THERE_craft

A while back I was invited to write an article for the University of MN - School of Architecture Grad-Student Journal of Design - called THERE. The topic of issue6 was going to be "craft" -- and they were looking to pull together a diverse group to talk about "craft" from a myriad of perspectives. So, I wrote and whittled and edited an article that ultimately seemed reflective of me -- practical, emotional, based on my personal experiences and not very scholarly :) Well, anyway ... I'm excited to share that the journal is printed and out in the hands of real people! I have really been enjoying reading my own copy and am excited to share a glimpse of it with you.

The thick journal/book is beautiful, with a thick glossy cover and nice graphic detailing. For those of you interested in getting your hands on a copy, you can find them on Amazon here.

one of many new photos ....

PHOTO: Christopher Selleck

MODEL: Elle Richards

MAKE-UP: Tai Rosa

JEWELRY: POD earring - sandblasted acrylic & oxidized sterling silver

OK .... ok ....

I think it is about time to admit that I am not able to keep up with my normal-self's workload with this baby growing inside of me. When it was other outside sources of distraction, I could more easily ignore them in order to get the work done or take a quick break to reflect (blog) on the progress I was making. But, when I try to do too much, my body literally will not give me that quick break to reflect (blog) ... instead I find myself out cold in an afternoon nap, or worse yet, just sitting ... unable to move from exhaustion. I exaggerate a little - but really only a little.



With this blog, I've tried to keep it as much about my work, creative process and business-related events as possible. But again, my hormones have pulled much of my mental focus to more motherly concerns. My first born is a kindergartner - his first time in a structured social environment since he was born (no daycare, no preschool) which means it is also the first time that I've really had to start letting go. I experienced the initial twang of emotion on those first days of school and I've worried my fair share about how he would do socially, would he find friends, what if someone was mean to him etc. Generally my concern has been for not. He is adjusting so beautifully that I couldn't be more proud.



I mention these things here, now - because I believe that design and creativity stems from one's own experiences and perspective. Even in the most accessible design, there is something of the designer's person contained within it. I am trying to keep this perspective right now and hope to be fabulously surprised by the content and direction that will come from this period of time.

One of the things that fascinates me most about design is the amazing power that even the smallest variables can have on a finished piece. Architecture is BIG and there are so many decisions to make. While the number of design decisions diminishes when you consider the scale of a piece of jewelry or personal accessory, the impact of each move does not. I have been revisiting some old ideas -- back-tracking up the path, if you will -- in order to bring new life to certain pieces in my collection for Fall & Winter. The differences are subtle but they present a completely different perspective ... of maturity and growth and warmth.

WINTER 2010/11: wood, sandblasted acrylic, oxidized silver, rich colors of wool and leather.

where have i been???

Well, I have certainly have taken a hiatus from this blog, and I apologize to those of you who have checked-up on me in the past couple months with nothing reported. And to those who have forgotten, I hope you'll somehow discover that I am back.

My time away has been well spent on a few house projects, a bit of nesting, some gardening, mothering my almost 5-year old who will start school this fall ... and with a whole bunch of napping. My body has needed extra sleep the last 3months to make energy for the new little one that is growing inside my belly. Yes! - I am pregnant and we are expecting a new baby around the 4th of January. We are all so excited. Luckily my Spring schedule was light enough to accommodate the sleep! But, I have entered my second trimester and the energy and motivation is all coming back to me and I have quite a few new things to share with you in the coming weeks. But, I thought I would take this first post to share some pics of the mini house-projects I've completed.
First project that I tackled back in April was to paint the "walls"of our exterior "dining room" (patio) a dark-dark almost-black grey. I painted far wall as well as the large window to the left -- they're somewhat hard to see because they recede back given that they are so dark. I love how it responds to the almost black bricks of the sunken dining area - pulling the defining lines up from the ground onto the walls of the house. >> My husband then continued upgrading our outdoor space by creating this awesome pea-gravel sitting area ... as well as a gravel-pit play area for our son back by the garden.

The next project was a one-day face-lift of our entry way. I completed all the work myself in about 6 hours (actually brought me back to my IKEA days!) -- I started by pulling some carpet tiles from the basement laundry room and then laid & cut them to fit wall to wall in the entry. I then covered the carpet with plastic, while I (removed the TRONES bins from the wall and) painted the walls. This color is the same color as the exterior walls and our front door, so there is a visual consistency that I've started to carry throughout our house.

And most recently........ we've swapped my son's room and the guest room, to allow for the kiddos to share a room come the new year. Major nesting tendencies caused me to take the project on now, and with the help of my mother, we painted both rooms and switched all the furniture around in 2 days! I again carried the same color from the entry, patio area and all exterior doors into the kids' room by painting the wall behind the awesome built-in that came with the house. I actually tried the golden yellow that had been in my son's old room, as well as a royal blue color before settling on the dark "Night fall" by Benjamin Moore. It grounds the room. I'll be sure to post updates in a few months when I set-up the crib - so you can see how the room will adapt.

So....there it is. And here it is - my blog renewed. Thanks for reading!

Summer of Dresses

Every morning I open my email box and click on my Poppfizzdaily installment. Today they were featuring the blog Summer of Dresses and so of course I went over to check it out and LOOK what/who I found!!! An adorable picture of Nicky wearing a cute little black dress and the necklace that I made custom for her!!! Ah! Loving it! (loving the site and concept, too!)

VOLTAGE 2010

I had a blast at Voltage this year. Working with Elena Mercurio was so much fun and the process really proved to be inspiring for me. I thought it might be fun to share the collages that I put together for each of the 9 looks that walked the runway - paired with photos from the night (thanks to Stephanie Colgan, Rod Hasse and DigitalCrushPhotography) I hope you enjoy them!