I AM this crazy*

*"Big Pink Rabbit" by Julie West. Embroidered Fabric/Felt 13" x 30"

"Sickly Sweet" is a solo show of new works by Julie West. It opened at MyPlasticHeart in New York, August 8, and yes, I invested in something too huggable to ignore. :)

(In My Dreams) Home Sweet Home

Upon closer inspection I find that it's a guest-house or "kitchen cottage" that has me swooning. I have never dreamed about a large home, spacious yes, many many rooms and levels, no. The color of this little dream house is perfect and the inside and trim details only make me more melty. I discovered this little gem through design*sponge, a regular blog I subscribe to. There are more photos there and also at this link. I just wanted to post this image so I can find it quickly again and smile and dream.

Munchable Crafty Goodness

These lovely photos were taken by the impressive Rae whom I crocheted my first ever cupcake for. She's a whiz in the kitchen so I thought it appropriate to make something baked goods related. This dessert may not taste as sweet, but hopefully it will last days longer than most of her cakes.

I got the instructions for the amigurumi (Japanese term for knitted stuffed toy) cupcake from Ana Paul, she has a lovely blog with many amazing creations and crochet patterns she sells and even treats readers with free ones. You can also find her book, "Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet" through Amazon. I added some fancy buckteeth, eyes and a bow for good measure.

Earth Kokeshi

Here she is, my "Earth Kokeshi" shirt design through Spicy Brown. First debut will be at San Diego Comic Con this Wednesday through Sunday (7/23 - 7/27) at the Spicy Brown booth #4832.

NEW Blank Kokeshi

It took a little while to get these sweet Kokeshi dolls made, but they are finally ready. All are U.S. made from Hardwood Maple and Birch (sorry, not the traditional Japanese woods) with removable head. Minor sanding may be required to finish cut edges.

The original (D) is the same size the artists used for the Fall 2007 show, the previous model I sold had a slightly larger head. I have a limited quantity of every style due to the fact that these are individually created and not manufactured. Write me if you would like to purchase any, this is the "official shop" for now :)

Happy Creating!
Christina Conway
cconwaydesign @ yahoo.com (no spaces)

NEW for FALL

I cannot tell you how excited I am about having my patterns on stationery! The above "collections" will be in stores this Fall, SUPA YAY!! International Arrivals makes beautiful quality office supplies and I'm proud to have my work part of their product line.

Pageant of the Masters 75 Years

©2006 The New York Times/Monica Almeida

©2006 The New York Times/Monica Almeida

click on image for article from www.welcometosocal.com for the history of Pageant of the Masters.

click on image for article from www.welcometosocal.com for the history of Pageant of the Masters.

All the above pieces have one thing in common... they all use live models to recreate famous works of art. I attended the Pageant of the Masters this last week and had been waiting years to see this incredible homage to fine arts and I was not disappointed. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take any photographs so I can only share images I found through the internet, but maybe this is better so as to tease you into seeing the real thing. It's amazing what is put together and the show is beautifully set at a permanent outdoor theater created solely for the event that happens only twice a year and always sells out early. I have a wonderful and generous art loving client that bought our tickets back in December to make our outing possible. There were six of us venturing to Laguna Beach (just about an hour south of Los Angeles) to see the show and despite having only two sets of binoculars (which are a MUST) we shared close-up views of paintings and sculptures that from where we sat looked just like the real thing. But to steal the up-close peeks you truly appreciate what you are seeing before you. Maybe this should be the 8th Wonder of the World?