ephemera

I have more paper than I know what to do with. I don't mean old newspapers and magazines stacked to the ceiling. I mean little paper things I have saved. Things I can't part with. Things that I know will be missed if I toss them. Things that need to be a part of a creative greater whole. Things that when I run across them make me happy.

I've decided to make them small rotating displays here and there. We have grey or taupe walls  so I am putting some black and white things up with clips and t pins. I am enjoying the look.

Here are some old Madison photos with a couple vintage keys and a couple sepia shots from somewhere. Yes I also have odds and ends of non paper dimensional things that I value too.

These are Paris items. The top photo was something Dad brought back from WWII. I did the illustration of Notre Dame for Paris Doodles. I've clipped it over a page from a vintage French book. I like it that these will stay up until I am satisfied with looking at them.

I have another little corner that I think will hold photos I've taken recently. I take a lot and put one or two up here but there are many that I could enjoy on a wall...

creative process... typography table

Over a year ago our sweet friend Phil made this little side table for us and sent it as a kit. We put it together and then moved and it got lost somewhere in the basement.

It has surfaced... and all along I've been thinking that somehow it would be a Paris table embellished with all things Paris... But then we moved here and it seems like it should be a typography table. In black and white with tiny accent colors... So out has come my type ephemera and my thinking cap.

Hmmmm Thinking Caps... we just saw Alice in Wonderland yesterday and I was once again taken with the Mad Hatter. I wish he could make me a thinking cap. Something between the Harry Potter sorting hat that could talk to me and a hat for a tea party. If you are looking for a not for kids fairy tale I recommend it. I loved all the visuals. I've posted a link to the right.

As the table progresses I'll keep you posted!

(Thanks Gwen and Kirk for the additions to the pile of letters!)

a very pretty little package...

Something else from my talented little friend Justine. She brought this back for me from France. How sweet is that?

The orange thing is a little French grid notebook. The blue thing in the translucent envelope is a French invoice from 1868. Someone with beautiful handwriting wrote it out using brown ink and fountain pen of some sort. All old and fascinating and French.

The only problem with this gift is my inability to use it. So I will leave it wrapped and on a little ledge near my desk where it will bring me daily pleasure.

a very pretty wedding...

This weekend our friends Blythe & Emilio got married. It was an absolutely perfect wedding. I love weddings that have all the little pretty details and this one certainly did. My font making friend Justine worked with Blythe and made all these cute things.

Jordon almond filled cones with family pictures on them.

Embellished flower and rhinestone menus.

Orange and hot pink cuteness...

Table designations were made with vintage keys which led you to a table with the name of a hotel meaningful to the bride and groom.

Lots of vintage frames around photos and keys... some hot pink.

And a pretty cake that tasted as good as it looked.

Altaras for my Dad

ne year ago today my Dad passed away. Sometimes it seems like he has been gone forever and other times it seems like he just left yesterday. My darling stepson Ryan scored 12 of these bamboo pencil boxes and gave them to me to use for something. I had always wanted to make little altar boxes. In Mexico they are called altaras and they are made to honor and remember the dead. As we have been cleaning out my parents house I sought out all the little things they had and used... watches, rosaries, pins, keys... Each box also includes the holy card from the funeral.

These have gone in the mail to arrive and be opened by each of my sibs today. I created these to be a little art series in case over time they are ever united. If they are fine, if they end up in the landfill fine. I really made them as part of my processing my Dad's leaving.

And while I am still deeply sad about Dad being gone this year's sadness is better than last year's sadness. This year I am just sad for me. Last year I was sad for both of us. I suppose that is a form of progress.

Great Party Idea...

e were invited to a lovely Sunday brunch. As our hostess took our coats she gave us our name tags. We didn't know anyone so this was great PLUS each name tag had a little tidbit about the person. It was quite an interesting group and each person's name tag was a little conversation starter. This is really helpful to an introvert like me. The only bad thing was that the people were all so interesting and the stories so good that I never made it around to all the people.

And Carrie the hostess is a graphic artist and makes great mosaic pieces. She gives broken plates a second chance. If you break an heirloom you can take it to her and she can make a piece of art out of it. Or as in my case you can just donate things you break to her to add to whatever she is making.

Candy...

omemade candy... lovely candy... candy that is almost too pretty to eat. But it also tastes as good as it looks. These pictures do not do it justice. These are handmade by my friend Laurie. Yes Laurie, the friend who came here and fixed my Dad's desk and resurfaced our butcher block counter. She is a woman of many talents. And she made over 30 lbs. of these beauties. I am very lucky.

Thanks Laurie!

(By the time I noticed the photos were too yellow the candy was gone...)

Creative Project... DIY Memory Box

y dear friend Laurie gave me a memory box when my Dad died. It now holds bits and pieces of both my parents lives and is tucked away until the time I want to go through it. It never would have occurred to me to ever get one but I am so glad I have this.

So for Laurie's birthday I decided to make her one. I started with a wooden box from Michaels. The empty spot in the middle is where she puts a photo.

I must say the quality of the boxes at Michaels varies greatly. I should have sanded this one and did not. After painting it it still looked too rough. So I covered the inside with scrapbook paper and the outside with a corrugated board I had. Then for the fun part. I took a lot of white vintage buttons I had and hot glued them on layering as I went. I fit them together as a puzzle so they were tight and then glued buttons to the first layer to give it an abundant look. This was easy to do as I had everything. And the end result does have to do with the size, and range of different buttons you have. Luckily these were just sitting in a drawer waiting to be used.

While this was a birthday gift (and she liked it!) all the wedding cake whiteness would make this a lovely bridal shower gift.