HELP WANTED: Position Filled

I received at least 12 emails regarding the design project I talked about in the last post! I viewed all of your websites and blogs...it was so hard to choose someone, everyone is so amazing and talented! I plan to reach out and thank each of you, but I thought I should post something here first before anymore emails come in! Nicomi "Nix" Turner is going to work on this project with me! We already know each other and have many shared interests, which is nice! She sells her artwork under the moniker "The Specimen Jars" on Etsy and is also a fellow member of Etsy's Cabinet of Curiosities Team. Her first solo exhibit titled In Vein, got stellar reviews. Nix is currently busy working on her latest series titled Maidens and Crones, which should total 20 pieces upon completion! She will be showing in Portland throughout the month of November with notable artists such as Gris Grimly and Daniel Martin Diaz! Check out the details below and make sure to take a peek at her blog to see what else she's up to!

HELP WANTED: Beautiful Packaging...

I'm looking for a Graphic Designer/Kindred Spirit to help me create product labels for my handmade Bath and Body Care Products! I know exactly what I want in terms of aesthetic (colors, fonts, imagery, ect.) but I need someone to help me put it all together! I can pay cash, do a shop credit or trade! Please email me at ladylavona@yahoo.com

Here's some packaging I'm crazy about!











1. LE LABO 2. Mast Brothers Chocolate
3. Tokyo Milk 4. Sweet Petula 5. Fringe Alchemy Soaps

I Love DJ Vadim!

Decadence and Decay

Eily O'Connell Jewelry

winter wonderland...

Have you seen Gareth Pugh's new collection? It brings to mind the tragic beauty of Japanese Ghost Stories. The Obake (spirit or ghost) is often the main character in the bizarre, avant-garde Japanese dance-dramas, called Kabuki, as well as folklore inspired art and literature, like manga and anime. There are different types of Obake, for example Yōkai are a class of supernatural beings ranging from demons to supernatural creatures that possess part animal and part human features. Yōkai generally have a sort of spiritual or supernatural powers like shapeshifting. Another kind of Obake is the Yūrei, the soul of someone who has died in violent manner such as a tragic sudden death, murder or suicide, they are influenced by powerful emotions such as a desire for revenge, love, jealousy, hatred or sorrow. If the proper rites and rituals have not been performed, or the emotional conflict is left unresolved, the Yūrei will persist in haunting a particular person or place until their purpose is fulfilled, and they can move on to the afterlife...
Next we have John Galliano. He also worked with the grey palette for his Winter collection, but the results are rich! It conjures images of Ice Caves, Snow Queens and even Theda Bara's provacative costumes in Cleopatra! The rest of his collection is gorgeous as well and reminds me of Russian fairytales and Balkan Gypsies!

Maïssa Toulet's Cabinet de Sorcellerie

French artist, Maïssa Toulet created an amazing installation inspired by Witchcraft, Voodoo, and Folk Magick! It's a drastic contrast from her last body of work that I wrote about, Cabinets de Curiositie, which demonstrates a modern surrealist sensibility. Check out all the details of her Cabinet de Sorcellerie, on her website! It's like exploring the inside of a Wood Witch's cabin! Très Magnifique!

Ann Wood

It was love at first sight when I saw Ann Wood's dreamy ghost ship and her whimsical, cardboard castles. And now I'm officially smitten! Allow me to introduce you to Chillingworth, the Owl. I've been dreaming of owning one of her raggedy owls...but will she ever make one as perfectly wicked as this ol' fella?

“A striking evidence of man’s faculty of transforming himself into a devil, if he will only, for a reasonable space of time, undertake a devil’s office.”



Chillingworth was constructed out of an old Victorian Mourning Jacket! Fabulous, don't you think? Visit Ann Wood's blog for more crafty inspirations. Oh, and don't forget to check out the Design Sponge "sneak peek" featuring Ann's BEAUTIFUL home!