Crafts + Design = Designer Crafts.

I have been in a crafting mood lately. Maybe it's the season. I just want to make things to give away to friends. Here's where I might start....

*I love the look of the gold rocks with the old books, found here.

                                                               (via Design Sponge)

*Really cute and fancy cake toppers .  I think I might like to make one for New Year's or Happy Birthday for a friend's cake. The ideas are endless....

(via Ruffled)

Weekly Picks.... 10/27- 11/2

**PICK NUMBER ONE:

Blair Hobbs at Southside Gallery

The closing reception for local artist Blair Hobbs at Southside Gallery on Thursday, October 28 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.  

For more information please contact the gallery, 662.234.9090.

 

            “Blair’s new work is as imaginative and witty as ever,” said Southside Gallery’s Wil Cook.  “Her dexterity – both conceptually and technically – as an artist is one of her strong points.  The collages to be included in the exhibit that I have seen are some of the most creative works we have had in a while.  This show will be very refreshing for those with an unconventional, bold and impulsive taste for art.  Blair has a unique style to say the least.”

 

            Hobbs was born in Oxford, but grew up in Auburn, Alabama where her father was the dean of Arts and Sciences and her mother was an art professor at Auburn University.  She earned a BA in English at Auburn, an MA in creative writing from Hollins University and an MFA in creative writing from The University of Michigan.  Currently, Hobbs teaches a variety of writing genres at Ole Miss. 

 

            An affinity for literature and a comical sense for the absurd pervade Hobbs’s work.  It is not unusual for her to include quotes from poems or prose in her collages.  One of her collages even lists the ingredients found in Funyuns, a snack food made from dubious ingredients.  Hobbs explains, “When I make the collages, I begin with an umbrella idea, a thesis.  For this show, most of the art came from places I've never been before.  For example, I've never been inside a pillow full of dust mites. I've never been inside a Funyuns bag. I've never worn a jellyfish skirt, a corset, or an anthill.  I've never twirled fire on a football field.  I've never been inside of a firecracker.  Instead of sending myself to Japan, I wanted to see how much fun I could have with the mundane things surrounding me.  I incorporate language into the collage to enhance the visual narrative with language.  For example, my Funyuns piece is all about people having fun with enormous versions of the snack food, but the ingredients on the bag are sort of scary, so I wrote the long list of ingredients around the border of the piece.  In this piece I hope that the language of the bag creates some ironic tension against the playground of Funyuns.”

 

            This exhibit will be Hobbs’s fourth exhibit at Southside Gallery.  Hobbs has also exhibited work in Montgomery, Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, Hilton Head, South Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana.  Her art and photography have been published in The Oxford American. 

 

            Southside Gallery, located on the downtown Square in Oxford, specializes in showcasing Southern artists.

 

 Southside Gallery

150 Courthouse Square

Oxford, MS 38655

662.234.9090

**PICK NUMBER TWO:

MGMT at The Lyric

This one isn't very fair since it's been sold out for weeks, but I bet if you really want to go, I'm sure some folks will be selling their tickets out front the night of the show.

MGMT at The Lyric on Saturday, Oct. 30th. 

Doors are at 8. 

**PICK NUMBER THREE:

Photos by Brooke White
for the Bright Kids Foundation at the Powerhouse

Commuters, focuses on the children of Uganda who are forced to flee their homes every night to seek refuge in local villages so they will not be abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Many of these 'night commuters' head for shelters such as the Bright Kids Uganda Orphanage, with whom I have been working with for the past five years. Commuters is part of my continued artistic research, which over the past five years has focused on how people relate to place and the landscape amidst turmoil and war. My interest in this project began in 2003 when I traveled to the Third World countries of Kenya, Rwanda, and Cambodia to investigate how people relate to place when their landscape and homes are completely demolished due to war and turmoil. When visiting Rwanda to photograph the landscape and people living in a post-genocide landscape, I focused on the ways in which people adapt, recover, and re-develop their landscapes when they are rendered utterly unrecognizable.

Powerhouse Arts Center, Oxford, MS- October 11th-November 8th.

Open Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM

Music I am liking.

Scratch that. Music I am loving.

**I'm going to try to list a few new bands that I've been listening to lately every Tuesday. Then throw in a few older bands that might have gone under the radar for whatever reason, as well. 

Enjoy!

*The Honey Trees are really endearing and putting out pretty music.

                                           *Pomegranates make me want to dance.

          *And I mentioned First Aid Kit the other day, but I'm still loving them!

*Old standbys that will I will never get tired of....

Au Revoir Simone... forever one of my favorites!

Sam Amidon... ummm, amazing. 

764-Hero were a band from the 90's. Still hold up as being a forever favorite. I don't know really know if they are still playing together, but I will always have the old recordings and the few times I saw them live to fill the void. 

Haywood is another one of those bands from the 90's that I had the rare chance to see once, in 1998, in NYC. They were selling their music via tape and I was the only one there to see them that wasn't a friend or family. I think I was just as excited as they were. 

Your thoughts...?

Literary News. Event this Tuesday.

*VOX PRESS ARTISTS SERIES presents "Kirtan and Curry: An Evening with Poet Ravi Shankar" at 7:30 p.m. , Tuesday, October 26th at the Powerhouse in downtown Oxford. Ravi Shankar is Poet-in-Residence at Central Connecticut State University and the founding editor of the international online journal of arts, Drunken Boat.  He has performed his work around the world including at the Asia Society, PEN India, St. Mark's Poetry Project and the National Arts Club. The evening will include sitar music by Jeff Henson and Friends and a special showing of Ramona Gillentine's photography.

Traditional vegetarian Indian food will be served along with wine from West Jackson Wine and Spirits for a small donation. 

The event is free to the public but donations to VOX PRESS, INC are greatly appreciated and can be made at the event or online at www.voxpressonline.com.  VOX PRESS, INC is a non-profit literary press based in Oxford since 2004.  The VOX PRESS ARTISTS SERIES is sponsored in part by the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and the Mississippi Arts Commission.  The Series seeks to offer a free community forum for celebration and appreciation of the arts.


*Local writer and friend, Michael Bible just found out the release date of his upcoming work of fiction on Dark Sky . 
Title: COWBOY MALONEY’S ELECTRIC CITY (fiction)

Author: Michael Bible is the author of MY SECOND BEST BEAR RUG (Paper Hero Press) and GORILLA MATH (Greying Ghost Press). His fiction can be seen in Lamination Colony, Wigleaf, elimae, FlatmanCrooked, and Artifice. He lives in Mississippi and edits Kitty Snacks Magazine.

Pub Date: 6/1/11

Well done Michael! 

Loving this... Art, Design and a band I can't stop listening to.

*Loving this color board. And the outfit to match. 

(via 100 Layer Cake) 

*Loving this house. 

(via nytimes)

*Loving Coulter Fussell. 

*A simple idea made better. I think it could work for jewelry, small pieces or art, a great book cover, ect...

Or maybe in a bathroom for a soap dish, tooth brush holder, brush, comb, ect... 

*sidenote- I just thought of these other uses. If anyone tries it, please send me pictures. 

(via poppytalk)

*I have been mildly obsessed with Wayne Pate for far too long now. I think I will order that tote bag soon, but Christmas IS coming up.... I'll start dropping hints now. 

                                                     *I can't stop listening to First Aid Kit.

A few thanks...

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone that came out to the Artist' Handmade/Altered Book Show at Bozarts Gallery on Friday night. It's such a great show and it will be up for another month if you haven't seen it yet.
403 Main St. Water Valley, MS 38965.

Then, the One Night Stand at The Ole Miss Motel. Amazing! The response was fantastic and the crowd was in full force. Around 400+ people came out to support the show. I'd like to thanks the artists that traveled to Oxford to participate, Jake Fussell, Ron from Main Squeeze, Bradley and Margot for The Lyric, YAC, SFA, Katie and Rowan, and Jack and Raj from The Ole Miss Motel. It was truly a wonderful turn out and a great time!
Until next year...
iheartmotelart.com

Weekly Picks.... 10/22- 10/26

Here are my weekly picks for this week... For the southern region. 


PICK ONE:
HANDMADE / ALTERED ARTISTS’ BOOKS
“Stories and Other Configurations”

With Work by Erin Austen Abbott, Angela G Clanton, Pati D’Amico, Gabriella DeLawey, Katrina Geenen, Shirley Hamilton, Lyn Kartiganer, Pat McDonald Fowler, William Warren, and Anissa Wilkinson.
Please mark your calendars for our next art opening: 
this Friday, October 22 from 6 - 9 PM.
Exhibition on display: October 22 - November 27, 2010
Gallery Hours: Friday and Saturday, noon – 5 pm, and by appointment: 662-473-2484
BOZARTS GALLERY: 403 N. Main Street, Water Valley, MS 38965

PICK TWO:
This is my personal favorite all year long!!!
The 4th annual "One Night Stand at The Ole Miss Motel" will take place on 
Saturday, Oct. 23rd. 
It is recommended to park behind the Powerhouse and walk down to the motel. 
There will be a cash bar and  food will be sold from Main Squeeze. 

For more information, contact motel.artshow@gmail.com

Have fun this week!!!

Wish List...

A few things that I could totally live with....

Quilts by Carson Too. Baby quilts, yes. Still very cute and I wish they were in adult sizes, again, yes.

 (via seesaw)

Polaroid Coasters by Just Noey. Very clever. 

Alphabet Plates. Also clever. 

(via fossil)

Fast Boy Cycles are oh so perfect. I love the wooden box. 

(via ECAB... with a great how-to)

A ring to die for....

I could never afford it, but I also can't stop thinking about it. 

(via unruly things)

L.L. Bean? Yes, L.L. Bean. 

They do surprise me as of lately. 

(via unruly things)

Southern Foodways Alliance

Ok, so last week I was talking about two big projects I have been working on... well, they are both done now. I can show you one of them here. The other is still to come. Soon, I promise.

These are stills from project number one. Enjoy!

One week left of the Amy Evans Streeter show at Amelia

Local Oxford artist Amy Evans Streeter has a show up now at Amelia.  It will only be up through next week, so if you haven't made it in yet to see it, stop in soon. It's very endearing.

Store hours:
Wednesday - Friday 12-5
Saturday 10-5

Weekend reading....

Happy Friday! I'm looking forward to pumpkin carving and outdoor movie watching this evening...

Here is some weekend reading, cooking, ideas for you...

Black Eiffel has the most yummy looking brownie recipe. Hello Sunday afternoon baking!

Fossil has a magical display of reclaimed cardboard. Ahhh!

If you haven't been following Lisa Congdon's blog, start now... You still have time. And you can go back and see all the past posts. The year isn't over just yet....

day 288. 

Pretty design.

*Next time I go to NYC, I really want to check Moomah out.
I know it's for kids, but it's just so pretty.

A few examples of the work at Moomah. 

Photography by Kim Cornelison

*Long before I started my blog, Sunday Suppers did a great Paris post. One of the stores that they featured is so spot on. Simply called Merci, the photographs say it best. I am thankful for them and their beauty. I know where to head to next time I'm in Paris.

100 Layer Cake has a great post up today of the sweetest photo album.
Since I just got married a few months ago, I might need to look into one of these....

Unruly Things had a great messenger bag up today from dean. Yes, please.... I love the simple design of this bag.          
                        

Weekly Picks.... 10/14- 10/19

I was away from my computer all day yesterday, so I wasn't able to let you in on my top three Afterschool Oxford picks for the week.... Here they are, in no particular order.

PICK ONE:

Tonight, Oct. 14th, at the Lyric's Red Star Bar,
Nine Giants, Ramble Horse, and Venture Capitalist

Starts at 9.
$5

PICK TWO:

Saturday, Oct. 16th, The Maker's Market returns to The Lyric. From 10AM-5PM, local artist will be selling their crafts and art. There will be live music and the bar will also be open.
It's going to be a beautiful day, so come out and support local art and an all around great event.

PICK THREE:

Movies on Main in Water Valley will be showing Vertigo this Friday, Oct. 15th.
This is a free event. Bring chairs and blankets. Refreshments will be available for sale from
The B.T.C. Market.

Starts around dusk... to just dark.

Bowerbird the shop. Bowerbird the bird.

Hello there!!
I'm so excited about this post.... My two good friends, Kate and Laura, are starting a genius little shop called Bowerbird It's not fully up and running yet, but this will be a shop to come back to often. I can't wait! Well done ladies.

"BowerBird is the lost and found. It is finding beauty in the ordinary and finding the everyday in the extraordinary. It’s the collection of the old, new, vintage, handmade, unusual, and eclectic. BowerBird is a treasure hunt with a happy ending.

Like the male bowerbird who builds his collections in order to attract a lady, we want to make you swoon! Our vision is to create an installation through which to curate a themed collection and encourage you to think artfully with an inspired perspective. 

We invite you to view our collections in their entirety but also to treasure each object individually."- From the Bowerbird website

*Sidenote... read more about the Bowerbird here. They are the most fascinating creatures. 

TONIGHT!!!

Tonight: 

Prince Rama and Light Pollution

Show at the Cat's Purring Teen Wing in Taylor.
Prince Rama and Light Pollution

*In the Valley....

This Saturday, October 9th, Bozarts Gallery and Vox Press are teaming up to present an evening of poetry and music featuring poets Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Jaswinder Bolina, and Abraham Smith and banjo player Solan Jensen. Chili and refreshments will be provided so come famished. Events start at 7:00 at Bozarts Gallery located at 403 Main Street in Water Valley.


THE DETAILS:
Born and raised in Seattle, JOSHUA MARIE WILKINSON is the author of five books of poetry, most recently Selenography (featuring Polaroids by Tim Rutili) and The Book of Whispering in the Projection Booth. He has also edited two anthologies for University of Iowa Press, including the just-released Poets on Teaching, including 99 short essays by 101 poets. He lives in Chicago and teaches at Loyola University.

JASWINDER BOLINA received his MFA from the University of Michigan in 2003 and his PhD from Ohio University in 2010. His first book, Carrier Wave, won the 2006 Colorado Prize for Poetry and was published in 2007. Poems from his new manuscript have appeared in recent issues of American Poetry Review, Black Warrior Review, Ploughshares, and other journals. He is the 2010-11 Liberal Arts and Sciences Emerging Poet-in-Residence at Columbia College Chicago.

ABRAHAM SMITH hails from Ladysmith, Wisconsin. Action Books published his first book of poems Whim Man Mammon, and his brand new book, Hank, is just out this fall from Action Books as well. His journal credits include American Poetry Review, jubilat, Northwest Review, Denver Quarterly, Typo, and Ninth Letter, among others. He was a 2004-05 Writing Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA. Presently, he teaches literature and creative writing at the University of Alabama. He lives in Tuscaloosa.

Banjo player, SOLAN JENSEN works in travel and education, dividing his time between Antarctica, Alaska, and the Arctic. Educated in philosophy and biogeography, Solan’s current projects include the forthcoming tour documentary on the band Califone, co-directed with Joshua Marie Wilkinson, entitled Made a Machine By Describing the Landscape due out in 2011. He lives in Juneau, Alaska.

Weekend reading....

Well, the weekend is almost over, but you still have some time to get a little link reading in....

*From Habitually Chic a great post on tailgating. In a town like Oxford, where it's all about tailgating this time of year... check this out for some great vintage styling.

*When Domino went under, a little piece of myself (and most girls that I know) was lost. Well, several of the editors got together and formed a new on-line magazine called Lonny. They've had several issues already, but you aren't too behind if you start reading now. Their new website is also pretty great!!!

*Super fun craft project from Poppy Talk!!

* So endearing.

*More great design reading in the form of Covet Garden.

*I love this amazingly simply little boy's room at Ohdeedoh.

*If you are in NYC, check out Dear Rivington. Very well edited pieces of vintage goods.

Two more picks for the week...

Wow! It's a really busy week in Oxford and Water Valley.

I have two more weekly picks for you that fall at the beginning of next week.

Pick One:

This is such a fun idea!! Teams of two compete in a blind wine tasting benefit for the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council and The Oxford Tasting Society. Tickets are $25 per team. 

For more information, contact Catharine Cartwright at 662.236.6429 or email 3blindwines@gmail.com

Pick Two:

Matt and Kim are playing at The Lyric on Monday, the 11th. 

This band will for sure make you want to dance. They. Are. High. Energy. 

I have been SUPER excited for this show since I heard they were coming to town. 

*I have a surprise about this show coming up on Monday. Stay tuned...