Sometimes, it’s nice to have a project that doesn’t require a lot of precision or concentration. These spatter watercolor trees fit the bill — there’s no frustration, and you still get a great result! I decided to make postcards out of the trees, but they would also make for great art to hang in your home.
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I have always loved silhouettes because of the imagination they spark. When you see vintage silhouettes, it’s hard not to fill in the blanks with your mind and try to imagine what the subject’s features were. The story of how silhouettes got their name is just as fun and interesting as silhouettes themselves. In eighteenth century France, Étienne de Silhouette, a finance minister, took action after the Seven Years’ War by imposing strict economic policies on the French people {in particular, the wealthy}. People found themselves with less money to spend, and this artistic technique of capturing a subject’s likeness was a cost-effective way to get a portrait of sorts created. At the time, Silhouette’s name was attached to anything made cheaply, but for some reason, it stuck with the popular portraits — and thus Silhouette’s legacy lives on {in a way that would surprise him if only he knew}!
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Why a tea bag holder? Because … why not? Tea bag holders are a fun way to send a little, cost-effective gift to a friend who likes tea. The problem with most tea bag holders {if you’ve ever seen one}, however, is they’re cutesy. You know I love crafts, but cutesy crafts aren’t my thing. So: I set out to make tea bag holders that are a little funky, a little chic, and a little ironic!
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Lately, I have been collaborating with a woman on her daughter’s wedding invitation suite. We have been having so much fun going over details and adding last-minute elements like washi tape and sashes. Then, the topic of stamps came up. When I suggested vintage stamp collages on the outer envelopes, she was both intrigued and confused. I found myself trying to explain to her why I love vintage stamp collages, and why they are “in” right now, both for wedding invitations and regular correspondence. I couldn’t quite come up with an answer as to why I like vintage stamp collages {it’s sort of like asking me why I like chocolate — I just do!}, but after some thought, I did form some hypotheses as to why everyone is jumping on the vintage stamp collage bandwagon.
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It’s already February 12th, which means Valentine’s Day is already creeping up on us. Again. Though it was a year ago, it seems like only yesterday that Hernán and I decided to go to the Mexican place in a strip mall to avoid the Valentine’s Day crowds. We run into the same dilemma every year: we don’t make a reservation, so we end up trying to guess where the other Valentine’s love birds won’t be going, and we go there. This generally leads us to a place with a less than ideal atmosphere and/or subpar food, but nevertheless we’re satisfied because we’ve made an attempt to celebrate the occasion.
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