da da da doggie

During my visit to Austin, Texas last October, I was overjoyed to stumble upon the life sized Chia Cow by Nathan Alcantara. Chia Cow is part of CowParade Austin, an art project on display throughout the city by over 60 local artists.

Since meeting Chia Cow, I have decided we need a life sized Chia Yorkie here at 123 house. Easier said than done.

I might just offer a reward for this kitschy little find...serious inquiries only, please.

abundance

Love is everywhere, maybe right in front of you.


{graffitti at jo's coffee, south congress, austin, tx}

claudy jongstra installation

I recently wrote about the work of Claudy Jongstra. I was so glad that I remembered there are public installations of her work in the Netherlands. When we were in The Haugue we visited the Central Government and Library Building where the entire vertical surface of a wall was veneered in hand felted wool. It is a beautiful thing to have such works of art available to everyone in a public building.

The handcrafted installation was a stunning contrast to the sleek shell of the structure. Amazing.

drenthe heath

I have adored the work of Dutch fashion designer turned fine artist, Claudy Jonstra for years. As I have mentioned before, felt is one of my favorite things in the world and this is her exclusive medium.

She controls everything about her work, from the raw materials to the finished product. She tends her own flock of Drenthe Heath sheep, estabished her own dyeworks using natural dyes from the plants she grows, and forms each piece by hand.

I think I will have to go it alone in financing this, but it is so worth it. Now, which color to get...


{drenthe heath}

bunny

I always keep my eyes open for modern holiday decorations. My collection is very small as they are hard to come by.

Today, I stumbled upon an etsy shop (via apartment therapy) that sells handmade pottery pieces like the little bunny vase below. I love that the essence of a bunny is captured in the most simple way...a little Easter treasure.

44 cent art

Have you seen the new 44 cent stamp featuring the work of Abstract Expressionists? I love the idea of a miniature piece of art on the front of an envelope.

You can pre-order now or try your luck when they are released on Thursday.

adoration

I love this picture of Josh at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art on our minimoon. I adore this man.

a pair of squares

After a lot of begging, I have finally convinced Josh that the accent wall in my office needs to be a different color, so in a few weeks when we have the space cleared out for the new carpet to be installed, I will get my new paint. I am very excited!

I have been at a loss as to what to hang on my new poppy red wall, but I'm thinking a couple of these would be perfect. Gotta start saving my pennies.

owl love you forever

We have owls all over our house, I guess we just like them.

This week I found out that owls mate for life, and often times when one loses their mate they turn away from life. They are emotionally delicate and demonstrate love to their mates in ways that many others do not. Now I love owls even more.

This would be a fun piece to add to our collection.

fashioning felt

I keep daydreaming of seeing the Fashioning Felt exhibit at to Cooper-Hewitt! Has anyone been yet?

north tiles

Uber cool.

the nature of glass

Last Sunday morning we spent some time at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix to see the Chihuly: The Nature of Glass exhibit.

The works of sculptural glass seemed so at home in the desert landscape. The colors and scale of the pieces were remarkable. It was an exhibit I will remember for the rest of my life.

If you have a chance to see this show, do not miss it.

trevor mikula

Last weekend, we strolled some galleries in Phoenix. That is when we discovered the work of Trevor Mikula. We might just have to order one of his paintings, they are whimsical, and refined at the same time.

abstracted

I adore the abstract work of Chad Wys. Add a piece to your collection here.

fun in the sun

sun + water = art prints

la la la

Makes my heart sing...furniture by Finn Juhl.

concrete

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by designer Angela Adams. From textiles to carpet to tile, all of her work shares a common thread and has a definite point of view.

I would love these Angela Adams concrete tiles by Ann Sacks for our impending bathroom renovation.

urban art

Josh and I spotted the original work of Aaron Memmott at a local gallery. Oh, how we'd love to own one.


{coming together by aaron memmott}

41, 920

That's how many spools of thread Devorah Sperber used to re-create Monet's Water Lilies. The finished size of the installation was 13' high and 54' long. Simply amazing.

way to roll

Check out this sweet ride from the Electra Bicycle Company. The Amsterdam model is now available with folksy midcentury graphics by Alexander Girard.