Fresh Start Studio

Fresh and Modern -- the 2012 Olympic Stamps are here

Take a look at the stamp illustrations and collages created for next year's Olympic games being held here in the UK. To zoom in on the individual stamps, go here.

European Painted House Signs

If anyone reading this in Zurich knows a local resource, please let me know -- I love these little signs. Here is a resource out of Denmark that ships. These house signs are common in S. America and all over Europe. If I put one on my house in Tennessee, do you think I'll get some strange looks? Yes m'am. Love 'em anyway.

Perky tableclothes from India make me happy

I'm in Singapore at the moment and one of my favorite haunts is Little India. It takes about two seconds for the smells, sounds, and heat to beam me straight to curry heaven. Oh, then there's the textiles. I cannot get enough of them and at an average of $25 a piece I can actually afford this habit. They make me happy. They are colorful, casual and you cannot hurt them after a first hand-washing in cold water with salt. After that, machine wash with no worries -- they get softer the more they are laundered. This time I focused on blues and yellows. Check out my stash:

 

Tuscan ceramics - brighten your palette and your day

As I wait and wait for spring, I can't help but think about our trip to Italy in late summer last year. Just looking at these beautiful hand-painted ceramics gives me a lift -- the colors are happy and bright and the memory of shopping in Siena brings to mind amazing architecture and markets -- and yes, wine! That's me there in the banner photo with Rosalba, the proprietor at Rosco Art, who helped me choose this bowl shown here. She and her English-speaking husband will ship their wares anywhere in the world, so you have no excuse.

The designs often tell stories, celebrate weddings and births, and even civic loyalty. These ceramics reflect the artistic Italian heritage (tracing back to the Greeks) and demonstrate how art styles changed during the Renaissance. Patterns range from geometric to scrolly, romantic shapes. And you can choose from a simple blue and white combination to the multi-color super-charged palettes.

I'm also posting a photo album of images of the villa where we stayed. It is an authentic reproduction built from the shell of a farm house. The textures, light, and colors were amazing. My favorite is the robin's-egg-blue window frames -- they match the blue sky -- an idea I will use eventually. It (almost) seems like it was a dream. I know I'll be heading back to Italy very soon.

Painted Houses -- Swiss Style

I love discovering the variety of paintings on traditional Swiss buildings -- and some not so traditional! I spotted these on a hotel in Klosters. I particularly like the bunnies. While the theme is animals, it doesn't seem cutesy or juvenile.

I particularly like how the Swiss (and I'm sure other nationalities) name their buildings and prominently display it on the front in a pretty script. I have a large area over our fireplace that would be perfect for a monogram or decorative paint treatment (no nails in this spot). Lots of possibilities here!