Friday Favorites

Happy Halloween!

Getting ready

Sorry for the sparse posts lately, but we have been hard at work getting our posters in order. Soon you will start to see (and perhaps you'll be helping!) our movie and event posters all over the city. Be on the lookout for them!

In the meantime, we figured it was a good time to remind everyone that there are still tickets available to both screenings of Handmade Nation. The first one on Friday November 27th will include an intimate panel discussion with artist and crafters. We are almost ready to tell you just who will be there, but we can tell you this: they are all fabulous and you won't want to miss what they have to say about making art and craft their life. To refresh your memory, check out our earlier post about the movie.

If you'll be out of town that week, don't fret. You can catch the second screening on Friday Dec. 4th. There won't be a panel, but the movie will still be just as awesome!

Trust us, this is a cool movie, so don't miss the opportunity to watch it with friends and good company.

Life Patterns

Those who spend time in downtown Rochester know that our little city isn't exactly an example in fabulous architecture. We have some beautiful old buildings mixed with a lot of newer, uninspired structures, not to mention the utilitarian ones like parking garages. That's why I was excited to hear about a mural project going up on the East End Garage next to the historic Eastman Theater. Artist Jill Gussow designed a 456 square foot mosaic titled Life Patterns to span the street level facade of the garage. Taking some inspiration from the architectural details from the neighboring theater and also from common trees in our area, she hopes to bridge the gap between the two building styles.


all images from jillgussow.com

This weekend was the beginning of the installation of the tiles. I hope to be able to share some pictures of the mural once it's completed.

Friday Favorites

My Favorite this week is the Recycle Bin Book by Erinzam. This hand bound book is made almost completely of recycled materials, including the hardcover. The pages are comprised of so many different types of paper ephemera, it is almost too pretty to write on. And on top of that, it is beautifully constructed. I just love that little plastic D!

What a fun place to keep your thoughts, sketches and ideas in order.

Hope you all have a great weekend. And speaking of the weekend, if you're going to be in the Syracuse, NY area stop in to see some our (and your!) friends at the Salt City Urban Art & Craft Market.

joAnn

art and craft in unexpected places} the middle east

'Blood' The Middle East

I recently came across this gorgeous video on my internet pal Jenny's beautiful blog. I have a feeling I'll be carrying this tune with me for quite a while. This video is one of those things that makes me so happy to be alive at this moment, right now. So much amazing creativity abounds! Thanks, Jenny!

xoxo Shanna

Where The Wild Things Really Are

The past week (or two or three!) has been Where The Wild Things Are mania. The movie itself is quite beautiful and haunting. It has stuck with me and has been on my mind since I saw it. As wonderful as the movie is however, I still prefer Maurice Sendak's illustrations from the book. I wanted to see if some of his original sketches were around and found that they were. The Morgan Library and Museum is currently exhibiting a collection of Sendak's original designs and sketches as well as first drafts of the story for his beloved book. I wish I could go!


In my search I also came across a past exhibit worth mentioning. Terrible Yellow Eyes took place at Gallery Nucleus and featured original works by contemporary artists inspired by Where The Wild Things Are.

Daniel Matutina

Even though the Terrible Yellow Eyes physical exhibit is closed, it is also an online gallery of work in the form of a blog. You can check it out here. It is really beautiful.

joAnn

Friday Favorites

It's cold. I refuse to break out all the winter gear yet, but it's cold. What to do, what to do.

Then there was the answer. Warm and stylish and so beautiful you almost don't mind the cold.

I have fallen a little, ok- a lot, in love with these gorgeous knits from Fringe.

The warmth of winter accessories but sophisticated enough to wear in October without rushing the season of Fall! Perfection. Now the question is which style and color......

I hope you stay warm, cozy and looking good too!

Cris

Street Team!

We are getting to that time of year again, friends! Time to paint the town with posters for our event. We are but 5 busy women with a small reach. We are looking for some new members to our Street Team to help us get every corner of Rochester covered with our cute little posters. Put them up at your school, break room at work, stuff your neighbors' mailboxes, give them as a favor at your next party.....okay, those last two may be a little over the top, but you get the idea!

If you are interested in helping out, just drop us a quick note to say so and we'll take it from there!

We couldn't do this alone and more importantly, we wouldn't want to! Having all of you involved makes it more that just our own, it makes it Rochester's own.
joAnn

Paint By Numbers

This morning, a few paint-by-number paintings. Why? Just because they're fun.





pictures are linked to their source

Friday Favorites

I've been re-connecting with my trusty old blue typewriter, the one I've had since childhood. Clack clack clacking away, I love how tactile writing on it is, and how I feel so much more involved with the words.
This little print from Michele Maule's charming etsy shop conveys this sense perfectly, and I'm just smitten.
I'm looking forward to typing up some special letters this weekend. Will you?
Karen

Oregon Drive

I found this stop-motion video today from Meli Puli on flickr and thought it fit perfectly with the "travel theme" we have this week! I love the simplicity of this little film with the ordinary structures and buildings against the stunning nature beyond it. Doesn't it remind you of old home movies? So sweet and honest. And the soundtrack is just perfect, isn't it?

See America

I don't know about you guys, but I spent last week glued to the television for Ken Burns' documentary on our National Parks. I sat in awe of their beauty, and was shocked at the struggle that ensued not just to create them, but also keep them intact. It was riveting. I realize now though, that there was never a mention of the WPA posters that were commissioned to promote them. Not only were they providing much needed work to artists during the Depression, they are absolutely stunning.




Sadly, not many of the original serigraphs exist today. Most of what you see are reprints, and a good number of them are new designs fashioned in the original style. You can find all the designs here, thanks to Ranger Doug who has made it his mission to recover all of them and make them available to everyone again.

I love that they simply say "See America."
I for one, intend to.
JoAnn

Friday Favorites

Where we share with you what we're loving in Etsy this week. I am quite smitten with most of the items in Restless Things' shop, but these geometric drawing are have me especially captivated. Shapes like these have been floating around in my head for months, just waiting for the right medium and opportunity to come out. Until that time, these will do nicely! I just love the idea of using old book pages and making them part of the drawing, allowing their character and age to add to the piece.



clicking on each image will bring you to it's individual listing

I hope your weekend is warm and cozy. See you Monday!
joAnn