katiecatherine

2011-10-10T10:04:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone! I will no longer be blogging on blogger.

You can now find me at:
http://katiewithakcatherinewithac.tumblr.com/

New Work

2011-07-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

why have I been missing you ask

2011-06-27T11:05:00.002-04:00

This is Mysterio! He is our new Xoloitzcuintle!

Dioramas

2010-12-18T12:20:00.001-05:00

There is something so magical and familiar about dioramas. When I see them I feel like I am tasting and smelling and touching a memory all at the same time from when I was a child.

Jardindelis on etsy

Anonymous

Mexican Folk Art Diorama

Sugar Egg

New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-18T11:25:00.002-05:00

Each year the day before New Years Even I feel obligated to come up with a makeshift resolution, which normally consists of me saying I'm going to stop biting my nails. For some reason my resolution is always something associated with a criticism or a negative habit. This year I started thinking about the things I want to accomplish instead. And it got me thinking that I have for quite some time wanted to begin sewing ultimately resulting in me one day being able to whip up an outfit for myself. Let's be serious this is an epic goal for someone like me who is impatient and loves collecting hobbies, so I have decided that by the end of the year I want to start and finish a quilt. My grandmother quilts. Beautiful amazing quilts! I need to document all of them (part two I have now decided of my new years resolution/goals). Here is a little inspiration:

Quilt by Amy Sullivan

Found here

Gee's Bend Quilt

Pan de Muerto

2010-11-02T07:20:00.001-04:00

Pan de Muerto is made for Dia de los Muertos and placed on the altars for the
spirits that come to visit on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. It's pretty tasty!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T11:39:00.005-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2010-10-31T11:37:00.002-04:00

Our Wedding

2010-10-25T18:46:00.005-04:00

A little sampling of what the night was like most photos courtesy of one of our amazing friends who did some amazing photography for us! Thanks you.

Handmade tissue paper flowers made by my sisters, David's little sisters and I.

Pumpkins carved by our guests the night before at a bbq over at David's house.

Carrot cake made by David's mom with a family recipe
looking amazing on my mother's Otomi tablecloth
she has had since we lived in Mexico City when I was a kid.

Spoiler Alert!

2010-09-29T17:59:00.002-04:00

I just can't help it! I'm so excited about the cake topper I made! We each picked the other person's person. And I created the whole scene.

*The letters are a Jurassic Park font and the dinosaur is actually a Jurassic Park action figure from way back.

Wedding Invitations

2010-09-28T21:57:00.003-04:00

Here are the invitations that I made for our wedding! Now that they have been sent out I feel like I can share them. 11 days to go!

To be watched over and over

2010-08-21T10:20:00.003-04:00

"Litany" by Billy Collins
You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.
However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.
It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.
And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.
It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.
I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.
I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine .

Cross it off the list

2010-08-13T17:39:00.003-04:00

Remember that post of mine about those amazing polish handmade chandelier called pajakis? For a while there I didn't think I was going to get to make one for the wedding, but.....

A little sneak peak of what I have been working on for the wedding. I am so excited I just can't wait!

birthdays

2010-08-04T09:16:00.007-04:00

Happy Birthday to my sister and me! I share my birthday with my younger sister. I know amazing right? No not a miracle, just a scheduling conflict with the doctor which lead to July 29th being the fated day. Since my sister just moved here a few weeks ago, we actually got to share our birthdays together this year just like old times. Though my ideal birthday is spent in an amazing restaurant for a five hour long dinner I also was given some wonderful gifts. Two in particular I had been coveting for quite some time.

ring by David Neale from my sisters

Swedish Hasbeens Clog Boots from my mom and dad

Painting

2010-07-31T16:39:00.005-04:00

I finished the monster painting! So pleased.

Papel Picado

2010-07-17T10:19:00.005-04:00

I promised a few weeks ago that I would photograph the actual paper cut made for the save the dates. Here it is!

Below is an informative video on how papel picado is traditionally made. I only made one! So I just used an xacto knife. It would have been fabulous if I had made them like the artist in the video. Each person could have had their own little papel picado banner! It's one of the crafts that I fell in love with as a kid when we lived in Mexico City.

new wax

2010-07-16T19:28:00.001-04:00

tattooed arm (adjustable ring)

sketch

2010-07-14T16:09:00.003-04:00

sketch for a collaboration with this writer

color and happiness

2010-07-10T20:59:00.014-04:00

The Wish Come True Festival by Friends with you. For two weeks the city was sprinkled with all of this happiness by Friends With You during Toronto's arts festival Luminato. Wishing I had been there.

cake

2010-07-09T10:34:00.013-04:00

work in progress...i am having so much fun painting this. she unintentionally looks like my older sister.

wedding odds and ends

2010-07-08T23:23:00.007-04:00

possibly a summer wedding project...many if not most of the wedding is pretty diy by me and the fiance or other artisans. it's been rather exciting. these i have been fascinated by for quite some time and the occasion is as good an excuse as any!

These are pajaki:The literal translation is "spiders of straw". Located 90 kilometers from Warsaw the town of Lowicz and surrounding villages comprise the center of what many consider to be Poland's most colorful folk region. A typical village house from this area was full of colored flower paintings, fancy paper cut-outs and mobiles made of straw and colored paper. The mobiles or pajaki are delicate creations hand made by the women and girls of the villages as decorations for their homes

first from WREN Handmade

definition and second from the Polish Art Center

Painting

2010-07-08T17:48:00.009-04:00

Sorry for the poor photos. I forgot to take photos this morning when there's better natural light because first thing this morning I was in a wedding dress boutique after I relapsed into thinking I wanted a wedding gown!!! No worries back to my usual self again...phew! More on wedding stuff later. Right now I am just proud to be painting again. I showed sketches of this one a few months ago. Half done stage (the stage where I start to freak out) so it's been slow going for a few days.

I didn't start with a sketch with the fiasco ensuing during high tea. Sometimes I feel like when I sketch something and then do a finished sketch, the drawing loses some of it's energy, so I'm toying with the idea of just using my first sketch.

Giveaway over at Modish

2010-06-02T19:39:00.009-04:00

There's a great giveaway over at Modish

salivating

2010-06-01T19:08:00.010-04:00

see by chloe. everyone should know that this skirt is $600. there it's out there now, so there's no purchasing this because i know you know how much I spent on it! ugh!

art history

2010-04-26T21:47:00.004-04:00

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

thank you ms. network news!

new wax

2010-04-26T21:04:00.004-04:00

After all of my browsing and researching papel picado and making save the dates I still couldn't get it out of my head. I love them, now. i think i might hate them when sanding. The fox will become a pendant and the smaller one will become earrings.

p.s. i am also an art teacher

2010-04-26T19:27:00.017-04:00

I went to the National Art Educators Association Annual Conference this year. I was very excited because my school sent me along with 2 other classroom teachers. It was nice to share it. It was in Baltimore and this was the view from our hotel window. As we pulled back the curtains it blew our minds.

And this is the museum (that is now my favorite) which caused me to miss my bus home to New York. Whoops! The American Visionary Art Museum!

papel picado

2010-04-10T11:01:00.007-04:00

i conquered the save the dates over my spring break. i first tried to just draw it and then scan it into photoshop, but it wasn't working out so well, so I ended up actually whippin out the old xacto knife and cutting it out of paper by hand. Tedious but satisfying. Then i scanned them in and David helped choose the color. Voila!

p.s. I will try and photograph the hand cut one i think it's actually really beautiful

stop motion love

2010-04-02T15:32:00.004-04:00

marriage

2010-03-29T13:45:00.006-04:00

so i'm engaged...plans are in the works for the celebration and such, but to tide you all over this is my engagement ring. david and i picked it out together. we also had a diamond of my mother's set and there is a small micro pave diamond band on it's way (those two will be my wedding bands). all designed by the wonderful caitlin mociun of mociun. so yes folks, there is not just one, or two, but three rings for me to play with. variety is the spice of life as they say.

holi- the festival of colors

2010-03-01T22:08:00.014-05:00

happiness

holi, a hindu festival, which celebrates the triumph of good over and welcomes the new spring.

thanks to craftivism

jewelry

2010-02-27T12:07:00.011-05:00

new work! my shop name will be cast in silver and i'm going to use that as a logo when it's photographed. the loop will be a ring and the snake will be a pair of earrings (that i plan on wearing every single day-i have had a thing for snake jewelry since i was a kid). and last but not least i finally finished the most painstakingly slow to sand and finish bracelet. hopefully i will have my shop up and running by late april. i need to build up my inventory and such and then i will be good to go. i'm pumped!

sketches

2010-02-10T13:04:00.005-05:00

silver

2010-02-07T12:45:00.020-05:00

not quite finished. i need to sand and polish them still. i especially like the way the beaver turned out. the chain will pass through his mouth, which i am particularly in love with. the loops were inspired by my sister's love for hostess cupcakes.

in progress

2010-02-07T12:20:00.006-05:00

red riding hood piece i am finishing up. this is the under painting. i'm still working on the light and shadow in the environment.

more on Jim Kosek

2010-02-05T23:39:00.000-05:00

oh boy!

2010-02-05T23:07:00.006-05:00

homes for gadgets

2010-02-01T20:37:00.005-05:00

so i got a new computer!!! a fancy little macbook, and i love it and want to take care of it, so i am on the prowl for an awesome laptop bag so i can bring it with me to work. these are a few i really love!

this one is by Stash

and this is by Emeshmode

Which one do you like the best?

2009-12-19T11:14:00.002-05:00

People of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia.
Photographs by Hans Silvester. Check out his book! I've been wanting to add it to my library for a while.

yes

2009-12-19T11:00:00.001-05:00

the whole time i kept thinking there was a piano accompaniment, i swear it sounds like there are at least two instruments, but no

minerals

2009-12-08T20:23:00.004-05:00

Thank you for the inspiring find (above) carly waito
and thank you for your paintings (below)

an awesome book

2009-11-25T09:54:00.005-05:00

I happened upon this book i can't even remember how which was the problem. Yesterday something someone said reminded me of it and i have been searching and searching. I am going to buy it, and email the link to everyone I work with at school, it's so great!

book project

2009-11-18T13:42:00.009-05:00

These are the pages of a small book project created as a gift for someone's baby shower. Painted backgrounds White on white collage for the characters.

i'm taking ukulele lessons

2009-11-05T23:22:00.000-05:00

a rug

2009-11-04T20:02:00.003-05:00

this is a rug

dia de los muertos

2009-11-03T17:39:00.004-05:00

halloween

2009-11-03T17:27:00.012-05:00

helmet customizing workshop

2009-10-29T11:30:00.009-04:00

I'm so excited and stressed about the helmet customizing workshop I organized at my school! It's tomorrow! The fabulous artist Danielle Baskin of bellehelmets (work seen above) is coming to teach the kids about being stylish and safe on the streets by custom painting their own helmets. A fabulous company based in new york has donated all the helmets! Let's hope it all goes smoothly.

sugar skull instructions

2009-10-26T22:49:00.002-04:00

click to enlarge for easier reading!

new print

2009-10-26T19:51:00.005-04:00

it's one from a little while ago, and for some reason I never thought about how much I would love to sell prints of it until a coworker of David's (sidekick) asked me if I could paint her something of a weiner dog. and I thought to myself... "i've got one of those".

coming soon...

2009-10-19T22:09:00.001-04:00

fully illustrated (by me) sugar skull making directions. stay tuned!

tis the season

2009-10-13T18:45:00.005-04:00

it's about that time of year! so i whipped out my sugar skull molds! i'm going to have a skull decorating party this year so i can focus more on the ofrenda for dia de los muertos this year. I think total there are 33, not quite as many as last year. maybe i'll taking a piping class and then sell them next year. oh, and they are a super convenient decorations for our sweet halloween party. i will photograph decorations and such ! halloween!!!

c is for covet

2009-09-28T09:03:00.007-04:00

I think I am in love with all things by Stewart + Brown. Here are a few! I am hoping to add these to my strained fall wardrobe soon!

Thank you Modish for bringing this amazing line to my attention!

amazing children's spaces

2009-09-20T18:09:00.003-04:00

Over at the Lulu Bird there was a great post about a beautiful children's space in Japan! It got me thinking of amazing places designed for children I have experienced, and could think of nothing but St. Louis's City Museum. A sort of sculpture park/discovery zone.

You can climb outside (3-4 stories up). I can't wait to go home for the holidays and stop by!!

new painting

2009-08-21T17:44:00.006-04:00

The hospital my aunt works for is having their annual auction, so she asked me to donate some art. I had no idea what to give them and after a lot of pestering they at least gave me a theme of something for a kids room. easy peezy. so i donated a print of a previous painting and i did an original of a stegosaurus. i miss him being on my desk. Easy peezy only explains the creating part. Mailing was another story. The stegosaurus wasn't huge, but ups said packing supplies along would cost $75. $75 you gotta be joking. So I had to go and track a box down. I went to staples (i had already been there earlier that day getting ink to print the keen to be clean one) and they didn't have one i could buy so i managed to convince the manager to let me take some scraps! :) THANK YOU STAPLES!!

oddities

2009-08-19T16:12:00.002-04:00

David found this one for me today. The research has been difficult. I know it is a woodblock print by a man named Giovanni Battista Nazari, born 1533, who wrote Tre sogni della tramutatione metallica (Three Dreams on Metallic Transmutation) and some other pieces. Tre sogni della tramutatione metallica is about the pursuit of the secrets of alchemy. Interesting...

c is for covet

2009-08-19T12:40:00.003-04:00

I created this treasury on etsy in treasury west! come take a look!

even more wax carvings

2009-08-18T12:08:00.003-04:00

Five new wax pieces! The first photo shows the pieces inspired by the mandrake botanical illustrations I wrote about below! I can't wait to take them to get cast. i have one more pendant i would like to work on, and i have another bracelet and ring set that i would like to make but i think i need a larger piece of wax! bummer.

twins

2009-08-18T11:50:00.002-04:00

This is not two eggs! This is what came out when David cracked open one egg to make me some breakfast!

wax pieces

2009-08-14T13:37:00.004-04:00

I just completed two new pieces of wax to cast. I'm not casting until I complete all the pieces I've drawn up. Three bracelets, three rings, four necklaces! Not bad right? Here are two of the three bracelets.

new hobbie

2009-08-13T18:05:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday I went to a hoopilates class! It's the love child of pilates and hoop dancing. It was so much fun. Small group setting which was perfect since we all most likely looked ridiculous trying to keep the hoops up. I'm going to keep going and I'm hoping to find some hoop dancing classes as well...another story. However, I bought my own hula hoop made by circlecandy. Check it out!

oddities

2009-08-06T16:47:00.003-04:00

This image I recently found while researching more antiquated science texts like the gessner book i blogged about earlier, which inspired my first sterling silver piece of jewelry. This illustration is from The Naples Dioscorides circa 625 a Greek herbal text! Crazy! I had no idea that illustrated texts dated so far back. This is a mandrake.

the hydra

2009-08-03T15:07:00.014-04:00

So I finally finished my piece from the jewelry class I was taking!! I wore it all weekend and have to admit that I am incredibly proud of myself!

and the pic below is of the mold I had made. I am hoping to sell these in my shop eventually, but the plan is to make more sterling silver pieces before I list them all!

I've also been thinking about having an illustration for each piece of jewelry that I make, you know like the illustration that inspired it! So perhaps i need to work on a hydra illustration, which is kind of perfect because I am suppose to be creating a new piece of art for a child's room to donate to my aunt's work's auction. Julia, my cousin (whose mom's auction it is) has a toddler, who is hilarious and apparently loves dinosaurs! He calls them (spelled how it sounds) guy+no+cores= ginocaurs. Hydras pretty close right?? :/

experiments

2009-07-28T19:54:00.003-04:00

i am starting to get the hang of this whole experimenting thing. i'm starting to accept disasters as steps forward and not a waste of time. my newest experiment is linoleum block printing on shrink plastic for some jewelry pieces. Here they are prior to shrinking!

art endeavors

2009-07-17T10:45:00.003-04:00

So i have been taking a jewelry making class for two weeks now. It's a lost wax carving class! taught by Jennifer Sarkilaht owner of Odette New York at artist Lena Corwin's studio.

Some of Jennifer's jewelry to give you an idea of what it lost wax carving jewelry looks like

We just finished our first piece of carved wax and it is being cast this week! My inspiration came from this great website called Turning the Pages Online. It has all these old books that are too delicate to be handled so they have them almost animated online. My favorite is Conrad Gesner's Historiae Animalium!

They Hydra:

I can't wait to get it back!

claim code

2009-07-17T10:26:00.001-04:00

2vb6whqe4j

novice sewing

2009-07-08T11:34:00.009-04:00

So I've been teaching myself to sew. i have had a sewing machine for a long time, but I have always been intimidated. Finally I unpacked it, dusted it off, and read through the manual. Broken threads or needles can't stop me now. I am proud to say that I have managed my way through several sewing machine malfunctions. Here are my first couple of projects:

This top use to be a very cute dress. It had a crochet panel across the chest that continued as the straps, which got weirdly stretched out. I love the fabric and pockets. So I made it a smock (based on a pattern for a child's artist smock)!

A lovely little bag from upcycled fabric scraps. Though I liked making this bag, I want to incorporate my illustration into the things I sew, either original designs or illustrated fabrics I create myself!

buy some artwork

2009-07-06T10:27:00.001-04:00

bbqing on the fourth led to some exciting new discoveries! 20x200 is amazing! it's exciting to find out about all of these fantastic resources. motivation to work on my illustration! goal number one for today!

the time has come

2009-07-02T11:17:00.000-04:00

so i've been considering it for some time now.... blogging. today is the day. welcome!