Collar It

I've been noticing the fun designers have been having with detachable collars this spring. Having held onto a small vintage collection since I was a teenager, it's nice to see them as an easy way to alter a simple dress or top.  Here are some beauties I've posted on one of my Pinterest boards.

From Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 Collection

Hammered metal via this etsy site.

Cloth beauty from etsy here.

A cute DIY version from here.

From FreePeople

Gaga over Sophie's Dada

Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1989-1943) was a swiss artist who bridged the Dada and Constructivist movements. An early socially-committed feminist, she taught weaving and textiles at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts, and expressed herself in painting, dance, tapestry, drawing, embroidery, furniture and interior design, photography, architecture, set design and puppet-making, all with equal intensity. To read more on this fabulous woman you can go here.

Meet Wallace Yikai Chen

Wally! Born March 1, 2012, in Brooklyn NY at 5:26 am, 6lbs 13 oz. 
Everyone is healthy, exhausted and proud as can be.

Wallpaper for a Snowy New England Day

“I love colors and shapes and if I have a choice I want to make them beautiful.”- Catalina Estrada

I think Barcelona based Catalina and I could be friends, we have a lot of loves in common.

Dense, lush, colorful her wallpaper seems to say come closer and play with me please.

Her wallpaper designs are especially suited for environments where there is lots large windows, letting in light and breezes. Perfect imagery to get me out of the February funk I'm in this morning.

Check out her website here and her photographer partner, Pancho Tolchinsky, here. Hmmm... a designer and a photographer nice symmetry there :)

Ryan Gosling Hey Girl for crafters

I just love these.

Bruce Michael Winn 1959-2012

Holding an object in your hands often makes an abstract idea real. I lost a dear friend recently and it wasn't a reality till I held the bookmark for his memorial service in my hand today.

Bruce Winn had the biggest and strongest hands I've ever seen. Which made perfect sense because he was a ceramics artist. He worked in clay with a textile designers sensibility. Lush, intricate patterns rippled over his thick, sexy slabbed clay. His love for asian color balance and William Morris pattern was evident in all his fine art and production work. 

Bruce and his husband Mike, were clients first and friends immediately after meeting. Talented in so many ways, one of Bruce's best art forms was picking friends. Interns from over 25 years ago are still part of the family of artists he's nurtured with Mike. The choices he made in friends showed the most in his last year of life. When hearing the news of his cancer a steady stream of peeps made their way to his sunny bedroom in Tiverton to help, hang out, quilt, read, eat, and paint. While holding court a floor away from his kitchen, Bruce knew it's inventory and took care of guests as he always had. "I think there's a few more slices of banana bread left" or my favorite "I think Grey's ice cream doesn't close for an hour. Chocolate would be nice with the orange zest cupcakes"

My times with him in the last few year were underscored with his gratitude. Whether we were reading, drawing, or watching Glee he often turned to me and said "Thank you so much. This is so wonderful to be together. I love you"  He taught me many things but maybe the most cherished, is artists have to create to feel alive. Even when they are knocked off their feet. And creating things for friends to see, hold, taste and enjoy may be the best reality we have. 

His memorial celebration will be held February 12 at 1:00 on the first floor gallery space at 1 West Street, Fall River where Bruce, Mike and many of us share studio space.

Bruce, Mike and a few pals were patient models for us at shoot in the church, just after Bruce was diagnosed. So happy we have these to share.

Lovely Threads by Yumiko Arimoto

I love the idea of an abstract drawing, made with thread, that's wearable. 

Must be meditative to do. You can find more of Yumiko and her brand sina here.