Welcome into my world and to my art Atelier!
Hey Sailors,
I created this blog because I miss the old days when things were a bit slower and when people took the time to have a conversation with one another. We are all slouching on our phones and our thumbs are rushing up and down, while we forget the beautiful physical world! There are people, souls, hearts, and stories walking all around us! So, this is why I opened this gate to create a safe community where we can share our love for Japanese Americana, rugged style, field watches, military designs, history, interior design, thrift life, and style.
Welcome, this is our world now!
I will be posting every Friday. So, feel free to comment and ask any questions.
Today, my post will be about L’Atelier of 88th Company. I spend all of my days in here and it’s full of little gems!
Enjoy the Pictures From L’Atelier:
I love to make my stencils and use them on anything! They give this really beautiful distressed look!
The Left Side of L’Atelier
This is my left side of L’Atelier. I have two tables with repurposed wood in the middle that I use as an island workstation. (This was L’Atelier a few months ago, it has changed a bit in a few areas now.) I’ve also painted the walls myself and made them look distressed and old.
For easy access, I’ve always wanted my tools to be hanging on the wall. First, I repurposed an old OSB plank and hung it on the wall. Second, to hang my tools, I simply hammered some nails. It gives it that rough industrial vintage look.
Grab an apron to keep your clothes clean from paint stains! I have 4 aprons, some I bought and some I made myself from repurposed coveralls. I shall write about them too shortly.
Last week, I added a few hooks to the wall and now I have a great vision on my bag inventory. I do have amazing transparent boxes and digital pictures of my inventory, but having things hanging is so beautiful in itself!
On my hangers, I have, again, so many different types of vintage bags and other items. They give to L’Atelier a nice vintage look!
On the bottom, I have several old relics from WW2 and post-war. I will write about these down the line.
I love to collect anything related to aviation and relics from the two world wars. I’m fascinated by the story behind every object! Also, I love to collect old French books for their beautiful covers. Any trip to Paris is a chance for me to buy beautiful antiques.
Sewing Station of L’Atelier
This is Betty, my Siruba industrial sewing machine. I have customized it like a WW2 fighter airplane with nose art and kills. They are simple stickers that I can remove if I ever want to upgrade my sewing machine one day. You can try it! This makes your sewing machine look so cool and unique!
If you sew, you know that threads will be your number one source of expenses! There’s never enough color or style of thread to buy! I love to work with size 30. That’s my basic size for everything.
Center Station of L’Atelier
This is a WW1 trench art engraved on it “Souvenir, Verdun”. It’s one of my favorite pieces in my collection. I use this brass shell case to hold fabric or as a vase. I will make a future post about all my shell cases.
This is what happens when things get a bit messy and busy in L’Atelier. Paint is everywhere! In Summer, my Angelus paint dries so quickly! I have to buy some paint retarders soon.
This is a secret project in the pipeline. I will talk about it very soon! 🙂 So be a little patient!
Right Side of L’Atelier
This is my digital station. I work on a Mac Pro, connected to a Wacom Cintiq 24HD (old gen.), a Silhouette Cameo 3 cutter machine, a Canon printer, and a scanner.
On the top right wall, I have shelves with many little treasures from the past. I love to collect tins! They are an incredible source of graphic design inspiration! Again, I buy anything with aviation themes! It’s simply gorgeous!
I have a lot of frames with pictures of USAAF pilots from different backgrounds, genders, and origins. I also am a BIG watch lover! So, when I saw this Jaeger A-10 Chronoflite from a WW2 TBM Avenger, I simply bought it! I’m planning to get a stand for it.
I love this poster by Jes Wilhelm Schlaikjer. WW2 posters are my favorite interior decorative pieces! Under my screen, there are family and cat pictures. :)! Oh yeah, on top of the screen, that’s Jiji from the movie Kiki’s Delivery Service. No need to say, I’m a HUGE fan of Hayao Miyazaki’s work and Studio Ghibli.
Books are the best source of inspiration! Here are a few of my favorite things to read (The last section is art books from Studio Ghibli movies.) I also, carry a large digital library on my iPad. Especially Japanese magazines like Lightning and Clutch. I always get back to them for information or inspiration.
That’s all for today Sailors,
For direct contact please don’t hesitate to write me a telegram.
Sonia 🙂