SHORT

Great hats from Short! I can't decide which I like more... the viking or the square hat.

Elizabeth Scott

My 2 favorites from Elizabeth Scott.

DIVIDE

Thanks for all the great shots. Next weeks word is win.


Cathy


David


Hailey


Homeland Security by: Libby


Michelle


Drew

Steve


Eric

Today is Thursday!

Send in your photos or pics of your work for the word divide. Send them to designsbackwoods@gmail.com

Moop

Moop makes some awesome bags! "Moop makes bags really well." Good simple tag line. and even kids bags.

Something Fun. Send me your images: Word for Thursday= Divide

Okay. My sister convinced me that we should do something fun like they do on Smart and Crafts. On their blog they have a word weekly and people send in photos that describe that word. We are going to do it too only you need not send just photographs. Send a doodle, painting, a photo of something else you are making that describes the word. Maybe we will have monthly prizes to our favorite. Maybe not. This weeks word is Divide. I have decided to use the word generator to get the words. Please send images to designsbackwoods@gmail.com. They have to be to me by 4:00 PM on Thursday and I will post all of them Friday. Have fun.

Justin Richel, Rangley Maine

Stack of birds or Stack of sweets BUT maybe it is the talking librarian....I am which of Justin Richel's pieces is my favorite. I love what his statement says about the sweets paintings.

"In the midst of an entirely barren and empty 'landscape', void of anything other than a multitude of sugar coated inhabitants. The many shapes and sizes, parts and pieces of a greater whole come together to construct towering mountains, pillars of sugary strength and the destructive forces of confectionery whirlwinds and tsunamis. A flawed yet functional infrastructure. A conglomerate society of multi-colored temptations, vying for the same hierarchical position at the top of the heap."


You can look at more stacks on his etsy site. The talking paintings can be found on a separate etsy site.

Cara Romano

My friend Michelle pointed me toward Cara Romano who is part of The LaFollette Group in Cherryfield, Maine. She makes very sophisticated and fun jewelry combining silver with colorful, felted wool. Very cool. It is great to see felted wool used so successfully on such a small scale and in combination with such an opposite material.

ADORABLE Pogoshop

Pogoshop creates these little guys that are too adorable. They are also all recycled and have a cute little story written about each of them. Cyrus loved me reading the descriptions of these little guys. The pictures of them are also hilarious. Here is Malcolm and his description.
" Malcolm is a sweet little fellow who sometimes gets confused and needs help finding his way. But if you're a kind and patient friend, he could be a great pal for you.
Malcolm was created from a soft up-cycled gray cashmere sweater. He is wearing a black/red/gray patterned pullover sweater. His stuffing is fiberfill. His features were stitched with black cotton thread. He is 8 1/2 inches tall."

Shannon Rankin

I have been seeing these super cool collages in a few different places over the last couple years and really like them. I love using maps in my collages as well and sewing but mine have not come together as successfully or poignantly as Shannon Rankin's. Darn. It is great to see her large pieces become so complex and beautiful as installations as well....not as easy task. Here is what Shannon writes about how to check her out.
" If you would like to see more of my work, I have an etsy shop ,a blog, and a fine art site that is still in progress ."

I love Pikku

I love Pikku! I am am especially interested in their amazing calendars. Actually that's a lie, I like it all. I have seen some very cool sewn cards as well. After lusting after their work for awhile, I realized they are based in East Burke, Vermont about 5 minutes from my parents house. Next time I go home I am going to knock down their door and meet these talented folk.... maybe I'll call first.

Alisha Gould in Maine

My husband loves thumb wrestling. I am really terrible at it but, I bet he would love one of Alisha Gould's thumb wrestling prints. She has a hot pink thumb wrestling t-shirt that is really fantastic. I think her notecards are beautiful and make me want a gocco printer. She also mentioned that, as we speak, she is having a new site built which I am very excited to see. Alisha write in to tell us when your new site is launched! www.alishagould.com

Tuizui in Bar Harbor

I ran across these funky, textured pieces that pull off a very rustic, colorful,textured look and manage to use it sparingly enough to have a really modern feel. They remind me of wonderful little sea creatures. They are so reasonably priced too.

Guyot Designs

Some great friends and inventors, Guyot Designs, make some very green, very useful very cool products that I just love. The first one appeals to my completely scared of the dark self is The Firefly. The Firefly, invented by Eric Goldfarb is a unique design which turns your bottle into a lantern. The Firefly's unique design allows it to be used right side up, upside down, or hanging from the nearest handy branch.

I also must get a stainless steel Shorty for my little shorty. This would be a great gift for all my son's little friends too, that should be drinking out of something clean and safe.... oh and super cool looking.

Day one: Basha Burwell

Today is the first day of blogging for me. I am very excited. I hope to shine a little flashlight on some of the talented artists, craftspeople and designers that have holed up the woods rather than the hoppin' big cities. I'll start with friend and amazing Jeweler, Basha Burwell.