Paper Artist -- Anna-Wili Highfield

For the past few days I've been making repeat visits to the website of artist Anna-Wili Highfield.

Anna is a young Australian artist who, while pregnant with her first child, took paper, watercolors and thread and began making decorations for the nursery. She paints archival cotton paper, tears it and gets to work sewing. The piece above is "Budgerigar in a Bell Jar".


Love the shadow of the "Magpie" above. If you visit her website you can expand the images. When you do, you'll be able to see the actual stitching. "Turtle" really shows some large basting sort of stitches.


I wonder if the (presumably heavy) watercolor paper moves when there is a draft? It could be very dramatic if the owl's wings began to move!

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Volkswagens new EBike -- Bik.e

This went right under my radar early in the spring when it was announced in China. VW's new electronic EBike or more properly the Bik.e.

While only a concept now, it seems to me it would be a hit. Love the clean design. Not sure how it would be on hills, but for city exploring or flat areas, it looks like fun. With a speed of 12.5 mph you'd better like meandering. Its range of 12.5 miles also limits its functionality, but alas (!) it's meant as a car accessory. Volkswagen sells cars. The car, in fact, charges the bike and watch how it folds. Check it out in this video.

There are no plans to actually produce them, but one can dream. No word on cost either.

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Bad Blogger

My apologies for not showing up for a while. Bad blogger. I offer flowers to you and promise to be more diligent about posting.

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Topics One Would Never Suppose I'd Write about: Home Depot and Martha

Martha Stewart Living has hooked up with Home Depot.

Actually she is cross-branding with them. This partnering is truly inspired. I must admit, I am not a Home Depot kind of person. It's big; I like small. But the display was quite impressive.

Studying MSL's color palette makes me swoon. I find myself easily smitten by the color names.

Check out the names of these colors:

ballet slipper pink
corkboard
graham cracker crust
chopstick (?)
picnic basket
Pup Tent


Loving these:

cornichon
river mist
spring melt
SEA GLASS
muscari
faded ink

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SHAME --There's an app for that

I have neglected my blog for many months. Why? I've been way too enamored with the apps on my latest Iphone.


Bad Jil. An app a day is not a way to live. That said, I am addicted to some of them. One particularly fun one for color enthusiasts is ColorSnap for the Sherwin Williams paint company. It has one feature that integrates with the camera on your Iphone and allows you identify a color or family of colors. I took a photo of an Anichini throw, the colors of which move me.



I then tweaked it and the app analyzed my palette. An email function means you can then send yourself or your decorator or your painter an email listing those exact colors.

Other cool features include making customized palettes, a Sherwin Williams store locater, and a really time wasting by fun section called "explore color" where you can zoom your finger over a color then play with lightening it, adjusting the saturaton and on and on.

While it is doubtful anyone will have actually missed me, I feel as if I have provided a somewhat rational explanation as to my MIA status.

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Marthe Armitage Hand Printed Wallpapers

A recent article in the BBC's Gardens Illustrated featured the work of Marthe Armitage.

A British treasure, Armitage began making wallpaper after WWII and to this day, cuts the lino blocks and does the printing herself. Her papers are now carried by Hamilton Weston Wallpapers & Design. They render me -- nearly -- speechless. Apparently, if you place an order, you can ask for a color of your choice, but the artist is in charge of the final color she uses. I can imagine some of my pickier friends who love to control all decorating details freaking out at this.

The design above is Tansy. The two below are Hops. Both are courtesy of Hamilton Weston. There are 24 designs in all. The Hops on Gold, is something I never thought I would like, but it is lovely.

My daughter suggested that I go and apprentice with her. I would love to. Marthe is also a member of the Bloomsbury group Art Workers Guild.

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NOLA on my mind -- Zeitoun, Hazelnut and Robert Tannen

Sometimes things just come at you all at once. I've been meaning to write about some very cool jewelry designed by New Orleans artist and planner Robert Tannen.

I saw his work at the Lori Warner Gallery earlier this month. AND, he's the father of my friend Erica Tannen who carefully composes the e-list -- which encourages shopping and cultural visits along the CT shoreline. The shape is based on the traditional New Orleans shot gun house. Proceeds from the sale of the wooden shot gun house necklaces go to rebuilding the city. I like (love) the silver "block" necklaces (see below). Thanks to Kim Tyler for the photographs.

Then I heard that Tannen is collaborating with architect Frank Gehry on some new affordable housing for the city. Here is a model of the Modhouse.

Last night I finished reading Zeitoun Dave Eggers magnificent non-fiction account of the lives of Kathy and Abdulrahman Zeitoun during Katrina. Phew. This afternoon I see in T&C mag that Mad Men's Bryan Batt has a shop in NOLA called Hazelnut where he has a line of toile de Jouy based on the city's scenes. Check out this tray below.
NOLA, we're done for a while. Except I need something from Hazelnut. Anything.

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