amy arnold soft sculpture

i am borrowing a quote from one of my favorite commenters when i say that these precisely crafted works from wisconsin textile artist amy arnold for her company peepwool are sweetie creepy. or should i say grotesque and exuberant? either way i love them. they are crafted of recycled felted wool and assorted cloth accoutrements, and are so masterfully sewn that their emotions really show through.

what a brilliant success!

see more fantastic work from amy on her website.

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tummy mountain’s art prints (charming)

psssst. ever wanted to feel like a kid again? then come with with me to a magical place where all you do is play outside all day, eat cake and make harmless mischief. the place is tummymountain, a charming place created by talented australian artist and imaginative raconteur lloyd. if the happy imagery doesn’t whisk you away to that far-off place you used to inhabit as a carefree child, the wonderful storytelling certainly will!

browsing his collection at first i thought these prints, made from original paintings, would be a marvelous addition to a child’s room. the more i look at them though, the more i think i just want to move up to the mountain and live in harmony with these wee little characters. i can totally relate to the girl on the slide. i think we’d be best friends.

visit the tummy mountain blog right here, and purchase these prints here (where you will read, among many other things, that the artist’s favorite material is chocolate).

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trish grantham paintings

loving this loose loopy style of painting from lovely portland artist trish grantham. i like that her simple characters belie a range of emotions much more complex than what appears on the surface. these pieces are made of vintage paper, acrylic, ink, watercolor and resin, mounted on wood.

see more works from trish on her website, and see her etsy shop too. if you are in the los angeles area, be sure to stop by the loved group show at the lab 101 gallery (from august 16th, 2008 through september 10th, 2008). trish is showing there along with amy ruppel, keith obrien and julliana swaney.

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cathy cullis paintings and mixed media

i love these loose and darkly colored watercolor stylings from the prolific uk poet, writer and artist cathy cullis. these beautiful pieces are actually sketches for the a new collection of handmade dolls cathy will make. they are dripping with abundant energy and possibility, that is for sure.

see cathy’s website to see her broad collection of work and to contact her, see her flickr stream for inspiration and visit her two etsy shops to see what fabulosity is for sale (really GREAT work, see for yourself below)!

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leanne pendleton’s needlefelted birds

i got one of these teeny needlefelted birds as a birthday present last month, and i LOVE it! they’re made with love by ohio artist leanne pendleton, aka etsy seller gotcrowcreations. you have seen them already, right? look again then please. oh how i love their fuzzy goodness.

see leanne’s full selection at her etsy shop.

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alice evans illustrations

i enjoy all the illustration work i’ve seen from uk student and artist alice evans, but i think this handmade, one-off book called the book for bad days is extra sweet.

see more from alice on her blog and portfolio, and purchase this special seven page piece in her shop (she has a few other fun books in the shop as well).

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alicia mordenti pottery

it is so cold and gloomy out the window right now so i am really happy to have found these glossy little 4″ earthenware birdie plates from connecticut artist alicia mordenti.

i think these are too cute to cover up with a sloppy cooking spoon — put them on the wall instead!

see more samplings from alicia at her etsy shop.

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la pomme sewn toys and pillows: miniview

i am back from my weekend in nola, which was lovely (more on that later). equally if not more lovely are these soft linen and cotton pillows, sachets and toys from philippines-born, french-based artist apol lejano-massebieau, aka etsy seller lapomme. many of the pieces in apol’s dreamy collection are crafted from rescued and recycled materials and stuffed them with delicious dried lavender. each and every piece also has a wonderful and quirky story behind it. i wanted to know more of apol’s personal story, so i asked just three questions…

q: where do you live, and where do you make your lovely things?
a: i live in a little village in southwestern france, and i used to sew on my dining room table, until it stopped being fun finding pieces of thread in the salad. so i recently bought myself a little mobile home and installed it on the property, beside my dry garden. i painted the walls a shade called raspberry, and from march to mid-april i have a view of flamingos feeding in the marsh in front. it is wonderful to finally have a space for all my mess!

q: do you have an art background? how did you get into making these sachets and pillows?
a: what i am, mainly, is a writer, who had always had a deep appreciation for the visual arts and the fabric arts. sewing was something that i did on-and-off, and had always wanted to do more of, except that life had always been too busy.

when i was a child, my sisters and i would prepare for christmas by making handmade toys to give to cousins, although sometimes the toys were so freaky our cousins would cry. then at university i was part of the costume department of a theater group, and i got to make fun objects like a stuffed octopus and metallic dance suits. then i stopped for more than a decade as real life and a high-pressure job happened.

after a serious rearranging of my life, finally, after a long iI am able to again handle fabric, needle, and thread. this time, i have no plans of stopping.

q: would you rather sleep with lavender or eat it?
a: lavender in food requires a light touch, otherwise you feel like you’re eating a garden. so unless i really really trust the kitchen, i’d rather just sleep with the herb.

purchase these pieces and see the full collection at apol’s etsy shop, and say hi to her on her blog too.

thank you apol!

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