Louella Court

Yayness For The Eyes & Spirit

Ever see an advertisement or billboard that just lights you up inside or made you chuckle? Every once in a while during our daily lives we'll witness something that'll change our sentiment. Be it a picture, an act of kindness or a sunny morning that goes perfectly well. Yay Everyday is the perfect place for all sorts of weird, quirky and inspirational photos. 

 

I love the variety of the photos. Some with photo shop and some with just raw intensity.

Above is a real father and son. He made this for his little one to appreciate one day.

  

Notice the alphabet carefully whittled into each pencil point.

 

Awesome painting by graffiti artist Banksy

 

 

And below is my favorite one that I've found on Yay! Everyday. A mystical trail of fireflies. 

Give Yay! Everyday a looksy and discover you're favorite inspirational picture. You can even submit your very own. Your children laughing, the sun setting on the water or whatever moves you. Everyone appreciates something different, so check it out.

Preloved Tunes to Art

Details magazine made my eyes pop when I stumbled upon an old June/July edition featuring St. Louie born artist Erika Iris Simmons. Her "Ghost In The Machine" series are simply amazing. Since her debut in 2008, Erika has found a creatively enticing way to merge pop culture, conceptual art & craftiness. While at the same time recycling once important cassette tapes and film reels.

"The times they ARE a-changin" for sure.

I love the African spray painted tape to coordinate with the Peace Master Rasta himself, Bob Marley.

 Oh Fred Astaire! You gotta love a man that has moves. With beautiful Ginger Rogers dancing out of an old 8mm film reel.

 Sir Duke Ellington :)

 

Beethoven. Erika actually tried keeping much of the notes in tact, so you can still read portions of it in his hair, face & jacket.

Simmons also does custom work for people and will include any object that coincides with the portrait that she's doing. A custom job will run you about $1200 and up. 'But every case is different' as she puts it. An average cassette tape portrait 16x20  inches goes for around $1800 and take nearly 2 weeks to create. The price and the wait is worth it if you ask me though. The work is deeply impressive and to have a personal one of yourself and/or a loved one would just be literally stunning.

 If you have a chance you absolutely must check out her website for yourself, and please be tempted to inquire about your own custom work. 

http://iri5.com/

Costumes For The Kiddies

Halloween has always been fun for kids.  The pretending, imagining and dressing up as literally anything you can think of is all a part of the excitement behind Halloween. Annnnd of course the candy! Even as an adult I can't get enough of it. So in celebration of the spirit of Hallow's Day, here's some inspiration for you and your little one.

Evil, nice or inanimate the costume possibilities are endless!

 Seeing as how it IS year of the White Tiger, how appropriate is this?! Super simple and adorable. Sure to keep him or her warm on the chilly October night. Check out www.fostersfunshop.com for more cool costumes.

This little guy is dressed up as a charming Sock Monkey from www.spirithalloween.com Again, sure to keep your precious one warm with a hat to match.  

My personal favorite is the lovable Lion!

 

Warm & cozy bunny.

 

 

www.potterybarnkids.com Also has a great and unique select of costumes to fulfill the fantasy of any child wanting to be an Airplane or even a yummy donut. 

  

 

  You can even get reallly creative and go with homemade outfits. Maybe something more high tech and modern, yet still original and priceless. All that's left for you to do now parent, is not to forget the candy! Happy and safe trick-or-treating!

 

Ready for The Fall

{ posted by Jenny, production artist }

Being an in between weather person, (not too hot-not too cold), I find this time of the year exquisitely exciting. September kicks off with the death of summer as the leaves begin to fall & create a backdrop for October. What's there not to love? You've got Halloween, The World Series, Football, bouquets of unsharpened pencils, hot cider, vibrant colors of orange & red bleeding together and that unmistakable smell of the hint of winter lingering around the corner. 

This blog represents all the fun things you can do to reconnect with the city and yourself. 

Kelly Drive

Try taking a walk with yourself, you'll be surprised what kind of fun shenanigans you come up with. The people watching in itself is enough to get me out of the house. We've got quite the characters in Philly. I personally like to give folks stories as I watch them jog or sit and have a picnic. It's amusing. If you get to Kelly Drive right before the sunsets, you'll have a handful of professional-esque photos that you don't have to pay a bundle for. You also get the satisfaction of taking the shot yourself.

Jefferson Square Park

You can count on this park having events nearly every weekend. From dusk showings of classic films to Flea Markets with gems around every turn. There's also fun projects for kids every Thursday evening! Talk about a walk in the park. There are even Archeological digs!!

The Piazza @ Schmidts

What a great experience for folks of all ages. You've got a concrete park that accommodates with benches and large umbrellas, great for dog walking and mingling. Window shopping has never been so fun. It's a little city within itself. There are cute little bars and B.Y.O.'s at every turn. Boutiques of clothing, music & art literally surrounds you. I recommend this area for reading, writing... I've even busted out my paints & brushes at a sitting here. There seems to be an event going on almost everyday. Whether you wanna watch the Phillies game or an old black & white film. This place offers everything.

If you're looking for something a little different, give philly.com a try. Everything you need to know for a date with the city is there. 

With the soft breeze rolling in, you should take this chance to explore a little while the weather still bearable. Sunsets, hoppy beer and some art gazing is all you need to fall in love with the city. Won't you try it? 

 

Ani-mate-ion

{ posted by Jenny; production }

Being the film geek around these parts, I sometimes find myself writing scripts based on real life. After all, what is more true than actual life? But! What is more fun than animation?! I've discovered www.xtranormal.com; which lets you create a world of your own. You control the dialogue, the ambiance, the little sounds in the background and anything else you can conjure up.  

With an easy step by step panel to help you bring your creation to life, you'll be cracking up in no time. Xtranormal even lets you pick the voice for your character. You'll find that it's quite the clever spin on spoofing friends, family & even co-workers. Try it out for yourself and see. I'm personally addicted now. :) 

Here's one that I made: Hear the romantic score in the background? I love it.

Flying Off The Handle

Aside from ruining your experience at BBQ's and freeloading on your forgotten hot dog, flies can actually be used for artwork. I don't think I ever would've put those two ideas together, but hey, I guess you have to do something with their bodies right? 

 

 

Swedish photographer Magnus Muhr is responsible for plenty of amazing pictures. Weddings, tasteful nudes, nature stills--you name it. So it comes as no surprise how flies came into the mix...or does it? This well established photographer considers this portion of his work to be Humorous, which I could not agree with more.

With a simple stroke of a pencil and some imagination, these deceased insects are brought back to life. The animation of humanity is what gets a little chuckle out of people.

 

Fly 1: Was it good?  Fly 2: Mmm.. You really succeeded with this Britta.. it tastes like sh*t!

 

 
I like to think of this as live comic art. Well maybe 'live' is the wrong word to use. Could you imagine opening up the newspaper to this sort of 3D comic strip? Breakfast certainly wouldn't be as appetizing. Good thing he shoots photos and shares it with the world, via internet. 

Take a gander at the rest of Magnus Muhrs photos, they have living people in them. :)

The Sand Dancer

{ posted by Jenny, production }

Seeing as how everyone here at the dollhouse is super creative and there's virtually nothing we can't do with paper, I was impressed by the artistic versatility Peter Donnelly has with one of the Earth's elements. Sand.
 

It's quite the sight for beach goers in New Zealand, where Mr. Donnelly hails from. With only four hours to create and complete his sand of art, he shoots from the hip and brings whatever is on his mind to life. What makes his art so particularly great is how rare it is. Its life span is that of about 2-4 hours since the tide comes in shortly after he's done. 

{my personal favorite}

With just a rake and a few paintbrush handles, he creates all of what you see. For someone that's been doing this for over ten years, he couldn't seem happier to get his message out there. From the performance side of it to the way it touches the people watching it transpire before their eyes. He's quite the artist and as interesting as they come. I'd love to have a conversation with him. 

See for yourself!

For the Love of Summer

Summer lovin' can happen so fast, as we all know. Whether it be your love for the beach, your love for your air conditioner, your love for ice cream or your love for love. It's all around us. If Spring is the 'twitterpated' season according to Friend Owl (not a Twitter reference), then summer is full blown Cupid's Arrow.

What with all the fun & colorful drinks, exposed skin and long summer days, it's bound to catch up to you. 

Summer brings out the eccentricity of human behavior. Which is a fantastic break from a Philadelphian's usual seasonal Winter depression. We feel freer and open for adventure. Which is in turn art. The shedding of our skin and the opening of our minds. And mouths. Yum!

   
We all know food is such a wonderful addition to the artistic world. The smells, tastes & appearance that make your mouth water and makes you wonder where its been all your life. 

This beer is appropriately called Summer Love & can be found at PYT in the Piazza. One of Victory Brewing Company's newest addition, made especially for Philadelphia's recent beer Week. 

So as love comes in several different shapes and varieties, the art form of love in itself is beautiful, no matter which way it translates to you. Just keep in mind it's summer, the breeze is cool and there's no sense in being miserable now.. you've got all of November-March to take that up. :)

Love is love, no matter how you paint it.

 

Street Art

Do you ever feel like one of those people that can find art in anything? It IS all around you. This Canadian artist takes the term "street art" to a whole new level. 

After becoming frustrated with the lack of bicycle lanes in Montreal, Peter Gibson decided to begin painting a few extra ones for himself. That eventually lead to other forms of environmental expression. Every artist has a connection with their work and a message to send out to others. Peter Gibson's message is to step away from the vehicle, get out and connect with your world. He believes the "car culture" is separating people from interacting and discovering the existing beauty of the environment.

Peter was arrested and charged in 2004 for 80+ counts of public mischief. His fans were at his aid and showed support for Peter's cause. His sentence was lightened and he received only a small fine & community service - which happened to be painting legal artwork! From there, the word spread and Peter is currently getting commissioned for his works of art.

Now there's a happy ending for a starving artist that is not necessarily starving any longer.

 

www.inhabitat.com 

Deck Heads

{ posted by Jenny, production assistant }

Since Two Paperdolls is all about new and creative ways to express virtually anything, why should custom hand painted skateboards surprise you?

Some of the most talented artists from around the city have put their paint together to mark the 3rd annual Deck Heads Art Show on May 7th.

As you can see, the artwork stems from modern to abstract and everywhere in between.

   

Exit Skate Shop owner Steve Miller is one of the 80 artists featured in Friday's expressively gnarly spin on custom art. Whether you're using these to decks to hang on your wall or wear under your feet, it's one art exhibit that will not disappoint. 

With help from a few of Philly's prestige art galleries such as Amberella, Jinxed, and Jolie Laide this Deck Heads art collaboration is sure to have something to peak your interest.