blog post 1

i'm currently studying a history of architecture, which begins with an examination of early sites of civilization in asia and africa.  one such site is giza, home of the infamous egyptian pyramids.  while learning about these epic tombs, i was struck by the care and detail given to the preservation and placement of the pharaoh's belongings, which were intended to accompany his highness into the afterlife.  

i was also impressed by the accuracy achieved in the construction of the pyramids.  an arial view of giza is a striking lesson in geometry, in which each pyramid reads as a series of stacked concentric squares.  

in response to all of this, i decided to create my own record of belongings in the form of a book titled artifacts for an afterlife.  i must admit, i strayed from the formula and went beyond artifacts to include places and people as well.  the framed pages comprise 10 concentric square images of objects, spaces, buildings, people and places, which come together to create an inverted pyramid within the book.  i can't help from thinking this somehow relates to the eames' powers of 10 video...

pages: (read as text) duke gardens, durham (image taken from dukegardens.com), home, friends and family, husband, bike, cat, book, letters, conte crayons, boggle.

Lighting investigation

Here's my second attempt and I'm happy with the outcome.  A friend and I managed to find some larger balloons (16" diameter punching balloons) and we decided to go with white string to keep the light in the dressing room clear and bright.

Lighting investigation

I've been wanting to do this for a while, so when it became clear that the Salvation Select Store needed some interesting and inexpensive light fixtures in the dressing rooms, I suggested that I try making this  crafty Ready Made string globe pendant.  To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed with the results of this first go.  After wrapping crochet string around a balloon, I applied plenty of fabric stiffener and called a night... but the balloon deflated over the course of the evening and I woke to a sagged out version of my original orb.

The lamp below from Ready Made is what I was going for.

Cutting Back

To save some cash, I've decided to skip the florist and make my own flowers.  Couldn't bring myself to throw out the beautiful paper scraps!

My Box Folio

I had one day to prepare for an interview, and this is what I came up with... it's a box with little ceramic ducks (no, they are not slugs) on top.  I call it my box folio and it's full of postcards featuring my work.

Terrarium

This was an afternoon project inspired by a fish bowl and a website by "Terrerium Man".  Our terrarium's progression is outlined from bottom to top:

bowl, stones, sand, sphagnum moss, potting soil and plants.

Decoupage fun

Our corner cabinet was a white monstrosity of blah, so my husband and I fixed it up with some hand printed paper, Modge Podge and celery green paint.  Not yet sure what to put on the shelves... but these items will do for now.