busy

check out this lovely chalkboard calendar by the ever-inspiring something's hiding in here.

wearable art by nicole dextras

nicole dextras works in a variety of media, including some that is ephemeral, like these cabbage shoes.
more photos of her amazing wearable pieces made of plants can been seen on inhabitat, including more information about her current show.

when i was little, a very cool family friend visiting from switzerland made complete outfits out of giant rhubarb leaves for her daughters and i. it was an amazing experience that i still remember, and probably my first exposure to wearable art! (well, not counting playing dress-up). the cabbage shoes especially remind me of that time...

city stimulus event in seattle

the talented folks at piano nobile are hosting a studio sale next weekend (july 17th and 18th), and i wish i was in seattle and could go! they've invited a wonderful group of local artists and designers to participate; you can see all the details and information about the guest artists here.

and, it's part of seattle's city stimulus event:
this week and this coming weekend in seattle, you can save money and support local businesses by taking part in city stimulus. all you have to do is go to the city stimulus website, sign up (it's free), they will email you a membership card (also free) and then you show the card to get discounts at local independent stores and businesses in seattle. see, it's easy!
another fabulous local shop that is participating (20% off in store purchases) is bluebottle art gallery, which is already dedicated to supporting local artists and designers.

selvedge shop open in london

i first discovered selvedge magazine earlier this spring, when i was shopping for magazines to read on the long flight to japan. it's a beautiful magazine, and i am absolutely sure that their new shop in london will be filled with equally lovely things.

no turning back

is a new song by sarah blasko
art by celeste potter.

sometimes we all need a reminder to keep going. and what a lilting one this is.

summer felt by elenamakesthings

i was just thinking about felt today, when i stumbled upon the work of elenamakesthings.
i especially love this piece, where she used a shibori technique while felting to make the cascading petals.
her creations are available for purchase from elenamakesthings on etsy.

and you can see more of her works on her flickr.

sloth

this adorable sloth bag was made by etsy seller mairuru. she lives in yokohama japan, and her shop is full of sweet handsewn goodies. she has a lovely blog too.

today i am feeling slow, like this little sloth. 4 more days until i can go see the doctor, and hopefully get my cast taken off.

royal eggs by asherjasper

vicky of asherjasper makes adorable felt creations, like these fairy tale royalty. her etsy shop is on mini vacation right now, but hopefully these and other goodies will be available there soon. in the meantime you can see more of her fabulous work on flickr.

tanabata

tanabata is a summer holiday in japan, celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month (traditionally of the lunar calendar). the story of tanabata is of 2 lovers, orihime a weaving princess (the star vega) and hikoboshi a cowherd (the star altair), who are separated by the milky way, and only allowed to meet once a year on this day. complete wikipedia info here.

bamboo trees are hung with paper strips with wishes written on them, the image above is from this site which shows how to make some of the tanabata paper crafts (sorry it's japanese only).