heysusy

Daily Crave { reading material }

Hi Everyone! Good weekends? Good.

I found this tea towel on Etsy late last night and thought it was really cool. It features an excerpt from Emma Pride and Prejudice (thank you Kelly!)... spoken by one Mr. Darcy.

Anyway, I'm not sure what the dif between a tea towel and a dishrag is. I have to say, semantical cat that I am, I found it refreshing that the designer, Brookish, calls these Dish Towels  (I find the oft-used description "Tea Towel" to be out of touch with the reality of my life). But I guess a quote from the irrepressible Mr. Darcy might make one more inclined to tea, than to chores...if one was feeling less contrary that usual.

Found Here

FINE LINES { anne smith }

Looking at these illustrations by Anne Smith makes me want to start observing daily objects and drawing more than I already do.

While Anne is an accomplished illustrator, who has worked professionally for many years, I only recently came across her work on Etsy, where I was grabbed by this illustration of gloves, part of a series called "Les Choses".

Also, her series of cups is exquisite, and each one is an excuse to linger and look further.  While it looks like these illustrations are a lot of fun to create, to me, they also show a lot of work and concentration, which, as a designer myself, I find really engaging. Focusing on one subject repeatedly is a worthwhile exercise for an artist. It takes a lot of effort, but it also informs the rest of one's work. Doing a series can be a really revelatory experience.  Anne's work is a great example of that. It reminds me of that old joke... "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?".... "Practice! Practice! Practice!"

Anne Smith Studio Shop Here
Anne Smith Portfolio, client work, and images of her studio, here

DAILY CRAVE { a custom bike seat }

Oh. My. Gosh. Will you look at these????

It's rare for me to do a via, but I saw these new bespoke (pardon pun) bike saddle designs by Kara Ginther on one of my longtime favorite blogs yesterday, Freshly Blended.

My Dad has a bike that he brought from the UK. when he came here in the 1960's. It is one of his prized posessions, and a while ago, he restored it to it's original lustre. He would probably say no, but I think one of these seats, esp. in plaid or tweed, would be just the thing.
The tweed design is new, and created by Kara especially for The Tweed Run. Which I think will be holding a New York event here in the fall!

I have a black Pista... and I would also like one. In tweed pls.

Take a ride here

WELL HEELED { kitty cooper }

I thought these handcrafted shoes made by London Designer Kitty Cooper were the perfect follow up to this morning's colorful post of watercolor brights... Not only are these kicks pretty to look at, but they are made of vintage fabrics, hand picked for the purpose. I found this description on their website to be very enlightening...

"[Kitty's] designs are inspired by the shapes, styles and craftsmanship of past eras, as well as the vintage 'make-do-and-mend' sensibility which is the antithesis of modern throw-away fashion."

AMEN! And, something they don't mention, but it's a well-known fact, and could come in handy... if you close your eyes and click your heels three times while wearing these... they take you straight to Bergdorf's.

Transport yourself here.

DAILY CRAVE { self expression }

As a painted lady, and a painter lady myself, I am simply in awe of these tattoos by Amanda Wachob. Knowing a little bit about tattooing, I can say that creating these and making them look so like washes of paint must be WAY harder than it looks.

The opacity of the color is the thing... I just can't get over the layering and watercolor effect of one color bleeding into or over another on the skin. That's hard enough to do on paper. Here it's simply thrilling and so different.

Visit Amanda Wachob's tattoo site here.

And her paintings here.

COLOR STUDY { groundwork }

I'm loving Danna Ray of Groundwork's series of pieces with camping themes. To me, the colors are exactly right. The mystery and excitement of being out in nature, the invitation to be slightly wild, are really coming through.

More Great Escapes Here
Danna's personal site Here

DAILY CRAVE { Prairie Dawn }

 

Loving these combinations of flirty styles with a frontier-woman look. It has something to do with the blousy, feminine shapes and fabrics meeting touches of worn leather and fringe... and a really broad mix of materials in each outfit.

I'm especially liking the way over-the-knee stockings are looking with knee-high boots. One thing about over the knee's though, is that in my personal opinion, it's better to go with something that has lycra throughout - not just a band of elastic at the top. This prevents the dreaded (and all-too-common) Rubber Band Leg.

Also, in my opinion, if this is to be a trend for fall... a slightly taller, woolier stocking, in neutral or apple red, worn in a slouchy fashion, under the boot but over the knee, is the way to go. Not to get too specific or anything!! haha.

Looks found here