i found my style icon.

EMILY CHALMERS – her book – you’ve probably heard of it Flea Market Style – it’s perfect. Perfect in that each of the images combine colour, collecting, displaying, collage, and formal composition – making each room feel handpainted from a uniform and thoughtful palette – although looking at the items individually will blow the whole facade – nothing really makes “sense”.

bedroom photo from Emily Chalmers book Flea Market Style

Flea Market Style style board from Crust Station Style Blog (amazing blog btw)

Patchwork building/ composing is the best really. 

Wouldn’t you love to own this Georgian Wing Chair from Squint?

I’m really looking forward to owning my own piece of Couture Craftmanship someday… maybe i should find a furniture building class somewhere, someday. 

xoxoxoxoxoxox

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my old kentucky blog radio

.. is my new favourite thing. I get to listen the show My old kentucky blog radio show if I’m late to get into town for work (which usually happens) – and then when i’m running around town.  Tuesday mornings from 9-11am on sirius radio channel 026. The blog is an awesome resource for cool news about new music, new re-mixes, new re-unions, concerts (that are far away from us but that we can dream about knowing about). 

My new favourite music that myoldkentuckyblog radio told me about is from EL PERRO DEL MAR – especially her over played to death track called Change of Heart — from her recently released album Love is not Pop. 

Photo of El Perro Del Mar

 

{btw chester cotter: she’s playing in portland on feb.28 … .. … we could go !?}

xoxoxoxox

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hanging in there and everywhere

Chester and I have this amazing seagull that soars above our little living room space (Thanks Uncle Brian & Auntie Joan McC.) I remember making some one time that were ‘farm yard’ themed – lots of farmers with straw hats, sheep, horseys, and cows i remember that strung from popsicle sticks. hanging things in a home can really activate a space.

lovely little fishing wire alternative hanging from Little Lovables

paper origami cranes hang beautifully on this mobile found on etsy seller sewunique

wooden fishes mobile found at wiggles – made in denmark

from the same manufacturer – handmade in denmark also on giggles

so amazing. owl mobile from craftscmaft.com

amy cluck’s mobile says it best – i.heart.handmade. – found on flickr~

we celebrated our double wedding this last summer in my parents garden – using these tissue paper mobiles suspended above Grandpa Medhurst shown here in this photo – while he performs our ceremony. Happy Birthday this week Grandpa.

Look how handsome he is.

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stars so bright

*     *           *          *     ~                   *                ~           *                   *                     *      *       *                  *          ~           *              *                *        

Tonight for dinner is chicken breasts stuffed with ricotta, parmesan, and spinach. + steamed broc. & carrots. + avacado slices

tonight’s activity: making seasonal celebration cards for all of our families and friends (*send me your address you!).

Holiday time = fun time. Beautiful crispy days to celebrate. Cheery clients, and extra lovable store clerks. . . . and the food that goes around too! 

Tonight I’m looking through all of my favourite artist links looking at what is going on this 2009 holiday time.

Gift tags by Heather Smith Jones

Alexandra Darrow in this 1957 photograph holiday card

Ribbon Cards by Monkey Puzzle Press

Garland Card by Rifle Paper Co.

this Handmade Holiday card is amazing. by american illustrator Adolph Fruehs

A lovely image from Design Sponge that would make a lovely card front.

 

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a cup was broken

… she’s slowly getting put back together. Today the husband and I went into town to buy some toothpaste and we got an icecream for my super sore throat. 

here are some beautiful images from Quebec artist Noemiah that have been a soothe to my flu that I found on etsy this morning

Feather and Chain necklace

Night Butterfly feather and Chain Errings

Dancer in the Rain necklace

**noemiah has some really beautiful images and feather and chain jewelry on her Etsy site, with links to her blog noemiah.tumblr.com

 

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comox valley dwellings

Being back at “work” at the end of the week has kinda thrown me all off. I kept thinking today was  a monday not a friday- TGIF! I felt like really weird all day. I still can’t believe tomorrow is saturday. I’m going to feel like it’s tuesday- i just know it. 

Tonight i’ve been ‘surfing’ through some local sites, and came across this website called Comox Valley Dwellings. Based out of Courtenay & written by Bethany Pearce. I really like it’s layout, her writing, and the blogging community that is being built around this site (it seems). Comox Valley Blogs is a running index of special interest bloggers from local people that is also hosted by Bethany Pearce- i just spent 2hours reading through all of them — now you can too!!!

xoxoxoxox

 

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rain!! = cozy online shopping time

it’s raining, no no it’s POURING!!!! (and the old man couldn’t possibly be snoring, when his house is flooding!) We have had straight through falling sheets of water on us here in the comox valley for the last 2 days! And i’m watching the weather lady say their is more in the forecast. 

The rain is good for one thing however –> online ‘browsing’. And what better place to shop than at a 100% handmade jewelry, clothing, and pillowcases! website… Fey Handmade – a shop for lovely handmade finds

Branch Handmade — sweet dreams about sailing away out of this drizzle dribble rain.

Owl Bangle by Maneki

Silver Pebble earrings by Lucid

and this! A precious print of an original painting titled GREY DAY by Kiki and Polly

xoxoxo

 

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utopian goat living

Heather Cameron‘s ensuite bathroom (so pretty!)

Heather Cameron’s blog a day in the country celebrates everything that is simple and beautiful and perfect to eat. Her organic, chemical-free blueberry farm located in the south surrey area outside of the greater vancouver region –  is aptly named Missing Goat (because they are a farm with a missing goat apparently).

Here is some interesting info about their blueberry varieties as written by Heather Cameron:

Bluecrop – Considered by many to be one of the best all around varieties.  Like a really good vanilla ice cream. 

Augustine – A mystery berry no one, including us, knows anything about.  This variety is limited, and people wait all year for these blueberries.  What’s it like?  Well, it’s simply different, but in a really lovely way.  It’s sweet yet tart, some say like me.

It’s always so lovely to find such a wholesome blog about wholesome living. Thanks Heather!

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margaret matsuyama

Japanese Canadian artist Margaret Kon Matsuyama started making these amazing figures when I worked as a student with her at emily carr a few years ago. Matsuyama won acclaim with these little identity challenging multiples since graduating with her BFA in 2008. Matsuyama’s work speaks about her personal expression through her many mediums of art making, such as ceramics, printmaking, and animation – – – in this excerpt from her artist statement: ” I am drawn to work evoking childhood experience and the repression of identity when it does not conform to social norms. I am also interested in exploring the subtle differences of identity, and its fragility or impermanence.”

For more information about Matsuyama, her work, and her blog check out www.margaretmatsuyama.com 

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molly hatch ceramics

One of my first entries included a little snipet about one of my favourite ceramicists — – – — MOLLY HATCH. If you haven’t already … you should check out her feature  article in the nov/dec issue of Pottery Making Illustrated – where the feature (written by Hatch )- discloses how she does her amazing Mishima technique of inlay line drawing onto leather-hard clay surfaces. the end result? – the most beautiful line quality ever.

2-D to 3-D: Using Image Transfer and Mishima Techniques to Make Drawings on Pottery by Molly Hatch. 

For more information about Molly Hatch check out here website, blog, and list of her artist friends on her link page. 🙂

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