Berlin based artist Maria Zaikina saw my post from last Friday {installation of two little colorful houses in the middle of nowhere}, and thought I might like one of her projects… she was right!

So simple, so pretty, and so… sad? I’m not sure what it is about this project, but it makes me feel a bit blue… and not just because of the gorgeous colors palettes that effortlessly tell the story of passing time. These are just a few of the stills from Maria’s animated film titled “LANDSCHAFT MIT HAUS”, and this is part of her artist statement:

…Melancholic contemplation during a journey is evoked by landscapes drifting past the window, where details merge into stripes and colours. The scenery floats past in front of our eyes, changing our mood or remaining as a background for thought, leaving perhaps just an implicit impression in the memory. Our eyes glimpse a house standing lonely amongst the fields. Is it one house, or different houses in different places that appear to be so similar? Is the house the destination of our journey? The place we long to reach? The future we dream of – or the past we wish to regain? However the composition always remains the same. How then to make the right choice? Is choice important and is it necessary at all?

A-ha! “Melancholic” is the first word in the description… she was trying to make me sad! The sweet, quiet music might be contributing too. Have a look:

Sigh. Little fledgling plants and some classic New Order, beautifully painted by Melbourne based artist Dane Lovett. I have always had a thing for mundane subject matter, and lately, mundane still life is quickly making it’s way to the top of my list of “favorite mundane things”. So quiet, so ordinary, and oh so special in it’s quiet ordinariness.

{via Artsy Forager}

Yes! This might just be the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift… although I’m gonna need a drink first. Ready for this? You can send a nudie shot of yourself to LA based artist Jill Kleinhans, and she will turn you and your birthday suit into a custom block print… for $100! My friend, Melinda from Good Eye Gallery, may or may not be one of the subjects shown here {hint: she’s not the one on the bear skin rug}, and she may or may not have her custom nudie portrait hanging in the front entrance of her house… one of the many reasons she is my friend {so hilariously awesome!} Ok, are you gonna do it?! I’ll pour the first drink.

Gasp! How gorgeous is this outdoor installation by photographer Autumn de Wilde?! It’s titled Lighting, Layers and Reflections, and from what I can tell she built it/shot it for an Escalade ad. Well, whatever it was for, I just can’t get over how gorgeous these little, colorful, mirrored houses are! Oh, I sure hope they left them there after the shoot was over… can you imagine road-tripping past these beauties just as the morning sun is coming up? ♥ ♥ ♥

Who needs real pots of flowers when you can have these beauties… they’ll stay fresh forever!!! This is the patterny, flowery, joy-filled work of American artist Lulie Wallace. So just to recap, if you were thinking of sending me flowers for any reason at all [insert husband’s name here], I’ll take any one of these colorful bouquets, please and thank you!

{via Design*Sponge}

The work of Japanese painter Naomi Okubo makes me want to be 13 again, at a sleepover with all of my best girlfriends… with streamers and as many patterned textiles as possible! That is honestly what I thought the moment I saw this work, which is actually really interesting considering that her statement, about much of the work featured here, is the complete opposite:

… In my adolescence, I had felt fear what others thought about me. As a result, I had been confused how I should relate to others. Through this experience, I have showed plural self-portraits in my works. This idea is that I could escape the fears that came from the relationship with others if all people in the world were myself. My expression was based this abnormal teased feeling.

See? Very different than a sleepover with all of her best girlfriends. It breaks my heart that anyone would feel like this as a kid, but wow, what an absolutely stunning way to visualize those feelings.

{via Booooooom}

Oh boy. Vintage ads. Gorgeous shapes. OCD-like precision… I’m in! Yes, I love these found paper collages by American artist Scott Albrecht. So graphic, crisp, and perfect… yet, if you look closely, you can see the handmade-ness {not a word, but you know where I’m going} in them at the same time. Love! Ok. I gotta go buy some new scissors immediately – see you tomorrow!

How amazing, and hilarious, is this beautiful little zine?! “Shoes over Bills” is a project by Brooklyn based artist/illustrator Hannah K. Lee that is filled to the brim with gorgeous illustration, lovely hand-lettering, and the kind of perspective every girl needs! Cozy moccasins over 10 boxes of ramen noodles? Um, no problem! The cell phone bills might be a bit trickier, but I’m sure we can work something out.

Not only does she have great taste in shoes, she also has a very impressive client list. It goes a little something like this: GQ, Lucky Peach, The New Yorker, Aritzia, PLANSPONSOR, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, New York Magazine. {Let’s hope this means less ramen, and more shoes, for Hannah!}

I ♥ LA, so I’m realllllly excited that Skylight Books asked me to come for a visit! On Saturday March 22, from 5-7pm, Skylight will be hosting a little Q&A/book release event, AND, I’m so thrilled to report that I won’t be there alone… two of the LA based artists from the book, Stephanie Vovas {Photography}, and Jenny Hart {Contemporary Embroidery/Drawing} will be there too!  We’re going to talk a little bit, answer a few questions, and then all three of us will have our pens ready if you’d like to have your book signed. Really it’s a just a chance to come to LA, get out from behind the computer and chat with people in person. I can’t wait… I hope you can come!

Any questions, just give me a shout {or a leave a comment here}

I have to say, I don’t think these photos do this pop-up book, by Stockholm based artist Hale Güngör Oppenheimer, justice. I wish I could hold it, flip through it, have a really close look… which I’m quite sure would then inspire me to attempt my own little pop-up house! Thick white paper, found bits n’ pieces, paint and patterns. So creative, and oh so fun! {that washy water reflecting through the photographic jug on the last page… oh, so lovely!}

ps. this work will be in a show that opens on February 15th in Istanbul, at Pg Art Gallery