my love for you is a stampede of horses.

Valerie Hammond.

I've been home sick all day. One of the best things about my job is that when I can't stop sneezing, I can work from my bed. That never could have been possible working in retail. ;) So to shake myself out of cabin fever I spent the evening looking at new to me blogs and of course Pinterest. Always Pinterest, lately.

I spotted Valerie Hammond on Westervin. Hammond works in a variety of mediums...and works well in all of them, I might add. Not always an easy feat so it's great to see an artist transpire there talent. Such gorgeous pieces! Perfect for my foggy head.

From her artist statement:

Valerie Hammond has always been drawn to places and objects that are full of mystery. The expressive and devotional qualities of church shrines, ex-votos, and Asian art ranging from Tibetan medical drawings to Buddhist sculptures serve as inspiration for the artist. As spiritual objects, they possess the ability to impart on the viewer a sense of enchantment grounded by human connectivity, and this offering of transformation echoes Hammond's desire to record both the tangible and elusive aspects of the human condition in her work.

 

Visit: Hello! Lucky

In 2003, sisters and bffs, Eunice and Sabrina Moyle co-founded their stationary company Hello! Lucky in Eunice's garage with a vintage Vandercook press and a desire to own their own company. Sabrina does the numbers, while Eunice takes care of the creative side. It all began with Eunice's cards and invitations she made on the side for friends and family; together they built Hello! Lucky from the ground up.

I had the pleasure of taking pictures of their cuter than cute SOMA studio. The workshop is filled with lots of natural light, color and creativity. Everywhere you turn is their signature quirky, modern vintage style; ribbons, flowers, white washed wood and of course all the stationary you could ever imagine. In every space you looked sat greeting cards, wedding Invites and so much more. It was such a fun visit.

Hello! Lucky makes both digital and letterpress printings. The letterpress is all done in house on enormous, beautiful presses. While I was there James one of the printers was working on detailed beautiful, business cards of their marketing manager (a close friend of mine) Christina Loff. It was amazing to see all of the detail in these gorgeous cards. Meanwhile, Max the other half of the printing duo -- cut adorable 'we belong together' salt & pepper shaker cards. You can see pics below of them.

Be sure to check Hello! Lucky's blog, where they post real weddings, outings the sisters have, birds eye views into their printing practice...and of course the cutest stationary ever and sometimes free print outs!

The Imprisoned Calendar.

Jason Dean recently alerted me to his really moving calendar, The Imprisoned Calendar:

As of the printing of The Imprisoned Calendar, the Guantánamo Bay detention facility has housed 775 detainees (three of which have been convicted of various charges by military commissions) for a total of 3,190 days. The Imprisoned Calendar includes 3,190 blind-debossed (imprinted with no ink) hash marks, allowing its user to fill in each day as it passes to see firsthand what nearly nine years of time feels like.

Perhaps not the most uplifting new year opener, but it sure makes you think about what our eyes don't get to/want to see. Not to mention it's beautifully rendered & thoughtful...and sure to be a conversation starter. Be sure to check out all of The Best Part's offerings.