Arts and Crafts Meets Pinterest

Posted on March 31, 2012 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

This is in effect a re-post of my other blog The New Westminster Arts & Crafts Bungalow.

For years I’ve been keeping files of photos on various interests and topics on my computer.  Now that is changing and I’m uploading them to virtual files or “boards” on  Pinterest.com.  If you haven’t heard of Pinterest believe me you will.  It is the fastest growing social media sensation with over 17.8 million users and in the past month they had a jump in membership of 52%.

What is it?  I cannot say it any better than Jessi Hempel writing for CNN money in the article “Is Pinterest the new Facebook?”. ”Pinterest, for the uninitiated, is a deceptively simple-sounding, insanely addictive social media site that lets users collect and share images on digital pinboards…….Pinterest found its most passionate users among the Midwestern scrapbooking set — a mostly female group — who have turned to it to plan weddings, save recipes, and post ideas for kitchen renovations.”  Currently Pinterest is not even an open site since you have to get an invitation to join so it’s going to continuing growing at a very quick pace.

Why do I love it?  Quite simply it’s because I’ve been saving photos I’ve collected from all over the internet for years and now I have a better place to put them.  They provide inspiration for times when I want to redecorate a room or work on a DIY project.  Now, as the Pinterest byline says, I can “organize and share the things I love”.

Either click on the Pinterest logo to the left or thenewwestbungalow to be taken to The New Westminster Bungalow Blog’s pin boards which feature all sorts of arts and crafts inspiration.

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The Arts and Crafts Dollhouse

Posted on March 26, 2012 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

So you’re a doll house fan and want an arts & crafts flair.  Look no further than Shrunken Treasures for mini craftsman style window frames with natural vistas.  I wish these were people size as I can think of several places they would look lovely!

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The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast is Back

Posted on March 22, 2012 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been or why this site has been stagnant a lot of it had to do with the fact that my brother had a serious motorcycle accident in the summer and life turned upside down.  No sooner was he out of the woods when I started working full time and it has taken time to adjust to a new schedule and way of life.

Earlier in  2011 I had also made some volunteer commitments to a writing organization and up until recently a lot of  my time was focused on those pursuits.  Since most of that work is finished it’s time again to get back to sharing my finds as an arts & crafts enthusiast.

Susan

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Bungalow Bob’s Pet Designs

Posted on September 14, 2011 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

Our nine year old cockapoo has been having difficulty getting up and down from the window seat in our living room so I’ve been researching pet stairs.  The options were not encouraging until I came across Bungalow Bob’s Pet Designs.  It is so exciting that there are other people who love their pets as much as we do but don’t want to compromise on design or quality.

www.petdesigns.com

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Arts & Crafts Home Decor – Cooper’s Cottage Lace

Posted on October 27, 2010 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

Cooper's Cottage Lace - Gingko Leaf designed by Yoshiko Yamamoto

I’ve been keeping an eye open for sheer curtains to put into my diningroom and recently found Cooper’s Cottage Lace.  They offer a stunning array of Arts and Crafts styles all designed by renowned artisans and woven in Scotland.    My personal favorite is the Gingko design but there are many others to choose from including Hunter Rose, Pine Cone, Praire Sumac, and Glen’s Edge which features a stunning tree design by Laura Wilder. 

The President of the company, Dan Cooper, says about their curtains, “they make your house more beautiful, but in theory, continue the tradition of the Artisan-Designer. You can now decorate your home with the same passion that inspired William Morris and continued through the Roycrofters and onwards: craftsmanship, and respect for the past, while embracing the future.”
To check out their website please click here.

Cooper's Cottage Lace - Hunter Rose inspired by Dard Hunter

I was also delighted to find out Cottage Lace has a Lace Blog written by Dan; postings feature the fascinating history behind some of the patterns, explain the differences between laces and there are instructions on how to get that aged look by tea dying.  The most recent blog posting announced that they will soon be releasing a new pattern which they showed as plain fabric, straight off the Scottish looms at the Pasadena Craftsman Show, October 15-17.  Dan says,”The response was fantastic; possibly the best I’ve ever received for a pattern introduction. Here’s a hint: It’s English Arts & Crafts, executed by the finest designer of the time, and its rendering into lace is a first for this person, as far as I can tell.”  

You can subscribe to the blog through RSS feed or through Google Connect.  Please click here to be taken to the blog home page.

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UK Event – The Cotswold Style Exhibition

Posted on October 25, 2010 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

Exhibition
October 19 – November 14
The Millinary Works
87 Southgate Road
Canonbury, Islington, N1
0207 359 2019

Tues-Sat 11am-6pm
Sun 12-5pm

The Camden New Journal states this selling exhibition is “an exceptionally fine collection of furniture” in The Cotswold Style; it is being held at the Millinery Works gallery in Canonbury, Islington, UK. According to Mary Greensted in her new book The Arts and Crafts Movement in Britian, “The Cotswolds were the main rural rural centre for the Arts and Crafts Movement from the 1890s.”

Provenance pieces from leading Cotswold craftsmen are featured, all of whom were exponents of the Arts & Crafts Movement. Featured are the works of Ernest Grimson, the brothers Ernest & Sidney Barnsley, and Malcolm Corrie Powell. There are 60 items in the exhibition with a wide range of prices. For more information please click here to be taken to The Millinary Works website.

To read the full article in the Camden New Journal, please click here.

A special event will also be held during the exhibition time period.

The Arts & Crafts Movement in Britain by Mary Greenstad
Pre-publication launch & Book Sigining
Sunday, October 24
1-4pm

Sponsored by The Millinary Works
87 Southgate Road
Canonbury, Islington, N1
0207 359 2019

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A&C Home on Whittier Tour

Posted on October 24, 2010 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

For those of us who were not be able to attend the Whittier Historic Neighborhood Association’s Home Tour yesterday we can read more about the restoration of one of the arts and crafts homes.

Bob and Karen Stoltz have been renovating their 101 year old Arts and Crafts home for the past nine years.  An article in the Whittier Daily News by Mike Sprague reports their feelings:

“”This is a hobby for us,” said Karen Stoltz, 56. “There is a lot of satisfaction in taking something that’s been ignored, abused, neglected, or not appreciated and bringing it back to its former glory.”"  Please click here to read the full article.

To see more photos of this beautfiully restored home in the Whittier Daily News Photo Gallery please click here.

Susan

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West Coast A&C Event – Whittier Home Tour

Posted on October 23, 2010 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

Saturday, October 23
10:00am-4:00pm
Historic Uptown
Whittier, California

Day of the Tour Tickets: $18

On the day of the Tour, Saturday, October 23 @ 9:30am, 2010, tickets can be purchased only at the Home Tour Ticket Booth located at 6306 Washington Avenue, between Camilla St. and Hadley St.

Please click here to be taken to their website where you’ll find more information, maps and a link to their newsletter.

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Don’t Forget to Think Pink

Posted on October 23, 2010 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

My apologies for not being able to post for the past month–I’ve had a friend pass away from breast cancer and I needed to be present elsewhere.  I’m looking forward to life returning to a somewhat normal rhythm and to my continued search for all things Arts & Crafts.

October is breast cancer month–”Think Pink” and please schedule a mammogram or encourage your loved ones to do so.

Susan

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West Coast Event-California Publishing & The Fine Press Tradition

Posted on September 24, 2010 by The Arts & Crafts Enthusiast

Another West Coast event from the Clog–The Blog of the Williams Andrews Clark Memorial Library:

Exhibition Opening & Reception: California Publishing and the Fine Press Tradition 1910-1970
Tuesday, October 5, 2010,
4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m
The Clark Library
2520 Cimarron St.
Los Angeles, CA 90018
310-206-5078 to rsvp

The relation between publishing and literary activity, visual art, and modern book design is showcased in an exhibition of fine press works from the rich holdings of the Clark Library. Publishing and limited edition presses in Southern California developed varied approaches to book design, influenced by European and American designers and illustrators. Printer and publisher, book designer, dealer, and patron intersected in local communities where regional and personal identities were formed—and where major collections were established. Included in the exhibition are notable examples that emulated the “ideal book” of the British Arts and Crafts movement and the venerated humanistic European printers of the 15th century, as well as many works that drew inspiration from developments in the modern art of printing and graphic arts.

This exhibit was organized by Professor Johanna Drucker and a graduate class in UCLA’s Department of Information Studies.

Click here for rsvp information.

Susan

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