spontaneity is a good thing

I have had a great week so far. I finished two collections, have had 3 good conference calls and just bought 2 plane tickets to Beaucaire, France! My friend is so sweet to host us for 10 days. We have been talking about going for months but the timing was never right. So, two days ago we bought tickets to leave on Monday! Last time I was in Beaucaire I designed my collection Bonjour! I am excited to see what inspires me this trip.

remembering last year...

I walked the twisting narrow streets of town...

was inspired by the shutters and flowers...

found beauty in small details...

partied with the locals...

and enjoyed beautiful sunsets.

I will have little internet and am happy to say that me, my paints and creative spirit will be sketching away. So, I will see you back here on August 18!

the corky and fun side of Abbot Kinney

Zin.gara - f Italian: gypsy

Bo.he.mian - (Bohemien) 19th cent. French: gypsy

Ven.ice Beach - Ca lif.: American: Bohemian & Beat poet hangout

The above was taken from the Zingara website. Need I say more? I loved the color and the merchandising was cleaver and creative!

Great merchandising in the bathroom and kitchen! talk about using every bit of space for display! Yes, that is a bathtub. And the toilet was around the corner.

I took this for the ceiling! I want to paint the ceiling of my bedroom!

Clever cowboy rain boots.

I need the silver clogs on the left.

That wraps up my adventures on Abbot Kinney Blvd. It truly is a great place to shop. I am sure to be back and next time I am picking up those silver clogs!

great finds on Abbot Kinney Blvd. - Part 2

From across the street I saw this cute little house. The colors and the old mixed with modern drew me to this shop called Tumbleweed & Dandelion. This shop didn't have much print and pattern, but it really inspired me. I can really see old quilts fitting in with the decor....hmmm.....maybe there is some new fabric line inspiration in these photos....

As you walk through this little cottage like shop, you are drawn to the outside in what seems to be a little piece of heaven. I was ready to move in.

Tumbleweed & Dandelion What a clever name, don't you think?

colors of venice beach

My USA tour is almost over. I leave tomorrow for Budapest. I will wave good bye to warmth for awhile. :( LA has been great. Great meetings, great times with my dear friend Suzan and her family and great weather. A great way to end four weeks on the road. My next post will be on Monday and from Hungary! Until then enjoy a few photos I took while shopping in Venice beach.

Came across this great mural.

They were setting up for a movie. I want to paint my house yellow.

It literally took us 5 minutes to figure out if we could park here or not.

See you back her on Monday!

snow & sun

I left this on Friday morning....

this is not a black and white photo

And arrived here Friday afternoon. Ahhhh.

LA had been great so far! I have spent time with my best friend and have enjoyed the sun, saw dolphins swimming and and have been gathering great inspiration!

Sunday I went to CHA. I didn't really know what to expect but I gotta tell you....some exciting things came out of my visit. Met some great people and am really excited about some future projects. I will keep you posted.

I head back to Budapest on Thursday and I am so ready to focus, design and be back in my home. I miss having hours to draw, design and collaborate. I feel like 2011 is just starting for me and I have a really good feeling about it.

4 days in Transylvania

Transylvania...What an amazing 4 days! We arrived late on a Wednesday night with empty bellies (they wouldn't be empty for long). We unpacked, washed up and then had our first bread making lesson. In the next 4 days we would bake bread, learn cheese making, hike in the most beautiful valley, see old mills at work, learn traditional textiles techniques, learn the art of egg painting and meet the loveliest people.

Hidegség

Making Bread

In many ways it was like stepping back in time. In the village there are more horse and carts than cars and all the food was homemade. Literally, nothing we ate came from a store. The jam was from the berries picked in the forest, the butter made the night before, the cheese made by a neighbor, even the mayonnaise was homemade. We were so spoiled with the amazing food and drink!

one of our "light" meals

Our transportation

We were also completely spoiled by our guide Erika. She was so flexible and accommodating. Each day she would run down a list of possible activities. We could choose all of them, none of them, some of them, whatever we wanted. As soon as she found out I loved textiles, we were stopping by homes looking at embroidered folk costumes, crocheted tablecloths and woven carpets. She was truly amazing! We all fell in love with this village called Hidegség and the people that live there.

An adorable couple we meet. She had the most amazing textiles. She had made everything. That pink blanket they are sitting on is one that she made.

she finds the time to weave in between the milking

We were able to experience their first snow!

I fell in love with this little lady. I was trying not to look like a giant next to her that is why I am standing funny. She was such a great host as she invited us into her home and showed us how to make cheese.fresh cheese

As a side note...I must say that I really love the country life. However, I understand that life for a farmer is very hard...there are no breaks. Visiting as a tourist is wonderful and we were completely spoiled! We never had to help with the hay cutting, cow milking, wood cutting, or washing. We were able to sleep in and relax. The people in the village are hard working and life is not easy for them.

Richard, Bonnie, Erika (our guide), Steven and me.

Steven was in Peace Corps years ago. He said that the experience we had was much like his Peace Corps experience except nicely packaged so we could have a unique experience every minute of the day. I am very much looking forward to visiting Erika and the people of Hidegség again. If you are looking for a unique country experience in Transylvania I can not say enough about about Erika. She is what made the whole experience fantastic!

Feel free to email her if you are at all interested in visiting. I guarantee a unique and fantastic experience!!
Erika Nyika
waleseri@yahoo.com

Please visit my flicker page for more photos!

photos, notebooks and cards

I decided to take 5 minutes to say hi. I had a fantastic time in Transylvania! I have 3 posts to write regarding everything I saw. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until next week. But here is one photo as a teaser! I am very proud of this photo. My friend Richard calls it the "national geographic" photo.

This wonderful women invited us into her home to watch her make cheese. A beautiful woman with a spirit that made me wish I could spend a day with her asking her all about her life.

So, I am literally buried in work! I have three HUGE projects I am trying to finish. All while having guests in town...they don't know this but I am putting them to work on Thursday tying ribbons:)

Below are photos of the 1200 notebooks and 500 cards that were delivered this morning!Thank god I am still house sitting as my flat could not hold all these notebooks!

So, I will check back in later...after 400 ribbons are tied around notebooks:)

the art of collage: Estonia vintage postcards

I have discussed in this blog before how I love collage art. I guess that is what you call it...layers of images mixed with vintage fabrics and wallpapers. In the next few posts I will share a few items I picked up while traveling that are indications of this deep attraction I have.

A vintage Estonian postcard 1926I can see Anahata Katkin being inspired by the two people in this postcard.

the creative mind never sleeps

Before I left for vacation my NY rep told me to cherish the time off and to not work. He said me and my work needed a break. I kept thinking about this and I think he was right. I did do a bit of painting while I was away but it was fun...it didn't feel like "work".

Now I am back in Budapest and as I sit here surrounded by my thoughts of everything I saw and experienced. My creative juices are flowing. I bought a few small things while in France and Estonia. When I lay out all my purchases, it is so obvious that even though I was not "working" my creative mind was never asleep.

"Vintage Romance"

I love the purples and teal with lime green and hints of pink.
I am excited to seem where this goes.
The background fabric I bought at flea market in France-Liberty fabric. The two postcards are Estonian circa 1926. The glass bottle is from Beaucaire from an olive oil coop. The two fabrics at the bottom are from a skirt I bought at a market in Tarascon.

I don't know what to call this one? Any ideas??

I love the reds mixed with the pea greens.
The tin on the left is from Estonia. The card on the right is by French artist Sophie Adde. They look like they were created to go together don't they?