Book Review Sunday: Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

So I thought I'd take a little departure from the art books I have been reviewing and go for a novel.  Although you could argue that this book is a work of art.  Kiran Desai is a fantastic writer, she won the Man Booker prize for her other novel The Inheritance of Loss, and creates this story that is not only beautiful but comical, sad, charming and just a joy to read. The story is about a man, Sampath, who's life is full of failure until one day he decides to take a nap in a guava tree and becomes famous holy man by a series of unintentional events. Just sounds ridiculous right? But it turns into this great story about the twists and turns of life that can lead us in unexpected directions depending on the path we choose to go down. Just a super book, highly recommended.

I also recommend her other book, The Inheritance of Loss, and as the title suggests it's not nearly as fun as this book is, but equally as beautiful.

OK - so I guess it is winter!!

After my post last week about how it's been feeling like spring here in New York I woke up to snow today! Figures!! But it's OK because it's that really fluffy, soft snow that makes everything really pretty without being a total hassle.
So in honor of this snow I decided to go over to etsy and find some snowflake inspired items, and there are plenty! Here are some of my top picks featuring snowflakes:

Pointy Snowflake 3x3 tile
by GretchenKramp

Snowflake Double Finger Ring
by escottoriginals

Dot Snowflake Rubber Stamp by norajane

Featured in Etsy Top 10!!

One of my photographs is currently being featured on Timothy Adam Designs blog as part of his weekly Etsy Top 10! WOO HOOO!!

I'm number 7 - check out the print here.

If you don't know about Timothy's blog - go check it out for everything Etsy related. He's always got great advice on marketing/promoting yourself and your Etsy shop, along with helpful tips when using google analytics, blogging, etc.

Book Review Sunday: An Illustrated Life

'Find insight and inspiration for your creative life' - that perfectly describes An Illustrated Life by Danny Gregory. This book is a huge collection of pages from artists sketchbooks, a glimpse into their private worlds.
It is just awesome to look through! You get pages from all kinds of artists, in all kinds of media and on all subjects - their travels, their work, their everyday life. There are also blurbs from each artist describing their process and work, even what sketching journals they recommend, what pens, markers, paints or whatever they use.
The day I got this book I just sat and looked at it for hours, enjoying the beauty on each page - all so different from the page before. It makes you want to grab that sketch book and go out everyday to record a part of your life on paper. Just a great, great book. Highly recommended.

This are some sketches of Simonetta Capecchi, an italian professor of architecture.

Is it Spring yet?

The weather in New York this week has just put me in the mood for Spring already!  I can't believe how warm it has been - and it's still only January!! I guess we just hold on to these days while we can until the real thing happens! Plus, baby will be here just in time for the real warm weather to start up!

Book Review Sunday: Pictorial Webster's

So my plan is to start posting a book review every Sunday. And not just literature, any book that strikes my fancy and truthfully probably mostly cool art books I come across.
I am apologizing right now if it doesn't always come on Sunday - I am about to have a baby you know!! :)

This week's pick:

Pictorial Webster's: A Visual Dictionary of Curiosities         
by John Carrera

Not your typical dictionary, this is a book to inspire!

Basically, the author found all these old engravings used in making Webster's dictionaries in the 19th century, cleaned and restored what he could and then put them all together in this book. There are no words, just a collection of fabulous vintage illustrations of everything from 'acorns to zebras, bell jars to velocipedes' as is described in the books summary.

It is a must have for artists, illustrators, and designers.

Check out this spread, it has a winch, a wombat and a woodhead (?) !

A fun book to have!

January featured etsyblogger: Nico Designs

I recently joined the etsy team, etsybloggers. It's a great place to not only find some cool etsy shops but also their blogs. It's a very active team and it does have some blogging requirements but that also means lots of exposure for you! Definitely go check them out: etsybloggers.com
Every month etsyblogger picks a featured blogger/etsian of the month and all members blog about them (part of that great exposure I was talking about).

This month Nico Designs is the lucky one!
This shop has the cutest fabric creations.



Check out these cute pears, perfect for Valentine's Day.







And if I have a girl (6 more weeks btw!) I'm getting these shoes!

etsy Love

Since a posted a couple of days ago with my own etsy Valentine items I thought I'd see what other etsians had going on. And since I belong to the fabulous Photographers of Etsy (POE) Team, I thought I'd show you a couple of my favorite Valentine inspired items from this great group of artists. Enjoy!!

Love Blossoms by Lauri

etsy shop: lauri.etsy.com

Our Lady of Paris Hides Behind Her Veil of Leaves by Laura Evans

etsy shop: levansphotography.etsy.com

My Dear by Jennifer Dennis Potter

etsy shop: jenniferdennispotter.etsy.com

Voigtlander Vintage Camera by Helen

(isn't that such a pretty camera!?)

etsy shop: DESIGNbyHELEN.etsy.com

I heart hearts

I have started to prepare for Valentine's day in my etsy shop.
I recently listed these two heart photos as prints and as cards.

They are photos I had taken of vintage heart ornaments I had on my Christmas tree. When I processed the photos later I wanted to keep with that vintage look, hence the blue tint to them, and I found a easy way to do that through the Coffeeshop blog, check out the tutorial here.

Hope you like how they turned out!!

Check out my etsy shop Valentine's section for more ideas for your sweetheart!

Babies don't need sneakers!!!

So I was out shopping the other day and of course wandered into the baby section. I'm about 7 weeks away from having my first child so those little baby clothes and toys are totally irresistible!! And then I came across these little sneakers, I mean, come on plaid converse without laces, how cool are they! So I rummaged through all the sizes and colors until I found the ones I liked (since we don't know the gender I settled on the yellow, brown and navy plaid ones) and as I'm walking up to the register a funny thought popped into my head - babies don't need sneakers!!! How ridiculous it is that you feel like you HAVE to buy these things for your child and how the stores make you feel like you NEED it so.

But I just laughed to myself and kept on going to the register.

This is, after all, my first child and they are just so cool!!

HOW Magazine Typography Issue

As a graphic designer I am surrounded by type everyday and I LOVE type!! So when I received the latest issue of HOW magazine and it was their Typography issue *swoon* and then there was an article featuring 6 amazing artists who hand draw type *double swoon*, let's just say I was excited!! You have to check out this issue, these artists are just incredible and one of them is a fellow esty shop owner, 29blackstreet.

And while HOW is directed towards Graphic Designers I would recommend this magazine to any artist. It always has features on great art books (I pretty much always end up buying at least one of their suggestions), cool websites, Illustrators, studio spaces (which is always cool to see), and just other cool stuff.

Their website is full of information as well, HOWDESIGN.com, they have sections for business info, creativity, forums you can jump into, competitions and even job listings.

And I get nothing for saying all this great stuff about this magazine, I just truely love it!!

Thank You Steel Grey Art!!!

I want to thank Steel Grey Art for including me on their blog!!

Such a great write up - I totally appreciate it!!

Check it out here!!!

I'm Published!!

Well kind of...one of my photographs is now appearing in the online magazine nthWORD. They're just starting up but they've got some cool things going on.

That's my fire photo from when my husband set the christmas tree on fire a couple of years ago (outside of course) it's since become an annual tradition!!

Check out their Annual Wrap-Up Issue and my photo!

Check out my flickr site for more of my photos!!

January Sales in my etsy shop!

For the whole month of January I will be having several sales in my etsy shop.

First, all my holiday cards are on sale - stock up for next year!!!

My 2010 Calendar is also on sale - hand printed using my Gocco, it turned out quite nice I must say!! And I am now including January 2011!

And ALL 8x10 photo prints are also on sale - only $15 - time to get something for yourself!!

Happy New Year!!

Welcome 2010!!

Every year people make resolutions in hopes of making the coming year better then the last. But I know this year will be better then the last, my husband and I are expecting our first child in early March. Our life is going to be very unpredictable to say the least! And because of this there will be no typical resolutions this year, no hope for weight loss, making lots of money, etc. My resolution is for the coming year to be full of happiness, health and patience!!!

Cheers to an interesting twenty-ten!!!