A splash of INK on Music Monday

Been listening to lots of Kishi Bashi lately - 151a got me over the hump on the wooden hands I "tattooed" for last weekend's Detroit art-event, INK. You can listen to the whole album over at his website.  

Kishi Bashi 151a

Singer, songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi is pretty freaking impressive in action. Using his voice and violin he builds and loops layers of sound to form the final music. Watch/listen to him do this for the folks at NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.

Looking for to a variety of tunes or share your own? When you are finished here jump over to Xmas Dolly's and join in the Music Monday blog hop.

On a different note: The tattoo-themed art extravaganza INK took off like a rocket, flames and all last weekend!

© Chris Gustafson

The fire wielder is Heather Manasco. And, yes, the hanging model, Lotus Purgatory, has hooks through her skin. 

© John Wiley

Curated by Diane Irby and Adam Layne (above photo), this event at Detroit's Tangent Gallery was definitely the place to be - with loads of live action, a variety of vendors and hundreds of pieces of tattoo inspired artwork from around the globe

Photographer Kelly Datillo and model Sarah Robinson (aka Danica Vagabond) pose for a snapshot in front of their collaboration.

© John Wiley

How much fun is this Jeff Shea & Brent James Harris winged sculpture?

© John Wiley

John Wiley took a cool shot of my (now sold) wooden hands reaching out of the wall. I still have to clean up and share the few pics I took before they shipped. Here's one:

Once Upon A Time and  Ever After

I'd been thinking what kind of body art might have appealed to the famously naughty Pinocchio while still made of wood. Here he carries around a vibrant narrative of his many adventures. Perhaps he hopes they will remind him to be a "good boy". Pop back later this week for some closeups and a few more shots of the show.

Oh, and these are the two styles of temporary tattoos I had printed for the show. I'm a fan of temp tats & decided to give a bunch of these away just for kicks. The peel-away backs were printed with this blog address so maybe a new visitor might stumble in. If not, no worries - I had a great time coming up with them, especially the one above.

Want to see more photos of the INK arty party? Folks are sharing them on facebook. Try these links:

INKartshowDetroit

John Wiley's INK photos

Adam Layne

Diane Irby

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Final note today - Ladies, do you like the vintage look but prefer a modern fit? Check out the new Thursday Giveaway, sponsored by Shabby Apple. On 5/30 one lucky winner will take home a $50 gift certificate for some cute retro fashions. TO ENTER: simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. on May 30th. For two more ways to enter plus some cute pics, click here

More Houses for a good cause!

May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.
~Author Unknown

Joy Mixed Media Wall Assemblage by Chrisy McConnell
Visit her blog and
See more of Chrisy's art atArtDecadence on etsy

3 More unique houses are available now in the OzBushFireAppeal etsy shop. The shop was created in response to the Australian wildfires. Over 900 items have been sold since Feb.8 with all proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross. That's over $15,ooo.oo (AU) so far. All sorts of items have been donated by generous Etsy Sellers. Several METSY Team members donated their time & talent to create these one of a kind houses for the cause.

Little Dutch House by Aimee Wheaton
Check out her blog.
See more of Aimee's art at MazerDesign on etsy

To visit a specific house listing, click on any photo on this page. Also, here is the link to all of the METSY Team Houses in the Oz shop. There are 11 so far. More may be listed before the shop closes it's doors on March 31st, so please check back. If you haven't visited the OzBushfireAppeal shop yet, please do. You might find just what you are looking for & donate to a worthy cause while you're at it!

We Are One by Stacey Merrill
Read about my little house here.
See more of my art at ArtSnark'sArtifacts on etsy

Many many thanks to everyone who has helped with this project. To see my posts about previously donated houses with links to the artists' blogs & shops click here & here . Special thanks to FeliciaFairy, VanillaPixie , & the Etsy DUST Team for creating & operating the shop. They have been just swamped and have done so much to help in such a short period of time. It really blows me away! Please visit these wonderful - generous - creative folks & show them some love!!

Monday's Muse - What Did You Learn Today?

My Mum always said you should make a point of learning something new every day. I took this to heart as a kid & even went through a reading the dictionary phase (pretentious little runt). Somewhere along the way the gears have slipped and I've become quite bored with myself.

Some super creative people are into the make-a-piece-of-art-a-day movement. This is very cool but I know I won't find the time. Think I'll revive the old learn something each day. Today I've learned 2 things.

The 1st should have been a gimme I suppose :
don't leave the broiler unattended!

The grill ran out of gas 1/2 way through dinner so I turned on the broiler to finish. Got sidetracked & whoopsy - Giant flames shooting out of the oven! Nearly lost my eyebrows but I have to admit it was very exciting. Had a good laugh too when my husband looked at the black mess smoking in the trashcan & asked "What? We're not going to eat that?" He's a major omnivore & master of the poker face (he used to be a professional blackjack player). I actually thought he was serious for about 30 seconds.

collage by Nancy Lefko

Today's 2nd lesson is far more interesting. I've signed up for Nancy Lefko's Mixed Media/ Collage Backgrounds workshop. I am simply crazy for Nancy's art & very excited. Her online classes are just starting and really well priced. You can find out more at Creative Workshops. Or just enjoy her wonderful blog & etsy shop. OK, gotta go put on my smarty pants & learn somethin'. Catch you later

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

My home is where I want to be and
it looks like all my dreams

- from The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Pinkwater

Play House by Juli Waller
Read about her house on her blog.
See more of Juli's art at Grrraphics on etsy

3 more fabulous houses have been added to the OzBushFireAppeal etsy shop. Each unique house has been altered & generously donated by a different talented etsy artist. The OzBushfire shop was created by the owner of FeliciaFairy & the Etsy Dust Team in response to the recent fires in Australia. 100% of proceeds from the shop's sales goes to the Australian Red Cross. Since February 8th, 889 sales have brought in "about $15,000 "(AU) .

Choices by Yin Hoong Lai
See more of Yin's art (& popcorn)
at What's Eating Yin on etsy

Also Every Item Has Free Shipping! Now you can't beat that: help others in need, get cool stuff & free shipping - please take a few minutes & check out some of the 190 items still available. They might have just what you're looking for...Cottage House by Shiela Bradley

Read about her house on her blog.
See more of Juli's art at CreateItCottageArt on etsy

To visit all the available houses, click here. For a direct link to each house, click on a photo. If you get a chance, please visit the shops & blogs of these wonderful artists and tell them just how cool they really are! Also please check back before March 31 (when OzBushfireAppeal closes) to see more one of a kind houses.

Monday's Muse -Be Inspired! Make a Difference

February 8th the OzBushFireAppeal shop opened on etsy.

8 days later it has sold 544 items for around $ 10,000 (AU).

100% of Proceeds goes to the Australian Red Cross.

At this writing there are 210 items in stock, with "new items listed almost around the clock..." All items have been donated by Etsians worldwide.

IF YOU ARE ON ETSY and would like to donate an item click here for more information.

IF YOU LIKE TO SHOP get a great handcrafted item (with free shipping ) & donate the full amount of your purchase to a worthy cause.

IF YOU HAVE A MOMENT think - who can you share this info with? Please pass it on. It will only take a minute.

I heard about this shop on Thursday & donated a necklace. Looking around my studio for some art supplies to contribute, I came across some little houses

I was about to donate them when I realized that a one of a kind altered house would fetch more money than a blank one. I put out a call to the gifted members of the METSY Mixed Media Team. I would send each volunteer a house to decorate & they would work their magic. The final pieces will be donated to the Australian wild fire relief shop. So far 14 generous Artists have offered up their time & talent for this project. I am very excited! Please stop by and visit them when you get a chance:

Pam Carriker - thebagladysart & pamcarriker.com - thebagladysart.blogspot.com

Jennifer Moore -dragonrags -dragnrags.blogspot.com

Nancy Lefko - collageartgirl & mycollageart.com - nancylefko.blogspot.com

Chrisy McConnell -artdecadence & VintageDecadence - sophismpress.blogspot.com

Kathy Maximo - VintageSnapsandScrap & rememberyesterday -
vintagesnapsandscraps.blogspot.com

Heather Holbrook - PisforPaper - PisforPaper.com

Sheila Bradley - Createitcottageart & Creatitcottage - createitcottage.blogspot.com

Juli Waller - grraphics - grrrdesign.blogspot.com

Aimee Wheaton - mazerdesign & Mazerdesign.com - creativeflutter.blogspot.com

Carmen McCullough - ArtsyJutsu - artsyjutsu.ning.com

Alisa Nordholt-Dean - PrettyLittlePendant - prettylittlependant.blogspot.com

Jen Maddison - jemjoop - emjoop.blogspot.com

Jodi Ohl - lucysweetlucy - sweetrepeats.blogspot.com

Vivian Bonder - desertbloom

Once these talented ladies send me photos of their creations, I will post them here for you to enjoy. I would also like to share a brief interview with each artist, if I can get them to agree. Dunno about you, but I always enjoy reading a bit about the person behind the creation.

Now, what else can you do to help? In addition to the suggestions above, let's get the word out! I'm too behind the times to twitter. So after phone calls & emails, I went the old fashioned route printing up fliers to promote OzBushfireAppeal. Then posted them at my son's school as well as at some local businesses. Will anyone notice them & respond? I don't know. But I had to try.

I truly believe everyone can make a difference. So does FeliciaFairy and The Etsy Dust Team. They are the kind souls behind this generous shop. I don't know what type of response they initially anticipated. Lets blow them away....be generous....go shopping....and spread the word!

Go Shopping! Help Australians In Need & Get Great Stuff!

By now you have heard about the tragic fires in Australia. There is a shop on etsy OzBushfireAppeal.etsy.com that is giving 100% OF THEIR PROCEEDS to the Australian Red Cross.

If you are a shopper, check it out. Free Shipping on everything. Item Categories include:
Accessories, Art, Babies & Children, Bags & Purses, Jewelry, Ladies Clothing, Paper & Cards, Supplies, Vintage and Everything Else. Click on any of these categories to be taken right to it.

All the items are donated by Etsy Sellers. If you are on etsy & would like to donate any item, details are in the Profiles Section of the shop.

I've donated this one of a kind Cameo Butterfly Necklace.
It is only $25 with Free shipping. Click image for more info

Happy Thoughts & Good Wishes to Emma at Feliciafairy.etsy.com & the DUST Team who are running the shop & keeping it stocked with new items "around the clock". Thank you.

I am working with a group of very creative artists from the METSY Team on a series of mixed media houses which will be donated to the OzBushfire shop. I will post pics here as they are completed. The 1st generous folks volunteering their time & talent are:

Pam Carriker - thebagladysart & pamcarriker.com - thebagladysart.blogspot.com

Nancy Lefko - collageartgirl & mycollageart.com - nancylefko.blogspot.com

Kathy Maximo - VintageSnapsandScrap & rememberyesterday -
vintagesnapsandscraps.blogspot.com

Sheila Bradley - Createitcottageart & Creatitcottage - createitcottage.blogspot.com

Aimee Wheaton - mazerdesign & Mazerdesign.com - creativeflutter.blogspot.com

Alisa Nordholt-Dean - PrettyLittlePendant - prettylittlependant.blogspot.com

Please visit these amazing artists at their shops & blogs and tell them how wonderful they are!

I will add to the list as more fabulous artists donate their valuable time & talent. So please check back to see what we are up to.