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Saturday, 14 February 2009

I heart............

So, I guess it is the appropriate day for me to be posting these, although really valentines day is a bit crap and to be honest, collecting and needles & thread should happen on every day of the year anyway, so it really makes no difference what the day is.


Anyhoo, I discovered Sophie Isobel yesterday, whilst checking out who 'follows me' on here. I'm so glad I did. Everything she creates is simply perfect. The two above I think were somehow destined for me. Also right now, until 20th all proceeds of sales will go to the Redcross Bush Fire Appeal in Australia, so if you are umming and ahhing then please stop and just go and buy something!

So, Valentines day really means very little to me being of the single persuasion.....it actually meant very little to me when I was part of a couple too.....But, nontheless, I am slightly annoyed that tonight I have been stood up (by my sister who is still ill no less) and so I am not going out to the Bob & Roberta Smith thing, or the gig I really wanted to go to. I do not go out alone, unless I have arranged to meet somebody there.....maybe it's something I should get over?


What are your Pro or Anti-Valentines plans? Mine are sitting here, having a couple o'beers and dreaming of the prints I shall be making tomorrow and listening to The Magnetic Fields


Friday, 13 February 2009

Dress Like an Artist.....apparently

So below is the definitive guide to dressing like an artist....by somebody/some people who I really hope were joking. The bold bits are my favourites and the grey my comments.
I will start off by saying that I may have a particular hatred of this before even reading it properly as I despise the words 'arty' and 'artsy' and the latter overused spectacularly in this article.


How to Dress Like an Artist
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Whether you're heading off to art school, and want to fit in, or whether you're already there, and realize you don't, or whether you just want to be different at whatever school you're at...
Take these steps.

Steps


  1. Understand that the world, including your clothing, is a palette to express yourself. Find what makes you feel happy or alive, not what others tell you is fashionable.
  2. Look at your hair. Something has to be different about it. Choppy, bangs? Dreads? Dyed a unique color, or streaks? Shaved head? Mohawk? Teased, big, hair? Extremely short (girls)? Extremely long (guys)? You get the point. You really won't be taken seriously as an artist with a normal hairstyle, shave it all off immediately!
  3. Do you have any piercings? You're not required to, as long as you employ many other methods of stand-out-isms, but it can help. yup, piercings can definitely help you be a better artist.... if you can't bear to put holes in your face then maybe just wear a novelty hat at all times - this will help you stand out, get noticed and therefore make you a better artist. Consider your eyebrow, especially. Or if you want something a little tamer, your cartilage. Be careful about nose rings. They can look trashy on girls instead of artsy. fuck off
  4. Give up shopping at the generic department store, except for small staples like underwear, simple tank tops, and maybe jeans.
  5. Buy the latest and most fashionable pieces you can find at the specialty or thrift stores.
  6. Dress up any shirt or dress with awesome accessories, with a belt added to the natural waist (on girls) really pumps up the artsy. A well tailored trench coat is a good artsy investment. Most of the time you have to look like you don't care about what you're wearing, you just threw something on. It also helps a lot if it fits really well, especially on guys. Artsy guys should never wear ill fitting ruined dress pants or something. If you do wear jeans, make sure they're stylish and they can be ripped and faded. Shoes can be bought here too.
  7. Shop at 'vintage' stores or at tiny exclusive boutiques. This will be much more expensive, but, if you have followed all the above steps, you will already be a rich and famous artist, so won't care about the cost but you can find some truly original things. Perhaps a couple good, classy pieces mixed with other stuff is a good idea.
  8. Try Anthropologie, an artsy specialty clothing store.
  9. Look for jewelry that is interesting and unique, or ties together your look. Look for funky pieces, foreign pieces, expensive well made pieces, intricate wood pieces, and the 80's had a bunch of fascinating stuff.
  10. Stop shaving (if you're a guy), so a bearded lady is a little too much of a 'stand-out-ism' to get you noticed. It won't help. or give the impression you have. maybe draw on a little stubble, that way you can also show off your ace drawing skills as well as looking hot. No artsy guy is hotter than when he has a little facial hair.
  11. Black is a good tool you can use to unify your look, as is white.


Continued (follow the link below)
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Dress Like an Artist. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.


Emilys Guide to dressing like an artist.

1. Find some clothes. Put them on. They will probably be covered in paint, varnish, glue and other un-named substances that you were experimenting with. That doesn't matter.

2. Find more jumpers. Studios are cold. Maybe find some fingerless gloves too. Again, paint coverage doesn't matter.

3. Understand that your trouser leg is a palette on which to mix your paint.

4. When having to leave the studio, and are forced to look a little respectable, find the least paint covered thing you own and wear it.


Saturday, 7 February 2009

Just a quick post to say that the shop update is on its way.....just with horrible illness, starting new jobs, exhibitions to prepare for it's not happened this week! I will however get round to it in the next day or two as I now don't feel like spending every spare moment dying in my bed. Promise!!

Saturday, 31 January 2009


Today I went a wandering....down a 'silver thread in a ribbon of green'. I decided I need to explore this city that I have found myself living in. It is quite amazing how it is enclosed by the city, yet feels, at times a million miles away. I shall be wandering that way again I think.


As I was walking, I planned activities for my return home, finishing off the dress I started yesterday, priming some canvas for new paintings, stitching pendants and wrist cuffs whilst watching a film, cooking fabulous food.....But instead, I have come home and done nothing. (I am so tired, and obviously need to wander on a more regular basis!) Ok, so nothing is maybe a little bit of an exaggeration. I have ordered new supplies, (over)cooked a baked potato, and read blogs, followed links, listened to music and generally done things which require little brain power, or tidying up. Now, I shall watch that film, or just fall asleep when the lights are turned off....

....my over optimistic to-do list will have to wait until tomorrow!

Friday, 30 January 2009

chasing daylight from the sky


So, as usual I'm probably a little late in mentioning news - but hooray for the saviour of Polaroid! I can now carry on snapping, burning, screwing up, scratching, and generally destroying my film without feeling like I am killing the last of an ancient generation. I have been saving my last few boxes of film.....I didn't want to let go.....but now I don't have to!! Thank you Mr. Florian Kaps.

Read more here @ the Independant

Wednesday, 28 January 2009

If you go down to the woods today...

So I'm doing things a little differently this year. No more bitty updates in the Etsy shop. Instead, whole collections. At the same time. Shocking. So, I'm beavering away ready for next week when I will have an update!

Incidentally, beaver (ignoring references to lady parts) is my new favourite word - did you know, it is also slang for beard. I'm quite fond of beards...


Anyhoo, beards aside (haha, I not have an image of all you men (as there are an awful lot of bearded men who read my blog) sweeping your beards to one side in anticipation of what is about to be said).....here is a sneak preview of what's coming next week. A little bit of a foresty theme, british birdies, eggs and leaves, maybe some mushrooms and moss and feathers. Maybe even some patchwork quilts and a picnic thrown in for good measure....


There may very well be further sneak previews, so please check back soon - or check the shop out next week for newness!

Thursday, 15 January 2009

Etsyversary sale!

I told you it would be exciting! I've joined up with Indiesmiles and I'm offering 20% off all full priced items in the shop using the code 20SMILES from 16th-31st January! Just enter the code in the message to seller at checkout and wait for a revised invoice, or partial refund if you're impatient and want to pay immediately!