pin my love on you..

so i think it's safe to say that one of my jewelry obsession's are brooches and pins. i'm not real clear what the difference is...but the word brooch conveys to me an over the top or be-jeweled, pin sprakley in nature pin, i suppose. where as a pin is more subtle, despite it's size. regardless, i have a small drawer full of them both. no lie, don't judge!

i just found allira tee's adorable wood and acrylic brooches (which is what she calls them, so we are going w/ that category.). allira is an artist from new zealand who in her bio on chocosho says...

" At the end of 2006, I decided to start designingaccessories for a bit of fun and as an outlet for my creativity. Mydesigns are quirky and playful, aimed for people of all ages who wantto bring out their childish nature."so far her designs do just that. her brooches are fun and although they have child like themes they still translate as mature. stylish and classic in their shapes, make it easy for them to slip into anyone's wardrobe, adding instant whimsy to an outfit.be sure to check out her website where new designs have been unveiled and promised to be out soon (like the hobby horses!!). also get a load of her triceratops yellow tote, boasting the dino as "the greatest of all time." ummm, hello? doorbell. (a-door-bell. adorable!!)

Andrew Schoultz Compound Eyes On The World..

Last week I posted an installation visit with Andrew Schoultz as he prepared for his show, Compound Eyes on the World at Marx & Zavattero and as promised here are pics from the opening. AND to boot, I'll be posting a studio visit tomorrow that I did with Andrew back in April. You'll get to see back to some of the pieces in this current show that were in progress at that time. The detail in Andrew's show is incredible and as I have said many times before, I hate this word, but truly epic. I took so many pictures, I was like a kid in a candy store, all of the pics from the install and opening can be found on the blog's flickr. You can also take an online walk through on M&Z's website.

Compound Eyes on the World: New Work by Andrew Schoultz opens September 11 through October 23, 2010. Opening Reception Saturday, September 11, 5:00 PM.

thankfully, theres more where that came from

I was looking through pictures from Christmas last year.If I had wanted to keep my makeup in-tact, that would have been a really, really bad idea.Brace yourself (and your heart parts) for a picture of OBaby on Christmas morning last year.I can’t look at that picture and not cry. This one, either:My teeny tiny wittle bee-bee!! O My Cheeks, where the heck did he go??I so wish I were exaggerating, friends, but both of those pictures just instantly melt my face into a puddle of mommy love + sadness + joy + heart pain. Which translates to tears. Lots and lots of big, salty tears.This? Was my baby with the Christmas tree last year.This is my baby with the Christmas tree this year (he thought that branch needed a teddy bear).{I have no words. Just tears. Happy, yet bittersweet tears.}

growing new piece buy alison sommers..

when i was a little girl, i would get lost in my mom's humongous art history book. often times i would find myself at the hieronymous bosch images. i would spend hours looking and pretending i was in the paintings running w/ the plum headed naked peeps. ha! well, what do you want, i was an inner city latch key kid...my imagination was my bff.

i think, perhaps that is why i absolutely love allison sommers' work. i get lost looking at all the little details and story lines of her wonderfully, intricate gouache paintings. take a look at her latest painting above. there so much to look at and apply meaning and wonder to. just look at that little guy. i just want to hug him and help him grab those berries.

allison tells a bit about the painting on her blog:

"streeetch for that berry, buddy...so, the rats are back once againin my paintings, this time providing moral support for difficult times.(puberty all alone in the woods is, after all, a most difficult time). i've heard it [sic] tell that the aukle birds nearby provide very little supportand only clean crumbs off his face if he's very, very still."

it could light up the room

So, since writing this post about struggling to feel like my new (and underpaid) position is a rewarding one, I have been making an effort to look for the rewards around here. I’ve discovered that there are about a million of them*. I know I have had bouts of frustration about this whole new motherhood thing, but I’m here to tell you that when I’m level headed and the crying has paused for long enough for me to hear myself think, this job rocks.It rocks because I can tell you first-hand how my son has learned so much and grown by leaps and bounds in the last 5.5 weeks.It rocks because I can’t even describe the joy it brings me to see him smile, even if it’s in response to his digestive system. It rocks because I don’t miss a single cooing sound or vocalization (that he’s making more and more everyday).It rocks because I can tell you all about how fun it is when he grasps onto my hair or necklace because he couldn’t do that last week. It rocks because he has been making eye contact with me for extended periods of time which is also a brand new milestone we’ve reached.This is the most rewarded I have ever felt.*On good days. Tough days have only 999,999

Exclusive Video ABOVE..

White Walls just sent over this exclusive video from ABOVE documenting his progress as he gets ready for his show Transitions which opens May 1st, at 7 pm. It's hard to not get excited watching this vid. It'll be ABOVE's first gallery show, don't miss out!

ABOVE X WHITEWALLS MAY 1st, 2010 from ABOVE on Vimeo.

lil sneak peek from know hope..

just sent over some shots of work he has been working on. The pictures in the background are wicked, and I love the use of yarn as a cat's cradle. I threw in some detail shots because after a year & a half I still haven't adjusted the specs on this blog. LORD.