Concept to Object

How To Remove Crayon Wax

2012-01-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

My easel. Oi.

After several months of neglecting any attempt at cleaning my studio, it was a complete disaster. Once I was able to take time to breathe after prepping for the craft show at Uncle John's Cider Mill, I stared at my studio in amazement. The crayon wrappers scattered all over the floor, empty lacquer cans, and dozens of glass panels left over from the frames were all things that were easy enough to clean up. But the wax...the melted wax... it was everywhere. The desk, the table, the floors, the walls, my clothes... EVERYWHERE! Who knew so much wax could be in SO many places? It wasn't even limited to the area where I melt the crayons. So once I picked up the stray flowers, glue sticks, and newspaper, it was time to tackle the wax drips.

Now, I've never been a clean or cautious crafter. Prepping an area is not my forte. Neither is cleaning. Nor keeping things clean. I am a mess and my friends will readily attest to this. So for those of you who are like me and have not taken appropriate measures to prevent an intensive cleanup before doing a melted wax project, this tutorial is for you! OR, if your child is extremely artistic and decides to express this talent on your walls or floors, this is also for you.

The Disaster: Zone 1

While the main mess of the melted crayon was not limited to my melting table, that was where the bulk of the mess was, and that's where you'll see my transformation from "is that a candle in the shape of an easel?" to "Oh my! What a lovely, clean workspace."

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

Dull knife (optional)
Hand broom (optional)
Hair Dryer
Paper towels
Patience

The Disaster: Zone 2

Step 2: Remove excess globs of wax.

This step is for those who have created massive globs of wax. If you're simply dealing with a few splatters or wax markings, feel free to skip this step. Use your dull knife to gently lift away the excess wax. Be careful not to scratch your surface! Sweep away your wax shavings with your hand broom.

Scraping off excess wax. There was a lot.

Step 3: Melt the wax.
Working in small sections, focus the heat from your hair dryer onto the wax until it melts (it will have a shiny, wet look). Use a paper towel to wipe away the melted wax. Be sure to use the un-used (un-waxed) sections of the paper towel each time you clean off a patch of wax. Repeat as necessary until all the wax is gone.

Melting the wax.

Yay! All the wax is gone from the desk! (Nevermind the wall in the background...)

Now, the only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to get the wax splatters off of walls. DO NOT use the method above on anything but a high-gloss paint. Mine is eggshell and all I did was make "lovely" streaks of colors that clash with the purple elegance of the walls. I read somewhere that magic eraser will work, so I may try that. Or I'll just have to live with it until I decide to repaint. Meh.

Good luck to all of you who must face this battle. And remember, the best offense is a good defense, so if you want to avoid this time-consuming process, just lay down some newspaper. Cheers!

Decorating with Ornaments

2011-12-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas. I love the lights, the garland, the trees, the snow (though we're lacking that at the moment), the baking, and the movies. But what I'm discovering is that the degree of busyness around the holiday season seems to grow exponentially with my age! I really hope that I can get a bit more organized and prepared before next year rolls around! With custom artwork requests, graphic design gigs, and making the majority of gifts, there's not much time to truly enjoy all that I love about the season. But, I did have the chance to make this with my mom as a lovely centerpiece and decoration for the table.

Photo from The Home Depot's Website

Big, beautiful, festive centerpieces always bring a smile to people's faces, and we all would love to make fabulous HGTV-worthy table-toppers, but who has room on the table for one? Once all the plates, cups, wine glasses, wine, oh, and food - all get on the table, there's not much room left to spare! And if you go for a piece that's too tall, you can't see all those smiling faces around the table. Solution? Hang it! I saw this (see Left) on a Home Depot commercial and instantly loved it. Theirs is much more intricate with different colored/shaped ornaments and someone who is probably at the same skill level as Martha Stewart, but I think ours turned out pretty nice.

So here's how you do it!

Materials:

Fishing line
Bulbs (We bought a batch of 50 from Hobby Lobby and had a few to spare for decorating garland.)
Chandelier (If you lack a dangling light fixture, I'm sure you could fashion a brace of sorts out of cross stitch hoops or sticks.)
PATIENCE
Christmas music (trust me, you'll need it to motivate you once your shoulders start getting weary. For me, that was at the 4th bulb.)

Step 1: "Measure"

Determine where you want the lowest bulb to hang. We had my dad sit in his seat to direct us on what the proper height was. Last thing you want is to do allllll this work just to have the bottom bulbs still blocking the view! It would be wise to actually measure where this point is, but we went the guess-and-check route.

Step 2: Start it up.

Start with the top bulb. Tie your fishing line to the hanging apparatus of the bulb and position it just below the chandelier in the center.

Step 3: Create the levels!
Now, the number of bulbs per level will be determined by your hanging structure. Our chandelier has 8 arms, so we worked in groups of 4 and altered the arms used per level (so if the top level is on arms 1,3,5,7 then the next level with be on 2,4,6,8. So on and so forth). Cut a generous amount of fishing line and tie it to your bulbs. Loop it over the inner-most area on the arm of the chandelier and adjust the height as necessary. Secure once you're happy with where it sits.

Step 4:
Repeat Step 3, but hang the bulbs further out on the arms (by about an inch or so depending) and with longer lines so the level will be about 3 or so inches lower than the level above. Repeat this step until you've made the tree as big as you like.

Step 5: Fill 'er in!
This part is kind of tricky. It helps to have a second set of eyes on the ground checking for where the bulbs should go. Basically, hang bulbs in the center area of the "tree"to fill in the empty gaps. We only had to add about 5 or 6 bulbs.

Step 6: Trim your centerpiece
Trim off the excess ends of the fishing line, step back and enjoy your lovely new creation!

Not the best of photos, but it'll do!

If you check out the link on The Home Depot's page, there's another tutorial using s-hooks and it looks much cleaner than our make-shift version. And there's a video!

I would LOVE to do this ornament frame project as well! But that may have to be saved for next year...

Photo from The Home Depot's website

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

I'm am SO excited for today, and hope you all are as well! Thanksgiving is on of my favorite holidays because of all the delicious food, and also it's the official kick-off to Christmas!! I'm not one to go out shopping on Black Friday, but now that I'm an online shop owner, I have to do a LOT of prepping to make sure I'm ready for the online shoppers. So here are my holiday WEEK deals!

From now through December 1st at 11:59 p.m.:

Receive a FREE 8" x 10" piece with every custom item order!
20% off any orders over $60! Enter promo code TURK3Y(Must total to $60 before Shipping and Handling!

I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving spending time with all that you're thankful for! Now go stuff yourselves full of deliciousness, enter a food coma, and get to shopping! =)

Book feature!!

2011-11-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

Photo via SONJALANDIS.COM

I am SO excited. Correction: I am BEYOND excited!!!! Awhile back, I was approached by a lovely lady from California who wanted to feature my art in her new book. My answer was OF COURSE! And we jumped right into piecing together the segment. And now the book has been released! I just ordered my copy and will give a full dish on the feature once I've read through it. I can't wait!

Sonja Landis, the author and also artist behind The Painted Laugh (see previous blog post here), has such a witty sense of humor and the writing style reflects that perfectly! I mean, just look at the cover (to the left). Awesomeness. This is the description listed on the Amazon.com page: "A book about Real Life, Real Business, and Real Money. A book about Entrepreneurship in the New Economy. A book to inspire you to greatness, and make you laugh. A LOT! A book about Personal Development with a side of Creativity, Awesome-sauce... ("I put that sh*t on everything!"), delivered Stand-Up-Comedy-Style.... Caution: I cuss. In my book. Often. I also encourage drinking and provide several amazing Sangria recipes. How's THAT for a Business Book YOU want to read!?!?" Yup, I love it.

The book is also available as an e-book for the tech-savvy and/or environmentally conscious types, and you can get all the dish on what the book is about and how to purchase it by checking out the book site here! Woohoo!!

LA, Hugo Boss, & Beaches

2011-11-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

Oh what a week! The past eight days have been spent in the lovely state of California. Along with the states of exhaustion, excitement, anxiety, and enlightenment... among others.

My boyfriend and I went out to Los Angeles to attend the TAXI Music Road Rally, and I cannot even begin to express how fantastic it was! The people we met were wonderful, the teachers were incredibly personable and informative, and the experience was unforgettable! If you are a singer/songwriter/producer or anyone else interested in the music industry, look into TAXI and the Road Rally, I can't rave about them enough.

While out in LA, Justin and I were fortunate enough to spend time relaxing with my brother and his girlfriend, and they let us crash at their place which was only 15 minutes from the rally. A BIG money saver. They live near the ocean, and our first full day in Cali was met with sunshine and 80° weather - my definition of a perfect November day. We walked along the pier, watched dolphins, surfers, and seals. Then ate at a local diner, and watched the sun sink into the ocean.

We had such an incredible time out there, and can't wait to apply the things we've learned! I'm so excited to see how much changes before next year's rally, it's going to be great!

And onto some more exciting news! HUGO Create, the creative platform for HUGO Boss has published their interview of me! They had contacted me several weeks ago and I was beside myself with excitement. I mean, HUGO Boss. That's pretty awesome. You can check out the full interview here! Be sure to check out ALL the amazing artists they feature! I'm still kind of shocked to have been grouped among so much talent, but more so just excited!

HUGO Create is a global, creative challenge that allows people from multiple creative backgrounds to "compete." Actually, I would describe it as more of an outlet. It was originally started as a way to promote the HUGO man fragrance, but from what I've seen, it's become so much more! There are several competitions that are free to enter, and take place around the world. Check out their site for more information and for their current challenge!

Hope you all are enjoying November thus far! And if you haven't checked it out yet, take a look at my new website for JK Create!

Pimp My Ride

2011-10-13T18:55:00.000-07:00

Photo by Piel de Metal

Have you ever looked at something and been blown away by how much time it must have taken? I'm a person who thinks of a project and knocks it out as quickly as possible. Too much time spent equals a bored Jessie and an unfinished project. Therefore, I admire anyone who devotes weeks, let alone months, of time on one project. Now, in this case, I'm not talking about a painting, or a dress, or a sculpture. Let's talk about something so complex that just thinking about doing this project makes my back hurt! Applying tiny beads to the surface of a VW Bug. Yup. What?! I know, I was baffled as well.

The Wixaritari of Mexico are known for this kid of artwork (well, maybe not so much including the car). Traditionally, they create intricate patterns by placing individual beads into beeswax to cover the surface of bowls, plates, etc. This lovely little number, El Vochol, uses a more resilient resin and a whopping 2,277,000 beads. That's A LOT of beads! Two Wixaritari families spent seven months creating the peyote-trip inspired artwork, and it was worth every single bead.

El Vochol was commissioned by the Association of Friends of Museo of Arte Popular in Mexico City (whew! That's a mouthful!) as part of an effort to show off Mexico's traditional arts and artisans to the global community. "The project took on a greater message to the world: indigenous work is not to be forgotten, and in fact, celebrated." (Maria Gracia-Vasquez) Well, I'm going to jump out and say that this is definitely a success!

The decked out VW Bug is starting on it's global tour this Fall, and will be swinging around to the Smithsonian next year! I'm inspired to grab some beeswax and seed beads to try out this art! But just so my impatient crafter doesn't get too restless, I think I'll start with a coaster.

To read more about this fantastic artwork, check out the full article here, or check out the embedded YouTube video.

Photocopy

2011-10-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gents, I love looking at all the great pieces that others are making with their crayon art, but I am ashamed of artists who steal photography. If you ever come across someone who's stolen another artists photos, please report them - especially on Etsy! It's not fair to falsify your product to the buyers, nor is it fair to the original artist.

I want to thank the fellow Etsian, thekyladesign, who noticed another "seller" who had stolen my photography for one of my pieces, Rainbow Falls. Etsy has been notified and hopefully the "seller" straightens up her act! Here's the link to her shop. I'm nervous that the tie-dye she's selling is also a photo she stole, so if you find it somewhere else on Etsy, please report the seller directly to Etsy with a link to the original artist's work.

As I wrote to the owner of Change of Heart (who stole my photography), "Etsy is a site for honest, hardworking artists who respect one another." Anyone who isn't begin honest, or isn't respecting other artists' work should not be a part of that network. I understand that there are always going to be people who are only after their own gain, which is sad. Artists are especially subject to being copied, having their styles copied, and overrun by others with ambition for money. This is why artists need to stick together and look out for one another!

I've reported the seller to Etsy and am not sure what the result will be since they will not keep my updated on the results of my reporting of the seller. I also sent the seller a message asking her to use her own photography. We'll see what happens… so if the following links don't work, that's a good sign! Here's the link to her shop, ChangeOfHeart, and here's the item using my photography, listed on September 25th. Now, here's the link to my item which had sold on July 18th of this year. Yup, they're the same. Not just one of the photos for this item, but BOTH! Grrr... just makes me upset.

Well, thanks for listening to my vent. On a brighter note, this is looking to be one of the most beautiful Fall weekends in Michigan ever! I can't wait to be spending time with my boyfriend's family up north and to see all the lovely Fall foliage. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Much Delayed Recap

2011-10-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much time has passed! We're already five days into October and it seems like I completely missed August & September. Yup, it's been that busy! The most exciting thing that has happened last month was the craft show at Uncle John's
Cider Mill.

It was a complete success! I set my weekend sales goal at $250 to cover my expenses, and halfway through the first day, mission accomplished! My favorite part of the show was watching everyone who walked by smile when they saw my artwork. That alone was pretty much worth doing the whole show.

This piece was a BIG hit with the crowd - I can't wait to make more pieces like it. At the show I even met a metalworker who said he and his wife would be able to custom-cut any shape I'd like. I'm going to send over designs for butterflies, stars, ladybugs, and whatever else I think would be neat to incorporate. Then I'll hand paint the cut outs. So exciting! =)

Right now I'm battling the Fall weather that's seriously hurting my lacquering of 4 custom pieces that I'm hoping to ship out this week. Drastic temperature changes are not a big help! Hope you all are having better luck with your ventures!

Just plain honored!

2011-08-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I discovered a message in my Etsy inbox informing me that I had been featured in a new blog post on A Bit of Bees Knees. When I checked out the post, I was blown away that I had been included in this collection of Amazing Artists: Julian Beever, Margaux Lange, Shu Uemura, Dalton Ghetti, and Janine Golbert. Some of whom I had heard of before, some who are new to me, and all of which are fantastic artists! Thank you, Brittany, for loving my art and including me in this post! Check out her blog - it's full of great posts ranging from art, to home tips, all kinds of fun things! =)

Gas Masks, Google and Low Blood Sugar

2011-08-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

My life currently consists of the following:

Email
Crayons
Crayons
Babysitting
CS5
Crayons
Etsy
Sleep

In that exact order. Where does food fit in? It doesn't really... sometimes overlaps with Etsy and babysitting. So you can probably add "low blood sugar" to the list as well. In other words, I'm busy! And I LOVE it! Talks of books, galleries, and art shows has my head floating in the clouds. Though I'm sure part of it has to do with my consistent exposure to VOC's...

Which brings me to my favorite new purchase - a protective breathing mask!! Yay! No more spraying several pieces with lacquer and walking out of the room gasping for fresh air! I really hope I haven't killed too many brain cells from the times I've done this... I'm worried though because I keep mixing up their and they're - I'm becoming one of my biggest pet peeves!! Hopefully my brain will recover quickly. =/

Something else exciting? I'm officially a Google celebrity. At least by the standards of 6.5 and 8.25 year-olds. We had a Google venture today and I checked out "Crayon Art" and BOOM! Pages 1, 2, & 3 all have references to my work!

Go to "Images," and after seeing some seriously awesome art (sculptures made of crayons, who knew?!) I have three pictures on page 4! Awesome...

Have you ever Googled yourself? It's pretty awesome seeing what others find when they type your name into a search. And it's also a good idea to check out what potential business contacts are pulling up when your name is explored. Hope you all are enjoying your August!

Facebook page!

2011-08-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

At the request of a lovely reader, I have created a Facebook page for my art. It also imports all my blogs and I'll set it up to import any updates I make to my Etsy shop. Pretty cool, eh? So here it is: JK Create's Facebook Page.

In other news, this has been an intense week (to put it lightly). It started with the Post Office not keeping its word in regards to shipping estimate, which resulted in a piece taking WAY longer to arrive to my buyer than originally predicted. That has now been sorted out, thankfully, but this experience has somewhat robbed me of my security in the USPS. I would switch to another carrier, but in the summer months, ground carriers such as FedEx and UPS cannot guarantee any temperature control without a hefty shipping fee. With crayons softening at 105° and melting starting at 120°, I don't want to take many chances with the ground transportation and trucks that reach well over that melting point during the summer months. So, USPS is my best bet with their Air cargo, where the biggest temperature concern is it being too cold. I've just learned that meeting the delivery date of Priority mail isn't always a priority. Oh well, at least it's all worked out and the piece has been delivered to its happy home!

Then, tragedy struck again... as the lacquer on several of my pieces was drying, my air conditioning stopped working in the studio. Enter: humidity!! The new bane of my existence. Humidity is not an annoyance to lacquer once it is dried, so why is it so horrible while the lacquer is setting? Because when moisture gets trapped within the coating, IT CLOUDS. Not exactly appealing for a CLEAR protective sealant! I'm sure you can imaging the heartbreak when I walked into my studio and seven pieces were damaged. I don't want to think about it... luckily, the most important pieces (ones that had been purchased) were salvageable! One humidifier, and several acetone-soaked Q-tips later, those pieces were ready for re-lacquering and shipment. They'll be heading out tomorrow. Other pieces have to be remade, but that's alright. I'm debating what to do with the damaged pieces... I'd hate to throw them out, but they're beyond repair. Maybe I'll try to melt over them? We'll see. For now they'll sit in the corner of my studio, reminding me to make sure humidity is below 35%.

On a brighter note! I've started applying to be in local art shows that will be coming up in the Fall!! I hope to hear back soon with good news. (Cross your fingers for me!) I can't wait to start on fun fall-themed pieces. Autumn leaves and Halloween have my head swimming with ideas and experiments that I can't wait to try! I hope every one's doing well and you're all enjoying this final month of Summer (can you believe it's August already??), and if you have any ideas of what you'd like to see me try with my Fall crayon art, let me know!

Smiles to The Painted Laugh!

2011-07-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was contacted by someone in San Diego regarding my art. I won't divulge the details (it'll be a surprise!) but I am so excited about her work! Sonja is an extremely talented artist whose work has been featured in OK magazine, San Diego Home and Garden, and The Luxury Spot Magazine - just to name a few! I've been exploring the website (which you can also do right here!) and am absolutely in love with what Sonja does. I can't wait to see her artwork live when it's featured at the Grand Rapids' Art Walk! Her work will be located in the b.o.b.!

What does every parent love more than anything in the world? Their child! And nothing is more precious than a child's laughter. It's hilarious, adorable, infectious, and pure joy. The concept behind this art is to take that beautiful laugh, and turn it into beautiful art. I love the way she translates the sound waves into brush patterns and the use of color!

As soon as I have a little one, this is definitely something I'll be looking to do! Hopefully Sonja's still doing this when that time comes (a few years out still). Here's one of my favorite pieces, but you can see more of her work at thepaintedlaugh.com and request a Push Button Recorder by clicking the button below to start progress on your custom piece!

ten scenic drive

2011-07-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, I can't even express how excited I am about the Crayon Art taking off! And look! Another blog has featured my shop! I LOVE this blog. The author, Kristin, has a super fun writing style and is incredibly artsy herself. My favorite thing I've seen on her blog: Bachelorette party cake. Cracks. Me. Up! I can't wait to plan a party and have this as the piéce de résistance. Take a look at her latest post (here) featuring JK Create's Crayon Art!

I'm scrambling like crazy trying to get a bunch of new pieces up, getting orders ready to ship, and having art prints made of the most popular works. I'm so excited to see how the prints turn out! I'll even have prints on canvas made which are GORGEOUS!

I hope you all are doing well, and sorry to be neglecting my blog! I'll have other crafty non-crayon things up soon. Cheers!

Rain, Rainbows & Melts

2011-07-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

It has only been a few days since I launched my Etsy site, and the feedback has been overwhelming! Already, I've been featured in a few treasuries, been favorited, made contacts, and had a major confidence boost (extra perk). Take a look at the lovely Etsians who have shown my artwork a little love, and peruse the treasuries they've created. I want to say thanks to each of you and I wish you the best!

Mommy's Craft Box created this bright and beautiful Color My Summer Treasury

Curious Little Bird pulled together a lovely Rainy Saturday Treasury

I just love this collection of melty goodness I'll Stop the World and Melt With You Treasury organized by Rachel

And the lovely Tracy (Luv Laugh Sparkle) featured one of my pieces in her fresh and fun blog!

It's up! It's up!

2011-07-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

The long wait is over! My Etsy site has officially launched, and within a few moments of posting, I already have become a favorite by a few members!! I'm so excited about this site as it's a huge step in my creative goals. So go ahead and check out what I have listed. As a reader of my blog, you can get 15% off any order - including custom pieces! Enter coupon code C2OBLOG. Also, if you're within a 30 mile radius of Lansing, MI, I will deliver the piece myself for FREE! Just enter LOCAL30 as your coupon code. Here are a few highlights of what I listed, enjoy!

JK Create's Etsy Site

On TOP of the mountains

2011-06-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny how the directions from most GPS systems don't prepare you for certain things? Like DRIVING ON TOP OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS! Now, I'm not complaining because this was one of the most beautiful roads I have ever been on (also one of the most terrifying...), but a heads up would have been nice. So, for your enjoyment, I created a little photo/video montage of our exploration above the tree line, through roads lined with 9' walls of snow, and riding on THE TOP OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. Hope you like it. =)

Mural, mural, on the wall...

2011-06-19T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I just finished a mural for Gear Up College Day Camp at MSU and have to show it off. This thing was the 2nd largest mural I've done (largest being 12' x 7') and the beach scene was a blast to do. It's for a luau party, so I thought, "What better than a beach sunset?" I absolutely love painting sunsets. They're are quite possibly the most amazing moment of my day. Living on a body of water makes it even more magical, although the Rocky Mountains have breathtaking sunsets as well (though I prefer the sunrises in Colorado).

This was my first mural. I designed it while on a missions trip in Gulkana, Alaska. Everyone pitched in with painting it and the villagers loved it! This was the bus stop for the village children, and was just a plain shed before we got our hands on it!

Just after I moved back from Colorado, I had the opportunity to paint several murals in a residence. Here's one of them:

And now, to the most recent! I was so excited when my friend asked me to do a backdrop/mural for the program she works in. Gear Up is such a great program, and the people are wonderful! I had the chance to go to hang out with them this past weekend and we all had so much fun! Without further adieu, here it is - the progression of a mural!

Ta-daa!!

The kids I babysit for - they LOVED it!

Painting is such a release for me - especially large scale paintings. And I definitely needed that stress-reducer after the past few, well, months. But an even better way to calm down, regroup, and reload? VACATION!! I'm leaving tomorrow on a road trip for one of my best friends' wedding in Montana! Justin and I are driving out and will arrive on Wednesday. I can't wait to see everyone! And it's in Kalispell, aka: Glacier National Park! I bet there will be some pretty awesome sunsets to inspire me. =)

Quick update for those who are waiting for my Etsy site to launch: I'll be posting everything at the beginning of July. Since I'll be gone for a week and a half, I'd rather not put up the shop and then make any orders wait until I return. So it will be up there soon and thanks for your patience! "See" you all soon!

Inspiration from a fellow blogger...

2011-06-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

While checking the updates to the blogs I follow, I read a post by Smudge Animation that really stuck a chord with how my life is going right now. Starting my own business, while still having several other jobs to fund said business, has taken up a LOT of my time. The areas in my life that were once dedicated to calming my thoughts and recharging are now devoted to meeting deadlines and growing my business. I've noticed my creative juices are not flowing as well as they have, and this post reminded me that it's time to make artistic experimentation a priority again.

Following are a few excerpts from the Smudge's blog:

"Something that I have found which is sorely lacking in professional life is the opportunity to experiment. Back in college, we had the opportunity to spend hours in the labs tinkering with our own ideas and projects. The sky was the limit because we didn't have the pressure of client-imposed deadlines or an employer breathing down our neck...
But when you're on the job, you're expected to always know the correct answer at a moment's notice since 'you' are the expert. That expectation may or may not be realistic. While we should always continue learning about our career choice, the opportunities to continue learning and experimenting aren't always available...
As time marches on, I am coming to the conclusion that if I want to progress both as an artist/animator and in my career, I cannot neglect the importance of experimentation."

To read the full blog, click here.

East Lansing Art Festival

2011-05-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the dawn of a new era! Well, maybe not so dramatic as that... but still exciting! I had on display several pieces of melted crayon art at Blue Midnight in East Lansing for the art festival. I had always wanted to sell my art, but just never really had the nerve to put it out there before now. When opportunity knocks, you better answer that door! So when Rufus mentioned that Bossa Koba was going to display some art and I was welcome to join in, I jumped at the chance. Blue Midnight allowed us to put up our art for all of the festival goers to check out, and one of my pieces sold!!!

The 16x20 "Reds" sold today!! It's the one on the left =)

Now, I'm so ready to put this artwork up on Etsy to see if any more of them will go. Since the piece I sold allowed me to break even on supplies, at the very least I'll have several pieces to decorate my office and Blue Midnight's walls for awhile.

Art in the windows! (Ignore my reflection)

I am SO happy that this weekend was as beautiful as it was. I was working all day yesterday, so i didn't really have the chance to enjoy the weather. Today however was a totally different story! Our dock is in now at the house, and therefore it is officially no longer winter! I can take rain storms, I can deal with windy days, but just keep the temperature above 50 and preferable always 80° and sunny! Once I get the money (and ambition) saved up I am definitely moving to a warmer climate. My boyfriend and I have had our minds set on Nashville for awhile now, and I'd love to make that dream a reality ASAP. Some things have to fall into place first though. For now, I'll just keep enjoying Michigan's warmer seasons and hope we don't have too many appearances of chilliness throughout the next few months.

Colby fishing while I soaked up some rays...

Since I had the chance to "relax" most of the afternoon, I finally checked off most of my cleaning list tonight. The past few... well... months have been CHAOS in this apartment.

One dog + one boy + working girl = MESS.

My boyfriend is pretty great at cleaning once he puts his mind to it, but that doesn't happen as much as we'd like. I'm not going to pretend I'm a clean person (my friends can attest to that), but the mess was pretty ridiculous even for me. All I have left to do now is clean one rug, mop the floor, do two loads of laundry, and vacuum the furniture! Here's my favorite thing of the day: The Swiffer Duster. Love love love. Being in a basement apartment, there's A LOT of dust. It's nice to know I'm not just displacing the dust, but actually capturing and putting it in the trash. Sorry for the product plug, but I seriously love this thing!

After a very eventful day of the art festival and busting my booty doing chores, I am ready to wrap up this list and kick back with a glass of wine. My biggest decision: red or white...

Breathe in, breathe out, repeat as needed...

2011-05-19T07:56:00.000-07:00

It's one of those weeks where I keep telling myself "just make it through the weekend..." That's pretty much been my life since January. I'm SO exhausted, but also excited. It's at this time I turn to age-old words of wisdom. "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Right, I'll keep that in mind. And then there's, "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." Sure... Well let's focus on this one: "This too shall pass." Phew, okay. Just get through this week... =)

The chaos that is crayon art. The mess extends beyond the
boundaries of this photo.

One of the things that's bogging my mind is this weekend when I'll have art displayed for the East Lansing Art Festival! It will be located within Blue Midnight (the hookah club across from the Mariott) on Saturday and Sunday. My "krayon art" (I'm debating spelling it with a k... I know it's a little tacky) will be displayed along with artists from Bossa Koba. I've never been part of an art show before, and am SUPER excited! I've been lining up, attaching, and melting crayons for the past few days and still have many more pieces to finish up tonight so they'll be ready to set up Saturday morning! And, after the weekend, whatever doesn't sell at the art festival will be put up on my Etsy site. So keep an eye out for the new site, it'll be here soon!

New Adventures!

2011-05-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

I'm going to take this time to officially announce the launch of my new business: JK Create! This is something that I've been wanting to do for SO long and finally had the opportunity and nerve to dive in. JK Create offers graphic design services for small businesses and individuals that is cost-effective and responsive to each client's needs. We can help with anything from business cards to logo design to event invitations. Check out my temporary site at jkcreate.net - full site on it's way!

But wait, there's more!

JK Create is one of five businesses that makes up Capital City Creative Productions (abbreviated CCCP, but NO affiliation to the former USSR - despite our red curtains! lol). These other businesses are See Foley Run, Bossa Koba, Michigan Shirt Works, and Mid Michigan Property Service Group. If you want to stop in the office (omg so exciting...) and learn more about us, we're located in the old City Pulse office at the corner of Michigan and Clemens, two doors West of The Green Door. Look for the building with beautiful murals courtesy of Rob Shelburg on the side! We (and this artwork) have already been spotted by local media: check it out!

Last night we had an open house for local businesses and people to check out who we are and see what we've done to improve the office. No offense City Pulse, but you left it a total disaster! The place has cleaned up pretty nicely though. What I LOVE about our open house is that the walls are now loaded with beautiful artwork! Bossa Koba's collections (including pieces from LaCargo and Koba9) as well as contributions from and Stefan Johnson made the office look 1000 times better!

Of course, being artsy, I had to do some kind of contribution... so I melted crayons! If you like these pieces, check out this blog to learn how to make one (or several) yourself!

Ignore my incredibly messy desk... just look at the pretty pictures.

Overall, the night was a success, and we're all very excited about this new venture! Check us out, we have a lot to offer the Greater Lansing area, and look forward to our bright future!

The CCC Productions team!

All photography is credited to the wonderful and talented Christanne Hamilton.

Another Etsian Found!

2011-05-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to one of the comments left on my previous blog, I checked out Little Bug Jewelry and LOVE her stuff! Most of her designs have a rugged, earthy feel that gives off an almost vintage vibe. The pieces are beautiful and she uses high-quality stones in them. I am loving these...

Photo credited to Little Bug Jewelry

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post is that Etsy has a "Shop Local" option. This is a great way to support and meet the talented artisans in your area! One of the things I love about purchasing from Etsy is that you can write a message to the sellers when you check out, or simply contact them about certain products, their shops, or just to tell them how great they are. Take advantage of the networking, the people on Etsy are wonderful!

Etsy Ladies

2011-05-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

This is a blog dedicated to all those wonderfully talented and fabulous sellers on Etsy! I want to feature a few of my friends who have shops on there. It's so difficult to make yourself stand out on a site with thousands upon thousands of sellers, and these women are so gifted at what they do. So show a little love and check out what they have! Their sites are full of great gifts for anyone - including yourself!

JengaJam is owned by one of my friends who is not only awesome at crocheting/knitting, her paintings are beautiful as well! Unfortunately, those aren't up on her site since it's dedicated to knits. But you have to see all the crocheted/knit products she had! I just adore the baby hats and flower headbands she does. Look at how adorable they are!!

Fashion Lovers Dream is the site of one of my newest acquaintances. I met her out in CO last week and am blown away at how talented she is! She makes beautiful jewelry that I pretty much drool over. Don't worry, I didn't get any on her pieces! Not only is her stuff suited for any occasion, but her prices are extremely reasonable. Not like others who seem to slightly gouge their customers. I'm in love with these earrings and am purchasing them...now. Yessss... sorry to disappoint those who wanted them, but she has lots of other great stuff in her shop as well!

I'm moving toward setting up a small Etsy shop for stationary I'm designing. Right now it's all in the early processing stages, but I'll let you know when it's up and running! Yay!

For all of you Etsians who have shops - PLEASE - tell me what they are!! There's nothing better than helping out friends and knowing that someone you care for made something you own. I love that feeling. So share your site and I'd love to feature you as well!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's Easter already?? I sure can't... it means that I've officially entered what has been dubbed "Birthday Week." I'm not sure what it is about late July/early August that is so tantalizing, but come late April, there are A LOT of birthdays around here! Growing up, this time of year was filled with cupcakes and class parties. Four other people shared my birthday (the 28th!) in my graduating class alone, not to mention the several others who had birthdays within a week of that! It was kind of an awesome thing to celebrate all together and I wouldn't trade my birthday for a "rarer" one (do "rare" birthdays exist? I believe laws of probability would say "no"). What I love about so many birthdays being close together means more people are celebrating and enjoying themselves during that time. Hands-down, the best birthdays were those celebrated out in Colorado. This is because "birthday week" became exactly that - a week long celebration of several birthdays with my roommates. One on the 24th (Happy Birthday Julianne!!), another on the 26th (Happy early Birthday Mandy!), and mine on the 28th. It. Was. Awesome. I miss my birthday week buddies...

Like I said, I can't believe it's Easter - and Birthday Week - already! I did exactly one thing to prepare for Easter: Glitter eggs. Yup. Found a kit at Meijer for GLITTER EGGS! Do you know how excited I was to see these?? Actually, I'm pretty sure that I made no outward sign of excitement. It was just that I saw the kit, and within two seconds it was in my hand. Not in the cart - in my hand. And the eggs are so beautiful! I highly recommend this kit to anyone who enjoys sparkles, but not to those who dislike glitter's "automatically-and-permanently-attached-to-everything" attribute.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and that your Spring is a little less soggy than mine! Seriously, I know the adage "April showers bring May flowers," but I really wasn't expecting THIS many showers - AND SNOW! Oi. I'll just cling to the hope that May will be full of beautiful blooms, and then *sigh* sweet, sweet summertime... Can't wait!

DIY Favors

2011-04-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Right now everything is CRAZY! But in a good way. I'm so sorry for not posting in awhile, but I'll try to make up for it. Last night I was looking at my calendar and realized my birthday is in just a few weeks, and I'm too busy to celebrate it! How sad... a Monday night get together with friends will have to suffice. Despite my inability to have a big party, they're all I can think about right now. Especially since I have 5 weddings on the books this summer and I'm playing a part in each. And really, what's a wedding other than an big party to celebrate love? In my opinion, that's the best kind of party. So, I've been perusing various themed favors, invitations, decorations, et cetera... and I love it. The best things that I've found are the DIY details. While it's far easier and less stressful to purchase tidbits for parties, everything just has that extra "oomph" when handmade. Here are some of the best things I found:

Photo courtesy of momomushy.blogspot.com

I'm a huge popcorn fan. The best is when you make a BIG batch of popcorn with an air popper and

and put it all in a giant bag (I used to just use a garbage bag -while still sterile from the box of course!), pour in your ingredients, and shake it all up. Perfect for a party. And just look at this crafty little wonder of a favor! I suppose it doesn't have to be a popcorn bag, you can print whatever you'd like. But how great are these! At momomushy.blogspot.com you can find a tutorial on how to make these Printable Popcorn Bags.

Photo courtesy of marthastewartweddings.com

Good ol' Martha Stewart. She never fails to make me feel incredibly lazy. Follow this link to see a whole slide show on her site about using "Favors as Centerpieces." You can do this for weddings, tea parties (I'm far overdue for one...) showers, etc. It takes care of two things at once and allows the guests to interact with the decorations. My favorite idea is to have flowers, herbs, or saplings as the centerpieces so your guests can take home something that will live on and last far longer than just the event.

Uhmmmmm.... this WILL be happening at my wedding. These are sweeping the nation as a party sensation because, let's be honest, a candy buffet = AMAZINGNESS. I'm pretty sure that I would actually be quite content creating a candy buffet any chance I get because they are so beautiful while playing into that "kid in a candy shoppe" fantasy. Just look at the possibilities!

Yummmmmm... my favorite thing about candy buffets is that you can get (or make if you're so ambitious) candy in any color combination you want. Fabulous.

Back to Martha Stewart. This woman is unstoppable. I know that she has a whole crew of crafters to help her, but... I'm still amazed by her. Who would have thought you could make a chandelier out of doilies?? I had no idea. But this will probably be something featured in an upcoming blog. Here's the tutorial - SO SIMPLE! And the result is so pretty...

Well, I am ready to plan a party for 300. How about you? =) Let me know if you have any other DIY party favor/decor ideas, I'd love to see them! Especially since this is my current obsession...

Photography

2011-03-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that I LOVE photography. Not the actual snapping of the photos (I just point-and-shoot my cheap digital camera), but looking at the pieces of the world that others have captured. I went over to one of my friends' (and talented photographer's) house yesterday to look at some wedding pictures and she got some amazing shots! The bride (another of my friends) is really, really happy with how everything turned out. I'm going to snag some copies of the prints for myself, and then I'll post a pic of how the bouquets I made turned out in the wedding! But here's a quick preview:

Photo by Christina Eagan, visit her site here!
See the boutonniere?? I made that!

The quality isn't as high in here because I just copied the photo from Facebook, but you get the general idea. The wedding turned out so amazing, everyone did such a great job of pulling together in less than a week! So happy for them. =)

Anyway, looking through the photos made me all warm and fuzzy knowing how powerful photography is. Through pictures, we can experience the best days of our lives over and over again. Or, we can see things that we would otherwise probably never see...

Like the surface of a planet:

Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Photo courtesy of wanderingspace.net

Or what a bubble looks like when it's popping:

Photo courtesy of www.mojomechanics.com

Or an UNDERWATER RIVER:

Yup, that's a scuba diver swimming over an underwater river. This planet is amazing.
Photo courtesy of thefortuno.com

But the real beauty of photography is that it captures what's already there. It takes a still frame of a moment in the world and makes it forever accessible to reflection by anyone who sees it. Beautiful. So whether you're a professional, hobby, or point-and-shoot photographer, keep snapping up every moment you can, because every moment and scene is precious!

Yummmm...

2011-03-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

Have you used StumbleUpon? If not, google it and have fun, but be warned: you will be less productive for a few days at the least. One of my friends introduced me to it a few years ago, and I lost a solid four days to it's never-ending cycle of magnificence. Over the years, this random website generator had faded in my radar until my boyfriend recently discovered it. He's completely addicted. What's so great about this is that I don't really have to go through the trouble of clicking the "Stumble" button to get through the (rare) blah sites, because anything interesting is saved as a favorite in my boyfriend's account and he shares them with me! It's great. I maintain my 11 hours of productivity a day, and he finds the cool things for us to check out.

The other night, we made two recipes that Stumble led him to, and they're wonderful...

For dinner we had Petite Lasagnas, made in a muffin pan!!! So. Cute. The recipe was found on Can You Stay For Dinner, a blog/website devoted to quick wit and delicious recipes. What a fabulous combination. You can get the recipe here. They were deeeeelicous! And BONUS: they were adorable. I can't wait to experiment and do them again as a veggie lasagna.

Photo courtesy of canyoustayfordinner.com

For dessert, we made Peanut Butter S'mores Turnovers. WHAT?? Yup. You read correctly. They were realllllly good. My next batch will be made with the mallow inside and sans peanut butter. A pure s'mores tastiness wrapped in delicious puff pastry. Mmmmmmmm... here's where you can find the recipe for the S'mores Turnovers. They're SO easy and perfect to make as a treat with kids. Or grown ups. Basically anyone with taste buds will enjoy these.

Photo courtesy of macintoshgirl.wordpress.com

Spring is starting to show it's face here in Michigan and we even had temperatures in the 70s on St. Patty's day!! It was spectacular.

Let me know if any of you try these recipes and if you do any variations! I'd love to see (or taste?!) them!

Wedding Flowers

2011-03-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

You do not have to be an expert to do this project, I certainly wasn't! My experience in arranging flowers was limited to taking store-bought bouquets and setting them in water. So have no fear, creating your own bouquets is simple and fun!

Colby being a big helper =)

One of my closest friends said "I do" last week, and I offered to take care of the flowers. The wedding was very intimate, so the requirements were only the bride and maid of honor's bouquet, and the boutonnieres for the groom and the mothers (the other gentlemen had kerchiefs).

Here's what you'll need (I'm including the craft store prices):

Flowers (real, fake, or a mix)
Stem cutters (if you're using fake flowers, make sure your tool can cut through wire fairly easily)
Vase(s)
24 gauge Floral wire, $3
Floral tape, $2
Ribbon (5/8" wide for bouquet, 1/4" wide for boutonnieres), $1
Straight pins, $1.50
Decorative straight pins (optional), $3

Step One: Choose Your Blooms
Flowers can take up a BIG chunk of the wedding cost, so any way a budget-savvy bride can save is much appreciated. Fake flowers can do the trick, but you can't beat the beauty and look of real flowers. As a compromise, I made the majority of the bouquet out of real flowers and used silk flowers as accents to pull in the wedding color. The trick in combining fake flowers with real is to make sure none of the big blooms are falsies. I chose very small flowers to be the fake ones and made sure the main eye-catchers were real. Good looking silk flowers typically run from $2-$5 a stem, but you can ALWAYS find them on sale for 50% at chain craft stores (just keep an eye on your local adds).

I chose lilies, daisies and mums (all white) as my main flowers. Then chose some accent greenery that was also real. The fakes are all the blue flowers. Note how they are all smaller than the main flowers. This is also a way to provide some balance so the colorful blooms don't overpower the whole arrangement.

Step Two: Arrange Your Bouquet
This is best done using a vase that has a mouth about the size of (or slightly larger than) the size you want the handle of the bouquet to be. Start with your showcase flowers, typically the largest blooms. For me, it was the lilies.

Then, add in your blooms going from largest to smallest and ending with the greenery.

Step Three: Wire the Stems Together
Use floral wire to secure the stems together and ensure your arrangement stays in place.

Step Four: Wrap Base In Floral Tape.
Self explanatory. Use a straight pin to secure the end, wrap overlap the tape as you wrap it down the base, and up again for good measure. Once you've wrapped the entire base, secure again with a straight pin. Be sure all gaps are covered and any bumps are smoothed out.

Step Five: Wrap Base with Ribbon
The color is up to you (obviously), but I chose the wedding color that was also used for the accent flowers. You can secure this ribbon with simple straight pis, or go the fancier route and use a decorative pin. I chose pearls because they're simple and elegant, a classic wedding choice. To make sure none of the ribbons slipped, I inserted pins in a straight line down the entire base.

Pin tip! Be sure to angle the pins. No one like to be stabbed while walking down the isle. I angled all of mine downward except the bottom which was angled up. Common sense, but dangerous if you don't pay attention to it!

Boutonnieres:
The only differences in creating boutonnieres is in the beginning stages. You start by making a "bed" of your greenery, then laying the other flowers on top. It's a bit trickier to wrap the boutonnieres, so be patient. Also, use 1/4" ribbon when wrapping to reduce bunching.

Tip! It's best to do all the arranging the day before (or of!) your event so the flowers remain fresh and beautiful. Store them in a refrigerator with a damp paper towel at the base of the stems until it's time for the flowers to make their debut.
That's all there is to it! This whole project ran me around $35, and I splurged a bit on some nice lilies from a local flower shoppe, but the end result was better than I expected! Especially for never having done anything like this before. My friend's wedding was lovely, and once the pictures are available, I'll post some so y'all can see the bouquets in action!

Yup, I built a wall.

2011-02-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

So...it's been awhile. I apologize for that, and now it's time for me to roll out the excuses. I've been CRAZY busy! And I'll admit, I've only done ONE creative project since my last post, which I'll show you today. It's not the custom sign that I promised you, it's much, MUCH bigger than that! My boyfriend and I, with the help of some friends, built a dividing wall equipped with a door!! I still can't believe we did it... but it looks amazing. We wanted to have it completed before last weekend because family was coming to visit, so the past few weeks have been pretty occupied with it. There was a issue with the door, a drywall debacle, and mismatched paint, but it all was very serendipitous and worked out! So here are some pictures:

Our apartment in the background is was TRASHED throughout this entire process!
But it was worth it.

This was when the drywall was done without the mud. The mudding was the WORST part! I highly recommend using a professional if you are inexperienced in drywall. We used Rich & Sons Drywall and he came out last minute on VALENTINE'S DAY to fix all of our mistakes and showed us how to do it properly. Rich is an amazing man and I recommend him to anyone looking for drywall in the Lansing area.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT!! Woohoo!!

I am so happy with how this turned out. The best part was, of course, the decorating! I raided the clearance sections & sales at Hobby Lobby for the wall decor and vase (which I love!), and the shelving is my favorite new feature. The corner is kind of an awkward space, and there's not much room between the wall and our wine rack/entertainment center, so I didn't want something bulky. Or expensive. Plus, I wanted shelving that faced out from both faces of the wall. Since it's doubtful that I would be able to find something so unique within the price range I was looking for (CHEAP), it was time to get resourceful.

My friend had recently purchased one of the cube shelving units and I instantly liked it. So cute, decorative, and functional. Unfortunately, my space was too small for it. I went to the section in Target where the cube storage was, and found these small shelving units. They were the exact finish I wanted (Espresso) and perfect dimensions so they wouldn't stick out too far in either direction (about 11.5"x12.5"). I saw how I could fit the pieces together in my head, brought them home, set 'em up, and voila! The exact shelving unit I wanted! Two of them are stacked and facing toward the TV, and on is set against the side of the stacked ones, facing out toward the living room.

The price was decent, each small unit was $15 at Target. I saw them at Meijer for $12, just none in the correct finish. So for $45, I had my new piece! There are so many ways to combine these shelves, and different shapes are available so you can create your custom unit. I purchased the ClosetMaid brand and am really happy with them. A few years ago I combined one of these shelves with a hutch on top of my desk and they are still structurally sound! Not bad for the price.

Well, now that the wall is out of my schedule, I'm hoping to get back on track with more projects and blog posts. I hope you all have been having a wonderful February and are staying warm!

Grocery Lists

2011-01-29T16:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I promised a blog regarding "making a custom sign," but another project popped in my head that took precedence. So the sign project will just have to wait a few more days. The other project is one that can help anyone who has to go searching through cabinets or the fridge to figure out what you need from the store. A LIST! Well, really it's more than a list. It's multiple lists: one for each area that you keep food (fridge, lazy susan, pantry, etc) and is comprised of your "staples" that hold your kitchen, and life, together. It may sounds stupidly simple, but it's a total timesaver!

I'm sure some of you are super efficient at keeping a grocery list up-to-date as you need supplies (and it never ever looks like the pic to the left...), but in this household, we're not. These lists are constructed so that when we run out of something, or we notice we've run out of something, we check it off on the list. Then, when grocery day comes, or when figuring out what to make for dinner, we'll know what items we're out of. You can make these lists for anything: bathroom, tools & hardware, office supplies, etc.

Step 1: Go through your kitchen and find out the main areas you store food or supplies that need semi-frequent replenishment. Or, you can go the category route (Vegetables, Fruits, Canned Goods, etc). For my lists, I used these labels for the storage sections: Refrigerator, Freezer, Spices, Baking Supplies, Dry Goods, Pantry, Lazy Susan, Medicine & Vitamins, and Cleaning Supplies.

Step 2: List out your staples for each of these sections. To avoid lists comprised of just a few items, I combined some items onto other lists (e.g. putting potatoes and onions under the Refrigerator section, and tea under Medicine & Vitamins). My definition of a staple item is something that you'd require at least once every two months. You can visit some sites that have printable lists as well, just make sure your favorite items are incorporated. Here's a bunch of free printable lists:
http://www.freeprintablegrocerylist.com/

Step 3: Type it up! Or write it out if you're super handy with a pen. You'll want the list organized so things are simple to find. I used the sorting tool in my word program to alphabetize each list. In front of each item, I placed a checkbox which will be used to mark off which items I need to purchase. Add any other decorations you'd like, just make sure you don't clutter-up your list.

Here's a tip! If you're alphabetizing, write out sub-categories of foods with their main category first. For example, if you want several types of cheese in the refrigerator, write them like this:
Cheese - Cheddar
Cheese - Mozzarella
Cheese - Swiss
This way, they're all grouped together and easier to locate.

Step 4: Print out the list and laminate them. You can purchase contact paper or go fancy and buy your own laminating machine. (Teachers have the added bonus of using the machine at their school!) I opted for Kinkos. Fast, simple, and for less than $2 a sheet, I had professional-looking laminated lists.

Step 5: Hang lists inside the doors of the cabinets they correspond to (using tape or velcro). I attached my refrigerator and freezer lists to the inside of the pantry door. Inside the fridge would be inconvenient. Or, if you prefer, hang them all in one place so their grouped together. I like the lists inside their corresponding cabinets so that you can mark things off immediately.

Step 6: Attach a dry erase marker next to each list. This can be accomplished simply with tape and string (the route I chose), velcro, or you can make a pen loop at the bottom of the list. Of course, if you can always just make sure there's a dry erase marker in a nearby drawer.

That's it! No more digging through cabinets to see what you need to buy at the store, no more starting to make dinner only to find out you're missing one of the key ingredients. Naturally, this plan only works if everyone who uses the items in the kitchen utilizes it. So make sure everyone in your household knows the rules: if you use the last of something, check it off on the list. And if you notice something's gone, check it off on the list.

I hope this is helpful to some of you, I know it's going to be a HUGE help for my home. To clue you in on how bad we needed this, we currently have four containers of crushed oregano. All purchased at different times. Oi...

Hope you're weekend's going well, and check back later for that sign tutorial. I promise it will be here! =)

Wine Wine Wine!

2011-01-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

I just finished the move Bottle Shock and it was soooo great! I would consider myself an aspiring wine-o, and honestly wouldn't have it any other way. I think it's the complexity that I love. What other beverage has layers of flavor that divulge themselves through the nose, different groups of taste buds, the way it interacts with oxygen, and the lingering aftertaste? The whole things is an entire, beautiful experience.

It took me awhile to appreciate wine, and even longer to appreciate the reds. I think my downfall was expecting the taste to be one-dimensional, like pop, beer, or juice. However, working at a winery taught me to approach wine with a whole 'nother attitude. As I learned to fully experience each glass of wine from swirl to swallow, it's as if an entire world opened to me! No wonder there are so many fans of wine that span back through the centuries. It is a truly beautiful drink! So, in honor of this wine-loving spirit, I'm going to write a little something about how to fully experience this "nectar of the gods."

At Brugdorf's, we use the five S's to guide our guests in their tasting: See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, and Savor.

See
There are much more colors than red, pink, and white. While these three colors can be considered the "primaries" of wine, each has it's own multitude of tones (just like there's light blue, dark blue, topaz, indigo, cyan, etc.) And the colors can mean things about the wine, like prevalence of oak or sweetness, but not necessarily. We tell our guests at the winery that the single most important thing to do in wine tasting is to leave your expectations and prejudices at the door. EVERY wine is different! So look at the color, tip the glass slightly and hold it up to the light. Note the color variations within the liquid.

Swirl
Gently swirl the wine in your glass. This allows oxygen to mingle with the wine and pulls the flavor out to prepare for the next step.

Sniff
Stick your nose deep into the glass and take a big whiff. Your nose plays a pivotal role in tasting anything, so be sure it incorporate those Olfactory glands. This is where some people can sense a big handful of the flavors and prep their tongues for what's to come.

Sip
Take a small sip of the wine. Don't swallow it yet! Hold it in your mouth and let it roll all over your tongue. Slurp some oxygen into it to pull out more of the flavors and let it warm to your body temperature. See what flavors you can find - oak, cherry, pepper, grapefruit, clove, etc. The flavors are limitless and can range from prominent to subdued.

Savor
Mmmmmm, swallow the wine and just take a moment to let the entire taste fade. Some wines have an extremely strong aftertaste while others disappear from your palette like water. Think about how the wine interacted with you. Did it remind you of a place or memory? Does it make you want a certain food? Think about it, and enjoy it!

While I don't do this whole process with every sip of wine I have, I do go through it with the first few sips. And why not? What's to be lost in exploring the intricacies of wine for a few minutes? Well, except your worries ;)

I encourage each of you to visit your local wineries. They have sprung up all over, and in the most unlikely places. Arizona, for instance! For those of you who are in the area, check out Haslett's own Burgdorf's Winery. They have a HUGE selection. Here's a link to their webpage: http://www.burgdorfwinery.com/

I guarantee there are wineries near you, wherever you are. And each region will have different flavors, so go explore! Also, don't limit yourself to simply grape wines. People have made wine out of pretty much ANY fruit or berry. Even from dandelions! Try everything you get the chance to, you never know which will be your favorite.

If you're interested in the movie that sparked this post, rent it! It's called Bottle Shock and is available to play instantly on Netflix. It's about how California wineries is the 70's broke the myth that French wine was superior to all others by beating them in a blind taste test in Paris. It's kind of cool seeing a "hippe" watch a group of wine snobs taste and judge French and American wines. Here's a link to it:
http://www.bottleshockmovie.com/

Hope you all enjoyed this, and happy tasting!

Hello readers!

2011-01-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

As you can see, I changed up the look of my blog! I wanted something a little more soothing, and I think that goal has been accomplished. Since I'm new at this, I'd love any feedback you all have to offer! Especially on my posts. There are a few ways you can do this: commenting, messaging me, or, I've added an even more convenient way! Simply check off one of the boxes that follows the post you read in the "What do you think" section. This way, I can track what you all would like to see more/less of.

It's always great to hear that people are enjoying what I've posted, and I love that I've inspired some to do more projects! Here's a picture of the flower pens my friend Mary made after reading my post on them. Aren't they gorgeous!

Anytime you all do a project that was inspired by one of my posts, please send a pic to me! And if you ever have questions, or something you'd like to see me work on, please let me know. Hope you all kick off the week strong, and thanks for reading!

Coming up this week...
Create a customized sign for your home!

Flower Power! I mean, pens! =)

2011-01-22T06:56:00.000-08:00

A few years back, one of my close friends made me a bouquet of these flower pens and I LOVED them. Not only did they provide year-long color, they were incredibly fun to write with! Since then, I've seen flower pens at coffee shops, the pet store, and registers where any flower-loving person works. They're great! So to continue my "one project a week" as well as my "Pay It Forward" vow, I made a small set to pair with the notecards I made last week. For all of you looking for a quick, simple, and cute gift (even if it's for yourself), I'm including some step-by-step instructions.

Step 1: Choose your flowers!
Obviously, you'll want to go with a fake flower, and it's best if the shape extends outward and drapes down slightly. Think daisy or lily. However, any flower will do. It's nice if you can find a bouquet already made, or, the "twist tie" versions that I found a Michael's. These were perfect because I didn't have to trim the stem to fit on the pen.

Step 2: Choose your pens and gather supplies.
The pens don't have to be fancy, just grab a box of 20 for $3. As long as they write well, they're good. And it's nice to have a round barrel. The other supplies you'll need are floral tape (best if it's the sticky kind) and hot glue (yesssss).

Step 3: Attach flower to the pen.
Use your hot glue to affix the flower to the blunt end of the pen, utilizing the stem.

Step 4: Wrap the pen in floral tape.
I highly recommend the sticky floral tape, however, Michael's was out of it when I stopped by, so I improvised. To work with non-sticky floral tape, I put a dab of hot glue at the tip of the pen (writing side), bonded the tape to it, and wrapped the pen up to the flower where I secured it with another dab of hot glue.

And you're done! Yay! So simple, right? To really embrace the pen bouquet idea, display them in a vase, or a flower pot filled with pebbles. Or, you can just have them hanging out on their own. =) They make excellent gifts or party favors, and the possibilities are endless! You can play with using ribbon instead of floral tape, combining multiple flowers on one pen, decorating a pot or vase to put them in, etc. I just love it! Or, if you're not so keen on crafting but you really dig these pens (ha, dig, get it?), there are professional flower pen crafters who sell them online. Here are just a few of the many shop sites:

Tanya's Bead 'n Craft
Favors by Serendipity
FlowerPens.com

Just to give you an idea of the many possibilities, here are some shots of other people's projects:

So much fun! I can't wait to experiment more with these. I have entire Saturday to do whatever I want, and I'm pretty sure crafting is on the schedule. The fact that it's 9° outside and snowing doesn't really make me want to leave the house. Although the movie theatre is pretty tempting... I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and for those in the cold-weather areas, stay warm!

Headboard

2011-01-19T14:29:00.001-08:00

It's time for my second installment in functional art. I suppose this one may not be as blatantly "art," but then again, art is what you make it! One of the simplest projects to beautify a bedroom is to create a new headboard. You can make anything into a headboard. Canvases, a door, books, etc... The opportunities are endless. However, one of the simplest versions only requires a few materials and a staple gun.

The first step is to find out how large you want your board to be and cut it to size, or have the gentlemen at Home Depot do that part for you. Next, add a layer of batting to the entire surface of the board and cover in your fabric of choice. Secure the fabric on the back side of the board using your staple gun. Make sure the fabric is pulled taught. Then, using your staple gun again, staple on the front side where you want your dimples to be. (I'm sure these "dimples" have an official name, but I don't know what it is.) Once the staples are in place, hide all but two with buttons. These two will be used to hang the board on the wall, which is the next step. Once secured, cover the final staples with buttons and your headboard is complete! Sorry I don't have step-by-step instructions for this project, but here's the final product:

I LoVE this headboard, and the project took me all of 90 minutes, if that! The hardest part was getting the giant board home in my Corolla. Make sure you have a large enough vehicle to transport your board... otherwise it can be quite a challenge.

Here are a few more headboards that I think are really great. I especially love the lighted one! I'll probably attempt it one day, at least as some artwork if not a headboard. Though the glow would be awesome!

Like I said, you can make a headboard out of anything. Pretty sure I'll need fifteen bedrooms one day to house all the headboard ideas I have! Or I can just alternate =)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Because it's awesome.

Cards & Cake

2011-01-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

Today has been so long already... and it's only four o'clock! I bottled wine all morning and into the afternoon (handled just over 1,500 bottles), and am exhausted... but instead of napping, I'm blogging!

For week two's project, I decided to bake. One of my facebook friends had posted a pic of a cake they made and I instantly started drooling. Therefore, I had to attempt to make it. The recipe is for a Caramel Apple Cake and it is soooooooo good. Well, at least the cake part is. I successfully failed on the frosting aspect of the recipe and had to improv with another frosting recipe because I had run out of sugar. So instead of a silky caramel buttercream, there's a caramel frosting that has the grit powdered sugar gives to frostings. I'm just not a fan. Thankfully, my boyfriend is making a run to the store to get me more sugar so I can attempt the caramel buttercream once more. This time I'll add the caramel to the mixing bowl instead of a hot pan so as to not burn it to a crisp. Anyways, the cake is AMAZING! I highly recommend it to anyone who likes apples. Really, it doesn't even need a frosting. So good... here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

For the apple cake

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
4 cups homemade applesauce or 4 cups store-bought unsweetened applesauce

For the caramel buttercream

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons classic caramel (recipe follows)
1/3 cup caramel

Directions:

1For the cake: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust the parchment with flour and knock out the excess flour. The cake is very moist, so not using parchment paper will results in pieces of the bottom sticking to the pan.
2Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves together into a large bowl. Set aside.
3In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined.
4Add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl in three parts, alternating with the applesauce, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl, then mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
5Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the rack, remove the parchment, and let cool completely.
6For the caramel buttercream: In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar and flour together. Add the milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.
7Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter and vanilla; mix until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.
8Add 1⁄3 cup of the caramel and continue mixing until combined. If the frosting is too soft, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill slightly, then beat again until it is the proper consistency. If the frosting is too firm, set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and beat with a wooden spoon until it is the proper consistency.

9Assemble the caramel apple cake: Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Trim the top to create a flat surface and evenly spread about 1 1/4 cups frosting on top. Add the next layer, trim and frost, then add third layer. Spread a very thin layer of frosting over the top and sides of cake and put in refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up. Frost sides and top with remaining frosting. Drizzle on a few swirls of caramel and refrigerate the finished cake for 15 minutes to firm up before serving.

Here's a picture of how mine turned out:

Unfortunately, I was too lazy to cut the parchment paper to the size of the pans and suffered the consequences. My cake collapsed on one side... but it will still taste delicious! And that's what really matters, right? Right!

After finishing my baking adventure (and it was an adventure), I put together a small stationary set to give as my second homemade gift for the year. I'm also going to make some flower pens to go with it. I love these little cards and am kind of sad to see them go... but it makes me excited to create more.

I'm an avid scrapbooker, and hate the idea of throwing out beautiful paper, so I have these ziplocks FULL of scrap paper and they're perfect for making cards. Now, what I do every time I make a scrapbook page is create at least one card using the leftover pieces of cardstock and embellishments. It's a great way for me to minimize my paper collection without throwing away everything.

It wasn't until after I had completed these cards that I realized my envelope stash is running low, so the cards don't necessarily fit snugly into their paired envelopes, but I guess that adds to their homemade character.

Alright, time to get back to laundry, cooking, and all sorts of domestic things so I won't have to worry about them during the week. I like this blogging thing, it gives me an excuse to take a break from all the stuff I do. Today has been so long already... and it's only four o'clock! I bottled wine all morning and into the afternoon (handled just over 1,500 bottles), and am exhausted... tonight is dinner with some friends and devouring of that deeeelicious cake! Check back later in the week for the instructions on how to make flower pens! =)

Hot Glue Art?

2011-01-11T15:59:00.001-08:00

Ok. Turns out hot glue is much harder to work with than I thought. I've used it before, but never without a base of some kind for it to latch on to! I figured I'd need a frame, so I found a broken one that I didn't mind experimenting with and took out the glass. It was really a whole debacle of trials and errors that resulted in a piece that I'm not very excited about. But practice makes, well, at least somewhat better!

Initially I just draped strings of hot glue to the sides, kind of like a spider web construction without the main strands that actually offer the support, ha.

Didn't work so well. It was a good first attempt in that it taught me that hot glue re-melts the cooled glue strands (duh, right?) and the glue strands have an elasticity of about 2 inches that will hang without the weight dragging down the whole strand.

This was the final result.

It's actually not that bad, and really looks a lot better when you're face to face with it. The hot glue is extremely delicate and reflects the light beautifully so that it sparkles. I'm not very happy with my first hot glue project result, but I am interested in trying it out again and hopefully improving the results! At the very least, I have a cool Halloween decoration.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Because it's awesome.

I think I need to get a better camera... Oh well, work with what you have and work for better, I guess. =)

Crayon Art

2011-01-08T20:30:00.001-08:00

I have successfully kept my resolution for one week! Yay! Only 51 more to go...
For this week's project, I decided to do another melted crayon artwork. My boyfriend and I created one of these artworks awhile ago and it's currently displayed in our apartment, and I used a segment of it for the banner on this blog!

This project is SUPER easy to do and I'll outline the steps on here for anyone who'd like to try it for themselves.

Gather you supplies:
Hair dryer
Crayons
Board or firm canvas
Hot glue or superglue

The first step is to arrange the crayons in the order you'd like. I really love the way a rainbow type organization blends the colors. You csnt realy go wrong with it, but my friends tried this out and did some cool arrangements too (as pictured at the end of the blog).

Once you've decided what order you'd like the crayons in, glue them in place. It's best to glue down 2 or 3 crayons at a time so you can adjust the alignment if needed and the glue doesn't dry before you get the crayons on.

Now, you're free to heat p the crayons with the blow dryer! This can get messy, so lay down a tarp and wear clothes you don't mind getting crayon on. It takes a minute for the crayons to melt. I like to work in sections until the color flows are the way I like them.

It's so amazing watching the colors pour out of the crayon wrappers and blending together.

Since I promised to create six homemade items for six different people, I figured this would be an awesome creation to gift! I still need to spray a protective layer on it and probably frame it, but I love how this turned out!

Here are some other crayon artworks that my friends (more like family really) created after Justin and I told them how we created our piece. I think they did a great job! They actually removed the wrappers from the crayons, and the radial design is one I think I'll attempt next!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Because it's awesome.

Pay it Forward in 2011 & togeNYC

2011-01-05T09:02:00.001-08:00

I saw this on one of my friends' facebook page and instantly had to put it as my status:

"Pay it forward 2011: I promise to send something handmade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They in turn must post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status. The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011."

Within 10 minutes I had my 5 people and started brainstorming! While I do have throughout the entire year to complete this project, I'm going to challenge myself to have all the gifts mailed out by the end of February. Plus, it will help with my New Years resolution to create one project a week throughout all of 2011! I'm so excited about it.

Speaking of that resolution, I really need to get started! Only 4 more days to complete something... Hmm... What to create...

If you come up with any ideas, send them my way and I'll take a shot at it! In the meantime, I saw this on Huffington Post and think it'd be fun to do a project with this concept:

A dragon made completely out of plastic knives, forks, spoons, and cups! Well, and some hot glue as well. So cool! I'm not sure the actual artist's name, but you can find more of their stuff on DeviantArt.com and "~toge-NYC" is the username.

Just goes to show that art can be found in and made of ANYTHING! It's up to us to see it =)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Because I can post while my pit bull sleeps on my elbow. =)

Game Wheel

2011-01-04T10:52:00.001-08:00

This project is probably the one I am most proud of, and it was definitely the most challenging. As a solution to the hassle of starting some bar games, I created this game wheel for Jammin' DJ's. Entering into the project, I knew it would be time consuming and would require a lot of attention to detail, but I was really excited! I immediately started construction on the 3' diameter wheel that stands just over 6' when mounted on the base. One of the most difficult aspects was designing it all in a way that was collapsible so it could be transported to various bars. It's in 3 separate pieces: the base, post, and wheel. Thank goodness I have a mom who's great with woodwork, otherwise it would not have turned out as awesome as it did!

The most exciting part is the wheel's face. There are 8 sections, each denoting either a game or action the spinner has to do. There's song (pick next song), hula (hula hooping), airplane (paper airplane contest), rock paper scissors, ping ping (shoot ping pong balls into a container), flip cup, bartender's choice and trivia.

We revealed the wheel last night for New Years Eve at Reno's East and it was a big hit! Unfortunately, a disgruntled man who was being kicked out took out some frustration on the wheel and broke off three of the pegs. Those are the easiest things to fix, so it could have been worse! The wheel will mainly be at one of the Reno's (typically East), so you should check it out if you can and put your name in to play!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Because it's awesome.

2011!

2011-01-01T09:50:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!! I'm REALLY excited about this year, and I think it's because I'm finally doing what I love and fulfilling my need to create. To keep my creativity going, I have one resolution in particular that I'd like to share and use this blog to keep me accountable:

I want to complete at least one creative project each week. Even if it's as simple as a scrapbook page or as big as a game wheel (like the one completed for Jammin' DJ's last night!). Just something each week. If I go too long without completing something, I lose confidence in myself and get slightly depressed which doesn't help motivate me. Some people work well with the whole tortured artist thing, but I definitely do not!

So there it is. I'll post pics of the completed game wheel once I load up the pics from last night. Not to brag, but it's pretty great! =)

Wishing everyone a happy and memorable 2011!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Because it's awesome.

Oysters

2010-12-26T21:51:00.001-08:00

This has officially been the best Christmas I've had since I reached the double-digits! By far, my favorite gift was one my clever boyfriend thought of and is something that can be gifted any time of the year...

An oyster!! And I actually got three of them. Why am I sooooooooo excited? Because inside each oyster was a beautiful pearl! This gift is great because it turns into an entire experience for everyone involved.

He ordered them from the website orientalpearls.net and they came in a can.

You open the can, then rinse off the oyster, then (not over a sink for safety reasons!) open the oyster and remove the pearl.

I've always wanted a pearl ring, so I'm hoping to find a ring setting that holds three pearls. These particular ones are around 4-5mm, so they'd be perfect in a ring cluster! If not, I've found some feat double pearl settings and then I can do a necklace. Im also playing with the idea of making my own setting since I've never really dove into jewelry making... Though that could be slightly dangerous... Oh well, either way, I'm still SO excited!! =)

Craig Mitchell Smith

2010-12-24T12:49:00.001-08:00

Has Christmas snuck up wayyyy too fast for anyone else this year? I can't believe it's already Christmas Eve! I suppose it'd be lovely to post a festive project that I've done, but instead I want to promote a local glass artist who is extremely talented and passionate. His name is Craig Mitchell Smith and he has a gorgeous gallery in the Meridian Mall in Okemos. Imagine how happy I was to be strolling through the mall and stumble across an art gallery!! It was amazing.

The reason I'm choosing to talk about this particular artist today is because he created an ornament for the national Christmas tree this year! It's a beautiful red cardinal set in a snowflake. So pretty!

Not only is Craig Mitchell Smith an amazing artist, but he's also a huge supporter of other local artists. So much so that in the back of his gallery, he has eight mini-galleries, each dedicated to a different artist from the area. But what I love most about his gallery is that he has a workshop out in the open for everyone to see. Being able to view the artist at work brings a whole new appreciation for art, and it seems like he's always there to talk to people about his art. Each piece has a story, and you can't help but get wrapped up in Craig's enthusiasm.

Here are few more pieces of his, and I highly encourage everyone to peruse the gallery. His work truly is beautiful!

"Leaping Lena"

"Tuesday's Child"

"Jellyfish Dreams in Blue"

Hanging Lamp

2010-12-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

After a frustrating morning battling a portable drive (how is it that by following the step-by-step prompts, my drive is no longer recognizable by either Mac or PC??), I've decided to calm down by blogging! The portable drive stuff will be resolved, so I may as well just let it go.

One of the things I am excited about right now is that in a few weeks I'll be starting my internship at a local design firm! While pulling together my portfolio, I realized how many projects I have around the house and figured it'd be cool to share them with people, and maybe give out a little inspiration! This will kind of be an ongoing series of functional and oh-so-easy art.

We'll start with a hanging lamp I made...

Materials:
- 3/8" dowel rods
- hot glue (of course...)
- ribbon
- acrylic paint
- hanging light cord from IKEA
- light bulb

This was originally a project for my 3D design class. The goal was to create a cube within a sphere with as much open space as possible. Or something like that. (It was awhile ago.) After completing the project, I realized that it was really cool looking, and didn't want to set aside collecting dust or going in the trash. So, I painted the dowels blue, strung brown ribbon to emphasize the cube, attached it to the hanging light, and voila! It's currently hanging next to my bed and it casts the most amazing shadows while providing the perfect amount of light to read by.

I'm thinking about creating more of these lamps and possibly selling them? But, that would require time that I am incredibly short on! It wasn't too in depth of a project, so creating more is definitely feasible. Any thoughts?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad. Because it's awesome.

The start...

2010-12-22T21:39:00.001-08:00

I can't even tell you how many times I've started a blog. Recently, I found and cancelled one from over 7 years ago! It had maybe three posts. So now I'm starting a blog about something I actually care about - CREATIVITY! Art, music, inspirations, songwriting, exhibits, artists, etc. Basically, this blog is to organize all of the random creative tidbits I stumble across or think up at random, typically inconvenient, times. Let's get starters, shall we?

I was working on a painting for my uncles today and started thinking that I really should work more often with other mediums of art. My all time favorite material to work with is hot glue. That stuff is amazing! The texture, delicate appearance, and fast drying time is perfect for me. I'm rather impatient with things drying. That's why I use acrylics.

After thinking about it some more, I decided that I want to create a web-like design with hot glue and string. And also another project (perhaps with a picture frame and glass?) that uses hot glue to simulate dripping raid on a pane of glass. I like it.

It hit me that other artists have had to have had these ideas as well, so I googled "hot glue art" and came across an EXTrAORDiARY artist. Her name is Esma Pacal Turam and her work is magnificent. She made a chandelier out of hot glue! Stunning. Here are some shots of her amazing work with hot glue:

"Neighbours' Lamp"

"Neighbours' Laundry"

So cool, eh? I'm not sure my work will be nearly as elaborate as her's, but it'll be fun to play with! Whenever I get around to this project (after the new year, I'm sure) I'll post the results. After all, that's why I created the blog!

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