Happy Christmas!

Trim up the tree... Part 2

My love of arts and crafts definitely comes from my mom. She always came up with great craft projects for my sister and I, especially around the holidays. Here are a few of my favorite ornaments from Christmases past:


My mom sewed this simple star ornament using scrap fabric. I love the Indian feel of it, and think sari fabric would make beautiful home decorations for any season. Now that I can sew, I can't wait to stitch up more of these cute ornaments!



For awhile my family was all about the Country-Western look (well, everyone except for Dad). My mom made this Cowboy Santa using wood and acrylic paint. I'm not sure if she designed it herself or used a pattern from a magazine, but I do know she cut the shape herself using a jigsaw.



This simple ornament is a great recycling idea. The silver disc is a lid from a frozen juice can. We punched designs (with parental help, of course) into the lids using an awl and hammer, and then attached some lace to the backside. Stars, evergreen trees, and snowflake patterns would also make for some lovely lid ornaments.



This European Santa is one of my favorites, as it's one of the first ornaments I remember making almost entirely by myself. Mom cut the wavy Santa shapes from wood, and helped draw his face. We used a wood burning tool to trace out Santa's face, and then painted his hat, beard, and face.

Trim up the tree...

Sold

This site could be very dangerous

A bespoke shoe that I designed at Shoes of Prey.

Once again the Blogs of Note feature has introduced me to an awesome new website. Unfortunately their latest choice, 22 Michaels, is really testing my will power and wallet. The blog follows a group of Australian entreprenuers who have started Shoes of Prey, a site that lets you design custom heels.

I am a shoe junkie, and have already spent way too much time designing heels that are (for the time being) completely out of my price range. Here's hoping I win the lottery and can pony up the $215 USD I need for my creations.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving dinner in 3 minutes? I wish!




A quick note to all you Black Friday shoppers:

First and foremost, be safe! This means looking out for your fellow shoppers, as well as yourselves. There is no need to run, push, shove, or yell. A $100 television is not worth putting your health or life in jeopardy. Keep an eye out for small children, the handicapped, and elderly. Alert employees immediately if you spot any potential hazards.

And speaking of employees: as a retail associate who will be working tomorrow, I cannot stress the importance of being nice! It's not the employees fault if they run out of doorbuster items within the first hour. It's not their fault if they don't have a specific item in stock. It's not their fault if the cash registers go down. It's not their fault if your credit card is declined. Please please please do not yell at, scream at, berate, swear at, or physically accost these people! They are working hard to get you in and out as fast as possible with exactly what you wanted. So before you freak out on the 16-year-old cashier because they don't have the item you want, take a deep breath and calm down. You're dealing with a human being, and it's never too early to start spreading holiday cheer!

Please enjoy this post responsibly

I'm always on the lookout for recycling projects that also make fun, unique gifts. For her birthday, my sister received these bottle cap magnets that I absolutely love:




They're simple to make, and depending on how/where you acquire the bottle caps, fairly inexpensive as well. Of course, if your gift recipient is under 21, you might want to opt for soda bottle caps instead. I even did a bit of brainstorming, and thought it would be fun to make similar magnets from Scrabble tiles or large buttons (Again, for the non-alcoholics in your life).

A photo of the complete collection is below. I need to ask Sister's friend how long it took her to collect all of these!

Happy Birthday

Today is my sister's birthday, and I volunteered to bake her cake. Since my mom, sister, and I have been doing the Flat Belly Diet for a few months now, I decided to try out one of their recipes.

The Super-Rich Chocolate Cake with Maple Frosting looked very yummy in the cookbook:

(Photo from Prevention.com)


Even though my attempt didn't look exactly the same, it came out quite nicely!




As for the taste: It was very good, especially for a low-fat dessert (And despite the fact that the cake recipe used canola mayonnaise as an egg substitute. I was a bit worried about that one). The best part was the maple frosting, which was very, very yummy! Our only complaint was the cake's texture. It was very dense and quite dry. I actually think the recipe is better suited to make scones.

I'm looking forward to trying more dessert recipes from the cookbook, despite being a bit let down this time around. There are some delicious looking Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip No-Bake Bars and Lemon Cupcakes with Citrus Icing I've been dying to try. I'll be sure to post if they were successes or not!

'Tis (Almost) the Season

The holidays are right around the corner, and if you're anything like me you're already writing gift lists and making budgets. As I've gotten older, my taste in gifts has changed, both in what I give and receive. In recent years I've taken to making gifts, or even baking goodies for family and friends. I love giving people a "one of a kind" creation, or satisfying their sweet tooth with homemade cookies.


Another fun "gift" idea I've stumbled upon is donations. Last year I donated $25 to the World Wildlife Fund, and sent a turtle to rehab* in my sister's name. As an animal lover, she absolutely loved this gift, and still has the printable certificate hanging on her bulletin board.


This year I'm considering donating some animals through Heifer International, which battles world poverty and hunger by educating communities about sustainable agriculture, animal well-being, and micro-enterprise. You can donate an entire animal or flock, or chip in with other donors to give larger livestock to needy communities. These animals become sources of income for communities worldwide, even within the United States.



Another great way to help those in need is through micro-lending. Kiva is a wonderful organization that makes small loans to entrepreneurs worldwide to start or expand their small business or repair their lives. Micro-loans have an incredibly high percentage of repayment, and there's almost a 100% guarantee that you'll get your money back. Once you receive a repayment you can loan to another person, donate to Kiva outright, or withdraw your funds. You can also join or create online Kiva communities, and have some fun, friendly competition! (Feel free to join the Stuff You Should Know Team. We're kicking the Colbert Nation's butt!) I've already made a $25 donation to Ben Sochoeurn of Cambodia. She earns a living by making clay pots and providing decorating services for wedding parties. It feels good supporting indigenous arts and crafts, as they are a wonderful way to preserve a region's culture and heritage.

I hope this post inspires people to really embrace the spirit of giving this holiday season! Please leave comments if you donate to any non-profit organization, and link to it so others can help as well.

*The turtles are injured, not drunk! However, I will admit that I donated to this program simply because I knew the idea of a sea turtle singing Amy Winehouse would crack my sis up.

One Awesome Road Trip

I've been neglected the blog lately due to my holiday retail job. The money and discount are great, but my art time has taken a bit of a hit. Still, it's nice having some extra moola lining my wallet this time of year.

One of the (many) things I'm saving up for is travel. While I'm primarily saving for some international travel, I love exploring places in the US as well. I've always wanted to visit more of America's National Parks, and photographer Ian Shive's work is definitely inspiring:




I hope to post again tomorrow with a whole mess of updates: sold items, Social Vibe stats, and maybe even a counter update.

Happy Halloween!

I carved this same face last October, but this year's came out much nicer:





He's not your traditional Jack-o-lantern, but Dwight Schrute can be very intimidating and scary.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

An Early Halloween Treat!

I'm not the biggest fan of hard candy, but I do love the way it looks! Check out the candy makers at NYC's papabubble in the video below. Who knew candy making could be so artistic?

Let the wild rumpus start!

(Image from Hunt Famous)

When I was a kid, Where the Wild Things Are was my favorite book. According to my mom, I brought it home from the library several times before she finally broke down and bought me a copy. Unfortunately, she did not enjoy Maurice Sendak's classic as much as I did. She found the illustrations scary, and couldn't understand why her five-year-old daughter loved a book filled with such "creepy" monsters. Whenever I wanted WTWTA read to me, she'd suggest I ask my dad, who fortunately found reading it to be a fun experience.

Time eventually changed Mom and Dad's perspective of the book. Mom eventually sat down to really read it, and now loves it. Dad has completely forgotten he ever read WTWTA to me, and cannot remember a single thing about the book (to be fair, the last time he cracked it's cover was close to 20 years ago). Which is why I saw the movie with my mom while dad was at work.

(Image from Movie Crunch)

Here's my short review:
The Where the Wild Things Are movie is a beautiful adaption of a classic children's book, though it is definitely not for kids. There's no language or sex, and minimal violence, but the themes of loneliness and feeling life is beyond your control will likely be lost on younger viewers. Which is funny, because these concepts are exactly the sort of thing kids need to be reassured about. What child hasn't felt lonely at some point growing up, even when surrounded by people who love them? What kid doesn't act out at a situation beyond their control? WTWTA speaks to those kids, though they may not realize it until they're a bit older.

The Art of Elysium

A couple weeks ago I added a Social Vibe widget to my blog, and have gotten 38 clicks so far. These widgets are popping up all over Google hosted blogs, and help raise money for worthy causes. So when you see one, please click it!

I chose to support The Art of Elysium, a non-profit that provides creative workshops for children battling serious medical conditions. These kids are given instruction by professionals in the fields of the visual arts, acting, music, and creative writing during the most difficult time of their lives. Programs like these distract children from the anxieties caused by illness, and provide them with a creative outlet for expressing their hopes and fears.

Please check out The Art of Elysium website, and make a donation if you can. You can even send art or beauty supplies, books, costumes, or musical instruments. If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can also volunteer your time (as little as four hours a month).

Everything Must Go!

About twice a year something happens that triggers a massive cleaning of our house. This time it was my sister providing the family with her Birthday/Christmas list for the year. As I started penning my own Christmas list, I looked around the living room and suddenly noticed all the stuff that's accumulated: books we didn't enjoy, shoes that were hardly worn, trinkets that no longer fit the decor. An urge to rid the house of clutter took over, and I immediately signed onto my eBay and Amazon accounts. Now I just need to wait and see if things sell. If they don't, it's straight to Freecycle or AmVets, just in time for us to replace everything with new stuff at Christmas time.

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day, "an annual event that unites the world's bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day" to raise awareness and create global discussion. This year's topic is Climate Change, a subject that I am deeply interested in.

Artists can impact climate change in big ways, from choosing environmentally-friendly supplies to creating work that sparks meaningful discussion of how we treat our planet:




My current work reflects on climate change and responsible use of Earth's resources. I've been experimenting with recycled materials, specifically magazine pages:



I love making art from magazines that would likely end up in a landfill or consume energy during the recycling process. They are also one-of-a-kind creations, since I can never recreate the exact same combination of pages.



And just because I love it:



This Current pod is one of my favorites. Visiting other countries really makes one stop and think about how most Americans live their lives. If we all lived on a little less, we could make a big impact on climate change.

Tear, Fold, Glue

This week I spent a few hours turning this...


... into this...



It's like hot glue magic!

Is there anybody out there?

I finally added a counter to the bottom of my blog last week. To my surprise, I have so far gotten over 200 visits, almost 190 of them unique hits.

There are so many questions running though my mind at the moment: Who are you people? Why don't you leave comments? What do I have to do to get you to follow this little blog?

Honestly, I don't really care how many visitors I get. I started this blog as a diary of sorts, a way for my family and friends to keep up with what I'm doing, and a way to keep myself accountable for starting (and finishing) projects. The counter was added out of morbid curiosity, and has been quite entertaining thus far.

So "Thank You" to those of you who are reading this, even if it's only once! Please explore my past posts, and comment on anything you like/dislike.

Goodbye, Irving Penn

(Photo from Yahoo! News)

Photographer Irving Penn died today at the age of 92.

I was introduced to Penn's work just a few short weeks ago after attending the Small Trades show at The Getty. Penn has since become one of my favorite artists. I've spent countless hours viewing his lovely black and white photos, which range from high fashion couture to everyday laborers.

I've also been inspired by Penn's amazing work ethic. He worked right up until his death, and was constantly in pursuit of the perfect print. Whenever I feel too tired to work on a project, I remind myself that Penn was 92 and still working hard. Certainly a healthy 25-year-old can do the same.

To honor Penn's memory I'm putting his book A Notebook at Random on my "To Read" list (I use the verb "read" a bit loosely here; the book is more visual than textual), and am planning another Getty trip before his show ends in January.


Autumn Distraction #1: The Getty (9/14/09)

Autumn Distraction #2: Library Books

The first book I borrowed from the San Diego Public Library system. So far, it's been an excellent pick!

Books have always been my biggest love. When I saw Beauty and the Beast as a kid, my most vivid memory of the movie was the Beast's library. I wanted those books. I was jealous of Belle for having unlimited access to that library. The fact that the entire scenario was a cartoon and fictional was irrelevant. (Actually, I'm still a bit jealous of her. How awesome would it be to own dishes that can wash themselves?)

Ever since then I've been assembling my own library. I've bought fiction, non-fiction, instructional books, coffee table books, textbooks... Everything from Harry Potter and biographies of Mark Twain, to writing style manuals and illustrated Renaissance art volumes. (My interests are varied, to say the least.)

Due to guilt and dwindling bank accounts, I've cut way back on my book buying habit. The guilt comes from my environmental streak (Printing new books uses a lot of resources), and the fact that I own books that I've never read. While I've been making a valiant effort at reading books I've already purchased, sometimes I'm in the mood for something different.

How to remedy this? Easy: get a library card. In less than 30 minutes I printed an application from the internet, filled it out, drove to my local branch, and received my first San Diego Public Libraries card. I've since mastered their online catalog, and figured out how to put books on hold. I'm even loving their three week due dates: Long, vaguely defined deadlines cause me to procrastinate. Tell me I have less than a month to read something, and I'll have it done in two weeks flat.

So thus far, my experience with San Diego's libraries has been a positive one. But we'll see how I feel the first time I pay an overdue fine.

Magazine Haul

I found a listing on my local Freecycle group for free magazines:



The bulk of my raw materials usually come from my uncle, but this load will last well into the new year. I foresee a lot of tearing and sorting in my near future...
A big "Thank You" to Lynda and family for being such voracious periodical readers!


And here's a bit of what I've been working on:



This is part of my first order! Paper bowls make lovely Christmas gifts, so please e-mail me ASAP if you'd like a price sheet: sallymackart [at] yahoo [dot] com.
Once I complete these bowls, I plan to start work on more paper animals.

Modern Knight

Another inspiring pod about a great artist. This time it's NYC based Ted Riederer, who makes armor and skulls from records:



As for my own artwork: I've been working, but I haven't been photographing. I hope to have some shots up by the end of the week.

J-E-L-L-O!

This little pod is just delightful! Artist Liz Hickock works in JELL-O, making moulds of San Francisco's Mission District buildings, and casting them in the famous snack food:



I really love how Hickock's choice of medium allows for fun expression of color and light. It reminds me of childhood, though I admit I didn't eat much JELL-O growing up. Maybe I'm reminded of watching The Cosby Show with my grandparents. Still, good memories!

Autumn Distraction #1: The Getty

Summer is finally starting to feel like it's over. It's often hard to tell when summer is finished here in Southern California: We don't have the lovely Fall foliage of the north, and the temperature seems to hit ungodly heights even after Labor Day. However, the temperature has begun to drop, and I'm starting to think about packing up my shorts and breaking out the sweaters.

Even with Autumn weather just around the corner, I still find myself being pulled from my work. So instead of the fun summer distractions I shared over the past months, you can look forward to some Fall ones!

First up: I visited The Getty Museum this Saturday for the first time in about five years. Museums are some of my favorite places. I love the quiet, the dim lighting, and the thrill of discovering a "new" artist or art form. This visit introduced me to photographer Irving Penn, who is famous for his work in Vogue magazine.

The Getty exhibition, Irving Penn: Small Trades, focuses on Penn's work during the early 1950s, documenting the uniforms and work tools of skilled tradespeople in London, Paris, and New York. His photographs are visually stunning, but even more special as they capture a moment in time that is nearly lost. Many of the trades depicted in Penn's photos no longer exist in this modern age (milkman, street sweeper, rag and bone man), and many that have endured are slowly dying.

A Parisian Busboy. (Photo from The Getty website.)

I encourage anyone who can make the trip to Los Angeles to check out this exhibit. It is a very beautiful, interesting, and funny show (I would really like to know how Penn found a deep sea diver in NYC...). The exhibit runs until January 10, 2010, and I may even try for a second visit myself!

Are you serious? [A rare soap box moment]

Friend Ellis G. on Facebook.

Awhile back I linked to a Current TV pod about street artist Ellis G. (a.k.a. Ellis Gallagher). He does some really cool work where he roams the Brooklyn streets and outlines shadows with chalk.

However, it seems the NYPD does not think Ellis' work is awesome at all. His Facebook status recently informed us fans that he was taken into custody for breaking anti-graffiti laws. This isn't the first time Ellis has been arrested for his art, but I sincerely hope it's the last.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for keeping punks and thugs from deliberately defacing/damaging public and private property. This, however, is completely ridiculous. Chalk is water soluble, and is in no way permanent. The point of Ellis' work is that it's temporary, and subject to fading and changing over time. If the NYPD wants to go after Ellis' for covering Brooklyn in chalk, then they better be prepared to arrest or fine every six year old kid who does the same. Oh wait... apparently they do that already.


Current TV Programming + Chalk = Yet another reason I need to visit NYC (7/5/2009)

Know when to fold 'em

Getting geared up for some more projects:

Framed

Magazine page frame:



I need to iron out some details on the backing. More brads are probably needed to hold everything more firmly in place, and I want to experiment with other materials to create the back sides.


In Progress... (8/14/09)

Trash to Treasure

I found Yuken Teruya's site thanks to the Yahoo! home page. Teruya creates meticulously crafted pieces out of everyday objects: fast food bags, paper towel rolls, newspapers, pizza boxes.


(Photo from Fast Company.)

His work is absolutely amazing. It's so detailed and beautiful, that you can easily forget that these pieces are crafted from what is essentially garbage. This is right up my alley, though my art still has a ways to go before it looks as stunning as these.

Can I still call myself an environmentalist if I'm a serial plant killer?

I've been a bad blogger this past week. This is because I've been working on things so diligently that I haven't had the time or energy to edit the photos. I love it when procrastination is actually a good thing.

Since I have nothing art related to share just yet, I thought it would be nice to do an update on my plants. The situation is pretty grim for my Cockscomb. I've actually lost plants since last time, and realized today that it hasn't been watered since Wednesday (I completely forgot to ask my parents to water it while I was out of town this weekend). Oops.

Since I can't bring myself to take a photo of my dying Cockscomb, I'll post a photo of my lovely cactus:



Figures the only plant I'm capable of not killing is one that takes the least amount of work and attention. Things are not looking great for my future Victory Garden plans.

Googling up a painting

I came across a very cool blog today, courtesy of Blogger's "Blogs of Note" feature. Bill Guffey is a Kentucky based artist who paints oil landscapes. OK, not all that groundbreaking, until you learn that many of his landscapes are based on shots found using Google Street View.


(Amsterdam Canal Boat. Courtesy of Bill Guffey's website.)

I love it when artists use technology in new ways to create and promote their art. Guffey's paintings are so wonderful that it's hard to believe the original reference shot came from the Internet.

Definitely check out Guffey's website. I especially love his series where he used Street View images to paint a scene from every state (except Hawaii, which doesn't have Street View, yet.).

In Progress...

A little project I'm working on: creating a photo frame from magazine pages.

Art vs. Craft

I stumbled upon this Current TV pod today, which caught my attention because my "art" has taken much more of "craft" feel lately.:



Personally, I think both art and crafts are equally important to society. Each offer insight into the culture that created them, and both can reflect the era in which they were made.

More Lomography Goodness

More of my Lomo shots, here.

Summer Distraction #4: Orange County Fair

I didn't get to visit the San Diego County Fair* this year, but I did check out the Orange County version. Sure the food, rides, and vendors are all the same, but it didn't feel quite right. It's kind of like a knock-off purse: it looks like the real deal, but you'll always know it's a fake. Still, I had a great time with my friends eating deep-fried everything.

One of my favorite parts of any fair are the rides. I won't actually go on any of them**; I just like the way they look when they're all lit up.






*Formally the Del Mar Fair, as it's always been held at the Del Mar Racetrack. Many San Diegans still refer to it as the Del Mar Fair, and will likely do so for years (I still slip up myself). These are likely the same people who still referred to the stadium as 'Jack Murphy' long after it had been renamed 'Qualcomm.'

**For the record, I love thrill rides. I'm absolutely crazy for roller coasters, and despite a fear of heights, I'll try just about any ride once. The exception to this rule is carnival/fair rides. I outright refuse to put my life in the hands of apathetic carnies by willingly going on a ride that is meant to be assembled and disassembled multiple times.

Welcome Home!

Current TV correspondents Euna Lee and Laura Ling arrived safely in Los Angeles this morning after nearly five months of imprisonment in North Korea:


Just wanted to give a quick shout out to these brave women, and I look forward to more of their excellent reporting-- after some much deserved family time, of course!

(I know, another non-arty post. It's just hard to ignore the news sometimes, especially when it's a happy story like this.) :)

Summer Distraction #3: Birthday Break, Part 3

What can I say? I had a very busy birthday week.

Point Loma (tide pool area):