d.Sharp Journal

You can never turn your back on a four year old boy.

Good times last night in the studio.

very clever

The crows are constant companions in the studio - the top floor windows face into a big maple tree. A few weeks ago, we went through our annual noisefest as the babies are born and start to shriek for food. I have had many clients, hearing the cacophony, that stop to ask "what are you doing?" Nevertheless, they are probably my favorite bird. I came across this amazing video {via} that shows how clever they are. The experiment:

In an experiment conducted by behaviorists from the University of Oxford, a small bucket of food was placed inside a tube; the crow was unable to reach the bucket because of the length of the tube. She then picked up a short length of wire, and, after a few futile attempts to snag the bucket with it, bent the wire into a hook and lifted the bucket from the tube. What's more, the crow repeated the behavior in nine out of 10 subsequent trials.

So cool that the crow bends it. Reminded me of this great Attenborough vid:

Although they are smart, I hope the crows outside my studio window don't fashion themselves a bullhorn.

Festoon-able.

Added these stamp garlands to the Etsy shop. I have had a lot of fun finding and working with so many teeny works of art.

Bastille Day Giveaway - has a nice rhyme.

Bonjour.
Ensuite mardi, le 14 juillet la France célèbre le Jour Bastille!
Pour commémorer, je distribue un récipient de bonbon de Tour Eiffel à un d'entre vous.
Quittez un commentaire de ce poste anytime entre maintenant et mardi à 8pm Pacifique pour entrer.

Um, yeah. I never took French class either. To paraphrase: Next Tuesday, July 14th is Bastille Day and to celebrate I am giving away an Eiffel Tower to one of you. Leave one comment on this post anytime between now and Tuesday at 8pm Pacific to enter. {If you want to be a kind soul, pass it on to a friend}

For the comments: What is it about France that you love? A favorite thing that you can find here? { Macarons!} What would you want to see first if you visited? Do you have a favorite place, flea market, restaurant? A favorite memory?

And finally, a big thanks to all of you. The kindness and support I have found in this strange land on the flipside of my keyboard is very appreciated by me. So, Merci.

Best,
Denise

Rose colored glasses

So happy and thrilled to be able to share {at last!} the newest issue of Martha Stewart Weddings with you.

The issue has a feature on handmade elements to incorporate into a wedding and I am honored to have a new product featured. I will be adding vintage stamp garlands to my site and shops.
Also, so nice to have great company - Frazier and Wing! { have admired her work, but for some reason didn't realize she is in Portland as well.}

As an aside, I wanted to share this gorgeous flower display that is also in the issue  -  I love the way it echos the handcraft feature. They put so much care into how each feature visually correlates with one another. Love this issue.

{to MSW - a big thank you!}

living with art

I like these, from my files.

The lettered set

I spy a paper Eiffel Tower box in this incredible stationery collection. Interesting  NY Times article.

Happy fourth!

Hope you have a wonderful 4th, if you are inclined to celebrate it. Sometimes I have to remind myself how fortunate I am - the sheer luck and chance of being born here. I have always thought our country has a greater gross national potential than gross national product - and I hope we get closer and closer to tapping that wellspring.

feeling fonty

prophecy script, sir talks a lot, base 05 and charles s. - all free at dafont.

tip of the hat/wag of the finger

geez.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Tip/Wag - Cynthia Davis & Fox News
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

post edit - Sanford is gaining SO much speed on the downside. Saying in a press conference that you are 'soul mates' with your ex-mistress? *cringe*

email

Hi, my email is wonky.
I am fooling around with my domain and the email through the site, so I hope I can figure it out.
In the meantime, if you need to email me - studiodsharp@yahoo

Best,
D.

junk style

I like these repurpose project ideas for the summer garden by JunkMarket from an old issue of C.Home. Can't get to any of these ideas now though, my primary goal for the backyard is vegetation.

He really likes reading about cars

M {flipping through an old Martha magazine, landing on a car ad} -Mama, I have read that many Jaguar enthusiasts think that this model is the worst. With the trapezoidal headlights and the...not having the trademark grill...it is a car fit for a hag.

What can you even say in response to that, besides chuckle and say I love you?

Abecedary of Type Inspiration - E

E is for elegant

initial idea

I have some new cake toppers and decorations I will be adding to my shop and site in the next few days. I think that this monogram topper was featured in Martha Stewart's Art of Cakes on the Style Network, along with some other toppers. { I missed the show, boo!}

The base is velvet and the hand cut letter is covered in german glass glitter, embellished with paper leaves and antique buds made of woven metal thread. And, of course, it comes in any letter.

Abecedary of Type Inspiration - D

D is for decorative

This story

is so touching. What a brave girl and a good deed. Here.

I want to be friends with his friends

I think that Chris McVeigh is one lucky guy { you know, besides being talented} - he gets to spend time playing with chipmunks. Just looking at his photos make me happy.

the beginning

Yesterday evening I picked up G from work {sans boys}, drove to the other side of town, stopped the car and gave him a kiss - same exact spot as our first kiss, exactly twenty one years ago.

Feels good.

from the top

Ladies Day at the Royal Ascot 2009. Love this shot of the crowd, the beaver pelt top hats and the fun ritual of it all. And the ladies hats, wow.

 

To the moon

Love the simplicity and saturation of these vintage Russian matchbox labels. Via Sci-Fi-O-Rama

magic crayons

The wonderland project by photographer Yeondoo Jung is from a few years back - children's drawings brought to life and the amazing photos that result. A perfect visual paradigm that what you imagine can be made real.

Curl

Yulia Brodskaya - paper whisperer.

in the fold

My my, these are cool. Gorgeous paper works by Simon Schubert, found via Design Crush

 
 

Abecedary of Type Inspiration - C

C is for curvy

very pretty,

pretty bird. Pretty photograph. I like to see and be inspired by the color tables of great photos in Illustrator.

Some colors:

Have a colorful weekend.
Best,
Denise

truth told

 

Abecedary of Type Inspiration - B

 B is for Bold.

Color study

C got a hold of the camera the other evening, reminds me of this post.

Abecedary of Type Inspiration - A

From my antique books and ephemera. A is for assorted.