Flores immortalized...

I've been wanting one of  Carrie Tasman's pet portraits ever since I saw her work at Art in the High Desert about 4 years ago. Carrie's portfolio goes beyond pets, it's colorful and charming, a delight for the eye. Her pet portraits are all that, plus the pet!

Here is our lab, Flores. He sits in our den, with his favorite teddy on the couch. Two "photos", one of Lizzy who passed away several years ago, and shown at the river where she loved to swim, and Jay,  Flores' dad.  The blue hydrangeas in the vase, grow all around our house. The view out the window is our backyard and a shed built by my husband, who was the recipient of this painting. Happy birthday, Bruce! 

I can't resist showing off just a few of Carrie's portraits. Check out lot's more here.

one of my favs. I bet he chases that Frisbee for hours on end...

thank you Carrie!

The Party Dress Book - Mary Adams

I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Adams, author of The Party Dress Book, How to Sew the Best Dress in the Room, when she appeared at Ristretto Roasters, a very cozy little coffee shop in Portland, a week or so ago. Mary is a clothing designer living and working in New York City, but grew up and began her career here in Portland. I had pre-ordered her book at Amazon, wrapped it up and given it to myself at Christmas, and spent all of Christmas day reading through it! With a forward by Amy Sedaris, an enthusiastic customer, her story is interesting and will be familiar to artists in any medium.

The book is filled with sumptuous fabrics, ruffles, pleats, pintucks and layers and layers of color.

  

The inner spiral binding is a practical touch, much appreciated. 

 And if just being able to visually feast on the images in the book isn't enough, the final chapters are devoted to a tutorial in which you can create your own dress using the full size pattern supplied in an attached sleeve. You can take ideas and techniques from the book to create something quite unique, or use the pattern to go in a totally different direction. 

This book is beautifully done and if it doesn't make you want to sew, it can provide you with raw inspiration you can take anywhere!