sunshine from friends

good morning !  a bit groggy today after a working weekend. the french press has yet to kick in and my mind is beginning to overflow with to-do’s to be done.  today loop is having a huge photo shoot of old work and NEW and my very dear friend Betty is letting us use her house as the backdrop. nothing like friends to make Tasks seems like Teatime ….

In the spirit of spreading sunshine, two of my designer-friends are featured back-to-back on The Bright Side Project currently, as part of the BSP’s eco-luxe month… 100% organic sateen pillows from Daisy Janie are up for grabs here in response to the following question : Who is your favorite indie designer, and what is your favorite item they sell? [ The responses to this will be fun to sift through ! ] Artist and indie-business power house, Jan DiCintio’s new Urbana collection of organic fabrics are delicious in all their color ways : check out Avalon, Metro + Parkside for inspiration.

Also featured is the inimitable work of Cathe Huynh-Sison from Feterie… 10 sheets of eco-luxe wrapping paper are being given away here in response to this question : What is the first present you can remember buying or making for someone you love? Cathe is a multi-tasking multi-talented wonder [ following her on Twitter makes me feel lazy ! ] She has a great eye for color and her wraps will make any present – or other paper project – come alive.

All of this sunshine is just what my Monday morning needed – now, to work !

Sewing Green is so …..

 

The incredibly talented, smart, funny and sweet Betz White will be at Spool this weekend as part of a month-long promotion for her new Book, Sewing Green. It should be a gorgeous weekend, so grap an iced drink [ in a reusable cup ! ] and shimmy over to the beautiful Spool and meet the author, drool over the colorful fabrics that line the shop’s walls, and learn from a sewing / felting master about how to transform everyday materials into stylish new accessories, bags, home decor items and more.  [ sign up for her Bag Making Workshop ] Philly gets its ‘green’ from more than our football colors, right ?!

Technorati Tags: Betz White,Sewing Green,Spool

tridimensional

 

[ Tunnel – 2007 : wood, PVC, beeswax at the Insituto Itau Cultural ]

Enter the world of Henrique Oliveira, found here at designboom. His new exhibition for the Rice Gallery in Houston grabbed me by the hand and led me into the history of his Tapumes projects – incredible outgrowths sculpted, painted and assembled in situ from bits of discarded wood found on the streets of Sao Paolo.

Dubbed ‘tridimensionals’, these constructions explode the notion of flat surface, of  brush stroke, instead giving life and form to a gesture until it literally lifts off the wall. I love how the painted strips of wood in some instances resemble muscle and tissue or other organic life forms, creeping in through the crevices of orthogonal architecture, or instead creating new spaces of their own.

[ Tapumes – 2005 : wood at Casa Cultura Da America Latina, Basilia ]

[ Tapumes – 2006 : wood + PVC at Paralela, Sao Paolo ]

Art Prints for Great Causes

 

Loop eco-luxe art prints are now available exclusively through Goods for Goodness Sake, an online storefront where Shopping Meets Philanthropy.  I couldn’t explain it any better than founders Cathe Huynh-Sison and Lara Frankovitch do here :

Goods for Goodness' Sake is a new way of shopping built on the belief that sharing just a little good fortune can go a long way. When you shop on GFGS, you support the charity of your choice with every purchase. As if that wasn't enough, you also support a group of very talented small business owners. Shop responsibly.

I know Cathe from last years’ National Stationery Show; our booths were across from each other. Cathe made four days of standing on your feet seem fun.  Her infectiously cheery personality and insider buzz on the  biz was a gift from the trade show gods.  Visit Cathe at Feterie and read her blog, Paper Cuts !

 

I don’t know Lara from Tiny Tales beyond our e-mail volley during the site set-up process, but I love her fill-in-the-blank Daycare Sheets – little notes a babysitter can leave Mom to report on what happened while she was away… And the opening slideshow on her website is very entertaining :

Introducing co.d.ex

There is an incredible project underway that I am excited to share with you ! As you know, Doodlespark is a collaboration between my mom and me; instead of writing letters, we send drawings back and forth to each other, each of us adding and changing the artwork over time. We've communicated this way for almost 15 years now, and it has enriched our relationship and our growth as artists immeasurably.

I recently decided to expand this idea of sharing drawings as a way to communicate by inviting a group of friends from college / life / work to join in a large group drawing exchange. I sent the original invite on Facebook to fellow architecture studio mates as well as friends in other disciplines completely un-art-related, and asked them in turn to invite a friend. The idea would be that we'd keep in touch in a different way; we'd use the mailing of the drawing as way to stitch us together creatively, to catch up visually, to push the limits of creative play.

co.d.ex was born ! [ co = collaborative, d = drawing, ex = exchange ]. Participants are invited to sketch, erase, paint, collage, write, re-work and add panels to the original drawing, then send it on to the next person on the list. This list is a secret to all involved - I drew names out of a bowl - and the progress of the drawing is recorded on a blog. Each participant has been invited as a Contributor to the blog, with the hope that they'll photograph, scan, photocopy or by other means document their portion of the drawing.

Have a look ! I am so anxious to see how this turns out on such a large scale; co.d.ex has about 2 dozen participants, and if each person takes a week to add their bit, it will be at least 6 months until we're done ... !

Looptimistic

This week has been full of sunshine here at Loop - regardless of the Philadelphia fluctuation in temperature, the clouds, the rain, the come-what-may. We're so happy that we were included in The Bright Side Project that we're still glowing from Wednesday's post.

The BSP is a fantastic site dedicated to spreading good news - something we all hunger for, especially given Recent Events in said financial system. Each day, BSP posts about an artist or designer whose products are offered up as a daily giveaway; all you have to do to enter is post a commment that answers a specific question chosen by the designer or by BSP. Instant sunshine !

I have been captivated by the nearly 150 responses to Loop's post... the stories people are sharing are incredible - funny, moving, outrageous, wild - I don't know how I'll choose the 'winner' ! There's still time to win, so turn your face towards the sun here ... : )