Art-inspired Fashion Put Together on Polyvore

I absolutely adore many of these pieces, nearly as much as I love their inspirations...

My new shipment of clay came in, and I was soon quite busy with all sorts of new artistic adventures ;-) I'm working with a natural air-hardening clay that contains minerals and natural cellulose fibers (unfortunately at a high price) that harden my pieces strongly and naturally without kiln firing. It's a beautiful non-toxic clay that comes from the coast of Spain. Into the wet clay body, I'm mixing Dutch artist pigments ground by a windmill here in Holland, the Verfmolen de Kat. I've put the pigments into old-fashioned medicine bottles, and their colors bring a sort of Springtime vibrance to my atelier. I really love mixing them by hand, in the tradition of Dutch Masters like Vermeer, as well as Rembrandt, who lived just a few steps from my door.

I've created several groupings now of clay art objects, all representations of European residential architecture. The forms are extremely simple, yet recall enough character of their inspirations to be quite recognizable.

The repetition of vertical Dutch canal houses in a row of earthy ochres and terra cottas, the stoney textures of white farmhouses on the French countryside, The shiny green enamel on the charming cottages of Zaanse Schans, Holland, and the beautifully raw but vibrant pastel surfaces of the houses built on the jutting cliffs of Italy's Cinque Terre all call to mind the familiar scenes of home in Europe.

You can have a peek at my Cinque Terre houses in this pretty treasury of many artists' work from Etsy! Clicking on my houses will take you to my ARTISANIEeurope shop. Thanks so very much for looking!

'think pink for everything you need' by birribe

Bouquet of Flowers Adju... gr8jewellery $34.00	Romantic Dusty Pink Ruf... ZoeChen $72.00	Pink Earrings - Silver ... bijouxdellostr... $17.00
LA LUNE Pink and Grey l... ikabags $59.00	Strawberry and Vanilla ... magalerie $20.00	Clay House ARTISANIEeurop... $40.00
the tower enchantedpond $45.00	fabric doll- pink -La s... atelierpompado... $15.00	Little cupcake necklace... lulubugjewelry $58.00
Purely Peppermint Handm... aBreathofFrenc... $5.95	Sea Urchin Collection- ... staroftheeast $375.00	Pastel Silk Pouch kraplap $49.00
Matryoshka paperdoll 2 ... munieca $8.00	Pink Pearl Paper Star U... kissadesign $20.00	Big Pink Cardigan LoveandKnit $125.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

Windmills of Holland

This far-stretching flat landscape of Holland is something beautiful to see, flying over the dikes and polders, standing atop the sand dunes at the sea's edge, or riding across the country in a fast train. One can see the farms and distant cities getting smaller and smaller on a horizon that seems to never end. The wind and the water of this flat land have powered windmills and watermills for grinding grains and spices, sawing timber, and draining water for centuries, and although the number of mills has dwindled from about 9,000 to 1,000, these post-mills, ground-sailers, and octagonal top-wheelers still punctuate this famous flatness with centuries-old Dutch charm.

The paintings of Dutch masters such as Rembrandt and Ruisdael immortalized these old mills in their time. Being in the presence of these bits of history as I commute every day, I can't help but sketch the moments when the ochreous Dutch sunlight brilliantly illuminates a mill against dark storm clouds in the distance, or when I see bits of old windmill history in one of Leiden's many museums. The tiny ink and graphite drawings I'm working on now will be posted in my online art shop at ARTISANIEeurope.etsy.com when it opens on the 1st of January!

A Dutch artist named Menno Mennes has produced a set of Holland Heritage videos that I absolutely love. His "Levende Molens van Holland," or "Living Mills of Holland" is a beautiful tribute to my most recent subject:

Mennes' videos are available at http://www.hollandheritage.tv/

Here is a sneak peek at what I'm working on!

Sinterklaas en Zwarte Piet: Christmas in Holland

Snug in our little brick house on a cold Saturday in November, Yves and I yawned into a quiet day with an espresso and lots of blankets. It wasn't long before I heard some sort of clamoring on the canal outside, and when I drew back the curtain, I was unexpectedly filled with all the exhilaration and excitement of a 5-year-old girl. Amidst the shrieks and tears of the little child inside me, I flung open the door and ran to the canal edge. The drawbridge was raised, and through it came a royal procession of majestic boats. Perched aboard the glorious lead ship was Sinterklaas and his Zwarte Pieten. They waved as they passed me and my little house, and crowds of fanatic children ran waving and screaming after them at the canal's edge. Having awakened that little 5-year-old Laurie with my heart beating fast and my eyes open wide, I couldn't bear to wait for Yves or even tell him I was going, and I ran along with the other Dutch children to Leiden's main square.

The children were dressed in royal velvet costumes of gold, violet, and ruby. Some cheered and screamed in a frenzy, and some stared silently in astonishment at the goings-on. All the people in the city must have been there, including Yves who finally found me in the crowd. Acrobats catapulted through the air, dozens of helpers dressed as Zwarte Pieten with blackened faces and bright velvet costumes threw pepernoten (gingerbread biscuits) from boats, and Sinterklaas rode his white horse through the crowd to the stadhuis (city hall), with a parade of such gaiety and musical celebration following him that the holiday season's inspiration spread for miles around.

Sinterklaas is celebrated in The Netherlands from his November arrival by steamboat from Spain until Saint Nicholas' Eve on the 5th of December. During this time, children put out their shoes each day with offerings of carrots and hay for Sinterklaas' white horse. If they're well-behaved, they might find their shoes filled with candy and little gifts in the morning. Sinterklaas songs are sung and speculaas, marzipan figures, and alphabet-shaped chocolates and pastries are enjoyed by everyone. I will miss Christmas back home in Wisconsin, but oh, how I do love Holland!

Talking with Jane Goodall

It was indeed a special experience tonight to thank Jane Goodall personally for inspiring me since I was a child, to embrace hands and chat with a now 76 year old woman who has used her life to so significantly contribute to making the change she wants to see. Studying primates since 1960, Jane has made tremendous contributions to science (the discovery of chimpanzees' modification and use of tools), psychology (the effect of the maternal and familial bond on youth development, and the discovery of social and emotional primate behavior), conservation of the natural world, and the launch of a global social movement (rootsandshoots.org) to motivate humans to "...learn to live in harmony with the natural world, because...we need to."

Dr. Goodall spoke from her podium at Leiden University tonight of resilience and hope, despite the ecological and social trauma our world has endured. "You must never give up. There's always a way forward," she quoted her friend Gary Horn. "If we lose hope, there is no hope."

The Blustery Photo Shoot

Rain, rain, go away. Laurie wants to photograph her handmade items today...

My planned day trip to the forest in Leiden, South Holland was rained out :-( My partner Yves and I looked out the window all day at the blustering wind and menacing skies of Holland, stuck inside until sunset. With a break in the rain at last, we darted off to a park not too far away. My little handmade garland and handpainted glass bulbs braved the wind and the wet trees, and we got just a few shots before the last bits of sun left us. Oh Holland, why do you rain so much?

At least I have a new Canon Rebel T2i and some studio lighting in my atelier, so I managed to get just a few things photographed to put into my Etsy shop, AmericanGirlinEurope.etsy.com. Let me know what you think of the pictures!

The flower garland is my favorite, made in a bit of an Anthropologie style, with flowers made of felt and fabric and button centers, folded (origami style) and foxed antique Dutch encyclopedia pages, and beautiful wool pom-poms. I added little accents of holiday red to the otherwise natural color scheme.

I also photographed some of the French-inspired bordeaux bulb ornaments I've been working on.