Art in its many forms: Inherited Fingerpaintings

"Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in."  - Amy Lowell

Many art and antique pieces found in homes are those treasures that have been passed down from generations.  Although these keepsakes and relics may not be worth much to an appraiser, they can carry meaning and historical value in a family.

Here, we share a couple of our Favorite Things with the Art & Antique Show in Jacksonville, FL from our own art collection.

Description of memorable piece in your art collection:

Two fingerpaintings of underwater sea life, painted in early to mid-twentieth century.

Share any background information that you may have on this item.

My Great-Grandmother, Nellie Quick, was originally from Laurinburg, NC but later moved to West Palm Beach, FL in her adult life.  Nellie was a self-taught artist who created an art studio in her home in Florida. There she fingerpainted using different parts and components of her hands including her nails and knuckles for detailing her favorite subjects; which included landscapes, gardens and sea life.

It has been said that one can decipher what kind of mood Nellie was in by her pieces. Some of her finger paintings are playful and whimsical; like in the pieces that I inherited of fish, turtles and frogs that seem to frolic and dance within their underwater habitats.  In her other works are dark hues of purples, blues and blacks which lack much color in the subject of trees and gloomy flowers; perhaps painted in her not so good days.

Nellie wanted to share her talent with others, so she later taught fingerpainting lessons in West Palm Beach.

If I could guess, just like many of artists, she never would have guessed that her artwork would be hanging in so many homes scattered around the country.

When did you acquire these pieces?

After my grandparents died, we were cleaning out their house in Richmond, VA, and we discovered my great-grandmother's paintings in a book that had been stowed away for decades.  My parents later had several of them professionally framed and gave them as Christmas presents to each of my siblings and myself in 2010.

How have you used or displayed these pieces?

I keep one in my son's room and the other in my daughter's room, although I am known to move things around a lot in my home.

Why is this piece special to you?

I never met my Great-Grandmother Nellie, but I am told she was a sweet, loving and nurturing lady who raised three girls, including my grandmother, Gracie.  She passed down several characteristics of her own personality, including the passion for cooking, hospitality and creativity. Her childlike expression of art is now a staple in my home and I hope will remain in my family for many generations.

Please share your involvement with or connection to the Women's Board at Wolfson Children's Hospital?

This is my third year volunteering with the Art & Antique Show.  I serve on the Young Collector's Booth committee and assist in writing for the group.

What are you looking foward to most about the 2013 Art & Antique Show?

I am really looking forward to our guest speakers this year, especially James Farmer who will hopefully have a special presence at the Young Collector's Booth.  I also am very excited to see what the dealers bring and offer to young audiences who are just starting to collect.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us about yourself or your collection?

As a designer and collector, I am inspired by the history of objects of art, furnishings, and decorative items that can add to or enhance an interior.  Each one-of-a-kind object should tell a story and create a dialogue between its space and those who are inhabiting that space in a moment.  I like to tell clients to hold out for that special item that really will make an impact in their environment and hold more meaning in the long term.   

South of MaDi: Mama's Got A Brand New Bag: The Lucy Canvas

South of MaDi: Mama's Got A Brand New Bag: The Lucy Canvas: I'm very hard on my bags because I tend to carry a lot of stuff with me. - Laura Linney When South of MaDi discovers a product line t...

Mama's Got A Brand New Bag: The Lucy Canvas

I'm very hard on my bags because I tend to carry a lot of stuff with me.- Laura Linney


When South of MaDi discovers a product line that carries a good story with every stitch of its woven history, we can't resist but to share it.  And as the approaching Summer months begin, we restock our lives with flip flops, suntan lotion, and replace our rusty, worn and tattered warm weather items.  This season is about un-apologetically having sandy floorboards, bocce balls and horseshoes rolling around the trunk and a plethora of beach, river and lake gear that might as well stay put in the car since we cannot live without these essentials until Labor Day.  Without a good sturdy bag, we wouldn't be able transport these necessities from car-to-beach, deck-to-pool, or dock-to-boat.

With this notion of Summer essentials, we introduce you to Lucy's Canvas bags.  In the mid-1970s Lucy Mackall made her first canvas bags in her apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts and sold them from a kiosk in Faneuil Hall.  Back then, they were made by hand by Lucy and her cousin, Grace Rowe.  The line sold into the tens of thousands out of several Lucy's Canvas stores.  They became an icon of the late hippy/early disco Boston and Cambridge scene.  Some do say to hold on to the iconic things for they will rotate back into fashion eventually.

Fast forward to summer 2012, where Lucy's children, Savannah & Clayton, thought up the crazy idea of bringing back their mom's hit line of bags, with some moderate updating.  What you see now is the unadulterated result of their mother's brained idea from a second generation perspective.  If you are lucky, you have owned an original Lucy Canvas bag (now considered vintage).

We love this story of a young woman in 1974 who had a simple idea, brought the concept into fruition as a successful business, to later have it revived by her own flesh and blood.  Our favorite for this year is the Summer Breeze bag.  We can't wait tote the Lucy Canvas this Summer and share her and her children's story!

Shop the Lucy Canvas at www.lucyscanvas.com and visit their Facebook and Pinterest pages!

Lucy with Reynold, Sag Harbour, NY Summer 1985
Love the curly shag and beard!

Lucy with Clayton & Savannah, 1990
Sweet mama...sweet children.

Lema: Le French Skirt

"A good speech should be like a woman's skirt; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest." - Winston Churchill

In the modern day era, many women have taken a very casual approach to day wear.  There was a time when most of our mothers and grandmothers wouldn't dare walk to the mailbox or heaven forbid, the grocery store without hair and makeup flawlessly intact.  Nowadays, it is not uncommon for women to be seen running errands, picking up the kids and shopping the do-lists in workout clothes, sportswear and all things Lycra.  Of course, the working woman remains in the mandatory professional attire; arriving at the office in the traditional slacks and conservative button ups, more or less. However, one may find that the closet space in-between work, church services and of course, the frequent gym stops, remain the fun and frilly component of a woman's wardrobe.

Alas!  There is relief in what the woman actually wants to wear, befitting to her mood of the hour.  For ladies, this definition of comfort is: to each, her own.  Nevertheless, when women (and men-alike), particularly think of the ultimate ladylike version of dress, the attributes of femininity lies in the simplicity of the skirt.

South of MaDi would love to introduce you to Lema: French Market Skirts; whose company motto is: Skirts that are wrangling ready!  Ready for that shopping list of errands, lunch with the girls, carpool pick up, picnic in the park or perhaps a day trip to the coast.  This one-size-fits-all approach to the wear-and-go Lema skirt feels as easygoing as a trip to the bakery for a baguette on your bicycle.  This wardrobe addition, created and designed by Florida-based, Dee Lea, has become a subtle rage in coastal towns up and down the Southern Atlantic coast and Gulf regions.

Originated in the Summer of 2010, Lea found herself wanting to find a basic concept skirt that she could "throw and go"; much like a skirt she had bought many years prior at a resort, which finally gave way.  "I couldn't find another one like it," states Lea.  So she bought some yards of fabric, hit up a local seamstress in the Florida panhandle and began her "cottage business" that could perhaps be worthwhile.  By the following Spring, Lema French Market skirts were being snatched up at a Seaside sidewalk sale where 25 out of her 30 skirts she brought with her sold.  What began as a hobby ermerged into a business that has been growing since and where currently Lema skirts can be found in small retail shops and boutiques throughout Florida and resort areas on the coast.

The product line was named after Lea's granddaughter, Lea Madeline, where the collections are inspired by the French lifestyle.  Every skirt is a creation of Lea's ideas as she touches every detail of a skirt she sells and has manufactured.  "My skirts are happy, fun and carefully handpicked," adds Lea.  The skirts are meant to be man-handled, gritty and so versatile that the basic concept is to turn the skirt into a dishtowel once it has gone through numerous washes.  The length isn't too long or short, and can be seen paired with ballet flats, wedges or even a pair of cowboy boots.

We wanted to know, how did the French inspire Dee Lea's notions of a skirt?  The spirited Lea reacts to her labels such as the Cote d'Azur, Pistache Bonbon, and Croisette with, "I love anything French!  I could be French if I had to be.  I am inspired by my travels to France and St. Tropez."  Nevertheless, Lea's life grounded in the South also infuses into the fabrication of the skirt.  Lea has an aversion to lining, for she believes that a skirt that is lined is way too hot for the Southern lifestyle.  Doubtlessly, women need to breathe when wearing a skirt; for the tangibility of the garment should flow freely like a dandelion in the summer wind; reminiscent of a little girl twirling in her best Sunday dress.

Where can we see Lema in the coming years develop as the business continues to cultivate in the local fashion market?  Dee Lea hopes to continue the farm grown, washed, dried and trimmed approach to her 100% cotton pieces.  Be on the lookout for the mini-me version for little girls in her secondary line, Willa, and mother and daughter sets as well.

Indeed, there is something so child-like and and oh so "et la douceur" in the essence of a skirt.  Ladies who wear a Lema skirt should feel like the deserving Girl from Impanema, where a whistle is blushingly and coyly appropriate as she walks by.

We believe Churchill would agree!

Please visit and shop Lema: french market skirts at www.frenchmarketskirts.com and on Facebook!

Curiosity and Creativity Behind the Letterpress: To And From With Love

"Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people." - Leo Burnett

How wonderful it is in life to meet and discover curious and simultaneously creative individuals who offer artistic expressions as their hobbies and work collide in a unified collaboration.

South of MaDi introduces the international company, To & From With Love, LLC; specializing in custom letterpress, stationary and paper goods design.  We had the pleasure to meet co-founder, Lizzie Britton, at a coastal Maine wedding in Boothbay Harbor last August.  Lizzie's cousin was the bride and she was the creator of the bride and groom's nautical-themed save-the-date and ceremony invitations.

Britton's endearment for all aspects of artistic arrangements, including our shared love for interior design, as well as her broad knowledge of graphic design triggered many conversations on how we were inspired to start our own businesses and continue creative endeavors in our work.

The company name, To & From With Love, whose motto is Global Design Close To Home, derived from they way that the business operates, with the back and forth creative ideas between to co-founding team of Sally (Indonesia), Julia (Germany), Grazina (New York City) and Lizzie who is based in Asheville, NC.  Lizzie informs us that, "It also refers to the personal relationships we develop with our clients.  We are there to make an event as easy as possible for helping bring creative ideas to life, and to make sure the client is getting a unique and custom invitation."

Britton has always been a huge fan of paper, printing and design ever since she was a young girl.  She remembers spending afternoons with her mother at her graphic design business.  But it wasn't until she interned and freelanced for Joy Cho at Oh Joy! Studio in NYC that she realized how much she loved the greeting card world.  "My experiences with Oh Joy!, combined with the planning of my own wedding, sealed the deal," adds Britton.  Individuals such as Caeciya "Sally" Sari were willing to take the leap with Britton to help build up To & From with Love from scratch and encourage her to get out there and pursue letterpress.  

South of MaDi wanted to know what inspires To & From with Love to bring creativity to the business and its clientele?  "So much of my creativity comes from the client, whether it is a bride, a business owner, or someone just looking for something fun and unique," responds Britton.  Like most good designers, the inspiration comes from the client's ideas and what their needs are for the project, and bring those ideas to life. 

Moving forward, where can we see To & From with Love's development in the future?  The company hopes to be more accessible in greeting cards in 2013.  Innovative ideas will spur from the company exploring gold foil stamping and linoleum block printing as well.  Britton will be participating in a workshop in the North Carolina mountains on calligraphy and experimenting in the handwritten type.  Also on the radar is the company blog which will feature weekly posts like "Type Tuesdays" and "Wrap of the Month" along with future design projects.

In a world that is now so concentrated on digital and mobile communication, one may wonder how To & From with Love feels about being in the stationary business in this modern day in age?  Britton turns to Guardian writer, Jonathan Jones, for the conflicting interchange.  Jones writes, "Words printed on paper give our written language the vision of colour, tone, size, shape, form and weight.  Print is the singing voice of the written word.  The voice invites us to engage our senses in the act of reading and looking."  Britton believes that print will always have its place and is a vital artifact to capture the spirit of the times.

Britton has chosen the Southern mountainous city of Asheville, North Carolina to grow her side of the letterpress business.  South of MaDi wondered why Asheville over high-profile cities such as NYC or LA?  "There are so many fabulous places all around the world, and part of my business is to promote and explore all design, whether it's in California, New York, Indonesia, England, Germany or India.  But there is no place like the South," acknowledges Britton.  She has lived in many different places over the years, but has always been completely hypnotized by the beauty and mystery that exists only down South.  Britton continues, "I am constantly influenced by the magical nature of the region; whether it is the grand Appalachian Mountains, the misty St. Johns River or the ancient oaks in New Orleans.  For me, it's just where I want to be.  I am hooked!"

And we are hooked on To & From with Love!  South of MaDi celebrates those who are curious to explore outside of the box and to push the envelope, so to speak,  in this fast-paced digital exchange of communication.  We can still experience the tangible elements of creative design in the simplistic form of paper.  

Please visit and share To & From with Love's website, blog and Etsy site at www.toandfromwithlove.com for exciting new projects and inspirations!