Archive for the Things of Beauty category
Collecting: Elephants
by evie s. on April 18th, 2008
I think my love and fascination for elephants started right along with my love and fascination with the country of India. Ever since then, I’ve been collecting them in my travels, and these days, I love snatching up a unique vintage elephant to add to my ever-growing collection. They are by far my favorite animal, and to see them in person is extraordinary.
If you read my last post on Westmoreland glass, you would be interested to know that the elephant bowl in the middle is part of that collection. I saved it for this post since it is so special.
1. wooden hand carved elephant from Cameroon // 2. Carved stone elephant from India // 3. Wooden hand carved elephant from Jamaica // 4. Vintage small metal pillbox // 5. Small hand carved figurine // 6. Metal ornate elephant from India // 7. Small figurine by Monet // 8. vintage green elephant // 9. wooden hand carved elephant from Cameroon // 10. cast iron bank elephant
Collecting: Westmoreland Glass
by evie s. on April 16th, 2008
One of the (many) things I inherited through marriage was my husband’s Westmoreland glass collection. His family collects these beautiful handmade pieces partly for appreciation but mostly because my father-in-law worked in the glass factory years and years ago. Ever since then the family has been adding to the collection little by little with some of the rarest and most beautiful pieces in the company’s production history.
Westmoreland glass was made by the Westmoreland Glass Company of Grapeville, Pennsylvania, from 1890 to 1984. They made clear and colored glass of many varieties, such as milk glass, pressed glass, and slag glass.
Below is a photo of some of the many pieces in our own personal collection.
From left to right:
Blue satin glass candle holder // Green candle lamp // Blue pearlized carnival glass vase // Amber wheel cut candy dish // Charcoal basket vase // Blue satin glass compote
Do any evie s. readers collect Westmoreland glass? If not, is there another specific type of glassware that you find yourself amassing? Please share!
Batucada Jewelry from France
by evie s. on April 14th, 2008
I recently received a package from Ann with Brooklyn 5 and 10. She was so sweet to send me a sample of the Batucada jewelry collection designed in France. The Batucada designs, which include necklaces and bracelets, are inspired by nature and organic shapes. What’s more is that this beautiful product is made from eco-plastic, a material that hugs the skin and is environmentally friendly.
The bracelet I received in the “Hawaii” motif is just lovely. It fits my tiny wrist pretty well too, since it is flexible and adjustable. Thank you Ann!
To purchase, go to the Brooklyn 5 and 10 online store.
What to Do With Broken Seashells
by evie s. on April 11th, 2008
Over Thanksgiving one year my family took a vacation to St. John’s in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was beautiful and memorable to say the least. My husband and I spent every spare moment scouring our private beach for seashells and other treasures. After days of this, we accumulated quite a pile of beautiful shells, some perfectly intact, and lots of broken pieces. While we traveled light on this trip, I think we added about 20-30 lbs to our luggage on our return trip.
Once we were home I looked at all we had collected and thought, “what now?” In my quest to find a seashell DIY project, I found one really good one. So I decided to try out these Glowing Beach Votives, and ended up making one for myself and all the girls in my family.
I love them! It was the perfect way to display all those beautiful broken pieces that I thought would be useless except to pack away and look at on occasion. Here are the instructions.
Materials:
FIMO Soft translucent clay
white or natural colored sand
mini shells, broken shell pieces
round glass votive
craft knife
pasta machine or clay roller
votive candle
Steps:
- Condition clay (with pasta machine or by hand rolling). Make a sheet of the FIMO roughly as thick as cereal-box cardboard (setting 5 on the pasta machine).
- Cut one end of the sheet of FIMO with the craft knife to give a straight cut and lay this onto the glass votive. Stretch and press the clay to lie flat on the glass surface. Cut where it overlaps and press to join. Using a smooth, nonporous item (such as a glass), roll over the clay in different directions to remove any air pockets.
- With the craft knife, trim the extra FIMO from the bottom and top of the votive. Smooth the edges with your fingers to round off.
- Use more FIMO to make another flat sheet that is the thickest setting of your pasta machine. Trim one side of the sheet with the craft knife for a straight edge. Trim the other side in a wavy line.
- Align the straight edge of this clay sheet with the top of the votive and lay the wavy sheet over the first layer. Trim where the sheet overlaps and press to remove any seam. (You may need to trim the wavy piece to join together.) Press this layer of the FIMO onto the previous covering to remove any bumps or air bubbles.
- Begin embedding small pieces of sea glass and shells into the top, thicker area of the FIMO. Press the polymer around the edges of the shells and glass to secure them.
- Pour sand in a pan or plastic bag. Roll the votive in the sand, pressing the sand into the FIMO to secure.
- Bake per the clay manufacturer’s guidelines. Allow to cool. Add a candle and enjoy your glowing beach votive!
For more photos, go here.
[ Via HGTV ]
Packaging Inspiration
by evie s. on April 8th, 2008
Great packaging aesthetic is becoming more and more common these days. And it doesn’t always belong to the power brands–a lot of new kids on the block are starting strong with an enticing look. Here are some of my fav finds from TheDieline.com, the leading packaging design blog.
From left to right:
Mary’s Chocolate with art by Mizue Hirano // Williams-Sonoma Pure & Green Collection // Nusa Kitchen Soups // Sferra 1891 Linens
Calligraphy: A Forgotten Art
by evie s. on April 7th, 2008
I’ve always appreciated the art of beautiful calligraphy. I’ve tried my hand at it many times, but I’m no expert by any means.
From left to right:
Postcard [ Via Typophile ] // 1800s Lettering Sketchbook:Journal 14 [ Via Smashing Magazine ]
For some modern calligraphers, check out B Creative and Anne Robin.
Starbucks and Beautiful Art Go Together
by evie s. on April 3rd, 2008
Whether you like them or not, Starbucks is an empire, and they have some of the best graphics and artwork representing their brand. I came across their new website, Starbucks Coffee at Home and was struck by the beautiful chalk-like illustrations of each product.
The main purpose of the site is to introduce Starbuck’s trademark flavors to coffee drinkers at home and to explore all their coffee blends. It is a fun site to wander through and you can even take a 5 question quiz to determine your perfect coffee (mine was the Costa Rica Tarrazu).
Handmade Books and Bindings
by evie s. on April 1st, 2008
Handmade books are some of my favorite things. While my husband (yes, he is creative too) was attending school at the University here in town, one of his fine arts classes required him to make a handmade book. The result was this miniature creation, entitled The Moon, complete with story and photos. The book is perfectly bound in a cardboard cover and the pages are folded in accordion style.
Inspired by this little book that I rediscovered yesterday, I did a search to find my favorite ideas in the area of handmade books and bindings.
From left to right:
Italian Recipe Book by angelaliguori - Each book is an accordion book structure, with round corner and baker twine closure. [ Via coolhunting ] // Woodgrain and Wool Journal by NightjarBooks - hand bound using reclaimed book board, covered with an off-white, woodgrain-textured paper.
The Owner of the Bow by angelaliguori - Hard cover accordion book // Map Notebook [ Via AliceCho.net ]
Pocket Journals by yellowcraftychick - All the books have been sewn through the middle with black linen bookbinding thread and tied off with a small bead in the center. // Mini Accordion Book by mame*
Textured String Bracelets
by evie s. on March 31st, 2008
I recently made these textured string bracelets from April’s issue of Martha Stewart Living as a birthday gift for my sister. While a little time consuming, the final product is really great. I like that each time you can create a new color scheme and design. One thing I noticed however, is that the instructions said that when you’re done with a color, “Cut the string, leaving a 3-inch tail; thread through a needle. Thread the tail under strings on inner side of bangle to secure.” I found that this was not a very solid finishing step (or simple), because the tail end could easily get loose or unravel. So instead, each time I was finished with a color, I would glue both the end and the beginning of the string to the bangle and start wrapping the new color around the two strands. This made me feel a lot better about how it would hold up in every day wear. It also provides a more seamless look if you are using multiple colors.
I’m sure it’s not the only time someone’s improved on a beautiful Martha idea! It just goes to show you that Martha isn’t perfect after all. I’m a big fan, so she’s still wonderful to me.
To see a larger version of the photo, please go here.
Inside the Artists’ Moleskines
by evie s. on March 27th, 2008
I thought it would be interesting to post a variety of beautiful art found in Moleskine notebooks around the world. It’s amazing the quality of art that can be found in these small sketch books. Enjoy!
From left to right:
Voa! by sebográficos // Moonlight over Oxford by JodyDigger // Exercise in drawing fonts by Ann-D // Pan’s Labyrinth by Ann-D
Carpe Moleskine by Nathanael.Archer // Various Sketch by Sarah King // Pen, Marker, and Pencil by I can’t live without a Poni
To see inside more artists’ sketchbooks, visit this link.