Found Friday

The first Found Fridays for the new year

a vase that when I saw it had my sisters name all over it - or the next best thing: pink and green flowers, seen here along some flowers I found on a walk - her favourite hydrangeas which sadly didn't make it until I could give her both.

And the other great finds of the week - his and hers needlepoints although if truth be told we both like both of them. I can't wait to find a space for them in the unofficial needlepoint gallery our garage/office/workshop has become.

Appreciate or Emulate

With a photographer as a partner I am never short of a visual feast. Living with great images is truly a joy.

In Monday's Finding Everywhere you would have seen how living with great pics can be taken to new extremes, and onto anything you could imagine, here are some more ideas on how you can take that great image off the camera, computer or phone and bring it into your home and life.

Ordinarily I would also include here ideas on how to Celebrate, Titivate and Participate but this time I have just found too many beautiful images and pin-spirations so decided to break it up.

I am lucky enough to have access to some great pics but like builders houses never being complete we haven't gotten around to hanging many of my partners photos yet - one of the reasons is we need it to be BIG - the bigger the better - and that takes finding the right wall and the right frame and, well, the funds. Soon though we will maximise the prints and I can only hope to achieve something like this.

Below is a selection of interiors that truly sing because of the great photo print on the wall.

If you are feeling even bolder and more cashed up make it even BIGGER - the whole wall in fact.

The serenity created by the first two is something special but this last one is beautifully whimsical and 70's esq. I am regretting the fact that I once lived in a house in my early 20's with a pine forest scene wallpaper in the foyer and didn't take a photo - memories.

Great photos can truly take you places - even in your own home.

Finding Everywhere

Watercolour has been splashed all over lately. The dreamy effect of colours running into each other is trending in everything from homewares to fashion to full wall treatments - more to follow in this weeks Appreciate or Emulate but for now here is the watery colourfulness I have been finding everywhere

1. The Muse Multi hand painted canvas and suede Clutch available at Down that Little Lane store
2. Beautiful day original illustrated card by Lauren Merrick Illustration also at Down that Little Lane
3. This spectacular Surprise hand dyed tassle necklace from mur Mur via Etsy
4. Bonnie and Neil are amongst my favourite Australian homeware designers, here is their Pink Water Colour Ceramic Plate
5. Scrunch Designs's Watercolour Hand Painted Resin Earrings available from madeit.com.au
6. Bonnie and Neil again - what a bold statement this is for any table - hand screen printed linen watercolour orange table runner 
7. Queen of watercolour splashes - Amy Sia's Ardour Custom Clock for Deny Designs
8. Kavita Kriti Hand painted silk scarf via Etsy
9. Abstract watercolour cushion by Scottish textile designer Fi Douglas through Mildred and Co in New Zealand
10. World Map Watercolors Poster from zazzle.com.au
11. Lily Partoneau Summer Days iphone case from Etsy

Would you splash out on any of these?

Found Friday

I did some good finding this week - unfortunately I haven't managed to capture it all here to show you as I have assignments due and a little person who decided that he didn't need sleep today - ah well an excuse to show you more over the next week/s. In fact a lot of my findings are things for me to wear - spring things - spots and stripes and silk and clogs - bring on spring - so I will have to wear them and show you that way - come on warmer weather you're almost here.

Here are the finding highlights of the week.

Number one is this needlepoint - yes I am obsessed but this might well be the best yet. It caught my eye immediately then I was excited as I am planning a woodlands themed bedroom for the little man when he changes rooms after the renovation (I keep talking about it but it will happen - plans to show you soon if I get my act together and find time instead of needlepoints). After consideration though he might not get it and he may have to share it with us somewhere more prominent as I like it soooo much.

Orange floral pillowcases - these add the zing to the bed I was looking for. I also found 2 of them in pink but that may be a step too far in the girly direction for a room I share with the fella.

I have gathered quite a few of these Nana style coat hangers and I am mad for Poly knit (at least I think that's what it's called and I found a whole bag of it in neon colours a while ago and have a project in mind for it I hope to share with you soon) This though is a very fine example indeed.

Gingham and cross stitch - was there a better match ever made? Yellow and black tablecloth in the aforementioned 'love in' combo needing an iron and a tea party on my dining table.

A favourite find, and one that has been a while in the finding, is this little yellow table - you may recall when I found these little yellow chairs pictured with it, part of a Found Friday all the way back in March - proof that persistence and obsessive op shopping do pay off. I am still in 2 minds about painting part of the top in chalk paint - maybe as a cross pattern so there are 4 segments - and maybe a colour not black hmmm?? I will let you know - I do know that it is already a hit.

Lastly a little sneak peek of some pre-arrangment weed collections from my walk this afternoon - time and daylight have escaped me to show you them as they are now but stay tuned
Happy finding for a fabulous weekend - I am assignmenting and finding second wins and also hopefully inspiration
as I check out some art at the Biennale with friends and family. Let me know what you get up to and if you find anything special.

Scissors - Drawn at 20 paces

Would your drawings make the cut with this stylish sketch diary?

This sketch book from Shelf Life, a company that specialises in products that have a good, well shelf-life, and have been made in ways that minimise social and environmental impacts, is made from different recycled papers including old illustrated dictionary pages.

I need to draw more for my class work and break the intimidation it causes me - I think sometimes we need to use our computers less and get back to scribbling to explore our creativity too. Maybe a beautiful sketch diary like this would help - or would I not want to mess it's pretty self up? Either way I covet it.

Scissors - First cut

Third instalment of Roshambo starts here - scissors. Due to a big class work commitment this week I am going to give this section a little trim - full pun intended.

Here is a first taste - beautifully simple graphic silk screen print of orange scissors by artist Alanna Cavanagh shown here in a photo by Janet Kimber.

This is the first scissors post but it illustrates where we are heading - the beautiful shape of scissors - form follows function - here it's all form.

Paper - Pages

The paper posts are coming to a close and there is soooo much paper related art and craft I could show you but I have to draw the line somewhere however I can hardly do a week of paper without including books now can I? Books but not as we know them.

I am sure you are probably familiar with the recent trend of folded book pages sculptures - like this beautiful image by Curious Details.

Or the others that show incredible carved scenes made from old books.

They are beautiful and very clever but I have found and fallen in love with some works that have taken it just that bit further - they manage to retain the story at the heart of the book.

These amazing works are by artist Su Blackwell - Alice, A Mad Tea-Party and Little Red Riding Hood.

You can see more amazing book scultpures via her website Su Blackwell - and that is where I discovered this mad little moving sculpture video of her work The Merry-go-round. It feels to me very old world european fair ground and I was transported to a vintage european summer holiday in a foreign film where I was wearing a red polka dot dress eating an ice-cream - I hope you are transported too!

Found Friday

This week I have found the time for an FF - unlike last week which was given over to another FF - Ferocious Flu. Feeling better now finally - and it's a gorgeous sunny day.

Here is this weeks favourite finds. They seemed like a little family of finds to me so I snapped them together first.

Donkey - this is exactly as I found him, cocktail picks and all - it was the colours that appealed to me firstly but I also am a fan of donkeys - as you can see via my pin board 'That'll Do Donkey, That'll Do". I am not sure where he will live but I know I can't take those picks out just yet.

Lace and embroidered  hankies - so pretty

Little jars of cuteness. I don't know what these are exactly - they are the size of glitter containers but I found little white lolly type things in one and no I am not trying it to find out. I have no idea what they will become yet, maybe they will just continue to delight me with their colours like they did on seeing them.

Needlepoint house. I think I have been channeling my girly side this week as it is the pale blues, pinks and yellows in this that grabbed my eye. I am building towards a needlepoint mini gallery of my own I think.

A unicorn. I included my sons drawing at first just because I liked it but then I turned it this way and found a Unicorn - can you see it? I am not suggesting he is an artistic child genius - he still eats the crayons sometimes if I am not looking - but his random scribbles are precious to me.

I hope you like my random little family of finds. For me they they all relate and are a reflection of my mood expressed in colour and quirkiness - the sun is shining and it's getting warmer - maybe spring arrived early for me this week?

Paper - Parapets and Princes

Tonight my paper post should really be about tissues as I am going through them like crazy with a savage cold but they are a bit gross - I will keep this short but hopefully still sweet.

Here are some paper worlds to explore, get lost in and rule over. How dreamy

Paper Pedigree

I first came across the work of artist Lizzie Buckmaster Dove in a feature on her sigh worthy home in Country Style Magazine here is a look at that feature so you can be as delighted by it as me.

Her work was some of the first carved and folded book artwork, that seems to be so prevalent now, I had seen and I think it is arguably some of the best. Her work, while not as 'spectacular' as some others I have seen, goes beyond using recycled paper products, including books and paint chips, to make decoration and the works are more narrative with lovely and intriguing surprises.

All images via NG Art Gallery where you can see more of her lovely works on in and of paper.

A History of Flight

On Green

Untitled Cabinet

Cluster of Ideas Essence

Tide Project, Things to be Forgotten, Australia ii

Pause on the Paper

This week I promised would be the Roshambo week of paper but as it turns out I will be away for most of it with very limited access to the internet (not always a bad thing) so I will have to put a pause on the paperfest until the week after next - you may still get some intermittent ramblings and findings.

As a taste of what's to come (and where we have been) here is a little sample. Rock meets paper

Canadian photographer Evonne Bellefleur photographic art prints of paper 'blocks' created by prop stylist Caitlin Doherty. They are available via Bellefleur's store SOTI (something of interest) where she sells art and photography for people looking for art to compliment the design of their space. They are really reasonably priced and you can shop by colour. I think this is great as too often mass produced art to be used for styling or interiors is a little scary and home craft-tastic.

And below - Lydia Kasumi Shirreff's Small 3D objects created for installation in her Animal, Mineral, Vegetable exhibition in 2011. In her own words this 'Half-Brit half-Japanese illustrator / 3D paper modeller....thrives on good-looking minerals and dusty astronomy books' - I will hopefully show some more of her paper works the week after next - until then take care.

Rock My World Day - Art Rocks

Debra Baxter's eye catching 'Let her have her glory' sculpture of Celestite, glass and quartz crystal

Ramon Todo's beautifully juxtaposed sculpture 'volcanic bomb of Mt. Asama' (approx 20cm in size) using volcanic rock and glass

Jürgen Bergbauer's simple and elegant photographic series 'Studien nach der Natur'

The amazing ephemeral and prolific work of british nature scultptor Andy Goldsworthy - I struggled only showing these two and sticking to the theme as there are so many beautiful ones including snow and ice

Edward Burtynsky's Photography of quarries - beautiful ugliness

The muted tones of Danish landscape and architectural photographer Kim Høltermand work in the Tuve series 'A quiet morning with lots of fog at Lake Tuve (Tuvesjöen) in Sweden'

I think you will agree - Art Rocks!