Philatelic

 Do you know what a Philatelic is? It is a person who collects and studies postage stamps; stamp collecting. I have been collecting stamps since I was 10 years old and have a cigar box full of stamps waiting for me to sift through. Whenever we would get international mail, my mom would save the stamps for me. What I like about postage stamps is that they have so much story to tell in such little space. I love the colors, illustrations, various flora and fauna. So much inspiration for a little thing. The above photos were purely experimental, as I was trying to find the best way to photograph with misty, gray skies and minimal sunlight.

The USPS Philatelic catalog just came in the mail and I nearly had a heart attack :) There are a few stamps being issued this year that are just stunning!  

*If you know anyone or can direct me to an online shop that sells vintage stamps, please send me an email!

Flickr Update

I like to make it a habit to take my camera with me when exploring the city and take photos of textures, doorways, street art, and my pup. I've updated my Flickr set Surroundings with some photos of the Fremont Outdoor Market. Hopefully some of my photos will inspire something creative in you?

Concrete and Honey

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I have been lucky to have met Nicola, of Concrete and Honey. She purchased a few cards from my shop and posted a little shout out on her blog (thanks Nicola!). If you have a chance, take a peek at her blog and photos- I immediately fell in love with her photographs of peonies, magnolias, and roses. Nicola is from Australia, and right now the sun is still shining at 7pm. She makes use of the daylight in her photos, which makes for a very clean, bright,  and fresh photograph. I am envious of those of you with sunshine :( Having moved from sunny Los Angeles to Seattle, the weather has been lacking in the sunshine department for the last 4 months!

Issuu: Antler Magazine

 Browsing Hoakon Loves Helga's shop, I came across Antler, an online magazine idea by Andi of Hoakon Loves Helga. Though it is published under a fashion pseudo, it really is an all creative, artistic inspiration. Antler Magazine "focuses on composing a collection of beautiful, inspiring ideas and designs from all aspects of life." The beginning of this magazine came about when Andi asked various international artists and designers to submit their work. Antler is a free, online publication and has gotten thousands of submissions since its first issue in 2009. I found a few other Etsy shops from browsing this magazine as well. What I love about this magazine is that there are no ads, and over 35 pages of pure inspiration!

Open publication - Free publishing - More art

New Muses

In the mood for shopping, but don't want to over splurge, I've been browsing Etsy for some fashion refueling and I am pretty satisfied with my search. Clicking on one artist, links me to other artists who's work I absolutely fell in love with...and in the process, I even signed up for an online magazine!

I have a fetish for well worn, leather handbags. I'm not so much into labels or huge buckles and latches which make the bag weigh a ton. You can imagine how ecstatic I was to find the perfect style of bag with all of my preferred materials! Hoakon Loves Holga (bags made by Andi) definitely grabbed my attention.

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Nothing makes an outfit like the right jewelry. A pop color ring and free flowing earrings are all I need to make an outfit. Rejoice The Hands- jewelry inspired by nature and man, created by Ana Saldana. The artist makes her pieces from porcupine quills and various materials found in nature, such as wood, bone, stone, antlers...What I like about these pieces is that they have a futuristic take to them, while containing the past.

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Bringing in the New Year

With the new year approaching, I have been thinking what it would be like to reinvent myself, style, or a room in the house. A business card project in the Studio got me researching the Hollywood Regency interior decorating style--something I am not too familiar with. Now that I have seen what exactly this style is, I realized that I may have already favored it and just didn't know it!

*Skona Hem Photography

What attracts me to this style is the use of all sorts of pattern, pop colors, furnishings with different silhouettes...and in some way, it all fits together. It is pretty eclectic in taste and definitely keeps my eye wandering around the space. A kind of "Alice in Wonderland" feeling!

*Trista Lerit Photography

 *Julian Chichester

Maybe I'll start of with a few signature pieces like these sweet looking chairs!

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 *Woodson and Rummerfield's House of Design

Published by Chronicle Books, High Style is a book I have put on my wish list! The question is, is the world ready for all of what this style has to offer? I found a lot of interior designers in Europe have got this style down, but is it too forward for the United States?

Oh Hello, Sugar Plum!

Just in time for the holidays! Bejeweled has been featured in an Etsy Treasury by My Shining Star Designs. A beautiful array of jewel toned shades of plums, teals, greens!

Letterpress, Design, and Steamrollers

The much anticipated Letterpress Wayzgoose and steamroller smackdown happened this past weekend and it was a very visual as well as interactive event. Hosted by the School of Visual Concepts, Seattle, where they offer various design and printmaking classes that teach the trade and preserve the art. Blushing Pearl had our first booth set up in the "marketplace" along side many talented letterpress printers. Bison Bookbinding & Letterpress, Tutta Lou, Visualchemist, and Keegan Meegan to name a few. All wonderful, inspiring artists!

One of the coolest activities I've seen is the steamroller smackdown, where large scale prints (designed by SVC design students and sold through a silent auction) are printed using a steamroller. The prints were later hung from the outside of the building, showing off a wide variety of talent! Throughout the day, there were food vendors, including an ice cream truck (yum!) and a life folk band. If you had equipment you wanted to sell, there were tables set up for that as well. I wish I had a chance to walk around and browse the sale... I could use another press or some shop equipment.

 The overall turnout was amazing! There were 3 classrooms filled with letterpress printers and paper stockists (such as Reich and Mohawk) with tons of sample swatch books. I was able to meet a few fellow bloggers, local printers, and designers...many with their own shops and tricks of the trade.

For more pictures from Wayzgoose, be sure to check out my Flickr as well as the Letterpress @ SVC group.

And for the record, this guy had one fabulous sushi costume!

*all photos by Blushing Pearl

{Visual Delights}

As I am catching up with posts, I've realized how much I am drawn to Graham & Green's UK site. In a previous post, I fell in love with Graham & Green's use of Pop color.

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 Anthropologie never fails in the creative inspiration department.

 

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I came across the textile and wood work of Sanna Annukka and fell in love with her  graphic patterns and intricacy.

Be Inspired!

{Visual Delights}

A few posts back, I was inspired by things that go "pop". More often than I would like, I get a stuck in a creative rut and am in need of something of interest to keep the motivation going. Ideally, I would love to blindly pick a place on a world map, stay there for a month, and absorb the new curiousities and cultures. I would pack light, bringing only the bare minimum and my camera.

 *photo credit: we heart it

 In reality, I usually just surf the internet when I have a few hours to spare and see what visual delights are out there. My artwork is greatly influenced by textiles, color palettes (brights, bold, delicate), textures, the mood of the photo, patterns, fashion. Every week, I am going to TRY to keep my promise in posting pieces that inspire and motivate my creativity...Hopefully it will have sparked something in you?

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