Paisley St Claire

Kinder Gallery Giveaway

Listen up folks, fave Australian gallery, Kinder Gallery, is giving away over $800 worth of art. All you have to do is take a photograph of your child’s most treasured possession and describe what it means to you and your child. The winning entry will also be featured in the gorgeous new online magazine, Papier Mache. Click here for full details.

Without a doubt my son's favourite toy is his ever-expanding Lego collection and my sweet little daughter (who hates to wear dresses and hairclips and other girly things) loves nothing more than getting out her tea set and setting up a tea party.  

Today I'm loving...

Today I'm loving this art print by JKL Design.

Gillian Bates

Do you know what these are? They look like paintings but really they are stitched textile art. UK-based Gillian Bates freehand machine embroiders her own original artwork onto white cotton drill fabric using an ecelectic mix of reclaimed, recycled & new fabrics. Very clever. Buy them from Gillian's etsy shop here.

Munieca

Today I'm loving the super sweet art from Argentinian esty artist, Munieca. These prints would be perfect for my daughters bedroom. Munieca is having a sale, so now would be a good time to check out her store.

Art Glass

When I look at these images I just see perfection. I am in awe of the artists who can create such amazingly beautiful things.

The bottles were created by Michael Schunke. The ones in the first picture are all individually hand blown without the use of molds and the bottles in the second picture are hand blown glass using a traditional Italian incalmo technique. Three separate pieces of glass are joined while hot and the center band is made of a complimentary opaque band of glass with 24K gold on the surface, adding a subtle design. The gorgeous hand blown glass fruit pieces are by artist Anthony Biancaniello.

All available at Artful Home.

Custom Kokeshi 2009

The 'Kokeshi: From Folk Art to Art Toy' exhibition opens at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles on 11 July 2009. As part of the exhibition, Christina Conway has curated a showcase called 'Custom Kokeshi 2009' of over 100 internationally respected artists, illustrators and designers.

From top: Amy Sol, Aline Yamada, Stella Im Hultberg, and Australia's Eveline Tarunadjaja.
Images via Arrested Motion.

You can see more sneak peaks on Christina Conway's blog. Being a huge Japanophile, I'm really excited about this collection. I can't wait to see the full images of the all the kokeshi dolls.

Kokeshi dolls have become mainstream popular these days. You can even buy little kokeshi keyrings at the local newsagent now. If you want some more tradional ones though check out my post here.  Or you can play around making your own virtual kokeshi here.

These amigurumi kokeshi dolls or 'Krokeshi' by Emi Motokawa are super cute too. Available here.

Visit the Japanese American National Museum website for full details of the Kokeshi exhibition.

Boopsie Daisy

If you like your art like a trip on acid-laced sherbet then is Boopsie Daisy the stuff for you! Inspired by her favourite things - food and dolls - Missy's photographs give us a snap shot of an amazing fantasy world. Perhaps she is really the female version of Peter Pan? Shop here.

Handsome Cycles poster

My lovely friends at Red Black Brown have just released this cool new poster which was designed for boutique bicycle makers, Handsome Cycles. They say 'this poster pays homage to Minneapolis and St. Paul ... the skylines are dotted with flower-like gears and a playful line, "over the river and through the hoods." Exactly where you want to ride.' Available for US$20 right here. Great work Jessica!

Sally Elford

UK-based artist, Sally Elford, has produced a collection of prints that depict scenes in nature and have a wonderful vintage feel. I simply adore that 'Mid Summer Spectacle' print at the top. All the prints are limited edition, signed and numbered by the artist. These prints are available at the Soma shop and Boxbird. Also check out Sally's website to see more of her work. 

Chelsea Greene Lewyta

These gorgeous paintings are by New Yorker, Chelsea Greene Lewyta. They remind me of the beautiful books I used to read as a child, like The Water-Babies and The Magic Faraway Tree. Absolutely delightful! Chelsea is still studying at the Pratt Institute for Illustration in New York but her future definitely looks bright. I'm sure we'll see her a lot more of her illustrations in years to come. You can purchase Chelsea's art as a greeting card or print from her Redbubble store here.

Today I'm loving...

The new art by Bec Winnel. The top one is available as a limited edition print in her etsy shop, My Charlie Girl. Sublime.

Tollipop

I adore the little characters who inhabit Tollipop's world, so sweet and innocent looking. Check out the Tollipop etsy shop for a whole family of cuteness.

Bestiary Ink

I've been somewhat offline lately, mostly working on an almost finished project. Its so close to being finished that the urge to procrastinate is overwhelming. I'm not sure why it is that I can work frantically on something and then drag the chain on the last few things.

Anyway, a welcome distraction was the email I received from Blair Lambert about her beautiful drawings. Blair's pencil and ink drawings are utterly charming. From serene ladies to sweet little woodland characters, her drawings display incredible detail and talent. Certainly worth more than the US$8 per print she charges in her etsy store, Bestiary Ink. Check out the full range here. 

Paris Breakfast

On the weekend, I had the great delight to discover these beautiful watercolour paintings by Carol Gillott. Under the moniker Paris Breakfast, Carol shares her love of French patisseries and Parisian tea times by serving up original watercolour paintings in her Etsy shop.

Make no mistake, this lady knows her macaroons (or macarons, if you'd like to be authentic) from her gateaux, as she splits her time between New York and Paris. Oh la la, what a life! You can read about her delicious adventures on the Paris Breakfast blog.

Please note that the above images are Copyright Protected to Paris Breakfast and may not be used for any reason without express written permission from Paris Breakfast.

Jill Browning

I'm quite partial to things that feature bold, colourful, retro geometric patterns. I've sold many accessories that feature that type of design so I'm pretty sure there are a lot of other people who like it too. Today I'm happy to introduce to you the work of Jill Browning. Jill produces high quality, photographic-style prints of her digital art. All of her pieces are bold and bright, definitely the thing to give a drab room a sudden lift. At just US$15 how could you say no?

You can find out more about Jill Browning on her website and prints are now available in her brand new Etsy shop.

Dollface Design

These collage prints by Etsy seller, Dollface Design, have just the right mix of vintage goodness and contemporary styling. Sweet.

Catalina Estrada

If Catalina Estrada is not on your radar yet, then she should be. This incredible artist has an impressive list of clients which include:  Paul Smith, Coca-Cola, Microsoft Zune, Sony Music, Camper, Nike, Levis, Smart/Mercedes Benz, Lexus, Honda, Lindt, Unicef, Motorola, Chronicle Books, and others.

Born and raised in Colombia, and living in Barcelona since 1999, Catalina's art and illustration feature traditional folk art and cute fairytale characters in vibrant digital colour. You can buy prints from her online store here,  gelaskins for your electronicals here, check out her website here or even make friends on myspace here.

Mark Ryden

If you like a little creepy with your cute, then Mark Ryden's paintings may be for you. The Pumpkin President painting at the top left is currently being offered as a limited edition lithographic poster in honor of the Art for Hope exhibition. All proceeds from the poster go to the Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. Visit the Mark Ryden website for more details.

Yellena & Anthropology

It's been almost a year since I first saw Yellena's amazing art. I was delighted to see her unmistakable work featured in the new Adorned section of the Anthropology website:

I love it. You can see more of Yellena's work on her website or check out her etsy shop for prints.

Tip: If you are outside of Anthropology's shipping area you may get a different page when you first click on the link. Just click it a second time and it should take you to the correct page.

Words to live by

According to my Mum and Dad, if you want to get ahead in life you should do what this poster says, 'Work hard and be nice to people'. Of course, that's probably never going to make you rich but its more likely to make you happy than if you were a nasty layabout.

Hand printed, signed, limited edition woodblock 'Work Hard & Be Nice to People' print by Anthony Burrill available from the Pedlers webstore.