Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
11' of cabinets, oh my!
I found a few places that would build my cabinets, but in the end I went with a local company with the best price and better materials. Finally, a place for ALL my supplies: boxes, tubes, matting... Everything! Hopefully soon I'll be able to stop avoiding my office.
My husband used Google SketchUp to make a mock-up. I want to make sure the builder knows exactly what I want. Updates to follow...
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Office
My office has been in a horrible state. I started plastering and then I just stopped. I didn't have the energy to keep going, but I did come up with how I want the room to look. Lots of white! White walls (or maybe light gray), white cabinets and colorful accessories: Watch Me Wall Clock by Normann Copenhagen, Blomus Wire Rack, and vintage spice racks.
Also I saw this kitchen below and I really love the green backsplash. Oh the possibilities...
Monday, February 21, 2011
Mid-Century Monday: Couroc of Monterey
I was out thrifting with a friend today and I picked up this adorable tray with two birds. On closer inspection I noticed there was inlaid wood and some kind of metal in the tray. When I turned it over it said made in California, I then stuck it into my basket. :)
The Couroc Company was a Monterey California company that produced many different types and shapes of trays, boxes, ashtrays and glassware from 1948 until their closure in the early 1990s. Their products have become and remain collectable because of their high quality and beauty. Guthrie Courvoisier, owner of Courvoisier Galleries in San Francisco formed Couroc in 1948. His wife, Moira Wallace was a designer that was involved in designing manufacturing - sometimes even 'signing' her work. Couroc was formed in Monterey an area that held strong artistic communes at the time. Being located in a beautiful part of the Pacific coast had other advantages, Couroc relied on a plentiful supply of natural design elements, especially coral and shells. Couroc's Early Years
During the early years, the artists carefully arranged bits and pieces of common metal items one might find at a hardware store into elements of the design. Items like springs, screws, glitter, safety pins and paper clips were commonly part of Couroc's best designs. The artisans also used pieces of brass and other metals and carefully bent them into shape.
While tastes differ, some of the most desirable trays are the aquatic scenes, mosaics, abstract "atomic" bird characters, Walt Disney Tiki Room and the 1950's Capitol Records Tray. via
Fish
I was in a pet store recently and I saw this really cool fish tank by Fluval. The Fluval Edge pictured above is only 6 gallons, but it may do the trick for small fish. Even if you don't want fish this would be a great water terrarium.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Crossroads Wall Art
I don't think this is a new item, but thought I should mention it anyway. This metal sculpture is sold at Crate and Barrel for $99.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Living Room
Living Room from Mr.Beam on Vimeo.
3D video-mapping experience by turing a white living room into a spacious 360° projection area. All done with 2 projectors
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Oh Floyd
My Etsy shop was on vacation last week due to some printer issues. Lots of black dots and smudges were appearing on my prints, so I had to haul my huge 85lb printer downtown to get it fixed. I get a call a few days later from the repair guys and they were like "do you have any pets". It turned out there was a chunk of fur inside. Thanks Floyd...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Making your own brooch bouquet
On my online hunts for flower brooches, I keep seeing more and more brooch bouquets for sale. They go for around $350 and up and are great for brides that want that vintage look and a sweet memento to remember that special day. If you are feeling adventurous these are pretty easy to make ahead of time, but you will need to start collecting asap! Start hitting up thrift shops, flea markets even relatives. You will need anywhere from 50-90 pieces, depending how big you want it.
There are lots of sites that offer tutorials, some are better than others. I've seen people bundle them together with twisted wire or stick them into styrofoam forms for that rounded shape. www.fancypantsweddings.com had a nice step by step tutorial. Below are more yummy images for inspiration.
Friday, February 4, 2011
New Hallmark card!
I got a surprise in the mail today! Samples of Hallmark cards with my pattern, yippee! The wonderful people at Hallmark grabbed my patten and did a great layout, and the fonts are beautiful. There is also some texture embossing and just a hint of glitter. I'm guessing these are for sale out there, I'll go and check today.
These are part of the Hallmark Mahogany series.
$1.99 (US)
$2.79 (Canada)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Frankie magazine
I had forgotten to mention that some of my vintage brooches were featured in the nov/dec issue of Frankie magazine, which is a really cute artsy magazine from Australia and available in New Zealand. Here's what you missed...
Tell us about your collection?
I collect enamel brooches from the 60's and 70's. I'm really drawn to the shapes and colors of the period.
When did you start collecting?
About two years ago. I was at an outdoor market and someone had a booth full of vintage clothes and jewelry. I started digging around and found a cute little yellow enamel pin. I was hooked right away! That winter, I found another one on Etsy and bought it to wear on my wool coat. Then I had to have one for every outfit I owned!
How many do you own?
I have around 60 or 70 brooches, but my collection keeps expanding. I just bought another one on Ebay, it should be arriving shortly!
What’s your favourite?
Currently my favorite is the red and white leaf Coro brooch (shown in the bottom left corner of the photograph.) I'm mostly fond of brooches that are abstract, which seem to be harder to find.
What was the least expensive?
Very cheap: $0.50 (US.) Thrift shops and flea markets seem to always have the best deals.
What was the most expensive?
The most expensive was the Coro brooch I mentioned above, which was purchased on Etsy for $18. There is not a lot of consistency in pricing: the same brooch could be $8 in one shop and $25 in another. I could have waited to find this particular brooch for less money, but I had never seen one like it for sale, so I pounced. I'm glad I did, too, because I still haven't seen another one for sale.
Where do you find them?
I find them at flea markets, thrift stores, Etsy and eBay.
Have you been given any for a present?
No, but I'm not surprised: I'm very particular about which ones I like. They have to be just right for my collection.
Will you keep collecting?
I probably will. I have slowed down in the past, but never fully stopped. I actually just started up looking for them again after losing interest for a while. They just bring me a lot of joy, and hunting for them is too much fun to stop.
Where do you keep them?
Currently I keep most of my favorites in a large orange tray, but I have many more scattered around my home.
Do people comment on your collection?
Yes. Someone once said the collection looks like candy!
Do you collect anything else?
When I was younger I collected everything under the sun. Today I try and keep my inner hoarder at bay and I just collect brooches and vintage china tea sets and plates from the 1960's and 70's. Like with the brooches, I'm very particular about which china I like, so I only collect red and orange pieces in a very specific design range.
Check my brooch flickr group! http://www.flickr.com/groups/1220407@N20/
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Modern bull art
I picked up a vintage replica of Picasso's Guernica at a flea market for a few dollars awhile back and now I find myself picking up bull artwork. I just nabbed this cute bronze colored bull sculpture below on Etsy. I can't wait to find him a home.
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