Meet my children's other mother....

Creepy, huh?

My kids had fun at the Coraline movie website exploring, replacing eyes with buttons, and creating flowers, but the button eyes just creep me out! There are also really interesting behind the scenes videos and pictures on the website (which is really quite impressive and worth checking out). I learned what a cool and creative job it is being a "rigger", and how "thinking outside of the box" is such a necessary skill in that line of work.

The movie itself was also quite amazing, especially for stop-action fans like we are. The 3-D effects have become so much more advanced. Now I want to see all movies in 3-D! I don't want to say much about the movie, for those who plan to see it, except that it is not for the faint of heart. It is pretty intense and scary in parts, and it effectively draws you into forgetting it's all pretend. It left a lasting impression that will definitely be on my mind for a while!

Video Fun by My Son

Out of the Box Art

If you've seen any of the art I've posted before, you probably know that I love when artists use traditional materials in an untraditional manner, or if they use untraditional materials to create traditional looking art. The "out of the box" creativity of some artists just amazes and inspires me. Here are a few more that I recently saw on-line.

First is the artist Yeondoo Jung, who created photographs inspired by children's drawings. This is one example, but I urge you to check them all out.

Next is this coat hangar gorilla from David Mach. Talk about turning the ordinary into extraordinary!

And finally, check this out the Crest Hardware Art Show, held anually in Brookly, NY. You can see more photos of the mundane turned into art Collin Mel's Flickr pool.


I hope you enjoy these wonderful artists, and like me, are inspired to keep looking at the world in new ways.

Another View of Sheep

Aren't these clever sheep? I saw them last night on the Craftzine blog, more here.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

The giant slide and bumper car madness at the county fair.

So far, we've been able to attend the Hobe Sound Art Festival , the ArtsFest of Stuart, and the Martin County Fair. Another arts fair, "Artigras" is going on this weekend in Jupiter, but three weekends in a row of art fairs would just be too much for my kids. ;P I contemplated going to the Florida Renaissance Festival this weekend, but honestly all these fun activities are cutting into the budget.


The Stuart ArtsFest and the Hobe Sound Art Fest.


So now we may have to eliminate a few of the future outings I had hoped to take. Our choices are the Ren Fest, the Hatsume Festival at Morikami Japanese Gardens and Museum, and a day trip to Orlando to visit a theme park. It will most likely be Orlando, since my Aunt Cathy will be there visiting from Maine.

Will somebody please remind to save some money from the holidays next year, so that I will be financially prepared for Florida's Festive February? And if YOU ever want to visit Florida, I highyly recommend coming in February. The flowers are blooming and the outdoor festivities are abundant!

Friday Fill-in #58

Oooops! I'm a little late again. Do you ever think about things so much during a day, that you forget if you actually did them, or you just were planning to do them when you got the chance? Or is it just me? Anyway, here's what I composed in my head yesterday. ;)

1. I'm looking forward to a visit from my sister-in-law and her husband.

2. Italy is a place I always wanted to visit and haven't made it there yet.

3. I've fallen in love with making Art Trading Cards.

4. Six of one, 2x3 of another.

5. Addiction is a frequently misused term for passionate pursuit and frequent enjoyment of activities that are not truly harmful, ie. video games.

6. The videos my kids create crack me up!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having my sister-in-law and her husband at our house, tomorrow my plans include going to the county fair and Sunday, I want to just enjoy my husband's only day off with him and the kids, doing whatever!

Who Knew......

that needle felting was so "magical" and fun? Apparently, quite a few people before me, but I just discovered it. It was easier than I expected, and provided the quick reward of a completed project. I was amazed at how a puff of wool could turn into something more solid in such a simple fashion (since my prior experience with felting involved crochet first, then wash, then shape and dry). Anyway.....this is my first of many felted goodies, I'm sure.

I Love Creating Things - Thursday Thirteen #5

Thirteen arts and crafts that I've dabbled in:

1. Crochet

2. Knitting

3. Cross-stitch

4. Embroidery

5. Making wire and bead jewelry

6. Embellishing clothing with fabric paint

7. Encaustic painting (wax painting)

8. Watercolor painting

9. Tie dye and batik

10. Candle making

11. Stamping & Scrapbooking

12. Henna tattoo

13. Leather tooling

Update to last week's thirteen: I completed #2 and #8, and #12-13 are well underway. ;)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

San Francisco Shopping (Sort of)

Just a few days ago, I excitedly received my first package from The Sampler. It contained all these goodies from indie artists based in San Francisco!

I had been wanting a Sampler ever since I first found out about them, and finally I could no longer resist. Here are my favorites.

If you want to find out about some of the wonderful independent artists and crafters out there, The Sampler is a great way to do so. Even if you don't get your own Sampler, their website will introduce you to the works of their wonderful contributers (whom you may want to order from individually). ;) Go ahead, take a peek, and see if you can resist.

Re-creating Myself

(Crocheted and shrink art jewelry by me.)

One of the best things I've discovered, or re-discovered, since having children is my own creativity. I spent so many years working to be "professional" in my field, to be taken seriously as an "adult", and making "work" out of being the best parent I could be. I'm only recently coming to realize that to be my best at any of these things requires me to honor and accept all parts of myself. That especially includes the parts of myself that I tucked away in order to be more "mature" and adult.

The part of me that LOVES arts and crafts, and enjoys appreciating others art and creativity, is making a strong resurgence. This is what brought me joy when I was younger, and it is no less joyful now! Thanks to all the wonderful resources at my fingertips (via the computer), I am able to nurture this part of me and be inspired by countless others. It feels like a whole new world has opened up to me. But in reality, it is re-visiting of a part of myself that has been fallow for some time. Now, I am definitely enjoying the harvest, and looking to further cultivate my joy in creating.

Today's Daily Om spoke so eloquently about this that I wanted to share it. Here's an excerpt:

In certain times and places, developing a creative ability was considered an important part of being a well-rounded human being. It was not necessary to be a professional or a masterly genius, because the act of creativity was valued in and of itself. It gifts are manifold—from the sheer pleasure of allowing our imaginations free reign to sharing and enjoying the fruits of our labor. Children share drawings and songs freely, without self-consciousness, and there is no reason why we cannot do the same thing. (Read the entire piece here.)

This has been so true for me! Why not see if there's a part of you longing to create? You can find instructions for just about anything right here on the Internet. ;) Try something new and you might find something old and familiar inside that's been dieing to get out. Let me know about it too. I'd love to hear about it!

WOW............ wow!!!

No, I'm not referring to the popular World of Warcraft game. It's the World of WearableArt. Here are just two amazing examples from the annual show held in New Zealand.




Wow....that's all I have to say. ;)

Mud Play

Yesterday we started our first attempts at making a dorodango, or shiny mud ball. I'm not sure if we have the "right" type of dirt, but it's been fun trying to make one. This is about as far as we get before throwing the ball becomes too appealing to resist. If we ever get a shiny one completed, I'll certainly be sharing pictures. In the meantime you can see some really beautiful ones here, and read more about them here. If anyone else has tried making them, and has any advice about what type of dirt is best, we'd love to hear from you.

Creepy Crafting

These adorable little guys are "glove monsters" created by my daughter. We first saw the idea on my half of the brain, which gives links to tons of crafty tutorials. The original tutorial came from the wonderful CraftyPod. They are so fun to create, quick and easy too! There's plenty of time to whip up a few before Halloween. Come on, you know you want to. ;)

More Fun Art and Craftiness

Thanks to my friend Mary for sharing this amazing work (by Andrew Lipson and Daniel Shiu) on her blog. We are M.C. Escher fans here, so we think this is really cool. Don't you?

Here's something else fun and new I just saw on WhipUp today.

It was quite timely because my kids have been having a blast, literally, with the hundreds of balloons my son just got as part of a balloon hat making kit he acquired at the recent conference we went to. I am awful at helping them create things with their balloons, because I am terrified of them popping while I work on them. I startle so much when they do!!! This softie would be the perfect "balloon" creation for me. There is a myriad of even more adorable softies on this site by Heidi Kenney, too cute for words. Go check 'em out!

Drawing With Thread

I guess I really am drawn to artists who are not only exceptionally talented, but to those who also express themselves in unconventional ways. I am so impressed by Paula Sanz Caballero, whose work I was introduced to today thanks to WhipUp. Her use of textiles and emboidery to illustrate is amazing!!! Here's just one example:
You can see more of her work here. ENJOY! :)

The Natural Beauty Created by Laura Breitman

I LOVE this woman's creations. I especially like her landscapes. I was first drawn to the colors, the nature, the undisturbed peacefulness I saw in the scenes. When I realized that her pictures were all collages, I was even more in awe. If I ever get to see her work in person, it will be a wish come true.

Here's a glimpse. You can see her portfolio at her site here.

(click image to see it larger)

In the Thick of It In the Thick of It , Detail
38"x41"

Sand Art