Wishlist

I have such a soft spot for adorable made-up creatures. And this one by Woolboon makes me feel especially warm and fuzzy inside. It looks so soft, the colors are absolutely perfect and he has such a cute look of curiosity on his face!

How wonderful it would be to wake up to him on my nightstand or to have him keep me company while I sit at my desk! Anyway, he's definitely my favorite from Woolboon, but check out the shop for more lovely creatures.

Le Petit Hobbit

Father's Day has long passed, but I still wanted to show you what I gave my dad. Or more importantly… how I wrapped it. It's hard to shop for my dad, but I think he was quite happy with the Le Petit Hobbit shirt I got him.

Anyway, I figured "Parent Days" are mostly about the effort you put in. So I took some extra time with the wrapping. As the shirt was a mash-up of Le Petit Prince and the Hobbit, I decided to combine the two in my drawing as well.

Somehow the gift wrapping I do for my dad always turns out well. (This one too.) It's quite magical, haha... I mean, even the Elfish ring became a perfect circle in one go, and I did it freehand! Since the actual shopping can be stressful, I'm very thankful the wrapping comes naturally. But I'm mostly glad he appreciated it. He even took it home with him!

Lovely Movies: the Boxtrolls

So I knew about the Boxtrolls movie way before it came out. In fact, the wait was so long(about 2 years), that by the time it finally hit the theaters I was still so stuck in waiting mode that I let it pass me by… But I finally saw it on dvd!

In this day and age, people can achieve the most amazing things with animation technology. However, there are still some crafty folks sticking to good old stop-motion. And honestly that pays off, it's still so much more magical!

And they could have just glued together snippets, but they even made a special trailer for it!

If I can make one complaint about the dvd… I wish it had extras! I would have loved to see some behind the scenes action for this, because that always intrigues me and makes me want to work on such a film myself! Thankfully I did find a very cool article about it on WIRED and there's also a talk at Google that I have yet to check out.

Midori Takaki and the European Makers Gallery

Since I first found -and blogged about- Midori Takaki, I've been following her every artistic move on her blog. The more of her work I see, the more I love it. And so when I had the chance to see some of it in the flesh, I made sure to take it.

I've always admired Midori's art online, but standing before her sculptures, I felt like I wasn't just looking at them, but meeting them too. Midori's creations aren't just pretty visually, but each and every one has real character and presence. You can sense that in pictures online, but if you can ever experience it in person, I highly recommend it.

Should you be visiting Amsterdam, you can still view the three sculptures above at the European Makers Gallery. The small gallery half below ground is a true hidden treasure full of beautiful ceramics, textiles, glass and paintings!

The set-up is absolutely wonderful! There's a lot to see, but everything has enough space to be admired separately and up close. And the grey and white space combined with the great lighting lets you really take in all the art work.

Also, there are a few pieces to discover away from the main area as well. As you enter there is a space behind the main desk and a few works of art will also welcome you or wave goodbye through a low window outside.

Amsterdam is such a wonderful place for art! Most tourists visit the museums and are willing to stand in line for hours to get in, but I feel galleries are often overlooked, which is such a waste, because there are so many great ones! Especially gathered on and around the Spiegelgracht. (Which is where you'll also find the European Makers Gallery!) So if you're planning a trip to Amsterdam and you like (contemporary) art, make sure to put it on your itinerary!

Tukoni Tribe

A couple months ago I happened upon Tukoni Tribe, a truly wonderful Etsy shop that continues to warm my heart. I've been browsing the shop a lot, but somehow didn't get round to sharing it on my blog until today. So here we go!

The shop is filled with beautifully illustrated brooches portraying animals and fantasy creatures. All in the same Tukoni style, but in a big range of colors and personalities. I fell in love with so many that I found it hard to choose!

I often gravitate towards cute critters, but these seem to be a lot more than just adorable. They look like they have their own little world and community, like they're alive. And I find them very uplifting and soothing to look at.

Some creatures just are, but some of the others carry items, and there is even a group of musicians! I secretly wish I could hear the music they're making… There's even one that plays guitar just like me! Needless to say I adopted that one today.

Apart from brooches you can also get art prints for your home, as well as postcards to send or to frame. And laslty, I also wanted to mention the most recent addition to the Tukoni Tribe… families of owl stickers in different sizes!

Anyway, this is one of those rare shops that immediately became a favorite of mine. Everything about it is just wonderful! The creatures, the products, the packaging and even the photography! No wonder I browse it so much.

Plans & Goals: August

Last month was a strange mixture of heatwaves and cold thunderstorms. It might be summer, but I'm expecting to still have some indoor time this month too. So here are some plans for in and outside of the house… I'd like to:

• Treat myself to tasty things.
• Finish the knitted top I've been working on.
• Start reading another children's classic.
• Pop some film in an analogue camera and shoot pictures.
• Finally turn my junk room into an art studio. Not quite, but I got a lot done!
• Go see the Little Prince movie.
• Share a delicious summer recipe.
• Re-do my desk area.
• And play some records.

Do you have any plans? Or are you freewheeling this month?