Archive for the 'Cool Links' Category

Herb & Dorothy

Published
by
robayre
on March 5, 2010
in Cool Links
. 0 Comments

finally, finally, finally I got to see the documentary Herb & Dorothy. I remember when I first heard about this movie, I added it to my netflix queue, saving until it came out on dvd. Recently I saw someone mention that they had rented it and so I bumped it to the top of my queue.


I have to say, if you love art you you will like this movie; if you love abstract, contemporary and minimal art you will LOVE this movie. Piece after piece, I felt like I had to scribble down the artists names. It was one of those things (like the Gaiman talk) that made me want to rush to my studio and start producing artwork with passion. It also made me; want to collect artwork, sad that the local art gallery in town closed down and regretful that I didn’t purchase some pieces I really wanted in that gallery while I had the chance. Here is the wikipedia page on the couple.

Impressions left on me after seeing the movie:
-They love animals.
-Both Herb and Dorothy started out creating artwork of their own. Gradually, once they started collecting others’ work, they removed their own artwork from the walls to be replaced by other artists’ work, until they realized they enjoyed other people’s work and collecting it, more than they enjoyed making their own.
 -They bought what they loved, not as an investment or with the potential that they would sell it, but because they thought the pieces were beautiful and interesting and wanted to own them.
-They donated parts of their collection to the National Gallery specifically because; the work would be kept (never sold), that the National Gallery was owned by the government as they both held jobs working for the government (as a postal worker and librarian) and visitors to the gallery can go for free and would be accessible to anyone.
-It has taken the National Gallery (5) 40 ft. moving trucks to move all the artwork from their one bedroom, rent controlled apartment in Manhattan.
-The rest of their collection is to be/was donated, 50 pieces to 50 institutions in 50 states.

Inspiration Junkie Post

Published
by
robayre
on March 3, 2010
in Cool Links and etsy
. 2 Comments

(today’s 365 screen cap)

Oh Gosh. March has stormed in with a gust of inspiration. I have two pages of my full sized sketchbook just filled with ideas for things I want to do. It’s one of those time periods where the days are just not long enough
—
I love twitter, don’t get me wrong, but in the last couple of years since I’ve been using it I’m sad to realize that I post most of my cool link finds there, instead of sharing them here, like I used to do. Today I want to post a few things here that have caught my eye lately. If you follow my twitter, they might not all be new to you. Hopefully, I’ll do more inspiration posts occasionally.

—

Through my google alerts I found this tumblr that reposted a piece of mailart I created and sent to Germany years ago. Thanks to that, I discovered the Good Mail Day tumblr that posts beautiful mail images. I love me some snail mail so I had to subscribe to that right away.

Speaking of… I found a snail mail themed Etsy treasury featuring my stationery sets.

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(image by littletjane)

I remember when I first started Etsy there was (and probably still is) a lot of talk about how the most successful shops specialize in one kind of item and offer that single thing in a variety of colors or styles. I was given advice that I might want to start up more than one shop for my variety of items. I really struggled with that, and worried that my shop wasn’t cohesive and I think that lack of confidence then created a lack of togetherness. I love so many different areas, and I didn’t want to have to split things apart, or only focus on one single area forever. It wasn’t until I became comfortable and recognized my style that I realized my shop was perfect the way it was, with a large variety of items. Yes, I carry paper products, fine art, handspun yarns, home decorations and jewelry all in one shop and I’m proud of it! When I come across other Etsy sellers who are also Jack-of-all-trades, I feel a kinship. One of these sellers is littletjane. I just had to add littletjane’s blog to my “current crush” list (see sidebar). I’ve been following her blog for a while, but more and more I’ve realized how awesome she is. I love all the things she shares on her blog, but also the things she creates and has in her shop. Check her out at her website, twitter and etsy shop.

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and last but not least I have to share this cool video by Jenni Rope that I saw on the craft blog. It was one of those things pieces that creates jealousy in my heart because I wish I had created it. Beautiful!

I was featured…

Published
by
robayre
on February 16, 2010
in Cool Links, Coverage, General Update and etsy
. 1 Comment

on the blog CreatureComfortsBlog with my white on white Paper Wrapped Spiral Pendant. It’s a collection of work that was inspired by her brother’s drawing. What a wonderful article to be included in because I am in love OBSESSED with childrens’ artwork.

Check it out, and others like it at my Etsy shop!

Cool stuff and thanks

Published
by
robayre
on January 22, 2010
in Artists, Cool Links, General Update, etsy and life
. 1 Comment

I’ve received so many things lately and I wanted to post a long overdue public thanks and share some of these wicked cool items.

I was sent a copy of The Happy Book by Meg Leder and Rachel Kempster. I’m all about Happy so I was glad to receive it. Imagine if the Listography Journal and Wreck this Journal had a teenage daughter. I think it might be The Happy Book. It’s one of those books that encourages you to carry it around and fill it up and the more you use it the less it will look like what it did when you brought it home. The Happy Book is filled with almost 200 pages of prompts for you to fill up, paste-in, list and draw all the happy and positive things in life. One of the rewarding things about this book, and others similar to it, is that you can pull it out later when you might be feeling down in the dumps and it will hopefully fill you with joy again. The manifesto of the book is “Thinking about what makes you happy, makes you happy. Writing about what makes you happy, makes you happy. Reading about what makes you happy, makes you happy.” I had an idea when I was first reading the introduction that I’d like to keep the book in a somewhat public place (car, coffee table or carry it with me in my bag) and encourage my friends, family and acquaintances to also fill out pages in my book. That way when I opened it up it wasn’t just my happy thoughts, images and experiences, but other’s as well, and I would be able to draw fresh inspiration by other’s happy things.

It has been years now and I am still so grateful that Rosa Murillo saw my website and sent me an email introducing herself. We have become friends and I treasure that. She calls me, I don’t answer (hehehe), but we’ve skyped a couple times and I am always thrilled to see a new blog post on her site. She is such a creative inspiration to me (although she’d probably cringe at my liberal and frequent use of that “i” word). She sent me a wonderful package before Christmas and it contained the ring above. I don’t see anymore in her shop right now, but she’s made a bunch here. I commented on one and low and behold she sent it to me. I love it! Of all jewelry I love rings the most. But not just any ring. Believe it or not, I’d put my nose up to a tiffany diamond ring, but I can’t say no to a piece of artwork adorned on my fingers. Thank you again for the lovely ring, Rosa! I’m compiling a package for you and hope to send it soon, but really, what is soon? You know me, and that might not be until summer, wah wah wah.

This ring came from my new penpal (through the penpal party) Angie of PangeaStore. I have a special place in my heart for lockets. It probably stems from watching the movie Annie too many times as a child. At any rate I admired the rings from Angie’s Etsy shop that have eensie teensie little lockets on them. When her next letter arrived it had one in it! oh my goodness. It’s a ring, it has a locket and it’s miniature! I know, I know, I almost fainted. I’ve been thinking about what I need to put inside of it. I was going to just print out tiny pictures, but then this week I saw this post on the Black Apple about lockets with tiny drawings in them.

And finally this week I stopped by the P.O. Box and was delighted to find this scarf from Trisha at Made During Sleepytime. I had entered her giveaway for this super cozy and stylish scarf and WON IT!  I wore it all today and love it so much that I think I will need to follow her tutorial and make myself a couple more. Honestly though, Trish, you should sell these. I’d probably save myself the aggravation of sewing it and just buy more from you :) Love it!

Spin and Knit

Published
by
robayre
on January 11, 2010
in Artists, Cool Links, General Update and fiber
. 3 Comments

Bri of TheCraftBegins recently posted and shared this scarf that she made from my handspun yarn she purchased.

I wish I had a picture of the original fiber, unspun, but on the left you can see I have a picture of the single ply, the double ply, on the knitty knoddy and in skein form. Here is her post!

I am just thrilled to see such a beautiful finished product, that in a way I had a hand in as well. She did such beautiful work, AND she created the pattern for it as well! She has several other beautiful and equally warm and cozy knits in her Etsy shop.

Current Crush

Published
by
robayre
on December 13, 2009
in Cool Links and General Update
. 1 Comment

In the sidebar you will see several categories of links. The tested, tried and true links that I love and visit regularly are under “My Inspirational Links”, my “links” category are links where you can find me elsewhere, and “Project Inspiration” are Robayre approved project sites. Recently I started a new category of links called “Current Crush” where I list new to me websites and blogs that I am swooning over. I’ve been changing it out occasionally. In an attempt to chronicle those crushes, I’m creating this post, that I will update whenever new crushes have been added.

Littletjane (march 3rd, 2010)
GiddyGiddy (February 4th, 2010)
Color Me Katie (February 1st 2010)
Skunkboy Creatures (December 2009)
Meandering
Goodnight Little Spoon (second set, also unknown date)
Hollister Hovey
Anna Allen (unknown date)
Christenb



5 Good Things

Published
by
robayre
on November 11, 2009
in Cool Links, General Update and lists
. 0 Comments

1. My bright red down winter coat.

2. My Life As A Paperdoll photoset on flickr, by Virginhoney

3. Good Time rings by Yellowgoat on Etsy.

4. Keeping super busy and feeling very productive.

5. Christine Miller Mason’s “5 things” posts.


flickr favorites reveal more

Published
by
robayre
on October 30, 2009
in Cool Links, General Update and My Artwork
. 0 Comments

flickr fav.s, originally uploaded by robayre.

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these mosaics from my flickr favorites. Flickr fav.s are definitely one of my favorite features in one of the Internets largest image sharing sites.

Ever struggle with recognizing what your own creative style is? I like to think a glimpse of that style might be revealed by looking at your flickr favorites. Flickr favorites are the images that catch your eye, photographs that steal your heart and pieces of artwork that you wish you had thought of first. By looking at your favorites you might start to recognize similarities across the collection, certain colors, textures, techniques or subject matters that are often repeated. I find it fascinating that by looking at other people’s images, you might start to learn more about yourself.

If you have flickr and haven’t utilized the “Favorites” option, I encourage you to click that little star over those pictures that catch your eye while browsing the site. If you don’t have flickr, try filling a notebook or journal with magazine images. You just might start to see a larger picture.


laundry list to share

Published
by
robayre
on October 13, 2009
in Cool Links, General Update, Projects, etsy and life
. 3 Comments

This weekend I stayed in, kept cozy and kept busy. I put up insulation plastic on the windows to keep us warm. I also caught up on washing and folding/hanging laundry, which is no small feat when you live with a man who instead of doing the laundry ever, just goes out and buys an entirely new wardrobe. One time I counted the pairs of jeans of his I found that needed laundering and it was over a dozen! Me, well, I’m a girl so I have plenty of clothes (that’s a given) but I only wear my favorite few outfits over and over and over again, so my part of the laundry can usually be done in one big load. At any rate, it feels so nice to have all of our clothes folded or hanging up, instead of grabbing clothes from clean hampers or directly out of the dryer. Now the task is to stay that way, but that’s always the hardest part isn’t it?


Between loads I found time to knit these two hats this weekend. They are based on the Meathead pattern. I say based because if I follow the pattern for large, it still comes out child sized. Maybe it was designed to be a child’s hat? Funny thing is when I decided to knit one last weekend I whipped it up from the pattern in no time, but it was obviously too small. I grabbed the hat I made when I bought the pattern a couple years ago and I had made it completely different from the pattern. Which means that I had probaby made one and it was too small so I adjusted the pattern to re-make it. I love when I do things like that. Some might see it as making the same mistake twice, but I just see it as a sample that I really am who I am. “Look, I did this before, and now I’ll do it again, lol.” I love the shape of the hat, but had to alter the pattern so much that I really only borrowed the same ribbing for the bottom and reduced in the same style at the top to give it the acorn top shape. It’s not a hat for everyone, but it’s quirky and that fits me just fine.

I’m glad that so many people have gotten excited about the fontcapture site. I twittered about it and it got “retweeted” a handful of times. Rosa and Bri have already created their own fonts and Rosa is actually asking others to trade fonts with her. Colliebox on twitter suggested the creative idea that you don’t need to just stick to your handwriting, but you could use pictures like a dingbats/wingdings type font. How fun is that? Or just think of all the creative fonts you could create. I remember back in college my friend Jenny created a “left handed font” for design school and that completely blew my mind. The font I created for $15 through another site years ago and was so disappointed with was made with my block lettering that I use often in my artwork. I think I will redo that font with fontcapture. Please let me know if you’ve created your own font, I’d love to see it in action. I could have used it for my super secret code for my last Artomat series.


I’ve also added another reproduction print to my shop. It’s the Tree Stump piece from my August daily project. I loved this piece so much! After it sat in my shop for a week or two I started growing attached. I figured after the month was over I was going to remove it from the shop and keep it for myself. I don’t often get attached to my own pieces, so when it did eventually sell before the month was over I knew immediately I had to get prints done. What is it with tree stumps anyway? I love them, in a whimsical fairytale sort of way.


Speaking of woodland creatures, I found the awesome-ist creative halloween costume on craftster yesterday. It’s a gnome riding a snail. How cute.

Handwritten Post of sorts

Published
by
robayre
on October 11, 2009
in Cool Links
. 4 Comments

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