No One Should Have Just One!

Don't these medals look like potato chips? Read all about them here.

Olympic Dazzlers!

Figure skating wouldn't be the same without some glitz and glitter ~ I think that Evan must be crafting his costumes with the BeDazzler starter set . . .

{Gold medalist Evan Lysacek}

. . . while Evgeni must have invested in the deluxe mega super spectacular BeDazzler set. His faux tie and vest have certainly gone from dull to dazzling, just like the ad promised. Craftastic!!!!

{Silver medalist Evgeni Plushenko}

O Canada!!!

{gold medalists from Canada ~ Virtue & Moir}

Congratulations to all of the ice dancers for wonderful performances this evening! If you know me, you may or may not know that I generally root for my sports teams based on the design and/or colors of their uniforms ~ unless, of course, a friend or family member is on the team.

So, with that in mind, kudos to the gold and silver medalists, but what were the bronze medalists thinking? I cannot even bear to post a photo on my blog ~ yikes and yikes again ~ those costumes were either so hideous and/or distracting it was hard to notice the skating! I guess the costumes aren't part of the rating system ~ lucky for the Russians! Designing costumes for skaters would be a great challenge for the folks to try on Project Runway!

{silver medalists from USA ~ Davis & White}

Medal worthy posters

Although I would never be mistaken as a sports fanatic, I do find myself watching and enjoying the Olympics ~ both summer and winter. With winter sports on my mind and another winter storm on the horizon, it seemed like a good time to share some vintage posters with that theme.

I love posters like the ones shown for their elegant yet simple design ~ I suppose they rather romanticize the sport and capture the feeling you have while watching someone ski, skate or sled. I was surprised to see that the posters for the 2010 Olympic Games have a similar elegance to the posters I have shown that are from early in the 1900's. Here are some more examples.

{barrel jumping ~ why isn't it an olympic event?!}

{looks like speed skaters used to be a bit older ~ or is his mustache just frozen?}

{such style!}

{posters from 2010 Vancouver Olympics}

I learned about poster art and developed a love for it while I was at art school ~ I was fortunate to be able to take two semesters of poster design taught by Chris Van Allsburg ~ you can see how it has influenced his work and mine.

Click on the images for sources ~ most of these posters are available as prints.
Enjoy the Olympics and the weekend!

Spectacular Sadie Shines at Westminster!

It's a day to celebrate for scottish terriers the world over as Sadie won Best in Show at Westminster on Tuesday. Read the full article here. Watch videos and catch the latest scoop on Scottish Terrier and Dog News ~ always an entertaining read.

{That'll do, dog. That'll do.}

Bacon Backfires!

With Valentine's Day behind us and no need to keep things a secret anymore, I can share with you my miserable failure of a gift for Dick, my boyfriend ~ well, I should say part of a gift ~ I gave him a book he did like too. At any rate, I've mentioned before about how Dick just loves bacon, so when I saw these bacon beans, I thought they would be the perfect solution ~ cut out some fat without having to give up a favorite food ~ I had envisioned his breakfast as a plate of scrambled eggs, a piece of toast and several bacon beans ~ yum! Alas, apparently they do NOT taste the same as bacon even though they are approved by Mr. Bacon himself!

I still think my choice of the bacon beans was probably a better choice than the soap I was considering ~ the more I thought about it, I didn't think it would be wise to slather him up in the soap and have him anywhere near the scots ~ afterall, they are bacon lovers as well!

Little did I know there were so many bacon themed gifts out there ~ you can try those shown above and more here. Let me know what you think of the lip balm, the dental floss or Uncle Oinker's bacon mints. If you want to be stylish with your bacon fetish, you can get yourself a lovely vinyl bacon belt which should round out anyone's wardrobe. Next occasion I think I will just stick with Mo's Bacon bar or some other gourmet bacon and chocolate combination ~ I have actually tasted a few versions and it can be pretty tasty ~ although probably even more calories and fat than just plain bacon, so kind of defeats my devious plan to remove some fat from our diets ~ curses!

Sailor's Valentines

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would post a few examples of what are known as sailor's valentines ~ these are handmade shell mosaics that were made by sailors for their sweethearts ~ according to folklore. Actually, it is believed that few were made by sailors, but rather bought as souvenirs in the Barbados. The craft originated in the mid 1800's ~ original valentines are highly sought after by collectors and command high prices. Below are just a few examples ~ I don't own a single one ~ although I do have a copy of the blue octagonal book shown.

As you can see, many of the sailor's valentines are made in octagonal shaped boxes. Some include sentiments or photographs. Those shown below with the lilac background are available as kits here.

Here are some contemporary pieces fashioned in repurposed pocket watch casings by Bill Jordan ~ to see more of his work, click here.

Some other contemporary boxes made using shells in a Martha Stewart magazine feature several years ago as noted here.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine Art Show

Here are a few photos from the Valentine Art Show this past weekend at Curious Sofa ~ while the weather was rather cold and dreary, it was warm & cozy in the shop and a constant stream of customers dropped in despite the weather. Only three more shopping days left!

Above are some beautiful letterpress cards and paperworks by TagTeam Tompkins ~ I had to get one of the silhouettes for Dick for his Valentine's card ~ can you guess which one?

{Jewelry by Sarah Elder}

{Photos from Irene Suchocki}

{ceramics from Elizabeth Prince}

{Jewelry from Lianne Donald}

{Lovely paperworks by Lesa Dailey}

Crocheted, felted & loomed brooches and a felted skinny scarf that were some of what I had at the show. I left my scarves and brooches at the store until Valentine's Day ~ afterwards, they will be available at my etsy shop here.

Low Cal Valentine Treat

Thought I'd share with you the treat I bought myself for Valentine's Day ~ low cal and luscious ~ I just couldn't resist. Isn't she beautiful?

Valentine Show

{deep red ruffle scarflette}

I will be participating in Curious Sofa's Valentine Show this year, along with several other talented artists. The show begins on Friday and continues through the weekend ~ visit here for details and a sneak peek. I will be in and out over the weekend ~ please stop by and say hi!

Here are a few brooches I have been working on ~ still have more to finish tomorrow!