{Fabric Friday} a punch of vintage color...

I've been on another vintage textile search again lately. It's the first of the year & I need to stock up my studio with some new finds to use for ideas that I have. I'm craving the bright, bold colors of the '50's, '60's, &'70's to brighten up these dreary weather days. On one of my late night searches, I ran across Jane Foster's website and I instantly became a fan of her work with textiles.

Jane is a designer from the UK who has combined her love of drawing, screen printing & vintage fabrics from the '50'- 70's to create gorgeous cushions, totes, dolls, tea towels, & more. I love her use of cheerful designs and her vintage fabric collection is amazing!

Oh, what I would give to get a peek into her fabric stash! It must be pretty terrific. I admit, I  bought a cool vintage cushion so I could have some of her happy vintage textiles in our home. If you are a vintage fabric junkie like me, you might want to check out her blog and her shops here & here. They will definitely give you a punch of cheerful color!  Happy Fabric Friday!  {all photos property of Jane Foster} 

{fun} colorful contraption...

© Joseph L. Griffiths  {Via Suprbo}

I'd take this Joseph L Griffiths contraption over going to the gym any day. I may have just discovered the answer to the annual conundrum of the exercise to studio time ratio...

{Everyday Inspiration} If I was a marionette....

Inspiration comes in all forms & as I've mentioned, vintage toys & books give me a little rush of excitement. But a marionette find.... well, that's just on a whole new level of inspiration. So, you can imagine my delight when I found this simple & sweet marionette on a late night cruise through Etsy from a London shop called Wooden Donkey (for the price of 2 lattes). This puppet was produced by English puppet manufacturers in Pelham - & this model was first introduced in 1964. While it was listed as a boy marionette, I can't help but think that if I was made of wood... I might look strikingly similar (minus the glasses).

The middle string is actually elastic so the puppet bounces. Which, come on... how could that not make you smile? Immediately after the postman left her at my doorstep- I tore open the box and began playing. Just like all of my other vintage treasures, I'm not sure what they will inspire in the studio - I just know that I like to see them in my workspace. 

I remember my first marionette vividly. It was a bird made out of wood & it had a pom pom made of yarn for tail feathers that was red. I got it in about 3th grade I think. I really loved how I could make it come to life. I just adore puppets for that reason. My dream job would have been to work on the Muppet Show. So, with that said, Sayer was introduced to puppets at a very young age. I have a hot pink, fluffy Ostrich marionette that used to totally entertain him when he was just a tiny baby. 

And from the looks of things, he's a chip off the ol' block. Which fills me with joy. Do you have something from your childhood that still makes you happy?

{Music Monday} In the dirt...

In My Room: S Carey "In the Dirt" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

When I read that Sean Carey, the drummer from Bon Iver, had a debut album that was released this summer, I was curious to say the least. Bon Iver is a constant on my studio playlist so I checked out S.Carey's, All We Grow, right away. I found a live version of  "In the Dirt" on S. Carey's blog that was shot by Yours Truly in San Francisco. I always prefer the energy & heart of a live performance so I thought I would share this one for Music Monday. It really fits my mood on this rainy & mellow day. What do you think? Happy Music Monday! What are you listening to?  {image via}