Visual Diary: Walter Bosse Cat Egg Cup

Image via Modcats

Just the other day, I came across this post on Maquette that featured miniature brass animals. And of course I found them to be adorable, but more significantly, they reminded me of a little brass kitty that I keep on my dressing table at home. So, out of curiosity, I clicked on the link provided, which led me to Design Within Reach, where apparently these little animals are available to purchase. It turns out the tiny sculptures are modern reproductions of those that were originally made around 1950 by the artist Walter Bosse.

Top image via Modcats

Not being at all familiar with Walter Bosse, I naturally did a Google search and to my delight, photos of my brass kitty showed up in the image results! I clicked on one of the images and found out that Walter Bosse was an Austrian designer who specialized in designing and making pottery figures and ceramics. Later in his career, sometime around the 1950’s, he began working with metal and started making animal miniatures of the so-called Black-Golden Line; an innovative technique where most of the brass is patinated black, with only a few small areas that are polished. Also in my search, I discovered that my brass kitty is not a ring holder, as I use it, but rather, an egg cup! And apparently it’s an egg cup that could very well be worth anywhere between $45.00 and $69.00! That’s quite a difference from the two dollars I spent for it at Brimfield…woohoo!

Top image via Modcats

So, I’ve included some photos above of an “original” Walter Bosse Cat Egg Cup and photos of my Cat Egg Cup. I do believe my Cat Egg Cup is an original, but I should probably consult a professional to confirm…Antique Road Show, anyone?

Music Matters: "Love the Life You Live" by Black Heat

I was lucky enough to come across this tune on my way home from work tonight...totally made my ride and my night! So, I thought I would share the goodness that is Black Heat...it's the perfect close to a Monday work day...Enjoy!
Image via DC Soul Recordings photostream on Flickr.

New Pattern: Birch

Happy Monday folks, I've got a new pattern design to share with you today! I know it's been a while...but I think it was worth the wait. The pattern is called "Birch" and it's based on a sketch I did a while back...in case you can't recall the sketch, you can see it here. If at first, it doesn't look similar, it's because I cropped this and that, made a few changes here and there and flipped the original sketch to make a vertical pattern.

Overall, I think the pattern came out great. In the beginning, I tried several colorways that were more complex; consisting of more than four colors in total. But in the end, I opted for a simple combination of three colors. Above, I've shown three different colorways in addition to the original black and white, all of which are rather muted and soothing. I could totally see these applied to bed linens, as they appear rather serene and peaceful. Hope you like! More posts, pattens and product to come soon, so stay tuned!

Visual Diary: Printsource 2009

I’m happy to report that a little over a week ago I was fortunate enough to attend Printsource. Thanks to my day job, I was whisked away to NYC for two full days of color and trend information overload. My coworker Karen, God bless her soul, organized everything. All I had to do was show up! Lucky me.

Images via Printsource

Overall, the brief, but enlightening trip was a whirlwind of fun and forecasting. We perused the show, sat-in on more than ten seminars, and somehow found the time to stuff our faces with fine food and drink. The seminars provided an overview of spring and summer trends for 2010 and 2011 including creative design direction for color, prints and patterns as they apply to apparel, retail and home décor. Some of my favorite presenters included Mark Woodman from Global Color Research, Lauren Deatherage from Cotton Inc. and Paul Pelssers from Paul Pelssers Ltd.

Images via Public

By the end of our first day walking the show we were ready for some tasty eats and treats. Thankfully, Karen knows good food and knows it well! To my delight, she called in a reservation at PUBLIC; a charming public library turned restaurant with card catalogs and all! We dined on such pleasures as cured wild boar, roasted beet carpaccio, roast lamb sirloin and pan seared sea trout, all of which was topped off with a 20-Year Churchill Tawny Port! A-maz-ing!

Images via The New Yorker Hotel

After dinner, it was time for bed! For the one night that we stayed in NYC, we shacked up at the New Yorker Hotel. Located in the heart of midtown Manhattan, the New Yorker Hotel showcases one of the largest Art Deco buildings in New York City. When the property first opened, it was the largest hotel in Manhattan with 2,500 rooms and was considered the epitome of luxury and first-class service. Today, the essence of that classic period is still present in the hotel’s architectural accents and embellishments. For me, staying at the New Yorker Hotel was a true pleasure; a visual playground of sorts, that I didn’t really want to leave.

Nonetheless, homeward bound we were by Tuesday evening. Made it back to Providence safe and by Wednesday morning, I was back at work reporting on all the goodness I encountered. If you would like to learn more about Printsource be sure to check out the Trend Blog. It's a great resource for all things print-related. Enjoy!

Cosmos Creative Joins Twitter!

Amazingly bizarre but beautiful piece by American artist Julia Randall

Good news folks! Cosmos Creative is now using Twitter! Be sure to follow, as I tweet often about new posts, patterns and products. I’m still figuring out the whole twitter thing, so bear with me if my tweets seem a bit infrequent or scattered. Anyone have any suggestions for a good Twitter app that I can use on my iPhone? If you could help a gal out, it would be much appreciated! Mucho thanks! More posts to come soon…

Visual Diary: "Vivian Maier - Her Discovered Work"

Back in October of 2009, I came across the captivating blog, “Vivian Maier - Her Discovered Work,” started by the Chicago based photographer John Maloof. If you haven’t already seen it, you should definitely check it out. Not only is this blog filled with beautiful old photographs of the streets of Chicago, it has an intriguing back-story as well.

Apparently Mr. Maloof acquired a collection of negatives while at a furniture and antique auction in Chicago. The auction house had previously acquired the negatives, along with other belongings, from a storage locker that was sold off due to delinquent payments. The locker belonged to a Ms. Vivian Maier, whom according to acquaintances was a nanny, a Socialist, a Feminist, a movie critic, and a tell-it-like-it-is type of person. Fascinating!

Even more intriguing, is that at the time of the auction, out of the 30-40,000 negatives that Mr. Maloof acquired, 10-15,000 negatives were still in rolls, undeveloped from the 1960's-1970's. Thankfully, John has since been successfully developing these rolls and documenting them on his blog for all of our lovely eyes to see! Overall, there are still about 600 rolls yet to be developed…yey for us!

Above, I’ve included just a few of the images that caught my eye, however there are many more to peruse and admire. So, be sure to check out additional images and learn more about the back-story here! It’ll be sure to inspire and intrigue. Enjoy!

{All images via the John Maloof Collection}

Tintastic: Stafford's Improved Typewriter Ribbon

What better way to start off the New Year than, "improved." While home on Holiday vacation, I took full advantage of everything available to me...I ate lots, probably too much...slept even more than I ate, and caught up on some quality time with friends and family. I even had the opportunity to explore my grandfather's attic, thanks to my bro, who for many years now, has been renovating and living in my grandparent's old house. It's a beautiful turn-of-the-century abode, built around 1900, and packed full of everything reminiscent of the era, including a claw foot tub, which sadly, has been since removed. None the less, the attic unlike the bathroom, is filled with a number of collectible gems, including a few stunning tins, that I very quickly took possession of before they hit the recycle bin.

Above are a few photos taken of one of the tins, out of the four, that I scored from my grandfather's attic. Take a moment to admire its beauty...not only is it reminiscent of an era long gone...after all, what is a typewriter? Never mind, typewriter ribbon? When will you ever see this again? Oh wait, that's right, you won't. Take notice of its fantastic art deco elements, reminiscent of the 1930's, including the black letter "Stafford's" and the pillar-like serif of "Improved." Not to mention, the opaque navy ink, that eloquently highlights the decorative bronze shield motif and graphics. Even better, is the pattern that runs along the side of the tin; the graphics are monumental in their beauty. Really, you don't get much better than this, in terms of turn-of-the-century, commercial graphics. Amazingly enough, I've got three equally as beautiful tins to write about...so stay tuned and stay inspired...more tintastic lovelies to come soon. Happy New Year!