Happy Holidays Snow Globe

My hubby has a relative who never forgets to send us cards so I made her this digital Christmas card for her Facebook page. I got the idea on how to form the globe from this post

Ramen Bento and Gyro Lunchtime Adventures

We went to lunch at Obento-ya because they are one of the few twin city restaurants that serve ramen. It was an attractive restaurant with beautiful presentation; the problem was that we wanted to try the gyros across the street. Obento-ya only serves Ramen on Mondays and we had a reservation so we ate about half and went for our second lunch.
We split an unusual gyro. The meat was the kind you find on kabobs and we didn't expect to find spearmint in the sauce (that's pretty exotic when you're used to mall type gyros). The best part was the floor sagged towards the middle so all tables were at an angle. Crescent Moon is located near the U of M so we got to listen to the self-important man behind us pontificate on everything from third world agricultural practices to the space program. We sat tilted, eating off waxed paper, looking for spearmint chunks while hearing about free trade and the Euro. It was like picnicking in your car on the side of a hill while listening to a very bad NPR guest. Funny!

Nevermore

I love funky witch shoes and striped socks are a must. I need a pair of purple boots with curling pointy toes.

A Pumpkin To Crow About

In fourth grade we had to recite a poem. Most students picked the shortest one they could find; I chose The Raven by Poe.

iSad2

Steve Jobs, you will be missed.

Washburn Park Water Tower

If Middle Earth had a water tower, it would look like this. It's located in the Tangletown neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Eight eagles adorn the top edge and eight knights surround the base.

Quilt Show Poster

I made this quilt poster using vector images in Illustrator instead of fabric scans; fabric would have been the easier choice. The completed poster was placed on a green fabric image and given a drop shadow to simulate a photographed piece.

Recycled Map and DVD Case Plant Stand

My daughter removed her DVDs from the cases; leaving me with boxes of empty DVD cases stored in the garage. I inserted map sections from a 2002 Atlas into the cases and hot glued them together. The vinyl is stretchy so they also needed reinforcements glued across the top to ensure the cases remained nice and tight with each other.
I didn't want to purchase anything other than hot glue for this project so I used a ceramic tile (also stored in the garage) for the top of the plant stand. To prevent the tile from shifting I made an insert from the cardboard box my new tennis shoes came in.
I used a paper cutter to make ten, 3.5" squares (this is the size of the inside cavity) and hot glued the stack together. The cardboard was then glued to the bottom of the tile.I wanted the plant stand to be stable enough for an antique jardiniere so I glued yard sticks on the inside. I still had a few yard sticks left over from when I was an insurance agent and I enjoyed the irony.

Limestone With Crystals Photograph

I bought this pretty rock at a northern Minnesota gift shop. The owner wove an engaging tale of miners bringing them up in their lunch boxes, saving the rocks from the mine's automated machinery. Naturally, he didn't know the name of the crystal or the rock but I think it's limestone.
I used the scan setting of my printer to capture the image. It has a shallow depth of field that I wouldn't have gotten from my camera but it also had a ton of dust bits that reflected in the image.
I used the clone stamp tool in Photoshop to clean up the image.

Bike Path Artist Journal Page

I got a bike rack so I can venture further with my cruiser; it's a one speed so I need to be pretty devoted to go on a major road trip.

The trails in Maple Grove were so pretty that I stopped and did a quick sketch. The mosquitoes that couldn't keep up when I was moving were more than happy to keep me company while I sat trail side.

Found Objects Driftwood Sculpture From Duluth

I looked for interesting bits while my daughter hunted for agates on a recent trip to Duluth, MN.
The two hanging rocks had holes in them naturally and are as pleasantly smooth as they look.
A couple of very territorial agate hunters thought I was swooping in to nab an agate near them and were startled when I took a seagull feather. Treasure is in the mind of the seeker.

Multicolored Mirrored Prism Plant Stand

I rediscovered this metal stand stored in the garage and made identical wire loops to hang colorful plastic mirrors throughout the grid. The dangling prisms move freely in the wind and cover the surrounding with cheery reflected color.

Cairn Stacked Stone Sculpture Near Duluth, MN

The cairn was made on the Lake Superior beach at Flood Bay, outside of Two Harbors.

Kiwifruit In My Minnesota Garden

We bought this vigorous climbing vine several years ago. The plant has enveloped a martin house and is attempting to bring down a phone line. I think it would try to snag a low flying plane if it could move faster.

Red Onion Face Pareidolia

I know we're hard wired to see faces in objects, it's called Pareidolia, but this one is better than most. The face looks like it belongs a Japanese nesting doll.

Intriguing Doorway Next To A Ghost Sign

This sign is near Loring Park in Minneapolis, MN. Minneapolis and St Paul are home to many old industrial buildings and the area is rich with vintage signage.

Toad Lake Minnesota Sunset With Fisherman

Abandoned House In A Corn Field

This picturesque home is in the midst of a corn field and the broken windows allow the trees growing within ample sun.

Purple Wild Flowers

The dragonflies were having a feast day among these graceful purple flowers at the cabin.

Some Days Are Just #*@%*$* Awesome

Marilyn, our WestiePoo, loves to feel the wind in her hair while riding in the car.

Zombie Cows Are Here To Eat Your Braaains

The zombie cows are hunting graaains. It's hard to see in the blog format (click on the image to see better) but the cow's eyes are glowing and the one of the left looks positively evil.
I love that Google corrected my spelling of braaains. The cool font is Shaun Of The Dead.

Toy Boat, Toy Boat, Toy Boat

There's a home nearby that seems to drain their pool daily into the street. My daughter launched our folded paper boat armada down Mississippi Boulevard while I jogged along side taking photos.
It now takes a lot to surprise our neighbors and this barely registered on their radar.


Most of the boats were still seaworthy so we played with them in the backyard pond.

If You Are Waiting For A Sign This Is It

 I took this photo of a graffiti covered street sign in the Uptown area of Minneapolis last summer. The stencil of the angry man caught my fancy and "If you are waiting for a sign" was added today in Illustrator.

Cannon Ball Diving Broccoli Vegetable Dip Illustration

The brocolli is diving into a bowl of dip. I think it's similar to inviting an M & M to watch you make cookies at a party.

Vintage Airplane Trinkets Photograph

My husband likes airline collectables are here a few items that I grouped for a photo in an I Spy fashion.
money with an airplane motif
pilot wings
postage stamps
air mail stickers
rubber stamp
token
buttons
bridge tally

Eerie Pink Lily Scanner Photograph

I placed this day lily on a scanner and covered it with black. Lilies were a tricky choice since the stamens made a mess on the glass.

Hello I Am A Muggle Magical Mixer Badge Free Download

My daughter is going to see Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows tonight and she wanted to wear something Harry Potter related.

We made a Hello badge that you might find at a magical party using Illustrator and we printed it on adhesive paper.

You can download a PDF of it here.

Cairn Stacked Stone Sculpture

 When we drove along Lake Superior last summer there were stacked rocks in abstract figures all along the Canadian side of the lake.
The gift shops sell replicas of stacked stones and the practice seems to be embraced by the locals (Hawaii posts signs telling you not to stack the rocks). We were so enamored with the cairns that we brought back some smooth lake rocks.
It was a challenge to find a spot that the dogs couldn't tip the stones over and hurt themselves but the raised beds solve that problem.
Cairns are used to mark trails or as navigation aids. In North America the group is called a duck and the top rock indicates direction. I guess this one is telling me it's time to pick the rhubarb.

I Have My Ducks In A Row

Dragon Boat Festival on Lake Phalen

Art Journal Food Drawing Page

The ink drawing on the upper left is a dragon boat from the dragon boat festival. I'm a fan of any excuse to draw dragons and we had a fun storm; it was a good day.

The menu items include Panda Express take out, sweet potato fries, potato salad, ice cream cone, and scrambled eggs with asparagus.

Art Journal Food Drawing Page

Today's food drawings include: donuts, sugar free fudgesicles, chex mix, tortilla soup, smores, french bread, salad, strawberries and fish sticks.
I sacrificed an external hardrive to a volcano and our dog ran down freshly painted stairs. She sure was easy to track through the house.

Fireworks During Heat Lightning

You can see all the clouds behind the fireworks. The next photograph was taken a few seconds later when an impressive lightning storm arrived.