meredith cutler :: arts marketing :: artist

After spending this last, (fabulous!) weekend sharing a cozy, lumpy tent with my husband, and the past three weeks lending my home office/guest room to my visiting brother-in-law, I have personal space on the brain. What better way to create your own personal studio oasis than with the KitHAUS modular building system!

kitHAUS offers modular, lightweight prefab units that assemble with a minimum of labor and offer extensive customization options. With an eye for sustainability and efficiency, all kitHAUS units utilize a lightweight, recyclable aluminum support structure and recycled/recyclable GreenWall™ Structurally Insulated Panel (SIPS) wall infills, with an impressive R-14 insulation value. They have even partnered with an outside California alternative energy provider to offer an optional 1-KW solar kit for the roof!

With my background in exhibit design and retail merchandising, I am also impressed by the kitHAUS concept team's adaptation of traditional slatwall as a canvas for endless accessorization possibilities. The icing on the cake? The kitHAUS K3 unit's modest 9'x13' footprint falls below most municipalities' regulations for special building permits, so this little baby can be installed on your property as a guesthouse, studio or office without any unpleasant fuss with "the man". With a little creative planning, a deck or breezeway can connect multiple K3's to create a dream compound! Yeah, I'm currently gazing out my back window and dreaming of my own...

I haven't even had my espresso yet, so I am super "insert mystery word here" as I write up this rare and early-Monday-morning-appropriate Etsy find. It isn't often that I showcase other Etsy artisans, but in this case, I felt compelled to spread the...word (did I mention I have yet to down my morning espresso?)

Wordsmith & Master Jeweler Chelsea Main of eighty8words creates the perfect pendants to represent that which you are feeling, or wish to convey, without the hassle of speaking!

Meticulously handcrafted from tumbled sterling silver, each word is rendered in an antique typewriter-esque font and silhouetted by an inky pool of protective, black resin. Take, for example, her "cranky" pendant below, which I have chosen to illustrate my official morning word:

With a selection of ready-to-wear, evocative nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns and love letters readily available in her Etsy store, most of us are good to go.

However, if you desire a special word that you don't necessarily want tattooed on your person, but would rather wear it emblazoned in shiny, sterling silver around your neck, eighty8words takes custom word orders upon request. Think of the possibilities!

In her own words:

..."for all you word lovers out there who are tired of wearing a pendant that says LOVE when you really feel like kicking someone's ass. Sometimes you just don't want to Believe in Love and have Faith. Sometimes you feel Cranky or Shy or Coy, or maybe love is too strong a word, and Smitten will do. I hear you, people, I'm doing my best to help!"

Thanks Chelsea! In my case, I think I've found my muse...

I start my mornings with a display of crankiness, an espresso, breakfast and a peek at Design*Sponge (in that order). Well, the crankiness was dispelled more quickly than usual, thanks to Grace's post on the delightful, mixed-media work of Portland, Oregon artist Evan B. Harris. As many of you know, I have a salty spot for anything that depicts banjos, or inspires the spontaneous singing of sea-shantys...

If you are lucky enough to be in the Bay Area between today and April 2nd, make sure to visit and pay alms to his work at Rare Device!

I admit, I haven't been the best consumer lately (which in itself may be a source of D.I.Y. pride). Other than the finer basics in life, such as food, flowers and my wedding dress, I just haven't felt inspired to whip out the tired old debit card. Speaking of cards, and of wedding dresses, it's too bad that I have already sent out most of our wedding gift thank you cards, because these vintage-hued, hand-printed examples by Eliza Jane Curtis of Morris & Essex are just lovely:

Working out of her studio in Buenos Aires, she creates these and other designs using hand-mixed inks and a combination of printing methods, including screenprint, linocut and the ever-popular print gocco. I just love her woodsy color pallate!

Today the snow is falling, its treacherous Friday flakes dampening any motivation to make the snarled jaunt up Route 128 to my studio. At times like these, I like to browse my magazines and the internet for shows that I would like to attend, preferably out of town, to appeal to my "I need a change of scenery" mantra.

One that caught my eye: "Pricked: Extreme Embroidery", at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City. Featuring edgy, contemporary takes on this ancient, embellishment craft by an international assembly of artists, both male and female. I see that the list includes Ghada Amer, whose work I have always admired. Many names are unfamiliar to me, like Andrea Dezsö, whose piece below: "My Grandmother Loved Me Even Though..." draws directly from the stitchy tradition of Sampler and floss, yet calls up a juicy undercurrent of the implications of words and interpretation in childhood.

Sounds right up my alley, actually. For a gallery of archived images of my own take on alternative embroidery, click here.