Wednesday, October 22, 2008

You Were Inspired by What? - The Fall Squirrel Frenzy

If you are in a location where Fall has arrived and you have squirrels, you must know about the Fall Squirrel Frenzy. All the squirrels in my neighborhood are zipping around all day collecting acorns for winter. Inevitably there are fights and chases and little acorn hats litter the ground. In some places it really looks like a war zone. The poor acorns don't have a chance against these crazy nut-thirsty fiends. I have an affinity for the little nuts and their cute little hats and collect them whenever I can, so I thought I would create a little homage to the last acorn. The brave little guy who hung in there and survived the the Fall Squirrel Frenzy. The details of the piece were actually inspired by the 1st photo in this post.





















To me the necklace represents being a survivor and would make a sweet gift for the survivor in your life, or for yourself. In fact (I just had a light bulb go off) I think I will make another one with a little pink acorn in response to October being Breast Cancer Month.

So beware of the crazy squirrels and if you get a chance save a little acorn. The poor things are being smeared in the media too, so they are getting it from all sides. Here are some fun squirrel and acorn items I found on Etsy. Who knows, they may have been inspired by the Fall Squirrel frenzy too :P
















Acorn Necklace by Tigerlillyshop.etsy.com (and a super talented fellow BEST member!)













Gray Squirrel Bead by Humblebeads.etsy.com
I know Heather was thinking about the Fall Squirrel Frenzy when she created these cute little guys. Just look at what they did to all those poor acorns. Nothing but little hats everywhere (the horror). Visit Heather's blog to caption another photo of these squirrels and be entered to win one!


















Squirrel Print by Berkelyillustrations.etsy.com If only all the squirrels in my neighborhood were this dignified. I am sure this guy would never be caught dead running around like a nut chasing nuts.


















Felted Acorns by lilfishstudios.etsy.com
At least lilfishstudios is making good use of all the little acorn hats. Each little felted beauty is a like a little memorial to the acorn that once was.

Disclaimer: I really do love squirrels, but they sure do get a little bonkers this time of year. This one gave up on the acorns and instead feasted on our pumpkins.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Through My Eyes - Subtle Color

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I had a raging sinus infection last week and honestly couldn't get my thoughts together enough to post anything. This will be another visual post just because I am losing a work day this week to a field trip so I don't have time for a long post. I hope to get an artist interview up tomorrow (keep your fingers crossed).

These are just some nature items that inspired me this week. Notice the subdued coloring that caught me eye. I can't promised that they will make it in to my work, but they are inspiring none the less.





























































Here is a gorgeous Etsy front page created by PianoBenchDesigns that I could imagine being inspired by these photos and their subtle colors and texture:






Saturday, October 4, 2008

Through My Eyes - This week's inspiration

Here are some things that inspired me this week. Maybe they will inspire you too:














I love that the giant praying mantis looks like it's attacking the city. I darkened the first photo to make it more of a silhouette bringing out the shaped of the insect and pattern of the screen. Watch out for a praying mantis pendant coming soon for all you bug lovers. I really love the brick, tan and turquoise tones of this Baltimore city photo. Some obvious inspiration for a new cityscape piece.














I love the texture and the angle of the vines in the first pic and the 2nd pic inspires me to use primary colors and patterns and of course it inspires me to make something fun.

This last photo inspires me to use lines and circles and even numbers in my work. I also like the metallic accents of gold and silver against the metallic green. Well, now you know what inspired me this week. If I create a piece from one of these photos, I will make sure to share. If one of them inspires you, please let me know and I will feature your piece here on the blog!

All photos were taken by me. Please don't use them without permission.

***Don't forget to checkout the BEST Fall Virtual Giveaway in the previous post! We are giving away over $200 in Etsy shop gift certificates! Don't miss out!****

Friday, October 3, 2008

BEST Fall Giveaway

The Baltimore Etsy Street team is excited to announce our new Virtual Giveaway! In preparation for the holiday season we have decided to giveaway $10 gift certificates from each of the following Street Team Members shops!
GreenStarStudio
Holy Smokes! That's a lot of cool stuff you can win, worth $200! Check the blog to get the rest of the scoop!
(photo courtesy of JenMenkhaus)

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