What we're reading...
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
acoupalathings
Hi everyone!
This has been a long week - and I am so looking forward to spending some time off at home next week shopping, researching some new recipes, baking, prepping and cooking.
But before that, I still have a few details to wrap up for the painting project for the wall
above.
We'll get started on painting this project at the end of the month. It is a very cool curved wall created for an upscale salon in this area.
I so wanted to do a Moroccan theme with a beautiful pattern bringing in various earthy colors with a subtle glaze over top. But alas, we are probably going with a Venetian plaster finish in a warm ochre color. Yes, I think the color is a good choice for the dark wood finishes in the space - but I still fancy the other theme better.
And in other breaking news...
I also ran into my local Barnes & Noble this week and spotted a copy of Amy Butler's new book, Midwest Modern
pictured here -------->
What immediately caught my eye in the first few pages was Amy's description of Art & Life.
"I think that in everything we do, in every style of life, there is art to be found. Not just in the studios of talented artists, but in the gardens, homes, relationships, spirits, voices, and fashions of people you see every day."
If you know anything about my creative passions, you can see immediately why that quote resonates with me...
So I'm looking forward to reading Amy's book; and learning more about her approach to art and living.What are you reading?
Love & Creativity
I enjoyed reading a book called Living Artfully by Sarah Magsamen so much that I sent this book to my sister Toni who, with two young girls and family far away, is VERY busy.
I wanted the book to be a reminder to her that having children does not have to mean that you must abandon your own creative projects. I know your time is shared, and your kids will require so much of your attention. That is until just around their 13th birthday when you suddenly become a sheer embarrassment - but until then, just know that your creativity doesn't have to wither away only to be reignited when the kids are out of the house, or after you retire! Creativity can show up in ways you haven't really planned for; and even better, can be cultivated together - which really is a whole lot more fun.
Your creativity is always there - even if you're not actively pursuing your past painting, singing, scrap booking or candle making projects. You might not recognize (or give yourself credit for) the creative muscle you're building when you bake cupcakes for your child's classroom; or traipse through yet another aisle looking for fabric for your teenager's apparel development class; or when you're out collecting scrap wood for a tree house you've planned to build with your kids. Let's not even mention the amount of creativity you need to keep a toddler engaged on the weekends. But nevertheless, your creative skills are there and growing.
So... be open, paint rocks, plant moon gardens, and decorate cookies with the thought that you are building an interesting life and making new creative dreams as a family. And when your kids are grown, they might actually appreciate your creative approach to life. Though they may just confuse creativity with love.
Postcards from the Past
This past week I picked up a couple of good books I'd like to recommend. The first is called Visual Chronicles by Linda Woods and Karen Dinino. The second is Artist Trading Card Workshop by Bernie Berlin.
Visual Chronicles inspired me to create a quick postcard instead of sending an email to my sister Toni. (I used a small picture of the postcard below to cut down on the jokes about 80's hair, goofy teenage phases, or braces.) 
Anyway - to get me to give up email lately is like pulling teeth, but I really liked how Linda and Karen approach creative journaling - they inspired me when they said:
The real news of our lives is not in newspapers. We must chronicle our own adventures and achievements, our brilliant observations and our comic relief, our best friends and our greatest embarrassments.
Bravo ladies.
So, the postcard is not nearly perfect, it didn't take me the balance of the day to create, but instead of buying a card at the store complete with another person's sentiments - I included memories of our high school years. (those I could still remember) - and I'll send it on Monday with a bit of love.
In our next newsletter, I'll share all the materials I used to make it. What? You haven't subscribed?
Subscribe to the newsletter to make sure you get our current issue... The box is on the upper right hand side.
Now... Artist Trading Card Workshop is chock full of eye candy. Like a postcard, the artist trading cards are small, and can be created fairly quickly. The thing I like about this book is that it has detailed techniques that I have not found in other books I've purchased recently. In fact, you can use many of the techniques in larger art pieces - not just for ATC's.
Well that's about it for me tonight.. I'm off to bed!
Have a wonderfully creative Sunday!!!
Lise
Links to books I mentioned:
Visual Chronicles
Artist Trading Card Workshop
Illustrator's Art
I love the Storyopolis Website. Not only do they have wonderful art from well-known, (and some lesser-known illustrators); I especially love the "book bushels" in various categories including Caldecott and Newberry award winning titles. I think these are perfect gifts for all young people.
Enjoy,
Lise
Style Points: Choosing Chairs
Hi all,
I was asked recently by a good friend to define the one item I can't pass up in the furniture store. My answer - a good chair (especially if it's on sale!). Why? Because the various chairs & small ottomans in my home find great uses in various rooms. When shopping, I look for a chair with interesting lines - like this sketch of a chair I found on a random shopping trip. The lines on this chair definitely stand independently from the rest of my dining chairs. Right now I'm using it in the bedroom.
My good friend Karis is always hunting out furniture at yard sales, no doubt you can find very good one of a kind chairs that have curved figure-eight type details on the back or cute curved legs. Chairs like these will give you many moments of sheer pleasure, especially when you've run out of chairs when the game is on in the family room and one more guest arrives!
A few years back, kids from the local high school painted some cast off chairs in very funky patterns for an auction. They each went for about $100 - but imagine the detail and playfulness you're getting, while supporting a great cause. If students in your area haven't offered these up, you can paint your own chairs. This is a great weekend project for you to tackle and art chairs are the epitome of fabulousness!
Be Inspired!
Lise
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More chair links:
Miss Natalie's workshop chairs
Jonathan Fong
The chair as art
I highly recommend this book by Mariette Himes Gomez:
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