Entries Tagged as: goodies
Creativity Snapshot
January 28th, 2008, Comments (13)
Here's a look at the table I was working on today. You can see some of the "Subway Stories" pieces that I've been varnishing and painting the sides of, my sketchbook that contains a poem by Hafiz that has inspired two ideas for artwork, and a bunch of quickie collages done on gessoed postcards. I think I was starving for color after doing so many black and white pieces "Subway Stories" pieces in a row.
For the mini collages, I used scrap papers I had in my collection of random stuffs plus pieces of prints oopses. A print oops, is simply a printing mistake or experiment that happened when making my prints. Instead of just tossing the paper (which is expensive), I've saved it and today I put some into these little collages, which are 4"x6". I will probably paint, write, and or work on these collages some more, but I thought you might enjoy a little peek into what I've been up to today. I've felt in great creative spirits which is always nice.
And now, I've gotta go off and do some house chores...not exactly the most fun part of the day, but it's gotta get done. So, in the spirit of CED, I'm going to approach it with some fun and creativity in mind. It's funny how such a small shift in perspective can make it all seem like less of a chore and more of an experience. For example, I need to do some dishes. Not so exciting, I know. But if I shift my thinking, I remember my apple green dish washing gloves from Williams and Sonoma that make me smile, I consider lighting a candle, enjoying the tulips in the kitchen, listening to Yo Yo Ma as I work, and the yummy smell of soap bubbling up in warm water. Sounds lovely to me now. Ahh. Happy creating all y'alls!
Etsy Updates
January 20th, 2008, Comments (1)
3 of the prints I put up on my new Etsy store sold today. Hoorah! So, I've replaced those prints and added one more "Subway Stories" print there.
I also wrote about my etsy store along with some cool etsy shops I've enjoyed (just a few out of many I love to watch and buy from!) on my Blue Tree Blog. So, go check that out for some fun linkage. I'm going home in a couple hours and I'm so excited to snuggle up with the hubster, his homemade cooking, and some cute kitties to keep me warm. It is frigidly cold outside today. Brr!
Holiday Cheer
December 2nd, 2007, Comments (11)
Today, my plans were side-railed by a monster migraine that has kept me in bed in the dark all day. I was feeling all bummed out and achey when I first came out of the bedroom in the early evening, but then I read about the sweetest challenge on Jen Lemen's blog. The challenge is called "25 Days to Make a Difference" in which Laura remembers how her grandpa made a difference in her life by making a difference in the lives of others every day for 25 days. The blog she created for this project has apparently created quite a response and even more amazing is the fact that Laura is only 10 years of age! This made my heart melt. And it made me think about ways in which I can make a difference in small and large ways during the holiday season...things like buying handmade products or making my own gifts for the holidays, bring bags of my own to the grocery store instead of using the bags the store has, donating warm clothing I don't use to the Salvation Army, etc...
Speaking of buying handmade. Check these out:
-I recently lucked out and won a gorgeous pair of earrings in a "Free Bling Friday" giveaway from Kelly of Happy Shack Designs. I wore them out to the basketball game on Thursday and loved the way they caught the light.
- Wyanne, one of the wonderful artists I met through Art Every Day Month this year, is having a special online art event on December 7th at 7 pm EST. She had loads of wonderful art to sell, so be sure to check that out!
- I've mentioned before that my art is featured on Trunkt an online lookbook for artists and designers. Members can put together a group of products under a theme, called a showcase. I've put one together called "December Chill" which you can see here. Be warned, there's so many beautiful things on Trunkt, you could be swept away for hours!
- Jes of Junque Revival is giving away wonderful vintage music with purchases from $18 - $34 and for purchases over $35 she's giving a free art ephemera pack (which looks so cool!) Jes makes wonderful jewelry using vintage items ( love this one!) Do check it out!
- Design Sponge has a great guide to handmade shopping here. Be sure to check out all their other gift guides while you're there!
- And of course, be sure to check out my art website while you're doing your holiday shopping! 
- There are so many wonderful artists online, so be sure to look around for wonderful holiday shopping opportunities. If you've got a special sale going on this month or anything else worth mentioning, feel free to leave a comment. I'd love to hear about them!
Update: I just realized that this is my 200th post on this blog! I've had a few different blogs through the years (I've been blogging since 2001) and this blog is fairly young in comparison to some of them (it'll be all of 1 year old on Tuesday), but I've loved blogging here, the places it has taken me, and the people I've met along the way. In celebration of my 200th post, I'd like to give away a little something to the first 5 people to comment on this post. Woohoo!
Wedding Veil Ordered – Check!, Crazy Relatives – Check!, Wedding Mania – Check!
September 13th, 2007, Comments (10)
Oh, I'm so off! I feel completely discombobulated. This cold is kicking my butt. I'm so over you, cold! Take a hike! I've got one of those racking coughs goin on that makes my brain hurt and sleep difficult. Despite that, I'm attempting to find my rhythm again.
Saw a great movie last night with the fiansor. If you need a good hearty laugh and you have a silly sense of humor (and you don't mind a little bit of over the top violence...there is a bit of gore in it, but it's not scary at all, it's all in the name of comedy), you might just love this movie, "Hot Fuzz." It's from the makers of "Shaun of the Dead" which I found to be funny, but also scary and I think it did give me nightmares. "Hot Fuzz" didn't give me any bad dreams. It wasn't scary, just ridiculous. It starts out a little slow, with silly British humor and then all the sudden it shifts into complete mayhem. I don't want to spoil the story, so you'll just have to go rent it yourself.
Had some more wedding discussions with the fiansor last night. Trying to figure out the shape of our ceremony, which is a little stressful and then all these little pieces like where we're having a rehearsal dinner (there's not enough space for that in our apartment), do we need a limo to pick up parents and grandparents?, and why won't the coordinator at our venue call us back?? (grr) Too many details to keep in my head and this is just the tip of the wedding iceberg. I always found the image of a Bridezilla to be a truly ridiculous image and even though I definitely haven't gone to that level of nuttiness, I am beginning to sympathize with women who lose it momentarily. Because when that woman flips out about place cards, it's so not about the place cards...it's about their cousins who won't tell them what food choice they want before the venue's deadline, and their parents bugging them about what tie color they should wear when she couldn't care less, and the friend who insists on bringing their baby even though it's an adults only reception, and the coordinator who hasn't been returning her phone calls in a month, and their mother is flipping out because they didn't see every single fitting and choice made in person, and some relative who is upset because they heard there will be bacon in one of the appetizers, etc...So, when she starts crying and yelling about place cards, you just have to give the girl a hug and not tell her that the place cards don't matter because she knows that and she's just super overwhelmed. I mean, getting married and saying your vows is a big enough life event to have to deal with and then having to plan this huge monster of a party on top of that is enough to make any girl, except maybe the martha stewarts among us, a bit batty. And oh boy, do I wish I had more Martha Stewart in me right about now. However, after chatting and laughing with the fiansor last night, we both know that the day itself will be perfectly imperfect and fun and romantic and a whirlwind. My brother is getting married next weekend and then there will be only 3 weeks til my wedding. O.my.god. And so, posting may be erratic to say the least. Bear with me.
And how bout some fun links before I head off to my mom's for a make-up trial? Sure.
-Thursday, September 27, Marisa of Creative Thursday is having a one-day Creative Thursday event where she's encouraging anyone who is interested to do something creative. Read more about that here!
-I was telling all the girls in Maine about where I got my fantastic purse. I picked out the fabric and purse design at a purse party/bachelorette party last year for my best friend. A rep from the company who makes them, called 1154 LILL Studio came out to the house with bags of fabric and purse styles and we got to spread them all out and play and design a purse (which was then made in Chicago and sent back to us.) It was so much fun and I use that purse nearly every day. You can go on their website and design your own purse online or go to one of their stores and do it in person. Much fun. And today I got an email from them saying that they're now selling their fabric alone which could be great fun for making curtains or a pillow or your own style of purse. The name of the company is from the address where they started out in Chicago and it was all started by a woman with a great idea. Their fabrics are great and if you've got one of their stores near you, I'd definitely check it out.
-This website for a cat cam invention absolutely cracked me up. Apparently, the camera attaches to the cat's collar and then takes pictures at regular intervals. On the site you can see examples of the inventor's cat, Mr. Lee's, travels. I love the pics of him coming upon a cat friend and then the various adventures they go on. Too cute!
-Anthropologie just opened a store nearby and now I can much more easily spend time browsing their super fun way of arranging a store. There stuff is expensive, but every once in a while, I do enjoy shopping there for a special occasion dress or fun knick knack. I happened to get many tea pots and accessories for my bridal shower from friends and family and I am just loving my new collection of tea pots and cups. I need to get some shelves to display them I think. I decided I had to have this cup and saucer for my collection since it is the one featured in the painting I bought from Jessie! And I bought one new fall outfit including this adorable sweater which I'm loving to pieces.
Ok, that's all for now folks. Have a wonderful evening!
