Inspiration!

Saw this little guy on Etsy a few months back and ran into him again today.

Check out the shop he came

from at

this link:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/44435551/news-giraffe-necklace-wood-decoupaged?ref=tre-4c69a26fc7c26d91f0aab54f-5

I thought EsmeDodsworthDesign, which is the shop's name, had a great idea when she made this. In her item listing it says she took a large wooden giraffe bead and wrapped it up with news clippings.

So I'm inspired. There are so many projects I could do using a similar method. And you can, too.

Give it a try and post some pics! Let's see what you create :)

Purple Reign

If you are like me and love the color purple, check out this treasury!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d33750ed5868eef7fa3c22b/purple-reign

I Should've Been British

I don't regret being born in the heartland of the United States. Omaha, NE is as good a place to grow up as anywhere else. More and more though, especially this year, I've found myself surrounding myself with British influences.

Take for instance these singers I love.

1. Corinne Bailey Rae, my doppleganger some say. I wouldn't say I idolize anyone, but I do like her music, style, and curls. And guess what--she's from the UK.

2. Adele is amazing. I love the heart she puts into singing "Rolling in the Deep". And of course, like Corinne, she calls the UK home.

3. Another UK vocalist I like is Lily Allen. I listened to Lily Allen's "The Fear" over and over again. You can tell with her music that it comes from her own creative voice (as in it's her take on things) and I like that.

I also love Florence & the Machine, Coldplay, Estelle, The Beatles (of course!), and some Amy Winehouse. My affinity for British music is not where it ends. Recently, thanks to the watch instantly feature on Netflix, I've watched 2 BBC miniseries. If you haven't them, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

1. Wives and Daughters. No spoilers here, but the basic plot is that the main character Molly Gibson's father decides to remarry suddenly and without consulting with her. Her new "mama" has her own take on house rules and her own beautiful daughter who also moves in. I think the producer, Sue Birtwistle, puts it best, "Wives and Daughters is about the ordinary mysteries of life...where love comes from, how it grows, how it can break our hearts, how it can bring happiness and fulfillment. It's about the mistakes we make and the secrets we have to keep."

2. North and South. This is now contending with the Bollywood Epic love story Veer-Zaara
for the position of my favorite movie that I can watch over and over again. I am not a real lovey dovey person. I don't believe in love at first sight. I hate movies where strangers meet and make out and then sleep together the first day they've met. I love this story because it was as if they had to earn the love and respect of the other. I guarantee you will love the ending scene!

This post could go on forever if I were to show you all the British art I love. I think you get the point. Maybe it's normal to like all of these British things. I don't know. I just wanted to share it all with you :-)

Cheerio!

Etsy Greatness

I love Etsy, not just because it allows me to share and sell my own artwork, but also because I come into contact with other people's new and different creations all the time. It never ceases to amaze me.

Take for instance today's featured seller, giddyspinster. First of all, I love her shop's name. Even more impressive than the name, though, is her product. Reclaimed stilettos, I would call them suicide stilettos, that are now used to house plants! Who would've thought? Certainly not me.

I love being surprised by other people's creativity. It is such an inspiration to me and helps me to feel the motivation to think outside the box. "Handmade" means so much to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I buy clothes from retail stores, and most of my possessions are manufactured most likely overseas somewhere. It is comforting to know, though, that creativity and working with your own two hands is not a lost art.

Enough yapping and rambling from me. Check out giddyspinster's items, and if you haven't looked into Etsy yet, you should definitely take a looksy. http://http//www.etsy.com/people/giddyspinster?ref=ls_profile