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4/23/2010
Robert Seitz...artisan jewelry at it's best
When I first approached Robert for permission to write this entry about him & his shop, I mentioned that I thought he should be a "rockstar". I was surprised his shop wasn't "sold out".
Robert grew up in East L.A., but left it as a youngster to travel the country...after 10 years, he returned home to share what he learned about living a good & creative life. He brings culture, handmade skills & traditions, and variety to his life and others around him.
Currently Robert has a website under construction, BUT there are some lovely additional pictures of his work in the "gallery" section, as well as the selections from his Etsy site.
Robert grew up in East L.A., but left it as a youngster to travel the country...after 10 years, he returned home to share what he learned about living a good & creative life. He brings culture, handmade skills & traditions, and variety to his life and others around him.
Currently Robert has a website under construction, BUT there are some lovely additional pictures of his work in the "gallery" section, as well as the selections from his Etsy site.
4/20/2010
Zazu Faure/Los Angeles ...handcrafted animals from recycled materials
Zazu's motto is summed up in one word..."repurpose". Using all the little scraps she hoards away, she's inspired by nature, architecture, fashion design, fine arts & misshapened vegetables :D
She uses her scraps like a sculptor uses clay. She sees her job to strip down to "essential" forms & employ minimal moves to convey a creatures characteristics with simple sculptural forms & clean lines, so evident in her Etsy shop.
Zazu is a LA based building designer focusing on residential remodels...as she explains, practicing architecture with a lower case "a".
More creatures can be seen on her Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zfla/sets/72157623898662762/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zfla/sets/72157605755463097/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zfla/sets/72157605755258839/
Please mark your calendars for (2) upcoming shows:
May 15th (LA area), 9am-5pm... Red Rabbit Spring Arts & Crafts Market,
Glendale Civic Auditorium
May 22-23 (Bay Area)... (showing & teaching a class as part of Etsy Plush Team)
Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Event Center
Also sells locally in Sierra Madre at the artist's co-op, Belles Nest
She uses her scraps like a sculptor uses clay. She sees her job to strip down to "essential" forms & employ minimal moves to convey a creatures characteristics with simple sculptural forms & clean lines, so evident in her Etsy shop.
Zazu is a LA based building designer focusing on residential remodels...as she explains, practicing architecture with a lower case "a".
More creatures can be seen on her Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zfla/sets/72157623898662762/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zfla/sets/72157605755463097/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zfla/sets/72157605755258839/
Please mark your calendars for (2) upcoming shows:
May 15th (LA area), 9am-5pm... Red Rabbit Spring Arts & Crafts Market,
Glendale Civic Auditorium
May 22-23 (Bay Area)... (showing & teaching a class as part of Etsy Plush Team)
Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Event Center
Also sells locally in Sierra Madre at the artist's co-op, Belles Nest
4/19/2010
A needed follow-up on Krista Raak's earlier article...
I had tried for days to contact Krista via email, BUT after a few days of my mail returned to me, I thought I would never reach her so I used her website for information and was able to gather (2) pics of her work from a public access source...both of which i remember to be older works.
Today, I received an email out of the blue from her, giving me permission to use some current works (see video above), some more links where you can enrich your senses viewing her many talents as; embroidered jewelry & accessory artist, digital artist, and art doll creator. She has hinted that the on-line work may slow-down just a bit to allow her more time to discover the world of art dolls & couture fashion.
If that wasn't enough, she has a wonderful blog, though she confesses she doesn't have as much time as she wishes to make regular entries.... still check it out. It is filled with inspirations & rich examples of her works to come....I CAN'T WAIT!
Today, I received an email out of the blue from her, giving me permission to use some current works (see video above), some more links where you can enrich your senses viewing her many talents as; embroidered jewelry & accessory artist, digital artist, and art doll creator. She has hinted that the on-line work may slow-down just a bit to allow her more time to discover the world of art dolls & couture fashion.
If that wasn't enough, she has a wonderful blog, though she confesses she doesn't have as much time as she wishes to make regular entries.... still check it out. It is filled with inspirations & rich examples of her works to come....I CAN'T WAIT!
4/18/2010
Queen Size Bed vs. Cal King Size
Lately my husband , John, has had a "metro-sexual" bug up his ass... wanting to paint every room in our house, starting with our bedroom. So for the past 10 day's & counting, we've been sleeping in the guestroom which has the queen mattress we first did the "evil deed" when we first met in 1999.
So this experience has started a mental checklist in my mind of the "pros & cons" of queen size vs. cal-king:
(pro) the queen seems firmer & more comfortable.
(pro) the king is a sleep number bed so i can adjust it firmer.
(pro) the queen bedding is so soft & fluffy & warm.
(con) the king bedspread smells slightly of kitty pee...a gift from 'stella'.
(pro) the queen only allows space for one cat to sleep with us.
(con) the king allows for all the cats to sleep with us BUT the terriory fight in the morning is scary.
(pro) for some reason, john doesn't steal the queen size blankets.
.......BUT when all is added up, (2) basic 'truths' come out:
(1) though the queen size was more than ample when John & I were flexible, lean, & world-class acrobatic practictioners, the queen was sorely lacking space for us now.
(2) my sleep number has grown from 35 to 60 in 11 years.... in 10 years, i'll be buying our bed from "Posture Pedic Cement" bed company.
So this experience has started a mental checklist in my mind of the "pros & cons" of queen size vs. cal-king:
(pro) the queen seems firmer & more comfortable.
(pro) the king is a sleep number bed so i can adjust it firmer.
(pro) the queen bedding is so soft & fluffy & warm.
(con) the king bedspread smells slightly of kitty pee...a gift from 'stella'.
(pro) the queen only allows space for one cat to sleep with us.
(con) the king allows for all the cats to sleep with us BUT the terriory fight in the morning is scary.
(pro) for some reason, john doesn't steal the queen size blankets.
.......BUT when all is added up, (2) basic 'truths' come out:
(1) though the queen size was more than ample when John & I were flexible, lean, & world-class acrobatic practictioners, the queen was sorely lacking space for us now.
(2) my sleep number has grown from 35 to 60 in 11 years.... in 10 years, i'll be buying our bed from "Posture Pedic Cement" bed company.
Krista Raak, one of my favorite websites...
I first discovered Krista's website about 3 or 4 years ago, through a wonderful entry in 'Modish' blog. Back then she was making mainly bags & clutches, decorative cuffs & brooches. She's now added more to her repetoire.
In 2001, she began her journey by embellishing handbags for the most practical reason...she couldn't find one that was suitable for HER eveningwear. After that she started to make these bags for her friends as gifts.
As a former jeweler, she was intrigued by an idea to make jewelry out of scraps of brocades, silks, lace & beadwork. Combining her love of hunting in antique stores & secondhand boutiques, she collects vintage pieces of fabrics, laces, ribbons & buttons...washing them, cutting them into pieces and sorting by color & materials.
She uses her skills in ribbon embroidery & millinery techniques combined with hand embroidery & beading. The connecting thread is literally a reverence to the past eras...Baroque, Victorian, & Art Nouveau . It is not uncommon for Krista to study pictures or old movies where elaborate vintage gowns & accessories are shown with fantastic fantasy flora. Please feed your eyes with her website... and leave wanting MORE.
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