Seeweed and love it

Collecting Seaweed 

This handsome boxed set of notecards, Wild Sea Notecards, features art based on the wild and edible seaweeds of Ireland. The set contains six stunning designs, two of each. Rich colors and bold graphic shapes give a modern edge to a classic subject with timeless naturalist appeal. The box top is textured to evoke the printmaking paper of the original art.

“The Curious World of Seaweed is literally the roots of our ocean. For three generations, our family has thought about how to make a quality documentary about the importance of seaweed in the ocean ecosystem.

Nature Domesticated: A Victorian Seaweed Scrapbook

 

Animal Village

Illustrations from the 1927 children's book Animal Village (動物の村), another gem from 50 Watts fave Takeo Takei
 

 

 

Dan Matutina

Lovaganza from Colin Hesterly on Vimeo.

Nancy Blum

I am loving Nancy Blum's art and public works.

Apple of my eye

Beatrice Cerocchi

Faye Bradley

 

Ryo Takemasa

 

 

I found another great one!

Katie Scott

Kate Scott flowers

AMKK Botanical Animation "Story of Flowers" from azuma makoto on Vimeo.

Under the sea

Reaction-diffusion still empowers me, astonishes me.

 

Jan does not post anymore but I loved his blog

OMG

I lost my breath when I saw this today. How do they put this together???

The Miller reality

I have come to terms that I live in a very messy zoo. Period. Four working adults, two active kids, 3 barking chihuahuas, 2 bored kittens who's main goal in their young lives is destroying what are left of the blinds and over-stuffed chairs. Carpets that are beyond repair or cleaning with spilled juice and God knows what else. Piles of dirty clothes and dirty dishes. So different from the environment that I grew up in at 5 years old with a single mom struggling to get by and my grandmother who occasionally lived with us. Oh, I could go on but that was not what I wanted to talk about this morning. 

While watching my political morning shows, I was also listening the Matt and Mason having a conversation in the front room. The front room was officially the "living room" of the house but it is now Bri and Matt's living room while David and I occupy the "back room" which was the family room where everyone watched TV. This gives us all our own space to live in without being on top of each other every night. I confess, sometimes I am a fly on the wall in my own house. Without actually listening to their conversations, I hear the tone and feeling of them. As this morning, Mason was having a serious conversation with Matt. I could tell by her tone and the way she was explaining something to him. She is very smart and articulate for a 5-year-old, always talking, always thinking, never quiet. Polar opposite to my 5 year old self, solitary and introverted. 

Sometimes, I listen to the kids while they are cooking dinner together, in a messy, loud kitchen with Mason sitting on the counter "helping" and Noah watching from the floor in her little detachable swing, also loudly cooing herself for all to hear. Talking about their day, what they did, their beliefs, their struggles and bonding with the kids. Occasionally stop flipping the burgers to go kiss the baby. I don't hear the details, but the overall feeling of this tight-knit family unit. And my heart soars with relief. 

Mason will run into the "back room" to jump on my chair, declaring it "the most comfortable chair in the entire house" while wrestling my twitter feed-filled phone from my hands so she can play a puzzle game. Saying loudly "I love you, Memaw", knowing I will not resist that and hand the phone over. 

Mason builds all sorts of stuff in the back room. Right now we have a daycare going on back here. I have to sign the kids in and out of this daycare that grows in size every day. I have to babysit the babies when Mason goes off "to work". She gives her babies a walk around the "park" in the stroller and ask me where the parking lot is and pays me imaginary money to park. It seems easier to just leave it for awhile than put it all away, as I know it will be back as soon as the last toy is in the proper storage spot.

And lots of singing. Mason knows all lyrics to all her favorite popular songs from the radio and is constantly singing them the minute she gets out of bed. Sometimes, I dig out all of my "oldies-but-goldies" on iTunes and we have a music-fest of sorts. Of course, she knows one of my favorite groups, Earth, Wind and Fire from the Trolls movie, so we have an instant favorite in common there.

Mason and David have Saturday pancake-making-mornings while the kids sleep in. She loves to cook, crack eggs and stir the batter. She and I stir up lots of brownies together. She adores David and will demand, "where is my Papa?" when we are coming home from work. They have a special bond of cooking, reading books, and playing Crazy Eights. He has bought her some crazy expensive books and the most beautiful illustrations. I am more of the "let's play electronic games" together or let's watch silly puppy videos on YouTube, so I guess between us, she gets the spectrum of entertainment.

Lots of people, friends and family ask, when are the kids moving out? And my honest answers is ... I don't know, we never consider or talk about it. In today's reality of housing and daycare cost, it does not seem prudent for them to go anywhere. Not to say we all don't have our moments of frustration, I probably have more than anyone because of the mess. But the flip-side of them not being here seems horrible. I love watching the kids learn to be good parents and us trying to learn to be grandparents, not too preachy and interfering. Of course, Mason is spoiled. She has 4 doting adults at her disposal. If someone says "no", she can meander around the house to find someone who will say "yes". And add to that, she is crazy smart. Yes, she talks back to all of us. She stands her ground on any struggle. I personally think that is a good thing for a girl. She can back up any boy to tears on the playground. Coming from a background of never being able to say anything on my mind if it was in opposition to my mom, I believe in kids having "a voice". I believe I did not have one so am especially sensitive of being able to speak your mind. Of course, there is conflict in thought, but better have a strong mind than a frightened one, as I had. 

And coming from a divorce, single childhood (until I was 12), it is particularly heartening to hear my granddaughter say "Daddy, can you ... Daddy, would you do this or that". I never had anyone who I trusted to call Dad until much later in life. I feel that was a big loss in my childhood and effected me deeply. When I hear Mason say "Daddy, will you read me a book, or make me a sandwich, or get me some cookies?", tears literally come to my eyes. It is such a simple thing to have a "daddy" in the same house, but it does not always happen to many kids in this world. 

The Miller new reality if very messy. Sometimes, very dirty. Very hectic. Very loud. Very chaotic. Very fun. Lots of recycle needing to go out. Lots of barking. Lots of crying. Lots of dirty clothes. But also, lots of love and tenderness. Lots of conversations going on about life and learning between the kids and their kids. I love being a fly on the wall in my own house. 

The celebration of insects

Anatomical Insects hand embroidery pattern on Etsy are so lovely, graphic and delicate. 

azumi sakata's extraordinary embroidery work. And her website.

 

From "Encyclopédie d'histoire naturelle on Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr. The have some wonderfully, detailed images. 

Fabric sculptures of Yumi Okita. 

Something exquisite

Hannah Mansfield is a freelance embroiderer specialising in hand embroidery for fashion. Within her work she focuses on the techniques of tambour beading and goldwork and is passionate about using these traditional techniques in a modern context. Hannah is best known for her range of goldwork bees and insects and fully three-dimensional goldwork flowers. 

I want a yard or two of this, Lace Fabric Ivory Tulle Floral Embroidery Exquisite Bridal Wedding found on Etsy. And the cream gold lace fabric embroidery 3D laser cut leaves flowers metallic gold thread formal evening prom bridal.

 

Sitting on art

Look at these beautiful chairs by Rustique Interiors 

"Carey Naughton of ‘Rustique Interiors’ graduated with a Ba Hons in Theatre Design from Central St Martins in 1996, and has been a self employed artist ever since. 

‘I work with mostly recycled textiles and furniture using a mixture of appliqué patchwork and embroidery to create figurative but fantastical landscapes, inhabited by a variety of different creatures. I am inspired by the Scottish countryside, seaside and Edinburgh city-scapes. The textile art is upholstered onto vintage armchairs to create one-off pieces of furniture. 

Before the upholstery is done I will scan the textile art and have them printed onto paper, after which I rework by hand with pen & ink and coloured pencils. These are then reproduced in a variety of ways, creating cushions, prints and so forth.’"