Decoration Time

 Here are the contents of last Saturday's
suitcase up on the trees.

Our cats who are wild two year olds keep us from having a 

traditional tree and because we love them, this is OK.

Someday they'll be older and calmer.

Until then we decorate bunches of
curly willow around the fireplace.

Not the same as a big fragrant spruce or pine,
but beautiful none-the-less.  

Suitcase Saturday

 This is a vintage brown leather train case that

 I picked up at a local swap meet.

 It provides an off season home for my collection
 of small ornaments that decorate a bunch of
 curly willow branches in our great room.

There are many from Wendy Addison's Theatre of Dreams, 

collected over the years.

And other small vintage stars and bells. 

 Soon they will come out of the suitcase and

 be hung up to enjoy throughout  this  holiday season.

More Esty Fun

Also now available in our Esty shop - 4ARTGIRLZ -

These vintage invoices dating from 

the 1890's through the 1920's.

 I've altered them using rubber stampings, cigar bands 

and vintage fiscal and postage stamps.

Over a dozen available, all different - $10.00 each.

 The perfect gift for the "all things vintage" 

person on your holiday list.

Just in Time for the Holidays!

I've added some new art to our Etsy Shop - 4ARTGIRLZ.

Eight delightful clown collages, on 5x7" canvas panels.

Even collaged on the back!

Check out the entire group here.  $25.00 each.

Life on the Coast

Our "pet rock" here in Morro Bay.

From the Bookshelf

I found this fascinating book on my recent trip to the San Francisco MOMA, in their wonderful gift shop. Amazing and hard to put down.  Not everyone's type of eye candy but I love it.  Here's what Amazon has to say:

Skulls, butterflies, hunting trophies, ancient Egyptian artifacts, the alleged skeletons of mythological creatures, and many other mysterious oddities fill cabinets of wonder. A centuries-old tradition developed in Europe during the Renaissance, cabinets of wonder (also known as curiosity cabinets) are once again in fashion. Shops, restaurants, and private residences echo these cabinets in their interior design, by making use of the eclectic vintage objects commonly featured in such collections. Cabinets of Wonder showcases exceptional collections in homes and museums, with more than 180 photographs, while also explaining the history behind the tradition, the best-known collections, and the types of objects typically displayed. Offering both a historical overview and a look into contemporary interior design, this extravagantly illustrated book celebrates the wonderfully odd world of cabinets of wonder.

Theatre of Dreams 2012

We took our annual trip to
Wendy Addison's Theatre of Dreams

 in Port Costa the day after Thanksgiving.

Lots of glitter, lots of colour, lots of magic!

Vintage beauty everywhere you look.

 New Christmas pennants, with a "circus-y stripe".

 We purchased a few presents for special friends,

pick up some letterpress discs and 

a new Christmas ornament.

And what trip to The Theatre of Dreams would be
complete without seeing the shadow dancer!

Open Fridays and Saturdays 10-4

through December 21.

Jasper Johns @ MOMA

 A wonderful stop at the San Francisco MOMA on our recent Thanksgiving trip to see the Jasper Johns exhibit that just opened and is running through February.

A nice selection of Johns' work - many of the number series, flags,targets and his "Seasons".  Also a fairly recent piece called "Bush Baby" that is being exhibited for the first time.

This 0-9, my personal favourite was not there, 

but there was plenty of artwork to see and absorb.

After finishing the Johns' exhibit I went to the 2nd floor permanent collection to visit this Robert Rauschenberg peice Collections.  I could stand and gaze at this piece for hours (and I have several times)and still find something new. For all of us who are mixed media artists I feel this piece is seminal to our art form. What we do is all here.  It's one of those pieces that must be seen in person to appreciate.  The textures, the layers, the colours.  Simply brilliant.

Suitcase Saturday

The Young Naturalist

This wonderfully vintage case belonged to Margot's father.  I used it to create a glimpse into a world of nature and science.  Full of test tubes, specimen cases, bottles and bags,
a vintage 1930's toy microscope, and dozens of examples of flora and fauna.

I even made a small altered book (upper left hand corner) detailing our intrepid young naturalist's adventures and experiences.  These assemblages in suitcases are quite fun to create and I especially enjoyed working on this one.
 

Happy Thanksgiving

A day to reflect on all the blessings we have -

 big and small; past, present and to come.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!