Saturday, July 16, 2016

Newcomb Pottery Exhibit Inspired Me!

A good percentage of my blog is about inspiration!
Everywhere I look, I am inspired; to mix colors in a new way, to create a piece of artwork, a new pattern or collection, to re-arrange my home for a new feel. I try not to name every blog post "inspiration" but it is difficult because I walk through the streets of NYC or the sidewalks down at the beach and I am always stopping to capture something that catches my eye, something that "inspires" me!
I went with a friend to the Princeton Art Museum, I got side tracked while there and blogged about this trip and Josef Albers in an earlier post about color. We were actually going to attend a guided tour through the Newcomb Pottery Enterprise exhibit, with a wonderful docent; Allegra! Not only was the pottery and artwork inspiring, but the whole idea behind the exhibit itself intrigued me.
The H.Sophie Newcomb Memorial College for Women, a division of Tulane, which at the time was an all male University offered an education to women to prepare them for work in the arts. After the Civil War in New Orleans an experiment to train women as artists, to create original artwork on pottery, to support themselves, during this difficult time was started. There is a fantastic article, by a friend Ilene Dube, about the exhibit you can read here.
I was fascinated by the exhibit and the article is a wonderful summary of all I learned that day. These women created unique works of art; the style and genre were the same, but each piece was unique unto itself... there were no duplicates created. The look of Japanese artistry mixed with the Southern flora and fauna were so creative and you could see how they developed over time. As the years went on, the art created gained much acclaim and won many awards!
The funniest thing about this trip is that on a walk through the campus, headed to the art museum, there were beautiful daffodils; yellow petals with long green stems reaching for the sun - I had to stop to take a photo....little did I know it was a glimpse into what I was about to see! Magnificent works of art, many with yellow daffodils and lilies, all came to life on vases and plates, all unique, all created so many years ago out of necessity to support themselves. I felt the NEED to go home and create my own pattern, so I could feel part of this movement!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Conversational Patterns everywhere!

Designing can be defined in so many ways
... from actually sitting down pen to paper and illustrating something to pulling elements together to create something new! It has a wide definition!
Art and Design are made up of so many things
• colors
• patterns
• genres of design
• shapes
• textures
• fabrications
One of the most popular genres or styles that seems to be making a huge come back are CONVERSATIONAL PRINTS! There were so many of these back in the day.
Most recognizable would be your French and Japanese Toiles and Fun 50's prints.
With summer here, and watermelon so full of design texture, deep saturated green and pink colors, elliptical shape, and let's not forget the pattern of the seeds in the deep pink fruit or the tiger striping green on the outer rind!
We were down in Long Branch strolling through the stores, taking a break from the beach and look what I found!
Talk about inspiration and art being applied to EVERY SINGLE CATEGORY!!! These are such fun! Makes you want to pick one up and play!
Expand your artistic talents! Paint a chair, a table, a ukulele!
Art and Inspiration is all around us .... on everything we see!

Friday, July 8, 2016

TIP That Every Homeowner Should Do!

Here is a TIP I felt the need to share with everyone who owns a home, or ever has plans to buy something big!
KEEP A HOME DIARY!
I know that I blogged about this before, but that was for colors, decorating and design!
We all go through our day, doing daily routines...
We don't stop to take a breath, to write notes about things that we might need in the future, for reference or to keep track of things we buy... even the big stuff! We get up, get ready for work, gathering what we need, our lunch, our kids, our to do list and off we go. On the (hopefully) rare days, something gets in the our way of our regimen. Sometimes it is that we forgot to bring what we needed for a meeting, for our kids to school or camp. Small incidental things that are easily remedied.
Other days it is the BIG STUFF
The dryer seized, the washing machine is leaking all over the floor, everything in the freezer is thawed and the fridge is not cold - these are the things that throw a wrench into our day, our week... our budget!
Who do you call for these issues? Do you remember where you purchased this appliance? Did you get an extended warranty? Who did you use the last time you had an electrical/ plumbing/ AC problem.... all things we do not ask ourselves until faced with having to know, having to react!
This is where a Home Diary would be your best friend!
• Keeping track of vendors, contractors, suppliers you used and their contact information
• Notes on each and how you liked them, do you feel they were professional, did they charge appropriately, were they reliable?
• Warranties you purchased - this goes for big items like your car as well!
My husband and I were plugging along this week when we realized, GEE, it is awfully hot in here - first heat wave of the year here in the Northeast! For the past three days the house was getting hotter and hotter. Today is got up to 87!! Needless to say, the AC stopped working! After my husband called many Heating and AC companies, most of whom could not come out to help us this weekend, I told him to call the one I like the best and whom I "think" we bought the system from. Not only did they say they can fit us in today, but they ARE the ones who replaced the units ... ten years ago! It always feels like "we just replaced that"! I never would have thought TEN years went by! All anyone ever thinks at this point is "get it fixed", "on no! what is this going to cost me"....
We got lucky this time - our warranty for the units is up in August!
A Home Diary would have cut our worry and we could have spent less time looking for help!
You can use a composition notebook, a file box or folder or a file cabinet... but do yourself a favor and if you do not have a system, start now.
• File receipts, phone numbers, warranties for everything!
• Small and large appliances- everything from the electric knife, blender, coffee maker, a pan you bought because it said Lifetime Warranty on the packaging!
• Major household appliances such as the furnace, AC/Heating unit, new roof, hot water heater
• Swimming goggles you bought your kid for camp!
EVERTHING! You will be thankful later when you need to find these papers and they are all together!
TIP: Start your House Diary today!

Monday, July 4, 2016

Environmentally Friendly Paints

You have heard the buzz words a lot lately about being more "green". For those of you who may not know, this is not a new color trend.
It does not mean that using a green palette in your home suffices for being "green" and environmentally friendly. It would make a nice room color but you need to think deeper into the forest for this to be green.
Being green is much more of a lifestyle choice and a health conscience decision than a color option
Think low-VOC paint!
Without preaching about all the small things you can do to be environmentally conscience, such as re-using your supermarket bags, recycling household items, and shopping at local farmer's markets, I want to give you a brief education about the not so new types of paints on the market.

Low VOC has become a buzz word - VOC as described in an earlier post is Volatile Organic Chemicals - paints with low VOC use less volatile organic chemicals than other paints not specified to be environmentally friendly. They really are the best types of interior paint to use in your home. According to an article in Consumer Reports 2008, VOCs are solvents that get released into the air as the paint dries. They can cause acute symptoms, including headaches and dizziness for some people. The long-term effects are less certain, but according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some VOCs are suspected carcinogens. Click here to read the full article from Consumer Reports.

There are many companies now that jumped on this trend to keep us all safe, with fresher air. Many sites have written great articles about the benefits of using Low VOC paint. Take a look at Apartment Therapy's 10 Best Non-VOC Low Toxic Interior Paints. I love this article, great summary and makes it easy to choose. In addition, it links you to other articles that are very educational. As a Ben Moore fan, I like the Eco Spec which can be tinted with any color, green or otherwise. I trust the name and love their colors. Mystic is another great brand in this arena.
As you move on to your renovations in your home, think about what will be best for your health and family. The low- VOC paints might be the right choice for you; maybe even in a shade of green!