first i fell for Belgian textile artist Renilde De Peuter’s mobile sculptures, and then for her home. so i may have done a little happy dance when renilde of at swim-two-birds kindly agreed to let me share her home/studio with you on unexpected guests. a stylist who works part-time in a shop, renilde is also trying to make a living as a textile designer. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, renilde is a multi-talented artist with many creative skills — well known for her textiles, knitting, crochet and patchwork, with her mobiles available at mr. kitly. you can follow along on her blog at swim-two-birds (named after a Flann O’Brien novel) for updates on all her beautiful creations, and more gorgeous photography — renilde shot all of these!

where exactly do you live?
I live in Borgerhout which is a district of Antwerp, Belgium. Borgerhout is really a mix of different nationalities, with a huge range of groceries, bakeries, nightshops etc… I think it’s just fun to stroll around in the neighborhood, cause there’s always something to see in the street. I’m also a thrift store girl and I especially like to hunt for yarns and other stuff that I can use for my artwork; so what I make is often determined by what I can get my hands on in the thrift or flea market.

Any secrets about the city you think we should know?
Living in a city is vital for me, but usually I keep far from the hubhub, so it can happen sometimes that I hear from friends on the other side of the globe that a new store has opened in Antwerp, shame on me But I do know some nice places nearby Antwerp where you can enjoy the birds and butterflies and pick wildflowers among the Galloways. My favorite spot is Hoboken Polderstad, And last Sunday I spent an afternoon amid the greenery, right in Antwerp harbor; the place is called North Castle. Maybe I have a little secret though; this Wednesday, September 12th, Atelier Solarshop will open their doors and have a permanent store; they will sell stuff from young designers and vintage design furniture. I really love their goods!

What are your top three etsy, handmade or online shops?
I almost love everything at MR KITLY, especially their ceramics. I love Napa Books; And I’m craving the Excel Floor Lamp at Rich Brillant Willing.

Recent Art exhibit we should have seen (or still can):
The Jimmie Durham expo in the M HKA, ‘A matter of life and death and singing’ — the expo runs until the end of the year.

What’s your favorite possession?
Nothing in particular actually, but if I really need to choose, I guess that would be my current apartment, which is spacious and quiet and full of light. I love to live and work in this place.

What talent do you wish you could master?
I wish I could sing and play the guitar :^)

do you have a Favorite quote or expression?
my favorite quote: ‘Color is the place where our brain and the universe meet’ by Paul Klee.

What five things can’t you live without?
my friends and family, my working space, my computer, a pile of books and plants to care for.

What’s currently on your turntable/ or ipod?
On my turntable: the Joni Mitchell cover ‘A case of you’ by James Blake.

what bores you to death?
nagging people.

Pick a place, any place…where would you go, and why?
because I’m a nature lover I would love to visit a food forest, like that 2.000 year old one in Morocco.

i’ve long been a fan of heather’s, a portland-based artist and the talented designer behind frazier & wing. heather designs the most incredibly delicate and and unique craft paper mobiles and garlands, and i’m pretty sure i’ve been watching her work since i began the blog in 2006. frazier and wing has a brand new website, and pretty new mobiles colors, so i thought i’d get you up to speed on heather’s latest flights of fancy.

meet antler&co. brought to you by some folks named Greg & Grey, they’ve been climbing through thick and thin to bring you the coolest housewares made of natural material that the world has ever known. and since members of the deer family shed their antlers every year, antler&co. decided to collect these ‘sheds’ from various sources throughout the United States and make you cool antler stuff — like hanger holder thingys, and mobiles to hang pretty pictures, and even bookshelves.

they do request that you “Please, don’t disrespect her by putting trashy romance novels atop, she’ll crumble under the ick.” they’re pretty funny these antler&co. people. you can follow their blog, too.

The fabulous and unique mobile maker Heather Frazier of Frazier & Wing was recently featured in Architectural Digest’s article about great design under $100, and quite deservedly so! And, in celebration of Spring and the debut of Heather’s lovely new garland collection, Frazier & Wing will be offering FREE shipping on all domestic orders through the end of June! Frazier & Wing also has a brand new website design up and live with all new gorgeous garlands and mobiles, as well as a new shopping cart feature, including a unique gift wrap feature. For more about Frazier & Wing, check out her website, as well as Heather’s beautiful blog.

Lisa Occhipinti is a New England-based artist and designer, with a beautiful series of book arts, specifically these fabulous book mobiles. The book mobiles have garnered much attention, leading Lisa to be included in a soon-to-be-published book on them, and other book crafts, with Stewart, Tabori and Chang.

Lisa’s beautiful book mobiles are made from old, unwanted books and feature a swag of curled pages set within their covers. Each one is individually made, and currently they are available at her etsy shop, The Shop House. For more incredibly re-purposed book art, check out Lisa’s shop!