Summer

Today when I got in my car the temperature was over 100 degrees! Ugh. I always forget how hot it gets here in the summer (and while it's so hot I forget how cold it gets in the winter!). I would love to read a good book and then take a nap here:
Or here!
Both photos are by Annika Vannerus. More can be found here.

29 cards off to market

I just sent 29 cards off to be sold at the Mile High Music Festival! Now I'm having fantasies of some of the big names at the show coming across my work- Ben Harper, G. Love and Special Sauce, Ani DiFranco, Thievery Corporation, DeVotchKa, Matisyahu, Paper Bird (ok, Paper Bird isn't a big name yet, but they will be! They are AMAZING performers, and so fun. If you haven't heard of them check them out!). I listen to all of them to help me crank these creations out. How great would it be if one of them bought one of my cards!?
These are a few of my favorite ones:

Octopus

I checked out Craftivity by Tsia Carson a few weeks ago. This book is AMAZING! I wanted to do a large majority of the projects she had.
I created an octopus, which turned out super cool. I'm thinking about adding buttons all over the arms for those suction things, do you think that would be overkill?
I also started making a rug. This project is much more involved and requires a lot of yarn. I'm budgeting myself- each time I go to the craft store I get a few things of yarn. When I'm sitting around I'll make a few puffballs. Eventually I'll get there!
*In my efforts to try and blog more, I'm going to be reviewing assorted arts and crafts books, and making projects from each one I look into. If you have any suggestions please leave a comment!*

Cool Stuff

I'm starting to get back to my old self again! Soon I'll be able to post my creations, but until then I thought you might enjoy seeing some other creative recyclers. Or upcyclers. Whatever.
This was found over at the great Design Sponge. It looks like vertibrae from a large animal, but amazingly it is recycled egg crates! ‘Metamorphosis’ egg crate lamp by Sukmo Koo and Young Taek Oh.
And another light (what is it with me and lights lately?!)’Sleeve’ sweater lamp by Sara Ebert on the right. The left one is made from pipe cleaners by Jennie Maneri.

Down the rabbit hole

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't had too many posts lately. Not for almost a month, actually. I wish that I had my normal excuses to defend myself with- lack of inspiration, too busy with other things, and so on. Unfortunately, this time I atually have some real viable reasons. The main one being that I had to have emergency surgery. It has been a blur of pain meds, recovery, and all the strange things that the body does after it takes a hit. It is a good sign that I'm now up and on the computer, and an even better sign that I actually feel like doing things now. I have one more week of bedrest, and I'm hoping to make the best of it!