it fifth?) Sorbetto tank, and I already have at least 3 other fabrics on my shelf waiting to be transformed into this tank top. This pattern is excellent on so many levels. It's free(!), it's extremely customizable, and I practically live in tank tops and cardigans so I can never have too many. 

I found this fabric at an antique store and I LOVE it. The tag said Liberty of London and this isn't vintage, but the minute I saw it, it seemed destined for this pattern. The print is perfect all by itself, but I wanted to add a bit of detail so I left out the large pleat from the original pattern and instead added some pintucks at the neckline.

It probably didn't need them because they get a bit lost in the busy print, but oh well. I do love pintucks. I also lowered the neckline and lengthened the top due to my height.

The art of fitting is still a bit elusive for me, but each time I've made this I make minor adjustments and it ends up fitting better each time. A good excuse to keep making them. 

And in other news, after trying out a few different photo editing websites, I finally found a good replacement for the dearly departed Picnik. PicMonkey. And thank goodness! In fact, after just a few uses I think I already like it better than Picnik. Hallelujah. 

another hobby to distract me

Yes, it's true. I have another new hobby. I recently added jewelry making (and jewelry repurposing) to my ever expanding list of hobbies. Craziness. I already mentioned that I started to teach myself to crochet, but I recently stumbled across a necklace tutorial online somewhere (I'm very sad and sorry to say that I don't remember where I found it or I would link to it!) and I immediately knew I wanted to learn how to make a few simple, basic necklaces, and I also wanted to redesign a few necklaces that I've had for years but no longer wear. Several of my current necklaces are either too short or too long or just not right. So after purchasing a few tools (two sets of pliers and a wire cutter), a few google searches, and a few trips to Michael's to buy clasps and jump rings, I've been busy making myself (and my mom, and my sister... and my nieces) necklaces. This is purely a hobby -- there isn't an Etsy jewelry shop in my future -- but I seem to be happiest when I'm learning new things and taking on a new challenge, so I decided to dive into this just for fun.. along with the crochet... and the knitting....

It helps that I'm drawn to basic, simple design, so the stuff I'm making is as basic and simple (i.e. easy) as it gets. No complex beading. Nothing extravagent. Just the simple, straightforward stuff that I like. A chain with a gold circle. A short silver chain with a small silver bar.

Simple tastes come in handy with this particular hobby. This gray beaded necklace was made from an old necklace that I've had for years but was collecting dust -- the entire necklace was various sizes of the gray beads, and it never seemed to go with anything. So I took off four of the beads, added a silver chain to each side, and it's now a new necklace that I wear all the time. 

It's also just a generally good skill to have because I can fix/replace broken chains and clasps, and I also can redesign some vintage pieces to take them from just something interesting to something I want to wear. I recently bought the vintage necklace below, which had a short chain (about 16 inches) knowing that although I didn't like it with a short chain, I would like it as a longer necklace. So I bought it, swapped out the chain, and now I love it.

I've started a pin board to collect inspiration and ideas, and I'll try to share some additional necklaces I've made in the future. That is, if I don't find another new hobby to distract me in the meantime!

thinking about fabric

I'm in need of some new, colorful pillows for my living room and it inspired me to start thinking about printing my own fabric. I've wanted to try designing my own fabric through Spoonflower for a long, long time, and I finally uploaded my first pattern and ordered a swatch. This pattern was inspired by some vintage fabric my grandma used in one of her quilts, but I translated it into a bigger and bolder design. I painted the petal shapes with watercolors and then created this repeat pattern. Spoonflower was easy to use, and I quickly realized that I was intimidated about trying it for no good reason. It was very easy and and very exciting to get the printed swatch in the mail. 

It's a simple pattern, but I like it and I was really impressed by the overall quality. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the watercolor effect looks great on the fabric. I haven't ordered any yardage yet, but it's on my list of things to do. I have a few other pattern ideas in mind, but again, I haven't gotten around to uploading the patterns and ordering the fabric. I'm also not sure what color palette I want for my pillows... Yes, I need to make some decisions!! And now I'm also inspired to try some block printing... maybe for some dining room curtains. I've had an extended break from my sewing machine and I really miss it -- so it's definitely time to update my project list and get back to work!

How about a sale to celebrate the early arrival of spring!

Visit the shop and enter coupon code SPRING2012 at the time of checkout to receive 20% off all prints.

This exclusive sale runs from March 18th through the 24th.

go figure

I'm at the end of a week-long cross country adventure that has been full of scenic views and amazing drives. Yet tonight as I was downloading the day's photos I realized, despite all the natural beauty and gorgeous scenery, that this might be my favorite photo so far.

Go figure.

Maybe it's also about what the photo represents rather than just the photo itself. It was taken during a random stop at a quaint restaurant on the way to the next destination. The unexpected moments that aren't part of the prescribed itinerary often end up being some of the best and most memorable moments. I think that's why I like this photo so much.

The restaurant was at a resort I stayed at several years ago, and on the spur of the moment we decided to turn the car around to go back and have a late (and delicious) lunch at the charming restaurant.

I loved the plaid chair covers, the rustic decor, and the vintage items tucked in various corners. And the log cabin out the window.

And yes, the lightbulbs.