Category Archives: Art

Something to stare at…

Posted in Art, Decor, Kids by

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Curbly

babygadget.net

BabyGadget

petitecokids.com

Petitecokids

Hello readers. Its been a while since I have posted regularly. I’m sorry about that. Having a little baby is quite a job. None the less my eyes have not been missing any creative information that I would like to include on this blog, so stay tuned for some inspiration coming your way. 1st up is mobiles! I LOVE the 1st one above and Jono and I were contemplating making it for little Hannah’s room but time is not on our side. I am however get inspired in finding these amazing examples, which hold some difference.

childmode.com

Childmode

littlelovables.blogspot.com  sneakpeeq.com

Littlelovables and sneakpeeq-com

Portrait: One of a kind

Posted in Art by

NedLutyens

This picture came my way when my friend Ned Lutyens put it as his bbm picture. I know Ned from London when I used to look after him and a few other awesome kids. Now Ned is a handsome lad, still excelling in sports and is one of many talents. As is his friend who painted Ned’s portrait and which I think is absolutely amazing!! Simply love it and admire this photograph taken of it. Thanks Ned and artist Ollie Wink.

Short film by Murphy

Posted in Art, Lifestyle by

This heart-felt short film was created by a friend of mine Murphy. She is a creative gemstone and one of many talents. I wanted to share it with you. Not only because I think its amazing but it features people I love very much.

This Is My Story from Murphy McLoughlin on Vimeo.

<p><a href=”http://vimeo.com/55197817″>This Is My Story</a> from <a href=”http://vimeo.com/user12148466″>Murphy McLoughlin</a> on <a href=”http://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a&gt;.</p>

Julie Smith-Belton – INSPIRING CREATIVE

Posted in Art, Interviews, Photography, Sewing by

♥ Oh my goodness! I’m so excited to share with you about this amazing women!!!

A few weeks back I was delighted to catch up with local creative Julie Smith-Belton. She is lovely. Filled with such calm and peace. You would think, being a mother of 3 and home schooling her children that she would perhaps hold some sort of frantic atmosphere with her, though with much respect I can say Julie is the opposite.

A few years back I saw her sewing work at a market at one of our local churches. I then wanted to interview her but have just not managed it until now! (naughty me) If you read the Ideas Magazine (September issue) you would have seen that Julie won the Celebrating Creativity Competition. Her Riaan Cruywagen doll (see below) was one of many wonderful and creative  contributing ideas from all around South Africa. When I was interviewing her a few weeks back, Ideas where about to come and see her at home and interview her for the October issue. Have any of you seen or read the October issue yet? I recommend it!! Or check out her BLOG for the ins and outs! I’ve added some pics of other sewing projects she has done as well as her photography – her list of creativity is endless and I just love it!

So I spent an afternoon speaking to Julie, getting to know this photographer, graphic designer, creative, mother and wife. Julie is a sister of a good friend, we have not really connected on a personal level before but after that day with her and finding a common ground which is simplicity, i can honestly say she has become a mate. I can totally relate to the desire of living a simple life. Julie shared her heart to follow Gods will in their lives, to let go of all the hindrances that strap you down. Rory and Julie’s passion to travel the world with their family has taken wings as they sold the unnecessary possession around their home and downsizing from a 3 bedroom unit to a modest and cosy home with a lot less ‘stuff”.

She is a stay at home mom to 3 adorable children. It’s not common these days to have a south african mom stay at home looking after the family but that is an important factor for both Julie and Rory. Their humble and calm approach to raising children is quite refreshing. I found that Julie taught her kids to live life instead of just going through the process of life and she teaches them that in such a creative way. Being practical and letting them learn things through doing it themselves and learning consequences for mistakes. I think it takes a lot of the pressure off the parent to allow your children to learn from their mistakes instead of trying to fix it for them all the time. I recently got advice that said “Children don’t do what you say, they do what you do“. 

Julie’s background is in graphic design, she is self-taught in photography and has become quite phenomenal at it. She shoots the odd wedding or occasion should she feel the passion for it and never forces herself to be creative for the work but to rather be creative when the mood takes her. I think if one is able do that then it feels like you never ‘work’ a day in your life!  Her graphic design and creative nature sure is inspiring in such an honest and real way.

One of the reasons why Julie and her husband Rory decided on home school their children is to make the most of the years and to teach a natural way. They felt this year was a year of grace. You may feel otherwise or you may agree, whatever you feel its your choice. I admire Julie for taking it head on and trusting her own choices. The best thing about parenting in Julie’s eyes is having a love inside her that she has never experienced before. 

On the creative side, her creative outlet is blogging, sewing, graphic design, photography and decorating. I bought one of her Humpback whales for my little baby’s room-Too stunning for words. (see pic)

Other sewing projects…

Saturday’s for the Smith-Belton’s include being out and about going to the beach, riding bikes,playing Lego and just being a family unit. For moms seeking a great place to eat with kids, Julie recommends 88 Degrees Cafe at gateway, Mercedes coffee shop  in Umhlanga, Botanical gardens and Kids world in Ushaka.

Another idea and a super one at that, was creative workshops held at The Rock church. Thanks to Julie, Jil and Monique it has flourished a few times and included women/men  from all walks of life, getting together and being creative. Ideas Magazine even featured the 1st creative evening in their June issue! You will be advised by me if any more happen, unless you follow her blog yourself.

I’m telling you this women is amazing and she has a wonderful and sincere heart that travels with her all day, its easy to enjoy her company and its even more inspiring just knowing her. That is why I just had to share humble creative with you guys. You heard about her on Creative Stream 1st! haha

All photos area from Julie’s Blog Ludo Police.

THE SMITH-BELTON FAMILY!!

Artful, INSPIRING & Blogging

Posted in Art, Interviews, On line Mags by

Welcome to thursday everyone. Can you believe it’s nearly mid September???

I’ve said this before and I will say it again … what I love about blogging is the inspiring and talented people I meet daily. I wish there was more blogging time for me to show you more and more – the dream is to introduce you to many inspiring subjects.

I’m not sure if you remembered THIS interview done quite a while back here on Creative Stream? Ishtar blew me away by her love for creativity, washi tape, illustrations and workshops and I had to find out more about this Spanish UK living creative. Which you can read about here.

Today, I wanted to share her news that she had recently been featured in the Artful Blogging magazine. I  love it when people get recognised for what they are.

SKETCHY LOVE

Posted in Art, Lifestyle by

The amazing Daniella Germain just makes me smile from ear to ear. She recently posted about her illustrations that had made its way onto some designer scarves.

You might remember the post about Floribunda and La Cocina where we shared about Daniella’s stationary and ceramic range? Well, she has out done it again with her sketchy bird placed beautifully on Elk scarves.

Read Daniella’s post here. All photos from Daniella’s blog via Elk.

So soft and beautiful!

… AND ART FILLED HER WORLD

Posted in Art, Interviews by

If you have blogged for a while or even just started looking into design and art blogs, I’m sure you have seen the work of Jen Ramos. I remember one of my 1st posts that displayed her prints and that was the day I started following Jen’s blog. Since then I have enjoyed her style and her attitude towards life, fashion, design and God. Do you know what I like about Jen? She is not afraid to say it like it is. I enjoy people with that attribute. It’s refreshing in this sometimes worldly world.

Now as Creative Stream is about creativity, it would not be a good enough blog if it did not display to you those who I believe to be truly creative. Cocoa & Hearts began its flourishing business when Jen started to showcase her love for art and colours. It truly has taken the world by storm with many paintings sold out within the week of being released. That just goes to show how fabulous her style and creative hand is.

Jen has written about how people relate to her art, some negatively and some positively. I guess that is art! People like it or they don’t and I feel that artists who can still work their heart into their art knowing the various tastes of consumers out there and not being hindered is indeed an artist!

Frankly, I love her work. I admire the simplicity of the linear paintings and how it catches your eyes. I love the emotion seen in the strokes she uses and of course adore the colours she so cleverly combines. Even Though this post is about Cocoa & Hearts I recommend you take a look at Jen’s prints. They are gorgeous as well. I have had my eye on them for years now … click here for her shop to see prints and more fabulous creations.

Let’s find out a little more about Jen as she answers some questions Creative Stream sent her about Cocoa & Hearts.

1- Can you remember the 1st time you picked up a paint brush to canvas? When was it and what did you paint, how did you feel?
When I was about 7 yrs old, but it wasn’t onto a canvas necessarily – it was on a piece of paper. I painted a scenery – like with an ocean & a sun, felt great!  I’ve always enjoyed drawing & painting, in fact it’s what I wanted to be when I grew up, an artist.

2- I know you are a graphic designer. You paint now as well. Does the one creativity work with the other? Do you find yourself often being motivated by one to progress in the other? Oddly enough, I don’t really mix the two at all. My inspiration when I paint is totally separate then when I’m creating graphics.

3- How did Cocoa and Hearts begin? When and why did you decide to make it into something? It’s a long story & a personal one. Perhaps I will tell it on my blog one day, but for now it is something that I had always wanted to do since I was a little girl and something im truly passionate about. I decided to make it into something in May of 2011 and im so glad I did.

 

4- Where did you live before you moved to New York and has your environment contributed to your painting style? I lived in las vegas for a few years, but my environment didn’t contribute to my painting style. I lived in a very suburban area, very unoriginal with very little culture. So, perhaps my desire for something colorful and different from what I was noticing around me is what I needed at the time. NYC is definitely a motivator, because everyone here is so creative and that alone is instrumental to my painting style.

5- When painting or choosing to start a painting, what factors do you consider to create what you create. (do you think about each painting or do you let your hand do the talking?) :) I usually pray prior to beginning a piece. I ask God to guide my hands to create something people will love. Normally, that is all I do..I don’t think too much about what I want it to look like. I just trust that my hands will know which direction to move at that point.

6- In your opinion, what is the best advise you can give someone wanting to ‘go further’ in their art? Well, I would say building a large following helped me. So, building an audience to sell your work to, can help.  When I was blogging for the first 3 yrs – I had no idea that I would be introducing my readers to my artwork. I always thought of my art as being just in my home…odd. But I’m glad I brought it to my readers, as they’ve been quite welcoming & supportive. 

7- What do you love most about what you do (blog, design and painting) I love that I can see my work and say – I did that. Whether it’s in a magazine or being written about on design blogs, or just pinned on Pinterest, it’s cool to see other people getting into it. Thank God that I can say I love 99% of what I do.

8- And lastly – name your paintings by one word?  Colorful

Jen- thank you for sharing with me and Creative Stream readers. You and your work are inspiring and beautiful.

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE FROM JEN’S WEBSITES.

Please refer to Made By Girl and Cocoa & Hearts for prices and artwork.

Cool Japan

Posted in Art, Decor, Furniture by

Sometimes I come across the most beautiful Japanese items. I have always had a soft spot for their art and creativity. Like their very own tetsubin tea pots and their wooden stamps and woodblock prints. I love Japanese flowers. Even their bonsai’s are delicately and patiently crafted and pruned. It makes me think that the nation have a strong sense of patience and control when it comes to art and creating. I found these prints from the World Gallery.

By Maxi Posters and Ando Hiroshige.

First photos from Maxi Posters and Ando Hiroshige. The interior of  room above oozes peace and calm, created by the low bed and wall decor. Photo fromArchitectHouseDesigns. Picture above Japanese Streets.

Shizen Creations  Dont you just love this bath? Japanese wood strong bathtub said to be used indoor and out. I love the solid look with the dark red and black colours. Below is a Japanese wood chest. Both photographs seen via BathroomDesignsIdea.

Japanese wood block prints seen below, seen via Baxley Stamps.

 

Image above via Sensational Teas.

Image above via Cool Japan. Umbrella image via Quantas, Flower via Clive Christy and wooden draws via A GenerousDesigner.

BOLD – FRANCOISE NIELLY

Posted in Art by

One of my favorite artist is Franςoise Nielly. I was so blessed to step into her exclusive Barcelona gallery when I was in Spain in December! Wow- she is so amazing!

I just love her BIG usage of paint. Thick and colourful. The sharp lines create a strong and edgy atmosphere. The eyes of these faces always portray an emotion of sorts. She says the uses of neon colors in her paintings could stem from her memory of vivid colours from her childhood in the south of France and due to her ‘overprotected crippled sister”  she would find herself alone many times … Perhaps that’s were the emotions in to her style comes from.

I love her style …

Her background was advertising. She was also a photographer! Her passion lay with filmmaking and fashion design but her hand took charge to create these magnificent paintings and it is in that, that I feel she found her true calling.

“I am very close to nature, I love the sea, it is a space of freedom that you loose when you live in town. Respect, happiness, protection… These are the words that come up when I think of nature. Unfortunately, I see the future painted in black. I am not optimistic at all. One of these days, earth will break down…” Francoise Nielly

{I actually cant say anything more … her paintings says it all}


MAGNETIC GRAIN – you cant help being pulled in by them

Posted in Art, Decor, Furniture by

Welcome to Friday’s post everyone. It makes me super excited when I get told of new and creative forces out there! Thanks to Mike from Depictogram, I was referred this fabulous website and of course I got in touch with the company straight away! Traci was super welcoming and excited to share their work and to be frank I am thrilled to tell you a little about what Magnetic Grain is about. Being a lover of wood and holding appreciation for good craftsmanship, I am hoping to introduce you to many more wood-loving-creatives so stay tuned.

Above is their amazing Snap Hang which is an excellent and stylish way of wall mounting anything from photographs to textiles to art. 

Above are their wood tiles. What super creative ways to use recycled, salvaged and vintage wood! You can design your own composition of exotic hardwood tiles. It’s a brilliant idea for decor and can be changed as your mood so desires. Just amazing isn’t it?!

Traci shares a little magic about Magnetic Grain … 

-How did Magnetic Grain begin? Magnetic Grain actually started with the (patent pending) GrowFrame – a magnetically modular framing system that was an extension of an online service called GrowShow.  From there, Trevor dove head-first (possibly a little obsessively?) into the combination of wood & magnets – with a special emphasis on using reclaimed, salvaged and vintage materials.

-Do you sell internationally? We do sell internationally through our Untitled website (www.untitled-art.com) and soon through our Magnetic Grain website.  We don’t currently have any international retailers, but we would love some!

-What is the best thing about what you do? The best thing about what we do depends on which of us you ask.  For me – I love sourcing the vintage and reclaimed materials.  Flea markets, swap meets, yard sales – I love it!  I also love that we are taking resources that would be thrown out or turned into wood chips and are giving them a new beautiful life.  For Trevor – his favorite is always the initial idea and prototyping process.  To have an idea and be able to bring it to life is pretty amazing … and he has more ideas than anyone I’ve ever known.

-Who else is involved in Magnetic Grain? Magnetic Grain consists of Trevor and I.  We have a small wood shop here in Ventura with 2 awesome woodworkers.  We have a local painter / finisher that we work with as well.  And we have a partnership with Agromin, the largest green-waste recycling company in Southern California.  This partnership gives us access to an amazing array of organic material (pallets, fence posts, old signage, etc).

Pretty cool or what?! Now you understand why I got in touch with them straight away! What I love best about Magnetic Grain, is that it’s a humble and naturally talented company that holds passion for each item. From sourcing material and starting the product to marketing it. 

Searching for vintage and demolished goods and “bringing them to life” in my eyes makes the pieces all the more special. Not only is Magnetic Grain fantastic and creative, they are green as well and we all know it is time to give back to the world. Please stay tuned for more of Magnetic Grain as I am sure hoping to give you more updates and information.

As you see below Traci and Trevor don’t limit themselves at all. They offer changeable table tops and striking wooden chairs. They even make puzzle pieces! There is no doubt in my mind that you will be seeing more of Magnetic Grain. Is it possible I have lived under a rock and that is why I have not seen them before? If you have not heard of them – remember you heard it on Creative Stream first and please share their work! Get hold of Traci here.

You can buy from their Etsy shop here or find other stockists here.

It was EXTREMELY HARD  to choose only a few pictures of Traci and Trevor’s work. So I decided to show you as much as possible without overload!

“Magnetic Grain is a designer and manufacturer of inventive products for the home. We focus on all things wood – sustainable & salvaged, magnetic & modular, fun & functional. All Magnetic Grain products are designed by Trevor Elliott, the founder & creator behind Magnetic Grain and the finished pieces are truly handmade, small craft production. Our products are manufactured in our local wood shop in Ventura, Ca. and finished by a local artisan. In this way, we can ensure the quality and integrity of each piece in our product line. Magnetic Grain was founded in early 2009 with one product, the GrowFrame (Patent Pending). We have continued to build from that, launching new products that combine our two favorite raw materials : wood in all shapes, finishes and species + magnets. Prior to starting Magnetic Grain, Trevor Elliott created only “intangible” products; websites, online kiosks and the like. To say that he is having fun now creating products that he can actually hold in his hand would be an understatement. In 2010, his wife, Traci Elliott, joined the MagGrain team fulltime bringing over a decade of experience in Sales and Business Development with her. Our line includes furniture, photo frames, art and more. We will be adding collections periodically with the goal of being a inventive design and product resource for the home and gift specialty retailer.”

TAPE THIS

Posted in Art by

Hello! A mid-week LOVE post is in store because I know so many of you have had a rough week. I can’t take the roughness away (I wish I could) but I can show you some stunning items that might make you smile or maybe not. It might just spark a little excitement because it’s just so beautiful in between your chaos or stress.

Kerry from Seventy Tree has some gorgeous tape for sale in her shop. I have followed Seventy Tree (sounds scary when I say it that way) for a while now and her illustration and photography has taken off in such a beautiful way. Her signature triangles are on the tape which stamps her character and makes this tape more than just tape.

It is absolutely beautiful and I know many will love it. So go to her shop now and get some!

Photographs from Seventy Tree.