Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Shopping

A few months ago, I purchased some tea towels from one of my favorite shops on Etsy, Jane Ormes. Jane is a British artist who does wonderful silk screened prints and other items. I love the colors, whimsical animals and really, everything about them. Much too nice to actually use.
Near my house is a store called HomeGoods. It's one of those stores that you just pop in for one item and leave with a cartful of things that you didn't know you needed. And the selection is always changing so you have to snap things up when you see them or they will be gone for good. So, I was in HomeGoods last month roaming around and spotted something I HAD to have. It was a large enamelware pot with a pattern designed by a mid-century designer David Parsons. And then I spotted another, with a pattern designed by mid-century designer, Sylvia Chalmers. I couldn't grab the pots fast enough. I looked around some more and found a tin string dispenser and a clothespin bag, both in the pattern designed by David Parsons. I snatched them up. The items were produced by Wild & Wolf using designs in the archives of the Victoria & Albert (V & A) museum in England and even the boxes were nice. Not really knowing why I needed these things, or what I was going to use them for, I bought them and headed home. As I was unpacking my loot, I suddenly realized that they coordinated with Jane's tea towels perfectly.
Pot with "Kite Strings" design by David Parsons (shown with "Cat Trapped in Greenhouse" towel by Jane Ormes). The "Kite Strings" pattern dates from 1956.
Pot with "Palamas" design by Sylvia Chalmerss (shown with "Suspicious Birds" towel by Jane Ormes). The "Palamas" pattern dates from 1953.
So now, the pots display my tea towels. The string dispenser (in the Kite Strings Pattern) holds twine, and the clothespin bag (also in the Kite Strings pattern) hangs in my closet to hold accessories. I call that a successful day of shopping!

Sunday, June 25, 2017

52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 25

This week is another collage cube. I used acrylic paint in the background with a leaf pattern stamp. On top is layered vintage wallpaper and antique documents, a bird stamp that I hand colored, and type stamps.
sides 1 & 2
sides 2 & 3
sides 3 & 4
sides 4 & 1
top

Monday, June 19, 2017

52 Weeks of Collage Part 2 Week 24

Since I was posting pictures from Vietnam yesterday, my week 24 collage is a day late.

I have a show coming up this weekend (the Ojai Lavender Festival) so have been doing some small collages to sell. This tiny collage is done on canvas. The background was painted with acrylic paint and stamped leaves. The floral urn is letterpress-printed and hand colored. I added star tissue paper and a Paris postmark.
collage week 24

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Travel Vietnam: Color and Pattern

My last post about Vietnam - hope you enjoyed the trip!

Water Puppet on display at the Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Thay Pagoda outside Hanoi
Wall detail, Temple of Literature, Hanoi
Hill Tribe fabric at the Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi
Incense at Tomb of Tu Duc, Hue
Straw Masks, Hanoi
Door, Ho Chi Minh City
Pottery, Hanoi
Roof Tiles at Tomb of Tu Duc, Hue
Lantern, Hoi An
Straw Sandals, Hue
Hill Tribe fabric at the Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Travel Vietnam: Traditional Sights and Scenes

Beautiful scenery, ancient sites, temples and traditions

Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi
Thay Pagoda outside Hanoi
Water Puppet Theater across from Thay Pagoda
Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
Champa Ruins, My Son
Tomb of Tu Duc, Hue
Sidewalk Shrine
Temple doorway
Imperial City (The Citadel), Hue
Wall, Ho Chi Minh City
Tomb of Tu Duc, Hue
River boats, Hoi An
Beautiful Halong Bay

Friday, June 16, 2017

Travel Vietnam: Street Scenes

Vietnam is a mix of old and new, from high rise buildings to ancient temples. Walking around is a visual feast - you never know what you will see.
Plants on every balcony, Ho Chi Minh City
Apartment living, Ho Chi Minh City
Open air cafe, Hanoi
Beautiful colonial-era details, Hanoi
Cyclo, Hanoi
On the river, Hoi An
Village life
 

When traveling in Vietnam, you could eat every meal from a street vendor. Every alley had  someone cooking with a few tables set up. Soup noodles, grilled things, fruity things...

Street vendor, Hanoi
 
Mobile shop

 Noodles!

 Sweet seller, Hoi An

One thing I'll remember about Vietnam street life is all the scooters. They are everywhere and everyone seems to ride one. I saw  a family of 4 on a scooter, piggies in a cage on the back of a scooter, even a cow in a basket on the back of a scooter. 


Scooters everywhere!




Thursday, June 15, 2017

Travel Vietnam: People

Children at the window, Hoi An
Young Monk, Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue
Everyone rides scooters
Street Barber, Ho Chi Minh City
Woman, Hoi An
Teeth black from laquer (or betel nut?)
A face full of character
Wedding Couple, Hue
Street Performer, Hanoi

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