matouenpeluche

Way cool

I stumbled upon this awesome ring set on Etsy from shop Lickety Cut the other day...Little Red Riding Hood. This is the sort of thing that would entertain me for days. Very nice! There are a whole heap more here too.

Helen Dardik!

Helen Dardik - Canadian artist extraordinaire! Her work makes me feel so darn happy, it's ridiculous! She has an Etsy shop here.  Happy Thursday!

All images from here.

Interview with Nan Lawson

Nan Lawson is surely the queen of cute, quirky, nerdy art, yet she is so much more than that! Her whimsical prints seem to be very personal: they are full of purpose and thought and love. I think this is what makes them such a hit! People want in on the love! I have been an admirer of Nan Lawson's work for some time now, so over the holidays, I decided I'd ask her if she'd do an interview for my blog. Imagine my delight when she said she'd love to! Without further ado then, I present Nan Lawson...

Richie

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hello! My name is Shannon, but my nickname is Nan. I'm an illustrator living and working in Los Angeles. I live with my boyfriend and two cats in a cozy craftsman apartment that I like to decorate in my spare time.

When did you first decide to become an artist?
My first real decision to become an artist was when I was in college. I knew I wanted to create things. I studied film making there, which is a great way to learn how to write, act, and create visual art. My decision to become an illustrator came later when I was working a boring day job. I started my Etsy shop as a creative outlet and that's where my illustrating really took off.

What are a few of your favorite things?
I love to watch great movies and television shows. I am always inspired by the characters I see in them, and find myself drawing them more and more often. I also love great interior design. A clean and well decorated space is a beautiful thing to me.

Lizzie and Darcy

Who are your favourite artists at the moment?
I've always loved Ashley G's artwork, and I'm a big fan of Vera Brosgol and Emily Carroll. All three are great lady illustrators/cartoonists. I'm also pretty obsessed with anything by Jon Klassen.

What are your top five favourite movies at the moment?
The Royal Tenenbaums, In The Mood For Love, Moulin Rouge, Pride & Prejudice (2005), Harold and Maude


Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
I hope to still be illustrating and making a living off of it. That's the most important thing to me. Maybe I'll have branched out to do more editorial work and licensing at that point. I'd love to be living in a modest home with my boyfriend (perhaps husband by then?) in Los Angeles.

The Photographer

Thank you so much Nan! For more Nan Lawson loveliness, you can visit her Etsy shop here--> Nan Lawson and her website here---> Nan Lawson Illustration.

Green Gifts

Green has always been my favourite colour for as long as I can remember. If you click on the image, it will take you through to where you can buy these pretties.

 

Groundwork - Rise, Shine

Good Merchants - Vintage sunglasses

Expressions in Leather - Coin purse

Jess James Jake - 1950s Plaid dress

Shade of a Bonsai - Green Origami Crane Brooch

Sandra Eterovic - Lady with village on her Head

Matte Art - Golden Gate Bridge

I hope everyone is surviving the silly season!

A cat fancier's gift guide

Scarf06 by Leah Goren

Hand painted Delft porcelain cat brooch by Harriet Damave.

Tiger print and Cheetah print both by Berkely Illustration.

Party Cat Willoh by ginettepomette.

Maid Of Clay cat climbing a ladder to get butterfly tumbler.

A few things I've found that I thought might appeal to the cat lovers out there!

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Friday Links!

This is an installation by Turkish artist Mehmet Ali Uysal. I absolutely love visual jokes like this! They really tickle my fancy! You can see more of his amazing work here.

I hope everyone has been having a terrific week! It's been spectacularly wet here in Sydney but the upside is that this wet weather has brought the temperatures down which I'm all in favour of!

 

...and it being Friday, I have some links to share that I found interesting this week:

1) A famous song I didn't know was originally written for Thanksgiving!

2) A poster that explains how probable your existence is.

3) Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. Can you gues who's number 1?

4) Anthropology's animated supper settings.

5) This cute Sydney Etsy shop that is having a sale.

I hope everyone has a super weekend!...and Happy Thnaksgiving to all you lovely North American peeps!

Image from here.

Besotted X 3

I love that word don't you? Besotted. Well, I am besotted with these necklaces and earrings by Laura Lombardi. I'm not usually one for geometrics and minimalism, but these have captured my heart! See more of Laura Lombardi's beautiful creations here.

I love these pillow covers by Erin Flett too. Their cute designs coupled with the sunny colours make me feel happy just looking at them! See more of these cheerful pretty pillow covers in Erin's shop here.

My third love is this multi-purpose green leather purse from squirrellicious. What a little cutie it is! Leather goods shop squirrellicious has lots more goodies in their shop here.

Owls + Weekend links

In the leaf litter, something tries to hide its own heartbeat.

 

The Mincing Mockingbird is without a doubt one of my favourite shops/ artists on Etsy. The beauty of his bird paintings take my breath away. The titles are pretty fab too! :0)

This being the weekend, I have some links to things that I've found interesting and entertaining this week!

1) Print maker Alexis. B. Snell's fun prints.

2) An audio slide show of the V & A's new photography gallery.

3) Crosley analogue to digital turntables = Wow wee!

4) Amazing portrait embroidery by Jenny Hart.

5) Lovely jewellery (especially necklaces = my favorite!) by Amy Tavern.

Happy weekend to all - I shall leave you with another Mincing Mockingbird beauty...

Efforts To Harmonize My Charm And Talent With Being A Biological Charnel House

Happy Friday links!

This serious creature is a performer in a Bauhaus ballet circa 1926 - 1927 called The Triadic Ballet. It's on a postcard I bought at a recent exhibition I went to at the Art Gallery here in Sydney. The exhibition was called The Mad Square: Modernity in German Art 1910 - 1937. It was pretty interesting. I liked looking at all the Bauhaus bits and pieces and the various other exhibits but the standout favourite for me was the room that had paintings by Christian Schad. Wow! He sure knew how to paint!

In other news, it being Friday, it is Happy Friday links day! Here is my selection of what caught my eye out there in cyberspace this week:

1) Well, first of all I'd like to link to my very first ever guest post I did over at Jess' lovely blog: Epheriell Designs. It was such an honour! I get the vapours just thinking about it!

2) The Guardian still manages to surprise and delight me! I recently found a whole corner of their site devoted to "how to" jewellery making lessons.

3) Lenore Nevermore's mouth watering (and pretty) ode to all things honey and honey related!

4) Beautiful colour photos of circus performers from the 1940s - 1950s.

5) A very informative video on how to make almond milk!

6) Classic album covers get a kitty cat makeover!

Here's to a weekend full of exciting discoveries and relaxing moments! :0)

Furze Chan

This cute running bunny is a paper puppet you can buy and assemble yourself. It's by Hong Kong based Furze Chan and you can purchase him and a host of other cuties here--->Little Paper Planes. Alternatively, you could explore the Furze Chan website: Animal Poetry. ...or visit the Furze Chan Etsy store where you can get the complete set of paper puppets! Imagine the hours of fun to be had should you buy the whole set!! The possibilities are endless! :0)