Society6 has some of the most beautiful iPhone cases I've seen. Society6 is a fabulous website that features artist's designs in all sorts of mediums: iPhone cases, laptop skins, art prints and stretched canvases. Check it out... it's definitely worth a click through!
PS... The move was a success! We're are pretty much unpacked but are still settling in. Now I just have a ton of decorating to do. Pictures to come soon!
I've been on a huge documentary kick lately thanks to Netflix. This weekend I watched: A Man Named Pearl (recommended by Besotted Brand Blog), Objectified and Art & Copy. They were all enormously fantastic and inspiring. However, one segment from Art & Copy especially caught my eye. It featured a wall art installation at Weiden + Kennedy, an advertising agency most famous for Nike's "Just Do It" campaign.
The installation was created by the students at Weiden + Kennedy's advertising school. The unique thing about this installation is that it's made up entirely with clear thumbtacks. How brilliant is that? I'd love to try this at home except on a much smaller scale and using foam core board instead of punching thousands of thumbtack holes in my walls.
The thumbtacks sparkle and shimmer in the light and create a beautiful backdrop. Plus the sentiment is pretty awesome as well.
Here's the video of its creation that took over 351 hours to create. I love how they started off by pushing each tack in by hand but eventually switched to a retrofitted screwdriver. Ouch, those thumbs must have hurt!
And I'm obsessed by artist Holton Rowers creative process in creating these three dimensional sculptures. Click here to watch the fascinating video. (Found via Octavia & Brown.)
Top two photos by Honestly...WTF, bottom two photos by Holton Rower
...from your desk! Have you seen Art Project by Google? It's a brilliant website that lets you tour museums using Google street view and then you can view selected pieces of art with an amazing level of zoom. Google claims that you can get closer to a painting here than in real life.
The Princess from the Land of Porcelain by one of my favorite artists, James Abbott McNeill Whistler
I was an Art History major in college so this brings back so many memories of trips to The Met and The Frick. I remember seeing Van Gogh's Two Cypresses in person after studying it for years and it was a life changing moment. The texture is absolutely incredible and it's something that you cannot even get a grasp of from the photographs. But now, with Google Art Project you can see that texture. All you need to do is just zoom in.
Did you know this is what a star looks like from The Starry Night? Fascinating, right?
The Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh
Of course, the real thing is best, but if you can't hop on a flight to Amsterdam this would probably be the second best way to tour the Van Gogh Museum. Be sure to check out the visitor guide, which gives a helpful tutorial on how to use the site. And also check out this interesting Behind the Scenes video on how they were able to encapsulate all this art. Enjoy!
I'm fascinated with these miniature sculptures by artist, Dalton Ghetti. His works are made from tips of pencils... absolutely incredible! Amazingly he doesn't even use a magnifying glass. See more of his works and read about him here.
I love Nate Duval's ad campaign for Sweet'N Low. I recently saw one of his posters on the side of a bus stop and it immediately caught my eye. The bright pink really stands out and the ads are just so whimsical and happy. Here are some prints from his latest 2010-2011 winter campaign:
And here are some prints from his summer 2010 campaign:
After further research, I discovered Nate Duval has done work for Phish, Spoon and Wilco (some of my absolute favorite artists) as well as Flight of the Concords (where Navy once made a guest appearance.*) I'm absolutely smitten with his work. Visit his website and blog and you can purchase his artwork on Poster Cabaret. I'm partial towards this Nighttime in the City print.
(* Navy appeared in the hilarious Epileptic Dogs episode. You can see a one second shot of him in this video around 1.20. He's sitting in the front row and it's literally for one second. But he's still a star in my eyes!)
Have you ever visited A Little Hut? Patricia Zapata creates beautiful stationery and paper goods. She works magic with paper cut outs and her designs are modern and simple yet very chic. I'm loving her new stationery line:
Gift Tags $7.50 for a set of 3
Crossroads Stationery $12.50 for a set of 4
Weave tea light covers $17.00 for a set of 4
She has a wonderful blog that you can visit here. (And she has some great posts reviewing the Cricut Expressions machine. I always wondered about it after seeing the infomercials.) You'll be inspired by Patricia's exquisite designs.
I've been working on a design project this morning and it got me thinking about fonts. It is amazing how much feeling a single font can emulate. There are:
Anderson Four Feather Falls
Phoenix Sans
Wilhelm Klinspor Gotisch Df
Taglettes
And everything in between. I literally have hundreds of fonts but sometimes I still can't find the one I need. I've been hitting up DaFont (the go to website for hundreds of free downloadable fonts arranged by category, found via Jordan Ferney) a lot today and I'm just awed by the endless possibilities.
But then I got to thinking how hand lettering is now a lost art form. As a calligrapher, I feel fortunate because I get to experience the process of writing instead of just tapping keys on a keyboard. Luckily there are still some people who still cherish it as an art form and continue the wonderful tradition. Like Pierre Tardif (found via oatmeal and cinnamon):
It is fascinating to watch and I have so much appreciation for the skill involved. If you have time, check out his other you tube videos, you'll be mesmerized by the process.
Have you ever tried to find a great gift that was personalized but without the cheesiness factor? It's pretty hard, right? Look no further because Jessica Rust Designs is one of my favorite places for personalized dinnerware. Her designs are whimsical and the personalization is so discreet that it almost seems like a one of a kind piece made just for you.
My favorite is her birch tree collection. I actually gave these mugs to my friend Erin for her bridal shower. Who wouldn't want their initials etched on a tree for forever?! (But in a non-tree hurting way.)
She also has wonderful tea gift sets of city skylines. At $28 each these are unique and affordable gifts.
I'm absolutely in love with her Heart Bowls. The personalization is etched in to the gold a the bottom of the bowl. This might have to be a present to myself one of these days...
It seems like silhouettes are everywhere these days. I'm loving the modern day versions with clean, graphic lines and sophisticated colors that make the images pop.
These cute silhouettes are from Nella Designs. This print would brighten any child's room. For an additional $5, Nella Designs can create a custom silhouette of your child.
This Young House has adorable silhouettes of dogs. A friend of mine recently ordered the print of the lab. At the time Sherry didn't have one for labs but she custom created one just for her. So if you don't see your pooch, just shoot Sherry and email and she might be able to accommodate your request.
The other day I was at work and I noticed this wonderful photograph signed by Elliot Erwitt. I've walked pass that location a million times but I never realized it was there. It was one of those moments when you're caught completely off guard and the image just draws you in. I literally stared at this photo for 5 minutes. Oh my, the expressions are enthralling!
I immediately went back to my desk and googled the name. Upon further research I discovered the wonderful world of Elliot Erwitt.
It's the lighthearted-ness that I find fascinating. The pictures bring joy to the viewer and require an extra pause for comprehension. Erwitt himself describes it best:
“It’s about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what’s around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy.”
My favorite is her birch tree collection. I actually gave these mugs to my friend Erin for her bridal shower. Who wouldn't want their initials etched on a tree for forever?! (But in a non-tree hurting way.)
She also has wonderful tea gift sets of city skylines. At $28 each these are unique and affordable gifts.
I'm absolutely in love with her Heart Bowls. The personalization is etched in to the gold a the bottom of the bowl. This might have to be a present to myself one of these days...
