Artwork of the Week: Honey Locust

Honey Locust 1/1 by Bryan Nash Gill

relief print, 24 1/2" x 23 3/4", 2010

His printing process according to Smithsonian.com:

"[The artist] saws a block from each branch and sands one end until its smooth. Gill chars that end, so that the soft spring growth burns away, leaving behind the tree’s distinct rings of hard, summer growth. He seals the wood and covers it with ink. Then, he lays a thin sheet of Japanese rice paper on the cross-section, rubs it with his hand and peels the paper back to reveal a relief print of the tree’s growth rings."

You can see more of this stunning naturalist work on the artist's website: www.bryannashgill.com

- Cathleen 

Miss Moss Gets Married

Diana of Miss Moss has long been one of my favorite bloggers so I was super excited when she got engaged. Her blog is so gorgeous that I knew her wedding would have to be something incredible. Well, she just posted photos of her wedding last week and it is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

Diana's aesthetic is so textural which is so much of why I love her. I've always been attracted to textural juxtaposition but I've never experienced anything like what Diana finds and posts on her blog. Which is all the more fascinating because I can't even physically experience those textures- I can only look at them!

But it seems like every beautiful element possible was present in her wedding. Flowers, wood, lace, fabric, glass, greenery, stone, metal; you name it, she had it. 

And the cakes! So many cakes!

Not to mention that she just looks so incredibly happy and beautiful. Joy is fairly radiating out of her and her husband.

 

Seriously, just try to tell me that this isn't the sweetest thing you've ever seen.

Aren't weddings the BEST? I'll never get over them. Especially when they are as special and inspiring as this one. 

Congratulations, Diana and Anton!

And Happy Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa

Wooden Specs Studio

Much like my fellow blogger, Cathleen (who has a love for wooden toys) I love pretty much anything handcrafted from wood.  Handmade furniture, axe handles, cigar boxes, guitars, wooden toys, a wooden watch (posted by Cathleen in 2011http://swingsandarrows.blogspot.com/2011/09/its-time.html)....the list is endless but I found these not too long ago and was actually upset that I still have 20/20 vision.

Peter Boerger owns and operates Wooden Specs Studio in downtown Indianapolis.  He started making his own glasses in 2007 mainly because he thought it would be neat to have frames made out of wood. It soon blossomed into a business and you can now buy and wear one of these very cool and unique pieces of utilitarian art. Visit his site, read more or maybe buy a pair at http://woodenspecs.com/

Here is a very calm and well made short film by Will Wertz that shows Peter's process and is worth the 4 minutes.

Wooden Specs Studio from COG Productions on Vimeo.

He uses a variety of cherry, walnut, oak and sycamore to craft these frames but I would love to see him expand to other woods in order to help create new designs.  He uses only hardwood but incorporating some softwoods, such as ash, elm, mahogany, cedar and pine could be very cool.  You may be able to form more diverse and interesting shapes with pine, and mahogany could easily add an interesting grain and color without having to use paint.  Regardless, these are great glasses and when age catches up to my eyeballs I think one of these will be my first go to.

Here are some of the available designs from Wooden Specs:

Villa

College

Park

  

Caber

-Brian

Slow Wood

I have a thing for sandwiches. And play food. And wooden toys. This wooden Dagwood-style sandwich stacking toy fills all of my bills. 

Sadly it's only in the prototype stage from Studio Fludd, but you can best bet that when this  hardwood hero goes into mass production, I'll be ordering one of my own. Check, please!

- Cathleen 

[All images courtesy of studiofludd.com]

I'm Back, Bitches!

Hi all! I'm back! I have finally adjusted to my new very crazy schedule and am back ready to post!

This weekend I hit up an amazing estate sale in Rockville, Maryland. The house was in a blue collar neighborhood and was a little rundown---this all signaled to me that a treasure trove awaited me. My intuition paid off! Inside was a picker's dreams! Tons of stuff---good stuff---covered in dust in a house that reeked of smoke. I got a couple of great items including a large blue Ball jar with a zinc lid for a dollar, however, what I am most proud of is this baby:

A gorgeous chinoiserie bamboo chair. It's in perfect condition and the seat caning is in mint condition, a must since re-caning costs so much damn money. I bought it to re-sell but now I'm in love and I just don't think I can part with it…. sigh. I'm waiting for my interior design friend to come over and let me know what she thinks. 

Cathleen is on for tomorrow! Make sure to check out all of the amazing posts this week! 

- Grace

Artwork of the Week: Carnforth Railway Station

Carnforth Railway Station, N Lancashire by Andy Hornby

Falling back. The days are shorter, the shadows longer, and the air is so much cooler now. Daylight saving time ended at 2am on Sunday and even though our high-tech phones automatically adjusted themselves, all day we kept forgetting when we caught sight of the delayed dashboard and oven timers thinking we were late for things. That hot panic creeps up the back of your neck only to be quickly relieved at the realization that, "No! We've got time! LOADS of it! An entire HOUR to do with whatever we please!" It feels like a nice little bonus until you hear that familiar cry ring out just before the crack of day. No one told Graham he had an extra hour to sleep in this morning. Hmm. 

- Cathleen

Pure + Good

As soon as the weather even hints at a chill in the air, I rush to bring out the tights. They make me feel not as bundled up but still warm and weather appropriate. In my love affair with tights, I've tried out many brands and so far the clear winner is 

Pure + Good from Anthropologie.

Color Palette Tights

Anthropologie can be a little hit or miss in the quality department (I think it depends on the brand) but Pure + Good has never failed me. They have great colors that are warm and well fitting but not so opaque that you feel like a school girl. I'm especially loving this current pair that are ribbed and sheer are the same time. Perfect to go with shorts- my fave.

Ribbed Sweater Tights

This fall, I'm super excited to be wearing the ones that lasted over halfway through my pregnancy last fall and winter and they're hardly worse for the wear. Not too bad for $15!

Is anyone else a tights lover? Or just me?

Whatever your choice of leg covering, get it ready because it looks like the cooler days (and nights) are ready to settle in.

Happy Chilly Weekend, Friends!

-Alissa