my latest obsession . . . abstract photography

i have been kind of obsessed with abstract photography since my college years. i was an art history major, and one of the classes i chose to take was an exploration of photography after world war II... ever since then, i've been completely hooked.

photography is such a compelling medium with a lot of unique issues and advantages. i find it really interesting that it took people so long to accept that photography could, in fact, be more than a recorder of history... it could be art.

i find abstract photography especially intriguing because of the way it challenges people's perceptions and expectations of the world around them. it is almost as if the artist is using the camera lens to force the viewer to see what they see... and it can be beautiful, or scary, or strange. tomorrow i will post about a couple of my favorite photographers, and share some of my own abstract macro photography... but for now, check out these amazingly talented etsy artists:


i am completely obsessed with these absolutely stunning large-format polaroid prints by grant hamilton, sxseventy on etsy. i'm also completely in love with his shop banner... you really have to check out his shop.


i love the sharp geometry and dramatic composition of this shot, of a building in houston. by maritere casillas rice, etsy shop mariterecr.


i think this image has an ethereal but also slightly forboding quality... very interesting. by duncan b. fauvel, ojmjakon on etsy.


this could be a painting... the blurriness and rich, saturated colors are wonderful. stunning work by liasynthis.


absolutely perfect composition by fuetere. only 2 items in their shop right now, but i would so love to see more!

hope you enjoyed my picks... stay tuned for more photography tomorrow!

xoxo,
lesley

light & fashion

check out these gorgeous, ethereal images from mary huang's rhyme & reason project. the garments have tiny white led lights embedded in them... they can switch from battery to outlet power, so they double as lamps when not being worn. photographs by michael sun.







xoxo,
lesley

drawing

lately i've been having this feeling, like my life and my space and my shop are all too cluttered. i feel this need to simplify things.

for some reason, this feeling has lead me to start drawing a lot again. i kind of haven't drawn that much since i left the fashion institute in new york last year... i was so stressed out and overwhelmed when i was there, and there was a lot of drawing involved so i think i naturally kind of put it on the backburner for a while.

but now i feel like i want to draw constantly. i like the feeling of clearing my head and just focusing on one thing for a period of time, and the sense of accomplishment i feel when i look down and see a finished drawing. i've been trying to rediscover my artistic style, and lately i have a tendency toward simple, organic line drawings (like my orchid drawing above). i am planning on designing a whole new line of paper goods based on some of my drawings... maybe soon i'll give a sneak peek into some of my new ideas and inspirations.

xoxo,
lesley

fruits & veggies

a couple years ago on a trip to paris, i passed a paper shop that had these gorgeous sheets of handmade paper made from the thinnest slices of fruits and vegetables imaginable. they were so gorgeous and i really wanted to take some home with me, but sadly the shop was closed.

since then, i have been trying to find something similar with no luck. the other day, i finally found what i was looking for... the key was using the search term papyrus, something i never thought of before. here are my favorites, available from hiromi paper. wouldn't these just be perfect framed and displayed in a kitchen?


carrot


blood orange


cucumber


tomato

xoxo,
lesley

paper anniversary

my one year anniversary was this past monday, and my hubby and i decided to stick to the traditional anniversary gift guidelines - the first year is paper - with a budget of $50. enter shannon rankin, also known as selflesh on etsy. i have been in love with her work since i joined etsy (i included a piece of hers in my winning entry for the poster contest), so i commissioned an original embroidered map collage for my husband. i was so thrilled with what she made, i just had to share...



the top hand is a map of oregon, with portland (my husband robin's hometown) at the base of the ring finger; the bottom hand is a map of new jersey, with mount holly (my hometown) at the base of the ring finger. each of the hands has 9 blue threads (robin's favorite color) radiating outward, symbolizing the month of our marriage (september). in the center is an anatomical heart cut from a map of maryland, with college park (the place we met) at the center. two blue threads, one from each of the hands, join together here, and 22 orange threads (my favorite color) radiate outward, symbolizing the day of our marriage (the 22nd). how perfect is that? thank you shannon, you are amazing!

here are a few closeups of shannon's lovely work.







xoxo,
lesley

providence

a few weeks ago, my husband and i took a little weekend trip to providence, rhode island to explore the city and see waterfire. what we found was a really unique little city that seems to be somewhat overshadowed by boston. if you are from the northeast and haven't been, it is definitely worth a visit. we found some great restaurants (highly recommend citron, right near waterplace park) and shops, visited the risd museum of art, and walked along canals at night serenaded by opera singers with the warmth, light, and smell of campfires surrounding us. here are some of my favorite photos from our trip.

scenes from waterfire...


a few of the many fires, at waterplace park


me and robin, with lights


a row of bonfires along one of the canals - so beautiful!


playing with my camera :)

and some more abstract views of the city...


stairs and shadows outside our hotel


cracked glass and sky


striking shadows and textures outside the risd museum

xoxo,
lesley

another obsession . . . fascinator headbands

so, here is another new obession of mine. bold statement accessories were all over the runways for fall, and fascinator headbands are the perfect way to acheive this look. here are my favorites from etsy:


absolutely stunning butterfly headpiece from whichgoose... if only i had a place to wear this!


lovely fabric rosettes in one of my favorite color combinations for fall... from houseoftelsa


feathers in versatile black and white add a bit of elegance to any outfit... from charmschooldesign


feathered and bejewled headband with lace ties from theheaddown... perfect for that vintage glamour look.

xoxo,
lesley

my latest obsession . . . freddy & ma

i just recently discovered freddy & ma, and let me tell you, they are amazing. they make custom handbags, pillows, and melamine plates that you design from their library of, like, a gazillion patterns. i am obsessed with pattern and color, so i could literally spend hours on their site designing stuff. here are some of my favorites i came up with today while playing around.

arm candy for fall:



retro cuteness for my couch:



black and white baroque for my dining room:



now go over to my shop immediately and buy something so i can start saving up for one of those glorious bags ;)

xoxo,
lesley

adventures with uv resin...

i've been wanting to work with resin for a while, but the precise mixing and the messiness of the whole process kind of turned me off. recently, i found a product called magic glos, which is just like regular resin except there is no mixing involved and it cures under a uv light or sunlight. i really wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between my paper goods and my jewelry, and this seemed like the perfect way, so i bought a starter kit from crafter's cafe.

it arrived in the mail yesterday and i was really excited to use it right away. so excited that i squeezed the bottle too hard, causing the plastic tip to pop out and spill most of the contents of the bottle onto myself and my work surface . . . not a great start! once i cleaned up the mess and threw my clothes in the wash, i started over. i managed to salvage about half the bottle, and was able to make 7 pendants with varying levels of success. here is what i learned:

- coat your paper first with some type of waterproof barrier. i used fimo decorating gel, which was recommended by the creator of magic glos. i found it at joann fabric; you have to bake it in an oven for about 20 minutes at about 265 degrees farenheit to cure it.

- uv resin does not work well in thick layers! if you pour too thick a layer, it seems to cause issues with curing and lots of air bubbles. it is best to apply several thin layers, curing under the uv light in between layers.

- you can use a lighter to remove any unwanted air bubbles. just run it over the surface of the resin before curing. be careful not to get too close though!

- the resin is thick and may not spread into your setting perfectly without a little help. use toothpicks to spread the resin evenly in the cavity and make sure it covers your image completely. for the final layer, use a toothpick to make sure it your image is completely covered, then add a little extra, drop by drop, until you acheive the desired doming effect.

here are some of the pendants i ended up with:

the picture at the top of this post is a selection of 4 pendants that turned out pretty well . . . playing around with different design options.


this one is my favorite! i made it out of the corner of an envelope i received from hong kong . . . they have such gorgeous stamps and i love the postmark. i am keeping this one for myself :)


this one turned out really nicely. i used a section of my gocco printed doily design (also seen on one of my notecard sets). i will be adding it to my etsy shop soon!

i will be doing more experimenting as soon as i can get my hands on more of this stuff, so keep your eyes peeled for new additions to my shop!

xoxo,
lesley

BOGO!!

i made out like a bandit at payless today, and i just had to share. i'm normally not a fan of payless but they have really stepped it up for fall. they have some super adorable styles that are right on point with the trends. and when you can get 4 pairs of shoes and a bag for $88, you know something good is going on! here's what i snapped up:


adorable black patent oxford pumps... such a huge trend for fall!


pretty purple peep-toe pumps (alliteration!) with tie. tres chic, and purple is the "it" color of the season.


and my favorite, victorian-inspired grey booties with button detail... these were featured in september's issue of lucky magazine!


i also nabbed this cute ruched satchel (with is actually a much richer, army green type color in real life) with patent straps. cute and roomy, so it holds all the essentials (and more).

i also picked up a fun pair of buffalo checked slip on sneakers for $11, but i couldn't find a pic on the website. i think i was in serious need of some retail therapy today, so i'm feeling really good about my purchases... and i didn't break the bank!

xoxo,
lesley