Dr Kennedy Jones + JKL Design + Darla Jackson

Another Friday is upon us : ) Do you have plans for the weekend? We are looking forward to some warm weather *fingers crossed* and time with family and friends.

There is a great selection of goodness to share with you today - enjoy!

Dr Kennedy Jones

A love for old books and discoloured papers is what artist Hollie Chastain builds her work around. That, mixed with a fondness for fairy tales and the forest, - and Hollie's talent for beautiful composition and impeccable craftsmanship combine to become the fabulous collection that is Dr Kennedy Jones.

Hollie's store is packed with a fantastic series of prints and original artworks, I just know you'll love...

(images from Dr Kennedy Jones)

NOTES:
visit Hollie's website
visit Hollie's store
read Hollie's blog


JKL Design

I am always so impressed (which seems to happen quite often : ) at how talented people are. And not just talented at one thing, but at multiple. Take Leigh Viner of JKL Design for example. I was completely blown away by her acrylic and watercolour paintings, only to discover Leigh is a super talented photographer too!

Have you seen her work? If not, then you must! take a look:

(images from Leigh Viner)

NOTES:

visit Leigh's store

read Leigh's blog

Darla Jackson

Darla Jackson's sculptures intrigue me. I find them a little bit disturbing, but I cant help but look at them for long periods of time. I know that I would definitely find it hard to not touch them if I ever got to see her collection 'in the flesh'. And yes, I would love to own one - especially the little bunny at the bottom titled "what are you afraid of".

"My sculpture is an exploration of the human psyche in which I strive to show duality of emotions. In order to express these ideas, I use feelings that have been turned into recognizable visual objects, or symbols, and juxtapose them with other elements to create this duality. Through the anthropomorphism of animals, the use of strong body language of figures and the use of symbolism, I can convey my emotions and ideas in a way that is more approachable for viewers. The end result is familiarity with an oddness that makes it compelling."

(images and quote from Darla Jackson)

NOTES:
visit Darla's website
visit Darla's store
read Darla's blog

And the weekend is upon us : ) Thank you so much for joining me here this week, your company means a lot to me. Have a wonderful weekend where ever you may be.

See you Monday for K! xxoo

Intres + Imagine Studio + I Like Pens

A rather eclectic bunch today - all three are completely different, yet all three are completely beautiful!

Intres

I am always intrigued by hand stitching, whether it is fine embroidery or gorgeous felt creations like these ones from Intres.

The Intres collection is made up of a series of impossible towers, castles, trees, brooches and fun toys, each one constructed with care and craftsmanship - have a peek:

(images from Intres)

NOTES:
visit the Intres shop
read the Intres blog

Imagine Studio

Lyse Marion from Imagine Studio has always Collaged. The never ending possibilities achieved from collaging digitally has given Lyse a new perspective and allows her continue pursue her undying need to produce lyrical, evocative and sometimes provocative images.

I find Lyse's work fascinating. Each image is worth a second (third, fourth...) glance to ensure you capture all the detail.

"The lyrical beauty of each piece is well worth your time to see. I hope that they can provide a renewed sense of quietude to your heart, mind and soul. So...let your spirit take flight in the beauty and awe of your own imagination."

(images and quote from Lyse Marion)

NOTES:
visit Lyse's store

I Like Pens

Friends of ours have recently moved to Paris, and it was because of them that I stumbled across this collection of works by Kate Seaward from I like Pens. This 'Travels in Campervans' series partly shown below trips around the sites of Europe - oh, and I slipped in a 'Pop Up' of the Eiffel Tower because it was too gorgeous not too : )

Along-side being a talented illustrator Kate has also opened a fab retail store with friend and fellow illustrator Gemma Correll. Named Cherry Cherry their store is stocked full with a whole heap of goodness from all their favourite crafters, designers and artists.

(images from Kate Seaward)

NOTES:
visit Kate's website
visit Kate's store here and here
read Kate's blog
read the Cherry Cherry blog

Ahhh, here we are kickin' on Fridays' door : ) A fab selection to be had tomorrow - I would love to have you join me.

See you tomorrow for J! xxoo

Hide n Seek + Heidi Burton + Hadley Hutton

Loads of printed goodness today - yay! Three pretty diverse styles, I know you will fall in love with at least one of these pieces of work... take a look:

Hide n Seek

I have long admired the work of Eloise from Hide n Seek. With well over two and a half thousand sales in her etsy store it looks like Eloise's work is admired by plenty of others too!

Eloise's fairytale like images have a kind of slightly darker edge, but they aren't really that 'dark' in any sense of the word - that probably doesn't make any sense at all!!

I do have some favourites to show you below; the second image down 'Envy' and the 4th, 'Seduction'. The last pic is titled 'Mom, this is the friend I told you about' - I love it!!

"My art "game" starts always in pencil. I tease my memories to come out from wherever they're hidden ...and just about when I think that they have left me and faded away for good...my pencil brings them back to life."

(images and quote from Hide n Seek)

NOTES:
visit Eloise's website
visit Eloise's store

Heidi Burton

The work of Heidi Burton makes me smile. Whether it is her 'posters of positivity' like the first three images below, or her quirky illustrations that are full of good humour and good times.

Graduating as a mature student from a hard earned Illustration Degree Heidi had "sketchbooks face-down in the scanner, I had my graphics tablet in one hand and a cup of tea in the other and set about building up a body of work to share. "

I sure am pleased about that!

Share with us...

(images and quote from Heidi Burton)

NOTES:
visit Heidi's store
read Heidi's blog


Hadley Hutton

I think I am going to have to create a special "this artist comes from Portland Oregon" badge to put up every time I write about someone from Portland. As you know - because I go on about it all the time - Portland must be A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! So many creative people come from there - and Hadley Hutton is one of them.

When I started researching Hadley, I learnt something - I learnt what Encaustic Painting is - it is a wax based paint that often consists of beeswax, resin, and pigment. The wax is kept molten, and applied to a surface. The surface is then reheated by a heat-gun or blow torch to fuse the paint together.

And this is the medium Hadley chooses to work in - and it is what gives Hadley's paintings that extra softness - have a look:

(images and quote from Hadley Hutton)

NOTES:
visit Hadley's website
visit Hadley's stores here and here
read here for more info on Encaustic Painting

Here we are in the middle of another week, how is your week going so far? I hope you are well and warm where ever you may be : )

See you tomorrow for I! xxoo

Joshua Gorchov + Good Egg + Jess Gonacha

Today's post is so bright and colourful - I love it! Let's jump in straight away!

Joshua Gorchov

The Shop Announcement in Joshua Gorchov's The Big Black Cloud store reads;

"Some strangely mysterious things have been occurring in the garden behind our house. These are a few of the secrets that I have stumbled upon while exploring. Have a look around, and if you get lost, I'll send out a search party."

Who else wants to visit the secret world behind Joshua's house?? I certainly do!

have a look:

(images from Joshua Gorchov)

NOTES:
visit Joshua's website
visit Joshua's store

Good Egg

I'm not sure if was the crispy apple green background or Good Egg's fab knitting that first caught my eye! I love both! The knitting is exceptional, and a very cool thing about the Good Egg store is that along with the gorgeous knitted goodies you can also purchase PDF patterns to create your own!

Where would you begin? Best go warm up your needles : )

(images from Good Egg)

NOTES:
visit the Good Egg store


Jess Gonacha

I think I would like Jess Gonacha if I ever met her. I *really* like her work and I can tell by the way she writes on her blogs that she is a really lovely lady.

Have you seen her work before? Take a peek below, isn't it wonderful?! I have been sucked into the vortex that is Jess's website - you are pretty lucky that I have resisted from cutting and pasting ALL her work! Do pop over and check out the rest of Jess's work, it is sure to brighten you day ♥

(images from Jess Gonacha)

NOTES:
visit Jess's website
visit Jess's store here and here
read Jess's blogs Jess Gonacha and Pecannoot (all about abundance)

Ahhh, a lovely way to spend Tuesday : ) I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have! More goodness tomorrow!

See you then for H!

F

Hello! Welcome to a new week, I hope you have had a lovely weekend. For those of you who celebrated Independence Day - I hope you had an extra wonderful time xx

It is school holidays here for the next two weeks. I love the school holidays, we don't have to be anywhere, or do anything - but I tell ya, the list the boys have written is long, long, long! It looks like there are some adventures to be had in the next couple of weeks!

I have really enjoyed compiling the collection of goodies to showcase this week, let's get started...

Sleeping Forest Studios

Jai and Lauren Soloy are another fantastic husband and wife team (we've had quite a lot of them lately haven't we?) who work together to create their wood based collection from their Sleeping Forest Studios.

Jai is a wood turner and Lauren is a certified furniture designer and builder - Hows that for a perfect dynamic duo?! And together they create "high quality handcrafted wooden objects in our small but mighty shop in rural Nova Scotia. "

I think this 'Victorian Children Original Art Whirligig' shown below is just beautiful, I can imagine spending many hours spinning that Victorian boy round, and round, and round....

(images from Sleeping Forest Studios)

NOTES:
visit Jai and Lauren's website
visit Jai and Lauren's store
read Jai and Lauren's blog

Fricdementol

mmmm Gocco! Ana Raimundo has the art of gocco down pat. Well actually she has most mediums down pat! - Have you seen her Fricdementol collection?

Ana's body of work includes a fab selection of gocco prints that sit perfectly besides watercolour and pencil works, and hand embroidery/illustration combos - nice!

I have a selection of gocco prints below to tempt your taste buds. When you've finished this first course, pop over to Ana's store for the rest! enjoy!

(images from Fricdementol)

NOTES:
visit Ana's store

Fanciful Form

I thought the work of Lauren Knuckles was too beautiful to pass up and I just had to show it to you... and...its a lovely way to finish off Monday. : )

Lauren's store 'Fanciful Forms' showcases a beautiful mix of hand made pieces sculpted and baked out of durable clay. Her pendents, rings, earrings and sculptures are stunning and I love how each flower petal is so expertly shaped and perfectly positioned.

take a peek:

(images from Fanciful Form)

NOTES:
visit Lauren's store
read about Lauren's success

And that rounds out Monday. Thanks so much for joining me, see you tomorrow for G!

E ye Candy * Part Two:

Thanks for stopping by for Part Two of this E post... Part 1 is below if you missed it.

There are loads of piccys, so let's go!

Erin Dollar

Have you seen the work of Erin Dollar? Erin has two stores - one that sells a fantastic collection of Erin's varied paint and print styles, and the other sells a brilliant range of Bearded goodness...

A nice mixture of images below that showcase a range of Erin's work.. jump over to her stores for more!

(images from Erin Dollar)

NOTES:
visit Erin's Erin Dollar store
visit Erin's I made you a Beard store
read Erin's Things Nina May Like blog
read Erin's I made you a Beard blog

Elle Moss

I am so excited to be ending the week with these gorgeous photographs by Elle Moss. What's extra exciting is that Elle has the most amazing giveaway offer over in her blog.

The Prize Pack consists of:

1 set of 7 postcards from www.ellemoss.etsy.com
1 small print (4x6, 5x5 or 5x7) from www.ellemoss.etsy.com
1 set of 6 postcards from www.alicebgardens.etsy.com
1 small print (4x6, 5x5 or 5x7) from www.alicebgardens.etsy.com

Go and enter!! It is such a great prize, and Elle takes such beautiful photos - take a peek here...

(images from Elle Moss)

NOTES:

visit Elle's Elle Moss store

visit Elle's Alice B Garden's store

read Elle's blog and enter her giveaway

And there we have Friday! Have a great weekend everyone!

See you Monday xxoo

E ye Candy - Part One

It's Friday! What do you have planned for your weekend? We are looking forward to some family time, and a wee celebration dinner as my eldest son is moving up into the next class at school.

It is also the beginnings of the school holidays so no doubt there will be some young lads planning how they want to spend their holiday time!

We are also starting to plan our house renovation, which completely consumes me at times! I love the thought processes involved in designing new spaces - the functionality and the aesthetics. We are also getting to work with our favourite architect who we know will come up with some amazing details. I will post some mood boards when I get around to finishing them!

Anyway.... lets get on with E! This is the first installment for today... keep an eye out for the rest, it should be all up before noon... enjoy!

Esther Ramirez

Esther Ramirez of etsy store Essimar has the technique of perfectly combining colour and pattern down to a fine art. I love the collaged Heart cards that are first up below, for some reason they remind me of floating in a hot air balloon - a sense of freedom, your heart brimming with smiles, mixed with those cloud like bursts of colour - beautiful!

If you jump over to Esther's blog you can find a quick tutorial on how to make Paper Cut-out Heart Cards just like the ones in her store. How cool is that?!

Take a peek into Esther's collection...

(images from Esther Ramirez)

NOTES:
visit Esther's store
read Esther's blog

You will join me later on this morning won't you? I'll be back with the rest of this E installment - see you soon! xxoo

D reamy

A fab bunch today : )

Domestic Candy

I was first introduced to the work of Kerstin from Domestic Candy over at Decor8 way back in March. I noted it in my catalogue right then and there, but it isn't until now that I get a chance to share it with you.

So just in case you haven't had a chance to see Kerstin's work before, it is a very sweet collection of jewellery, buttons and wall decorations, each one created in the gorgeous European style that I love!

Here's a peek

(images from Domestic Candy with thanks to Holly at Decor8 for the intro)


NOTES:
visit Kerstin's store (in German)
read Kerstin's blog (in German)


Doll House Love
By Petit Flâneur

I mentioned Petit Flâneur in Alphabet4 in a post about Blocks. I thought I'd slip in another stunner I found in their store - 'Contemporary Printed Doll Houses' with gorgeous interior spaces - Look!!

The description for their Doll Houses reads:

"Not only for children, these houses are for anyone who enjoys things in miniature form (like me!!) Modern furniture and detailed wallpaper bring these houses up-to-date.Hand-printed, assembled dollhouses include assembled furniture, made of birch micro-plywood. Houses made of plywood. All inks are water-based and non-toxic.There is a choice in color of the top interior room: natural wood, dark orange, and fuchsia."

It sounds just as good as it looks!! check them out....

(images and quote from Petit Flâneur)

NOTES:
visit the Petit Flâneur website
visit the Petit Flâneur store


Bridget Davies

Bridget Davies graduated from Bretton Hall College of Leeds University with a 1st Class Hons degree in Fashion and Textiles. After being awarded the Arms Prize for receiving the highest grade, Bridget Davies took flight and landed in Milan where she taught Fashion.

Since heading back to the UK, Bridget's career has seen her designing embroideries for both mass market production and small exclusive boutiques and collections.

Bridget now concentrates fully on producing her own line of gorgeous hand stitched, appliqued and freehand machine embroidered accessories.

As you may know, I really adore hand stitching. It was Bridget's eye for detail and craftsmanship that really drew me into her store. And believe it or not, Bridget's talents don't stop here, check out the notes below to view her beautiful paintings and prints!

(images from Bridget Davies)

NOTES:
visit Bridget's website
visit Bridget's store
visit Bridget's Art store


We are already heading toward the weekend! This week is just flying by!
Thanks so much for joining me today. Have a great day!

See you tomorrow for Friday and E! xxoo