amanda briggs at dear ada

mari ishikawa.

When I see art or jewelry or sculpture like this, my heart just sings, plain and simple. These stunning rings are by the artist mari ishikawa. I just love them, totally and completely. The crafting it took to make them, the subject matter (of course), and the matte, darkened, almost burned patina of the metal are simply perfect.

ron van dongen.

Have you seen the new book by ron van dongen called bloom? If you have, I'm sure you're still trying to catch your breath. If you haven't, be warned. It's fa-hab-u-lous, beauty, inspiration, delightfulness. If you love flowers, get it. If you love color, get it. If you love design, art, photography, get it. Or at least check it out next time you're in a good bookstore. It's well worth the effort (to say the least).

karl mcdade and lesley baker.

This ceramic piece is a collaboration between karl mcdade and lesley baker. I don't know who did what, but I most definitely like the results. I love the dimensional flowers juxtaposed with the "flat", painted floral patterning on the surface of the vessel itself. It's fabulous.

mia e goransson.

These porcelain vessels by mia e goransson are sheer perfection. The delicacy she's achieved through her mastery of the material, the blunt yet refined botanical references and oh yes, the amazing color or more accurately, the lack thereof. They are absolutely beautiful indeed.

radical goodness.

I'm a big fan of radical goodness. And so of course, I love the wonderful knitta please and their guerilla crafting efforts. Well now I can add guerilla gardening to my list, with the discovery of seed bombs thanks to apartment therapy ny, via heavy petal. "Seed balls are useful for seeding dry, thin and compacted soils and for reclaiming derelict ground (which is why they are often used in guerilla gardening). I like 'em because they're easy to chuck over fences into empty lots." Love it!

(image thanks to liz christy garden org)

sarah kinn.

I'm such a fan of layering, cutting away and revealing. I like the mystery of what's not shown and the tension between underneath and above. It's one of the things I love about collage as an art form. It can happen sometimes in paintings too, like in this wonderful piece by sarah kinn. I guess that's why this painting makes me so happy.

wren handmade.

Aren't these crocheted bracelets from wren handmade just the bees knees? I just had to have a couple to sass up the summer fashion. Can't wait for them to arrive.

silvia walz.

Yes please. I'd like to own these fabulous brooches by silvia walz for my very own. I love the organic motifs, the raw, unfinessed enamel work, the simple use of one color. Yes, indeed.

katie parker.

I'm totally swooning over this detail from a porcelain piece by ceramic artist katie parker. Decals plus hand painted glazes on porcelain. Totally fantastic!

marcus oakley.

These are very, very nice paintings by marcus oakley. Happy link via treasuring.