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First Fridays in the Courtyard

coreymarie — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:21:52 +0000

We had such a fun time at First Fridays in the Courtyard. It should come as a surprise to no one that I really love doing shows that have live music.

From Here on Blue (no links that I can find) got the crowd warmed up and were super-tight. I was really surprised to find out that this was one of their first shows!

Lobo Marino played a fun, indie folk set with great vocals. (I’m a total sucker for girl-guy-harmonies in a band. Like you wouldn’t believe.)

Colloquial Orchestra (featuring Dave Watkins) had a really cool experimental acoustic thing going on. I could see where these guys could be the Richmond answer to bands like Animal Collective or TV on the Radio. I’m excited to see more from all of these bands.

Speaking of Richmond bands, Tod’s friend Cam stopped by to say hello. This is his old band:

Sam & Mauricio are the cutest.

I had to take a picture of this girl’s Batman tattoo.

Speaking of super heroes, I also had the pleasure of meet this lovely girl whose super hero name is Molten Ash.

Hugs were insisted upon.

We had so much fun drinking and listening to great live music and talking to all sorts of awesome people. Thanks so much to First Fridays in the Courtyard for having us!

Here are some brand new journals. Some of these lovelies will be going up into the shop!

And lots of new brooches.

But most of all, I’m super excited to finally show you these: Recycled Book Frames! Along with the brooches, the left-over scraps of book covers are being turned into these fun frames. The frames hold a 3”x3” picture, perfect for Polaroid photos or “Hipstamatic” prints, or they can be hung without a picture as instant wall art! I’ll have some more photos of these frames and they’ll be appearing in the shop later this week.

Some other fun new stuff is coming this week as well as a GIVEAWAY that you are not going to want to miss out on. :D

xoxo!

Tonight: First Friday in the Courtyard!

coreymarie — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:15:05 +0000

Come see me tonight. Music + Handmade Artists and it’s FREE!

New Pieces + Prototypes

coreymarie — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:36:31 +0000

Today I dropped these brand new items off at GallowLily’s, the shop above Gallery 5 here in Richmond.

Love this place so much. Thanks so much, GallowLily’s!

Also, here is a peek at a prototype that I’m working on: In the spirit of “using every part of the buffalo” as Tod puts it, I’ve been saving book spines with this project in mind. I’ve still got a bit of fine tuning to do, but (please!) tell me what you think of these:

What do you think? I’d love your input. :D

That’s all for now because I have to watch ~~Christopher~~, I mean, Project Runway. ;)

15 (Ok, 16) Significant Albums

coreymarie — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:59:09 +0000

So I’ve been tagged on Facebook by a bunch of my friends to come up with a list of 15 significant albums.

I mostly picked albums that I related with specific memories and times in my life. These are not necessarily my favorite albums by a given band, nor the best, or even the one I’d most recommend. Just ones that I have specific memories about. The years signify the year the album came out, not when I listened to it, however, the list itself is chronological, as it pertains to my life. (How very High Fidelity of me.)

1. Alanis Morrisette – Jagged Little Pill (1995)

Like a lot of girls my age, this was the first album (and it’s probably obvious, but I mean CD) I ever bought with “my own money.” I can still remember the first time I heard the opening harmonica/guitar riff on the first track (standing in the now long gone Tower Records on Grand River in East Lansing) and thinking, “this sounds different than anything I’ve ever heard before.” It’s still one of my favorite albums. I also do a damned fine Alanis at karaoke, if I do say so myself.

2. Jewel – Pieces of You (1995)

This album probably affected me more than any other on this list, and no one who knew me in high school would be at all surprised to see this on this list. Specifically though, I have extremely fond memories of listening to this song while working on my first ‘zine, the summer after my freshman year of high school.

3. Jimmy Eat World – Clarity (1999)

Clarity will forever remind me of driving around Jackson, a crisp winter, working as a projectionist at “the ghetto-plex” and falling asleep next to the first person I ever really loved. This album always makes me think of wintertime, and inspired an annual tradition of making “Chill” mixes at the end of each year.

4. The Hippos – Heads Are Gonna Roll (1999)

I never listened to a lot of ska, but I loved this album (still do!), and remember driving around listening to it in the Purple Steed. I also remember sewing a Hippos patch onto Justin’s bomber jacket with a secret note folded inside saying that I’d always love him. I have no idea if he ever took the patch off to find it.

5. The Impossibles – Return (2000)

No need to reiterate. My favorite album by my favorite band. The memories associated with this album span years.

6. The Weakerthans – Left and Leaving (2000)

I’m not sure I’ve ever officially called them this, but the Weakerthans are probably my second “all-time favorite” band. I have a number of memories relating to this album, too, also spanning several years.

7. Beck – Sea Change (2002)

Tod and I had met in Chicago, but I lived in Michigan, and he in California. The opening chords of this album still send a chill down my spine, and conjure memories of candle-lit long-distance bubble bath phone conversations. Very bittersweet, but undeniably powerful to me.

8. Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism (2003)

Same time period. We saw Death Cab at MSU and the chorus of “I need you so much closer” meant more than I could even put into words. When I moved to San Diego and we drove over the mountains watching the sunset as the title track played, Tod and I both cried and that moment was both an end and a beginning for both of us. It’s probably the most important moment of my life.

9. Elliott Smith – From a Basement on the Hill (2004)

Hard times weren’t over though, and the changes of moving cross-country brought on some major depression for me. I bought this album the day it came out, and it signifies both my depression and finding the strength to begin to overcome it.

10. The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics (2006)

We’d moved back to Lansing, and were spending the first year of our marriage in the tiny YAC-partment, making art and comics, having parties and great times with our Michigan friends.

11. Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are DEVO (1978)

This album doesn’t have as strong of associations as most of the others, as I’d known most of the songs on it from our playlist. But re-realizing it as an album opened some big musical gateways for me.

12. Oppenheimer – Oppenheimer (2006) + The Shins – Wincing the Night Away (2006)

Moving to Virginia and starting over again. I’m not sure that I’m far enough away from this time period yet to really describe my feelings yet, but these two albums definitely signify a time of learning how to be independent and strong.

13. Talking Heads – ‘77 (1977)

This album, and the Talking Heads movie, True Stories (also an album), brought me peace and helped me to understand the Universe a bit differently after Jonah was born. It seems almost cliché, and I probably wouldn’t have put it into these words then, but there was a short period where I really believed that having a baby meant I had to give up my career and my art. The scooter accident cemented that for a while. But once again, I started over and now things are better than they’ve ever been. Not on this album, the song “Dream Operator” was the first song that Jonah heard after he was born. We played it in the car as we drove home from the hospital and once again, Tod and I both cried.

14. The Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique (1989)

For years I swore I hated the Beastie Boys, but a mini-comic by Jim Mahfood inspired me to give this album an honest shot. When I did and loved it, it opened my musical horizons in a big way. It also taught me that if I stand up and dance while I make art, my art is way better and I have more fun. ;)

15. Black Moth Super Rainbow – Eating Us (2009)

One of my current favorites, though I’ve listened mostly on Pandora and play lists. I feel like this band will probably always signify the real beginning of PAPERCUTS * and big personal changes for me.

* Although as an unfocused project, PAPERCUTS itself was named for and inspired by this song back in 2006:

A Studio Tour

coreymarie — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:20:32 +0000

My art journals went up over at Red Velvet Art yesterday, so hello to any new readers who have clicked over! It was such an exciting day for me to watch the journals go up and see all of the sweet comments in Elsie’s blog post. I’m so stoked to be a part of RVA, and can’t wait to see the other new artists! I also found out yesterday that I’ll be doing a big order of mini-journals for Urban Outfitters. (How cool is that?!) Not for their retail stores, but to go into gift bags for a special event. It was such an awesome day for me.

I took some pictures of my studio today, so I thought I’d share!

#musicmonday Yelle – 85A

coreymarie — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:34:44 +0000

My current obsession is french lyrics, especially to dance pop songs.

This obsession likely started years ago with this video on the Michel Gondry box set. Both this song and this video are so great.

I’m not sure how I stumbled upon this song, but it’s been on my playlist for a few years. (Also, this is a really great non-official video, too!)

Then the other day this song by Yelle came up on Pandora and I love, love, love it. Also, how awesome is she on stage? I like to pretend that if I had chosen music instead of art that I would have danced around on stage like this.

I spent most of the weekend working my tail off. Lots of exciting things are going on, and I’m doing my best to keep up. To quote one of my favorite-favorite movies, “It’s all happening!”

PAPERCUTS Sneak Peeks

coreymarie — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:07:16 +0000

Here are some sneak peeks at things coming to the shop today and tomorrow!

Mix Tape Brooches – made from recycled book covers and buttons! I debuted these at the Jonny Z Fest and they were a huge hit! I’ve got a couple other recycled book cover projects that are still in the works but I couldn’t wait to list these any longer.

And here are Boombox Brooches, also made with recycled book covers and buttons. Most of the buttons are either vintage or salvaged. I also made record player turntables but those sold out! I’ll be making more very soon though!

Recycled Stationery Sets! Hand-made envelopes, paper, labels, envelope seals, tags and more. So much fun stuff.

I’ll probably post more about these kits later, but I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek.

These hair clips are also on the way, although they may not make it to the shop until the weekend. I still have to figure out packaging and take individual photos of the clips themselves. I did, however, want to give you a peek at the adorable Miss Mara who was sweet enough to model them for me.

Isn’t she the cutest?

My mom used to make me clips like these when I was a toddler. The ones she made had bright colored buttons, but I’ve had fun “growing them up” a bit. I’ve also made some that have one inch buttons in the center, which are fun and a little funkier.

Train time is fun time!

coreymarie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:17:08 +0000

Jonah and I sat and played trains for quite a while this morning. He has one engine that has a motor and goes by itself, and we kept adding more and more of the magnetic wooden train cars to it and watching them go around and around the track.

Of course we had to also build some buildings for the city. Within the last couple of months his buildings have gotten a lot more abstract, and aren’t strictly vertical towers now. I find this type of developmental “switch” so interesting.

I’m secretly really proud of my mad track-building skills.

I also updated the shop last night for the first time in quite a while! A few mini journals and this turquoise beauty. (Available here.)

I took some more photos today while Jonah was (supposed to be) napping, so I’ll have some more stuff up in the shop tonight!

Date Night @ Balliceaux

coreymarie — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:33:20 +0000

Tod and I had a fun date night last night at Balliceaux, an adorable and super-hip restaurant/bar in the Fan.

Their mojitos are delicious, and they’ve got a whole bunch of signature drinks that I’d love to try in the future.

Adorable bartender is adorable!

How much do you love these laboratory beakers? I’d love to have a set in my kitchen and for parties.

Ghostdog & Cinnamon played a great set. I’d seen him play at the Jonny Z Fest and wanted Tod to check him out. We were both really stoked. It all sounded really great and I’m excited to see more from this guy!

I think this one is my favorite. The rest of the set is up on YouTube, too! Enjoy!

Oh, what a weekend.

coreymarie — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:57:47 +0000

Allow me to recap: Wednesday night, I found out that the box of art journals that were sent to Red Velvet Art arrived empty. Thursday morning, I visited the USPS and then spent quite some time on the phone with their customer service only to find out that since the box was insured, I had waived my right for the USPS to attempt to recover the journals.

It was a really tough morning. I felt so lost.

I didn’t want to feel that way all weekend. I knew that feeling sorry for myself wouldn’t make me feel any better in the long run. So, after we filed the insurance claim, and I made a blog post, there was only one thing to do.

I started cutting more paper.

And sorting more paper.

And putting together new signatures.

My awesome husband kept Jonah busy and entertained and fed all weekend so that I could focus on nothing but journals. We all watched movies together while I stitch-bound the soft-cover journals. While Jonah napped, Tod took over the wire-binder and with his help, I was able to crank through thirty-six new art journals.

It’s funny, because we found ourselves listening to a Radiolab podcast about people pushing themselves to the limits, and then watched an episode of This American Life about similar themes. I think I probably could have pushed myself even further, but I didn’t want to rush through, and risk quality. I’m still sad about the journals that were lost, but I am just as proud of the second batch as I was the first. I feel really good about that.

On a more personal note, I feel even better that I made it through the whole debacle without ever giving up, and without getting caught up in anxiety or a panic attack. That’s pretty huge for me. If I had been forced to deal with this situation even a year ago I would have almost certainly fallen victim to the pressure.

Here are some of the cool new covers. Some came from thrift finds, some came from my stash.

I try to “rescue” books that look unwanted. Old, discarded library and school books and out-dated encyclopedias are my favorites to use. This story book was missing most of its pages by time I found it.

It was a powerful and rewarding weekend for me. Certainly exhausting, and while I’m looking forward to making journals in the future, I’m definitely looking forward to doing it at a slightly more relaxed pace. :)

The end of the weekend brought a quick summer storm, and was punctuated with a stunning rainbow above our street.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words of both sympathy and support throughout the weekend. It really meant a lot to me.