Theme 58: Little Bird, Little Bird

How you choose to interpret the theme is completely up to you. It simply needs to be tasteful – no pornography or messages of hate here. When you sit down to create, you cannot think about how people will or will not receive your work. You are required to simply enjoy the act of creating.

A Little Music for You to Get Inspired! Turn it on and dance around the room!

The only requirement in this theme is that there needs to be a little bird somewhere in your work. Other than that, let your imagination soar!

Important Guidelines


The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, May 26th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, May 27th. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.




With your response please include:

1. Your name - either first name, shop name or both.

2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one) and theme it was created for

3. Something you'd like to share (process of creation, idea behind piece) if you'd like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences

4. The shop and/or blog links you'd like to include

5. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3x5 or 4x6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi - if you need any help with that please don't worry I'd be happy to help!)


Most importantly, don't worry about a thing just create and have fun!

Ladybug Luck + Talented Artists = Magical New Art

This week, the elusive ladybug brought a bit of magic to the talented professionals that created new art. Each one was able to carve out a little time from hectic schedules to play. What I love about this week's submissions is that whether it was five minutes or five hours, each artist allowed themselves to explore and have fun. I think each work captures that feeling.

In addition, I have a special treat. A talented writer joined us this week and wrote a piece you simply have to check out. Please visit Steadfast Ahoy! to read an exceptionally fun Red and Black piece. I promise you will love it - it builds to such a terrific list at the end. Once you finish reading, leave a little love :)

Now, shall we bask in all that is red and black?



Teri, creator of Giraffelabel, created these two fabulous pieces, a chalkboard placemat with baseballs and the LINNIE diaper clutch in oilcloth.

"I haven't been able to play in a while, and this week I actually made two things," said Teri. "For a long time I have been wanting to experiment with oilcloth in my bags. This black and white pattern is so pretty...and I love how the red bounces off of it. I love the idea behind the chalkboard fabric. There are so many fun things you could do with it! This is a placemat that you can roll up and take with you. (Actually, I messed up a little bit of the stitching, so I will be giving this one to my nephew.) I can't wait to create more with these fabrics."

http://www.giraffelabel.etsy.com/

Maureen, a talented artist created this wonderfully fun piece.

"I'd planned all week to do something for TST, but could not for the life of me remember the prompt," said Maureen. "Then I realized that I had completely forgotten to visit last week's postings (just went there now--so sorry, guys, for my not leaving comments there . . your stuff was GREAT!!) and therefore I never SAW the prompt for this week.

I took a whole five minutes for this little doodle, but HEY!, they were quality minutes!!! I would have done more, but I am limp with joyous exhaustion, having just finished the MAGNIFICENT class that Natasha and Amanda have just taught--The Creative Playground. They are planning to run this same class a second time (starting June 1??) and I just cannot recommend it highly enough. Please, please consider taking it, every one of you reading this comment from me: your life as an artist will just blossom (mine exploded!!)

Anyway, look at the closeup of my doodle. See where the black line doesn't go all the way down? I was gonna "fix" it . . . but then the red said NO!!! that was its little place where it could escape!!"

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com
















Bird, creator of Crow Tarot Tours, created this fantastic piece titled, "Ladybird Fortune."

"For the last couple of days, I've been picking out quotes to go with the various sections of our sales letter for Blanket University, so when I sat down to work on my piece for this week, typesetting a quote seemed like a natural choice. :-D" said Bird. "Enjoy the Ladybug Luck, all! :-)"

blog: An Encouraging Bird (www.anencouragingbird.com)
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours
www.crowtarottours.com - In Progress
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours
Etsy: www.CrowTarot.etsy.com














Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this awesome untitled doodle.

"Totally ran out of time this week (getting ready for a weekend trip to Denver), but I really enjoyed hitting the "pause" button for a few moments to let myself play," said Amanda. "I just doodled with big art crayons--such a simple pleasure, but it helps relieve tension and remind me that I can fit art ANYWHERE into my life, even if only for five minutes. It makes a big difference!"

http://PersistentGreen.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistentGreen














Natasha, creator of DoodleStar, created this piece.

I wasn't sure I'd be able to get this done as this week was nuts. But as I played with watercolors with my daughter, this emerged. I love it because it was born from pure fun. The little ladybug is saying to the other, "We're so lucky we found one another."

http://doodlestar.etsy.com







Are you sooo excited to create now?? Well good, so am I. So let's dive into the next theme: "Little Bird, Little Bird". The only requirement in this theme is that there needs to be a little bird somewhere in your work. Other than that, let your imagination soar!

Theme 57: Ladybug Luck

How you choose to interpret the theme is completely up to you. It simply needs to be tasteful – no pornography or messages of hate here. When you sit down to create, you cannot think about how people will or will not receive your work. You are required to simply enjoy the act of creating.

This week we will try to capture the magic and "luck" idea behind these tiny wonders. The only requirement is that you have to use red and black in some way within your piece.



Important Guidelines


The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, May 19th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, May 20th. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.




With your response please include:

1. Your name - either first name, shop name or both.

2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one) and theme it was created for

3. Something you'd like to share (process of creation, idea behind piece) if you'd like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences

4. The shop and/or blog links you'd like to include

5. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3x5 or 4x6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi - if you need any help with that please don't worry I'd be happy to help!)


Most importantly, play with red, black and whatever else inspires you!

Surf the Monster Wave of Creativity Within New Works Created By Amazingly Talented Artists

The talented, thoughtful, whimsical, creative artists who created new works today captured the colors, sensations, feelings and magic of surfing. Whether they have gone surfing or not, they managed to harness a creative power within their work that is usually reserved for ocean waves. It is at once both thought-provoking and inspiring.

Please join me as we ride the waves of creativity....




Althea, creator of Salvaged Expession, created this ultra-cool piece.

"Well when presented with this theme I thought and thought and got Surfin' Bird stuck in my head so rather than fight it I decided to make this admittedly silly keychain," said Althea. "I'm concerned that I'll have to rework it since the pen seems to have bled but it's at least potentially finished now so here it is!"

http://www.salvagedexpression.etsy.com

Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this stunnng piece, play time in progress.

"My project here might not look much like surfing, but I was thinking of bubbles and those crazy-colorful creatures in the deep sea . . . yeah . . . are you buying my argument? ;)" said Amanda. "This week I experimented with a technique I've long wanted to try--painting coffee filters! I plan to add more layers of color, then add some gloss gel, punch holes in them, and hang them like suncatchers."

http://PersistentGreen.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistentGreen
















Maureen, a super talented artist, created this gorgeous piece.

"This week I carried the prompt around with me a few days . . anything ocean-related is an automatic fav . . then Saturday I had to be at a challenging family gathering--it called into question who I was, what my worth was, etc." said Maureen. "I started work on this watercolor with wax resist to help heal myself. By Sunday night, my last step was to shake salt all over the lush wetness--I figured that tears/salt water could be part of my art, if it was to be part of my life . . I love the effect they left. Today I added the last few highlights . . the smallest part, but the bluest part, is me. I might seem dwarfed by the waves, but I'm really curled inside them, having a great ride!!! I think I"m kind of daring the surf to just TRY and dump me!!"

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com















Bird, creator of Crow Tarot Tours, created these sensational pieces.

"Ride Never Tame - Between tsunamis & the world's wild, restless waves, humans will never completely tame the oceans," said Bird.

"Surf & Turf - Have you ever felt this way? I know I have."

Blog: An Encouraging Bird - www.anencouragingbird.com
www.crowtarottours.com - In Progress
Talismans by CrowTarot - www.crowtarot.etsy.com
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours













Natasha, creator of DoodleStar, created this piece.

This week, I played with watercolors. I have found I LOVE playing with the color. I'm reaching a new point in my life where I'm working exceptionally hard to throw off the shackles of fear and go for what I want. Although the perspective is off, I love this piece because it celebrates the desire, the almost unbearable need to break free. It also represents the colors I saw and felt when I was surfing...can't wait to get back to it!

http://www.doodlestar.etsy.com









Are you feeling inspired to ride the wave of creativity? If you are then grab hold of the next theme - "Ladybug Luck. " Here we will try to capture the magic and "luck" idea behind these tiny wonders. The only requirement is that you have to use red and black in some way within your piece.

Oh the Characters You'll Meet: a Writing, Art journaling, Doodling, Story-telling Online course begins May 17th, 2010!

I’m so thrilled to share this with you. I was asked by several of my students from the “Oh the Stories You’ll Tell” workshop to put together a Part 2. Well, after some work, I’m proud to present Part 2 to this course. You do not have to have taken part one to take this class but it would help if you had a few pieces of writing or art journaling that you’d like to bring to this class and work on.

How many times have you started a blog post about an incredible new product or shop and it fell flat? How often have you started to write a story – you knew the plot and setting and were raring to go – only to find that it felt like it was missing one essential element?

Without characters, we have no stories and without stories we are lost. Think about any day in your life and you will realize that all we do is tell stories. As people we are all interested in one another, in what connects us, in what makes us unique. Whether you are writing a blog post or a memoir, a novella or an essay, characters are the heart and soul of the work. As artists, writers, crafters and creative folks of all kinds making a presence online it is especially important to craft compelling stories.

In this 4-week course, “Oh the Characters You’ll Meet”, we will explore the characters in your life –past and present, including you, – and work on building solid stories with them. Through the creation of a character journal that will be loads of fun to fill, you will build a base of characters that you will be able to call upon long after the class has drawn to a close.

Within this limited enrollment class, you will write, paint, collage and doodle your way to:

- Becoming more present in your daily life as you notice more and more of the richness within the people around you

- Developing a deeper connection with family, friends, clients, business colleagues and more people in life

- Discovering more about you as well as a new clarity to see other people in your life from family members and friends to clients and fellow bloggers

- Learning to capture what you *hear* and *see* and incorporate it into the heart of your stories

- Experiencing perspective shifts as you journey through fun, creative writing and art journaling activities

- Chatting, laughing and talking shop with a community of fellow writers and artists



In this course, you will partake in:

- daily writing activities (specifically designed to fit into your everyday life)

- fun doodling activities you can do anywhere – even on the go

- weekly art journaling activities (includes the use of photos, painting, collaging and much more)

- weekly video prompts filled with inspiration and tips for enriching your writing and art

- Live weekly chats on writing and art topics with fellow creative people

- Personal attention from Natasha tailored to fit the needs of your work

People visit blogs, read books, magazines and newspapers and return to shops because of the stories and the characters – even when character is setting – because characters make the stories captivating. Learning to harness what you see or capture that striking bit of dialogue that will add magic to your piece is what we will strive to find as we create works of art in this class.

Please join me on this extraordinary journey that will allow you to enhance both your writing and art thereby allowing you to have an even more powerful impact personal and professional life – online and off.

When you sign up for the workshop, you will receive an email within 24 hours that will provide you with more information about a private site where we will be working together. The cost of this course is $40 and it will begin on May 17th, 2010.

About Natasha

Natasha has been writing since the day her mom put a journal in her hand at age four. She received her MFA in writing from the New School in New York City before spending time as Marketing and Development Director for a nonprofit and later, freelance writer creating promotional materials for small businesses. Natasha assisted in creating original curriculum pieces for a private school in Manhattan before being invited to teach writing and editing workshops for some of the students. She has taught writing and photojournalism workshops for teenagers and written for publications such as Family Circle, Latina, Lifetips and MediaBistro.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at Natasha@creativenachos.com

Happy Birthday to ....Amazing Artists and Artworks!!

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to Your Creations, Happy Birthday Everyday, Happy Birthday to Youuuuu and many more.

Every day can feel like a birthday when you celebrate what's within you by simply creating. That's what these artists did - they celebrated their heart, their inner beauty, their vibrance and love of life. These works will make you want to create and embrace all that is within - today and everyday.

Come on...let's celebrate!



Kelsey, creator of Caffeinated Frenzy, shared "The Birthday Girl," Work in progress wool scarf.

"I've come to realize that at my best, I tend to be, well, conceited," said Kelsey. "Things are usually about me in my mind. So naturally, this scarf reflects myself :)"

kelsey@caffeinatedfrenzy.com
http://www.caffeinatedfrenzy.com

Althea, creator of Salvaged Expression, created this awesome piece.

"For this week's challenge I decided to go hunting through my wax stash," said Althea. "What's more birthday-ish than candles after all? I found some wax that while it looks like really tasty cupcake icing isn't really birthday-ish at all. I call it Secret Birthday."

http://salvagedexpression.etsy.com














Amanda,creator of Persistent Green, created this breathtaking Untitled mixed media in progress.

"Okay, so my abstract piece might not look much like a birthday celebration . . . but maybe our party is at the beach, and we're playing in sunshine and ocean," said Amanda. "Or perhaps our celebration is an outdoor barbecue, with brilliant blue sky and piercing sun. Or . . . mabe I just wanted to play with color!"

http://PersistentGreen.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistentGreen














Maureen, a talented artist, created this gorgeous work.

"I've been intrigued by the effects Amanda has been getting with watercolor over oil pastels, so decided to give it a try," said Maureen. "Celebrations for me always mean joy, so that what I was trying capture in this 9x9 picture."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com















Bird, creator of Crow Tarot Tours, created this beautiful piece.

"Every day, if you think about it, is another birthday. We are constantly reborn to ourselves... and to those around us," said Bird. "This quote came from the blog 'The World's Strongest Librarian', and its creator, Josh Hanagarne. It caught me hardcore & wouldn't let me be until I'd found a place for it.Here's the post from which it came: http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/5985/how-to-have-tourettes-part-22-every-second-is-a-choice Amazing stuff."

"Apologies for the text quality. It was a bit delicate for the resize to take well. I fiddled with it a bit, but it's a work in progress."

blog: http://www.AnEncouragingBird.com
www.crowtarottours.com - In Progress
Talismans by CrowTarot - www.crowtarot.etsy.com
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours












Natasha, creator of Doodlestar, created these pieces.

This flower was born after a Play-doh session with my little one. I just fell in love with the colors and it made me think about how we are all so unique. We are all so filled with color and light!

The frame was an accident. I started painting it and just love what happened when I stopped thinking about how it had to be and let it just be. It needs gloss but the colors make me so happy.

http://doodlestar.etsy.com






Are you excited to create?? Well, good then dive on into the next theme: Surfing the High Seas of Life - what does it mean to surf though art, life, crafts? Share the colors, the excitement, the ride as you see or feel it. You don't ever have to have surfed to bring this one to life - all you have to do is imagine and dream! Oh and you have to include a swirl of color somewhere within your work!

In a Season of Change

I am that woman who picks through Ben and Jerry’s Half-baked Frozen Yogurt for the pieces of cookie dough. I admit it. There is an almost zen-like quality to my hunt; I find the same kind of peace when I doodle. But last night, as I dug through, I had a thought, revelation. Are there really any revelations or do we always know the answers and find them when we are ready to face them? Ah a question to ponder over frozen yogurt or ice cream.

For the last 7 months my belly has been growing with a new life. During that time I have been chasing my other little around, playing on the TST, teaching classes and carving out a career path that not only makes sense for me but for my family as well. In recent weeks, I’ve begun to think/worry/ponder ways to consolidate my work so that I’m not so spread out. I love this space. I love the art we all create. I love writing and sharing. I want to be here. So, it struck me….combine blogs into one larger website. Duh! Isn’t that what I wanted to do like a year ago? Yes but I wasn’t ready. As I prepare for major changes, I find I am ready.

I firmly believe we need to do things in our own time. I wasn’t ready last year. I didn’t know what to do. To be honest, I flounder a lot like a fish out of water before I make leaps. Freak outs are common in this household as are the days of questions like – who cares what you do? Or who do you think you are to be (insert any answer here) creating, writing, teaching…the list goes on as my Inner Critic sometimes oversteps her boundaries – bitch. LOL! It’s nothing a pint of ice cream/frozen yogurt and some creative art-making can’t cure.

But the thing is I love being here. I love learning from you all and sharing. So, this week things are going to change around here. There will be a new larger site with info about classes (some SUPER fun ones coming WOOOHOOO), me, the TST, Nachos (my original blog). I’m going to share a little more of my life and hope you will join me in sharing, venting, creating, and laughing.

Thanks for sticking by me for all this time. You have brought me inspiration during pity parties (I try not to send out invites for those), laughter in times of great pain and love. I so enjoy you and hope you will continue to play as I expand this space, combine things, stumble, kvetch, laugh, scream and dance around.

Are you with me?? I promise to share my Ben and Jerry’s even though come cookie dough might be missing…LOL!

Love,
A Crazy Crafting Preggo Artist who Loves to Write