Treasury love!

I finally got a Treasury! For those of you not familiar with Etsy or their Treasury, it is a way to share some of your favorite items on Etsy with its community. The only problem is they only allow you to create a new one when the amount of lists have dropped below 333. People literally calculate the exact moment this will happen and lay in wait to create their own lists. Today I got lucky and happened onto the Treasury just before it opened up and I got my own! I decided to go with Superheroes since I had found so many great products while I was searching for my 5 favorite things recently. So here it is: Superpowers!

Beam off!

I'm totally fascinated by installations and ideas that get the public involved with the art process. Here is one called ACCESS that allows people to use and online interface to follow people with a beam of light and acoustic system in a public place.

You have to wonder what the people who are being followed are thinking. I personally would freak out!

5 Things I Love

This Thursday's 5 Things is all about dads. If you want to order something on Etsy for your dad, now is a good time to do it since you know it will arrive on time.

It may be harder to find good products for men on Etsy but if you take the time, there is a wealth of amazing artistry to be found! Here are some of my picks:

The first is a pocket journal from an amazing leather shop I found. Many of the journals and portfolios in this shop are expensive (but still incredibly beautiful). This pocket version is a great value and a great size!

Pocket Journal by ArtisanGraham

I've heard an argument that cuff-links are becoming obsolete and unnecessary (my husband doesn't own a single pair). I think if cuff links were as interesting and stylish as these men would wear them a lot more.


Steampunk Vintage RUBY Jeweled Watch Movement Cuff Links by edmdesigns

I'm the youngest of two girls so I've always been the "baby" of the family. I could totally see this print representing the bond I have with my dad, especially since it's called "Daddy's Little Girl". Notice that the two trees are holding hands (awww).

"Daddy's Little Girl" Print by jellybeans

Believe it or not, this wallet is made out of tape! You can create a customized wallet using a ton of different tape options and patterns (who knew tape came in so many colors!) The wallets look like they are very roomy and work great.

The Custom Stuffer--7 pocket wallet--you decide what it looks like by tapebubba

I'm forever looking for nice argyle shirts and sweaters for my husband. Loving this one!

The Mechanics Argyle by HagadagaClothing

Waldo? Where??

Here is an interesting way someone is using Google Earth:



Ok, so the whole interview with Waldo thing is a little corny but the project itself is so original! Melanie Cole created this idea for her Graduation Project in college (she got an A!). You can find out more here: Where on Earth is Waldo?

5 Things I Love

It's Thursday (is it seriously Thursday already? What happened to the other four days of the week??) so it's time once again for Things I Love. Last week I showcased some things I would love to buy for my daughter on Etsy. This week, it's only fitting that I do the same for my son! 

My five year old boy is obsessed with superheroes. I'm not talking just likes them and has fun playing with them, I'm talking full on obsession. When a new movie comes out, he is first in line to see it. When a new toy comes out, he is begging us to buy it for him (and usually gets what he wants. Can you say S-P-O-I-L-E-D?). He doesn't have one imaginary friend, he has twenty, a different superhero coming over to play each day. Needless to say, this post is all about the fun superhero handmade items to be found on Etsy. So get out your web shooters and batarangs and enjoy!

P's very favorite superhero is Spiderman. He sometimes favors another over him depending on what movie is coming out (right now it's Iron Man) but he always seems to come back to Spidey in the end. These first two finds are dedicated to that love.

The first is a custom wooden wall hanging that would be perfect for a door or bedroom wall. These are painted by hand and every aspect can be customized, down to the character used.

Handpainted Wooden Cut-Out Door/Wall Name Sign by FANTASYCREATIONS

The next find is something that every kid can use. A nightlight (heck, I could use one sometimes!). I have unfortunately passed on my childhood fear of the dark to both of my children. P would never have to worry about it with this cool nightlight in his room. Monsters, beware!

Spider Man Shadow lamp New From Shadowland Night Light Amazing by CreativePal

I'm still trying to decide if P is too old for this next Favorite. He still loves to pretend and dress up, but he's not my little baby anymore :-(. I still think this is cool. These capes are two toned and can be customized with your child's first initial.


Little Heroes Customizable Cape for Boy or Girl by DiscoveryDenim

The end of this summer brings school (and first grade for P) but also the new Batman movie. We are already psyched up for it. This print of Batman is so cool and would fit right in with P's room decor (Spiderman, Transformers, Iron Man...). Love it!


The Bat-Man by TimmyK

The last is probably more for me. I love this shirt! P would probably think it was nice but there isn't any pictures of superheroes on it... In any case, I think this is a great shirt that is original and fun!


ZAP Raglan T-shirt by trustysidekick

Well I'm off to find Rhino and Sandman...again. Have a great night!

Trash as art

Happy Monday, all! I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!

Today I want to share with you the work of Joshua Allen Harris. Joshua creates 'air sculptures' using trash bags and subway vents in New York City (who knew there was that much air coming out of subway vents! Girls in skirts, beware). Check out his awesome work!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'd like to dedicate this next post to one of the most talented women I have ever met...my mom! My momma has been sewing (cross stitch, hardanger, lots of other stitching that I don't know the names of) for longer than I've been alive. She makes the most beautiful samplers and pieces just for the love of doing it. She has been trying in vain to get me interested in stitching for years. Sorry for all of the unfinished projects, mom!

I want to share some of her work with you. This is only a fraction of what she has done (basically what she has had time to photograph and put up on flickr). Enjoy the beauty and Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers! Happy Mother's Day to you, Mom. I love you! (also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!!!)

This one is my favorite. It's also mine!! She was working on this when she was pregnant with me. It's currently living with her because I had it at one of our apartments and somehow managed to break the frame off of it. Needless to say, she's taking care of it until I can be a little more responsible.

This one was hanging in my and my sister's room when we were growing up. It's so cute!



I love this sampler! It's hanging in my mom and dad's living room. I love the colors and especially the fact that she chose something other than white to create it on.



This one is also hanging in their living room. You could honestly stare at this piece for hours and not see everything.



This is a piece she did for my mother-in-law when my father-in-law passed away recently. It is sooo beautiful and delicate!



This next set is all one piece and the pictures do not do it justice. This is a nativity scene she did a long time ago. I think my sister and I are already fighting over it!





This only scratches the surface of her huge body of work (she was knitting a blanket last night!). Maybe this will be part 1 :-)

5 Things I Love

I realize I've been a little lackadaisical in posting this week. It's been a crazy one! Tune in tomorrow to find out what Jen and I have been up to in Wildwood Girls!

I thought I would make Thursdays the day I share with you 5 of my favorite finds on Etsy. It was hard to narrow it down this week. I've definitely been spending a lot of time searching for new and beautiful items!

Ok, I don't cook. I kind of hate cooking (except for cooking shows like Top Chef, which I love for some reason). My family is constantly annoyed by the diet of frozen pizza and spaghetti I serve them. If I had this apron, though, I might be inspired to get into the kitchen (don't let my mother-in-law see this post).


Spring Apron in Paisley by modernjune

I love the open, airy feel of this ring. Perfect for summer.

Bubble Lace Ring 2 by ColleenBaran

This bag would be perfect for carrying books, as a purse, or even a diaper bag! I'm loving the chunky chain attatched to it as well.

Uptown Girl Flower Tote Bag by BaroqueAndRoll


Who doesn't love a hoodie? This one looks so comfy but totally stylish at the same time.

Long Sleeve Cowl Neck Raglan Hoodie by poshpanache


Does anyone else remember making patterns out of pins and yarn in art class when they were little? This piece of art takes tht idea to a whole new level! It's hard to believe this beautiful image was created only using foam board, pins, and thread.

Black and White Thread Art Piece by labeadworks

Amazing Installation

If you can't tell by now, I love sculpture. It is one of my favorite forms of art. Another of my favorites is installation art. I could spend hours at the MoMA or at the Art Institute in Chicago going through their rooms of bizarre and fascinating installations. One of the things I love about this form of art is it can turn up anywhere. I've seen installations on the tops of buildings, in streets and in the middle of woods.
A while back YouTube featured this video on its front page. This installation is at British Airways Heathrow Terminal #5 and was done by Troika.
I think I would be late for my flight if I came upon this!

Lego my Lego!

I have a secret. I love Legos! I pretend I don't when I'm spending hours putting together my son's newest set (he's 5 and not yet capable of following complex direction). In reality, I love creating something out of tons of tiny pieces and I feel so satisfied as I watch him play with my masterpiece. As I put together his measly little 200 piece set this weekend I got to thinking about all the amazing Lego art that is out there. I set off in search of pieces that made me go oooo. I had such a good time finding all of these and this is by no means all there is to see. The first three were created by Nathan Sawaya, genius in all things Lego. The Harpsichord was done by Henry Lim and is a full scale working model with only the strings not made of Legos. Others are fixtures at Lego establishments such as Downtown Disney in Orlando, FL and LegoLand.  Batman and the Death Star were part of Comic-Con 2007.  

Images courtesy of The Art of the Brick

Image courtesy of Henry Lim's Lego Sculptures

Images courtesy of AllEars.Net

Image Courtesy of Hellish Humor

Images courtesy of Great White Snark