Block Party Press

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-11-16T16:52:00.001-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-11-14T15:05:00.001-05:00

I really loved the feeling of movement in these photos.

FYI - The sales are still on in both of my shops. I've been sick and had sick kids and haven't had a chance to take the sales down, so you can still take advantage of the sale. I plan to take it down in the next day or so.

I'll be having a twitter giveaway at some point this week too. I'll announce the details here. Stay tuned.

Be Inspired to get Your Holiday Shopping Done Early - 2 of 2

2011-10-28T09:21:00.000-04:00

I'm having a 20% off "Early Bird" holiday SALE in my Jewelry Shop! Just use the code "EARLYBIRD2011" at checkout to receive the discount.

Be Inspired to get Your Holiday Shopping Done Early - 1 of 2

2011-10-26T16:32:00.000-04:00

I generally don't post too much promotional stuff here on the blog, but I'm having sales in both my shops so I thought two promo posts would be OK. Here are the details from my BOGO SALE in My Art Print Shop:

Buy one print get one print of equal or lesser value free. Just put the name of the free print in the "Note to seller" at Checkout. Limit 3 free prints per customer. Great for inexpensive holiday gift giving!
Here are some collections from the print shop :

Full Circle Trees:

Say it Don't Spray It :

Heart Strings:

Woodland:

Crafty Love:

Fun:

Quick Draw:

Focus:

Have a Heart:

Lovey Dovey:

Inspiration Revealed

2011-10-24T18:00:00.002-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-10-17T20:10:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-10-03T14:03:00.002-04:00

You Were Inspired By What?

2011-09-09T16:34:00.000-04:00

I'm borrowing from my son's blog for this post. He was inspired by the empty spaces in the handle of his scissors. So he created this little gem:

Looking at "empty spaces" is a great way to get inspired. You don't have to be as literal as Kyle was with filling the spaces, but you can be inspired by the shapes of the "empty spaces" or create interesting "empty spaces" in your work. Sometimes what's not there is as interesting as what is there. Take a little time this weekend to notice the "empty spaces" around you.

Please check out Kyle's blog and leave him a comment.

3 Ways - Lilly Pads

2011-09-08T18:11:00.001-04:00

Three Ways - One subject,3 different ways of looking at it. The idea is to get you to look at things differently in order to find new inspirations from one subject.

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-08-31T14:29:00.001-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-08-30T12:10:00.002-04:00

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-08-07T12:05:00.000-04:00

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-08-07T11:59:00.000-04:00

The sun creates it's own art with shadows, shapes and angles.

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-08-07T11:55:00.001-04:00

The stink bugs back reminded me of polymer clay cane jewelry. Such great patterns mixed together to create a masterpiece.

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-07-09T16:41:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-07-05T14:25:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T20:29:00.002-04:00

There's a New Blog on the Block : Kyle's Kreations

2011-07-04T08:02:00.009-04:00

Son number two decided he wanted a blog too, so in an effort to be an accommodating Mom, we created one. We are starting it off as a summer project, but if he enjoys it we may expand it beyond the summer. The blog will allow him to show off his creations, practice his writing and communication skills and have a little responsibility over the summer. We're hoping to add a tutorial or two and maybe even a couple of videos. We'd love it if you gave his new blog a visit and left a comment for him. We hope you follow along on his creative adventure and who knows you just might get inspired! Just click the photo below to head over to Kyle's blog.

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-07-03T16:01:00.000-04:00

Minnows caught by the boys. All were safely released back into the Chesapeake Bay.

Through My Eyes - Train Tracks

2011-07-01T20:47:00.005-04:00

The boys and I have started our summer adventures. We(carefully)explored the train tracks in one of our favorite parks. This is what caught my eye:

Here's are some things from this location/photos that inspired me:

*The warm rusted tones of the metal with the dull gray rocks against the lush greenery would make an interesting color combination.

*The contrast in textures of the metals, the rocks and the trees with the former being hard with sharp lines and the latter being softer with more curved lines.

*The repetitive lines, shapes and angles.

*The track that seems to continue on forever. Where does it end? What are the sights along the way?

*Thoughts about travel and destinations.

*Connections - bridges and tunnels and the areas, people and goods they connect

* Thoughts about about working around and incorporating natural elements. The tracks go through a large hill without disturbing the park and the trails that climb the hill.

So many ideas... imagine if we had actually seen a train.

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-06-28T13:11:00.006-04:00

View from my booth at Pile of Craft.

My Booth at Pile of Craft.

Daily Dose of Inspiriation - Cherry Blossoms & link to a Giveaway!

2011-04-06T17:16:00.003-04:00

Head on over to Etsy Stalker to enter to win an "Out on a Limb - First Leaf of Spring" Necklace. You have until April 10th to get your entry in!

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-03-30T14:18:00.003-04:00

Some sweet inspiration today. I broke the CD-rom drive on our computer and when the hubs fixed it he did something to the slot where I upload pictures, so since I can't upload new pics,I'm having to post some older pics. These are cupcakes I made for Son #1's school valentine's party. I just loved the folded look of the batter and the look of the cupcake paper. Most people are inspired by finished cupcakes, but there's inspiration to be found in the making too! Happy creating!

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-03-28T17:38:00.001-04:00

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-03-24T10:24:00.002-04:00

Today is cold, rainy and feels nothing like Spring. Luckily I took this pic the other day when it was warm and sunny.

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-03-22T12:43:00.002-04:00

I'm a day late, but "Happy Spring". Mother nature's celebrating with fireworks!

Inspiration Revealed

2011-03-21T12:14:00.005-04:00

Another instance of an idea being expanded from one of my jewelry pieces into a painting.

Don't forget to share your "Inspiration Revealed" photo collages in my Flickr group. Here are some great contributions to the group:

photo by lilfishstudios
read more about the inspiration for this piece on her blog.
lilfishstudios.etsy.com
yousentimentalidiot.etsy.com

photo by marykatemcdevitt
marykatemcdevitt.etsy.com
marykatemcdevitt.blogspot.com
marykatemcdevitt.com

photo by beetreebyme
beetreebyme.blogspot.com/
beetreeme.etsy.com

Be Inspired to Leave Your Comfort Zone

2011-02-22T12:41:00.003-05:00

I've been super busy and I haven't had time for taking pics lately (or posting), but I thought I'd share something new I've been working on. Over the last couple of months I've left my clay comfort zone and I've been creating some new paintings and mixed media pieces. I've found that it affords me a lot more freedom of expression than creating jewelry, as I don't have to worry about if something is too much for someone to wear out in public. As I started, there was no rhyme or reason to my paintings as I flitted from one subject to another (some will be very familiar as they were inspired by my jewelry pieces), but lately I have been focusing on crafty related themes. I haven't quite found my style just yet, but I'm enjoying the journey, which is the most important thing. Here's a collage of the process of a recent mixed media piece:

Prints are available in my print shop and eventually I hope to get the originals listed too. Hopefully someone will like them because I have about 20 more that I need to scan and list. Stay tuned!

As with all photos and artwork on this blog, please do not copy or use the photos without permission. Thanks!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-01-30T17:28:00.002-05:00

The branches of a downed tree sprout from the snow like seedlings. A final gift at the end of a life.

Today's Daily Dose Inspiration

2011-01-28T15:31:00.003-05:00

A special Thanks to Cynthia Tinapple for featuring me on Polymer Clay Daily today and linking to my blog! If you're new to the blog, welcome! Looking for more inspiration? Check out my archives and get/share your inspiration in my flickr groups:

Daily Art Inspiration - members share photos of things that have inspired them - No photos of finished artwork allowed. It is simply an archive of inspiration.
Art Inspiration Revealed - Artists share collages showing their inspiration and creations
Nature Inspired Art - Over 678 artists share their artwork that's been inspired by nature

Group membership is open, so come join in the fun!

Also feel free to follow me on Facebook for art news, updates, press announcements and sales. See the link on my sidebar.

Have a great weekend!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2011-01-03T16:05:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T16:54:00.003-05:00

No fancy props here. Just a little cardboard, paint and imagination(and a lot of fun). The handsome boys didn't hurt either. Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-12-30T14:34:00.002-05:00

Be Inspired to use all of the colors in the new year!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-12-24T15:55:00.001-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-12-22T19:11:00.001-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-12-21T10:50:00.001-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-12-20T20:18:00.001-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-12-19T14:49:00.000-05:00

Through My Eyes - The First Snow of the Season

2010-12-17T12:28:00.002-05:00

We finally got our first snow yesterday. It was wonderful! Here's what caught my eye!

Shameless Self-Promotion

2010-12-07T13:49:00.003-05:00

I'm busy working like a Christmas Elf filling orders, trying to get new stuff photographed and listed, keeping the pup from eating everything in sight and trying to do the regular holiday things with the family, so posts are going to be few and far between until the new year. I'll post as time allows.

In the meantime, a little self-promotion. I have some new bookmarks listed as well as tons of new necklaces and earrings. Plus everything ships free for the rest of 2010!! No code needed as shipping is already adjusted!

These are a last minute idea, so they are in limited supply. I'm slowly getting them listed so if you don't see the one you want, feel free to convo me on Etsy.

Shipping deadlines for guaranteed Christmas arrival:

International: 12/10/10
Made to order/Custom: 12/12/10
Domestic: 12/19/10

Wishing you all a happy holiday season!!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-12-01T13:34:00.005-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-27T23:47:00.002-05:00

The roses decided to go out with a bang. The weathers finally getting colder and these will probably be the last of the roses til next year. They were so big and lovely that I thought they deserved their own post.

Inspiration Revealed + Black Friday Blog Sale

2010-11-26T12:46:00.007-05:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was extra special as it was also Kyle's 8th birthday. We had a great day of family, food and fun and I'm hoping you all did too.

I was inspired to create a treasury from one of this week's Daily Inspiration photos:

Just click the photo to be taken to the treasury and to the items featured! Please click & comment if you like the treasury! If the photo inspires you too, please create your own treasury and leave a link in the comments. I'll be sure to add it to the post!

I'm also having Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale through midnight Monday EST a offering 10% off and free worldwide shipping. Just use code BFBLOG2010 at checkout and the discount will automatically be calculated! (Yah! Etsy for getting coupon codes working before the holidays!)

Don't forget:
**Check out the RikRakStudio Blog as she's having a HUGE handmade giveaway. You can win one of my "Smitten" necklaces too!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-24T15:19:00.000-05:00

Be Inspired to Doodle

2010-11-23T10:51:00.006-05:00

My almost 8 year old (in 2 days) loves to draw so we often sit down for Mother/Son "doodling" sessions. Sometimes we both draw and other times he tells me what to draw. Often times we end up with a page of random things that have no real relation to each other. I love those because they give me a little snapshot of what he's thinking about on that day. I've been dating and collecting them and hope to make a small book for him in a few years. It might be a sweet gift to give him when he leaves for college.

These doodles also inspired a recent project. Etsy announced a new @Etsy Twitter feature. Each month the @Etsy Twitter profile will be re-designed by an emerging, new artist and the design will be made available as a free wallpaper download on your mobile device. I was feeling a bit uninspired when I saw the blog post about the Artist Series, but I wanted to put in an entry. I sat down with some paper and a pen and started thinking about what I think of when I think of Etsy. The first thing I drew was a log and as soon as I finished drawing it, I was reminded of our Mother/son doodle pages and I started drawing random Etsy "trends" that I've noticed over the last 4 years. You know, foxes, birds, skulls, hedgehogs,diamonds, mix tapes and of course a mustache. I also added some crafting items like a ball of yarn, spool of thread, pencil and paintbrush to cover the handmade aspect that makes Etsy unique. Lastly to tie it all together I added the Etsy name (as it's required) and stars and hearts which represent the excitement and love most people feel when the "find" Etsy.

Since they may not choose my doodles for the series, I thought I'd at least share it and it's inspiration with you. Take a little time this week to doodle. Make a page of random items that are in your head. Even better doodle with a partner (sorry that sounds all kinds of wrong). Have them dictate to you what you should draw. It'll give you a little insight into what they're thinking about and you can just draw without having to worry about the inspiration. You may find that you have lots of inspiration after you see your completed doodles.

**Check out the RikRakStudio Blog as she's having a HUGE handmade giveaway. You can win one of my "Smitten" necklaces too!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-20T12:02:00.000-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-15T12:40:00.001-05:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-14T16:34:00.001-05:00

Through My Eyes - Rain Tree Pods

2010-11-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

We have several Golden Raintree Tree's around our house and this time of year we have tons of dried brown pods everywhere. Here's a visual glimpse of pods through my eyes and how they inspire me.

Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-05T12:25:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-03T15:06:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-11-02T16:23:00.001-04:00

I hope you are inspired to exercise your right to vote today!

Halloween Wrap -Up

2010-11-01T15:03:00.002-04:00

I planned to get this up on yesterday, but I never got around to it. We did our best to include some handmade touches to our Halloween celebration. Here's a slide show of the mini mural Kyle & I painted for our front door. Obviously inspired by the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas".

Here are the boys in their costumes. Kyle is the ghost rider who opted for face painting by Mom rather than a mask. Trey is a zombie with mud and blood spattered clothing by Mom.

Our pumpkins:

Keeping with the Jack Skellington Theme

Although in this photo he looks a bit like a Sleestack(sp?)from Land of the Lost! Unfortunately, somebody liked him so much that they stole him right off of our steps.

For the die hard football fans in my house:

Halloween cupcakes for the school parties:

Not a totally handmade Halloween, but a fun one nonetheless.

Three Ways

2010-10-28T11:59:00.005-04:00

I'm starting a new littler feature called Three Ways where I take one subject and look at it in 3 different ways. I might change the angle or the color, or the arrangement depending on the subject and what intrigues me about it at the time. The idea is to get you to look at things differently in order to find new inspirations from one subject.

Since Halloween is approaching, I thought I'd post picks of the lovely lady (I'm assuming she's a lady)who has taken up residence in my backyard. If you are squeamish about spiders, don't scroll any further.

OK, I know it's bad to have an extra pic the first time I post this Three way feature, but this one was too good to leave out. So think of it as Three Ways with a bonus! I'll try my best to keep it to three from now on or I'll have to change the name!

Another bonus** Check out my mini spooky glowing ghost tutorial on the BEST Baltimore craft Blog! BOO!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-10-27T10:29:00.003-04:00

Head over to the BEST Blog for my post about one of my favorite Etsy Shops!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-10-22T20:47:00.004-04:00

Be Inspired Treasury I

2010-10-21T13:33:00.005-04:00

I've decided to incorporate making Etsy treasuries as a tool to look at inspiration. It gives me a reason to play in the treasury, share other artists work and hopefully inspire readers too! Here's my first "Be Inspired" list. It was inspired by October 17th's "Daily Dose of Inspiration" Photo:

Click the photo to see the original Treasury list and link to the featured artists.

Feel free to play along. Take this photo or any other from my blog and create a treasury inspired by it. Post a link in the comments and I'll post it here for everyone to see. I'm thinking this may become a future challenge/giveaway activity.

Inspiration Revealed - Fall

2010-10-20T11:43:00.003-04:00

Inspiration Revealed - Artists Reveals

2010-10-19T11:53:00.004-04:00

A few months back I started a Flickr group, Art Inspiration Revealed, so other artists could share and reveal their inspirations alongside their finished work. Here are a few of the inspirational reveals:

Inspiration:

Art reveal:

Photos by 3 dots

"A beautiful slice of red onion inspired me to create these polymer focal pieces with vintage buttons." photo and quote by maureenthomasdesigns

"I was struck by the beauty of tiny creatures in the microscopic universe: particles, bacteria, viruses, etc. Each of the five "bulbs" in this necklace are inspired by a handful of these strangely beautiful creatures, in an effort to make this invisible world VISIBLE to the human eye." Photo and quote by Veru Designs

"Made after a kitchen towel I recieved from my friend, Dalit." Quote & Photo by Orly Rabinowitz

Photo by Cynthia Del Giudice
You can read more about her inspiration on her blog

Inspiration:

Art Reveal:

Photos by Kirstin Skiles/knitsteel
learn more about her inspiration on her blog

There are a lot more interesting reveals in the group. Feel free to get in on the fun by joining the group and sharing your inspirations and art! Please make sure to read the rules before joining or posting!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-10-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-10-15T12:24:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-10-11T11:36:00.003-04:00

I object 3 ways. Not sure why I didn't take a pic looking straight down. I'll have to remember that for next time. That might be a fun idea for a new blog feature.

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-10-09T11:19:00.001-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-10-08T14:52:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration - Summer Ends

2010-08-29T18:42:00.000-04:00

Today's daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-27T14:49:00.001-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-26T14:04:00.002-04:00

Sorry for all the bug pictures, but when you spend a summer with two boys, you photograph a lot of bugs. Perhaps I should change the title to "Today's Daily Dose of Bugs"!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-24T13:28:00.001-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of inspiration

2010-08-23T10:40:00.000-04:00

Today's Daily Inspiration

2010-08-22T17:23:00.001-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-21T12:33:00.004-04:00

Hello handful of readers! Sorry I've been MIA, but I've been trying to get the most out of the last few weeks of summer, and then I fractured my finger playing with the dog. Bad news, it's on my right hand and I'm right handed. Good news is that it's my middle finger, so I can still make stuff (though it does take a bit longer) and I can give people the finger without them even knowing it.

Next week is the last week of summer and we'll be in heavy preparations for back to school and we'll trying to squeak out at much last minute summer fun as we can. So I'll mostly be posting daily inspiration photos. I've taken tons of photos this summer and haven't posted too many, so I'll take this week to post as many as I can. Today's photos are brief summary of our summer.

Once the kiddos are back in school, I should have some time to be a bit more wordy in my posts. Until then, enjoy the photos and if any of them inspire you to create something, please send a link or photo to me so I can share it with everyone. Don't forget you can also check out my flickr groups for inspiration:

Daily Art inspiration
Inspiration Revealed
Macro 365
Nature Inspired Art
My Kid's Art

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-13T13:15:00.005-04:00

Well as you can see, I didn't get any of those posts I was working done yet. I'm feeling much better, but I have a lot of catching up to do in all facets of life. I figure I'll get them posted when I can. In the meantime, while I scramble around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to get caught up with life, here's a little visual inspiration. Trey had a friend over and he brought his rubber band ball. Of course I had to borrow it to take some pics. We've also started our own, but it's not as impressive just yet. Enjoy!

A little size reference:

Words that come to mind when looking at these photos:

tension
twisted
tangled
bright colors
texture
mess
chaos
determination
perseverance
growth
stretched
random

I took a cue from a previous post and I've removed the color so you can really see the texture of the ball without being distracted by the color.

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-09T13:02:00.012-04:00

Feeling a bit under the weather today. Out of the blue I woke up with a sore throat and my chest feels like I'm getting a cold and while my sinuses are generally stuffy, they a bit a stuffier today. Sooo, while I had a very busy weekend with lots of photos to share, and I'm working on about 5 posts, I think I'll just leave you with a photo inspiration today and rest. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel better and have a most amazing post to share!

The hubs finally cut down our crazy 7 foot tall rose bush a couple of weeks ago (I've been trying to get him to do it for 3 years now), so we've had no roses this summer. Finally this week one branch started to blossom. I missed the roses and I'm glad they're back in a less "Taking over my backyard" kind of way.

This rose is for you! May it inspire happiness, joy and an amazing creation!

**Quick note**

I've added several new widgets to my sidebar.

The first, title "Featured Series" allows you to look at all of the postings under some of my featured series. So if you'd like to browse through all of my " Daily Inspirations Photos", you can without having to search for them or having to read through all my posts. Just trying to make it easier for you to find inspiration! You can find the widget just below Kyle's Creations on the sidebar!

I've added 2 new Craft Cult "Pocket Shop" widgets. One for each of my shops as well. I was lucky enough that they chose my shop as an example for the faux bois widget, so I thought it only fair that I mention the widget in a post. You can your own by clicking the photo example below:

I also added a map that shows what part of the world all my visitors are coming from. As I checked the stats, I happily noticed a rather large number of international visitors, so I thought it would be fun to see everyone on a map. You can click the widget to see a larger map. The only drawback is that it doesn't tell you the location of each dot. My geography isn't the best, so I would have liked that feature, but it is a free widget so I can't complain. If anyone knows of a free map widget that can do that, let me know.

It looks like there have been visitors from every continent except Antarctica! So glad to have you all visit my little blog. I'd love to do a new series about what inspires people around the globe. If you're interested, please let me know in the comments or e-mail me at blockpartypress@yahoo.com.

I hope you enjoy the new additions!

Today's Daily Inspiration

2010-08-06T14:26:00.002-04:00

A little ice for a hot day!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-05T17:37:00.004-04:00

I've always been fascinated with the way animals and especially bugs use mimicry and camouflage. I'm trying to think of a way to incorporate that in my work somehow. Any ideas?

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-08-04T12:34:00.005-04:00

A beautiful spider and it's incredible web.

UPDATE

Here's a quick drawing I threw together inspired by these photos. I call it "I Eat Boyfriends for Breakfast"

Feel free to share any creations you've made that have been inspired by this blog in the comments. I'd love to post my reader's creations too!

Through My Eyes - Tiny Tomatoes

2010-08-03T12:39:00.003-04:00

I didn't have time make a garden this year, but My Mother-in-Law has a tiny container garden and these little tomatoes just caught me eye. I loved the way they were grouped together and I like the brown brick as a backdrop with punches of color from the string she used to tie them up. Hopefully I'll make it back over there to get a picture of them once they've turned red.

Through My Eyes - Football Practice

2010-08-02T13:42:00.004-04:00

My oldest son has fallen in love with football. I'm not a huge football fan (I'm more of a basketball girl) or a fan of watching my kid get pummeled but he really wanted to do it, so being the awesome parents we are, we couldn't say no. So now 6 days a week for 2 hours we sit in a field watching football practice. In an effort to show you that you can find inspiration just about anywhere, here are some pics taken during football practice of things that inspired me!

Putt-Putt Part 2 - Be Inspired to Lomo

2010-08-01T13:19:00.005-04:00

After I loaded up the Putt-putt pics I started thinking how old fashioned they looked, so I decided to "lomofy" (yes, I made that up) them with Dumpr's Lomo effects.

Lomography is photos taken with LOMO cameras. Lomo's are Russian cameras which make color-intensive and blurry lenses. It makes the photos darker and the colors more vivid and in my case makes them look a older. I loved how they turned out so I thought I'd share.

You can Lomo your own photos here. You can even link to your Flickr account to make it even easier. Here are a couple of Flickr groups featuring the results of Dumpr's Lomo effect:

Dumpr Lomography
Faux Lomo

Here's my personal Faux Lomo Flickr set. Feel free to link to any faux lomo pics you create in the comments! Have fun lomofying :P

Through My Eyes - Putt Putt Golf

2010-07-30T12:16:00.004-04:00

I've been going to this Putt Putt golf place since I was a kid. It hasn't changed much except for the many coats of paint. I've probably played there hundreds of times so it holds a special place in my heart. Here's what I saw the last time we went there:

I couldn't figure out why I kept getting holes in one until I realized I had picked the lucky smiley face ball! No matter how hard I hit him, he just kept smiling!

Be Inspired to Play with Light - Part 2

2010-07-29T14:16:00.004-04:00

Here's part two of my marble and light exploration. All of these photos were taken in direct sunlight instead of utilizing a lamp which creates a totally different color and some fantastic shadows. After adding all the photos, I realized this post could also be called "Be inspired by grouping subjects". The lighting is a prime feature, but the different groupings create a lot of the interest too. I went from more organic groupings to much more structured ones.

So utilize that summer sun, get grouping and see what you find!

Be Inspired to Play with Light

2010-07-26T21:13:00.005-04:00

A few posts ago, I talked about looking at things from different angles in order to see new inspiring shapes and colors. Another way to make things look different is to adjust the lighting. Adjusting lighting can create interesting shadows and colors. Depending on your subject, it can look totally different in the sunlight than it does under a lamp. As usual, I'll use some of my photos to better express what I am trying to get across to you.

I started a new reward system for the boys that involved using a large quantity of marbles.I had them all stored in a plastic container and set them on my desk under my lamp. What I saw excited me. The reflection of the lamp created a great "eye" effect. Suddenly a bunch of marbles with eyes were staring back at me. I was intrigued. I started moving the lamp around to see how different the marbles would look with the light shining from different angles. Here's what I saw:

Notice how the colors changed as the light source moved. As you can imagine, I took a ton of pics of these marbles as I continued to experiment with light, so this will have to be a 2 part post. Next we'll look at how they look in bright sunlight.

Now find a subject, grab a light source and get experimenting. As always, feel free to share your results. I'm afraid most of my readers are very shy (I know you're out there, I see you in my stats), but don't be afraid to link to your photos or artwork. I'd love to be able to share some of your ideas, photos and creations too!

Daily Dose of Inspiration - Cicadas Continued

2010-07-23T11:40:00.002-04:00

I may have shared these photos before, but I thought it would be cool to post them after yesterday's photos so you can get the full experience of beauty of the Cicada:

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-07-22T16:47:00.006-04:00

Cicada Wings

Update: Coincidentally, Kyle brought me this lovely expired cicada this afternoon, so I thought I'd add some pics of it to the post:

Be Inspired to Pimp your Ride Artscape Style

2010-07-21T12:05:00.003-04:00

Well I managed to survive Artscape again this year. It was crazy hot and humid, but I still had a lot of fun, met some great people and sold some of my favorite pieces. A special shout out to the ladies of BEST for making it more like a party than work. Also, thanks to my repeat customers and those that came by actually wearing their purchases from last year. I can't tell you what a thrill it is to see someone walk up to the booth wearing a Block Party Press item.

I didn't get a chance to take many pictures since I was in our booth most of the time, but I did get some pictures of one of my favorite Artscape feature, the "Art Cars".

Without further ado, here is the Artscape Art Car Parade:

I love to think about what might have inspired these fantastic creations (some inspirations were more obvious than others). I'm seriously thinking the boys and I will do something to my old car instead of trading it in. Kyle suggested we make a Lego car and Trey suggested we make a Super Mario car. I was thinking of making an animal car gluing all of the boys animal figurines all over the the car. It would be like a giant animal stampede. What kind of art car would you make? Let me know your ideas in the comments.

Don't have a car to create upon? Maybe just think about creating something on a larger scale. I make lots of tiny art, so the idea of making something large can be a bit intimidating, but I'm also thinking it can be a bit freeing. Maybe cover a chair or piece of furniture or just get a big piece of plywood and go to town. Sometimes bigger is better!

Artscape is this Weekend!!! Sneak Peek

2010-07-15T18:50:00.003-04:00

The three day fun that is Artscape is happening this weekend in Baltimore and I'll be there with the talented ladies of BEST!! Here's a sneak peak at what I'll be bringing:

Even though the temps will be hot hot hot, I'll still be debuting some new additions to the "Lovin Knit" Series. It's never to early to start your X-mas shopping!

There will be lots of clouds but only a little bit of rain (fingers crossed)!

There will even be a new "Out on a Limb" necklace featuring dogwood blossoms!

I'm bringing lots more, but you'll have to come see it for yourself! Mention my blog and receive 20% off your purchase exclusively at Artscape!!

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration - Rain on the Raintree

2010-07-13T12:56:00.002-04:00

Be Inspired to Remove the Color

2010-07-10T13:08:00.005-04:00

If you're like me, color effects you in a strong way. I am easily distracted by color and can sometimes miss interesting features because I'm so consumed with the emotions and senses that color stirs in me. That's one reason I like taking photos. I take photos of things that appear interesting and then purposely review them later that day or the next. I often find things that I wouldn't have seen while just standing there and looking at my subject. Photos are also great because you can manipulate them to create even more interest and inspiration. Sometimes I like to remove the distraction of color by making the photo black and white or sepia. The absence of color allows my brain to better process the actual form of my subject. Which is really helpful when I'm trying to come up with a line drawing of a design for my jewelry.

So give it a try and remove the color from some of your photos and see if you too become less distracted by the color and more able to focus on the details of the subject.

Be Inspired to Look at all the Angles continued

2010-07-08T19:32:00.015-04:00

I was going through some old photos and found a series that I thought illustrated yesterday's point pretty well. The photos are of a section of sidewalk with a dirty plastic "traction pad" on them. Here's how it looks when just looking down on the pad:

Not all that interesting, but change the angle, closeness and perspective and here's what you get:

Much more interesting in my opinion. Have a series of photos that further illustrates my point? Link to it in the comments and I'll post them with your permission.

Be Inspired to Look at all the Angles

2010-07-07T12:31:00.005-04:00

I'll be posting short posts for the next 2 weeks as I have to prepare for Artscape coming up on the 16th and still fill orders and entertain the boys. I'll do my best to at least get some Daily Inspiration shots up when I don't have time to write anything. I've also been suffering from daily internet service outages over the last week which I hope will be resolved when my provider comes out this weekend.

We are in the middle of a heat wave right now, so I've been kinda stuck in the house. 100+ degrees is not fun! So while trying to find something interesting to photograph, I turned to the newest member of our tiny succulent (the only thing I can keep alive) garden. Kyle picked a rather dramatic cactus the other day on a trip to Home Depot to get stone for our back yard.

While taking pictures, I decided to focus on capturing the cactus from all possible angles. By doing this, different shapes emerged which inspired different ideas. In past posts I've focused on looking at things from a specific perspective or angle, but It's also great to check out all the angles. You never no what you'd miss by limiting how you look at things. So get down on the ground, climb up on something, get up close, move far away or tilt your subject in different ways and see what it inspires.

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-07-06T21:34:00.002-04:00

Today's Daily Dose of Inspiration

2010-06-29T12:35:00.004-04:00

I'm working on a Pile of Craft wrap-up post, so until it's finished enjoy this:

Pile Of Craft Wrap-Up

2010-06-29T11:48:00.012-04:00

I had the best time at Pile of Craft this past Saturday. I saw lots of familiar faces and quite a few new ones. The ladies and gentleman from the Charm City Craft Mafia put on a great show. Unfortunately, I was only able to take a couple pictures as I forgot to put the SD card in my camera. Luckily the Craft Mafia started a Flickr group for the show, so you see more pictures there. Magbooth was also there taking free photobooth pictures. I was actually right next to them, so I got to see the fun all day. You can see all of the magbooth photos here. You just might spot a familiar face.

My set-up:

I made enough money to make some great handmade purchases too

Shirts for the boys from Spaghetti Kiss. It's so hard to find handmade shirts for boys, so I was beyond excited to find them. The boys loved them. Score 1 for Mom! FYI - they agreed to take a picture only if they could choose their poses.

I also got some great goodies from Green Star Studio. We added to our knitimal magnet collection:

And I got some color your own bookmarks. We love to read and are always looking for bookmarks, so these will be perfect for summer reading and the fact that you can color them yourselves adds even more bang for your buck. A perfect solution for summer boredom. Kyle and I have already gotten started coloring ours:

Lastly, I got something just for myself. I was lucky enough to be next to the Biggs & Featherbelle ladies again. We have been neighbors at quite a few shows which is always fun. Plus the yummy smells from their booth is heavenly. I tried some body scrub this time which I totally love! I don't think my skin has been this smooth since I was a baby (and that was quite a while ago).

I also got some bars of soap for myself and as a small gift to my MIL for watching the boys and some lip balm for the boys. It's all natural, so I feel better when they use it. I don't have to worry about them licking it off and ingesting some awful chemicals.

All in all, it was a great day in handmade!!

Pile of Craft Tomorrow!!! Sneak Peak

2010-06-25T12:55:00.007-04:00

Here's a sneak peak at what I'm finishing up for the show :

I'm booth #1 !

Here's a sweet treasury by Shannon of Sweet Pepita featuring Pile of Craft vendors.

Pile of Craft June 26!!!!

2010-06-24T13:05:00.006-04:00

I'll be there and I hope you will too! You can see some of my newest creations, including some never before see ones! 10AM - 5PM

Let me know if there is a particular item you'd like to see me bring!

Through My Eyes : Glitter

2010-06-23T10:11:00.005-04:00

The star of the recent Etsy Party was definitely glitter! It was everywhere, and I'm still finding it in all over my house. Here is the glitter through my eyes:

Get out your glitter. Make a mess. Make something sparkle. Take a few pictures. Enjoy!

Be Inspired to Craft with Friends

2010-06-22T11:34:00.005-04:00

A bunch of Baltimore crafters got together last Friday to celebrate Etsy's 5th birthday. We had a ball!

Photo by Rachel of Red Prairie Press

Everyone decorated the above Banner. Kyle decorated the "I".

We crafted our own Lawn flamingos and created a collective art installation.

Guess who made this one!

We even had cute name tags from Etsy! I swear I didn't pay him to write that.

Find some time to get together with friends and create something. Make a collective project that allows everyone's talents to shine through! Just don't forget the glitter, glue and Pom poms!! Check this Flickr group to see how folks all over the world celebrated!

Inspiration Revealed - Buttons

2010-06-21T10:46:00.006-04:00

A little necklace celebrating the button. I've been asked many times to make buttons, but the paint and the finish I use would be damaged in washing, so I did the next best thing and created a button necklace.

Don't forget to join my new Flickr group: Art Inspiration Revealed

**Special thanks to Kyle for letting me borrow his button collection!

A Handmade Father's Day

2010-06-20T11:52:00.016-04:00

I always encourage the boys to make things for special occasions. I think the handmade gift is always more meaningful and shows that you really thought about the person and what they'd like. I thought I'd share a little bit of the handmade booty my hubs received today. Ironically I bought him a card, but I just loved the message inside and I'm no poet, so I just went with it. I will make him a handmade (homemade) dinner tonight though! Happy Father's Day!!

Trey isn't a big fan of making stuff, but he managed to make a card & a coupon book for his Dad:

Can you guess his Dad's favorite football team?

Kyle, being a natural maker of things, made quite a bit more. His dad loves to fish so he made this lovely poster of fish. I'm a bit jealous, but since we all live together, I'll still get to see it :)

He made a foam picture frame at school

Kyle took his older brother's lead and went with a Cowboys motif for his card too.

Here's the inside. Kyle made sure I included the inside as well since he made fancy letters. He was rather proud.

He made a little booklet at school that I love because what he writes in it is priceless

Again with the Cowboys. $50 billion sounds just about right! Ha!

Too cute!

Wait these aren't handmade. But they are his favorite and I thought it was cute that the boys thought of getting them for him.

And lastly a silly magnet and little snake.

What more could a Dad who loves the Cowboys, fishing, Whoppers and his boys ask for? Feel free to post a link in the comments to something you or your kids made for their Dad!

ETSY Birthday Party Tonight!!!

2010-06-18T09:53:00.007-04:00

It's Etsy's birthday and we're throwin down Charm City style!!

From baltimorecraft.com: Looking for a super fun way to kick off the weekend this week? Why not join BEST & the Charm City Craft Mafia for a Craft Party & Meetup, in honor of Etsy's birthday? This Friday, June 18th, starting at 6pm, we'll be at Roosevelt Park in Hampden. We won a free Craft Party kit from Etsy for being one of the top parties, so we'll have lots of crafty goodies to test out! We'll be working on a collaborative banner project, and we'll have a few other crafty things up our sleeve. Maybe even some giveaways! In addition, we'll be hosting an informal craft supply swap at the meetup, so please bring any crafty supplies you'd like to trade or give away. Any unclaimed supplies will be donated to Art with a Heart and The Black Cherry Puppet Theater. Baltimore is DEFINITELY the craftiest spot on the globe, so let's let 'em see that, huh? Kids & families welcome. So, bring some work in progress, a blanket, a picnic dinner, and get ready for some fun! Just look for the Etsy-orange balloons. Hope to see you then!
I'll be at the lawn flamingo (Hey it's Baltimore hon) craft table! Come by and make your own lawn flamingo to add to our flock!!