{Fabric Friday} cut out & keep...

Last November, I posted about my love of Skinny laminx textiles here. So, it will be no surprise that I was excited to discover that Heather Moore (aka Skinnylaminx) designed a new line of organic fabrics for Cloud9 that debuted this April.

"Cut Out & Keep ~ The first in our Designer Series for 2011 features South African surface and product designer, Heather Moore who works under the brand name Skinny laMinx. Cut Out & Keep is a striking collection of 8 prints based on her paper-cut designs. This is the first range of fabrics of this type for Heather and we're really excited about this collaboration." -Cloud9

You can purchase these directly from Cloud9 or from here. Aren't they nice? I particularly love them in the stacks that Heather photographed for her blog. 

I've been pondering these fabrics for awhile now- thinking of using some in a new mobile. I just can't seem to make a decision, although I may be close. Do you have a favorite?  Happy Fabric Friday! Any plans to sew or create this weekend? 

{Paper} Gemeo Luis paper illustrations...

I really miss living in NYC sometimes. Particularly when it comes to being able to visit art galleries & museums on a regular basis. However, the wonderful thing about the internet is that I  can travel every day & visit all sorts of interesting exhibits all over the world- with one click. I just learned about an illustrator named Gemeo Luis {via the art room plant} who makes incredible paper cut images. While looking though his website I found that I was really interested in the variety of his  exhibition category. The way "Cutting Dreams" was hung & presented was really intriguing. I would love to see it in person. I'm sure the shadows were really cool. He seems very aware of playing off of them (which is one of my favorite things about an installation exhibition). 

He seems to very much like the viewer to interact with his work (which I'm also a big fan of). I love the idea of having the book that the framed original illustration is from, underneath for the viewer to enjoy. This appears to be an exhibit  called "Drawings" in an art center.  I think I would sit in that corner & flip through his lovely books for a long time. How about you? 

{all photos www.gemeoluis.com}

{Real Life} Boats, Trees, & Saltwater...

My dad loves boats. From the time I was about 7 (I think) our family had a boat. Our summer/spring weekends & family vacations consisted largely of boating- namely in the San Juan Islands but for our summer vacations, we would sometimes take the boat into Canadian waters - which I was always fond of because I could get candy & gum with French wrappers which made me feel very worldly. Over the years my brother & I began to favor certain islands for various reasons. My favorite was & still is Sucia Island. It has lots of trails full of what I call "peeley trees", beaches, & my favorite part... sand caves. 

The rock is a soft sandstone that has the coolest texture & there are many little hidden areas that look like a cave or a fort to a child. My parents still have a boat (much bigger now) & my brother & I still go out with them & our little families. This Sunday, we took a day trip with my parents to Sucia Island with Chris' dad (who has been visiting). It was also Sayer's first visit & I was excited to show him my favorite spots. It's been a long time since I had visited but it really did seem like yesterday. I almost half expected to see my name carved on one of the cave walls or the picnic table or something...  

It was just a quick little day trip, but it we made the most of it. Sayer seemed to enjoy himself. I loved watching him romp & explore. It was also nice to unplug & relax just a bit. I sometimes forget to do that. The more things change, the more they stay the same... 

{Music Monday} Leave Your Sleep ...

Natalie Merchant has been one of my favorite musicians since my college days (when she was in the 10,000 Maniacs). Listening to her music takes me down memory lane. I find her distinctive voice somewhat comforting actually... like an old friend's voice. Chris came home the other day & told me that he had heard some of her newest album, Leave Your Sleep & really liked it. I'm not sure how this album fell off my radar, but it did. So I dove in to learn more about it & was really intrigued...

I'm always curious to learn about how an artist's mind shifts once she has become a mom. I suppose that is why I find the making & thought behind this album so fascinating. Did you find that you were more creative when you had a child?     Happy Music Monday!    
{photo via}