alli coate

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This is recent work from an assignment on gender & sexuality.

These are pretty teeny- 4″x5″ each. I used colored paper, acrylic, thread, and some lined notebook paper.

Good news- the leaves are finally changing colors around here. We were worrying they hadn’t gotten the memo.

These pendants really are coming along, I promise! I’m hoping to update the shop by the end of next week. How do you like my high-tech spray booth?

Vintage score from Cape Cod, now serving as storage for thread spools. I get a kick out of the flimsy little latch.

It’s good to rest.

Okay, the rest of the tacks are ready for you… grab one from the shop before they’re gone.

This Saturday I left home for a last-minute family vacation… you can imagine my suprise when I made a quick e-mail check yesterday and discovered an exploded hit counter and a nearly-sold-out etsy shop, thanks to some very cool bloggers: Design Undercover, Decor8, and NOTCOT. Hello to my new readers!

I’ll be back to normal by Thursday evening, with new items for the shop ready by Friday evening. Please bear with me until then, while I squeeze the last drops out of this vacation (and aloe gel)!

My main project lately has been these cutout pendants. The biggest trouble has been getting the surface right… too many scratches, paint not drying, corners a little too sharp… but this set is really coming out well! The best part is picking little precious bits of fabric to showcase in each one.

I re-sanded and re-painted since this photo was taken, and they look pretty perfect! Finally!

So all I need to do now is assemble and photograph, and then these should be ready to go into the store! Eeeee!

Ok, now it’s official: I’m a published illustrator!

Full-page in Plan Sponsor’s 2007 Special Lifestyle issue.

In other news, I’m working on a big update for the store, and I did my first quilting project last night, which was amazing! It went much more quickly than I’d expected, and was lots of fun. Photos coming soon!

This is a 15″ drum lamp I designed and made this spring. It was hugely difficult but I’m truly happy with how it turned out!

Lately I’ve been trying to get my bookmarks in order (folders are my friends). It’s been so messy in there that it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen some of those links. Here’s a grouping of photos/photographers that tickle my imagination. And I’m not sure, but it’s very likely that nearly all of these are from swiss-miss.

http://www.minimiam.com/

http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/

http://www.baraskit.se/random/archive/31/fun_with_clouds.html

http://www.amylovera.com/

http://www.bobbyneeladams.com/age.html

http://www.janvonholleben.com/dreams_of_flying/

http://lorettalux.de/

Illustration Friday submission for “poem”. Vintage nursery rhyme pages, old baby photo, colored vellum, and wire on masonite, 6″x7.5″

This was a really exciting piece to work on… there’s something about objects that have a history. It does make the cuts more stressful, but there’s a sense of awe in working with them. This kind of work is really going to push my packrat button!

I found this absolutely easy and yummy recipe for bread in my Betty Crocker. It only takes about 15 minutes to prepare (no kneading) and is ready to eat less than an hour after that. We didn’t have any whole wheat flour so we just substituted with more all-purpose, and it turned out fine.

Four-Grain Batter Bread

• Cornmeal
• 4 1/2 to 4 3/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 packages regular or quick dry active yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

1. Grease bottoms and sides of two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with shortening or spray with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal.
2. In large bowl, mix 3 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour, the sugar, salt, baking soda and yeast. In 1-quart saucepan, heat milk and water over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very warm (120 deg. F to 130 deg. F). Add milk mixture to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
3. Stir in whole wheat flour, wheat germ, oats and enough remaining all-purpose flour to make a stiff batter. Divide batter evenly between pans. Round tops of loaves by patting with floured hands. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in warm place about 30 minutes, or until batter is about 1 inch below tops of pans.
4. Heat oven to 400 deg. F.
5. Bake about 25 minutes or until tops of loaves are light brown. Remove from pans to wire rack; cool.

makes 2 loaves, 16 slices each

This weekend I found a vintage curtain panel that I couldn’t pass by. If you’re ever in Providence, visit What Cheer Antiques in Wayland Square… it is my second-favorite store here. (First is the lovely Figments!) So after ripping out the old seams, I added new ones for a set of mini-curtains for our kitchen.

There’s only one spot of our kitchen that lacks a generous helping of pink.

The walls and the plant agree, this fabric is perfect!

This summer has been the best one yet for making things. I have so many projects going right now that it’s getting to be a problem! Here’s one that is actually making progress, an idea that was born from my lamp project last semester. (Have I shown that here? I don’t think so. I’ll have to soon.) They are a series of small pendants with simple, smile-inducing shapes cut out to reveal a precious bit of fabric. This is my second prototype, and I’m hoping to make some for the shop, just to see what the response is.

front view. 1 1/2 inch tall by 3/4 inch wide.

back view. aluminum backing.

So, a few things have happened. One, spring semester. Enough said. Two, moving to a new apartment. Three, job search, four, weddings of closest friends, and five, guests. enough excuses for not posting? I think so.

With that out of the way, look what I’ve been working on! A new batch of Fancy Tacks, coming soon to the store.

This weekend I’m heading back home for my brother’s graduation party… it’ll be good to be around the family again. (And to have time with my Sadie!) Have a happy weekend, everyone.

are pears the cutest fruit? I think they might be.

Pear Patches in the Etsy Shop, modeled above by the lovely Katie!

These colors really help me when it’s grey and chilly like today.

Fancy Tacks: Spring set in the shop now

A new set of tacks in the Etsy shop tonight! This is one of my favorites. Hope you like!
Fancy Tacks: Fresh Air set

My friend Sarah shared this great artist with me who works in textiles: Freddie Robins

We especially like the knitted skins and a project called Knitted Homes of Crime, knitted replicas of houses of women murderers (murdresses?) from Great Britian.

In other news, my next project is a combination of blood, polar bears, and snowboards. Exciting? Maybe…

P.S. Don’t go poking around for photos of polar bear attacks unless you have a nice strong stomach.