New at CB2

Posted on | February 28, 2008 | Comments Off

I love CB2 but I have to admit lately they have been disappointing me. Things seemed pretty blah and more for the “under 25 I’ll buy this because it’s cheap crowd.”

So when I checked out their site last night I was surprised to find some pieces that were totally cool and would fit equally well in a big kid house as well as an apartment. I think my favorite is the Bauhaus arc floor lamp below. The lamp has a total high ticket price look but it’s only $199. It comes in white as well for a more classic post-modern look. My second favorite was the Alchemy stool, a steal for $129. I love the wood seat against the industrial iron base. To check out more visit, CB2.com.

Category: furniture, lighting, textiles

Paint By Numbers Postcards

Posted on | February 27, 2008 | Comments Off

I am a huge fan of paint by numbers painting. There is something so genuine and authentic about “art for the masses” paintings. The Curiosity Shoppe has a great collection of cropped vintage paint by numbers painting made into to handy postcards. I’m kinda thinking I just want to buy them all to frame for myself. All of the postcards are one of kind so grab them up before their gone. At $10 a postcard they won’t last long. Buy: curiosityshoppeonline.com.

Category: affordable artwork

Henry Road

Posted on | February 26, 2008 | Comments Off

Henry Road just released on their website thirteen new Spring 2008 pillows. The pillows feel innately beachy in the bright happy colors and crisp whites. It’s making me dream of being outside with a warm summer wind and a mojito! All of the pillows picture here 18 x 18 and priced at an affordable $75 each. To view more visit, henryroad.com. Oh and I almost forgot to tell you a little secret about the site. You can buy fabric remnants in sets of six for $12.50. The prints would be the perfect spice to a funky quilt or other craft projects.

Category: pillows, textiles

Crewel-Pillows

Posted on | February 25, 2008 | Comments Off

I am totally jealous of my sister’s new pillows she had made for her couch. The fabric is from a piece my mom picked up at an auction. The pillows are backed in a blue velvet. I guess she has one more piece that I could use. I am thinking maybe a long narrow pillow to go across my bed. I love the pinks and blues in this fabric. So pretty!

Category: pillows

Adolf Wölfli

Posted on | February 24, 2008 | Comments Off

Wölfli is the poster child of the Outsider Art movement. This guy had it all a troubled childhood, a history of abuse, and broken homes. He was institutionalized in 1895 to the Waldau Clinic in Berne, Switzerland, for a third count of attempted child molestation. He was very disturbed and sometimes violent leading to him being kept in isolation for his early time at hospital. In isolation he began to have intense hallucinations shortly after this he began to draw.

With limited supplies using only pencils and notebooks, Wölfli created hundreds of drawings. His work is dominated by a patterning that covers every inch of the paper. The intensity of his work is complex and eccentric. “His images also incorporated an idiosyncratic musical notation. This notation seemed to start as a purely decorative affair but later developed into real composition which Wölfli would play on a paper trumpet.”

Later work that is show here is part of series called “Bread Art: Single-Sheet Drawing (1916-1930).” This group includes drawings he does for others in exchange for plain or colored-pencils, paper tobacco, and so on…” To check out more of his work and learn more about Wölfli’s life, adolfwoelfli.ch. I would also highly suggest picking up the book, The Art of Adolf Wölfli, St. Adolf-Giant-Creation, American Folk Art Museum, 2003, amazon.com.

Category: artist

Outsider Artist-Ian Pyper

Posted on | February 24, 2008 | 1 Comment

I found these great drawings by U.K. artist Ian Pyper on outsiderartist.info. An outsider artist is usually an artist that has no formal training or experience with the art world. Outsider artists usually create art based upon some primal expression that is often times undeliberate and aggressive. They create art that is fundamentally different and often times dysfunctional. What arises from these deliriums are unobstructed visions that create something beyond the realm of any overly educated and trained artist.

I introduce Ian Pyper. A man of few words that creates drawing that are primal and spontaneous. The images seem mystical and exotic. To view more of Pyper’s drawings, click here.

Category: artist

Things I Love-02.23.08

Posted on | February 23, 2008 | Comments Off

Brienna McLaughlin Pruce, Male and Female Betta, $3,000, shopscadonline.com.

Check out things I loved for the week of February 18, 2008. This week I was checking out a lot of art. I guess I am trying to get some inspiration to do some of my own work. See above and below for out what I ripped, clipped, and scoped out for this week. See more things I love by clicking here. Enjoy!