My Favorite Corner

Do you have a favorite corner or spot in your house?  When the sun  unexpectedly showed her face this morning in spite of the frigid negative degree temps, I was struck by the beauty of this spot in my bedroom and decided then and there that it was my favorite – which, not surprisingly, happens to be in my favorite room in the house thanks to the One Room Challenge.  But this particular corner, on this particular day just seems so warm and so right.  This spot contains some of the things that I super love:  animal print, pattern, color, art, greenery, sparkling jewelry, and Chinoiserie. Oh, and one quirky element.  It is quite simply SO me.  Which is to say, that in collecting things that I truly love no matter how disparate they may seem, they come together and just work.  At least, for me.  And that is what is important.  

I have found that when I stay true to my own aesthetic rather than following trends, the pieces I select and those that I have chosen to hold on to throughout the years stand the test of time.  To be sure, I am an incurable magpie and switch things up constantly but most pieces can move anywhere in my house and work.  As a matter of fact, my lovely Italian cheetah has already laid claim to another warm spot in the house. And while we are being quite frank, I will likely have a new favorite spot tomorrow.

What corner of your house is SO you?

All photos and styling by mrs. V

kisses,  mrs. V

The Artsy Fartsy Files - Block Printing

Skullduggery

For those of you who follow me on Instagram then you know that I was fiddling with a block print yesterday.  And for those of you who don’t, shame shame I know your name because then you might miss out.  While blogging is still slow for those of us whose kiddos have YET to start the school year, Instagram is the next best thing to catch up on life at Chez V because I always have my phone.  So, go on.  Do it.  Follow along at @chezviviv.  But I digress.  It all started way back, such a long, long time back…

A few years ago I sketched some Dia de Los Muertos skulls.  Can’t remember why but anyway I found them yesterday and immediately wanted to turn one of them into a cheeky print.  Out came a block and my carving tools.  I love the process of carving a block.  Something purposeful yet soothing about carving each little strip away to reveal an image.  It scratches that itch to pull out things like my hair, I suppose.

So, these are two of the prints I pulled last night.  And I have big plans for some more…

the usual vignette

Trying to see how a thin dark frame would look - yep

mr. cheeky is peeking

Pieti immediately demanded one for her gallery wall

All photos and layouts by mrs. V unless otherwise noted

kisses, mrs. V

Artsy Fartsy Files

Discoveries

I was asked recently to paint a picture.  It has been a while so I had to root through a ton of supplies long stashed away to find the necessary tools.  During my search I unearthed one of my sketchbooks from 2007 and discovered one of my favorite tiny paintings.

Bulls

This particular piece was inspired by an old Indian textile book I had purchased when I was doing a lot of block printing some years ago.  I had dashed it off rather quickly in a fit of inspiration  and then sort of forgot about it.  In fact, I was reminded of it a few years ago when I saw John Robshaw’s country house spread in the Oct/Nov 2010 issue of Lonny.

Lonny Oct/Nov 2010

 

It was sort of an OMG moment of wow did Mr. Robshaw swipe my painting and slam it on some fabric?  Which is admittedly insane because he is the king of Indian textiles but it was weird all the same.  I remembered having done something similar.  So I went hunting for it.  COULD. NOT. FIND. IT.  Anywhere.  Thought perhaps I had given it to someone as a gift.  Then I discovered it yesterday in that sketchbook under a bed buried under a bunch of unused art supplies.  Definitely different but clearly we were inspired by similar origins.  I have fallen in love with my bulls all over again.  And made a few other discoveries in that sketchbook…

Done prior to pregnancy & motherhood -
I think it is safe to assume I was a bit skittish about the prospect

Kingyo -
during my pond digging days

inspired by a piece of my grandmother's Delft that I inherited

a prototype for some project that I canned a few years ago

This time round pictographs were the inspiration for the commission as the recipient has traveled to various locations around the world appreciating them over the years.  I must admit to not knowing much about them prior to the request so it has been a wonderful journey of discovery and I am sort of obsessed.  I feel a pictograph series coming on now that I have unearthed both my watercolor paints and block printing inks.

Hanksville Spirits -
it went off to the framer's today

then I fiddled with the image and I sort of love this

All paintings and images by mrs. V unless otherwise noted

kisses, mrs. V

Impactful Artwork - Big Photos

Mash Up Results – Big Photos are Good

As predicted, Wendy was the only one who correctly identified Waldo.  What this result tells me: Wendy is the only one who pays any attention to my mindless drivel or possibly that she has known me so long that she can actually follow my tangential points.  I very much appreciate that you also manage to always find time to leave me a comment.  Thanks, Wen.  Ahem, I would love to hear from the rest of you!

So, for those who missed where I was going with Friday's post, or for those just joining the broadcast, welcome and let me trip your memory…

Photo Credit: Jamie Meares

In February, I posted about blowing up one of my pictures from our pond.  See the similarities?  Seeing that big photo of the water lily and frog in Nathan Turner's store solidified my instinct that a huge photo would look great in the kitchen over the banquette.  But what makes it really meaningful is that these are pictures that I took of the pond that I built.

I think I love the one above with that fishy peaking out from under the cream water lily.  Wendy said she preferred the top one - again, thanks Wen for chiming in when I asked you kind folks for your opinion.

This mash up exercise echoes my earlier assertion that art doesn’t have to be spendy to make an impact.  If it is meaningful, it will add life to your interiors and tell part of your story.  Your passions, your travels, your family history, or your HARD work.  

In another synchronous twist, Alison of MLHP also happened to post on Friday about the exact same picture taken of Nathan's store.  We were both rocked by that space for similar but different reasons.  Art is personal and subjective.  Alison is stalking lemons and I am all about the lilies.  Both good because they are meaningful to each of us.  BTWs – jump on over to My Little Happy Place.  Longtime reader of hers.  She is Brazil-liant b/c she is very talented and lives in Brazil.  Dreamy.  Thanks Alison for your comment!

So I will kindly ask you again.  Which photo would you choose to blow up?  Cuz I want to be Brazil-liant like Alison and Nathan.

kisses,  mrs. V