IKEA Paper

I was at Ikea the other morning and noticed that they have an entire section for papers. Usually, during the holiday season, they have a range of wrapping papers, ties and cards, and I am always impressed by the quality of their selection.

I am a sucker for a stationery store, so discovering this section at Ikea is going to be my downfall. I managed to get out of there with only a few items (and 32 frames for my work project), so I was lucky.

I picked up a set of three rolls of black and white paper and it weighs a ton!

I also bought some of their great washi tapes and have been sticking them on everything!

Right now, their pieces come in three colour families: pink, green and black.

Ikea has gift bags, tags, tissue paper and wrapping paper in this collection.

They also have note books, which I resisted buying.

With the success of the UK’s Paperchase, now at Staples, I think that Ikea’s taking advantage of a great trend. And I know I will be following it!

#ThisIsBaltimore Instagram Update!

It’s been a tumultuous few days, and then I stayed up late to watch the SNL40 broadcast, so this is going to be a short post! And since I haven’t done an Instagram update recently, I thought this was a good time to do one.

The Train Station at the Maryland Institute College of Art. One of those spectacular snowfalls!

The historic Homewood House at Johns Hopkins University. An excellent specimen of a window.

The Hallway at Homewood House

Mid-day reflections on an old bank building

The Jones Falls, which runs through the center of Baltimore and is teeming with birds and wildlife.

Stay tuned…

10 S. Light Street. Formerly a bank building, but being converted to apartments.

Roland Park Shopping Center – the oldest in the United States.

Drive-by my newest favourite house in Baltimore. Can’t wait to find out its story.

The obligatory Connor picture. His little pink tongue kills me.

Let me know which image you like best!

Valentine’s Day

I am not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day, believing that it’s just a Hallmark® holiday, and manufactured solely to benefit the card, candy and flower industries. You should show people you love them in small ways throughout the year, instead of making a big show on Valentine’s Day. But then I am a huge cynic!

The Baltimore Sun created some funny Baltimore-centric Valentine’s cards which I thought I’d share with you. Explanations provided.

In honour of the 200th Anniversary of our national anthem.

In honour of hometown poet, Edgar Allan Poe

In honour of the huge Domino Sugars plant on the harbour.

A nod to the 10-layer Smith Island cake, the state cake of Maryland.

It is a requirement that every kitchen in Maryland have at least one tin of Old Bay® seasoning.

An homage to the cow steer who escaped from the knackers and ran through the streets of Baltimore this spring.

Once a crab hooks on to you, they don’t let go.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Liza Hathaway Matthews: Artist

In addition to writing my blog, I do some other writing, including for a local on-line publication called Baltimore Fishbowl. I had a chance to do a Q+A piece for them last week, and thought you might enjoy it as well!

It was on a bitter cold but sunny afternoon when I sat down with Baltimore-based painter, Liza Hathaway Matthews in her house overlooking the sparkling waters of Lake Roland. Liza’s been getting a lot of press recently and two of her paintings appeared in the February 2015 issue of House Beautiful magazine.

MFF: Tell me a little about how you got started painting…

LHM: I attended MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) for painting and interior design, and then started working at a commercial interior design firm. I found that it really didn’t keep my interest, and so I took a different tack and started doing fundraising for the United Way.

MFF: That’s quite a change! Did you continue to paint?

LHM: I painted when I had time, but I also had three children, so my painting time was very limited. I worked on the decoration of our houses, so I kept my hand in. As the children got older, and I changed jobs, I found more time to paint and started getting back into it. When we moved into this house over the summer, we converted one of the rooms into a studio where I can work without worrying that I am in the way of things… and I can spill paint on the floors and not worry too much!

MFF: What media do you use to paint?

LHM: I use mostly acrylics, some oils and even Crisco Oil! I tend to use kitchen utensils rather than paint brushes. And by that I mean off-set knives, spatulas and the like. I like layered paintings, and applying the paint using kitchen utensils helps it go on in thicker layers and makes it easier for me to manipulate it. Regardless of what I paint, there’s always a little bit of green in it!

It’s a new thing, but I am trying to incorporate gold, silver or pearlescent paint into my work. It creates such a reflective surface and makes the paints shimmer. These paints give the painting depth and texture and create interest.

MFF: This might sound funny, but how do people find out about your work?

LHM: I have had shows in some of the local galleries and shops. Last summer, I did a show at the Antique Exchange and In Watermelon Sugar in Hampden. I’ve also had some of my paintings in model homes in Bozzuto Homes developments, so that’s been great exposure. I also work with an art broker who brings my work to new clients.

I am now working with interior designers, some local and some national. Celerie Kemble in Florida had a spread in the February House Beautiful Magazine, and two of my paintings were featured in one of the rooms. And I work with Hillary Thomas in Los Angeles. I frequently lend things to designers to show to their clients on approval.

I also accept commissions. I work with the client to decide what the primary color the painting should have, and then on dimensions and subject. Sometimes, instead of one large painting, I will create a triptych or a diptych. It frequently works better in the space, and it makes a statement.

MFF: Everyone’s on social media these days. What about you?

LHM: Ha! Of course, I am! I have a very active Instagram account and try to post something to it every day. It’s very gratifying to get instant feedback on my work. And I have a website, www.lizahathawaymatthews.com, where I try and showcase some of my recent works.

MFF: Can you talk a bit about your style?

LHM: I love botanicals and flowers. I am working on a technique for marbleizing, hence the Wesson Oil! And I am wild for Chinoiserie – I do a riff on the traditional Chinese paintings of flowers on silk. I like layers and textures and depth in my paintings. I also love collages, bits and pieces… I do the backgrounds as sort of a water-colored wash, or I marbleize them, and then do the painting, adding to it in layers and colors until it’s finished.

MFF: What other projects are you working on?

LHM: I am working with Cotton & Quill, an Alabama-based textiles company. We are turning some of my prints into fabrics. They would make fabulous sheets and bed linens! I am also producing giclée prints of my works.

MFF: Liza, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to talk to me. I am so delighted to see your work and share it with my readers.

LHM: You’re very welcome!

Rebranding Sweden

Have you heard that Sweden has a new font? It’s to help brand the country, as if Ikea hasn’t done enough of that already!

The font, according to the designers, and Sweden’s spec sheet is:

…supposed to have a classic, timeless feel and, as a result, work in the long run. A monotype typeface that can be used in both digital and analogue formats. Sweden Mono Sans has an unassuming character, also making it suitable for use with a broad spectrum of typefaces.

There’s an entire website devoted to this new typeface and the other branding details, including the exact yellow and blue of the flag of Sweden. If you like the font, you can download it here.

And the exact dimensions that you must use, which I completely disregarded above!

As the website says, “the overall purpose of having a common Sweden identity is to give the country a stronger voice, with everyone communicating under a single banner.” It’s a fascinating website and provides a lot of insight as to how brands are created and the process of how a brand evolves.

Downton Again

Another picture has surfaced, this time in the venerable New York Times.

In the images I posted the other day, here, you could just see the corner of the office with the painting of what I presume to be Abraham Lincoln on the left. But when I saw this image, I realized what a nightmare the decorating job really was. The odd placement of the painting is so jarring against the classic moulding on the walls, which look to have gold paint, rather than gilding applied to them. The painting of Jefferson (2nd from left) over the moulding and on top of the frame is ridiculous!

And don’t even get me started on the gold lampshades!

This isn’t about politics, it’s about bad decorating.

Work Project

In addition to being the Director of Development at my job, I am also the jack of all trades, mistress of none! I was assigned the job of refurbishing one of our meeting rooms a few months ago, and then researching some physicians in our archives. I never know what the next assignment will be. So when our CEO decided that we needed to perk up the 10 women’s and men’s rooms in our offices, I knew it would be a challenge.

Luckily, I remembered a stash of about 300 bookplates, dating from the 1700’s to the early 1900’s. I wrote about them here. I had scanned them a few months ago, so I had a head start on the project. These bookplates are about 3 x 4 inches, and they’re super detailed. It’s amazing when you think of the work that goes into engraving them!

The bookmarks hold lots of clues to their owners. Dr. Clark was obviously an outdoorsman, judging by the oar at the bottom of the engraving, and then on the left side a shotgun, and a fishing rod, which, if you follow it up, over and down, leads to a fish! There’s the obligatory skull, as well as a snake, and the year is 1906.

In Dr. Cullen’s plate, you see at the top, the outline of the dome at Johns Hopkins Hospital where he was a physician. Then you see him in his laboratory with his books, and you see the seals of the schools he was affiliated with. At the bottom is his camp in on a lake in Canada. This plate was engraved by the first professional medical illustrator and Dr. Cullen’s close friend, Max Brödel.

This bookplate is from Dr. Harvey W. Cushing, the father of style icon, Babe Paley. It was used by several members of Cushing’s family, as you can see in the initials on the sides. Each person wrote their own name in, along with the city and year. Dr. Cushing spent several years at Hopkins in Baltimore.

Of course, I do feel rather obligated to include this bookplate!

I want these plates to be very graphic in their look, so I am converting them all to black and white line drawings to bring them back to their most elemental look. Luckily, Photoshop has an action that does that in one or two clicks. A lot of the bookplates had discoloured over the years, so I thought having them a uniform black and white would be good. I am also cleaning up specks, and darkening the lines to make them a little more legible. Ikea has some very simple black frames, called Nyttja, and they come in an 11.75 x 15.75 inch size. I am having all of the bookplates printed at Staples using their Engineering prints service. I had a prototype run done last week and they came out perfectly. I just upload three at a time and they print them out for me to pick up. And for a 24x36 sheet, it’s about $4.00. Since I am having to do 40 of these, it’s a good way to go.

Downton, DC?

Have you read the piece in the Washington Post about the Congressman whose office has been decorated in the style (if you’re squinting) of Downton Abbey?

Not really so much Downton Abbey as Federalist style, according to what I’ve read. “A gold-colored wall sconce with black candles. A Federal-style bull’s-eye mirror with an eagle perched on top.” But that’s just the outer office.

The inner office has “a drippy crystal chandelier, a table propped up by two eagles, a bust of Abraham Lincoln and massive arrangements of pheasant feathers.” Still not sounding like Downton Abbey, especially with that Abraham Lincoln bust.

Apparently, the décor scheme was donated by Annie Brahler of the unfortunately and offensively named firm, Euro Trash. 

Perhaps the congressman is aspiring towards the Red Room in the White House, which seems more comparable to how his offices are described.

Most regrettably, the Congressman’s office requested that the reporter, the Post’s Ben Terris, delete the pictures from his camera (!), but luckily, he didn’t capitulate, so we can see the images. Read the whole story (and the comments) here.

Chololat Chaud

Several months ago, I spotted a pin on Pinterest and it immediately caught my eye. Everything, from the colour to the shape appealed to me. It was a box of chocolat chaud from Conran’s in London.

When I finally got to Conran’s in the Marylebone High Street, all I did was pull out my phone, pull up the image and ask the girl where it was. I had to get the orange, primarily because of the colour and the graphic look and style of the tin, but also because I love the taste of orange and chocolate.

I bought a tin of the chocolat chaud and brought it home. I have to tell you that it’s one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. So rich and delicious. Creamy and bright tasting. In a word: Fantastic!

I’ve tried finding it on-line and apparently it’s from Canada. It’s not on Amazon and it’s barely on Google. The tin doesn’t even have a website, and the Conran’s site has a different name entirely – one that doesn’t even appear on the tin! You can find it here, along with the peppermint and dark chocolate varieties. Funnily, when I saw the peppermint in London, it was in a green tin, and this is in a red tin.

I think that the orange one’s the prettiest!

A Gem of a Mystery

I love reading mystery books, and started on Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys when I was quite young. In fact, I am pretty sure I packed a couple of mysteries to read when we were in Vermont.

When I graduated to grown-up mysteries, I remember discovering the books by Barbara Michaels, aka Elizabeth Peters, but really Barbara Mertz. I found that she lived outside of Baltimore and liked her even more. She was a prolific novelist, but also an acclaimed Egyptologist, with a PhD in the subject from the University of Chicago.

She also had an amazing collection which is set to be auctioned in Baltimore on February 5th at Alex Cooper Auctioneers, a place with which I am a little too familiar. The collection has a strong classical influence, and there are some stunning pieces.

Egyptian Revival enameled 18K gold necklace

Pair of 14K gold mounted carved lava earrings

Gold and aquamarine brooch

Victorian seed pearl parure

Edwardian 14K gold & colored gemstone necklace

Pair of 14K white gold, opal & diamond earrings

Art Nouveau style diamond and ruby ring

Impressive Victorian diamond floral brooch/comb from Garrards, London

Two Native American silver & turquoise items

There are almost 200 lots in this auction, and really, something for anyone. Take a look at the catalogue, here.