Pippa Caley new pillows!

One last quickie for today - Pippa sent over some lovely new pillows from her collection. All are above my budget, but a girl can dream, can't she? They are made up of hand dyed silks, linens and velvets. They have detailed areas of print and embroidery. They are 30cm x 50cm and are £65 - and totally beautiful! I am partial to the twig imaged ones... sigh! All information right here.

Barbe Saint John "Love Necklace"

BARBE SAINT JOHN -Love Tattooed on My Heart Necklace, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

Just another love-ly heart at the shop -- all profits go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!
Two amazing necklaces by Barbe Saint John, still available! This exhibition will be closing soon, so don't forget to take a peek.
I have been down with the flu here so keeping this short ... more this weekend!

Lark Bunting by Abby Glassenberg

lark bunting, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

A little sneak peek at one of the beautiful sculptural birds coming our way for the March show "Stories and Tales"
The bird was made by Abby Glassenberg and uses the most beautiful tones of grey and neutrals. Her work is impeccable and she is one of thte nicest artists we have met. Of course, we only work with nice people!
I am thrilled about this exhibit as it has a lot of images of animals of all sorts and secret stories hidden amongst each piece.
I am growing my files at flickr (click through the photo) so you can all get a better sense of the exhibition.
More snow out there. Off to shovel!

Go ahead, make my day!

part of my valentines bouquet
Thanks to two kind bloggers Beate and Maralena and for awarding me the "you make my day" award. They both had such kind words to say, well, I guess I did blush!
So the rules are this:
1. Write a post with links to 5 blogs that make your day.
2. Acknowledge the post of the award giver.3. Display the You Make My Day Award logo.
4. Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news.
Of course I am bad with "rules" so I am late posting this as well as doing all the steps. Oh well!
So, here are five of the many many I read which make my day - most everyday. I hope you enjoy visiting them too!
Imedagoze, for her lovely posts on design from her side of the world!
cally creates, for her beautiful photographs in color and not. (look at her white posts!)
juju loves polkadots, for her witty preludes (i love her humor picks)flowing into colorful art posts.
monster crochet, for her wild, mad creative heart which never, ever ceases to amaze me.
bloesem! for the quiet beauty she finds in art and design - and her own beautiful work!

Credenza love!

Well, our trip to a NH craigslist ad proved fruitful! We are happy owners of a fun new piece of furniture for a mere $175. I am not too much into "things" but this "thing" is useful and lovely.
Here it is in our halfway renovated kitchen - note the lovely subfloor which it sits upon. Also one little fun ceramic piece I bought from an Australian etsy shop for myself- a little cat bank, made in Germany. This is our vacation week, so I will be posting lightly here between fun little mini vacation activities and more *snow* shoveling. Yes folks, 90 inches is not enough, we are bracing for another bit of winter madness as I type.
Don't forget to visit the Lovely Hearts section of our shop - the profits all go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

persistence of the wisteria

persistence of the wisteria, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.
for bibbi!
click through the photo to see more snowy steps through our garden... it's been crazy! snow snow snow.

enjoy the weekend!

and the winner is ...

future girl!
Out of the hat of names future girl wins her choice of bird paintings.
Klimt is it. I had begun the painting prior to getting to the Museum Moderner Kunst, in the museum quarter, but upon returning it took on a whole new patterning. I just got lost in the large scale figures of Klimt's that we saw in the Leopold. I love the Hundertwasser house and the idea of no straight lines, but it was Klimt that blew me away. (not that the painting I did have any sort of resemblance to any of his work, but inspired by folk, inspired by...)
We actually went to Vienna for my birthday and to see - hopefully - the work of Egon Schiele. Sadly most of his work was "on loan" elsewhere. That happens a lot to us when we are searching for something. Either way, we had a wonderful time there enjoying the public art, the beautiful buildings and icing like details on the ornate facades.
So, that's it for this morning. I hope that the snow doesn't fly to far and hard today as I am tripping over to Keene to pick up daughter #1 and on the way back hopefully - grabbing a bargin of a credenza I found on Craigslist. $175. I hope it's not disappointing! Cross fingers...

blue skies

let's here it for blue skies!, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

today.
finally.
the best blue of all!
And more beautiful blue here and here and over here! (last one via Imedagoze!)
sun sun sun here we come!

Blue?

All things blue today - even my color, but not my mood... here I am for SPC (haven't done THAT in awhile) in front of one of my favorite artworks by artist and friend, Edibeth Farrington. Encaustic 8x8 called "what up love?" and I love it!

Making hand puppets

chloe's puppet, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.
My children's classes are busy finishing up their claymation videos and thinking about what they would like to try next. Some of the groups will be making puppets.
This is exciting to me - every time they choose this - as I love to make puppets. Some will be large scale, other classes will make hand puppets like the one above.
8 years ago daughter Chloe made this little gem. She took a pair of her old ballet tights and cut them up to form the head. She used fleece for the "coat and scarf" and felt for the hands. Being the glitterglam she is she added the huge sequins for buttons. Her simple drawing on the stocking head was done with a sharpie -(my favorite part!) and the hair was some repurposed fake fur handed over to us by a friend.

As she was just starting to sew at the time, we used a combination of hot glue and stitching for the construction. All in all it stands as one of my favorite pieces of her artwork ...(so far)...

Mug warmers

I know spring is somewhere... but until then I still look for everything warm and wonderful. Like this cozy mug warmer. What a great idea! Found at etsy this morning. The button makes it removable for easy washing and well, adds a bit of dash to the whole design. My hands would love to wrap around something like this during our chilly months! And to think - the maker is from Arizona... go here for more details.

Hadley Hutton

modern peony 8x8 inches $190 encaustic
We have some beautiful new Hadley Hutton pieces now available in the shop. They are so bright and spring like I just have to walk by them a few times each day to remind myself this snow will pass. Hadley's work is highly detailed with much care and expertise taken in execution. The paintings bring the viewer to a restful place looking deeper below the top layer to find more detail below. Each piece is an original and each work a special piece of spring for your wall. Sigh!

Unshaven is cool...

Bearded men -- ooh argh! They are arriving next week from Ashley G. Thought I would give you a little sneak peek of the three: Kristof, Nicholas and Finegan. Popping into the shop very soon for preorder! They are $35 each - with a limited edition of ten prints per bearded man.

Warm Theory

warm, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

In theory, this painting would have been easier to achieve in a smaller scale. It measures 3 x 4 feet and I did this back in 2005 in oil and oil bar.
It was fun to paint.
Guess what I saw that inspired me- in Vienna prior to painting this?
Guess in the comments below and the winning answers will be put into a hat at the end of this week (February 22nd) and I will draw a winner. The winner gets one of my new larger scale bird paintings, painted just for them.
Have fun!

Deer men are back ...

deerman

unusual growths

spider - man!
and they have brought some friends of Megan Bogonovich... Check 'em out here at the shop...
Have a wonderful weekend!

happy valentines day to you all!

happy valentines day to you all!, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

Here are three of seven valentines we made as a group.
add polkadot ribbon and voila!
Hearty Banners!
happy lovey day to you all dear readers!

Vinyl for your wall - by you!

Jan over that fabulous blog Poppytalk, posted a great link to Computer Arts. I had to share as I have been thinking of doing something largescale and hand drawn on one of the walls in my kitchen. (yes, the renovation drags on...) This might be a great solution for that wall. Check it out here.

Stingray Chair

Today is about love... so I am going to show you a few things - yes, things that i love.
I am loving this chair which won the Interior Innovation Award this year in Cologne!
More about that and the Danish Designer Thomas Pederson right here at Fredericia Furniture. So beautiful!

Snow day, shmoe day

flax bread, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios. final pics of bread
click through to see them!

Instead of my whining about the horrible weather .... Let's make bread!
Wisk:
3 eggs
1.5 cups of milk
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/3 cup honey
Add:
4 cups of King Arthur Bread Flour
1/2 cup King Arthur whole wheat Flour
1/4 cup Flax seed
1 Tablespoon seasalt
Knead it like mad. You will know when it is done when it feels as soft as a baby's behind. If it is dry where you are you might need less flour, if it is raining like hell or here, you might need a bit more.
Knead it for at least 15 minutes off and on to your favorite B-52's album.
Let it rise in a greased bowl - (the one you mixed it up in works)
Punch it down and gently knead it a bit. Make it into free form loaves, little breads - (broetchen) or nice baugettes. Heck you could braid them too!
Bake in a 350 oven until they are golden brown- tap on the bottom of a loaf to test the "thump". If it "thumps" it's done.
Enjoy!

February Love

tissueflowers, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.
Here is a sweet little papervase (from our frieinds at Kirkwood printing) and some tissue flowers one of my little students brought in. I paired them up to cheer up the studio today. It's that week of L O V E. The week where people get all cozy and crazy about L O V E.

Actually, I am pretty crazy in love myself, so each day is a celebration, not just once a year!

barbe saint john

But I digress - I wanted to point you in the general direction via some pretty amazing "lovely hearts" we have here on exhibition at the gallery.

amber lavalley

I will let the photos do the "talking" but let your clickty click fingers do the walking to link through to their pages in our shop. Each piece sold will benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. You can help make a difference. There is work from $10 up, from students, artists and crafts people from all over the world! We will gladly gift wrap it for free as well, just ask and we can send it to your own favorite "lovely heart"...

camilla stacey

Please spread the word and help us with the cause while spreading love this month!

cat baumgartner

More birds... more snow

Friday night was lots of fun over at Nahcotta. Lots of great tiny art and loads of artists and friends were flowing around in the gallery there. All but one of my tiny paintings sold at the opening (thank you ladies!) so I am sending over reinforcements. heh. Birds, birds, birds. I have this one above which I think is too large for the show, so it's hanging around with me still, so I thought I would share it with you. It's a blanket of snow coming down on them... or blanket of petals... you choose! (my Illustration Friday on Monday choice)
Inspired by the endless blankets of snow from this winter. Last night the wind howled and we experienced white outs in our drive up north. The sun is peeking through today so life is good. Good bye gray!

Alastair Heseltine Installations

I love a great installation and these by artist Alaistar Heseletine seemed like a great way to start off the week. More about him right here.

Friday fun

distance by maureen clancy over at swampgirl
Fridays are always fun for me, with family plans, weekend hopes and dreams. Today is filled with meeting friends and an opening tonight at another gallery with a few of my pieces... and lots of friends work too.
This week I received an old photo from one of my daughter's friends which reminded me of how living beautifully was apparent even 10 years ago. When daughter Grace was in elementary school she was in the jump rope club. For me, jumping rope is one of the most simple, beautiful forms of exercise. No fancy gear or props. Nothing special to prepare for. Just do it and enjoy. The photo also reminds me of that fearless time in a girl's life before restrictions are imposed
by self or peers or puberty. Such fearless times. In this photo - daughter Grace found beauty in her rope as well, fashioning it into a "belt". We all had a chuckle over that little detail when this photo surfaced. Living beautifully this week has included more reminiscing, but looking ahead as well. Two of three days were spent fully making two paintings, and that for me is living very fully and beautifully. I must add, much of their inspiration was drawn by the beautiful painting above by Maureen Clancy. When they are closer to being finished I will show and tell ...Here's to a simply wonderful weekend for all of you... and do tell... how did you live beautifully this week?

Seen and Unseen - in the news

amber lavalley self portrait

mary bullock moon cradle

adam pearson sculpture and kiosk behind on the left
A big thanks to local writer Bill Trotter for his review of our current exhibition "Seen and Unseen". Read all about it right here at The Wire.

Annika Svensson

Photo bottom: Claes G. Svantesson, top:Per Björn
Oh the weather continues to rage here.In our home we are renovating at the moment, my thoughts have been turning to woodstoves. I was always against them when I had one before, being dirty, sooty and dusty, but now with the real cold upon us they return to the forefront of my thoughts. Our first floor is quite open and in our entry/breezeway one little Vermont Castings or Jotul woodstove would fit quite nicely. Less efficiently, but much more beautiful would be one of these numbers from Annika Svensson - found via the beautiful blog by Bibbi. She was posting about Stockholm's furniture fair and this post dragged me right in. Thanks Bibbi for warming me up! Oh this rain (ice,snow) it will continue ...

Fragiles - Belgium!

with unusual growth -Megan Bogonovich
Well, we endured a wet snowstorm yesterday, with off and on electricity so no posting here at the blog. Catching up today with a new Lovely Hearts popped into the shop - do stop by and check out the goodness there!
I also wanted to point you lovely European readers towards the Belgium exhibition of Fragiles. February 15th to the 24th - Fragiles will be shown at Arne Quinze's Gallery 113 in Kortrijk, Belgium. This is the second showing and new work from the Miami exhibition will be included. Megan Bogonovich's pieces have traveled there with the show and we are thrilled to be a part of the journey. If you missed it in Miami, perhaps you will see it in Belgium!

retreat!

retreat, originally uploaded by artstreamstudios.

One of the new pieces I made for Nahcotta's Enormous Tiny Art Show iii.
Click through the photo to the others. In a set. At flickr. Just some little birdies.
Just had to get that snow shot off the top of the blog!

Lovely Hearts 2 wrap up

Our New England weather continues to mess with our parties but none the less, a few people braved the weather on Friday night to join us to kick off the month of Lovely Hearts 2. For the rest of you - please visit our online shop or stop by to really get a look at these beautiful pieces! Feel free to grab a badge from the side bar too to help with the cause.
Above is a photo of the evening right around 5 p.m. yeah, it was messy!
Thank you all too for the wonderful comments on Living Beautifully. I am looking forward to going ahead with this project. Lots of goodies to unfold this week, so check back. The folders are bursting at the seams here!

Living beautifully

a birthday party long ago in the back yard. three of my friends from elementary school...
Today marks our second Breast Cancer Research Foundation fundraiser- Lovely Hearts 2. I want to thank everyone for supporting this important cause by donating, creating, promoting and helping us out in getting it together. It's no little feat and without you it wouldn't happen. We hope to see you all tonight at the gallery, but if you can't make it - remember there is always the shop to check - it's all live now and going fast! Thank you so much!

**quick addition** another wonderful project going on today is "Bleeding Hearts" by Renee Garner over at her etsy shop. Renee has a piece in Lovely Hearts and is hosting through Wolfie and the Sneak a one day market to benefit the Sierra Club. Why? Right here is the reason. Good luck Renee!

Today also marks the beginning of a personal project I am calling living beautifully. Somehow the shortest month of the year helps remind me how fleeting life really is. So, at the end of each week for a time, I will post a special photograph. A snippet of time, of a piece of a day, a moment. Tell me, how do you live beautifully?