Sketchbook: Queen

Queen.

There is so much fun to be had when you're five years old and queen of the world. Need I say more? Have a beautiful weekend. See you in May!

Thifting Finds

A quick thrifting stop a couple days ago produced several charming finds. I couldn't resist these miniature watering cans. The smallest one is not much larger than my thumbnail.

This pair of retro Swinger albums were in great condition so I did not pass them up. They will most likely end up in Sushipotparts when I find time to add some new listings.

An old toy cap gun--perfect for a little cowboy. And...a folding autographic brownie camera circa 1917. I have no idea if it works but it's such a unique display piece.

I cannot believe I found this pair of antique silhouettes. The one on the left is a delicate paper cut and the right is a reversed glass painting. So charming!

Sushipot Vignette no 9

Sushipot Vignette no 9 (owl trivet and sink)

Each image in the Sushipot Vignette series is composed of a grouping of objects found in and around my home or studio. This owl trivet has been perched sink ledge since we moved in a couple years ago. Maybe I should take time to hang him up? Take a peek at previous images in my vignette series here.

Anatomy Art Blocks

A selection of various anatomy art blocks were posted in the shop last night. I'm looking forward to a busy week in the studio. Happy Monday to you!

Handmade Heart

We're feeling a bit better and on the tail end of our colds. Hope everyone is having a beautiful Friday and looking forward to the weekend--I know that I am! Thought I'd share a newly acquired art object with you today. I was lucky enough to win the bid on this handmade heart model over on Ebay last week. Someone was auctioning off old med school anatomical models and this gem was tucked in among them. The bids on the others were all out of reach, but lucky for me I didn't have as much competition for this charming hand painted wooden heart.

I'm still deciding on a place for it in the house but I suspect it will likely appear in a vignette soon. Thanks for stopping by, I'll see you again on Monday.

Calling In Sick

I hate to do this, but I'm calling in a for a couple sick days. Some sort of spring cold has been making the rounds in our house, and we've all 3 come down with the chills. I'll do my very best to be back on Friday. Hope that you are staying well--have a good week!

Sushipot Vignette no 8

Sushipot Vignette no 8 (jar of trinkets and a clock)

Each image in the Sushipot Vignette series is composed of a grouping of objects found in and around my home or studio. A jar full of trinkets and an old timepiece frozen at five till 11:00 o'clock. Take a peek at previous images in my vignette series here.

Doll House no 336

Doll house no 336 was completed over the weekend and is now available in the shop. I kept my camera on hand while working on the piece so I could share a few images of my process with you.

The image I chose to adorn this doll house was taken from an obstetrics manual published in 1884. It is a diagram illustrating the blood vessels of the female pelvis.

Once the image is adhered to the front of the doll house I collage the other surfaces with old pattern tissue.

Piles and snippets of pattern tissue take over my workspace when I'm working on these pieces.

Finishing up the back of the piece with one last section of pattern tissue.

After the piece dries overnight a dark patina is applied to the entire surface and the doll house is ready to varnish and display in the shop.

Ephemera Acquisitions

Today I thought I'd share some recent acquisitions to my ephemera collection. Who knows--I may find time to play around with some of these this weekend! Thanks to Patrick I now have a handful of these old card-catalog cards found in a "scraps" pile at the KSU library.

An assortment of found papers and a map tucked inside a recent book purchase.


Just a sampling of some old-school design goodies included in an Ebay lot Patrick purchased recently. (Yes, I took them all!)

These composite portraits of bearded scientists came from a very mildewed 1885 edition of the illustrated journal, Science. The guy on the top right and bottom left look very similar. There are some distinct differences but they appear to be pre-Photoshop edits of the same image. I have a feeling this point will continue to be disputed around here over the weekend. Feel free to offer your opinion!

Sketchbook: The Power

The power.

For this sketchbook collage I limited myself to a few scraps of paper that I had thrown away from various projects earlier in the week.

Lizzie joined me yesterday for an afternoon of collage. I love how she drew those tiny bodies on the heads.

Tax Time

It's that time of year that sneaks up on all of us here in the US. (bluebellbazaar, $24.00)


Hopefully you remembered to obsessively file your paperwork throughout the year. (aesthetikara, $35.99)


Gather together all those paystubs and W2 forms. (DecoDeli, $48.00)


Sort and resort receipts--don't forget to comb through for forgotten tax write offs. (SalvageNation, $11.75)


Put those basic math skills to use as you tally up expenses. (gleancreativereuse, $5.00)


If you're old school one of these may come in handy. (lacklusterco, $12.00)


Time to plug those numbers in and see if you or Uncle Sam wins this round. (MonkiVintage, $36.00)


Taxes finished? Start getting organized for next year. These are handy for keeping receipts from floating around. (highstreetmarket, $20.00)

Sushipot Vignette no 7

Sushipot Vignette no 7 (little things in letterpress tray)

Each image in the Sushipot Vignette series is composed of a grouping of objects found in and around my home or studio. This letterpress tray display in my studio is continually changing as new tchotchkes are collected and others are used in my work. Take a peek at previous images in my vignette series here.

Blooms and Dirt

Everything is blooming around here and the gorgeous weather kept luring us outdoors this weekend.

Lots of time was spent "jumpin" and playing in the dirt.

We were also able to work in our first grill-out of the season.

Hope that you had a beautiful weekend too!

Things To Do

Lizzie compiled a list of things she wants to do this weekend. Do you have any big plans? Looks like we will be busy! See you on Monday.

Sketchbook: Librairie

Librairie.

Realized that I never shared this completed sketchbook page.

Mother, Mother I Feel Sick

Another clever vintage picture book on Lizzie's bookshelf. The book is titled, Mother, Mother, I Feel Sick. Send For the Doctor, Quick, Quick, Quick. It was published in 1966 and was written by Remy Charlip and Burton Supree with illustrations also by Remy Charlip. What child (or adult) does not take pleasure in these images of sudden fatness and a strange stomach ache resulting in a plethora of bizarre objects being plucked from a little boy's body?

Our volume is endowed with bonus artwork left by the previous owner.


I love this page. Marbled pink and black--in a picture book too!

Full instructions on conducting your own shadow play to reenact the story are included. Haven't done this yet but one day we will.

And the story begins.....



What a great assemblage of objects! Don't you agree?

And of course a happy ending with all restored to normal...or is it? You must read this book to a kid you know. Luckily, it has been reprinted by Amazon and is available for purchase here. Until next time--be careful what you eat and don't forget to button up your sweater!