By now we've all come to realize the impossibility of originality, right? {my thoughts, another instance by Stephanie DosReis, Abigail Percy's recent post}
It's a concept that needs continual dialogue. It's important to recognize the individual artistic fingerprint, I believe. But I wonder, how we can each maintain our place and voice without seemingly copying?

This morning on flickr, I saw an uncannily familiar piece, by the very talented and popular Cecilia Levy. Or what about when you do a piece and find a close match elsewhere later, by a much more popular person? Does this happen to anyone else out there, and do you feel like I do once you stumble upon the other image?

{I feel like an impostor. Like I was singing with my own voice, only to find out I was lip synching all along, despite knowing I wasn't in the slightest informed of those pieces. Like despite my own previous body of work, in relation to the popularity of others I don't have the right to the imagery of my interests and imagination.}

another superficial post

but since I've been focusing on things I love. . .
I saw some boots I looooved on Urban Outfitters, but they're $268. So I was still wandering around web-land, not really planning on buying new boots, but just kinda browsing, when I saw the same boots on clearance for $120 less at Anthropologie! Well, not exactly the same, a different color, but same style. Out of curiosity, I thought I'd check out Zappos, who also has the same boot, and their's were $254.
So I bought them. . . from Anthropologie. They'll take a week to get here, and are more than I ever needed to spend on shoes, but I've learned to treat shoes as an investment, and I think these are a worthy one, at that.
Just enough ruggedness, sassiness, and I think they'll be perfect with thick, warm tights.
But they're leather, you say? Yes, they are. And yes, I'm a vegetarian, and no, I don't think leather is really the way to go. But when it comes down to it, I haven't found veggie friendly shoes that live up to the staying power of a pair of well-invested leather shoes. I have some birks I've had since my pre-vegetarian days (12 years ago!), and some cowboy boots that are 2 years old and still kickin'. But all the plastic-y fake shoes I've gone through in that same amount of time will be sitting in a land fill for hundreds of years, and that just makes me feel sick.

So how about you? What are some favorite shoe investments? Are you a faux wearer or is leather okie dokie by you?

Wolfie and the Sneak are counting sheep?

having trouble sleeping? i hear the girls over at the Sampler have
no problem getting you into bed . . .
with the Sampler Select, that is.
Get your mind out of the gutters, people, and get to gittin' on over there and check it out! A little lost lamb told me they go on sale tomorrow!

I think these shelves are just the cheeriness I need.
Above: Shelves from discarded TVs, created by flickr user Choose Your Shoes.
Below: These shelves by Thomas Wold have been posted on various blogs, but there's a good reason for that, they're just plain awesome. Read his blog for other great products, as well as a brief tutorial on the processes he uses.

I think Louise Nevelson would approve.

Knee deep in dirt

These gray days make me (and keep me) sleepy. Not good for motivation, great for catching up on sleep. We've had 2 days of thunderstorms and expect another 6 days of them out of the next 10. So it's also great for saving on the water bill!
There were a handful of ripened figs on the bushes yesterday, and have since been picked and all but one have been eaten. Usually at this time we'll have about 5 pounds ready for picking, but the unusually late winter frost took care of the early growth, and, subsequently, the first little figs.
After reading Andrea's trend prediction for air plants over on Heavy Petal, I had to order some of my own. Had to and needed to. Especially since all of my overwintered plants were essentially treated like air plants, I needed some low maintenance living greenery inside. I ordered several varieties from Air Plant City (after seeking out the supplier closest to me) and they came over the weekend.
I think I have a nifty display idea up my sleeve, too, but I'll keep it a secret until it happens. Hint, it has to do with this post and the comments I received on it.
While growth is the theme, we have little baby house wrens in one of the guest houses on the property! Why am I surprised? The birdhouse is only about 4 feet off the ground, mounted to a corner post on the fence. There is another house about 40 feet away, mounted on a post about 8 feet off the ground, close to a thick area of trees and next to a feeder. It's a white Victorian style, single-family dwelling that has been vacant for the past 2 years. Maybe I need to put a "for rent" sign up? This house, in a less ideal location, is adjacent to the driveway and overlooks a flower bed I often work in. While I work, the momma and papa visit frequently, feeding the kids and watching me curiously and without the slightest suspicion, often less than 2 feet from me! If you'll notice in the picture, they seem to like the uneven tiles and use them to cling to the house during feeding time. Astounding and trusting little creatures!

pay close attention, we've got a lot to cover here

Holly made a list of affordable etsy prints over on the Domino site. Then Joy pointed out the Botanical Prints also listed on Domino.
With my current interest in drawing flora, this link was a perfect reference point for me. My 2 favorites were Alison Foshee's (left) and Simone Shubuck's (center) drawings. That's mine on the far right, a drawing in gold paint called "Sticks and Stones." Can you see why that link was so exciting to find??


Then, somehow, oh wait, I remember: I googled Simone Shubuck and ended up on Playful Eye. A fun blog with a whole lotta great art. That blog led me to Keep Co., an awesome women owned shop with a conscience for fair manufacturing and animal kindness. Ethics in the business world. Hmmm, novel idea. The hugging tee and the Tobin shoes are my absolute favorites! (Well, maybe tied for faves with just about everything else they offer.)

Dainty Spring Days

I have added a new drawing of flowers to the shop. They're all deemed to have "inferior ovaries." Sort of funny to me, because it translates so differently on a human level.

Terramia. . .such a lush and beautiful blog. Have you been there? I first found it today, a quiet Spring Sunday, and the mood of the blog fit perfectly with the weather and mood around our home.


Other things to match the mood?

A doily inspired bike basket (just under $40) from cb2 makes me want to paint my bike grass green and go to the market. (Not that we have a "market" beyond a super market, but this girl can dream, can't she?)

Life in the 21st Matryoshka Doll Pillow, $28.00, from Urban Outfitters.

Natalie's (Neblo Peklo) new work. Such wonderful lines!!!

a word of advice

Actually, this is to ask a word of advice from you! We all know by now that in this day and age it's hard to create art that is unique and original. Insert post-modern monologue here.
Last year's ReBar Group Parking Meter installation hit close to home and had a peculiarly familiar feel to it. Not that they did what we did with the Affordable Uptown Living installation, but they were similar enough to make me feel like our work was less "edgy".

Then I get an email today from a former Professor, now good friend, with a link to an article about an artist in Illinois. She's a handful of years younger than I am, finishing her first year in grad school. She's doing essentially the same piece I did 5 years ago, coincidentally when I was her age now. It sits a bit uneasy with me for several reasons: one being the simple jealousy that she's getting attention for her work (and a lot of flack from people who don't get it), another being that it takes the "edge" off my work (the pioneering spirit I'd mistakenly let my ego convince myself I might have), and the third is the slightest of slight chances she saw my work on my flickr account (or who knows where else in the world, due to the simultaneous blessing and curse of the internet).

I would imagine it's the same feeling a parent gets when they realize any family photos of their kids on the internet could be, well, abused. No, I'm not saying she took my idea.

Yes, I am asking, how do we deal with these issues in this technological age? This is a time where we're interested in sharing in a hugely public forum, but how much protection can we maintain at the same time? Any words of advice?

I saw this bag in Target this past December or January and uploaded the pic to my flickr as a reminder of how much I loved it. I thought about it for a week, went back, and they didn't have any more. It was $17, so that made a whole lot of sense.
Three months later I was still thinking about the bag, trying to tell myself I didn't need it. Charlie and I saw it at another Target and he said I'd been talking about it so long he wanted to buy it for me! I've had it for a month or so now, it's a little dirty from a happy-to-see-me puppy, but it's perfect for my somewhat transient lifestyle right now.

Here it is with me at work. Inside you can see today's lunch, a commissioned design I'm working on (and actually the cause of yesterday's rant), but you can't see yesterday's mail, and the website notes I have for my soon-to-officially-launch store, and an assortment of accumulated stuff that I need to sort and toss.

Since then, I've seen it on flickr and various blogs, and also read a lot of comments about how others can't find it. Here is a link to search for a store near you. They have another print in the same bag that is really cute, too, with a chair caning pattern . Oooo la la!

For the love of color. . .

Hmmm. . .this red, white and turquoise fetish might be going just a little too far. I bought some slip on Vans in that color scheme and they sent 2 sizes smaller since they were out of my size (errr, ummmm, guys? What sort of rationale were you using?) I can't find them anywhere else, either. Now I'm on a mission. But here's a little color for your weekend!

PS: That anchor skirt rocks my world. Yummmmmm. That and so many other goodies found at Made with love by Hannah.

PPS: Anyone bought anything from Modishoppe yet? 'Cause I might take it personally if you don't take me up on my offer!

Whale of a time

**eta**whales can even be serendipitous!

Perhaps it's that super preppy whale logo polo association? Maybe I enjoyed Moby Dick more than I realized? I am 100% on a whale kick. Especially when I realized there was such a thing as a Bryde's Whale, which seemed perfect for me at this phase in my life. . . still not entirely sure why, still exploring that connection.
All in all, though, here are some of my favorite whale things:
Descriptions clockwise from top left:
Sheets from Garnet Hill, you can bet if we didn't have a linen closet full of sheets I'd be getting a set of these!! So drawerly, so cool!
My newest drawing (are you sick of my shameless self promotion, yet?) Moby-ous Strip
Shawn Creeden's Whale drawing and watercolor
Card (cute enough to frame!) from Art School Girl

Remember when I couldn't remember where I'd read about someone using an Urban Outfitters' bedspread to recover a chair? Here it is.

And one more little game of matching, these stools/side tables:



Happy birthday to my dad! The man who instilled in me the value of design and signs my paycheck turned 64 today. What do you get for the man who has everything?
And just in case he's reading: Happy birthday, Pops! And if you want to pass any hints on about what I should get you, I'll take 'em!

In other news, I think I'd like to put up a new light fixture in the dining room. I made the cover for the kitchen fixture, so I'm thinking I'd like to do the same for the dining room, and I think I want something like this:

Love to love you, baby

In an effort not to bore everyone to tears, I won't tell you about the bags I'm still working on. . . or make you look at a half-finished website.

Here, however, are some gorgeous prints (the Whale Angels are guache) that are astonishingly affordable!

In the meantime, I'm going to sit here and drink coffee, daydreaming of a clean house and time for myself to make art!

Butterflies from Option-G; Smitten Bunny from Little Paper Planes; Whale Angels from The Blue House; all prints well under $100!

* * * {an aside}* * *

I had a trade a while back, and received a beautiful tea cup from someone I vaguely remembered calling themselves "Little Paper Piglet." In an effort to catch up with their blog I found Paper Piglet (no "little" involved) who linked to Sheepdog Print and Design Blog. I, for one, am not going to doubt the knowledge or expertise of any blogger who uses puppy inspiration in their blog title. And lo and behold: it is a blog all about independent designers (women, nonetheless!) running their own business. Chock full of info and the cutest little freebies to print and take!

Shopping via Windows pt. 2

Hubba hubba! Amy Butler has a new e-store open!! Thanks for the tip, Holly!

Windows Shopping

I just stopped by Hoping for Happy Accidents, which I hadn't done in a while, and they had links to Baileys (bathrobe)
and the Conran Shop (bowl).
So much good stuff!
Simple and beautiful.
The Conran Shop is a little pricey, but they're both perfect for deluxe daydreams!

Swedish Meatball Eating Race Fans?

Well if that don't beat all!
Good ol' Charlotte, NC just got a Crate and Barrel right before the holidays. The building is a modern, free-standing, very architecturally attractive building. It is also a welcome point to SouthPark mall, Charlotte's high end shopping district, where Macy's, Nordstroms, Belk, Dillards, Neiman Marcus, St Johns, Anthropologie, Tiffany's, and others reside.
Just as I acclimate to the dramatic incline for shopping choices, I hear we're getting an Ikea up in what's called the University area. That particular area is right outside of Concord, where you'll find Concord Mills Mall and Lowe's Motor Speedway.

She Sells Sea Shells

Not only are Barnacles so very enticing these days, but there are some gorgeous, sea-inspired creations to behold, including Marcel Wander's Sea Sponge Vase (via Silk Felt Soil), urchins screenprinted onto tweed (as found linked on The Glass Doorknob), Debby Jewesson's One Big Shell wool felt pillow at The Succulent Wife, and the delicately gorgeous Roost Glass Coral at Velocity (which is sooooo affordable). When it comes down to it, I think it's the lines that pull me in, the organic complexity and how each piece appreciates the simple beauty of the line. "Drawerly," the drawing equivalent of "painterly," seems to be word of the month and maybe even the year!