Running Thoughts

8:52 AM Mallory Nicole 1 Comments



Looking for a job these days is hard enough, but when you decide to become a freelance designer you can be at a loss. How do you find contract work when your one of your previous employers is asking you for volunteer work, and the other doesn't pay vendors? How do you use your contacts when you mostly know teachers? I'd be lying if I said I have complete confidence in what I am attempting. I have goals for the next year: buy a car, go to the Mediterranean, make extra payments on my house, and many others. And I'm not one to have debts, so when I consider all of these thing, a tightness fills my chest.
In my 6 weeks out of work, I have remained calm, kept worry at bay, but it's starting to haunt me. But I have faith that God provides and He will provide enough for us to eat and live. So, I push that worry away not to disappoint Him.
If you need a wedding announcement, baby announcement, invitations, or anything creative...a piece of art you'd like created...you can contact me. My portfolio link is to the left, check it out!

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Musically Transformed

11:22 AM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments

This girl is EXCITED! The new Switchfoot album came out today. This is their 8th album, and I'm always excited to hear what Switchfoot will do with their new album.

The lyrics Jon Foreman writes always move me, inspire me to change, and break me out of complacency; I look forward to being inspired by this album!

Go buy it! The two albums before this one are awesome (Hello Hurricane and Oh! Gravity.) so you should check out those, too.

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Trash or Treasure

8:40 AM Mallory Nicole 1 Comments

 

Truth is, these trays were never trash...BUT they lacked personality, and I just couldn't have that. Want to know how to create a custom stencil? Freezer paper!
1. Draw your design on a freezer paper. (rough side, not glossy)
2. Cut out design. It can get a little confusing keeping track of what to throw away, and what to keep. I'd suggest coloring in the part you want to throw away before you start cutting to keep track of what you're doing.
3. Iron on the stencil. That's right...iron. The glossy side will stick.
4. Paint. I like to use a foam brush to dab, because I found that some areas of the freezer paper don't stick perfectly. If you dab, you'll be less likely to have bleeding under the stencil. You can also spray paint. I didn't this time, cause I didn't have the color I wanted.
5. Carefully peel the paper up. I like to wait til the paint is partially dry, but not totally dry, cause the paint may peel up.



I wanted to add stripes for a little more color and fun. I used painters tape to add the stripes. Some surfaces (like the tray table) that are used as a table top will need a protective clear coating to help it stay. The acrylic paint can peel off.

Today I'm going to paint a chevron pattern onto another of the tray tables.

Have you ever created your own stencil? If so, what did you use to create it?

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Home Is Where Howl Is

11:58 AM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments


I created this drawing in April or May of this year, and I can easily say it is the one I'm most proud of. I spent time adding detail to it, and I was inspired by one of my favorite authors, Diana Wynne Jones, to create it. The book Howl's Moving Castle is great, and the movie based off of it is beautifully illustrated. To reference the book, I placed "Howl" in the drawing.

So, go read the book, watch the movie...will you be swayed to watch it, if I tell you Christian Bale is the voice of Howl?
 
Do you have a favorite author?

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Musically Transformed

1:32 PM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments


Have you ever found yourself lost in a daydream when a song or artist is played? Every time I listen to Eisely, I am caught in some sort of daydream world; things of myth and story make their way into the lyrics, and life is breathed into them by the harmonies of Stacy and Sherri.
I usually choose my music by sing-alongability (though lyrics can be just as important), and most of the time I can’t decide if I want to sing melody or harmony to Eisley songs. It is a happy dilemna!
The magic of the words inspired me so much that I based a project during my college years off of their lyrics “I glimpsed a bat with butterfly wing, oh what Marvelous Things.”
If you haven’t heard them, you should!
Is there an artist, song, or genre that gives you a different perspective on the world?

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Daydreaming of Autumn

8:34 AM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments

I have always enjoyed the change of the season, whether it's winter to spring, spring to summer...so on...I love it. But every year when September rolls in I get excited for Pumpkin Pie, coffee (it's just better in the fall), cooler temperatures (80 degrees rather than 100 degrees) and fall fashion.

The rich colors set the mood for the season, and I love the ability to experiment with layering and to be able to dress according to my mood. That's what I love most about Fashion, I can dress how I feel.

Photo Sources at the bottom of this post.





1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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12:37 PM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments


top-left: A drawing I created based off of one of my favorite books/movies, Howl's Moving Castle.
top-right: A series of drawings I create for Daniel, each a different version/style of us. Zombies, Anime, so on.
bottom-left: These are Munny, you can paint them, draw on them, glue things to them. They are going to spell
    out W-I-E-S-E...I need three more...and will go on our mantle.
     bottom-right: One of our tray tables (unfinished). They need a bit more flair and personality.

For the past few weeks I've been thinking about the definition of design. The fact is the rules for design change as our generations change. Bauhaus deemed certain qualities as more desirable than others. Postmodernism went the exact opposite way.

I've concluded that design is personal. So design for your life.

Since I have design experience and believe that handmade elements are important in design, I have spent time making my home a representation of who Daniel and I are together.

I realize that not everyone feels they're capable of making something their own. That's why designers get paid to help visualize. If you ever hire a designer, they should make sure the piece reflects you (or your target audience, if that's the case). 

    These little photos are pieces of me.
    top-left: chalkboard wall in my studio
    top-right: stripes I painted on my Ikea dresser. I'm really happy about the added personality.
    bottom-left: word wall. Inspiring words that speak to me are added onto this wall. It is something I plan on
    adding onto as words come.
    bottom-right: the pink lady.

We were made uniquely, and we insult a creative God if we hide under expectations.

So this weekend - Express YOURSELF!


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9:49 AM Mallory Nicole 1 Comments


A friend once told me that works of literature are prophesies of the future. That has long stuck in my mind. As a lover of works of fantasy, I often hope that the fictional pieces I read have some truth, but know that there probably isn't a Hogwarts. Some books, though, seem like a more accurate prediction of our future society and world, often spinning a bleak state of living, a lack of freedom.
The Hunger Games are one of those bits of literature.  It is important to read literature like this, with an open mind, interpreting and comparing them to present times.
Have you read this series yet? So good!
I know this series is meant for young adults, but what I love about it is you get straight to the story, not lost in details and the authors ramblings of what they believe (ever read the 50 page speech in Atlas Shrugged, the one that states everything the author had already said in the book?). Of course, those kinds of books are important, too, but sometimes my mind just likes a break.
While reading this series, I often thought of 1984 and Brave New World, about the control of government, and the perversion of society. It really made me think about the path our world is on. The importance of freedom. And the imperfection of all people, leaders or not.
Now that I’ve made this book sound depressing, read it. I don’t think you’ll regret it. My husband can’t even put them down. And he’s much less prone to obsession!
 What are some of your favorite books? Why?

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9:29 AM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments

Honestly, the Eames chairs painted on this antique shop are what made me pull my car over. I day dream about owning an Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman, and hope that I'll meet a rich benefactor who wants to buy me one.
Then I caught a glimpse of the hat wearing skeleton. I love pieces of street art like this: stand alone, and an image. With the chairs intentionally painted on the wall, this skeleton looks sort of intentional.

What do you think of this kind of street art?

Images taken by Mallory Wiese

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8:33 AM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments

Loved the bright collection of buckets, and wished I had brought my own. The only thing I achieved was a representation of Samson's head, and it didn't photograph well.

These rocks were north of us, and I loved the way the water hit them. When the tide came in, it was even more dramatic!

The photos below are ones that Daniel took. I just love how epic the first looks.

 Photos taken by Mallory Wiese and Daniel Wiese

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5:23 PM Mallory Nicole 1 Comments


We're in West Palm Beach!

In 1995, my family moved away from Key West, FL. For about 3 years, I'd pray that my time in San Antonio was just a dream, and I'd wake up in Key West. Since then, I've talked about how I love the beach, but there is not a comparable beach in Texas.
Since landing, Florida seemed familiar even with a 16 year separation. The ocean is as beautiful as it was in my childhood years, and  I'm reminded why teal is my absolute favorite color. Favorite memories have flooded my mind as I come back to such a familiar setting.

Which places bring back special childhood memories?

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Artist or Vandal?

3:04 PM Mallory Nicole 0 Comments


A regular feature I hope to keep up: Artist or Vandal.
Let me start off by saying, I do not condone vandalism of other people's property. Do what you will with your own property, not others.
That said, I often find myself thinking about the creator of graffiti. Some people have a gift, and have choosen a less conventional way to use it.
So my questions: Do you find art in this piece? Is the
creator an artist, or just a vandal?

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