Birthday Gift.

What to do you give someone as a birthday present when you have no money to spend? So first of all, I am going to be honest I am really terrible about giving people gifts for their birthdays. Even writing a card is something that is hard for me to do. So my New Year's Resolution was to be a better gift giver for people's birthdays.

My sister-in-law, Kelly, was the first birthday this year. I was racking my brain and finally realized that since I am already on a kick of bookbinding. Then why don't I create a book for her. (I personally love gifts that are handmade, I especially love cards from people when they write something meaningful inside...hmmpphh...my birthday is in two months...hint, hint)

As I was stating earlier, I wanted to create a book for Kelly that would be special and meaningful, I decided that maybe a little violin sheet music bound in a book could be a wonderful gift idea. So I ran with that idea and found some wonderful new ideas along the way. My favorite being thread sketching. I found this wonderful idea on another fellow bloggers, site. The concept behind it is you use a sewing machine to create a sketch, and the end result looks wonderful.

I ended up doing a small amount of thread sketching on the cover, binding the book violin sheet music and lining the inside with some of my own block print which I created. I loved the end result and just wanted to share with you.

Hope you like!

What is whimsy blue?

Some of you may be asking yourself, What is whimsy blue? Or maybe you haven't even asked that question. My sister and I have been talking for a long time about how we wanted to start our own business based on etsy. A business that includes housewares, textiles and fashion. We figured with our sophisticated taste and knack for being ahead of the trends, that we could create a company that not only brings life to things that may seem old and outdated, but how to take things and create them into something that are handmade and one-of-a-kind.

You may still be asking yourself well what is whimsy blue. My sister and I for quite some time have decided that we wanted to somehow create a name, that was representative of our mother in some way. Two words and an image that somehow could embody a little bit of her favorite things and what she brought to the world.

We knew from the beginning that a bluebird would be the centerpiece of this whole home business, but we wanted to give it a name that was not so literal, and a little more fun.

To recap on the bluebird, it has a little bit of special meaning in my families lives. My mother always said that whenever she saw a bluebird that something good was going to happen. The beauty is lately I have seen quite a few which has lead me to believe that something amazing and beautiful was on its way. I even got it tattooed on myself a few years back because it had such special meaning.

We racked our brains and it was not until my sister and I went out to dinner with my best friend Courtney Jade, (Who just so you know is an outstanding and incredibly talented photographer and model) threw out the idea, why not whimsy blue??? She was right because her favorite color was blue, and she brought a little whimsy to everyone's life. Hence the name whimsy blue became a reality.

That is the story in short. I am excited to see where this endeavor will take my sister and I. I know great things are in the future.

Posted below is a picture of my late mother. I had a dream about her this morning which made me really want to honor her for not only spreading whimsy to everyones life but love and I hope that I can do the same as she has done.

This is a formal description from our Etsy Shop:

WhimsyBlueShop is a brother and sister team based in Portland, Oregon. Our mission is to upcycle cast-off vintage items, using recombinant design techniques to bring new life to what would otherwise be discarded, with a little bit of fun and whimsy thrown in. Our items are always different, and no two are alike. We pick what we think is the best of the best, never putting anything up that we would not include in our own homes, or use ourselves. We allow for each piece to speak to us, and see potential where others may not. Our ideas come from a life-time of thrifting (even before it was fashionable) and a true desire to breathe modernity into relics from the past, as well as backgrounds in design, retail and business. Our shop was born out of a hobby, and now has become something of a passion of ours. Explore WhimsyBlueShop and see what whimsy comes your way!

Children's books turned into journals/sketchbooks!!!

So as you all know the other day I received a box of 51 books that I am going to make into journals.

I took the guts of the book out, and the inside cover of each of the journals has an image on the front and back cover of the original book. Don't worry I am using the insides of the books for another project here at the end of the month.

I completed a full five which I am very proud of. I almost want to keep them because I love them so much!!! There are are about 15 more that are ready to be bound. These should be done by Saturday.

Anyways here are some of the example of my work so far let me know what you think!

Here is the front of The Peacock Lane Journal.

The first cover page, using some of the original pages in the book.


The inside of the journal. The journal is combined with a few poems from the original book.


The end of the journal also uses some original images from the book. This is by far my favorite journal that I have created.

Book Binding

I have been trying to post at least every couple days on here, showing all of you what it is that I am currently doing. I have an obsession with books, no not reading books but using books to be reused in a way that gives them new life. Let's face it book reading is an art form that is losing ground quickly and being replaced by everything digital.

What inspired me to have these thoughts. Well I was searching on a magical website called Ebay. I hope you are all familiar. ;) I found a lot of 51 children's books for a reasonal price. I watched it and watched it and finally, I called my sister and we agreed that it would be a great idea to purchase these books and see what we can do.

So today I come home and find the box, I have been waiting for it all week!!! Thinking. Brainstorming. What do I do with all these vintage children's books with beautiful covers. Well how about I learn a new technique called Bookbinding and create some journals or sketchbooks.

I decided that all books I create must have blank paper only!!!! As a creative person it is hard for me to be linear and if you know me, I definitely have never stayed on the straight and narrow.

Well here is my first journal that I created. The pics are a bit blurry but you get the idea of what I am doing at least there will be more to come soon!



How much would you spend on an upcycled journal that you knew was handmade???

Let me know your thoughts I am coming up with price points for the 50 books that I have to do. Leave it in the comments segment below!!! Look forward to your feedback!!!

Quote of the Week

"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun."

Pablo Picasso

T2ways Photoshoot

So in January of last year, I started taking online classes to finish up my Bachelor's degree in Fashion Design. I had an amazing class which I absolutely loved and learned so much from. It was Intro to Fashion Editorials. We spent a lot of time analyzing fashion shoots and reviewing movies, but we had to photoshoots that we had to put together. My teacher told us that we needed to create a photoshoot using the basic t-shirt in two completely different ways.

I decided that the two contrasting inspirations would be a classic beauty vs. a hard edged 80's girl. I am very proud of the end result. I got to work with the bestie Courtney Jade again and she was an amazing model truly brought my vision to life.

Here are the results am super happy with the end result. I think the part I loved the most was the research you need to create the shoot it truly is like shopping for a new house. You have a concept in your head and the thing you want to do is create a fantasy through clothing and props to bring this world to life. Thankfully this is what I got to do!

I am so proud of these, I know a lot of you have seen them, but can't help but post them again!

The first serious of pictures were shot in front of church we found just two blocks from my home. I wanted to create a innocent yet prideful character in the shoot, with a bit of sensuality hiding underneath the classic and conservative dress.















THIS PIC RIGHT HERE IS BY FAR MY FAVORITE PHOTO OF THE WHOLE SHOOT!!!



In the 2nd photoshoot I wanted to combine Sin City, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna all into one character. With a strong yet seductive character. I definitely created a contrasting photoshoot with this pic and I am very happy with it!!!















Here is my favorite photo from the second shoot. I love this picture because of the amount of emotion that is put in it! It is almost like you can feel the force of the box!!!



One thing I did not mention was that, not only was Courtney Jade the model but she also was the editor of these photos and she gave the exact look that I was going for during each shoot!!! Thanks bestie for all your help!!!

When in inspired...

So this week has been a really wonderful week. For one I am back home in Portland sitting next to the windows of a beautiful coffee shop overlooking Brooklyn Park in SE, and it is clear blue skys and warm enough for a light jacket. Is it really January??? I have been finding that every week I am inspired by a collective group of things, or things are going on in my head, that need to be created, changed or brought to life.

Here's to Inspiration and posititve change! CHEERS!

I have a small obsession with old books, most of which are falling apart, water damaged or just a little to dry for most of us to understand. There is so much beauty in them, I have been thinking I want to create a photoshoot using books in some way as the only material in the background. I feel that there is so much beauty in old books. Let's face the facts who has time nowadays to read old books. It takes a lot of time, and in todays world we dont have a lot of time.

I am obsessed with book art, what you can do with old books etc!! Here are some of my favorites!!

SALVATION MOUNTAIN

My friend Jalissa, Amanda and I decided that during my vacation to California that we wanted to take a road trip to Salvation Mountain. I had never even heard of this place, before they brought it up but after doing some research I thought that this could be a life changing experience.

We drove 200 miles, 3 1/2 hours to the middle of the desert. We were close to Slab City, CA the only place in the US where you can camp for free on/around these former army slabs. There are all types of people there, hippies with rv's, people vacationing from the winter up north and a lot of artists selling whatever creations they come up with. This place is the simplest form of life I have ever seen in the US.



We drove around the Saltan Sea to get to this amazing installation sculpture. The salton sea is an amazing 376 sq mile Salt Sea that is home to over 400 species of birds. Here is a picture of the sunset forming over the Salton Sea on the drive home.

You begin to see Salvation Mountain about a quarter mile away. My eyes got big and I was filled with creative energy, with the hope that this would be a place that inspires me! It did more than that it changed me and made me want to live to do art, be creative and with every breathe that I take create something beautiful!



I felt like I was on another planet. A world where lollipops, rainbows and unicorns could truly exist. A place that could only exist in my dreams. I felt like I was in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, Big Fish and Alice in Wonderland. I was in the closest thing to heaven that I could ever imagine, with the clear blue endless sky canvassing me in this colorful and frosted world.

STILL CANNOT BELIEVE THIS PLACE EXISTS!!! THIS HAS CHANGED ME COMPLETELY AND RECOMMEND EVERYONE GO SEE IT!! AND TALK TO THE MAN WHO CREATED THIS PLACE HIS STORY IS AMAZING!!

HERE IS A VIDEO TOUR OF SALVATION MOUNTAIN I FOUND ON YOUTUBE. PICTURES CANNOT EVEN DO THIS PLACE JUSTICE!!!

Venice Beach California

It has been over one week since I have posted on my blog, and the reason being is that I had the pleasure of visiting some of my friends in Venice Beach, California.It was an inspiring visit and it reminded me a lot of Sellwood here in Portland, if only there were palm trees and a beach.

I spent a lot of my time just walking around being inspired. The thing that inspired me the most was the amazing graffiti art that is so prevalent all throughout Venice. Yes there are palm trees and the beach, but the beauty in the graffitti is undeniable and I highly recommend visiting if you are looking for a hippie/hipster/artsy person's oasis. This will definitely give you something to think about!

Leaving on a jet plane

Well, tomorrow I fly off to Los Angeles to see some of my most amazing friends that I have seen in over a year. I guarantee I will have some amazing thrift store finds down there. Will keep you posted, but for now I must continue packing because soon I will be in LaLa Land!!!

This is salvation mountain one of the amazing places that I will be visiting! I have never been, so I am very excited to see this beautiful place!!! Will be posting next in LaLa Land! See you through the looking glass!