Artistic Cooperation (or The Multi-Talented Dasha Kazakova)

A few months ago, I received an order for a set of my paper rose magnets, sans magnets!

Boston area photographer, Dasha Kazakova, asked me to create some earth-tone roses to coordinate with a few brooches she had... I found some chocolate, ivory, and basil papers that I thought would be perfect.

Well, little did I know that she would turn my paper rose "magnets" into this gorgeous brooch bouquet!



Isn't it great what happens when art meets art? (And then gets photographed so elegantly to boot!) I'm honored to have my work contribute to such a lovely statement!

Check out Dasha's blog for more details - I believe that bouquet is still available, and she'll likely be ordering more of my mini-flowers for another one!

Side Project Fun (or New Bionic Buttercup Gems)

Remember how I told you guys about my second Etsy shop, The Bionic Buttercup?

Well, I thought I'd hopefully brighten your Tuesday and post some of my favorite, quirkiest items from my shop!

Like this mirror haunted by a little girl...




this animal cell necklace...




or this altered landscape painting...




Have a unique Tuesday!

Side Project (or My Ridiculous Art)

So, I'm not totally done with this project, but I can't wait to share it with you...

This past week, my husband, Josh, and I have totally redone our apartment. We deep cleaned, donated boxes and boxes of things that we no longer need, and got ourselves organized. We also rearranged some furniture which (to me) warrants new artwork on the wall! (Any excuse, right?)

My goal was "ridiculous Victorian" and I opted to paint precious portraits of ridiculous things...

I started with some wooden ovals,




penciled in some rough sketches,




mustered all of my rudimentary Bob Ross painting technique and applied it to portraiture!




Taa-daa!







This is my new favorite thing I've ever made for the house, and these little vignettes are going to hang on the wall behind our tv.

In the interest of full disclosure, Josh drew the Ninja Turtle (Donatello, our favorite! He "does machines"...)



All of Josh's 5th grade practice had led up to this momentous tour de force... I'm absolutely blown away by it! Doesn't it look authentic??

Also, we still have one more large oval to do, but we can't decide on what it should be... Any ideas?

Wall Letters (or No, That's Not Supposed To Spell Anything.)

I really need to get better at taking pictures of my craft projects as I do them, not just posting the final results.





So, I know that hanging letters on your wall is "OMG SOOOOO played-out!!!!1!!" in certain interior design circles, but - in the interest of Project: Swagga - I decided to go for it anyway.





My local Jo-Ann's has a great selection of papier-mache and wood letters. I've always been a fan of the look, so I decided to finally update my living room wall.





I'm pretty satisfied with my "two-thousand-and-late" look...
What do you think?

Friday Kvetching (or Weekend Dreaming)

I'm really looking forward to the weekend!

This week has been a rough one - dropping a chunk of cash on lawyer services, continued wrestling with my site's HTML, and perpetually watery eyes because certain plants have decided to propogate their species lately.

On the bright side, though, I got my new business cards a lot earlier than I thought (exciting!), tonight's episode of Star Trek: TNG is the one where Data and Lore hang with Dr. Soong (goofy!), and our latest Netflix shipment looks promising - The Wrestler, The French Connection, and Breaking Bad: Season 1.

In the meantime, I'll let you greet your weekend with pictures of amazing cut paper artwork by Michael Velliquette.

Incredible!













Please go to his website. Those pictures are just the tip of the iceberg!

Diversions (or Things I Covet)

There is so much awesomeness online, I can't help but feel compelled to share some of my findings with you. I spend way too much time on the Internet to not do something at least partially constructive with the list of treasures I find...

If you're at all concerned with building a stylish, small, and temporary nest for yourself, I'm sure you're heard of Apartment Therapy. They're the harbingers of design who, in their own words, are "saving the world, one room at a time."

Yesterday, they featured some art that I just refuse to accept as paintings.



I mean, that's got to be a photo from the 70s, right?
Artist David Imlay is clearly a master of the brush. Go read the write-up at Apartment Therapy for more paintings and information.



Also, in keeping with my my love for all things whimsical, bizarre, hilarious, and vaguely old-timey, there is this:



This dandy Boxer dog is the brainchild of The Utilitarian Franchise. Please go check out their Etsy shop. You won't be disappointed.



And finally, here's a picture of an awesome glittery purple skull I bought yesterday.



No, no 99 Cent Store... Thank you!