Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Quilt Show Poster

quilt show poster made in illustrator
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.

close up of a quilt show poster made in illustrator

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Recycled Map and DVD Case Plant Stand

plant stand made from map covered dvd casesMy 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.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Limestone With Crystals Photograph

gold colored crystals on black rockI 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.
photoshop screen shot

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Bike Path Artist Journal Page

vintage style pink bike on a rear bike rackI 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.

watercolor painting of woodland bike trail 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.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Found Objects Driftwood Sculpture From Duluth

driftwood sculpture
driftwood sculptureI 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.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Multicolored Mirrored Prism Plant Stand

multicolored plastic prisms hanging from a metal rack
















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.

multicolored plastic prisms hanging from a metal rack













Thursday, August 11, 2011

Cairn Stacked Stone Sculpture Near Duluth, MN

stacked stones near the water edge
The cairn was made on the Lake Superior beach at Flood Bay, outside of Two Harbors.


stacked stones near the water edge

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Kiwifruit In My Minnesota Garden

vining branch of kiwi plantWe 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.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Red Onion Face Pareidolia

face in a red onion slice
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.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Intriguing Doorway Next To A Ghost Sign

interesting doorway in Minneapolis
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.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Abandoned House In A Corn Field

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

Friday, August 5, 2011

Purple Wild Flowers

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

purple flowers in a field

Thursday, August 4, 2011

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

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

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Zombie Cows Are Here To Eat Your Braaains

spooky looking cows in a fieldThe 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.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Toy Boat, Toy Boat, Toy Boat

folded paper boats floating in waterThere'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.

folded paper boat floating in water
Most of the boats were still seaworthy so we played with them in the backyard pond.

Monday, August 1, 2011

If You Are Waiting For A Sign This Is It

Illustrator sign placed on a graffiti covered street sign










 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.