Put a Mustache On It!

Photo from Eristotle's Etsy Shop

This trend has been around for a little while, but I am noticing more and more of these fuzzy creations every where I look. I can't help but wonder if the mustache is the new bird in the trendy world. The mustache is evolving past its origins as a whimsical geekery item to a mainstream adornment. I find myself both curious and perplexed by this trend. I have been bombarded with mustaches so much that I am starting to like them, but the rebellious side of me wants to hate them just to be different. Like all trends the best thing to do is enjoy them in moderation and find those that represent you the best.

Though it is difficult, it is always best to curb your impulse and not go overboard.  I have curated a lovely collection of mustaches for you this week, which you can check out here. Start with a small toy for the kiddies or perhaps an ironic t-shirt, or even a lovely mustache ring. My personal favorite is the tiny mustache tattoo on the finger. If you are going to go the permanent tattoo route then that is an awesome way to do it that will never get old! You can never go wrong with a piece of art for the wall. With that in mind your challenge this week is to take something and put a mustache on it people! For those of you who caught the "Put a Bird On It" reference from Portlandia, snaps to you!

Happy Friday

Photo via Charmaine Olivia

The weekend is here at last! I hope that you all will be doing fun summer things this weekend with your friends and loved ones. I myself will be laying low and thinking about getting myself into productive mode again. If you are looking for a new piece of art for those walls of yours, check out this painting by Charmaine Olivia. I came across this one on Pinterest and fell in love! Too bad my birthday has already passed, I could have added it to my wishlist. It has the perfect amount of sophistication and humor. Happy weekend everyone!

Workshop

I remember reading about this place in 7 x 7 a while back, and for some reason I had forgotten about it until I came across a blog post that mentioned it today. Workshop  is a wonderful place here in the city offering affordable classes for craft/project minded people or anyone curious to learn something new. This is music to my ears! I am always wanting to learn new things, sewing is one for instance, and I never have the budget for a class at most places. For around $40, Workshop offers a wide range of classes to suit most anyone's interest. Check it out! Anyone want to take a class with me?

Stuck in the mud

I am feeling the creative blues, no inspiration. Wait, let me rephrase. Actually I am inspired and I have projects running through my mind all the time, it is the motivation to actually do them that I am lacking lately. Sadly creative things are feeling more like a "to do" list for me lately and my tired, unmotivated self has been avoiding them. Hence, this is my first blog post in over two weeks. I am stuck in the mud indeed.

What to do about this....Well, maybe if I actually get off my butt and do something, however small, it will get the creative juices flowing again. Silk screening has been on my mind. It has long been a project that I wanted to learn and tackle, but stuff always seemed to get in my way. I even had myself enrolled in a silk screening class last year, but had to drop out due to little man Everett. Pregnancy and chemicals do not go together.

I have supplies left over from my brief stint in the class, now I all I have to do is set up the studio. This can be a bit tedious, but with some creative thinking I know I can make it work in my small space. I came across a link about how to do silkscreen printing on the cheap and with more accessible materials. Check it out here. I found this very helpful and encouraging since spending excessive amounts of money on it does not interest me. I imagine the suggested materials would be easy to find, especially here in SF where little niche markets abound. I personally love to go to SCRAP, there is no place better for finding cheap, unique materials to inspire creativity.

Tomorrow I am going to start small and at least get a couple of my drawings copied onto acetate. Step one is easy. The next phase is the tricky part with all of the exposure stuff...but once I figure it out it will be easy peasy. I will keep you posted on my progress, maybe that will hold me accountable to actually do it! Maybe my work will end up in the Monkey & The Whale etsy shop. Stay tuned.

For now, enjoy this beautiful screen print from one of my favorite shops, Bee Things. They create really unique prints with lovely color palettes. I am inspired already!

Photo from Bee Things Etsy Shop