Henry Darger

 

  via pichaus

One of my favorite artists ever is 20th-century outsider/self-taught artist Henry Darger. He worked with collage and watercolor and created his amazingly imaginative and striking pieces with tracings and clippings from everything from children's coloring books to local newspaper ads to religious images. He created an entire world for his "Vivian Girls" including a 15,000 page manuscript that chronicled their story. His work is a bit trendy right now (see Vivian girls tattoo here), but really deserves a lot more serious attention. Anyway, if you're in New York, you must go see the Darger collection at the American Folk Art Museum. If you want to learn more about his heartbreaking life and art, then rent the documentary In The Realms of the Unreal.

via SpillSpace.com

 via Art & Ghosts

 Untitled (Two Girls and a Dog Sitting in Garden), 1959 

 

 via abrio's websoil

via Brotherhood of Thieves

nifty signs

If you have been to a number of weddings and have spent any time cruising design sites on the internet, you kind of feel like- between what you have admired in person and what you have clicked on while browsing- you have seen almost everything that can be done at a wedding reception.

These signs by chocolate butterbean had me taking notice because they really seemed different. They can be painted or printed on wood or canvas and something about them caught my eye. The signs are not only for weddings, the nursery options are awfully cool as well.

I like the feel of the fonts and the wood versions especially, but really when I scrolled through the gallery, they were all just so....nifty.

All images courtesy of chocolate butterbean

"What the Living Do"

Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days, some utensil probably fell down 

there.

And the Drano won't work but smells dangerous, and the crusty dishes have piled up

waiting for the plumber I still haven't called. This is the everyday we spoke of.
It's winter again: the sky's a deep, headstrong blue, and the sunlight pours through

the open living-room windows because the heat's on too high in here and I can't turn it 

off.
For weeks now, driving, or dropping a bag of groceries in the street, the bag breaking,

I've been thinking: This is what the living do. And yesterday, hurrying along those
wobbly bricks in the Cambridge sidewalk, spilling my coffee down my wrist and sleeve,

I thought it again, and again later, when buying a hairbrush: This is it.
Parking. Slamming the car door shut in the cold. What you called that yearning.

What you finally gave up. We want the spring to come and the winter to pass. We want
whoever to call or not call, a letter, a kiss--we want more and more and then more of it.

But there are moments, walking, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the window glass,
say, the window of the corner video store, and I'm gripped by a cherishing so deep

for my own blowing hair, chapped face, and unbuttoned coat that I'm speechless:
I am living. I remember you.

by Marie Howe from What the Living Do

{Stevan Dohanos illustration via ondiraiduveau} 

Eggshell Vases

Image courtesy of marthastewart.com

I know folks make fun of Martha Stewart all the time, but there are some darn good ideas that have come out of that empire. I usually find myself drawn to the little things they have come up with over there on her blog and this is one of those things.

These eggshell vases in eggcups are perfect for a Spring or Easter table. They can be grouped together for a centerpiece or placed at individual seats. I am especially fond of the size-perfect for tiny blossoms like lilacs, lily-of-the-valley or pansies.

Directions, courtesy of martha, just go to show you....sometimes those simple little things can make a beautiful difference.

desperately seeking

I do not know about you, but I have a list of certain things I am always looking for online. Once in awhile I will find one of them, only to lose it in a bidding war or because I spotted it too late. It is so disappointing and now I can not imagine ever actually getting my hands on one of the things from my list. I suppose everyone has a list like this or maybe I believe that because then I can seem less obsessive.

In any case, I am sharing the three things I am constantly hunting for -so if you spot one out there -drop me a line! The first is the Secret Garden CD single from Bruce Springsteen circa 1995. I covet this particular disc because the "b-side" is the most incredible live version of Thunder Road I have ever heard and because I had this cassette and promptly wore it out on my long drives back and forth to college my junior and senior years.

The second item is the book Pippa Mouse: Six Read Aloud/ Read Along Stories, 1973 by Betty Boegehold. This was my very favorite book in second grade. I think I checked it out of the library half a dozen consecutive times before my mum gently persuaded me to give another book a try. Oh, how I loved this book though- multiple stories, perfectly penciled illustrations, and a sweet mouse protagonist.

I can't believe how difficult it is to track this down ( for less than 50 dollars and in truly "good" condition), but I probably scour the Internet twice a month with my fingers crossed anyhow!

The last item is an issue of the now defunct, but always awesome, Sassy magazine from January 1990. I always thought this would be a killer gift for Vivi - we were crazy about Sassy and this particular issue is her birthday month and from the time we were most dedicated to the teen periodical. How cool would it be to find it some 21 years later?

This may be the item I would like to get my hands on the most.

So there you have it- my quest for Bruce, Pippa, and Sassy continues.....I'll keep you posted :).

Image 1 courtesy of springsteenlyrics.com ; Image 2 courtesy of amazon; Image 3 courtesy of magazines2go

Thursday, Hiving Out, and Etsy

hexagon necklace by cristinapires

When we started this blog - oh about two years ago (seriously? wow) - coming up with a name for ourselves was a challenge. First, we, of course, way over thought it. We wanted something whimsical, but not too whimsical. Self-referential, but not explanatory. We also wanted a name with a pretty association. So since we wanted to think of our blog as a place where the three of us would be "hanging out" and sharing our discoveries and talking like busy bees in a beehive... we decided on, well, you get it...

The added benefit of going with "Hiving Out" was all the loveliness associated with bees, beehives, and honeycombs that we hoped would shape the look of this humble little blog. And so with that aesthetic in mind, here's a "Thursday" post with so many lovely Etsy pieces that celebrate the colors, shapes, and natural beauty found in all things bee - just in case we ever wanted to dress ourselves (or dress our homes) in the theme of our blog. :)

Buzz-worthy items that we we'd love to wear:

"Honeycomb-Rhinestone headband" by Myhaleygirl

"Honey Posts" by WinnieChai

"Stainless Steel Yellow Honeycomb" by SilverSlate

"Organic Cotton Leggings with Honeycomb Screen Print"

by prettypennydesigns

"Bumble Bees in a Honeycomb hand embroidered and stamped mini clasp purse"

by EmenGeeDesigns

Honey-sweet finds for the imaginary offices of "Hiving Out" (or just the ones in our own little homes:

"Punch Needle Honeycomb" by erinf115

"Honeycomb Print" by thespottedsparrow

"Vintage Bee Container" via MidwestSplendor

"Beeloved - Blank Card" by JanetHillStudioINK

"Honeycomb - Felted Oatmeal Milk and Honey Soap" by SoFino

"Honeycomb and Honeybee, Hand Carved Stamp set of 2"

by TCWitchcraftFactory

Embroidery Hoop Art

Image courtesy of stephart.blogspot.com

While hopping around online , I came across the site for Stephanie K. Toland, a super talented artist. She has many impressive images of her paintings posted and while I definitely admire her work in oil, her embroidery hoop art is what really caught my eye. The clothes on a line trio shown above is my favorite. It just goes to show how a couple of concepts and mediums can overlap to result in something unique and charming.

The idea of art within the embroidery hoop frame is hardly novel, but there are so many ways to use the hoop that can still be fresh and different. I am curious about using the stretched fabric or canvas for drawing or watercolor mixed with embroidered touches. Maybe there can be some space on my girls' bedroom wall for a series of hoop art....

Image courtesy of stephart.blogspot.com

The Violinist Hoop Wall Art courtesy of maiseyhandmade via etsy

flight no. eight original wall art courtesy of TheHauntedHollowTree via etsy

Image courtesy of flickr

Luis the Raccoon embroidery hoop courtesy of OneLittleRedFox via etsy

Notebook Paper Cross Stitch embroidery wall hanging 'I love you' hoop courtesy of rugglesstitch via etsy

Image courtesy of The Phantom Moon via flickr

little house shadowbox

via apartment therapy

My mother has one of these house-shaped shadowboxes hanging in her home that my sister and I proceeded to fill, for the entirety of our childhood, with these little animal figurines that we were obsessed with at Hallmark. We gave her the tiny creatures in the name of her birthday or Mother's Day or Christmas, but - of course - we just loved them and loved deciding which animal deserved to "live" in specific rooms of the wooden house. My mother still has this shadowbox, with its carefully selected inhabitants, hanging up in her home and even though it's totally a little too cutesy - I kinda want one. Both for the sake of nostalgia and the fun of decorating one - I'm keeping an eye out the next time I hit the flea market. I just hope the husband can handle all the tiny glass kittens I'll probably end up filling the darn thing with..

{top, left to right: via I heart linen and via DayDream Lily

bottom, left to right: via Ask Alice and danieru_.}

Children's Book Week Poster

The Children's Book Week Poster for 2011 features art by author/illustrator Peter Brown with characters from his book Children Make Terrible Pets. I have blogged about the posters before, but you can have one sent to you from the Children's Book Council and show your support for Book Week or start your very own collection. They simply require a self addressed envelope with 65cents postage and your poster will be on the way.

The Children's Book Council site provides all the information!

For Japan With Love

Tomorrow, Friday, March 18th, we at Hiving Out will be taking part in the Bloggers Day of Silence in order to take pause and acknowledge the devastation going on in Japan.

Organized by the blogs Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours, these bloggers have also joined together with ShelterBox, one of the first major charitable organizations to help after the quake, in order create a fundraising site called For Japan With Love.

By donating to For Japan With Love you could help send some much needed supplies as well as an emergency shelter to people in need:
"Each large green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items."

Each whole box costs $1,000 (US), so For Japan With Love is hoping to raise enough to send 5 boxes so please donate if you can.

Thank you and have a lovely weekend - we'll see you Monday!

{For more information, go to Utterly Engaged and For Japan With Love.}

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

via my vintage vogue

Here's just a little round-up of some of the shades of a certain lovely color in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Yeah, I know, there isn't a single darn image of green Guinness, but a video on how to make green macaroons (at the bottom) should make up for that one particular absence... :)

via fffound!

by Cozy Memories

by home sweet home

via Eliza&Beth

by Jane Reiseger

by salbug00

via vintageisclassic

The Green Macaron from by.luuvu on Vimeo.

Easter Bunnies

It is no secret I am big fan of littleAshop on Etsy. The bundle babies are a truly special gift- handmade, one-of-a-kind, and sweet as all heck.

Now this post is actually about the bundle bunnies. This Easter if you are putting together a basket for a baby/young toddler (or folks of any age who appreciate perfect touches), some of those things like assorted sweets, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk are out, but I will tell you what is in.....a bundle bunny! What an ideal Easter treat. littleAshop does custom wool or cashmere bundle bunnies (with color selections conveniently listed) and I can't think of a better surprise at the end of a jellybean trail or egg hunt. Hop on over and check them out!

Image courtesy of littleAshop