Sunday, September 20, 2009

GIVEAWAY!!

I'm having a giveaway over at the "Sweeter Than Me" Blog. You can win a free print of your choice from Block Party Prints or a magnet set of your choice from Block Party Press!

Just head to the "Sweeter Than Me" Blog to enter before 9/28/09!!!!!!!


Thanks in advance for entering & good luck!

Here's a little visual inspiration for your Sunday!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Inspiration Revealed - Fall Leaf

Thought I'd share a leaf that inspired me this morning. I found it on my front step. It must have been stepped on several times. Makes me want to scatter a few more out there and see what patterns turn up.

Since it was too early for creating (at least for me), I used the inspiration to make a treasury list. I can imagine that any of these items could have been inspired by this gorgeous Fall leaf. I hope it offers you a little inspiration today wherever you are in the world!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Block Party Prints is Live!!!!!!

I finally got my new shop up and running! I only have a few things listed, but I'll be adding more each day! Stop by and check it out and let me know what you think!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Vote Block Party Press for 2009 Craftiest Bastard!

I don't usually ask for votes, but I would really love to win this one! Crafty Bastards is one of my favorite shows! Just click the button below to vote. It's super easy and I would really appreciate your support!!

You can see my vendor page and get directions here. Come see me there October 3, 2009!! If there's something specific you'd like to see there, let me know and I'll be sure to bring it!




Thanks in advance for your support!!!!!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Through My Eyes- The Fungus Among Us

Here are some fungus that inspired me over the last week and some handmade Etsy items that I imagine could be inspired by the photo (disclaimer: I don't actually know what inspired these items, but I am just illustrating how you can take some of the characteristics of the mushrooms/fungus and how they could be translated into art). I tried to find items that didn't scream "Mushroom" to help illustrate how you can use more abstract ideas to find inspiration. Sorry this is kind of a long post, but it's mostly pictures, so hang in there and scroll down to see it in it's entirety. All of the mushroom/fungus photos were taken by me.

I can see the mushroom gills in this beautiful brooch by Tinctory.etsy. The shape, colors and texture are a perfect representation of the mushroom half pictured above.


This one inspired me to think about the mushrooms as a family in their log home. The closeness of the mushrooms and the way they tend to group together inspired me to create the series of pen drawings which I colored digitally. Now while I did use actual mushrooms in the drawings, the real inspiration was the thoughts of closeness and family. I broadened the idea into a set of mushroom illustrations depicting different types of families.

Here's a very cool micro sculpture by elementclaystudio.etsy that could have been inspired by the closeness of mushrooms/fungus. I love the way she interpreted it into a sphere and kept it a simple white. Again taking the idea and even the shape of a mushroom, but expanding on it.



The photo above immediately made me think about frills. I wonder if they inspired the first frills. Here is a fantastic clutch by ElenaMakesThings.etsy. The frill is a lovely translation of a single fungi using the wavy shape and the lovely color gradation.



This brooch by kjoo.etsy could easily have been inspired by the fungus above. Although the colors are very different, you could see the inspiration through the lovely shape and the layers. It really has a wonderfully organic feel.


These wonderful podlike fungi are crazy inspiring to me. These lovely stacking rings by erinbowe.etsy when put together, remind me of the way the fungi is arranged. While the spheres are not uniform, the differences in texture add a lot of interest and an organic feel. The dark patina of the rings is also reminiscent of the log that serves as home for the fungus.



How will these fungi inspire you. Remember to look beyond the obvious. Please feel free to link to items inspired by mushrooms, fungi or any of the photos in this post!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Another Challenge - Be inspired to build a House!

Well so far, I have spent my labor day building houses! But it's been a labor of love! The boys and I spent much of the long weekend outside collecting all kinds of bit so f nature (as usual) and today we layed them out to and were trying to see what we could make with them.

We had tried to do some spore printing after reading the Resurrection Fern Blog and it was a big fail, so I had this big mushroom cap and I tore off a piece of it to take a closer picture and set the cap down. When I looked back at the cap, it looked like a cute little hut perfect for a gnome, a snail or maybe a smurf. Of course the wheels started turning and I was sure that the creature that would live in the hut wouldn't be satisfied with a boring abode, so we made a few modifications with the treasures we found on our walks. Here are the different models we came up with (the one above "Helicopter" and it's my favorite):

The Pine Cone
The Queen Anne
The Tulip Poplar
The Pine Branch
The Conifer
The Acorn
The Walnut
The Weed

I hope you enjoyed checking out my labor day work! Which one would you live in? Here's a challenge for you. Take found items and make your own little house. Try not to buy anything at all. Then post a link in the comments or send me a picture and the story behind your house (what you used,what inspired it, how you made it, who lives in it, etc.. ) and I'll post it here! happy building!

Update!
Here's a little treasury I put together to help inspire your houses!

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