Serious Pastels

Raining Rainbow by Solocosmo  

I've been running across a lot of amazing pastel color based artwork lately and it made me think, that pastels aren't always powder puff cute and reserved for little girls and nurseries. They can be sophisticated, eclectic, mystical, kitsch, and even just a little bit morbid as well. The use of bolder splashes of color and dramatic themes certainly add to that equation. A few that I am currently loving:

Yasmine of A Print A Day, online magazine Parasol,  fabric line, graphics craft shop, flickr.

Sunken Treasure by Brandi Strickland.  grethcnmist has a wonderful interview with Brandi here.

free range, flying duckling print by etcink

the music festival tents print by gretchenmist

Custom Eye Watercolor Portrait by Ashley White Jacobson

Egads Man Run poster print by William Dohman

Cosmic Unicorn by Rikki Simons

Sometimes, It's Okay to...

FLOWN by Pale Preoccupation

Cry. Show some raw emotion. Even if you don't have a reason... but especially if you do, it's therapeutic, empowering, and pink puffy eyes are just so attractive, to the right person of course.

We spend so much time suppressing fears, exhaustion, disappointment, sadness and uncertainty, cry it out for once. As soon as you are done, it can only get better from the clarity you receive after standing up, wiping your face, and getting back to work.

Green Eyed Beauties

Maybe it is the make-up artist in me, or the general artist in me, but I really love these ink and water color portraits. Something so exoctic and fairy tale-ish about them. A grungy ethereal feeling, you know? Artworks in the illusive contemporary illustration part 3 book by we were damsels.  (Unsure if this her work or not, it's been a long time since I've seen this post and can no longer find it, so if you know, link below!)

Homefront: A Horse's Tale {and Vintage Globe Bookends}

I finally had to chance to scour the neighborhood antique mall last week and oh, what a joy it was! I am itching to go back already. And the wonderful thing, is that my two young sons love going and seeing the treasures as well (strapped safely in the confines of our bulky double stroller, that is).

I came home with a few vintage bottles, an amazing metal enamel daisy chandelier that I got for a song, some prisms and this lovely book and globe bookends.

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry and illustrated by Wesley Dennis is a tale of a horse brought overseas, survived a shipwreck and brought joy to a little family. Apparently, there is an actual foundation for this book to preserve it and the history, as well as a fanbase since it was based on a true story! If you are interested in taxidermy, this is Misty and her daughter in the flesh.

  

  

I was wanting a lovely old story to read to my children, and I'm so happy to have found this little treasure. There is something wonderful about seeing the names and dates of the library card (last checked out in 1976 by a little James Harris), and the smell and feel of old, worn, yet treasured pages.

I also have a love of horses, as evident in this post here. This painting of the horses swimming reminds me of the rescue of the Netherlands horses. (If you watch the heartwarming video) it may be wise to have  a box of tissues near by).

For those wondering about the music in the video, it is *believed* to be Vangelis' main theme from the film 1492 — Conquest of Paradise.

These wonderful vintage globe bookends I found are amazing as well. The globes have such detail and they actually spin! My boys, as well as myself and enamored of them. Don't you love them? If so, I found some that are very similar on Etsy HERE, and some on Ebay HERE.

Do you collect old books? Are they more for stacking together and as design elements to you, or do you also read them? 

*ps for moms... that blue spined book you see on the left, Busy Book by Trish Kaufner... excellent activity book for kids! Tons of crafts and recipes for playdough, paints, edible crafts and more fun learning ideas.... this one I have is for toddler age, but there are other age groups available as well.