Friday Arts & Crafts: My Winter Pattern

I just recently designed this pattern. The inspiration came from traveling home this summer. It reminds me of Ukraine. I chose this combination of white outline against dark-grey background. It resulted in winter-ish motif. Adding some dots made it look like it is snowing.

Patterns

Friday Arts & Crafts: Illustration of Shoe Boxes

Every time I buy new shoes I get excited about the new box to add to my collection. (Now, don't get me wrong, I do get more thrilled about the shoes, but the story here is about the boxes.) I love my shoe boxes. They are sturdy. Some glossy, some matte. Some white, some colorful. I dust them. Most of their designs are so beautiful, it makes me think I want to be a shoe box illustrator. I arrange them in a certain way, by color of course. They just have to get along with each other, my shoe boxes. So, what you see here is an illustration I did dedicated to this little obsession of mine.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!!!

Friday Arts & Crafts: The Queen & The King

I don't play chess very often, and when I do I lose most of the times. The problem with me playing chess is I get distracted by the pretty shapes of the chess pieces. Instead of thinking three steps ahead, I admire the King and the Queen. The checkered board in front of me makes me imagine new textile patterns.


These pillow are the result of yet another chess game. This time around I decided to make them part of my pillow collection. I created stencils out of thick plastic, giving the Queen slightly curvier shape in contrast to the King. They turned out to be perfect spring & summer pillows as they are a combination of cotton and linen.

Available for sale at my shop

Friday Arts & Crafts: Lemons

After The Show

The show was great. I met so many wonderful people, exchanged ideas and shared what I've learned along the way. After working long hours I am back to my usual schedule. Though I am not sure I feel comfortable not working every free minute I have. It is going to be quite an adjustment.

Friday Arts & Crafts: It's In The Detail

Some of the pillows I made for the craft show have button closures; I decided to cover the buttons with fabric. It was not an easy task, but the result is great. At first I crocheted a string of sorts to use as a tie, but then I changed my decision and went with the ribbon with red stitching along the edges.

Friday Arts & Crafts: Before The Craft Show...

These past few weeks flew by so quickly. I have been working non-stop, preparing for the craft show. This whole experience have been nothing but great. With every piece of fabric I dye, with every stitch I sew I learn more and more about textiles, mastering my craftsmanship. Most importantly, I learn a lot about myself.
I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Friday Arts & Crafts: Sneak Peak Before The Craft Show

Friday Arts & Crafts: David

This is another portrait called David I did for the same project I mentioned last week. Pencil on paper.

Wednesday Decor: Bunnies Wallcovering

by navyblueshoe

Friday Arts & Crafts: Robert

This is a portrait/caricature called Robert I did for an ongoing project I am part of. Pencil on paper.

Friday Arts & Crafts: Stenciled Apron & Kitchen Towel

After my first experience with fabric stenciling I shared a few months ago (see Pillow Coronation) I went forward with making more projects. I decided to make an apron and a kitchen towel. While I designed my own crown stencil for the pillow, this time around I used the design of roses offered in Lena Corwin's book Printing by Hand. I applied Procion MX Dye mixture in Brilliant Orange to a striped cotton/linen blend fabric (I'll share the formula if you are interested). I love the effect the layer of dye created on top of the already-striped fabric! Unexpected details, such as the checkered ribbon loop of the towel and the bright print of the waist band of the apron, made these pieces very unique.

Stay tuned for more projects I'll be sharing in the near future!

Wednesday Decor: Bathroom, Before & After

BEFORE:

AFTER:

When we moved into our house, our bathroom was dark and gloomy. The charcoal grey of the walls and the ceiling cast dark shadows on our faces in the mirror. I decided to work with what we had and make it as bright as possible. First and foremost, I removed the cabinet above the toilet: it made the already-narrow space feel too cluttered. The walls and the ceiling then were painted bright white. It made such a big difference, the transformation was instantaneous! The white shower curtain with bright elegant print, one-of-a-kind artwork and the little decorative mirror pulled this old bathroom together. We ended up with a well-lit happy space.

Shower curtain: Marimekko

Framed drawings of a nude: by navyblueshoe

Little round mirror: original from Anthropologie. Similar available: Coat Of Arms Mirror

Friday Arts & Crafts: Bathroom Art 2

1. Female Nude by yozhikstudio

2. Claw-Foot Bathtub by yozhikstudio

3. Female Nude Sitting On The Edge Of A Bathtub by yozhikstudio

Wednesday Decor: Living Room, Before & After

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Changing the paint of the brick around the fireplace from black to white brightened up the space and made the fireplace look grander. Paint between the wood panels: Duron Navajo White

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Large standing mirror: Hovet from Ikea
Table Lamp: from West Elm
Chair: Bertoia Side Chair and red cushion from Knoll

Do It Yourself: Valentine's Day Gift Wrap

While my last year's Valentine's Day gift wrapping was simple and elegant, I wanted to do something completely different this time. I decided to go back to the good-old brown bag and embroider it with red yarn.

First step was to draw an outline of a heart and break it in even increments, marking each one for a new stitch. As this was my second take, I made sure the marks are farther apart from each other: paper is easy to tear when stitches are too close.

Then I punctured paper at each mark with my crochet hook (you can use another sharp object, just make sure it is thicker than a regular needle).

One-by-one - I stitched each line making sure they they are parallel to each other.

Then I went back in the opposite direction, creating perpendicular yarn lines.

I love how much texture it created. Just like my last year's idea, it turned out to be warm and fuzzy. Most importantly, this year it has more of a hand-made quality to it.

Love Is All You Need

You may or may not choose to celebrate this Valentine's Day, but you must agree that love is simply the most beautiful gift that we all possess.

This Valentine's day illustration series of hearts is a little celebration of love: today, every day, in everyone's life!

By navyblueshoe, ink on paper

Friday Art: Maharam Calendar Cover

I was so excited to get the new Maharam calendar this year, the one that every interior designer gets from their local rep. Especially since I missed the one from 2011. Every year it is a surprise. While they keep the same format, the cover is embossed with a new pattern & texture, white-on-white, satin & matte. Something that reflects the aesthetics of their beautiful textiles. The year color also changes. A bright satin ribbon inside serves as a bookmark. Quality paper, beautiful font, page-by-page. Hard not to get excited!

The 2009 was my first one. I embellished it with a drawing of a bright red flower. It turned into sort of a surprise of its own: the texture and the quality of pattern took the marker in a different way, disappearing from the glossy parts, creating something totally new.

Then there was the 2010, to which I added a simple navy-blue flower.

The 2012 is my favorite! I love the two colors I selected for the illustration of a rose.

Graphics by A4 Studio for Maharam

Photos by navyblueshoe

P.S.: If you have one of these and wanted to submit your drawing, please email me at: navyblueshoe@gmail.com