Remember when last July, I told you that I was part of an amazing book project called For the Love of Light, dreamt up by Jenifer Altman? The book quickly sold out, but not to fear - Chronicle Books has published a set of notecards from our book, also curated by Jen. You can find two of my photographs included the boxed set. That’s one of mine above, taken at the museum of contemporary art in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Here are some of the retailers I’ve discovered carrying them: (um, WOW!)
Urban Outfitters
Amazon
Fred Flare
Chronicle Books
Borders
Barnes & Noble
Word is, you can also find Polaroid Notes at your local independent bookstores. Please let me know if you pick some up, I have yet to see them in the flesh, but can’t wait to check them out.
Happy Weekend!
Eli is seven weeks old today! (I often let him try on my rings.:)
Speaking of sweet knits… for all of you in the Portland area, you have a fantastic opportunity to attend a special trunk show held at IDOM Designs Boutique this friday, August 21st! (Click on the flyer for enlarged view with all the details.)
Textura offers handmade knits from Uruguay to consumers who value both high-quality design and fair compensation. Our curated collection has been crafted by a diverse group of women, including rural knitters, seasoned weavers and emerging urban designers. In expanding their market access to North America, Textura aims to preserve an ancient craft, promote economic and social development, and offer you, the consumer, modern knits that are both beautiful and practical.
Over a year ago, I was excited to find an email from Christina DesVaux, a recent Brown graduate who was then about to move to Uruguay on a Rotary Scholarship to do research. She told me that she was looking for the relationship between Fair Trade and artisan cooperatives in South America and had some questions about my own impressions from living there. So we swapped a few notes here and there, and since then I have often wondered what Christina’s adventures brought her. I’m so excited to find that Textura is the result of her time down there! I can’t think of a more meaningful way to shop, so lucky you if you happen to be in PDX and can make it to see this fantastic collection and come home with some gorgeous treasures to wear this season!
I get on the computer these days and end up writing silly status updates or replying to just one of many many emails before I am spent of computer jenergy and find myself wrapped in blanketed baby cuddles or washing and folding tiny socks or smelling of baby shampoo and spit up. Sigh. Is there anything more than this priority? I recently announced, to no one in particular (mostly because everyone in particular would gawk and call me insane) that “I have decided that I want a hundred babies. I always want a baby. Just a cute, soft baby around.”
But seeing as how that is a total impossibility, I am hormotionally banking on the idea that heaven, fingers crossed you and I make it there, is a place where my man and I can have hundreds of babies and all eternity to enjoy them in. We can stagger their births so that I will get this one wish, to have a babe on my hip, chubby cheeks to spread in slow smiles, little fists to watch uncurling in sweet slumber. And in that scenario (assuming that this IS heaven we are speaking of and will therefore allow for creative expression through our fashion of choice) I will dress all my babies in this cardigan.
Julia, a friend I’ve known for years but can you believe it -I haven’t actually met in the way that our grandparents knew each other, or how we say, “in real life.” Which, pardon me, can I just say that doesn’t make too much sense to me these days because what is more real life than having the turn of recent events we had, after finally getting this precious child in arms and then the unexpected emergency sad time at the hospital – and coming home to a box wrapped neatly in pretty kraft paper, hand stamped with love and a sweet page of tender words. And wrapped underneath tissue paper, a heart melting gesture in form of a precious handmade sweater, with my favorite sailor style stripes and wooden buttons and soon also tears falling in between the cables of yarn. Happy, pinch me now, grateful tears. Well! That is real.
Even the cleaning instructions are graced with Julia’s adorable illustrations. What is more, and something that Julia did not even know – I am a cardigan’s cardigan girl. NO outfit is complete without one, something I blame thank my Seattle climate for. (Not even a summer day in mid July is safe without throwing a cardy in my tote because as all Seattleites know, the weather can get chilly here at night. You are never safe!) The fact that my little person can wear one too, and such a sweet one at that! Well, just tickles my heart.
Eli is growing and growing (one inch in two weeks already!) and so it won’t be long till he will be pictured wearing it like a real person, instead of posing under it like a blanket. But, just between you and me, let’s just not rush into him growing up too fast. He just got here, after all. And so now that you have a taste of the incredible people I have in my life, just a taste, as there are so many, may I introduce to you the name that this gift shall be known as, throughout the eternities: The perfect hundred babies hand knit heirloom cardigan sweater. What could be more fitting?
Thank you Julia, thank you! If I could hop on a plane to Madrid to give you un abrazo grande, I would!
Little Max with my one-step a few years ago…
One of my favorite pieces from David Hockney, a collage made back in the day (1982) when polaroids were as dispensable as paint…
Whew. Things are so strange these days. One thing that I’ve decided is to only allow for things in my day that will have an immediate return of bliss to help me move along on my recovery way… like sharing some art. Who knew that a quick blog post would boost the spirits?
So I was unloading some pictures from my camera of baby Eli (the shutter won’t stop, he’s just too cute!) and I came across some loosely done paintings I made ages ago. There’s definitely nothing remarkable about them, but the memories I have associated with them are what make them special. I remember this day because I was feeling nostalgic leaving my home for the first time in my life to go to school on east coast and knew that I would miss so many things, one of them being my little brother Sam. I knew he would change and grow up without me being there to see a lot of it. This particular day we drew pictures on our driveway with chalk, blew bubbles, played four square and laid in the grass looking at clouds, just the two of us. I took pictures of him making goofy faces in a new roll of film that would stay in my camera and come with me so that when I had them developed in my new city they would be a nice reminder of home. My little brother who is not-so-little anymore…
Be still my beating heart. It has just been announced that this december, RODARTE will become the next installment in Target’s GO International series. Squeal! (Just in time for my new mommy body to be back into shape, yes!) I’ve browsed the racks each time Target has had a designer collaboration, but I’ve never been more excited than this one, not even when Orla Kiely hit them. I wonder how the Mulleavy sisters will translate their intricate, layer loving designs for the masses? (And hey, if it doesn’t fit the average jane’s taste, more for me!)
Some rodarte to gaze upon until december comes . . .
