Art in Action. Performance Art. It began with Denny Dent, then followed Brian Olsen and Dan Dunn (freebird on a spinning canvas! and his site here). Painting to music, with BOTH hands. Lovin’ it.
Lots more videos on youtube. Look up spray art while you’re there. *faints*
I’m going to work backwards on this one….First I’ll tell you the SYNCHRONICITY part. A few days ago I posted a new crusade on the Street Team blog:
It’s about sending Mail Art – you can read about it over HERE. So like not even 24 hours pass and this box lands on my doorstep. She had no idea…..but in sending me her Crusade entries 1 through 9, she also entered No. 10. Say it with me: How Cool Is That? SHE is Maj Hoenborg, currently living in Germany, native of Denmark. Maj is pronounced "My", (not Madge) the word for May, (the month we were both born in) as I learned when I called her the other night…..very late in her time zone but I wanted her to hear my enthusiasm. More about Maj further down.
You KNOW my heart skipped a beat when I saw this package. I didn’t even have the brains to stop and photograph her thoughtfully wrapped contents….I just attacked. Wouldn’t you?
Here’s my lame attempt to show you all remnants of the cool wrappings….everything in red and black with ribbons, strings,.tags, roses…..You get the picture, I just didn’t TAKE one. What could all this be? The outside says CRUSADE. The note says she’s enclosing interpretations for every previous crusade. GAH! (And even though she’s a webdesigner she doesn’t have her own site…..let’s bug her about that!)
If you don’t know the details behind each crusade you will have to look it up….. Not only is this a stunning pen, and just my thing…..but it writes with ROSE SCENTED INK! AND…..drum roll……she sent a package of refills too! You KNOW I screeched over that cleverness.
The embossed paper was wrapped around one of the packages – I included it so you could see the pattern. Maj’s Cheap Trick is this fancy schmancy FOUR LEAF CLOVER old fashioned paper trimming. You KNOW I swooooooned!
As a child, Maj called flip-flops "klip klapper", so that is her Say What entry…..plus, she reminded me that another team player said the pattern on the bottom could be used as a texture stamp – Cheap Trick! Loving the "M" which is also a "W". And Maj, they fit! (See my heartagram belt buckle cemented into the step?)
Maj shared the eggs on the right with the Street Team for Pick Your Poison. She also collects amber….and now I have some!
When I saw these white gloves I cracked up – thought they were Evidence gathering gloves like a forensic scientist would wear….afterall, the Kiss and Tell crusade was about "evidence" of your everyday stuff. But in reading her tag she says we use and abuse ours hands everyday, so she included a recipe for how to maintain nice soft hands. Cover in olive oil, put on plastic gloves, followed by white gloves. Wear for one hour. Thanks, I need that!
THIS ONE IS SO CLEVER!!!!!!!!!! Crusade No. 4 was about journaling your Rock Star Moment. Maj put her twist on it by saying you can be your own Rock Star. Imagine how I squealed at her cleverness when I opened the box and saw the mirror and her sentiment. Say it with me…….
She’s a chicken. Press-on tattoos instead of real ink! Or maybe she has one and isn’t telling us? How cute is she? Got this photo from her in May….so fun to have a face to go with the friendship.
For her Playlist, Maj made this cool accordion book. The pull-out tag is her listing of Crusades 1 through 9. Under No. 2 she writes, "Playlist: you’re looking at it". The girl knows how to play doesn’t she? Those letters above are each cut out and painted then applied in. It’s a stunner.
Here’s a fun part of the story…..After opening everything and basking in the oh-my-gosh-ness of it all, I read the Playlist and it says under #1 Spooky Art: Halloween confetti. What? I didn’t see any confetti. So like a day later I’m still curious and carefully peek through every saved wrapping…..and tucked into one was this mini envelope made of vellum and coated in metallicy coolness. I almost missed it because it felt like the thickness of folded tissue paper. Imagine how I cracked up when I read "BOO" on the front.
This handprint is on the back of the card enclosed with the package. The excerpt reads: "It must be about a year since I responded to your ‘grave dirt request’." Now there’s something you don’t see everyday. But yes, I made a call on my blog back in June 2006 for grave dirt of any famous poets or writers. My introduction to Maj cam when she responded to me via email…..and inquired if I was serious. She didn’t want to risk getting in trouble if it was a hoax. So a friendship was born, thanks to Hans Christian Andersen. He was buried in Denmark and when Maj went home for a visit last summer she collected some dirt from his grave for me and sent it here in a very cool paper cut envelope with the inititals HCA. She has become a very special friend and I am pleased to share her with you today.
****************************************************************************************************************************
Winner for Crusade No. 9 ~ "What’s that Smell" is Becky New. Congrats Becky! Everyone is invited to come Spread the Love with Crusade No. 10. I’m going to hop over there right now to tell them about Maj’s package!
I’m going to work backwards on this one….First I’ll tell you the SYNCHRONICITY part. A few days ago I posted a new crusade on the Street Team blog:
It’s about sending Mail Art – you can read about it over HERE. So like not even 24 hours pass and this box lands on my doorstep. She had no idea…..but in sending me her Crusade entries 1 through 9, she also entered No. 10. Say it with me: How Cool Is That? SHE is Maj Hoenborg, currently living in Germany, native of Denmark. Maj is pronounced "My", (not Madge) the word for May, (the month we were both born in) as I learned when I called her the other night…..very late in her time zone but I wanted her to hear my enthusiasm. More about Maj further down.
You KNOW my heart skipped a beat when I saw this package. I didn’t even have the brains to stop and photograph her thoughtfully wrapped contents….I just attacked. Wouldn’t you?
Here’s my lame attempt to show you all remnants of the cool wrappings….everything in red and black with ribbons, strings,.tags, roses…..You get the picture, I just didn’t TAKE one. What could all this be? The outside says CRUSADE. The note says she’s enclosing interpretations for every previous crusade. GAH! (And even though she’s a webdesigner she doesn’t have her own site…..let’s bug her about that!)
If you don’t know the details behind each crusade you will have to look it up….. Not only is this a stunning pen, and just my thing…..but it writes with ROSE SCENTED INK! AND…..drum roll……she sent a package of refills too! You KNOW I screeched over that cleverness.
The embossed paper was wrapped around one of the packages – I included it so you could see the pattern. Maj’s Cheap Trick is this fancy schmancy FOUR LEAF CLOVER old fashioned paper trimming. You KNOW I swooooooned!
As a child, Maj called flip-flops "klip klapper", so that is her Say What entry…..plus, she reminded me that another team player said the pattern on the bottom could be used as a texture stamp – Cheap Trick! Loving the "M" which is also a "W". And Maj, they fit! (See my heartagram belt buckle cemented into the step?)
Maj shared the eggs on the right with the Street Team for Pick Your Poison. She also collects amber….and now I have some!
When I saw these white gloves I cracked up – thought they were Evidence gathering gloves like a forensic scientist would wear….afterall, the Kiss and Tell crusade was about "evidence" of your everyday stuff. But in reading her tag she says we use and abuse ours hands everyday, so she included a recipe for how to maintain nice soft hands. Cover in olive oil, put on plastic gloves, followed by white gloves. Wear for one hour. Thanks, I need that!
THIS ONE IS SO CLEVER!!!!!!!!!! Crusade No. 4 was about journaling your Rock Star Moment. Maj put her twist on it by saying you can be your own Rock Star. Imagine how I squealed at her cleverness when I opened the box and saw the mirror and her sentiment. Say it with me…….
She’s a chicken. Press-on tattoos instead of real ink! Or maybe she has one and isn’t telling us? How cute is she? Got this photo from her in May….so fun to have a face to go with the friendship.
For her Playlist, Maj made this cool accordion book. The pull-out tag is her listing of Crusades 1 through 9. Under No. 2 she writes, "Playlist: you’re looking at it". The girl knows how to play doesn’t she? Those letters above are each cut out and painted then applied in. It’s a stunner.
Here’s a fun part of the story…..After opening everything and basking in the oh-my-gosh-ness of it all, I read the Playlist and it says under #1 Spooky Art: Halloween confetti. What? I didn’t see any confetti. So like a day later I’m still curious and carefully peek through every saved wrapping…..and tucked into one was this mini envelope made of vellum and coated in metallicy coolness. I almost missed it because it felt like the thickness of folded tissue paper. Imagine how I cracked up when I read "BOO" on the front.
This handprint is on the back of the card enclosed with the package. The excerpt reads: "It must be about a year since I responded to your ‘grave dirt request’." Now there’s something you don’t see everyday. But yes, I made a call on my blog back in June 2006 for grave dirt of any famous poets or writers. My introduction to Maj cam when she responded to me via email…..and inquired if I was serious. She didn’t want to risk getting in trouble if it was a hoax. So a friendship was born, thanks to Hans Christian Andersen. He was buried in Denmark and when Maj went home for a visit last summer she collected some dirt from his grave for me and sent it here in a very cool paper cut envelope with the inititals HCA. She has become a very special friend and I am pleased to share her with you today.
****************************************************************************************************************************
Winner for Crusade No. 9 ~ "What’s that Smell" is Becky New. Congrats Becky! Everyone is invited to come Spread the Love with Crusade No. 10. I’m going to hop over there right now to tell them about Maj’s package!
On the trip back home to MN I was lucky to meet up with a new friend – Judy Neubert. We met at the Mall of America with the intention of having coffee. THAT was until I saw there was an Archiver’s there…didn’t take much coaxing to get Judy to spend our hour together shopping instead. Got myself hoards of paper, the fave being this new Basic Gray and Creative Imaginations.
Big dent in the wallet later we had to say our goodbyes and she gifted me with a terrific piece that thrilled me beyond measure. It’s a real work of heart……
It began with the tag above. Got goosebumps?
Then in the bag was this folded masterpiece. I can’t begin to imagine how many hours and how much planning went into this…..my pictures hardly do it justice. Every little detail was thought through…..many pockets to open, revealing many treasures found in the last photo.
Here you can see a portion of the secret compartments opened. Look at the cool imagery everywhere too.
Fully open….more great images, even some of my older designs. You KNOW I’m loving the colors too. Have you ever seen anything like this? I mean, it has three jillion openings. Told ya, work of heart.
And here is all the loot from inside. Yep, she’s been in the shackles….has become a HIM fan herself. Love THAT. She is such a clever one…..took the pins and threaded wire through them to create genius danglies. Judy – you’re a gem. Was wonderful to meet you and I look forward to our workshop in October. THANK YOU for this special gift. You GET me. I only wish I could have opened it all in your presence so you could see how touched and enthused I was.
The SYNCHRONICITY: the paper I was scarfing up WHILE SHOPPING WITH HER is the SAME PAPER she used here. She never caved. She never hinted that she had already seen the stuff, and had used THE VERY SAME PAPER in this gift. Shown below: back.
Tomorrow: Part Two. Another case of SYNCHRONICITY.
On the trip back home to MN I was lucky to meet up with a new friend – Judy Neubert. We met at the Mall of America with the intention of having coffee. THAT was until I saw there was an Archiver’s there…didn’t take much coaxing to get Judy to spend our hour together shopping instead. Got myself hoards of paper, the fave being this new Basic Gray and Creative Imaginations.
Big dent in the wallet later we had to say our goodbyes and she gifted me with a terrific piece that thrilled me beyond measure. It’s a real work of heart……
It began with the tag above. Got goosebumps?
Then in the bag was this folded masterpiece. I can’t begin to imagine how many hours and how much planning went into this…..my pictures hardly do it justice. Every little detail was thought through…..many pockets to open, revealing many treasures found in the last photo.
Here you can see a portion of the secret compartments opened. Look at the cool imagery everywhere too.
Fully open….more great images, even some of my older designs. You KNOW I’m loving the colors too. Have you ever seen anything like this? I mean, it has three jillion openings. Told ya, work of heart.
And here is all the loot from inside. Yep, she’s been in the shackles….has become a HIM fan herself. Love THAT. She is such a clever one…..took the pins and threaded wire through them to create genius danglies. Judy – you’re a gem. Was wonderful to meet you and I look forward to our workshop in October. THANK YOU for this special gift. You GET me. I only wish I could have opened it all in your presence so you could see how touched and enthused I was.
The SYNCHRONICITY: the paper I was scarfing up WHILE SHOPPING WITH HER is the SAME PAPER she used here. She never caved. She never hinted that she had already seen the stuff, and had used THE VERY SAME PAPER in this gift. Shown below: back.
Tomorrow: Part Two. Another case of SYNCHRONICITY.
Got goosebumps? Did Paul Potts win? Click here…..and scroll up to the 2-1/2 minute mark.
(From: Britain’s Got Talent)
Another fun activity….designing with parts of letters. Go HERE then click on the grid, lower right. The click and drag letter parts into arena. Then click the other button and it will jumble up. Cool! This is what will happen…..you can hit it several times to get different variations.
You can get a poster from the originator, HERE….isn’t hers wicked?
Makes you want to make cool stuff with type, doesn’t it?
LOVE typography. Don’t even get me started on Ambigrams. Did you read Angels and Demons? The graphic below was found HERE, the right is flipped 180 degrees from the left. Clever, isn’t it?
Make your own street art and pass on to a friend to continue working. So far the continue part hasn’t worked (for me) but it’s still fun. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to spraying on a wall. HERE
Wouldn’t you love to have the space to paint like Pollock? He rocked the splatters. Try this, HERE.
Scribbling is good. This will remind you how cool it is to just draw in your journal. HERE.
You know you want some. Printed baggies (in several sizes) and PACKING TAPE! {HERE}
Juicy Couture perfume is your just-for-dress-up-type-scent, but is available in this lovely compact, cleverly perfect for travel. {HERE} Lovely box, and to my surprise, a soft pink leather pouch surrounds the compact, both embossed with the Juicy logo. (You do know John Taylor is married to Gela, who is "G" of "Love G&P" right?)
And while I’m on scents, let me plug the latest Crusade….{HERE}. My new summer fragrance was a gift from Graham, and is such a clever find: RALPH ROCKS. Cool site too. All the perfumes in this collection are fresh and fun and summery. {HERE}
Ever since my friend Julie sent me wind chimes made from silverware I’ve been enamored with the cleverness of artists who use spoons or forks to make cool stuff. My latest find are these pieces of jewelry from The Spoonman. Faxed my order today. {HERE}
And the last bit of cleverness is that I finally figured out how to set my blog so links open in new windows. Want the widget for your typepad blog? {HERE}
So many cool products out there – I’m especially loving the black and white damask pattern showing up everywhere. Funky colors and big patterns are the thing right now….makes me wish I was a product designer. WAIT! I am! Stay tuned…..rubber in the works for late summer release. {grin}
EDIT: In case you missed the edit on my Got Cake post, there are updated links at the bottom with more visuals being shared from the collaboration. Scroll down.
I never knew that the word COURAGE has its roots with HEART. And I never really noticed the connection between courage and encourage. I’ve been thinking about these words…..you see, I recently was sent a letter, from another continent, from a girl who has taught me as much about myself as she has learned about herself. The letter accompanied a piece of art, and explained her purpose for sending both. She thanked me for giving her Courage to Play. It was one of those unexpected gifts – to see yourself through someone else’s eyes, to witness a geniune act of kindness, to feel validated as an artist, as a person.
It takes courage to try new things. It takes courage to make art. It takes courage to share your art. It takes courage to challenge yourself to do all these things. And it comes from the heart.
I see that it’s a circle. Coral felt encouraged to stretch herself. She was encouraged by what she’s read and seen in books and had the courage to try to take her art to new places. (and I don’t just mean from Australia to New Jersey). She had the courage to share the art she made for me, therefore encouraging ME. She made me feel like what I do is worthwhile to her. Now how cool is that?
Coral’s gift, this painted canvas, is filled with many thoughtful connections just for me. You’ll recognize my rubber collection names of HomeWARD and WayWARD, my initials (cuz I love anything M or W), the architectural images and dimensional details, the miniature keyholes, tags! and the lovely Irish Blessing. She even used my colors…. She GETS me, and yet we’ve never met. And how does she know me? Maybe from a few magazine articles or maybe from a book or two I’ve been in….or maybe it’s because she visits here. That’s my guess.
The next time I get asked why I blog, I’ll tell them the Coral story.
To Coral, my new friend, and to all of you who have ever had the courage to share your art with me, or your kind words in private notes or via comments here, I thank you, with my whole encouraged heart.
Do you have the courage to encourage someone today?
Congrats to Johanna Goisser from Germany! She was the Street Team Top Hat pick for Crusade No. 8: Cheap Tricks. We’ve started No. 9: What’s that Smell? Come on over and play…..have some courage!
