Can you recall your favorite mix-tape?

watercolor, 8 x 10"

Mine definitely included Wilson Phillips.

Happy Friday, hold on for one more day...

In Chicago!

Today I'm inside the nearest wifi establishment waiting for my friends to meet me in sunny Chicago! The weather is awesome and I'm so looking forward to seeing all of my lady friends.

I rode the train (the L) into the city from the airport and was instantly envious of cities that use subway systems as a means to get from point A to B. I heart the subway. It's so easy and cheap. Who wants to drive? I don't! Public transportation here I come.

Well this fit of jealous-ness was also consumed by thoughts of subway art and design. Quite frankly a metro system is least confusing when designed well. Ever think about where they put those important informational signs or even where you can add money to your metro card? The location and look of the subway was designed with the traveler in mind. Great design = user-friendly experiences.

I'd have to say that my favorite part of subway systems are the maps. I love the color and line used to distinguish various stops and really enjoy reading them (in a nerdy-tourist type way.) I started to browse the net and pinned a few sites that share my love of subway maps....

What if the world had a metro system? What if you could travel to Europe and beyond using the subway? Um, how cool would that be? Take a look at the design below and click the link to read more about a world metro.

Ever try to connect the dots and create people, places, or things on a subway map? Check out this site to browse all the animals you could make using subway maps. The image below is a puppy. Aw.

What about taking the subway theme and extending it to the sky? Below is a map (in subway style) of the planets and their moons.

I found most of these sources on a site that works as a HUGE database of all that is and ever can be subway. If you're interested you can go to it by clicking here. I recommend bookmarking the site and allowing yourself multiple visits. Enjoy!

Kyle, I bet your haircut looks nice.

Oscar, don't eat your new toy.

Pinterest

Do you search the net for cool images, ideas, or inspiration? I don't know about you but I always go to my 'google reader' looking for cool DIY projects, recipes, and design ideas. However, due to my scattered nature, I often lose track of which blog I found the idea and even worse, have no clue who to cite for credit. Pinterest to the rescue!

In their words:

What is Pinterest? Pinterest is a place to curate and share things you love. Think of it as a virtual pinboard -- a place where you can post collections of things you love, and "follow" collections created by people you admire.

I am still getting used to the process, but I LOVE the site and all it stands for. It keeps track of everything...who to give credit to, on which blog you can find it, and which images you have "pinned" or "repinned" thus far (the lingo will make sense once you have an account, I promise). One of the best parts about the site is they add a "Pin It" tab to your bookmark bar. So while you're perusing the web and come across an amazing image such as this:

all you'd have to do is click on the "Pin It" tab and it forwards the image and all the info to your Pinterest profile. hello, brilliant.

p.s. the image above was found on Pinterest which led me to the original source of the image here.

Creating an account was easy....I think it took less than 24 hours for them to email me my account info (you have to request an invitation)...and you must have a facebook account (they use it for login and friend-finding purposes). Oh, and it's free : )

Little Red Riding Hood

watercolor, 8 x 10 "

Window Displays

Window displays are pretty fascinating. They are your first impression of a store and your first glimpse as to what's inside. Whether it's a store, restaurant, or home (storefront in a home? yes, it happens all the time within Baltimore's surplus of row houses) the objects' job is to sell you something. The pics below are storefronts from my trip to New Orleans and the last one is from a home in Baltimore.

Are you able to tell what the objects are selling?

Jewelry adventures

I woke up last Friday and decided I'd try to make a pair of earrings. So I did. I made two pairs and I think they turned out pretty decent.

Now, I'm proud of myself for this. I've had my share of jewelry-making attempts but never really stuck with it mainly because of the patience involved (my mind flashes back to spending 2 hours beading a necklace only to drop the darn thing and have lots-o beads fall to the floor like a sea of bedazzled mockery). ugh. That happened on more than one occasion so naturally I was frustrated with the process.

But now I feel ready to tackle this genre one more time, and this time I chose to start slowly, making simple earrings with simple tools. Maybe I'll get better at it, maybe I won't. Either way, it was fun to do while watching horrible reality shows.

Here they are in no particular order!

Figure 8's

Rectangular dangles

Click on the links above to see them in my Etsy shop! woot woot

weekend in pictures

weekend in pictures - Oscar

24

Do you have a number that follows you -good or bad -wherever you go? My stalking number is 24. I was born at exactly 8:24 am. Many times (so many times that it's getting weird) I wake up naturally at 8:24 am. My brother was born on the 24th, my number in sports was always 24, I met Keiffer Sutherland from the hit drama series "24," I could go on and on and on.

Well.....one of the MAIN reasons why 24 is amazing is that my bff Lauren was born July 24th. Thank goodness she's in my life. Happy Birthday Lauren!

p.s. Lauren is an amazing graphic designer AND culinary decorative genius. She has an amazing business called Sweetcakes Ltd. that her and her friend Marie built together.

Sorry people, they only can spread their love to Ohioans for the time being, but I foresee a global enterprise.

Everyone wish Lauren a happy birthday! and I'm curious to hear, what is YOUR stalking number?

Find color Friday

I love finding color in places that people normally overlook. Color is everywhere in the city, but what I'm mainly interested in are the areas where there is contrast or vibrant color - and they must be in areas that others tend to ignore. I call them "urban splotches of color." So clever. Well regardless of the name, they are fun to find. take a look...

Happy "Find Color" Friday! Stay tuned for my weekend in pictures, us girls have BIG plans.

Talented artist- Amber Ward

I had the awesome pleasure of meeting Amber Ward two summers ago while we both were earning our MA degree from Maryland Institute College of Art. She too is an art teacher and one time had her middle school students participate in a flash mob (I'm obsessed with flash mobs).

Apart from her full time job, Amber is currently working on an intriguing body of work titled, Confessionals. If you were raised Catholic then you know the process of "going to confession." You know, when you have to climb into a dark box and tell the scary man all about your sins (nightmares from grade school, eeeek) Amber reinvents this confessional process and does so by bringing together strangers as they find her confessionals. How cool is that?

Within each Confessional, Amber places one confession, or secret, that she has kept hidden for years, months, weeks, or days for a variety of reasons. Her purpose is to begin the process of personal acceptance.

Confessionals, 2009

3″ x 2″ (dimensions variable)

Pictured: Abuser/Abused,

Confessionals, 2009

3″ x 2″ (dimensions variable)

Pictured:

Teacher/Student

Confessionals, 2009

3″ x 2″ (dimensions variable)

Pictured:

Olympian/Princess and Gypsy/Hermit

Amber said, "Since childhood, I've been very strategic about revealing or hiding aspects of my identity depending on my company. In doing this, I have silenced a more authentic version of myself. Each Confessional is a self-portrait that has documented aspects of my identity, it’s loose-ends, and the confession within."

Through Confessionals, Amber has developed relationships or connections with strangers. While each connection has been unique and cerebral, some individuals chose to communicate with her by posting messages on her blog:http://amberray.edublogs.org/.

Amber continues to explore issues surrounding self-identity and interaction. The two-dimensional images displayed below are from Ward's most recent body of work titled Postcards. While the collage work is finished, the artmaking process is not. Like Confessionals, the Postcard series (13 pieces) will be interactive. In fact, the artist hopes to utilize both Facebook and the postal service as methods of communication. Stay tuned! (I can't wait!!)

Postcards, 2010

3.5" x 5" (dimensions variable)

Pictured: Postcard 1, Postcard 7, Postcard 9

Thanks so much Amber! It's always a pleasure to look at your artwork so thank you for sharing :).

I'm on Etsy!

Well I did it! I created an Etsy account for the purpose of displaying artwork and to hopefully sell a few pieces. Who knows what will come of it. If nothing else it should motivate me to create more artwork.

You can check it out either by clicking here or by clicking the gadget on the right-hand side of my blog page.

Here are a few images of what I have listed. I'm lovin our yellow door as my photo-shoot backdrop.

Lend a hand

Fabric print

Bird etching

Take a look at what I have listed and tell me what you think! Thanks so much for your support and feedback,

Sheena

Pattern Insomnia

I can't fall asleep (summer time=awful sleeping habits) so I thought I'd share a few examples of how I incorporate pattern in my artwork. First of all, I'm a huge fan of pattern on wallpaper, fabric, table cloths, clothes, accessories, you name it. I read this book on Florence Broadhurst a while back and it helped me revisit my love of pattern and repetition. The book also helped me discover that pattern can still be created by hand instead of using digital, technological, or stamping means. Although making pattern by hand is rare, time consuming, and sometimes insane, the process can be therapeutic and rewarding if given a little patience.

Now I don't sit for hours upon hours painting meticulous patterns on my walls or paintings. I incorporate it within an art piece somewhat loosely, usually repeating objects, shapes, colors, and etc. as the painting develops.

The following images are details of previous work. I zoomed in on particular areas where I feel that the patterns (repetition of color, shape, line, and/or texture) are strong.

This last piece (image below) was created during my senior year of undergrad at Miami of Ohio...uh, 6 years ago (I feel old). It was the first painting I did using pattern as the main focus. The pattern is much more obvious compared to the images above, and reads more like wallpaper, but I still really enjoy this painting.

Well it's 5:30am. Should I fall asleep or just stay awake? Thank goodness I don't have school tomorrow.

These boots are made for walkin...

I tend to take photos of my friends'...feet. Uh, it sounds gross....but not really I promise. I think I do this because walking is so much of my daily life. I live in the city with my husband Kyle and dog Oscar so we prefer to walk from place to place - especially to give the doggus exercise. Basically, I love to walk/dislike to drive. Maybe this gives an explanation as to why I take these photos....or maybe it is the reason why the pictures are so interesting to me. The result being that I try to capture where we are and include the mood of the setting as much as possible. Take a looky.

bff Lauren and I in New Orleans

Kyle on our honeymoon, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Kyle and I in Kennett Square, PA

Kyle and Kevin in NYC

this pic was taken by Kyle. He's in a bar named Bar. seriously

Thanks, enjoy the day. Happy Birthday Danah!!!!