Arts and Dafts

Arts and Dafts tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2008-08-21://48 2010-02-08T23:14:51Z Arts and Dafts is a place for discovering what it means to give full attention to life's passions and all the daft in between. Movable Type Pro 4.25 Kick Starter of the Week- Bit Parts: Photographs tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6121 2010-02-09T15:30:00Z 2010-02-08T23:14:51Z

In a search for Kick Starters similar to what I plan to put together one day, I found Mia Erin Beach's project and fell instantly in love.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

In a search for Kick Starters similar to what I plan to put together one day, I found Mia Erin Beach's project and fell instantly in love.

It's very simple. All of her current funds go towards her family, 2 kids with one on the way, and daily expenses. Art supplies have sadly taken a backseat and that's what you'll be funding when you pledge to this project.

The main focus is to complete her "Bit Parts" photography series and prepare it for publication and galleries. It would be a cryin' shame if this incredible series was never completed. Romantic, creative, mysterious and utterly unique, you simply must click that link and see for yourself.

While you're at it, peruse the rest of her photography site. I can't tell you how inspired I feel after just quick little glimpse.

Her goal is a mere $983 and with the lowest pledge set at $1, how can you resist? However, $5 and up gets you a unique piece of work from the artist. And five people who donate $200 will have their own image turned into a custom "Bit Part" piece. How's that for reward?

"Admiring their new view, the Turners pause in a moment of reflection before continuing" by Mia Erin Beach

]]> One in Five Photo Project - Subway in the Snow tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6118 2010-02-08T17:07:11Z 2010-02-08T21:32:28Z

A new project where I take 5 different shots of one person, place or thing. This weeks "One in Five" is my subway stop after a snowstorm. Enjoy!

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

What would you shoot five different ways?

]]> 5 Fantastic Valentine's Day DIY Project Tutorials tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6114 2010-02-06T15:39:24Z 2010-02-06T16:13:18Z

You've just gotta see these 5 Valentine's Day projects. Get inspired and make something special for your loved one!

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

Free printable Valentine's Day Pillow Box from Good Gravy!

Red Wine Chocolate Truffles

Red Wine Chocolate Truffles from Sprinkle Bakes

Embroider a Valentine's Day Card from Transient Expression

Fabric VDay Cards from Urban Comfort

I notice the little things mini booklet from This Could Take All Day
]]> 5 Artsy Fartsy Craftsy Designy Blogs you should know about tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6112 2010-02-05T16:28:15Z 2010-02-05T18:29:00Z

Time to get your artsy fartsy craft on. Check out this amazing bunch of blogs!

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

One Pretty Thing is one stop shop for everything handmade. Daily DIY projects and tutorials, featured projects and a wealth of other crafty info.

Part photoblog, part crafts. Make Something is one woman's adventure in making something new every day.

How about orange... is packed with a pelthora of useful resources including fabrics, wallpapers, DIY tutorials and printable projects. It's also been nominated for a Bloggie!

Fashion, design, decor. Oh Joy! has it all and a beautiful blog to boot.

Share Some Candy is a virtual museum of all things artsy fartsy. Illustration, furniture, photography, packaging, sculpture, typography, etc. It's all there!

]]> Two Museums, Two Paintings, One Superbowl Bet tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6110 2010-02-04T17:49:43Z 2010-02-04T18:56:05Z

This has got to be one of the coolest Superbowl bets in the history of Superbowl bets.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com The Fifth Plague of Egypt by J.M.W. Turner

The Fifth Plague of Egypt by J.M.W. Turner from IMA

This has got to be one of the coolest Superbowl bets in the history of Superbowl bets.

Two art museum directors, Maxwell L. Anderson of Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) and E. John Bullard of New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA), started a betting war online as a response to art blogger (Modern Art Notes) Tyler Green's tweet:

@tylergreendc: Would love to see @IMAmuseum and @NOMA1910 make a Super Bowl bet. Like a painting-loan-to-the-winning city,"

The directors bit, the stakes grew and the trash talking commenced over the next day or so. Anderson offered up a Calame to NOMA and added, "We're already spackling the wall where the NOMA loan will hang."

Bullard countered with a Renoir saying: "Max Anderson must not really believe the Colts can beat the Saints in the Super Bowl. Let's up the ante. The New Orleans Museum of Art will bet the three-month loan of its Renoir painting, Seamstress at Window, circa 1908, which is currently in the big Renoir exhibition in Paris. What will Max wager of equal importance? Go Saints!"

It goes on an on. You can catch a full run down on Modern Art Notes.

In the end the bet was sealed with "The Fifth Plague of Egypt" by J.M.W. Turner from IMA (pictured above) and "Ideal View of Tivoli" by Claude Lorrain from NOMA (pictured below).

Best of luck to both museums and congratulations on getting the arts involved in the Superbowl. In my eyes, it's a win/win!

Ideal View of Tivoli by Claude Lorrain from NOMA

]]> Etsy Wednesday - 10 Great Valentine's Day Finds! tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6108 2010-02-03T16:25:33Z 2010-02-03T18:15:47Z

You've only got 11 days left to shop for Valentine's day! Of course, if you're shopping on the internet, you really only have about five left if you want to make sure your gifts get here on time. So hop to it already!

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

What: Customized Birch Bark Slip Vase
Who: Little Retreats
Cost: $55
So smart, so sweet, just perfect. Have your initials and that special date carved into this truly unique gift. I want one!

What: Red Silhouette First Kiss Card
Who: Eden Creative Studio
Cost: $15 for 10
This set of cards comes with red envelopes. Head to the shop for more gorgeous cards!

What: Button Down Heart Pillow
Who: Rustic Patriot Girl
Cost: $11
Tiny (6.5"x7") hand stitched pillow. A perfect little gift for anyone special in your life. Make a friend feel great on V-day!

What: Smitten Mitten
Who: Love Driven
Cost: $16
A glove for two?! How could I not share this adorable creation. You can even have one personalized for $20.

What: TweetHeart Pendant
Who: Zephyr Woods
Cost: $10
This shop is filled with adorable little pendants. This Tweetheart piece is perfect for anyone, but especially us twitter geeks.

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What: Key to My Heart Gift Tags
Who: 30one
Cost: $5.75 for 15
Each tag features painted white vintage keys. Of course, be careful how many keys to your heart you give out. It could get you in trouble!

What: Heart Necklace
Who: Lulu Bug Jewelry
Cost: $54
Made of fine silver and inlaid with red concrete, this is the perfect little gift for that special someone.

What: Butter the Elephant Card
Who: Cuore
Cost: $4.25
This shop is FILLED with adorable little Vday cards and plushies. A must shop!

What: Valentine's Heart Tea Towel Set
Who: Girls Can Tell
Cost: $20
You gotta see this awesome diagram tea towel of a box of candy. Have and oddball loved one? How about the anatomical sweetheart print?

What: Tiniest Heart Necklace
Who: Roundabout
Cost: $22
I've decided this is what I want. Tiny, delicate, barely there sterling silver heart pendant. Perfect.
]]> Kick Starter of the Week - My Best Khaki Pants tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6094 2010-02-02T18:00:00Z 2010-02-02T16:18:57Z

This week's Kick Starter is a woman after my own heart. Check out Janeen McCrae's dream to travel across the US on her bike and write about it.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

This week's Kick Starter is a woman after my own heart. It's always been a dream of mine to travel the U.S. and Janeen McCrae (aka thenoodleator) is doing just that.

Janeen is an Australian living in New York City who's about to go on a very long bike ride (with her bike "Precious)" on the TransAmerica trail. That's 4,262 miles.

Four thousand two hundred sixty-two miles!

I know, I'm out of breath just thinking about it too.

So where do you come in? She wants to share her adventures with us by writing a book "My Best Khaki Pants" (of course!). The money you give will be put towards printing and shipping costs. A small portion will go towards a special "Feed Station Reward" where she'll document food she eats along the way.

Janeen will actually be paying for the trip itself out of her own pocket.

By the way, in case you're curious what the title of the book means: "In the U.S., it's pronounced 'cacky'. And where I'm from, cacky means sh*tty, and pants means underwear. Thus rendering the sentence "I'm going to wear my best khaki pants" fantastically awesome."

Pledges start at $3 bucks so why not give that coffee money you were going to spend today?
]]> Gotta See It - LOST Showdowns in watercolor tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6106 2010-02-02T15:56:53Z 2010-02-02T16:08:18Z

That's right, I'm a LOST fanatic and as you probably know, the show premiere's it's final season tonight! Check out some art work inspired by the show.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

That's right, I'm a LOST fanatic and as you probably know, the show premiere's it's final season tonight! I'm jumping out of my seat!

Thanks to a friend for passing along the link to these beauties, the Lost Showdowns by Scott Campbell. (Here's another one) I particularly love Eko vs. the Smoke Monster in the piece you see above.

Sadly I didn't know about this sooner and they, along with some other amazing LOST artwork, were sold in the Lost Underground Art Show. However, thanks to the internet, you can still view all the pieces. So go get your fix before tonight's premiere!

Oh, and check out the rest of the work by Scott. He's got some incredible stuff.
]]> Help Haiti Art Fundraiser on BOOOOOOOM! tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6104 2010-02-01T23:54:02Z 2010-02-02T00:07:10Z

It may not be the top news story of the day anymore, but Haiti is still very very much in need and it's been amazing to watch the arts community rise up and help

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

It may not be the top news story of the day anymore, but Haiti is still very very much in need and it's been amazing to watch the arts community rise up and help. (Please click the Craft Hope for Haiti link over on the sidebar!)

One of my favorite sites, BOOOOOOOM, has helped organize an incredible fundraiser. You really should go see the pieces that have been donated by various artists. Prices range from $20-$300 but if that's still a little steep for you pockets, you can donate whatever you can here thanks to Google.

]]> Call to artists...'Let's Save Michigan' poster contest tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6103 2010-02-01T18:45:38Z 2010-02-01T19:06:29Z

Hey creative Michiganders! Did you know there's a campaign to save your state that needs a poster design? Well now you do, so you're welcome.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

Hey creative Michiganders! Did you know there's a campaign to save your state that needs a poster design? Well now you do, so you're welcome.

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) and Let's Save Michigan have issued an open call to artists, illustrators, and graphic designers for original posters to inspire Michiganders to revive their state.

The poster should inspire people to take action and do what's necessary to revive Michigan. The campaign is looking for something "forward-looking, inspirational" and it has to include the phrase "Let's Save Michigan."

The contest is open until February 15, 2010 and you can submit your ideas here. The winner will recieve $1,000 (runner up gets $250) plus the winners will have their work displayed during a special reception in the spring!

]]> Five great DIY finds this week... tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6097 2010-01-30T17:47:40Z 2010-01-31T16:12:56Z

If my world was perfect, I would spend just as much time making these DIY projects as I do staring at them on the internets.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com
So I leave it up to you to conquer my dreams and create! Now you don't have to spend hours searching because I'm gonna make you a handy dandy list of fun DIYprojects I found throughout the week:

DIY Pinwheel via Style Me Pretty

Hidden Jewelry Box via Design Sponge

Heart Garland

Super easy Heart Garland via How About Orange

Yarn Wrapped Frame via Centsational Girl
(She has you build a frame but I imagine you can do the same on a dollar store find too!)

Simple Weaved Pendant from EvaForeva

]]> It's personal... tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6095 2010-01-29T16:44:09Z 2010-01-29T17:36:33Z

Unfortunately I can't upload any images at the moment (doing some MT fixes server side) so I'm doomed to use one of my flickr shots and...duh duh duuuuuh...write.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

Unfortunately I can't upload any images at the moment (doing some MT fixes server side) so I'm doomed to use one of my flickr shots and...duh duh duuuuuh...write.

Gasp!

So how about a little personal update? I've been in tech rehearsal all week which means 12 hour (minimum) days and a lot of physical work which my body was very clearly unprepared for. I'm a big fan of war wounds, I love to show off my scars and bruises, but in this particular case I've lost count.

Fortunately, the play is absolutely fantastic. It's called Clybourne Park and if you find yourself in NYC this month, you really should check it out. It's uncomfortably hilarious.

In other news, I'm still on a bit of a photo hiatus. So far I haven't made any head way on saving up for a new computer. Silly things like rent, bills and eating keep getting in the way. I just can't help myself! So for now there will be very minimal uploading of new material.

I'm thinking of starting a Kick Starter project to help towards getting said equipment and a new lens. Is that something you'd be interested in giving to?

Of course, on that note, don't forget to check out the Kick Starter of the Week. You can pledge as low as $1 so hop to it!

And in closing, I'm really thrilled with the momentum Arts & Dafts has gained these last few weeks. Thanks to all of you for your visits and comments. Here's to a great 2010!

]]> Etsy Wednesday - Lurve is in the air...V-day's a comin! tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6089 2010-01-27T15:00:00Z 2010-01-27T15:32:47Z

Valentine's day is coming! Did you get your sweetheart something sweet yet?

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

Although I'm not a huge fan of its overuse on the internets, I am a big fan of Woody Allen's "Annie Hall", the first place I heard the word "lurve." So what better way to spread the lurve than a nice shiny necklace, eh?

That's right, this is your official reminder that Valentine's day is on the way. Although the fella and I don't really celebrate it, I know some of you out there are pretty sweet on the big day. Or have a significant other who is and expects a shiny gift or two.

The pieces in the Katy Scudieri Art Jewelry Etsy shop are perfect. Unique, made from solid sterling silver or karat gold and so much variety you'll be hard pressed not to find something for your loved one.

Prices range from $25-$400 so there's something for everyone's wallet. Head on over and check out the necklaces, earrings, bracelets and words. The big day is just around the corner!

]]> Kick Starter of the Week - Shaker Love tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6087 2010-01-26T18:30:00Z 2010-01-26T01:25:06Z

This week's Kick Starter may appear kind of silly at first glance but I assure you, it's much more than that.

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com

This week's Kick Starter may appear kind of silly at first glance but I assure you, it's much more than that.

Dannielle inherited over 700 pairs of salt and pepper shakers from her great grand-mother when she was very young and now she wants you to give them a happy home.

Why should you? Well first of all she has put an incredible amount of work into this project with videos, stories for each pair, photographs, etc. Also, she has a dream of moving to my hometown, New York City, and this will help said dream come to life.

Of course, I don't know if you've heard the rumors, but NYC living is kinda on the small side, so she simply can't bring all of her little friends.

Her goal is $5,000. You can pledge as low as $1, but $10 gets you a pair of shakers!

Oh, and don't forget to check out the video on the project page and the Shaker Love Tumblr that includes photos and shaker narratives.
]]> Gourmet, er....designer desktop wallpaper from PixelGirl Presents tag:www.artsanddafts.com,2010://48.6085 2010-01-26T16:00:00Z 2010-01-25T23:40:57Z

You must check out this excellent collection of designer desktop wallpapers. I think it's time you got a new one...

Ry http://www.artsanddafts.com Desktop Wallpaper Lighbulbs

I'm actually really glad I just came across PixelGirl Presents and the incredible collection of wallpapers they have there (they also have icons and iphone wallapers). I realized after browsing for a bit that I haven't changed my desktop background in ages. Isn't that some kind of computer sin? Anyhow, for now I've chosen the top one you see above. However, after perusing, I think I might be changing it up a little more often. There are so many delicious options. What's your favorite?

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