Category Archives: art

Pinched, Framed and Purple Matsumoto

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makingframes

I’m sure you’re starting to think this is becoming a floral blog with all these weekly posts about the fresh flowers I bring home.  I swear to you I have not lost my mind… but I have certainly lost my ability to walk, bend over, stand for too long, sit for too long, or even feel my left foot.  So all I can really do is stare at flowers all day.  Which has been a comforting part of my otherwise painful week. (month, … I mean 6 weeks)

I’m not a bitcher or complainer but I’m telling you I’ve never ….

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Christmas Chalkboard Art: A New Tradition

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Christmas-chalkboard-tree

Last Christmas I had a great time doodling on the chalkboard pantry doors in my kitchen. Not only was it fun and somewhat therapeutic, but it got me in the Christmas spirit… which is not always so easy.  Turns out it got lots of people in the Christmas spirit, thanks to all the fabulous internet junkies who love Pinterest.  My silly Christmas drawing was pinned and repinned over and over again. WOW!   Thanks for the love!  People are so incredibly kind.

The doors have been blank for a few weeks now.  BORING!  They definitely need some holiday love.

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A Day to Get Away

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Menilbuilding1

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and if you managed to NOT overeat, then you are far better than me at resisting the Thanksgiving temptations.  It also doesn’t help that my mother in law cannot control herself and had to bake 3 pies, bread pudding, a German chocolate cake and enough food for an army.  The woman is mad… mad I say!

It’s been nice to have a few extra days off and what better way to spend a day than to hop in the car and drive to Houston.  Richie had told me he was driving ….

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Art Love: Modern Quilts

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gees3

I’m so fortunate to have a job that I truly enjoy. With the radio station being located on a University campus I get the opportunity to see some wonderful things.  The NPR station where I work is located right between the Music Department and the Art Department. You can imagine how much fun that is… especially when those two things are such a huge part of my life. It’s never boring… always inspiring.

The Museum on campus has some really amazing exhibits pass through and I’m always eager to check them out. The National Quilt exhibit was just about to ….

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Mural Artist: Robert Madden

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modern art mural

I get asked a lot of questions about our house and the amazing mural that spans almost the entire length of the living/den area. It’s one of those features that is impossible to miss! After my last post I realized that most of my followers did NOT know this was actually a media cabinet that housed books, cds, magazines, the TV and stereo, etc.

The artist who painted this mural is Robert Madden. Robert and his wife Bonnie paid us a visit this past weekend and brought over Frank and Nancy, another lovely couple who wanted to see the ….

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Good Finds

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woodsculpture

While taking pictures of some of our recent finds it struck me that this post will be somewhat “arty” without me trying or really thinking about it until now.
It’s no secret that we love to hunt!  NO, not with guns… however there were times I thought there might be a “shoot out” between collectors at some of the estate sales we go to… but usually we get in and out really quickly and have yet to get in any fights. (hey, it happens.. people are crazy!  Besides, we prefer to find our stuff on the side of the road.)
I’m always ….

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Designer: Jens Risom

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Jens Risom Chairs

Renovation is S-L-O-W. At least it is at my house. My father-in-law told me over the Easter weekend that I could have built a new house by now. (sigh) Of course he was joking and he loves to tease me because I’m a perfectionist. I enjoy his teasing… it’s love in the most fun way! Here’s the thing, though…. slow is not really a good thing in the blogging world. But who cares, right! So lets just say screw the renovation talk for now and lets talk about a designer we love – Jens Risom.

Jens Risom, who designed the first ….

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Estate Sale: Photography Books

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Photography Books

Another week goes by and more fun stuff is found. Estate sales are a weekly venture. Lists of addresses are made, maps are brought out, certain neighborhoods are sought after and all the information is gathered in hopes of a score. This time Richie brought home some really fun photography books from the late 50’s. I think they are super cool so I thought it would be fun to share some of the pictures with you. I wish the internet had “smells”… you’d just love the old smell of these books. The pictures probably give you a “sniff”.

I love the ….

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This weeks finds

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Hand Carved Wood Man

I’ve been a little too quiet this week…sorry. My “real job” is sucking the life out of me and taking me away from the fun stuff I enjoy. I always try to make time for the fun stuff, rest assured! So I thought I’d do a quick little update on some cool things Richie found this week. He always manages to come home with something, even if it’s small enough to fit in his hand… there’s always a little something.

Richie has many talents. One of course is renovation, the other is his musical abilities, another is his annoying ability to ….

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Art Find: Emil Bisttram

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Emil Bisttram Modern Abstract Painting

Yes, I’m still working like crazy on the master bedroom and making great progress… but lets face it taking pictures of paint drying is not so fantastic. For you or me. HA!HA!
It has always been my intention to share more than just renovation work on this blog as we are hunters and collectors of many cool and funky finds and love to share. Ten years ago it was much easier to find something FANTASTIC but it’s getting more and more difficult. I think blogs, television, ebay, and the internet in general has made people think twice about the things they ….

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he was loved

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Charlie Stagg Remembered

I really can’t seem to put my mind to anything lately, as I seem to drift back to our friend Charlie as I go through my day. It’s hard to lose someone that you truly admired and cared for especially when you know you missed a million times to see them. Isn’t that the way life and death is. We always think we have more time. That’s the one thing that really sneaks away from us.

I think at times that Charlie was like many artists…. he knew he was good and was proud of ….

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You were a good man, Charlie

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Charlie Stagg Remembered

It is with such a heavy heart that I post this news, as we have lost someone very special in this world… someone we truly loved knowing and learning from. Charles Stagg, an amazing artist and friend passed away last night.

He fought hard, not just at the end, but all of his life. At least that’s how I feel about him. He fought to LIVE, live each day with passion and vigor. If there’s one thing Richie and I have learned from him and will take with us the rest of our lives it’s to do your life’s work and ….

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A new attitude

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Convex Mirrors

I knew it was time to take a break when I started to cry over my bedroom closet.
As a sane person reading this, you know that’s just not normal… or healthy. Full-time renovation takes a toll on those who expect too much, too fast. I’m very hard on myself and often set goals that are unattainable.

When times like these roll around I acknowledge that things are not good and it’s time to change my way of thinking. I needed to stop, breathe, get out of the house and try to see how beautiful things ….

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painted rocks

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painted rocks

I had a choice last night…..  I could sit in front of the TV and hunt alligators with my husband, (yes, he thinks he could be a “swamp person”), or I could do something creative and fun with my time. I decided that listening to music and painting would be a much better choice for me. So I did some necessary painting and some “not so necessary” painting. I bet you can guess which one I liked most!

I put my second coat of white paint on one side of the closet shelves so they’ll get good and dry overnight and ….

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Artist and Friend

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Mary Arredondo Art

Today I’m featuring a close friend who is not only incredibly kind and generous, but a wonderful artist who is having an opening tomorrow for his exhibit “Criador Anima Dos”.

Marty Arredondo has been in our lives for as long as I can remember and we share our love of art, home improvement, good food, and we attend our favorite concerts together every chance we get. We’ve rocked out to Arcade Fire, Radiohead, Morrissey, REM, Sigur Ros, Zwan, and many others. When it’s time to buy tickets, he’s always good to go. He got me ….

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