Penmanship Unveiled!

After a brief obsession centered around finding hand-lettering and calligraphy done for advertising purposes, I decided to apply my efforts to improving my penmanship. A search on Amazon revealed a few fascinating-looking books on handwriting....but this amazing site actually teaches one the art of wielding the pen through various exercises!

From posture to hand movement (fingers vs. entire arm); the proper slant of letters to amazing flourishes (the bird piece to the right illustrates a popular exercise in the late 1800s), the tips and tricks of the trade are illuminated. 

This is certainly a lost art, but one that could be reclaimed with a good pen nib and a pot of ink. Those elegant swirls and tails look extremely difficult....I wish there was a way to capture them with a Micron 08 felt-tipped pen!

The Artist Makes the Medium

"The use of the term art medium is to say the least, misleading, for it is the artist that creates a work of art, not the medium. It is the artist in photography that gives form to content by a distillation of ideas, thought, experience, insight and understanding." (Edward Steichen)

Once again, this time at a friend's recent wedding, photographer Khara Plicanic has managed to capture the most fleeting moments and interpret them in her trademark style. Exuberant, thoughtful and always lovely, Khara's photos are a distillation of the most essential moments in life. I find myself returning again and again to her blog to see the most recently posted shoots...finding in them a small peek at the vast geography of human nature. Somewhat voyeristic, perhaps, but isn't that what photography is--a small window into lives not our own? 

DIY Not?

Handmade Nation, Fayth Levine's book (yes, I have it) and soon-to-be-released film (yes, I will be seeing it) documents the rise of DIY and the new wave of art, craft and design. Full of a vibrant, break-the-rules sensibility, DIY has elevated craft from home ec class to attract a following of hip young women...and given a new meaning to the term DIY. The power of the handmade movement boils down to this: being able to use your own creativity to construct your life. 

Fayth, known as the "ambassador of handmade", attributes her title to a simple fact: "When someone takes the time to document something, she [or he] become the go-to person for that movement." Each crafter involved in handmade is documenting some niche art, from paper cutting to decoupaging to hand-stitching--and those who produce most prolifically are known well within the movement. 

Indie craft is becoming a true cultural force. Shunning mass-produced fare in favor of handmade goods, it creates an independent economy free from corporate ties. And those who are supporting this new economy love the goods, as evidenced by the success of Etsy.com. The mix includes disciplined artisans who have been honing their craft for years to funky, free-wheeling indies whose motto is "it's okay to mess up." 

I heart this movement, which allows me not only to be a part of it; but to experiment, try various mediums, explore my inner creativity, and purchase and surround my family with the work of small-scale artisans. 

The Function of Rope in Allegory

Rope, love...an apt simile. They both unravel. They burn. They bind. They can save. As many functional purposes as one can think of, the two have in common. Rather than compare, contrast and overanalyze the metaphor, I'd rather just share Jack Spicer's lovely poem, "A Book of Music."

A Book of Music

Coming at an end, the lovers

Are exhausted like two swimmers. Where

Did it end? There is no telling. No love is

Like an ocean with the dizzy procession of the wave's boundaries

From which two can emerge exhausted, nor long goodbye

Like death. 

Coming at an end. Rather, I would say, like a length

Of coiled rope

Which does not disguise in the final twists of its lengths

Its endings. 

But, you will say, we loved

And some parts of us loved

And the rest of us will remain

Two persons. Yes, 

Poetry ends like a rope.  

Omaha's Sweet Spots

Finally, Omaha makes it into DesignSponge--one of my very favorite blogs in the world. Polaroid photographer Jen Altman put the city guide together, and it lists many places to shop or visit that are dear to my heart. 

It's nice that people are realizing there's a little bastion of culture right here in the Midwest--and that we're not all about cows and corn. Indie music, art...you can find it all in Nebraska!

My personal Omaha faves are accessories shop Trocadero, clothing store Nouvelle Eve, the Joslyn Art Museum and eaterie V. Mertz. Now, we just need Design Sponge to feature the ever-growing and delightful Lincoln, Nebraska...

The Joy of Estate Sales

My uber-fabulous friend Liz sent me a surprise package the other day containing two dozen or so vintage fabric flowers. (She is an estate sale junkie and should be commandeered as a vintage coolhunter.) The fabric was wired to create the petals, and the whole thing was wired together to shape a blossom. 

Delighted, I set out to make them into something wearable (although they also look adorable in a small bud vase.) The resulting barrettes are a little J.Crew, a smidge Lilly Pulitzer and a whole lot of Emmy & Ivy. 

They would look fabulous with a red or orange sundress....or a crisp white shirt and jeans. All spring and summer fare, for sure...but this is an accessory that cries out for an accompanying season. 

One Is the Loneliest Number?

I'm a little late on the draw for all the furor surrounding the controversial Pepsi Suicide ads, but it's still worth a blog. Today, my copy team and I discussed ads that have caught our attention in the past month, either negatively or positively. This campaign generated a lot of discussion. 

The ad series ran in a German lifestyle magazine, but was quickly discovered and brought to the blogosphere. There have been all sorts of criticisms about the topic, and Pepsi pulled the ad. The question at hand is: how far is too far? Despite the First Amendment, are there topics that should be off-limits--especially in the far-reaching and heavily influential world of marketing?

The concept of a lonely calorie is not a bad one. Little Lonely Calorie could have been brought to life in many more tasteful ways that emphasized the drink's low-cal offering. Say, perhaps, riding a bicycle built for two--alone? Or doing other things meant for two, albeit solo? The execution of the concept is what dooms the ads. Not only is it in poor taste given the morbid subject matter, it's also off-brand for Pepsi. Yet another case of cool creative for creative's sake. 

I love the campaign's coloring, illustration style and typography. The conceptual direction is what's problematic. And the agency, BBDO Dusseldorf, recieved a well-earned hand slap. As AdAge puts it, "Advertisers can no longer hide stuff in niche markets." The Internet makes geography obsolete--there's nowhere left to hide. 

Where The Wild Things Were?

It looks like Spike Jonze is going to take on the children's movie genre with his 2009 release of Where the Wild Things Are. For those of us who grew up on the Maurice Sendak classic, this may seem like travesty--or at the very least, foolhardiness. After all, the book is all of ten sentences long--not exactly the choice for screenplay heaven.

Transforming Max's daydreams into a feature length film will be a feat, even when abetted by master wordsmith Dave Eggers as the screenwriter. And attempting to capture Sendak's magical, playful illustrations with a live action/GCI mix may lend to a troubled interpretation. 

This film critic will wait and watch before making final pronouncements. After all, with the dream team of Eggers and Jonze, could it be all that bad? 

Crown Her, Crown Him

It seems that the newest rage in children's toys/playwear are felt crowns. They've been featured everywhere, from magazines to blogs. Your little one can pop it on, don an accompanying fabric cape, and with a wand, rule the world--at least in their imagination. 

Inspired by all the craftiness around me, I set out to make my own. What does it take? Some pieces of felt, elastic, fabric scraps, the ability to embroider, and a little imagination. I must say I was pleased by how my crowns turned out, but I wouldn't want to make them en masse. Some special niece will get a very royal gift in the mail sometime soon!

Crafternoons!

There's nothing more fun than seeing something handmade emerge from a pile of fabric scraps, glue and paper....unless it's creating that self-same item with a group of likeminded souls!

Crafternoon, the new book by Maura Madden, outlines a fun way to connect with other people while engaging in the creative process. I bought into the concept hook, line and sinker and arranged for my very own inaugural Crafternoon where we will make homemade Valentines. 

Of course, food is an integral part of any gathering, be that a Crafternoon or a Superbowl party, so I must find some Valentin-y recipes to present to the group. I'm providing the paper and envelopes, others will bring the inspiration! 

Maura's inspiration for her wonderful idea is best summed in her own words: "Crafternoon is about being around friends who support your work, who encourage your growing craftiness, and who inspire and get inspired by you...it's about getting pleasure out of the process as much as the product. It's about the contentment you feel when you are surrounded by friends who can see the beauty in imperfection, the pleasure of happy mistakes." 

Look for more about the inner workings (and results) of this first-time event in posts to come! And think about hosting your own Crafternoon (how-to's available in Maura's book!)

Where You Are=Who You Are

I'm always looking for new books to read--especially ones that challenge, startle, or inspire. My current read, The Architecture of Happiness, does all of the above. Alan de Botton's writing is crisp and elegant, and the book explores the role of architecture (and things of beauty, in general) in elevating our intellectual, mental and spiritual potential. Lest you bypass the tome as being too dense to enjoy, here's a sample passage that shows the beauty of Botton's writing. 

"An ugly room can coagulate any loose suspicious as to the incompleteness of life, while a sun-lit one set with honey-colored limestone tiles can lend support to whatever is most hopeful within us...we are, for better or for worse, different people in different places."

Lovely. I'd recommend picking up this book. 

Needlebooks Galore

My obsession du jour is needlebooks (or needlecases as some call them.) I couldn't find any ones with even a shred of artistic flair in any local stores--in fact, the only thing I could find was needles. Setting about to obtain some handcrafted needlecases was a task one wouldn't think would be so difficult. 

After making one of my own topped with a felt flower, yours truly went on a crusade to find some lovelier than I could attempt to create. And where did the treasure of the day come from? A Flickr photostream, which led me to discover Florence Hope on Etsy. Unfortunately, they aren't selling any more of their wonderfully modern needlecases or other felt art, but a girl can look all she wants--right? 

Inaugural Post

I've been hiding away long enough on Facebook. It just doesn't have the capacity to capture the thoughts I have, the treasures I find. So here is my first post. Enjoy the journey with me as I find lovely things, discover art in unexpected places, and share them with you.