*Giant Flowery Felt Broach

*Continuing with my craftiness, here is a giant felt broach i made last week. Using some cheap ivory felt i found at A.C.Moore, i cut 5-6 pedals out (i think that 6 pedals looks best), pinched the ends + sewed them together in a circle to create each flower. After making quite a few in different sizes i hand sewed them all together to complete the finished look. The broach is pretty freaking big and looks best on something bulky like my wool winter coat (yes i realize its spring.) i intend on making smaller ones next for a more appropriate spring/summer time broach ^_^.

*Embroidery Hoops + Kitchen Color

*One of my very favorite fabric shops in the city, which luckily is within walking distance from my apartment, Spool, has started selling little bags of their left over fabric scraps! Now i wouldn't normally end a sentence like that with an exclamation point, but seeing as Spool has some of the most interesting, colorful + modern fabrics around i just couldn't help myself.  And of course i had to buy a bag + find some way to use them in my crafting + decorating.

After much consideration i came up with a great way to use the scrap pieces, along with some of my own scraps + embroidery skills, to create a lovely decoration, on a blank wall in my kitchen, that really needed some sprucing up. 

I learned quickly that the hardest part of all of this is choosing the correct layout to fit your wall + make for a interesting composition. After playing with a few different options i finally settled on one and snapped a picture of it to refer back to when i was hanging. 

Once all the hammering was done + Andy thought it was safe enough to come out from under the kitchen table, we stepped back and took a few "after" pictures + enjoyed our new kitchen view. 

*You can also visit Spool on their blog, or twitter.

*Seeing Green This Summer

*So one of my many little projects + goals this summer was to start doing some indoor herb planting. I think that having living plants inside brings a lot of happiness to a home + makes things seem a bit more warm + inviting, plus with the added use of herbs it just makes sense to plant them as oppose to flowers. And since i really love the idea + look of terrariums i decided to try + capture that around my house by recycling/reusing glass bottles i pulled out of our recycling bin. I used everything from apple sauce jars to jelly jars + i think they really got the look i was going for. I love how you can see the root system of the plant and see how much you've really watered it. I also did use a large wooden planter box that we had purchased for five dollars at a thrift store (originally from ikea i'm sure) to plant a bit more, since we had just been using it to hold our laundry detergent bottles. 

*If you want to try this for yourself be sure to put a good half inch of pebbles at the bottom of the glass to insure proper drainage. Living in the city, with little access to free pebbles, i decided to purchased a few bags from A.C.Moore, but you can easily go in your back yard + gather them for yourself. 

*I May Be More Crafty Then You Think!

*So i've been wanting a place to post some images of some of different crafty things i do when im not painting and i think this blog is a great place to do that. Above are some clothes, stuffed animals, quilts, etc. that i've designed and made in the past. And you can look forward to seeing more crafty posts in the future as i just can't help myself, i love to make things...

"Beyond the Page" ...a little late is better then never...right?

*Because I've been so busy making my new website I never got a chance to post anything about this wonderful show I have work in out in San Francisco. The show is called, "Beyond the Page" at Gallery1988SF. The opening was Friday, May 1st (so sorry to be late with this post, but a little late is better then never ... right?) The work, however, is still up on the gallery's blog for sale. 

leannebiank.com all done ^_^

*i finally finished updating my new site, leannebiank.com, with new work + a new look! I am still, however, waiting on my Vimby video to come back from the editing room. but don't you fret, as soon as i have it my hot little hands i'll be sure to post it .  

my updated site includes a new sketchbook page, along with design work, + 3-D work pages, easy navigation "next" button, a brand new up-to-date links page, a link to this wonderful new blog of mine, along with a beautiful new look + mahogany finish ^_^.

so please feel free to drop by and poke around. 

Blog Posts From Old Website

Dec 18 2008

*Since I now have a blogspot for my website, I have decided to take the majority of my old posts from my old site and add them on here so that they wouldn't be lost forever ^_^. Check back soon for new posts!

* I am very excited to be a part of Under the Influence: An Official Tribute to The Beastie Boys at Gallery 1988
*If you are in the LA area you should definitely try to make it out to the opening. It should be a huge show with over 100 participating artists and a special appearance by the Boys themselves!
*For a complete list of all the artist CLICK HERE

Dec 18 2008

*The Untitled Love Project, has been a long time coming, but its finally out and being printed. If you are in the Culver City area on December 13th come on by to the book signing, pick up a copy and get it signed by some of your favorite artists. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it out to Cali for the signing but I'm sure it will be a great time.
*You can also purchase your own copy of The Untitled Love Project HERE
*The Untitled Love Project,
Book signing December 13th 7-10pm

At the Cerasoli : Lebasse Gallery Cerasoli : LeBasse Gallery

8530-B Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232

Nov 21 2008

*I'm currently working on a piece for the Beastie Boys show at Gallery 1988 in January. Here are some of my sketches of the Boy, enjoy ^_^.

*Mike D.

*Ad Rock

*MCA

Nov 10 2008

*I'm very excited to be a part of Art Shop 2008! Featuring over 60 local Philadelphia artists, there will be a ton of hand made goods. So if you're in the area come on out, it should be a really fun time, and good place to find unique and affordable holiday gifts.
*location:
2007 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, PA (circle of hope)
*opening:
Friday December 5th
7-10:30pm
with food, drink & music
*continuing:
Saturday December 6th
11am-4pm

see you there ^_^!

Nov 10 2008

*I have a show coming up at the Suite 100 Gallery in Seattle. Their holiday exhibition, "Sweet 100," opens on Friday, November 14th, so if you're in the area go check it out. There will be a lot of work there to purchase at affordable prices for the holidays including a brand new piece from me ^_^.

Oct 18 2008

*a sketch of my good friend Mary Catherine. For a painting that I'm currently working on for the Holiday Show at Suite 100 Gallery in Seattle, WA.

Oct 06 2008

*i think andy found a snack on the carpet*

*i made a quilt and pillow cases this week... i was feelin a bit crafty i guess. The quilt is made almost completely from thrifted clothes ^_^.

Sep 30 2008

*some sketches i did for the Blue Cadet character.

Sep 14 2008

VIMBY - Crazy 4 Cult

*Here is a video from the "Crazy for Cult: This Time Its Personal," group show at Gallery 1988 in LA. My good friend and old roommate, Danielle Rizzolo, flew out for the opening and you can see her interview with Vimby on here. And towards the end of the video a quick shot of my piece "Edward Safety Scissor Hands." ^_^

Sep 04 2008

*Here is a new sketch from the sketch book

Sep 02 2008

*Here is a sneak peak at my sketch for the "HOME grown" group show ^_^. Hope to see you all there!

Aug 28 2008

*I'M CURATING MY FIRST SHOW!!! So you ALL BETTER BE THERE ^_^! The "HOME grown" show will include over 20 artists (including myself) who have graciously agreed to be a part of my first curated show at the Jinxed Gallery, in Philadelphia, PA. Each artist is putting one or two pieces in and it should be a huge turn out. The "HOME grown" show opens September 19th from 6-11pm and will be up for five weeks. So please come and check it out! (there will be food and beverages as well)

Aug 28 2008

*okay so im a little late with this one but don't worry its still up... I've got a piece in the Crazy 4 Cult show at Gallery 1988 Gallery 1988 in LA. The opening was August 22nd and will be up for a month. If you're in the area check it out! ^_^.

Jul 18 2008

*I recently got back from Portland, OR were I was invited to be one of six artists chosen by Nike 6.0 and Bob Kronbauer (G2 artist mentor),
to take a Nike G2 vinyl toy and apply my own artistic aesthetic. I chose to turn my G2 into my version of a Native American Kachina doll.

*Above is the video that we premiered at our opening out in Portland, OR at Nemo Designs. Along with eight G2's to mess with, each artists was given a digital video camera to document our progress and vision.