Diorama Love

 

 Calle Avinyo

 

  

St. Pere 

I went through a short phase of making dioramas when we lived in Germany. I think it’s something I need to revisit. If you’ve been to Barcelona you may recognize some of these pictures. There are loads of buildings being torn down and at each construction site you find yourself starring at exposed interior apartment walls; A snapshot of who lived there before.  Honestly, it’s kind of a weird voyeuristic kind of feeling. There are a lot of nice pattern inspirations in these old walls. I took some pictures,  simplified and adjusted the colors, and made wallpaper patterns. Wouldn’t it be nice to see these hanging in the new apartments that go up? A little nod to its past life.

Found and Made: Barcelona, Nurnberg

Bakery Twine

We found some blue bakery twine this weekend. oohhhh….It’s nice,  but I still prefer the red. You may be wondering, “How do I use bakery twine?”. There are so many ways my dear friends. Two of our favorites:

1 . tie up a present for someone special

2. tie a comfortable length around your wrist or neck — don’t you look pretty! 

Found: Amsterdam

The best kind of present

I just cannot shake my love of polka dots. Aren’t they always appropriate when it comes to just about everything? Take this little envelope sized bag, made out of the thinnest, barely there paper. It reaches such a supreme level of cuteness with the addition of all those fluorescent spots. Who cares what it’s for – I want more. It’s a wonder that someone would throw it away?!?! Luckily, a most thoughtful friend rescued and saved it just for me. It’s been pressed in a sketchbook for the past month and begging for some proper documentation.  We may be done with polka dots but the polka dots aren’t done with us. 

Found by M.S.: Toronto, Canada

Paper fold

  

Our first attempt at a repeat pattern proved to be pretty tricky. Not having the choice set-up made it difficult to align the screen to match the previous pass. Once we started there wasn’t any way to go back — G. pulled it off beautifully. Hawk eyes! Next time we’ll use a BIG screen and LONG table.  All of that drama aside, we finished with just enough material to make a handy little tote bag that is keeping my computer cozy outdoors.

Made: Amsterdam, Paper fold pattern

Tea Stripes

 

This little beauty was sitting amidst a table cluttered with all sorts of paper boxes and lonely leftovers.  It makes me think of tigers having tea munching on Linzer cookies. 

Found: Budapest flea market 

Field Stalker

  

This is a pattern called FIELD STALKER. It is a camouflage used for hunting deer. Kind of sad, I know.  It is printed on a really soft heavy weight brushed cotton and the colors are full and rich. I believe the pattern is designed by a hunter named T.R. Michels. T.R. Michels is described on many websites as a nationally recognized game researcher/wildlife behaviorist, and outdoor writer and speaker, who has been studying game animals for several years.  

 Found: Kitchener, Canada