http://graysparrow.com/art/some-artistic-inspiration/

I have been pinning away on pinterest.com (my new passion)! Now I have loads of ideas, but haven’t made much  yet. I created this poster (as a first step) to get myself in the crafty mood. YOU can print it for free- simply click and save and print this picture — or — email me for a pdf (kellylangleycook@gmail.com) recommend 65 lb- 110 lb cardstock. Happy pinning (and making!)

Read: I dug it out of the construction dumpster.

To make them it goes like this: clean, paper, glue, paint, sand, pencil, paint, ink, done.

The final products (so far) have been these super bright pieces that I that have just a little bit of edge… pun intended
 

basically I think this guy sums it up:

from the wildly talented Retro Whale

A little bling treat from Red Giraffe 

Stickers for fun by Resolute Twig studios

and some skellies to keep my little pumpkin company by Indigo Twin

Here are the lovely collections — and link to their curators. You know if they create this well, you KNOW they design amazing things too

Cayenne Peppy Bags creates lots of stuff that is bright and beautiful

Green serene by cocoa beans

This lovely orange and blue brought to you by Velvet morning

And fabulous and colorful RC tees with this multicolored awesomeness.

One big sign that it is summer is the preparation of the garden. I don’t have a green thumb (okay, I do when I am making pesto) but I love gardens. In the spirit of the season I asked some friends on my etsy team to participate in a challenge— design an item in their genre around a common theme. The stuff they came up with is just brilliant. Here are some lovely items created for the “how my garden grows” challenge taken on the by the awesome Curation Nation team.

Tree cuff links from Stacey at CreaShines… and that name is just perfect for her bright and lovely work. I dare you to find something more original.

PS- I will show you some pictures of Stacey’s process on this piece in a day or two.

An incredible reach-out-and-touch rosette necklace from BailyBell Creations. Her stuff makes such a bold statement that even a plain white tee becomes black tie fabulous.

I love the Alice in Wonderland feel to this photo by Jessica Torres – the 12×12 size and the amazing eye for color and space sets her work apart from other photographers and into my heart.

Everything from My Knotty Shop will make you feel earthy and lovely. Hand made and unique I feel like I can smell fresh cut grass when I look at this piece.

And for when you are done working in the garden Sacred Suds can take the heat of the day off with these refreshing and indulgent soaps. I love what Andrea has on the label: “draw upon the energies of the earth”.

And of course the first person to jump on this challenge was Kim See her fab piece in the post below.

Hopefully more from my team (and my piece for the challenge) still to come.

Here is a lovely muli-tmedia painting by the talented Kim Bauer – I love her use of color, texture and size.  She has a very bright and positive aesthetic. It makes me feel like I could have a piece of the ocean in my tiny Colorado studio. Check out all of her wonderful creations.

Kim also has a blog with more process (sure to inspire) right here.

Here are other etsy buddys sharing the love:

100% of this piece will be donated by Crystal Mist Cottages

more to come…