I've been slowly collecting children's paint boxes after finding a old orange Playtime Water Colors tin at a yard sale. I'm drawn to the texture, color and the story of use. I like that they are unintentional artworks in and of themselves, I like the predetermined ordering of the colors clashing with the overflow and spattering of in-the-moment excitement.
top to bottom: Playtime Water Colors Tin - Binney & Smith, Peacock Water Colors & Brush Plastic Tray - Binney & Smith, Prang Water Colors Tin - The American Crayon Company.
I saw the work of Charles Beck on our local public television station and fell for his Charley Harper like sense of simplicity, geometry, composition and color. He's a woodblock printer who lives in Fergus Falls, MN. He's exhibited at the Walker, The MET and the MIA. Here are some of his works via mnartists.org
harvest - Charles Beck
tulip - Charles Beck
birches - Charles Beck
early snow - Charles Beck
This last one is my favorite. I like the gray cool palette and the bright pops of red between the trees. I'd love to have this hanging in our home. I wonder if I can find a print.
It's my birthday today and this year feels extra special and extra good for a lot of reasons, like a bug with a balloon. I can't wait to see what thirty-four brings.
The guys from Backwards Beekeepers have an intriguing and mindful way of beekeeping and I am a big fan. The premise of their endeavor is that they are organic beekeepers who "partner" with the feral(wild) bee population in Los Angeles and work with the bees to encourage them to thrive. They utilize natural practices without pesticides or medication to keep hives alive and working.
I first saw their youtube videos and loved their natural way in front of the camera and their guy style. Reminds me of the This Old House guys, or Tom and Ray from NPR.
A part of beekeeping that many non-keepers don't realize is the high incidence of having to let a hive die off and replacement of all the bees (sometimes hundreds of thousands per hive) on a near yearly basis. This isn't optimal, but it is certainly part of the practice especially in harsher climates or in some commercial operations.
But I think these guys have it right when they say "Our goal is to do right by the bees so that the bees can return the favor."
Now they've got their own t-shirts for sale on their blog, it's worth checking out to see what's up and to get a taste for their unique voice.
Check out this adorable and easy cookie construction! A sweet little gingerbread house that sits on your coffee or cocoa mug. Free pattern download and more cute ideas from notmartha.org.
Last year after Christmas I inherited the box of Shiny Brite ornaments from my mother from my grandmother which I've admired and adored for all of my Christmases. They usually hang on my parents' tree but last year they were given to me. I just dug them out of the attic and I'm hoping to hang them on our new-to-us aluminum tree.
My favorite was always the blue bulb shape with the silver tinsel inside. I like to hang it right next to a light on the tree so the tinsel shines brightly. I have many memories of carefully taking them out of the box and putting them on my family's tree. Now they can be on our family tree.
For the third year in a row I've invited some friends over and asked them to each bring a yard of fun fleece from which we make 2 cat beds for the Animal Humane Society.
Here's the invite I sent out.
These blankets are really simple and I'm sure others have seen
these made out of outrageous fun fleece. There are some good instructions online. We're using a yard of fleece to make 2 beds, so they're quite small, but perfect for purrs. The best part is how many goofy fleece fabrics are out in the world and seeing what patterns friends found and chose (sombreros! dogs working out?! trippy paisley! pirates! koi fish!) for the cats' beds.
We made 35 beds this year! That's a record.
The Humane Society will put a blanket in each cat's cage when they're on the adoption floor. It helps them to have a snuggly place to sleep and makes them feel more at home while they wait for a family.
It was a great afternoon of visiting, laughing and making for a reason which left a wonderful feeling inside of all of us.
This is one of my favorite photos. It is of my mother-in-law in the late 50's or very early 60's participating in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" contest in California (likely San Francisco.)
I love it for many reasons.
one - the whole framing is perfect and I love the blurry head in the foreground
two - the man in the top hat.
three - the dollar bill on the ground
four - the people looking on
five - her genuine, youthful smile
We're hanging it on our wall right now so I thought I'd post it just for fun.
Yesterday I sent out my ornaments for the 2009 Ornament Swap hosted by Freshly Blended! I was happy with how they turned out and what they looked like all packaged up. I hope everyone who receives them in the mail enjoys them.
This is my 4th year doing the swap. Here are two of my previous ornaments (I sadly missed photographing my 2007 edition.)
Last year's (2008) vintage inspired glitter light up houses on my studio table.
And 2006's hand felted snowman with a jaunty pom hat, bead eyes & coal and a Fimo carrot nose.
It's great to look back and remember creating each of these in anticipation of the holidays and it's been so much fun to check the mail each year and see how creative and clever everyone has been. Here's hoping all your holiday crafting/gifting is going well!
