I was flipping through all the sketchbooks I've filled for the sketchbook project and came across this image I did with the hand carved stamps I'd made not too long ago. I decided to turn it into this month's desktop wallpaper.
You can download it for your desktop here. (See all past calendars here.)
Enjoy! And thank you for all the nice comments on the sliced swoon!
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I have a new desktop wallpaper calendar for April, you might notice it was highly inspired by the garland I made over the weekend. Download your wallpaper here.
Hope everyone has a productive Tuesday (it's my most productive day of the week these days for some reason).
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Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great holiday. We spent a week in New Mexico with Peter's folks and I fell in love with the whole area, so very different than my normal day-to-day surroundings. We visited a few museums, ate some really good food, walked among the 200,000 year old petrogliphs, and laughed plenty.
I am going to continue on with my monthly images, but I'm going to change them up a bit. Instead of a photograph of what's inspiring me that particular month, I thought I would do an illustration. January's painting is of a little glass bottle I found last summer at Goodwill. I believe it's an Avon bottle from who knows when, for Pennsylvania Dutch Patchwork Foaming Bath Oil, and I really love the extent of the packaging.
And I am just the kind of person who would find pleasure in a patchwork bath.
You can download the high resolution image and use as your desktop wallpaper here. As always, for personal use only. Thank you!
I'm back tomorrow posting about my simple resolutions for the new year.
I know, I know, posting on a Saturday, the idea of it!
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Ornament-making is one of my favorite holiday crafts. We have so many ornaments both made and bought during the year, there is rarely room on the tree for all of them, but I can't stop myself! I thought I'd share what I'm making this year. First up are acorn ornaments. I have been really inspired, probably more than ever, by nature this year... sketching it or altering bits of it here and there. These are still in that same vein. I have made dozens and dozens of these already, they are quick. In fact, once you assemble your materials, at least 4 per episode of Breaking Bad (and probably more, if you don't stop to watch as intently as I do).
Here's what you need-
There are all sorts of suppliers of acorn caps on etsy, one order will get you more than need. In addition, you'll want to have some scrap yarn or string to attach to the top for hanging as an ornament.
To make them, cut circles out of your chosen fabric for the actual acorn portion. My circle is 2 3/4" in diameter, this size worked well for me but you may want to experiment with a couple to get the size you want.
With your needle and thread, sew a running stitch around the outermost edge of the fabric circle (either front or back of circle, doesn't matter). Pull the edges slightly to begin to close the circle, then add in a bit of stuffing, pushing it in and pulling the threads, until the acorn body is closed. Make a few stitches across the top and knot off.
Add an acorn cap with hot glue, and you're done. Add a string to hang from the tree as an ornament, or attache them to a wrapped package with a tie or hot glue. I have also added a little glitter to the caps before gluing them on.
A little Happy Holidays from me to you, download the above image for your desktop image here.
Check back tomorrow for another ornament.
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You didn't think I'd forgotten this month's inspiration image I hope. I have been down with a head cold all week, a functional but slower and more forgetful Blair does not get much done. Today I will take it slow, have lots of tea, and rest up. Its quite dreary outside, a really good day to sit with some handwork.
I have listened to the news all week long about the damage from Superstorm Sandy and I hope that everyone on the East Coast is getting all they need and are recovering.
I took a walk this morning to gather these leaves, I knew they would be my inspiration image this month and I wanted to grab them at their most colorful. As I reached out to tug at the leaves on my Japanese Maple in the back yard (the ones on the left), they came off with barely a touch. It seems my nature walk was not a minute too soon. What are you inspired by this month? There was a time I was not inspired in the least by Fall colors, but there's really something about how they glow here in the Northwest, against the rain and the mossy rocks. They are beautiful here... but they are beautiful everywhere.
Download your full size inspiration image here. See all of 2012 inspiration images here.
Couple of things to note:
- There will be some exciting new things added to the shop next week! Honestly I can't wait to share them! I think the sketchbook project sketches I've done spawned the idea of this new collection, in a way, but then again its something I've had in my head for a very long time. You can always sign up for my newsletter and get news of when the shop is stocked for the holidays.
- My quilt pieces are hanging up at Artstream for their small works show entitled "Home". There is a reception this evening and if you are local to them I do hope you'll stop by. I've said it many times by now, but I am honored to have had my paintings travel across the country to hang for this show. Thank you Susan!
- I am working on a new set of paintings that will be part of the Ballard Artwalk and hanging at Drygoods Design in December. I had a dream about what I wanted to do for this show the other night and got so excited I almost got up to start painting at 2am! More soon. (Does this mean I'm an artist??)
- I will be doing a craft workshop at Urban Craft Uprising this year. More details on that soon, but I can't wait. This show has lots of good energy, great place to holiday shop for some handmade unique gifts.
- I am still working on my book, it is very much alive and kicking. Writing a book is such a labor of love (I thought I had some idea, but who was I kidding). I am excited to share details with you as they emerge, but if I ever disappear for a few days from the blog and am NOT sick, I probably have my nose deep in book writing. Right now the publication date is set for Spring of 2014. That's a long ways away so I won't bore you with book talk anymore for a while.
I was going to leave you with a list of links, but I think I may go rest now.
Have a great weekend everyone! Stay safe!
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Download this month's computer desktop wallpaper here. See all of 2012's inspiration wallpaper here.
I am ready to get down to work this month! So many ideas, and with the kids back in school, I have time to see them through. Here's what's inspiring me this month:
- Simple images drawn with black lines
- My daily sketches (sketchbook #1 is almost filled).
- Wool of any kinds... felted sweaters, wool yarn
- old book pages
- feathers (they have even taken over my blog banner). Ian and I have been collecting them on our walks to and from school.
- My BSR, which I have plans for this month.
- Documentary Lovers- I am addicted to this website. You're welcome.
- Fall looks like this (but not the prices!)
- Soon-to-be released memoirs like this.
- Interior designer Miles Redd.
- Artist Carla Sonheim (who is right here in Seattle, who knew?)
- And thinking about sharing movies like this with my soon-to-be 14 year old daughter, and pointing out my favorite scenes, like this one. (She probably won't even get it all, but I feel like every teen needs to see these movies).
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The four of us went to the beach the other day and ended up collecting a few treasures that we've been having fun with ever since. Small pieces of driftwood, feathers, broken shells, beach glass, all kinds of things. We originally went to collect a few smooth rocks... I wanted more rocks to crochet around, one of us wanted rocks to paint into dragon eggs, and another one wanted an interesting rock to use a door stop. Whatever the reason, there was much to be found on our little excursion.
That same afternoon, I started painting tiny patterns on smaller pieces of driftwood. It was fun letting my mind just wander and "play" with a little paint". A little neon paint here and there seemed to be the perfect touch.
Yes, I do believe that nature and unexpected uses of nature are what I'm inspired by right now.
To download and use the September Wallpaper pictured above for your own desktop wallpaper, click here to open the image and drag it to your desktop. Choose it as your screensaver/desk top image on your computer, be sure to choose "fill screen" or "stretch to fill screen".
See the other inspiration images from 2012 here.
Here's what I'm working on this month:
- I am speaking at School House Craft on Saturday (9/22) at 2:45. In Blogging 101, I'll will be joined by Marie LeBaron of Make and Takes and we will be sharing the ins and outs of why blogging is an important and fun aspect of running and promoting your handmade business. (Peter will be speaking too!) This is a very inspiring weekend, a great way to kick off Fall.
- I am busy creating new original art for Home, an upcoming, end-of-year show at Artstream Gallery in New Hampshire. More details coming soon, it may be textile pieces, may be paintings, I'm not quite sure yet, but I'm very excited about this show and honored to be included
- Its time to make way for new items in the shop, so I am having an end-of-summer sale. Just use the code ENDOFSUMMER for 15% off your entire order on anything in the shop till September 23! Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to know when the next new collection is in the shop.
- I am so excited to be joining my granny squares together. The timing is perfect here, weather-wise! If you want to join the Granny Square Sampler Afghan crochet-along, you can start anytime by following all the assignments on the Sampler page.
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There are so many things I am inspired by this month in my studio. Something about late summer, and the promise of Fall gives me huge amounts of creative energy.
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