Artwork On A Budget (Cont'd) + Chicken Cucumber Sandwiches Bonus Recipe

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To me art and artwork represent the soul of a home

yet I've found that especially in the United States,
people tend to be nervous about art and collecting art.

I understand. Check this out.


Famed American fashion designer Marc Jacobs, the head designer for Marc
Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, with over 200 retail stores in 80 countries has stated,

"I had it in my mind that only incredibly grand, extremely wealthy people lived with art of any sort." (W. Magazine )

Can you believe that! Please let me share it is possible to overcome this reticence and it can be accomplished with style and on budget. Let's look at some art and artworks, let me share some tips.

Giacometti Art and 'Giacometti-esque' Art

Swiss Alberto Giacometti (1901 - 1966) is noted for
his bronze objects that are thin and elongated, almost appearing as if they were without weight and inertia, their meager impression is increased by the contrast with the rather compact bases that Giacometti places them on.

Alberto Giacometti found his own unmistakable style, giving his figures a maximum in expression by reducing and densifying them.  The relation between figure and space became the central issue of his artistic work.

Giacometti's style is exquisitely displayed in this spectacular penthouse photo at left (and the whole article) by the Wiseman Group.  It is luxuriously- simple beauty. Architect Ugo Sap created a perfect background for a world class art collection (among which, the table display is a Giacometti sculpture). The Wiseman Group designed all the interior furnishings to coordinate with the contemporary aesthetic.

A Horse Sculpture By Another Giacometti

Left, this horse sculpture which sold at Christie's Auction for $39,175.00, is also by a Giacometti.  Diego Giacometti (1902 – 1985)  is the younger brother of Alberto Giacometti. This singular horse, standing 6-5/8" tall, circa 1978, is entitled "Cheval A La Tete Haute," French translation, "Horse With The Head High".

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I would like to offer up some sculptures that have what I call a 'Giacometti-esque style'.  They are beautiful, but, moreover, they are affordable.

Right, Affordable Art Sculptures,
"Walking Horses," Available From
Something Beautiful Shoppe, The
Tallest Is  22.5" High And 23" Long

Left, "Reaching For the Star," More

Affordable Art 

Sculpture Available

From Something Beautiful Shoppe

Left, "Scooter," More Affordable Art,

Sculpture Available From Something

Beautiful Shoppe

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Brian Kershisnik Contemporary Artist - Original Oil Paintings Sell for $50,000 Plus  

The oil painting at the beginning of this article, "Young Astronomers," is a Brian Kershisnik's piece. The original oil and all of the signed and numbered giclee prints are sold out.

But, the artwork at right, "Dancing On A Very Small Island," is available, as are many other Kershisnik prints, and you can see them by clicking here.

Brian Kershisnik is an contemporary American artist, born in 1962, who's original oil paintings are selling for $50,000 + +.  Yeah, Kershisnik has some talent.

Brian Kershisnik artwork is hot and will only becoming hotter.

"Angels," shown at left is available as an affordable giclee pigment print of an original oil painting by Brian Kershisnik. It is signed and numbered by the artist and available for sale at the Something Beautiful Shoppe.

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Yes, decorating with a rich palette is highly appealing but so often unfortunately exorbitantly expensive. But you can have this beauty, you can have Brian Kershisnik's magical art that sells for $50,000 ++ in your living room -  in limited edition prints, signed and numbered by the Artist.  Again another approach to collecting art for our homes is purchasing high-style reproductions of original art pieces, like the Walking Horses Sculptures shown above, from the Something Beautiful Shoppe, that I call 'Giacometti-esque'.  

They are high on appeal, at a lesser cost.

Go embrace art and artwork for your home - create your home's soul - create art that embraces you and your family. 

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If decorating like this isn't easy for you, if you are in need of design assistance with selecting art and artwork, our designers at the Something Beautiful Shoppe will be happy to work with you - working with a professional helps assure you get the look you deserve while helping eliminate costly mistakes.

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To Return To Original Article Main Page, click here.

More Articles About Art And Artwork

"America: We Own Western Art, It's Ours
"Decorating My Home Journal Entry:  My Studio Apartment (Small, Temporary, Pretty)"
"Art Objects Make Room Come Alive"
"Posters As Art"
"Robert Doisneau, Famous "The Kiss" Photo & His Frank & Humorous Depictions Of 1950's French Life"
"Decorating With Art And Objects D'Art"
"Decorating My Home Journal Entry:  Santa Fe Meets Chic Style - Update of Decorative Painting"
"Decorating My Home Journal Entry:  Master Bedroom Paint Color - Da Da Da Dahhhh!"
"Walls As Art"
"Decorating My Home Journal Entry:  My Loft Apartment - Rockford, IL"
"Design Art - Brad Pitt & Marc Jacobs ( & We) Can Enjoy The Style"
"Chalkboard Art"
Also see my Pinterest Board, "Alternate Art Forms (Chalkboards, Paste On Murals, Random Other Stuff) & Decor"

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Chicken Cucumber Sandwiches Bonus Recipe

"I have made these many times for large gatherings.  Everyone loves them and there are never any left.  The sandwiches may be made up to 24 hours in advance, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated.  It makes a huge amount of sandwiches (you can easily reduce the amounts in half easily also, if desired).

Yields:  75 Small Sandwiches

Ingredients

2  8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup mayonnaise (reduced fat is ok, do not use fat-free)
3 cups finely diced cooked chicken
3/4 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
3 celery ribs, finely diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
6 green onions, chopped small
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste, I use seasoned salt)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
84 slices fresh white bread or 84 slices whole wheat bread

Directions

1. In a medium size bowl, stir together the softened cream cheese and the mayonnaise until well blended (I use a whisk.)  
2. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chicken and the next 7 ingredients.
3. Cover and chill the filling for 4 to 24 hours.
4. When ready to prepare the sandwiches after the 4 to 24 hour chilling time, cut the crusts off of the bread slices.
5. Cut the bread slices into desired shapes - you can simply cut with a straight knife, or, use cookie cutters, assorted metal shaped cutters, medium-size round biscuit cutters work also.
6. Spread half of the bread shapes with the chicken mixture and top with its matching shape.
7. Roll the sandwich edges in chopped fresh parley if desired
8. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap until ready to use.

SATC Carrie's Apartment & Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe (Cont'd.)

Continued, click here to return to main post

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 Mr. Big:  Should we get you a diamond?

Carrie Bradshaw:  No, no... just get me a really big closet!

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In real life as our actual use of space changes, oftentimes it prompts change in our home - in the design and layout of our living spaces.

As a designer I wanted to see Carrie's apartment in the Sex and the City Movie.  Wondering, as Carrie evolved, would Hollywood be consistent
in her apartment, would form follow function.

For the SATC Movie, it was thought Carrie's apartment should reflect a more organized, more mature Carrie, that she'd no longer sit on the floor at her coffee table, working on her laptop. She also may want to have Big over for dinner, she may require more entertaining areas.



The amount of space available in apartments is often a design challenge: how do you achieve both look and usability; so since Carrie's apartment is set in downtown New York City, it should epitomize small-but-beautiful apartment living. Rather than settling for the too-large, standard sofa or, paring way down and resorting to just a love seat, two settees were custom made, to scale for this apartment, using Silk Trading Co.,'s Amanda Lee linen. More seating was also made available with the bench seat, located under the mounted television. With its attractive seat cushion and throw pillows and further with the addition of a side chair (a wonderful piece because it can easily be moved from one area to another, depending on the needs at the time), Carrie's apartment is inviting to visitors.

Much needed storage has been provided above the mounted television by built-in units done so well they appear to be architectural detail. That cute bench seat could be built with a flip up top to offer more storage.

The collection of similarly-framed art over her bed visually (and dramatically) extended the height of the headboard and also serves as a focal point, without taking up valuable horizontal space.

The mirrored coffee table is just too-terribly chic and is available from ABC Carpet & Home’s vintage collection) and the apartment's new paint color, an old pale-blue, is elegantly charming and available from Benjamin Moore Electric Blue.

I love Carrie's new apartment!  And, here's a bonus for you . . . !

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The Famous Sex And The City Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe

The Cosmo was Carrie Bradshaw’s drink of choice throughout much of Sex and the City. Despite its modern image, the recipe follows the classic sour-family cocktail recipe of base spirit (vodka), sweetener (cointreau) and sour (lime juice), with a bit of cranberry juice thrown in to add an extra bit of tartness and a nice pink color.  



Cosmopolitan Cocktail Recipe

1-1/2 shots citrus vodka
1/2 shot Cointreau
3/4 shot cranberry juice
1/2 shot lime juice
2 dashes orange bitters

Shake all ingredients well with ice and fine strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange zest.

The cranberry and lime create a tart, sour flavor that nicely offsets the sweetness of the Cointreau, with the vodka further underlining the citrus taste. The orange bitters and flamed zest really make this drink, bringing together the flavors to create a surprisingly interesting mix that is far more complex than the Cosmo's reputation might suggest.  If you've never tried it with bitters, give it a go - you might just discover what all the fuss is about. 

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For more small space decorating, see below.
Ideas For Decorating Small Spaces
Housing Trends: Good Use Of Space & Green
Carrie's Apartment Was Hollywood true?
Decorating My Home Journal Entry:  My Studio Apartment (Small, Temporary, Pretty)

For more organizing ideas, see below.
Decorating For Serenity, More Things, Less Life
Organizing For Tranquility And Creativity Pinterest Board

( Chicago Tribune photographs)

Coco Chanel, Marc Jacobs On Who's Who Of The Most Famous Owning Lalanne Sheep

Coco Chanel had a flock of them grazing in her living room. Designer Marc Jacobs includes his nestled in with other art and art-as-furniture pieces.

Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne's highly coveted object d'art sheep (that are also benches) have recently become hotter than ever in the States and for sometime before that, owners of Lalanne sheep have been among a who's who of the most famous.

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Oh - and, check out the July 2009 cover of Architectural Digest!

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A flock of Lalanne sheep rocketed to a new auction record of $7.5 million (that's $6.6 million, plus commissions) in 2011 at Christie's in New York.  The same day a phone bid beat out other phone bidders for a single Lalanne lamb, paying $122,500 (including commissions) for the 1997 art.

Original Lalanne ewes are beyond the budget of the average person wanting to collect art. But if you are on the lookout to purchase a reproduction, the following may fit the bill.

The online catalog Source Collection has a knock-off Lalanne Gentle Ewe Bench available for $525. This ewe is amazingly true-to-life and as a bench, sturdy enough to support a 250 lb person. These are not just decorative pieces these sheep are art as furniture!

I also enjoy the latest Anthropologie Catalog's colorful, whimsical sheep. I'm not sure these double as benches, but The Anthropologie Catalogue has some delightful little ewes.

Art and objects d'art should always be personal choices. Surrounding yourself with the things that you love will bring untold pleasure. It also is essential in personalizing your home.

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Working with an interior designer helps assure you get the look you desire while helping eliminate costly mistakes; if you have questions or concerns, contact the staff of the Something Beautiful Shoppe.

Art And Decorative Items (Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder)

As a follow up to the Lalanne Sheep article, I thought I'd share another fun object d'art or decorative item - the little paper mache burro.

This house style is called Ethnic Meets Chic Style (see prior article "Santa Fe Style Hooks Up With Exotic & Indulgent Chic "). It's a highly-colorful look with many many ethnic items, such as the old, hand-painted blue trunk seen here. This 100 year old adobe house house has integrated with phrou-phrou pretty, traditional stuff, also collected over the years.

The highly-colorful, pink pom-pom fringe-edged pillows with paisley and dots from Pier One Import on the white wicker settee are perfect with the little burro and the antique blue trunk.

Can you even get over it? The little burro that belongs!

Cheers to you and your special and unique decor objects as you integrate them in your home and how they make you smile!

Decorating With Art And Objects D'Art

I hang art everywhere and every type of art everywhere, including some highly unusual places. If I had my druthers art would surround me from the ceiling to the floors. Enjoy these examples of art and objects d'art displayed particularly well.


At left - My eye is pulled to see both the U.S. flag and the framed oil painting portrait. They're inseparable. I see that when the portrait is hung with the flag as a background, the intent is one big, oversized artwork.  The horizontal stripes, in the portrait, and the color in the woman's jacket, and in the chair she's sitting in, serve to reinforce the flag.  The quirky table lamp doesn't get in my way, I am still able to enjoy the vignette and rather the lines of the lamp highlight the woman's face. The lines of the table base add to the whimsical feeling of the room.

Photo at right - Mantles are perfect settings for displays of art and decor items. It is suggested that the width of the art piece or grouping equal the width of the hearth. I like here that a white floral has been placed in front of the hearth opening because without it the opening would seem to have a big gap, like a missing tooth in a pretty smile. The floral arrangement also serves to guide the eye, causing us to see the art work and then we are drawn to go down and around and then back up.

Below Left -  Author, Cosmetics Mogul and Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee Georgette Mosbacher draws attention to her library ceiling with an antique map affixed to the ceiling. It may help in your decorating to consider that ceilings are actually just fifth walls of a room - don't overlook your ceilings. You can decorate ceilings with art (as Mosbacher has done), paint it a contrasting paint color or paint something more elaborate such as cloud-filled skies, or other theme trompe l'oiel.  By working the ceilings into your design scheme it pulls the eye up; and if you have especially high ceilings (as does Georgette Mosbacher, who's Fifth Avenue apartment is directly across from the Metropolitan Museum Of Art), decorating them is a good way to help keep the ceiling in scale to the rest of the room. (Photo of Georgette Mosbacher's apartment is from Breaking the Rules: Home Style for the Way We Live Today ) A note for fun: notice in this photo, Mosbacher has a fur throw that appears to be casually laid on one of the two upholstered chairs. This is probably the fun type of decorating one does when their windows open up the the Metropolitan Museum of Art and attendees to functions look like small figures milling about the esteemed Museum of Art.  (This photo is from "Decorating With Pictures," by Stephanie Hoppen.)


Don't just fill your shelves. Consider that a wall covered with bookshelves continues to be a verticle place to hang pictures. Color your bookshelves. Decoratively arrange your items on the bookshelves. Decorate & dress them - personalize them. The books you store on your shelves are just the beginning. Just as any verticle surface, the final dressing can be hung framed artwork. From Elizabeth Mayhew as published in House Beautiful. You can read more decorating ideas by Elizabeth Mayhew in her new book, Flip! for Decorating: A Page-by-Page, Piece-by-Piece, Room-by-Room Guide to Transforming Your Home .



Below Photo - The homeowner here was very tricky. By hanging these artworks on the back of the door, the closed door looks like any other wall.

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Be brave with displaying art and objects d'art.  Browse magazines, tear out sheets of 'looks' that you like. Over time you will enjoy creating beautiful things, especially things that are beautiful to you.

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Decorating The Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 3

Master Bedroom Update:

I painted the headboard a random, patchwork style, delicious with the colorful bedspread (from Anthropologie).

It is such a happy, feel good place!

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Kitchen Update 

Previously paintings and other art had been hung at this kitchen wall area, but I was experiencing a need to change up the look, an update; I wanted more fun. The result is the decorative painting of, "eat what you want, where you want."

The trompe l'oeil between the stove hood and range was added to and touched up (more is more).















The painted words, "Mi Cocina Es Su Cocina," have been over the door awhile, what is new and shown here is additional floral and leaf borders completely surrounding the door opening. Again, it is all just fun.



More fun: The previously white Ikea clock with its simple to read numbers got a makeover also. Additionally, some numbers with little wings, were painted, creating the visual joke which is also sometimes part of trompe l'oeil, here we could call it, "time flies."

This photo shows a painted decorative border of flowers that was also recently added. You get a glimpse of the existing beautifully colored tiles that made up 99 percent of the backsplash (except over the oven).

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Your editor and hostess filling the horse water trough - this was actually how we cooled off in New Mexico while working on the 4-acre ranch.  Just so you know, it comfortably fits two plastic floating lounge rafts.



To view more about the four acre horse ranch AND the guesthouse, see below:



Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 1
Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 2
Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 3
Decorating the Four-Acre Horse Ranch, Pt. 4

Pinterest Board:  Horse Ranch Photos And Guest House