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I stumbled upon these chalk drawings in South Pasadena (California) last week as we fatefully collided with the Chalk Festival one evening. The sidewalks were covered with these vibrant chalk drawings, and although we were rushing through the streets to arrive to where we were going on time....I had to stop dead in my tracks to take in the amazing street art and capture a few with my iphone. Aren't they amazing?!
We've all seen the ubiquitous sign made so popular these days but somehow, when Maira Kalman paints it, the charm quotient is instantly upped. Known for her New Yorker covers, childrens book illustrations and most recently, The Principles of Uncertainty, she captures a playfulness that is both captivating and harder than it looks. Trust me, I spend 6 months in private painting classes doing just that...painting like a talented child with a grownup mind! My respect for Maira Kalman doubled when i realized a cupcake rendered in oil paint is a mighty task indeed. My art crush continues and only deepens now that she has published a new book, another coffee table delight to thumb through for inspiration.
I've been tinkering from my studio. Working away on a new collection of Little Sweeties. These blank greeting cards are half-pint sized and sparkle away in their miniature forms. There's something extra special about the Little Sweeties. Though they tend to be a lighter flavor of my design style they are often just the right thing.
There's quite a lot of pastels in my work this month. I think the fresh infusion of sunlight is having a lifted effect on both my colors and my mood!
And after all these years of straddling the "WooWoo" fence here at PAPAYA we decided it was time to throw in the token Namaste card right! You know you're in! All these Little Sweeties coming soon. But you can see the full spectrum of them right here.
I have had a long-time, long-term love affair of all things aqua, turquoise, pool...and even better if they are flea market goodies, lost & found pieces where their sum together is greater than their single parts. Imagine my joy when I walked in my new (aqua!!!!!) office & found this exquisite cabinet filled with treasures. Thank you PAPAYA!, and specifically Gina and Ana, for helping me create this office oasis.
Recently we heard about a non-profit organization called Haitian Orphan Rescue through our inspiring friends at Bliss in Boulder, CO. We were more than happy to help them in their endeavors to create school supply pouches for this organization.
Haitian Orphan Rescue was founded by Jamie and Ali McMutrie approximately one month after Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake. Their mission is to educate people about the plight of orphans in Haiti, to raise funds to build a new orphanage, as well as provide food, water, medicine and other supplies to Haitian orphans in need.
Congratulations to the folks at the Haitian Orphan Rescue and to our friends at Bliss for their hard work and selfless dedication to a great cause.
Below is a photo of 3 of the 5 staff members of Bliss (Left: Bliss Manager, Jess. Center: Co-Owner, Heather. Right: Kindle.) and the amazing Bliss store in Boulder, CO.
I was having a great chuckle going through my iphone pics from this week. (so looking forward to the improved camera on the new one) There's been lots of picture moments scattered throughout the week. These pics are from what we are calling the "secret & slightly haunted antique store". We where a savvy bunch foraging for treasure in faraway corners and forgotten rooms.
I've always been a garage sale vixen and am up for any variety of junk shop. (Often disguised as an antique store.) It can be a glamorous or creepy fixation to be sure. But a necessary pursuit. So much inspiration and ideas do come from the past. It's a tried and true way to refresh my mind and infuse newness into what we are working on.
I almost had a heart attack today when I found this vintage bamboo mirror at a yard sale. I feel like it was made just for me! (Terrible picture but like I said, they're from my phone!)
And the most exciting part of my world this week! My son, Rowan is turning ten! This is him this evening while counting the minutes before slumber party friends arrived. He's the most creative, kind and loving person I know. He's also a little man with big man training wheels. He is a stunning human, a wonderful boy and I couldn't be more proud of his first ten years!
And in funny, Southern Oregon adventures we stumbled on a car show this afternoon. Here is my sweetie trying on his various vehicular personas. Banana mobile shown here. But he also liked the Dracula mobile and a bright orange roadster. A wonderful week indeed.
Betsey Johnson's bold and colorful style is always an inspiration. This is her old apartment in New York after re-decorating in PINK (a shade very similar to my office walls here at Papaya.)
I also really love the before photos (below). Her style philosophy is such a mirror to her free spirit, so ecclectic and fun-loving.
She once stated flowers prove that any color goes with any color. "I mean, you never say, that flower doesn't go with that grass and that sky! You can never look at nature and say it doesn't match."
One of my all-time favorite Betsey quotes, "if you love it and it is beautiful, then it goes with everything else you love and is beautiful".
I was recently asked, or maybe I asked PAPAYA! what are we? What do we represent and who are we in the marketplace? What is our niche? And because "We're fun & awesome & super-cute!" didn't quite fit into the tag-line I had in mind, i gave it some thought and this is what I came up with..
PAPAYA! Where urban boho chic meets art as inspiration. Spreading the love one product at a time!
We're a bunch of other fun, awesome, super-cute things too, like the new assortment that's ready to launch late summer: hard covered hand-illustrated spiral notebooks, resin art blocks, chic tassel key chains and new designs of old favourites like decorative envelopes, greeting cards, and art panels. New catalogue (above) has just gone to press...featuring said goodies! Coming soon to a store near you...
