heli sengezer paintings and mini art

say yes to cuteness. the warmer weather will be coming and as a reminder if i had my way, i would line a whole hallway with these fun summer dress acrylic and embroidery paintings from finland born, istanbul-based artist heli sengezer. i love her choice of colors and patterns and the carefree breezy feeling i get when i look at them.

of course i am assuming you have seen her other funny handicrafts like this jewelry and mini wall art, right? i have seen them around, but i had not seen her paintings.

you can go say hello to heli on her blog. purchase the accessories at her etsy shop, view more work on her flickr stream and purchase these works at her dawanda shop.

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gochemoche tsunami kanzashi accessories

i need to look at these pretty silk hairpins and accessories from florida’s gochemoche. she is a self-described japanese culture-obsessed turkish lady who crafts these little flowers using traditional japanese methods. some pieces are made from material which is dyed by hand, and others are made from repurposed vintage silk kimonos.

these traditional and elaborate hair ornaments were worn by apprentice geisha or maiko, which would instantly indicate their status to those in the know. more experienced geisha did not wear as elaborate an accessory.

i love these colors on a grim winter day.

see everything else that’s available from gochemoche right here.

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on being thankful

bad cat and turkey print from russian artist annya djachiachvili’s etsy shop

today is thanksgiving, a day when cherished friends and families come together to slow down a little, break bread and hopefully create wonderful memories. we’ll get back to the regularly scheduled program after the holiday, but for now, i’d like to take a moment to reflect on these themes of gratitude and giving. i want you to know how fortunate i feel to have so many loyal, smart and funny readers who come to this space regularly. i’ve been building my blog here for six months now, and all the comments you leave, and emails, and encouragement, and positive energy i receive from you is truly amazing. it still boggles my mind that we can find people, all around the world, through our computers, and create genuine connections that come so naturally (that is so weird to say that, but true!).

i think if you have just one friend in the world you’re lucky.

thank you all so much for being there!

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