Mass Production Baby

All of this week I've been sewing away, working on my line of handbags. I am "mass producing" my bags (meaning I make just a few a week which is far more than I've done before) I have always made one of a kind pieces, but now that I need to start looking more into selling wholesale, I need to start cranking them out. Here is one that I just finished. It took about 10 hours to make because there is such detailed handwork involved. It's quite hard to duplicate this particular one because it's such an organic process I go through when deciding where to place each bead or French knot, and now I have to copy it onto another bag. I'll get over it.

California

I just finished another commissioned California painting. I love drawing.

Lalla Essaydi

I used to work at an art gallery, and one of my favorite photographers we represented was Lalla Essaydi. To take these photos, she wrote, using henna, line after line of Arabic text. Her work is amazing, and she is a wonderful person. Here are three of her pieces.

Renegade Craft Fair

The Brooklyn Renegade Craft applications just went up and I'm excited because I think I'm going to apply to them. I've only done the summer Chicago and the Holiday Fair in Chicago, and I think it's time to branch out. Hopefully I'll get in. It's nice to see that they are expanding every year. San Francisco was new last year, and they just added LA.

"Kitschy Silhouettes"

I love these necklaces made by Ball and Chain. Take a look at her site on etsy. She has a whole bunch of these, including a gallon milk jug, a stapler and an anvil. The pieces are hand sawed from a piece of sterling silver. I have serious respect for people who have the patience to do this type of work. What beautiful necklaces!

Sew what

After a very long hiatus, I am back on my sewing machine. The main reason I haven't been using it much is because I'm doing all hand work with my jewelry. I am presently working on my handbags for the trade show, so I get to dust off the old machine!
The two pieces below are done by RavenX (on the left) and Popoonworld (on the right). Aren't they wonderful?

Balenciaga

I feel like I need these gloves today to go outside, even though touching fur grosses me out. They are from Balenciaga's Fall 09 collection.

Lanvin Love

I am feeling Lanvin's RTW Spring 09 line. Here are a few of my favorites.

Here Comes the Sun

I was in Union Pier, Michigan over the long weekend to get out of the city. It snowed the entire time, which I normally would complain about, but I actually enjoyed it. It was peaceful and beautiful, but I still miss the sun.
Makes me think of one of my favorite Beatles songs, Here Comes the Sun. My husband's cousin played a beautiful acoustic version of the song during our wedding ceremony. Here is George Harrison playing it many years ago at the concert for Bangladesh.

Portland Love

I love Portland. I REALLY love Portland designers. It seems like Portland creators have been churning out some incredible work lately. Sarah Seven is my favorite at the moment. I love her whimsical and romantic dresses. I want them all!

Tilly Bloom -Illustration Jewelry

Aren't these wonderful? They are created by a woman named Tilly. She's a Brooklyn based designer who is inspired by anatomical drawings and Victorian literature, among others. This is right up my alley. Her photographs are also fantastic!

Walnut Necklaces

Here are the walnut drawings for the line sheet!

I heart photoshop

I finished a few more drawings for my line sheet. They are so much fun to make! Normally I use photoshop to do boring things like editing images. This is nice and creative and helps me to look at my line in a different way. I'll post the walnut necklaces later today.

Snow Day, sort of...

I am off work again today, two days in a row now. Yesterday it was the snow, and today because of the cold. I am an art therapist at a school for severely disabled children, and it is just too dangerous for them to be transported to school when it is this cold. It stinks that I don't get to make art with the students, but at least I can work on line sheets today. I am preparing for my first trade show in Vegas!!! (The show is called the Pool Tradeshow) Last night I was working on sketches of my line. Here is the first one I did. It's still a rough copy and I have to clean it up in Photoshop.

Embroidery and Drawing

I love sewing, and I love drawing the figure. So here are several pieces I made while studying at The Art Institute of Chicago. Each piece is about 9x12 inches. I used graphite on watercolor paper, and stitched into the paper with red thread.

Jenny Saville

One of my favorite contemporary painters is British artist Jenny Saville:

Holly Stalder

The work of designer HOLLY STALDER is so romantic and beautiful it makes me dizzy. She is based out of Portland and is also co-owner of the very hip boutique Seaplane.

Great Lake Swimmers

Their music fills me with a sense of longing, passion, and a fierce connection with nature. I highly recommend you listen.
My favorites are "Your Rocky Spine," "Changing Colors", and "I Could be Nothing." Here's a bit of lyrics from the latter.

"O water and patience, pressure and time
Cuts through the faces of rocks we have climbed
The army of kisses, the lake never tires
The kisses that can put out all of my fires

You could be nothing without me
I could be nothing
Said the waves to the sand
I could be nothing without you
Without you, I would be nothing
Without me, you could be nothing
Said the waves to the sand
I could be nothing without you"

The video for "Your Rocky Spine"

Small Vanilla Teardrops

When I first saw this vase I thought it was covered with pieces of felt. My eyes deceived me. It's a hand thrown vase created by Deb Babcock. She altered the exterior of the piece with tear drop pieces of clay, and I'm in love with it.

Desiree Dolron

Another favorite photographer of mine, Desiree Dolron.

Fake Uggs and Prada

I know, I complain about the snow and cold weather too much. Yes, I need to move somewhere warm asap, but it just can't happen right now unfortunately. So on days when I slip on my completely ugly, worn out, fake Ugg boots and walk the miserable streets of the grayness and slush that is Chicago, my feet dream of better times.
No, I am not into designer labels for the sake of, well, anything, but I do love art, and when art and a shoe morph together as these Prada shoes from Spring '08 have, my heart melts, and hopes the snow does as well.

True Love

For Christmas I got my husband these two little vases from a great shop on Etsy called annaspots.
They remind me of a favorite Renee Magrite painting (on the right) and also of a knit piece created by Kathy Prendergast.

Speaking of wedding dresses...`

I just tied the knot myself. I chose to pass up the rubber gloves gown, and go for a bit more of a traditional look. I love my dress and wish I could wear it every day.

Searching for a wedding dress?

Many couples get engaged over the holidays, so I thought I would help a few brides out with some bridal gown suggestions. This gorgeous frock designed by Susie MacMurray, entitled "Mixture of Frailties," was made using 1400 rubber gloves. She even threw in a lovely bridesmaid dress as well.