Imagine Playtime

Hello....hello.....helllooooooooo!! How are you TST-ers?? I'm doing well. I'm working on a bunch of new things and one of them is a new TST feature. What do you think about a TST Clinic? People are always emailing to talk about their shops, blogs and new products to see what I think. I think it would be great to have a clinic where you could share new features or ideas you have and let others give helpful, concrete feedback. It's a great way to help grow your business or artistic practice. What say you??

There's LOTS happening here this month so stay tuned (wink)




And now, I feel like imagining some fun playtime activites. If you needed a break, a moment to shake off ALL responsibility and simply play, what would you do?

Would you......

U.K artist Julian Beever with his realistic sidewalk chalk art

OR

OR

Or something else??

Theme 33: A Vibrant, Fiery Fall

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Remember there is still time to make amazing art for a GREAT cause! Check out this post.

Also, September 11th is a tough day for me, for many. It's one that I spend with family so, I will not be around. But I ask that you send love out into the Universe ....so many need it. I send all my love to you.

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.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.
~Albert Camus

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.
~William Cullen Bryant

Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
~Emily Bronte

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, September 16th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, September 17th. 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)

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, celebrate a world filled with vibrant, unforgettable color!

Incredible Artists Share Unforgettable Beauty That Will Add Endless Flavor to Your World

ANNOUNCEMENTS: It is midnight on the East Coast as this TST goes live. I had to do it now as I have been asked to work on a project that I'm excited about tomorrow; I will tell you all about it in days to come. Sooo that means I will be away for the beginning of the day BUT if late submissions come in overnight (I know end of day means different things) I will get them in tomorrow evening!

Also, I have been working my tail off this week to get up to speed with life but I will be responding to emails and visiting blogs very shortly! I miss all of you!!


I'm in love with this TST and totally bummed that my piece is not finished. That means there needs to be a Mini-monthy soon because I want to share!! I love these flavors. It was amazing to see each person celebrate something wonderful within. I am inspired, humbled and truly grateful for the work created by these amazing, professionals.

Please join me for a delectable meal filled with flavor that will change your life and inspire YOU to celebrate YOU!




Catrina, creator of GrumpyKitty, created this wonderfully delicious piece.

"I guess I went more literal with this than was expected, but the first thing to pop into my head was Strawberries!" said Catrina. "I like them because of their vivid color, their sweetness, and the tartness behind the sweetness. I think that my personality has a few of those elements.

This was created in Photoshop using one of my watercolor paintings and stock photos. There is more info here. To see more of my art, please check out my blog.

Althea, creator of Salvaged Expression, created this truly stellar hat titled, The Glance.

"This hat is called The Glance because under it you will see the thousand different flavors of me," said Althea. "I've been saying forever that I needed to make something for myself. So this week I decided to spoil myself. I picked out my favorite yarns that I'd been saving for that perfect project and looked at photos until I came up with a hat design I wanted to make no matter how much material it would take. I let as much cat hair get on the hat as I liked and even worked one or two of my own hairs into this thing I think. Most importantly the hat ended up reminding me of things I like about myself, names of colors and numbers I worked into the stitches are special to me. It's tough, quirky and is a reminder to let myself shine because I can and still know how. I'm still a work in progress myself but if I come out anything like this hat I'll be pretty happy so thank you for this theme to remind myself that!"

http://salvagedexpression.etsy.com















Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea, created this sensational piece titled, Imagine It.

"Inscrutable? Not so – I imagine I am many flavors," said Felicia.

http://anotherbrightidea.etsy.com
www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com















Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this magnificent collaged art journaling page titled, A Whole Lotta Flavor.

"A little flavor? Ha! You know me, I can't just stick to one," said Amanda. "This week I finished the 100 in 100 creative challenge (100 art journaling pages in so many days), and to my surprise, instead of being fed up with it, I immediately wanted to begin a new art journal. Here's my first tasty entry!"

http://PersistentGreen.etsy.com
http://PersistentGreen.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/PersistentGreen















Phoenix Ravenswing, creator of KittyHawke, created this fabulous piece.

"What's Your Flavor? Spicy & a Bit Mysterious," said Phoenix. "I took inspiration from the advertisement when re-purposing some old window-hanging strands and one-piece mobiles. The colors make me think of both salsa & Hallowe'en, hence the title."

www.kittyhawke.etsy.com














Phoenix Ravenswing, creator of Kitty Hawke, created this fantastic piece.

"What's Your Flavor? - Cool & Serene," said Phoenix. "Continuing the life-theme of opposites-that-complete, the other re-purposed-piece I've finished so far is this one. It reminds me of a snowy winter's night, cool, calm, silent, and peaceful."

www.kittyhawke.etsy.com














Phoenix Ravenswing, creator of Crow Tarot, created this phenomenal piece.

"What's Your Flavor? Connecting the Opposites," said Phoenix. "This sterling-wrapped unakite shows my flavor. It's a wrap newly finished that had its start back another lifetime ago, or so it seems. :-P It's all about concluding the old cycles lately, so that movement forward into the new ones can happen. :-D It's also about finding the way to conclude the old cycles, as w/this wrap that I didn't know how to finish until two days ago. :-)"

www.crowtarot.etsy.com












Trina, creator of Woven Chains, created this gorgeous piece titled, "Spring Flowers".
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30678833

"Over the last few months, my flavor has changed," said Trina. "It is much lighter, much more cheerful, much more optomistic, and absolutely, positively full of life. Spring Flowers represents all of that."

http://wovenchains.etsy.com













Maureen, a talented artist, created this exceptional 9x9 watercolor.

"For "A little bit of flavor," Maureen tried to paint the way Florida Key Lime Pie tastes . . . sweet and tart and wild with deliciousness."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com






After viewing this moving, inspiring TST are you feeling creative? Are you ready to just dive in and start creating for the next theme??

Well, the next theme is theme is.........."A Vibrant, Fiery Fall".


Tune in Friday for more fiery fun!

Celebrate This Artist, CLine Creations!

Hellooooooooo everyone!!! Welcome to Wednesday! What do you say, do you want to celebrate someone today??

Today we celebrate an artist with an eye for color combinations and a distinctive style, CLine Creations. CLine has a shop filled with Chinese arts which include brush paintings and knotted creations. I remember when I saw her first knotted project, knotted earrings. They were a gorgeous, fiery red and now her shop has all sorts of delicious knotted treats like this:

Shades of Blue Hair Barrette

In addition, she creates gorgeous brush paintings like this:

Autumn Landscape - Original Large Painting (14x27)

Check out CLine Creations and leave a little love for this talented artist :) AND if you need a little more of the CLine, check out her blog: http://clinecreations.blogspot.com/

Body Art

ANNOUNCEMENTS: If you did not have a chance to read yesterday's post, please check it out and help create art for a great cause!!


Caffeinated Frenzy shared this amazing piece. Please visit her blog!

"I loved this idea, and all the posts associated with it.
Here's my post about it: http://caffeinatedfrenzy.blogspot.com/2009/09/power-of-word.html"









Aquamaureen created this moving piece.

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/

"This community of artists that swirls around TST never ceases to amaze me. Since January, when my association with the group began, I have experienced the most soul-expanding moments. Encountering your post about Janet's body painting was yet one more of those transformative times.

For the last few days, I'd been eyeing the walls of my house, feeling like I was supposed to paint something significant on them. But as soon as I read about Janet, I realized my body was the "significant thing" about to be painted. As soon as I saw her picture of "hope," I knew exactly what I was being called to do. A few moments later, just before midnight, this word appeared, in aquamaureen colors, over my heart.

I tucked myself into bed, hugged with warm and tender smiles, and wondered how the paint would last. Just now, the morning after, I snapped a photo. It shows the word mostly faded. I prefer to believe that the idea has only sunk back into the deepest parts of my heart, after surfacing for a little while to encourage me."

Thanks to you, Janet and Natasha, for having and sharing this wonderful idea.














Kris, creator of Lisianblue, submitted this beautiful piece.

"One word comes to mind - painfree. It needs to go on my back. How to write on my own back? Cutouts and stick it on then take a picture and text over.

Monday 1:30 a.m. thinking I'm late - Tears well up in my eyes spilling over onto the table.

Not late
just scared
scared to look at my back
add another word
in colors I do not wear

Brave

I want to be Painfree
and Brave

tears again.

I am loved and have everything else I need. It's good."

My husband and I tried this together. His words were, Family and Patience.

"My family is important to me and I need more patience in life," he said.

I chose my favorite color, purple. It's also a healing color. I painted the words Love and Trust on my palms and my husband painted Create on the backs. I want to create more love and trust within my life and share it with the world.

My husband painted Loved around my shoulder like a blanket wrapped around me as a reminder that I am loved.

I painted the words Engage and Explore on my feet as a reminder to resist complacency and get out there in the world meeting people and engaging them in conversation.

There were two others I wrote but the photos did not come out - bummer! My husband painted the word, Wanted, across my chest as a reminder that I am wanted in the world. I have a place here. And I painted the word Truth across my cheek. I painted it backwards as a reminder that no matter how it comes out, I need to share my truth.











Phoenix Ravenswing created this thought-provoking piece.

"While not a word, this symbol is something I've been renewing since last summer, and that seems to keep creeping into my life of late. It's a Celtic-knot-ish version of an infinity symbol surrounded by a circle. I was playing around one day last summer, and when I was done, this symbol was there. For various reasons, it's seemed appropriate to keep it there. It changes slightly over time, as it's only drawn on w/ink-pen, but that works, as Goodness knows, my life has been changing & flowing of late as well.

For word-words... hmmm. Peace, wholeness, believe. There are others, I'm sure, but these are the biggies right now. :-)"

Thank you again to Janet for her post about this and to the Superhero Journal for creating this amazing idea and sharing the experience.

TST Rally for a Great Cause

Hello all you fabulous TST-ers! I hope that you are enjoying this Labor Day weekend.

I am writing in the hopes that you will help support a fabulous TSTer, Lorrie, in her efforts to collect 250 pieces of postcard sized original artwork to be raffled at the September 24th benefit for The Creative Center for Cancer (www.thecreativecenter.org).

Lorrie has been charged with soliciting unframed original 4 x 6 art in any medium-from acrylics to photography, collage to pen and ink and everything in between. This art will be on display and viewed by several hundred supporters which will include some gallery owners, art collectors and celebrities. Fine art by very well known artists will be auctioned off live, as well as celebrity art by actors such as Liam Neeson and Mia Farrow.

Currently, Lorrie is behind on her goal to collect the postcard art so she desperately needs our help!

Donating a postcard sized piece of your original art is a great way to honor someone who has been touched by cancer. The Creative Center for Cancer works very hard to bring art to people who have been touched by this disease. Please consider sending Lorrie something before September 20th. The address is:

Lorrie Veasey
c/o OUR NAME IS MUD
224 West 29th Street
Floor 5
NYC NY 10001

The value of your donation is tax deductable. Please include all your contact info on the back of the piece so that the person who wins your piece can contact you.

If you know any other artists who might participate in this event, please let them know.

I'm definitely creating a piece ...will you join me??

Theme 32: A Little Flavor

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 song hits a vital cord within me. It speaks of something we all have..flavor. We have unique sensational flavor and I want to celebrate that. What flavor are you?

I feel strong and brave when I listen to the words. Part of my flavor is strength...is it yours as well? Do you have a similar experience? What does your inner strength look like? Or what is it that you "feel" when you hear the words? What does it look like? Let yourself play and create!





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, September 9th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, September 10th. 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)

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, delight in your flavor and then share it with the world!