a m a n d a

i am most certainly crushin' on Amanda Rose Taddeo. 

she is brighter than the sun.

this brown eyed beauty- whom is a trained opera singer, belted out a portion of an aria during our photo shoot yestereday.  it was breathtaking, it brought tears to my eyes. so incredibly powerful.  i swoon.  

here are a few behind the scenes shots taken by Sarah Morton-Erasmus.  more photos + video to come. 

model:  Amanda Rose Taddeo

photography: Amarette  the local animal,
Mariva England Mariva

styling: Jessica Levin(me)

jewelry: Sarah Morton-Erasmus  www.mejewelryco.com
amazing dinner post shoot @ Henni's Kitchen

xo  jessica

unexpected beauty

while i was styling a shoot for thelocalanimal.com, i placed my handbag on the curb.  it was a perfect color match.  the simple beauty of it brings me joy. 

xo
jessica

f o u n d.

i have long had a passion for exploring and collecting, searching out rare and unexpected beauty. 

things i love:

handbags

here is my personal collection of vintage handbags that i have f o u n d.  

best part...  not one was over $3.99.

other treasure i am drawn to... awesome necklaces. 

xo  jessica

 

young + talented

my daugher, ayva is a talented artist/designer.  she is inquisitive, has great ideas and is able (with a little help) to execute most of them.  she is 10!

recent project:  duck tape accessories. 

it is all the rage... duck tape everything.  she started out making wallets, purses, earrings, covering her shoes.  you name it. 

for this project::  we got a call from cathy carter, the coordinator of the high school's fashion club.  she wanted ayva to make an outfit for the upcoming fashion show.  (in 2 days)  artist under pressure!! perfect!!  one trip to walmart, a basket of duck tape, a cutting mat, scissors and an old dress.  ayva and i discussed color pallete and layout.  i wanted to make sure her idea was solid and she stuck to what was in her head.  that is all i did for her. next, she cut, cut, cut, measured + stuck the tape to the dress foundation.  she made a matching handbag and feathers to toss to the crowd as well.  sweet. 

i am so proud!  at age 10... ayva sunshine blows me away with her talent and attention to detail. wow!
view ayvas' blog here:  helloayvalevin

here are photos of the process and final project.  my job is to make sure i get photos of everything!!! 

xo  jessica

we must take a few editorial shots.  xo

last minute her brother was invited to walk the runway.  so, she made him a matching neck-tie, and knee patches so her could be stylin too!

master craftsman: sarah morton-erasmus

my dear friend, sarah morton-erasmus is a talented metalsmith.  sarah crafts each and every piece in her workshop, which looks like an old world atelier.  her jewelry is meant to last a lifetime, and anything less than perfection won't do.

Sarah Morton-Erasmus grew up in a family passionate about handmade objects. By the age of twelve she was busy in her fathers studio soldering and sawing his copper scraps into jewelry and sculpture of her own design. Creating came naturally to her. Craft became skill, skill became art,and jewelry became her passion. In 1999, Sarah received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Oregon. She continued her education by apprenticing with sculptor Ken Scott, and master goldsmiths Gary Dawson, David Stanwood, and Gary Swank. Living in New York in 2001-03, her first jewelry collection emerged, highly infulenced by the city and its resources for jewelry production.

In 2003 she moved back to Oregon and settled into the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. These beginnings have nurtured a respect for technique that fuels her creative process. “My father taught me long ago "good design is all about method” In her studio there are boxes of “experiments” that she is constantly adding to when she is designing. Hinges, clasps, bits and pieces, waiting their turn to become something beautiful, something loved.

sarah has a new blog that catalogs her past work as well as her most current pieces.  a work in progress, so stay tuned. view sarah's blog here:  mejewelryco.blogspot.com

 these are earrings made for me on my 30th birthday.  

!!30 rubies.18K gold. silver.  

custom chevron earring made for me on my 36th birthday.

s t u n n i n g

sarah: you inspire me!

 

give me a k i s s

the columbia art gallery in hood river, oregon approached amarett jans + myself about creating an installation that is interactive.  an installation that will intrique the younger crowd.  we said, "y e s" 

my inspiration: a few of my favorite things...

kissing, typography and doodle-ing. 

this is our flyer made by amarett jans.

g i v e  me  a  k i s s

the ideas here is to give me a kiss on the small paper that i provided, with the lipstick i also provided as my medium.  after the k i s s, i tacked the paper on the wall... watching in grow with each k i s s!  into a wall of kisses.  

beautiful kisses.  who does not like that? 

hand wrote k i s s on each 100+ cards...

my smallest lil artist:   eula leon erasmus age 3

s a t i s f a c t i o n   g u a r a n t e e d

the second half on my interactive installation was a large 3'x6' panel with the type, "satisfation guaranteed".  with my fear of letting people down--- it seemed right.  i attached a small shelf next to the panel with paint pens on it.  the pens where used to doodle onto the type.  it was hard at first to see my crisp-clean panel get "tagged".  it was great, my fiends + gallery guests had a great time putting their art on my 'art'. neat!

(typography script found from the web) 

columbia art gallery.  hood river,  oregon

m e. 

my soul sister: sarah morton- erasmus - a talented metalsmith

go check her out!  www.mejewelryco.blogspot.com

superb doodle-ing

show will be up through may!  go add your doodles and kisses. 

xxx jessica

w h a t ' s   y o u r  n u m b e r

my friend amarett jans, created an amazing installation on the other side of the wall from me.  she had a live model with an illustrated paint by number on her face.  the guests helped fill in and completed her face into an amazing skull. so awesome.  

our work was very yin-yang.  that is why we have such and amazing friendship and artistic relationship.  xoxo.

jessica + amarett

5.2.12

   

found objects.

i have long had a passion for searching out rare, and unexpected beauty.  i love nothing more than to slowly shuffle through a vintage shop... pick through racks only to find a treasure i cannot live without.  one that no one else will have- at least in this decade. 

my collection of treasures.
to be worn soon.   
xo  jessica

 polka dot dress found in white salmon at flocole!  thanks nicole!



found objects

one mans trash...
is this girls treasure.

here are a few of the treasures that i found today!

they truly are little treasures... to me.     

keep your eyes open for beautiful things, they are everywhere around you. 
i spent under $20 on my beautiful things today.



this is a $4.99 velvet, nails and gold thread 3D tiger! 

the objects below are glass and copper.  the bowl on the left was $2.99, it is pressed glass with a beautifully aged copper band around the top. 

the object on the right seemed to have been a pendant lamp (i think) in its past life.  i think that i am going to make it into a terrarium. price $3. 

this little pony has rusted springs, a wooden base and chipped paint.  makes me love it even more.  less than $10.  they could not wait to get rid of it-- the sales woman told me that they kept tripping on it. they put it outside to get it out of the shop--the I spotted it... i love it.  great for photobooths, + photoshoots in the future.  name:: Wonder Horsee. sooooo sweet. 

*just because items are at the Goodwill, junk shops and other re-sale stores... does not mean that they are broken or useless.  in fact i feel just the opposite.  i find things that no one else will have, things that may have been loved very much by someone in the past.  it has new life with me.  i a happy, and i bet they would be happy for me to have it.  jessica



caught in my closet!

like mother, like daughter. 

i love you miss ayva sunshine!

today was the first day my daugher has shown any interest in wearing my clothes.  she chose this leopard shirt for school today and i did not mind a bit! 

i cannot wait till i can wear her clothes. 

jessica

naturally beautiful walls

n a t u r a l l y  b e a u t i f u l   w a l l s !

american earth clay plasters are a natural, environmental way to finish any interior.  non-toxic and made in the usa, these plasters are an alternative to paint, wallpaper, cement, acrylic and gypsum based plasters.     take a peek...  americanclay.com

i have been seeing these beautiful walls all over the pages of my favorite design magazines + design blogs.  i have always considered this kind of plaster as very tuscan style (which is not my style).  i have new inspiration now.  taking an ancient art and making it look fresh and modern. oh ya... here is an example of plaster i love right now!!!!

b l a c k !

this weekend i took an awesome class on "how to" mix, and apply american clay with Heith Enlgand from sustain interiors- a local source for eco-friendly interior finish product.  + i have been working a little bit with consulting for them on interior styling.  please take time to visit the showroom... tell them jessica sent you!  if you need help editing through all the materials, choosing a fresh color palette, and bringing it all together beautifully-- contact me.  XO  jessica

Sustain Eco-Interiors + Design

206 State Street

Hood River,  Oregon

541.386.2778

H E A V Y rain.

with H E A V Y rain comes the responsibility to find creative things to do inside. 
what i decided to do was paint one of our interior walls with chalboard paint so that we can have our own custom in house photo studio.   our props today are these two reclaimed chairs, our new black wall, fresh chalk + imagination.

here is a look at what we did today!  LOVE it. 
my kids are RAD.  they love creating art as much as i do. 
photos taken with iphone. 

rio rocket age 5

ayva sunshine age 10

creative director for the entire stripe concept!  wow.  she wanted the wall to match her dress.  flippin' cute.

TRY IT. 

paint under $20, chalk $1

priceless and endless fun

jessica