Spring in History – Artists Inspired By The Season
May 17, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Conventional Art, Inspirational, Seasonal | Leave a commentTags: art, artist, artists, Classic Art, inspiration, nature
There are many Artists in history, who have used Spring as a theme for their many famous paintings. Using beautiful fields, sunshine, budding trees, children, animals and water as an inspiration to create colorful and warming images on canvas that makes you feel as if you are right there in the painting. Although there are many famous artist who have captured this time of year vividly, we wanted to share two Painters who visually bring spring to life with a passionate stroke of a paintbrush….
Claude Monet
(November 14, 1840 – December 5, 1926)
photo credit: Wikipedia
Claude Monet was the founder of French Impressionist painting. His paintings can be viewed as a painted “snapshot” very close to our camera and phone photos today. The shading and the use of pastels can be captivating and yet calming. By looking at the two paintings below, can you almost feel the breeze coming from the trees?
Springtime 1872
photo credit: Wikipedia
An Orchard in Spring
1886
photo credit: WikiPaintings
————————————————————————————————
Vincent van Gogh
(March 30, 1853 – July 29, 1890)
photo credit: ArtFactory.com
Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch post Impressionist artist, who was not only remembered for his mental turmoil and severing his earlobe, but was remember post death as one of the greatest most brilliant artists/ painters. He definitely poured his heart and soul into his work. Displaying a wonderful contrast of pastels colors that will leave you visually believing the painting has come to life. Can you imagine yourself sitting accompanying the man in the boat listing to the spring leavers dangle as the breeze hit them or the vivid smell of the blossoms?
Fishing in Spring 1887
photo credit: Wikepedia
Almond Blossoms
1890
photo credit: Wikipedia
Take a moment today to possibly research more work from these artists or others who have used the beauty of spring as their inspiration to create the most famous art work to date not only hanging in museums or being kept in hidden confinement but are also being replicated to bless our homes with a taste of history.
Bring some Spring with these DIY Projects!
May 14, 2013 at 9:37 am | Posted in Craft Corner, Inspirational, Seasonal | Leave a commentTags: art, bedroom, color, colorful, crafting, crafts, decoration, flowers, how-to, living room, repurpose, shades, spring, tips, tutorial
OH blessed spring you are finally here and with that comes the spring cleaning, the sprucing up and the re-purposing of all the stuff we have accumulated in our crafting corner all winter. If you are the avid crafter (and I believe that you are) you will not only appreciate this blog but will LOVE LOVE LOVE the ideas. I have scoured the internet to find 3 of the hottest ideas for a fraction of the cost.
This first idea will spruce up your dining room for less than $10. All you will need is a needle and thread, some nice faux flower heads and elastic hair ties.
Photo credit: countryliving.com
You can put a smile on your face and make your table inviting with these floral table accessories. This picture uses roses but you can substitute that with any large flower heads. Go wild with the colors! Once you buy your flowers in your favorite hues at a crafts store, cut the heads off and sew them onto regular hair elastics with a few stitches. You can mismatch the sizes of the heads, mix up the colors go crazy and have fun!
Whether you are brightening up a bedroom, hall or the living room, this is super fun and easy do to. Add a fun stripe pattern to a lampshade with different shades of ribbon for $5-$10 depending on the cost of the fabric and size of the shade. All you need for this nifty little trick is different shaded of grosgrain ribbon cut in lengths that equal the height of the shade plus about 3/4″ wide and ½” long, some extra ribbon, and a hot glue gun.
Photo credit: countryliving.com
Take the hot glue gun and glue the strips of ribbon to the shade in the pattern you like, make sure you are over lapping the strips and you leave 1/2″ hanging below the bottom of the shade. Glue the loose pieces to the underside of the shade then cut a piece of the ribbon the length of the perimeter of the top of the shade. Fold lengthwise; press the hot glue to top of shade, positioning fold on wire frame. Then stand back and enjoy!
This gem of an idea will both shack and amaze you on how simple it is to transform your BLAH room to a WOW room you will want to spend all your time in. This project will cost you around $30-$40 depending on the cost of the fabric and frames, but it is well worth the extra cost and perfect for that little or big girl room! You will need enough floral fabric to wrap the headboard in, pieces of patterned paper, picture frames, and metallic paint.
Photo credit: bhg.com
Once you find the floral or patterned fabric you love you will need to measure your headboard so that you have enough to wrap the center of the board on it. You can secure it using a hot glue gun or staples. Once you have this done you can move onto the walls. Take some inexpensive photo frames and some patterned paper (you should be able to find this in the scrapbook section of the store) and add a mat boarder and VOILA! You have wall art! Now for the best part…..take the drab nightstand and use the metallic paint to but a nice coat of beautiful shinny color that will make your room POP!
Now that I have you thinking and looking at all the things you can change in the house, your room and your day, I wish you Good Luck and Happy Crafting!
Mother’s Day: Showing Mom Love
May 10, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Imikimi, Inspirational, Seasonal | Leave a commentTags: holidays, imikimi, Mom, mother's day
Mother’s Day began in 1908 as a way to celebrate Mom’s and what they do for society. Although it has changed from a day of church going, family dinners and carnations to an overly commercialized celebration, one thing remains the same: Mom’s deserve to be celebrated! Being a mom can be a thankless job, let’s be honest, no one says “thank you” for washing my clothes, cleaning the house and driving to soccer practice. While it may be a thankless job, it is also the most rewarding and fulfilling job that anyone could have. The joy of learning the alphabet, the super power of a kiss to heal an “ouchie” and the cuddling when they are tired are worth more than any “job” could ever pay.
Photo Credit: Buubi.com
What will you do for your Mom this year? Will you make her breakfast or take her to dinner? Maybe make her a card? The sacrifice of a Mom can not be made up with one day of gratitude, but it can make her smile and feel loved all year long. Although the holiday has turned into a large marketing dream for certain companies, the meaning behind the day is what should remain.
Photo Credit: nationalharbor.com
Photo Credit: crop4acause.blogspot.com
DON’T FORGET!!
Husband and father’s should take note of this day! Not just for their own Mothers but also for their wives. When it comes to gifts and remembering to do things for the children, Moms typically take charge. However, this is one day that the men need to step up and help out! Do something special and make it a surprise, your wife will be more than happy with whatever you do simply because you remembered her.
Photo Credit: iheartjeanniemai.com
Top Imikimi Frames for Summer Memories
May 7, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Conventional Art, Digital Art, Imikimi, Inspirational, Photography, Seasonal | Leave a commentTags: frames, fun, graduation, imikimi, joy, love, memories, photography, picture frames, prom, summer, sun, wedding
Top Imikimi Frames for Summer Memories
As we run head long into summer what better way to capture those special moments than with pictures and of course that means frames. Imikimi has all the frames to say the perfect thing about your summer fun! While you are taking those memorable pictures for prom, weddings, days with the family and friends, Imikimi has the perfect backdrop to your beautiful pictures. Take those beautiful pictures from wow to WOW with the perfect frame.
Senior pictures are out, prom pictures are being developed, weddings are being planned and family fun in the sun is in the making! Take a walk through the Imikimi library and find that perfect frame for that perfect memory that will last a lifetime! Or maybe you are looking for that special gift to give or keepsake for your wedding. What better way to display all the love and joy of those precious moments then with a Imikimi frame.
For those senior pictures Imikimi has the perfect frame to make your child sparkle and the day shine right through:
Photo credit: imikimi.com
Prom is one of the most memorable days next to weddings and birth of a child; capture that moment with one of these frames:
Photo credit: imikimi.com
Let’s not forget the summer wedding; these frames will highlight the day and the love shared by everyone on your perfect day:
Photo credit: imikimi.com
Imikimi has the perfect frame for every occasion and all the frames can be shared in emails, on Facebook, made as screen savers for your computer or iPad. They can be even printed for your photo album, coffee table or wall. Take some time to find the one that turns those special moments into cherished memories! Your memories can be made into everything from keepsakes to coffee mugs and t-shirt, from table top art to wall hangings and iPhone or iPad cases. Everything starting from as little as $0.29 for prints to $54.99 for canvas wall hangings.
So have fun and make some memories!
An Inspirational Journey Through Nature
May 3, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Digital Art, Inspirational, Photography | Leave a commentTags: digital art, inspiration, Inspired, nature, Photo Gallery, photography, photos
When we as human beings begin to seek out sources for inspiration, we more often than not find ourselves turning toward Nature for a helping hand. Nature isn’t just a hodgepodge of animals, plants and landscapes but rather a plethora of community, survival and awe. In this post I wanted to go beyond capturing just the imagery of each picture and take a closer look at the elements such as emotion that are contained within.
Photo Credit: National Geographic
Photo Credit: National Geographic
It is morning, and our journey begins in the Serengeti of Tanzania, where a congregation of Zebra find themselves gathering in an effort to cross a river filled with unknown predators. As we traverse our way through the river and reach land on the opposing side, moss and low-lying vegetation surround our mud-infused feet. After drying ourselves off we begin to tread further into the forest where our eyes are captivated by a spotted Rhododendron housing a very-rare teal-colored butterfly simply looking for something to eat, which is by far one of the more unique things that can be found in the midst of all natural environments.
Photo Credit: National Geographic
Photo Credit: National Geographic
Basic survival and group activities aren’t the only elements that exist within nature. Have you ever heard the terms ‘An Angry Sky’ or ‘Oh Boy, Its Such A Star-Filled Evening’? Well if you haven’t, the next two destinations on our journey clearly represent those terminologies and are sure to inspire you. We begin this portion of our journey way down under in a place called Dunedin, New Zealand where the clear and humid night sky is exemplifying a very boisterous and active Milky Way, complete with an abandoned fish shack in the foreground. The second portion of our journey highlights the anger and emotional behavior that can our when weather-fronts collide and form atmospheric offspring, better known as funnel clouds or tornadoes.
Photo Credit: National Geographic
Photo Credit: National Geographic
The last part of our journey focuses on two very distinct animals, an elephant walrus pondering what to do next in her sleep, and a diamondback rattlesnake coiled up in a defensive position. What brings us to these two specific animals, you ask? Although neither is related in any sense of the word, both of the animals allow us to look deep inside ourselves for various types of emotion and inspiration. How have these images of Nature, inspired you?
Spring Digital Art – Beauty Right in Your Front Yard
April 30, 2013 at 9:00 am | Posted in Digital Art, Inspirational, Photography, Seasonal | Leave a commentTags: color, colorful, digital art, inspiration, photography, photos, spring
Spring has to be one of the most beautiful, welcoming and rejuvenating seasons in the whole year. With the fresh smell of blooming flowers, birds chirping, calming afternoon showers and a breeze that is not only cooling but calming as it hits the trees and makes them sway gently. It is the perfect time to advantage of the beauty that is right in your front yard and use it as motivation to get artistic juices flowing.
photo credit: Macrobiotic Life
Flowers:
Flowers can provide a colorful inspiration to any artist. Take a look at the variety of colors in dandelion or even a rose. Using more than just your vision, use your other senses to capture a more diverse side of a flower. What do you envision? How does it make you feel? What does the fragrance represent? Tell a story of more than just a floral arrangement. Make your art stand out as an expression on how you view spring time beauty.
photo credit: Spring Garden Show
Showers:
Showers and thunderstorms can make for a bad and gloomy day for some. Take a deeper look into spring showers. They can be motivation to correctly create an array of artistic pieces based off of the calming beauty of the rain drops and the breeze. With the melody of the raindrops tapping against your window, play around with colors and drop like patterns to create art that will turn a rainy day frown to a smile from its beauty.
photo credit: photographycorner.com
By just looking at your window, front yard maybe even take a walk around a beautiful garden, you will definitely find new ideas to incorporate into your digital art projects. With flowers in full bloom, birds chirping to their own tune, ’tis the season to let playful colors embrace your art. Spring is finally HERE!!!!
photo credit: Digital Art Gallery
Scrapbook Coaster’s for your Crafting Corner
April 26, 2013 at 12:00 pm | Posted in Craft Corner, Seasonal | Leave a commentTags: craft, crafting, crafts, decoration, how-to, scrapbook, scrapbooking, tutorial
To all my creative crafters; scrapbook coasters are a fun and easy project to enjoy with friends and family. We normally spend spring and summer time enjoying the weather, traveling and taking pictures to reflect back on. When we have the time to relax we like to sit down and enjoy time with family and friends, and also reflect on the times we spend together on various trips and excursions. During this time together why not be creative by making scrapbook coasters to eliminate those annoying water circles we put on our furniture. This will allow us the opportunity to be creative and have fun, while sharing our experiences with others.
I’ve found a really creative and cheap idea to enjoy with friends and family; while saving your furniture at the same time. Scrapbook covers will save your coffee and end tables while you also enjoy those happy and creative times with your love ones going down memory lane!
Photo Credit: http://gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com
Materials Needed:
Four 4×4 tiles piece.
Scrapbook paper
Mod Podge
Sponge brush
Hot glue or fabric glue
Thick fabric (felt or fleece) for the backing
Photo Credit: http://gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com
Begin by cutting four pieces of scrapbook paper to fit your tiles. Using a foam brush, apply Mod Podge to the back of your paper in a thin layer. Make sure it’s not too thick and is spread smoothly. Apply the paper to the top of the tile, being careful to remove any air bubbles or wrinkles. Repeat on all tiles. Let them dry for a bit.
Photo Credit: http://gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com
Cut four pieces of thick fabric to almost cover the bottom of your tiles. This will be to pad them on your table top and keep them from scratching your wood! Flip the tiles over and apply glue on a few of the ridges. Place your fabric on the glue and let dry. Once your paper is completely dry from the first Mod Podge step, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge to the top in an even layer.
Photo Credit: http://gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com
Make sure you get the edges of the paper because this will be sealing your coasters. Allow to dry and apply more coats as needed until you get the finish you want. This can be a wonderful gift or keepsake for yourself! This would be great with holiday paper to add a little touch of holiday to your table, or even with a monogram to match any design mood you may have.
Photo Credit: http://gritsandgiggles.blogspot.com
The possibilities are endless, and with a price tag of less than $2 for the whole project, you can make as many as you want! There has been no trouble with water affecting the cured Mod Podge, if you’re worried about it getting gooey, or plan on using coasters all the time you may want to seal them with an acrylic sealer. Happy crafting!
Inspiration in Art: the Environment
April 23, 2013 at 8:00 am | Posted in Digital Art, Imikimi, Inspirational | Leave a commentTags: digital art, environment, imikimi, inspiration
The topic of the environment can spark a heated and passionate debate about what we as a society are doing to destroy or preserve our Earth. Are we doing enough to change the damage that generations before us unknowingly caused or are we simply adding to the destruction? Digital Art has the ability to transcend spoken words and yet still spark that same emotion and conviction from people.
photo credit: carolcoogandesign.com
photo credit: showboatentertainment.com
Phrases such as global warming, eco-systems, carbon footprints, el Niño and la Niña float through the news airways on a weekly basis. Are we doing more harm than good? Is there an actual way to fix the problem? Will simply recycling and going “green” make a large enough impact to change the damage already created? More companies are coming out with “green” products and the appliances that are now produced are made to be energy efficient which not only cuts down on the money spent monthly in energy costs but also leaves a smaller carbon footprint on the Earth.
photo credit: masterfile.com
photo credit: behance.net
photo credit: desktop4ipad.com
Extreme Enviornment or Responsible Practices
The environment like many issues seems to spark the extremes in people. We see shows on television such as Whale Watchers where their goal is conservation and on the opposite end see shows about hunting and killing animals, who is in the right? Both, neither, this is a debate that will play out until the end of days. Days set aside each year such as Earth Day where the sole purpose is to help the environment, from planting trees or picking up trash. Garbage companies are starting to offer free curbside recycling which has in turn lowered what was being put in the landfills. Recycling has never been hard, however, we are a culture of convenience and by the garbage companies offering a service to help our environment has made it less of a burden and more of an acceptable and easy answer to the waste that one puts into the world.
photo credit: designfloat.com
photo credit: fineartamerica.com
Earth Day
April 19, 2013 at 8:00 am | Posted in Seasonal | Leave a commentTags: Earth Day
Earth Day: What is it all about?
Photo Credit: www.greensboro-nc.gov
Earth Day is an annual day on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Earth Day is observed on April 22 each year. The April 22 date was designated as International Mother Earth Day by a consensus resolution adopted by the United Nations in 2009. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 192 countries every year
Photo Credit: www.newgreenmedia.tv
Why Earth Day
The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
1970
Photo Credit: www.foodmocracy.wordpress.com
Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.
1990
Photo Credit: www.herinst.org
As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995) — the highest honor given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.
2012
Photo Credit: www.theholidayspot.com
2012 goal of A Billion Acts of Green®, launched an international, 1-million tree planting initiative with Avatar director James Cameron and tripled its online base to over 900,000 community members.
Please visit the link below, to visit the Earth Day website.
For a list of wonderful Earth Day Activities, see the link below
http://earthday.envirolink.org/guide6.html
Spring Cleaning For Your Crafting Corner!
April 16, 2013 at 8:00 am | Posted in Craft Corner | Leave a commentTags: crafter, crafting, organizing, spring cleaning
Crafter Spring Cleaning and Organizing Ideas
For all you fellow crafters Spring cleaning or rather Spring organizing is essential to centering our Chi, making us sane, bringing on the creative juices or whatever cliche you use to breath again! We spend all fall and winter making decorations, contributing to our children’s school project, getting ready for the holiday but most of all we focus all of our attention on others. Then comes the big shocker…..our crafting room or corner or nook. We are just minding our own business ready for another day and sit down to create something spectacular and BOOM it hits us….Where the HECK is my craft table! Not to worry it happens to the best of us and with that thought I have found some GREAT ideas to not only organize but to conserve space. Which let’s face it…if you are a crafter you will need to conserve space because you can always find SOMETHING you just can’t live without in the store, flea market, garage sales or even a friend’s house.
I have looked around and found some wonderful ideas for organizing and conserving space. For those who have a very limited space for your crafting stuff spring cleaning is essential and this picture from Pinterest is for you.
Photo Credit: pinterest.com
You can find this hanging system at Walmart.com for under $10 and you can get the hanging organizer from Amazon for under $25.00. Both of these will fit nicely in any closet to give you the optimum amount of organization and best of all space conserving! Now that you are all warmed up for the spring cleaning lets take a look at some more ideas.
For those who have a little bit more space this concept from Pinterest might be good for you.
Photo Credit: pinterest.com
Since you are spring cleaning you may come across a closet you don’t have to put anything in it so you can get a bit more creative with the storage containers. You can purchase something like this or use an old dresser and cut out dividers from plywood. Anyone have a old hutch you aren’t using? That would be perfect or if you are not really handy you can create a make shift book shelf from plywood and cinder blocks.
Photo Credit: google.com
This idea is simple, basic and VERY adjustable. Now for those lucky few that might have an entire wall and are able to just spread out you might think about this bookshelf with some baskets or buckets for the larger stuff along with this Pinterest idea to consider:
Photo Credit: pinterest.com
This option is as simple as getting wooden dowels and brackets from Walmart, Kmart, or any lumber or hardware store and installing them. But make sure, as with anything you put up on the wall, you know where the studs are. If you mount the brackets to the wall, start loading it up and it is not secured to the stud…..you will have a big mess and a hole in your wall when it falls from the weight.
Now that we are all organized and have SO much space….dive in and create your magic! Happy Crafting!!!!!!
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
