etté studios

DIY: Super Simple Wooden Spool Headphone Keeper

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:36:00 +0000

Image ©Bridgette Meinhold

Earbud wires are forever getting tangled up into knots in my bag. Try as I might to keep them neat they always end up in a ball. Then back in December I came across this adorable idea to keep them wrapped up nice and neat. I was on my way to go buy a set when I realized - doh! I can make this myself. After a trip to a great antique shop down in Salt Lake City, I located a few old wooden thread spools. Then with the help of my trusty drill, a big drill bit and a utility knife I was in business. Read on my clever friends to see how I changed a mere wooden thread spool into a headphone keeper.

Basically the idea is to drill a large hole into the end of the spool and then create tabs on the rims to hold the headphone wires in place. To wrap the spool, insert the plug in through the big hole, pull it out until the earbuds fit inside the spool. Wrap the wire around the spool, just like thread, and then insert the plug back into the hold. Your wrap notch locations may depend on the size of your spool and the length of your headphone wires. This project should take you less than 1 hour.

Materials

- Old wooden thread spool (at least 1 in wide)
- Drill
- Largest drill bit you have (I used one that was 1/2" wide, but bigger would have been better)
- Other drill bits in variety of sizes (basically a drill bit kit to pick the best size depending on your spool)
- Utility knife or other sharp knife
- Pencil
- Table vice or clamp (optional, sorta)
- Safety gear - gloves, goggles (be safe ya'll)

Directions

1. Fit large drill bit into drill and grab spool. Preferably you'll want to secure the spool in some sort of vice or clamp. Don't tell anyone, but I held the spool with my hand - really tight. I recognize that this was not the safest way to do it, but it is possible if you are careful. If you have access to a drill press - this is even better.

2. Drill out center of spool on one end. Do not drill all the way through, just 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through. Hold on to the spool tightly.

3. If you had a drill bit that was only 1/2" wide, you'll need to ream the spool out to make more space for the earbuds. Carefully push the drill bit against the sides to widen the hole. Keep doing this until you can get both earbuds into the hole. (Note: my hole is not big enough for the buds to sit completely inside the hole. I was worried about reaming the hole out too much and breaking the spool. If you're careful and take your time, you can probably make the hole bigger without affecting the integrity of the spool)

4. Now you want to widen the hole on the other end. Not too much, but just enough so you can fit the wire and the plug in the hold. Choose another drill bit that is about 2x the size of the small hole in the spool. Drill this hole out to widen it.

5. Now test the spool with your headphones by inserting the plug through the hole, pulling until the earbuds sit inside the spool. Then wrap the cord around the spool and insert the plug in the bottom hole to secure. Note where it might make sense to make notches to hold the cord in place with a pencil. For mine, I placed the notches opposite each other on the bottom of the spool. But your cord length or spool size might mean they need to be in different locations so the cord doesn't unwrap. You'll probably have to test wrap it a few times to figure out the best way.

6. Use the utility knife to cut notches into the rim of the spool where you made marks. A sharp knife should easily cut into the wood. If not, a small drill bit will make the notches, although it may be more challenging to drill a straight hole on such a small area. (Although it's not necessary, I made two notches into the top on the side where the earbud hole is. This was during my test phase to determine if it was easier to drill the holes or cut them with a knife. I say go with the knife.)

7. Rewrap your earphones to confirm the notches are placed correctly. And that's it! I found that the tighter I wrap the cord, the better it works. A loose wrap can lead to unwinding later on.

This handy dandy little headphone keeper protects your earbuds and keeps your cord from tangling up. It's also super easy to unwrap them. Simply hold the plug end and let the spool unwind with the help of gravity (kinda like a yo-yo without the return yo) and then pull out the buds and the plug.

I found my spools at an antique store and all three cost less than $2.

Images ©Bridgette Meinhold

Amazing 3 Dimensional Fish Paintings of Riusuke Fukahori

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:21:00 +0000

I hardly believed this when I saw it, but these are not photographs of goldfish in wooden bowls. These are 3-dimensional paintings by Riusuke Fukahori created by painting multiple layers and then sandwiching them in between resin. Not so much a fan of the resin part, but my god, these are amazing works of art. I can easily see how this translates into encaustic. Watch the video after the jump to fully appreciate how Fukahori creates them.

[Riusuke Fukahori]

{Via Core77}

Korg 3.0 Movement & The Push: A South Pole Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:52:00 +0000

Image courtesy of the High Fives Foundation

Right now, one of my dearest friends is skiing to the South Pole in Antarctica. Grant Korgan is an amazingly positive person with a heart the size of Texas and the drive to do anything he could ever dream up. Cross country skiing to the South Pole is a huge and monumental, cold task in itself. To make it even more amazing, Grant doesn't have any feeling below his knees due to a devastating spinal cord injury in 2010. He's going to be the first adaptive skier to ever ski to the South Pole.

I've been following along at the edge of my seat with the satellite phone calls to the entire team while on their journey. His inspiring mission is not just to do something incredible, but also to help raise money for spinal cord injuries through their project - The Push: A South Pole Adventure. He's out there on the ice with his team giving it his all to get there and my thoughts go to him constantly. I wrote a poem to help him on his path.

Stoke Your Soul (for Grant during his South Pole Push)

It must be numbing – the vastness, the whiteness, your consciousness

on that wide-open block of southern ice,

but fire up your heart and stoke your soul.

Far from the arms that stretch around you,

I send the strength of my heart

across mountains, plains, beaches and oceans

to warm your soul, power your arms, and push you forward.

Both day and night my thoughts turn to you,

and in my dreams I join you on your icy adventure.

I steal your cold, your chill, and your pain

so all you feel is warmth, joy and love.

Though your compass may grow confused

never doubt your path or your dreams,

for your heart knows the way.

Though the miles may separate us

we are forever connected and I slide beside you,

pulling your load, urging you onwards and towards your goal.

Forget your sore muscles, don’t mind the wind and ignore the cold.

Stoke your soul and light the fire within.

WE Lab Report: Disconnect

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 17:00:00 +0000

a slow awakening, 23.5 x 26 in, milk paint + encaustic on reclaimed wood

Last week, I attempted to reduce my time spent online as a way of disconnecting and living a slower paced life. While I didn't hit my mark for social media, I did come close. In fact I'll consider it a success. Because even though I have been sick this whole last week - I got another painting done and delivered to the gallery. This is in part due to shutting the computer and leaving it in the house so I could go out to the studio and paint. No need for a full lab report, but just know this - if social media is sucking up your time, limiting it is refreshing and quite enjoyable. Getting on only once or twice a day actually makes it better than checking it every half hour.

Wondertivity Experiment: Disconnect

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 20:15:00 +0000

It may seem ironic, maybe even hypocritical as a blogger, but I really want to get off the computer. I spend far too much time banging away on these keys and checking facebook. I claim it's for "work", but I know it's not the only reason. Yes, social networking is an important part of promoting the writing and artwork I do, but how much is really necessary? This week's Wondertivity Experiment is part project and part new year's resolution - I want to be better about disconnecting. I know that this won't necessarily be a "successful" WE, but it's the start of a life long lifestyle choice.

I can't totally disconnect, but I can minimize it. So this week, I'm limiting my facebook usage to 3 hours TOTAL. Email checking only happens when I'm working in the morning and once in the afternoon or evening. Pinning is also minimized to 1 hour total this week. I'll report on Friday to see how well I've suceeded. So far, I've been on facebook for a half hour today. Guess I've got my work cut out for me.

Perfect New Year's Eve Cocktail

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:29:00 +0000

I believe I have found the perfect New Year's Eve cocktail. Normally, I'm a big fan of vodka, soda and a splash of cranberry or pomegranate juice, but for NYE, you've got to up your game a bit. While in town this week, I visited the Highwest Distillery and was delighted to test out their Cowgirl Kiss. It's like my go-to-favorite, BUT decidely fancier. Mix one part locally-produced Highwest Vodka 7000' with one part pomegranate juice, mix well and top with sparkling wine. Now we're talking.

Highwest not only distills their own whiskey and vodka (the vodka is made right here in Park City), they also make some pretty tasty cocktails. During the summer, I'm a big believer in their lemonade-based cocktails, but for the winter, you gotta switch gears. Perfectly festive, but not overly bubbly.

How to make a Cowgirl Kiss

1. Pour the following over a glass of ice:
1 1/2 oz Vodka 7000' (or your favorite local/organic vodka)
1 1/2 oz pomegranate juice

2. Top with a shaker and mix well.

3. Pour into glass.

4. Top off with sparkling wine.

5. Drink responsibly.

Thanks to Highwest Distillery as my unofficial sponsor of New Year's Eve.

Vote For Your Favorite DIY of 2011!

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Dear lovely readers - one of my articles from this year is in the running for Inhabitat's Top DIY post of 2011. You may remember my love of terrariums and how they're making a comeback this year? Well, check out this link and then vote for your favorite DIY on Inhabitat. Ahem... I think it should be an easy decision...

WE Lab Report: Pine Tree Studies

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:29:00 +0000

A lot of my paintings feature trees, so this week's Wondertivity Experiment was all about pine trees. To paint trees well, you have to understand their structure and how they are put together. Luckily, I am surrounded by pine trees and finding the subject matter was as simple as stepping outside my front door. I also got some exercise while looking at them. It was a win-win experiment. Look on for the results of my pine tree studies in milk paint on encaustic.

Statement of the Problem:

In order to paint pine trees better, I need to practice. My teacher taught me that "practice makes practice". I often have the problem that I know I can do something, but I don't do it because I know I can. BUT, to become a better artist you have to do it again and again and again. That's how you get better... So, this experiment is to get in more repetition in order to better paint pine trees and to further test out how the milk paint works.

Hypothesis:

The milk paint will perform similar to water color, but thicker and will have the capability of adding layers of paint on top of each other. Pine trees are not just a solid mass, but have holes and many layers. While they are big, dark and hulking, you should see the light of day through them sometimes.

Materials:

Camera
Pictures of pine trees
Prepped small encaustic panels (gesso + layers of encaustic)
Brushes
Jar of water for mixing and rinsing
Milk paint - variety of colors
Rag
Encaustic medium for finishing

Procedure:

1. Take lots of pictures of pine trees.

2. Give panels a background reminiscent of a sunset sky that fades from blue to yellow to pink. Add a horizon with white paint. Cover with a layer of encaustic and fuse.

3. Stare at pictures of pine trees for a long time until you "get them".

4. Begin painting the shapes of pine trees as best as possible. Lay down a preliminary trunk and wait for it to dry.

5. Paint outline of tree branches and fill in with tree color making sure to leave holes.

6. Wait to dry then add additional layers of highlights if desired.

7. Cover with a layer of encaustic and fuse.

Results:

Totally pleased with the results. Keep in mind that my trees will often be hid underneath layers of wax, so it's not imperative that they be super realistic, they just need to look like a good silhouette. So underneath a couple layers of wax, these babies are gonna be beautiful. Again, with the milk paint, keeping a wet edge is important if it needs to flow. But sometimes you can create a cool look by leaving edges. Adding multiple colors is tricky, too much can make it blotchy (see right above), but the right amount gives it a good contrast (like the left one below).

Conclusion:

Will definitely be applying the techniques I learned this week in future paintings. The wet/dry stage is where the magic happens. Serendipity plays a huge role in many of my paintings. Overworking can kill what you initially laid down, while just enough play can give depth. This new paint is really exciting and I can't wait to get back in the studio tomorrow to do more.

Incredible Miniature Matchbook Art of Jason D'Aquino

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:14:00 +0000

50 ft Woman and Typewriter 2 | Image ©Lori Zimmer at Art Basel Miami

This past week was the wild and crazy Art Basel in Miami and a fellow writer at Inhabitat and art aficionado Lori Zimmer headed down to check out the art and the people. Based on some of her status updates throughout the week - it sounded like a pretty damn good time. Oh and she saw some cool art too. Especially the works of Jason D'Aquino who is a miniaturist that works on found material. My favorite are his matchbooks that feature intricate drawings of vintage-pop icons. Don't you just wish you could have a whole wall full of them?

Buffalo Bill

The teeny, tiny pencil drawings on the matchbooks recall past times and often take inspiration from the matchbook itself. Whether referencing vintage movies, objects or fictional characters, the mini art works are fascinating. It's as though you came upon the work of a day dreamer who doodles at the bar. Maybe that's exactly where D'Aquino does his best work - who knows. But apparently all of his work completely sold out from The Shop’s booth at the Scope Art Fair

Young Frankenstein

In his own words: 'D'Aquino chooses to work on found surfaces such as strike-on-front matchbooks, 18th century animal-skin vellum, and antique ledger pages. His search for these found "canvases" has led him to strange corners of the world and to some unique treasures. He recently unearthed a hand-quilled, illustrated whaling manuscript from St. Petersburg, Russia, which made its way to Christies Auction House in New York City."

Archangel

Frida

Surf & Turf

Wonka

[Jason D'Aquino]
{via Inhabitat}
Images ©Jason D'Aquino unless otherwise noted

Wondertivity Experiment: Pine Tree Studies

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:26:00 +0000

This week it's all about pine tress. Since it's one of my main subject matters, it's time to take a more serious look at these majestic beauties and understand them better - from how they're put together to how they move in the wind, to how the weather affects them. While this certainly is by no means a comprehensive study - who can totally understand pine trees in a week?! - I hope to come away from this week with a better understanding of them. So, my goal is by the end of the week to perform a study of the pine needles, the branches, and the assembly. Results will include - drawings and 4-6 small milk paint on encaustic studies.

WE Lab Report: Milk Paint & Encaustic

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:09:00 +0000

This week, I set out to see how milk paint worked, especially with encaustic paint. I've been looking for the perfect medium that will give me all the results I want with encaustic and hoped that the natural, non-toxic paint might just be the solution. Read on for the lab results of my Wondertivity Experiment: Milk Paint & Encaustic.

Statement of the Problem:
Encaustic is a special medium made of a mixture of beeswax and damar resin, which can be used to paint onto surfaces. The natural medium can be used with a wide variety of materials and mediums to create artwork. Up until now, I had largely been using oil paint in my foggy tree series. I set out to find a less toxic medium and one that was more porous to adhere better with the encaustic when it is all fused together. Milk paint is a natural, non-toxic medium made with milk protein (casein) and lime (calcium), plus earth or mineral pigments. Unlike oil paint, you can actually touch the stuff meaning my studio would be much safer.

Hypothesis
Milk paint will bond with the encaustic, provide a wide variety of colors and provide the performance characteristics I want. I hope that the milk paint can be easily made with water on a palette, mixed with other colors like any other paint, be painted onto an encaustic surface with a high level of detail or be able to cover a larger surface area. I also hope that the milk paint can be watered down to create a thin wash or used thickly to create a saturated color.

Materials

8 Milk Paint samples from the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company
Palette
Palette knife
Variety of paint brushes, both for oil and water color
Jar of water for mixing and rinsing
Rag
Scratching device of sorts
Water color paper
Board prepped with encaustic medium
Encaustic medium & fusing tool

Procedure

1. I doled out a small portion (<1/2 teaspoon) of each of the 8 colors I had using my palette knife into the wells of my palette.

2. Using a spoon, added a teaspoon worth of water and mixed the paint with a clean brush. The paint was thin like ink.

3. I tested the paint out first on water color paper. It reacted very similar to water color and you needed to keep a wet edge in order to mix. I painted each sample, made tints with snow white, created a gradient between black and white, a color wheel and then color mixing.

4. Then I tried out mixtures of colors. From left to right, I tried mixing yellow with each color, then blue, then red, then green.

5. Next I took the milk paint to encaustic and created a variety of doodles, washes, marks, hashes and even writing. Each layer of milk paint was covered with wax and fused. Multiple layers were created.

Results

Totally pleased with the results. The milk paint was super easy to mix, paint with, create washes, create saturated layer. It essentially acts like watercolor, but seems hardier and stronger. I like that I can make it in any size batch I want, although if you let it dry, it does become solid, hard and unusable after that. You can also use an awl or any other scratching device to scratch the wax and the milk paint can be used to fill it. If you make a mistake simply wet your rag and wipe it off the encaustic medium. Drying time is 10 minutes or less, which is a huge improvement for me compared to oil, which took 4 or more days.

scratching into the surface and painting over leaves dark marks.
but too much heating does cause cracking

beautiful crisp, clean lines are possible

Disadvantages include that you have to keep a wet edge, so this means moving quickly and not futzing with what you just did. If you make a mistake, it's better to just wipe it off and start again rather than try and rework it. If you're gently though, you can build up layers on top of the layers, making it more saturated. As with most encaustic work, too much overheating does cause the paint to crack, but maybe that'll be a look I go for one day.

three layers of washes

Conclusions

Totally sold. I have already begun using the milk paint in a series of three new foggy mountain pictures and plan to continue using the paint. I love that it dries so quickly and gives me a similar effect as the oil paint. While I can't smudge, smear and mix like oil, I'm ok to give up that effect because of the drying difference and the health factor.

work in progress. 3 layers in.

Now, it's time to get off this computer and back in the studio!

Wondertivity Experiment: Milk Paint & Encaustic

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:54:00 +0000

My first Wondertivity Experiment will be to test out Milk Paint and see how it can be used in conjunction with beeswax and encaustic medium. Many of my paintings to date have been made using oil paints, but I am worried about the mix of the two together. I would also really like to find a non-toxic medium to make my studio healthier and my art more environmentally friendly. My hypothesis is that milk paint has the basic qualities I want in a paint, and is porous enough to mix well with the encaustic medium to create a safe, healthy, and long-lasting work of art. To that end, my goal this week is to play around with the samples of Milk Paint I recently bought, use them with wax, melt it, carve it and try to find the limits of the two mediums together. See my results this Friday!

The Wondertivity Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:47:00 +0000

In an attempt to expand my horizons, develop my creativity and explore new things, I'm starting a new project. The Wondertivity Experiment is a concept I came up with to give myself the freedom to try new things and be creative. Each week I will take on a new project, task or experiment and report on my results. One week I might test out a new medium, another I may assign myself to write a short story, make a video, cook a fancy dish, take a series of photographs, sew curtains, or even build a snow sculpture. The sky is the limit and the point is to do something new and outside of the box I normally work in every day. I'll be writing about it here on this blog, but really, it will be more like playing than extra work. Through play, I hope to develop new skills as an artist and expand on what I already know. It should be an interesting experiment.

Image ©Shawna Moore

DIY: Terrariums To Keep Away the Winter Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:40:00 +0000

You know how I've been meaning to make a terrarium, for oh, 2 years now? Well I finally got around to it. When I was back in Oklahoma to surprise my mom for her birthday earlier this month, we had a fun mother/daughter afternoon of putting a number of them together. At first I was a bit apprehensive about making them - what if I screw them up?!? But really it's just like any other plant out there. I don't have a green thumb by any means, but it doesn't mean I can't try. The full DIY How To is posted over at Inhabitat, along with all my process shots. Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Read the Terrarium How To at Inhabitat

DIY: Cowl Knitting Pattern Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:57:00 +0000

The temperature has been dipping dangerously low lately and you know what that means - knitting season. Yup, as soon as the sun sets this time of year, I want to be on my couch cozied up and it's more fun if my hands are busy. This year's obsession is cowls. I want to make one or maybe a hundred, so I've rounded up my favorite cowl knitting patterns and will choose one (or two) from amongst them. Your input is welcome.

Asterisque Cowl by Phydeaux Designs - $5.50
Love the fact that this one can be worn a number of different ways - cross between a cowl and a scarflet.

Bridget Cowl by AtelierTPK - $6.50
It was named after me, how could I resist? And it looks lovely and drapey.

Chunky Mobius Cowl by PixieBell - $3.00
Looks super cozy and its the same pattern throughout. Can't be too hard, right?

Cobblestone Cowl by Topher&Co - $3.00
Digging on the bold graphic X's that are used to connect the sides together.

Convertible Cowl by The Crimson Owl - Free

Looks totally up my alley, chunky, comfy and dare I say easy?

Lacy Cowl by Lousie Knits - Free

The lacy look seems very feminine and pretty.

Holy Cowl by Purls of Wisdom - Free
This cowl is a little longer than the rest, plus she has a free wristlet pattern to match.

Burly Spun Grey Owl Cowl by Loop Knit Lounge - Free
This one is definitely burly and maybe a bit more advanced, but how cool is that!?!

Striped Cotton Cowl by Purl Bee - Free

Uber comfy and can be worn in one long strand or doubled up.

Wasabi Cowl by Knit The Hell Out - Free

Another wraparound cowl, but this one needs a big button. Super cute though.

DIY: Terrarium Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:02:00 +0000

Kiwi Terrarium by Botany Factory

I've been fawning over terrariums for the last year now. Apparently they're making a comeback, says the New York Times. I'm especially in love with succulents (mostly because they're the only thing I've successfully kept alive) and the beautiful arrangements that come out of them, whether in a living wall or tucked inside a glass jar. It's high time I made my own terrarium, but I am still looking for the right sized glass jar from a thrift shop, and I thought doing a roundup of DIY terrariums would get me inspired. Besides, I just killed another plant and I need a replacement.

Eggloo Terrarium by Botany Factory

Here's a list of Terrarium DIYs that should get you inspired and motivated:

Country Living How-To for a Plant Greenhouse made from old frames

Dwell How-To Slideshow for a Glass Jar Terrarium

Design*Sponge How-To Terrarium Video with Sprout

ReadyMade DIY Mini Lightbulb Terrarium

LadyFarrah Etsy DIY Moss Terrarium Kit

Craftzine DIY Mason Jar Terrarium

CasaSugar How To Hanging Succulent Terrarium

Threadbanger DIY Terrarium Video

If you're not up for making your own, check out Flora Grubb, Botany Factory and Sprout, who are all wonderful florists make spectacular terrariums and sell beautiful jars and supplies to make them yourself.

(originally published June 2010)

Man & Nature Collaborate On Stunning, Yet Transient Paintings

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:59:00 +0000

Often, I rally against the wind, raise my fist up and shake it in defiance. The wind wears me out, because I insist on fighting against it rather than embracing it or moving with it. But, I think I could learn a thing or two from the amazing Wind Paintings by Bob Verschueren. Back in the 1970's and 80s, Verschueren would lay down lines of natural pigments and let the wind have its way with them, scattering the color across the ground. A symbiotic relationship in which the man needs the wind and the wind needs the man. I wish the wind needed me.

Verschueren sought out barren landscapes in which he would draw linear motifs on the ground. He used natural pigments like charcoal, iron oxide, chalk, terra verte, flour, yellow ochre, terre de Cassel, burnt and natural umber as paint.

Then he would wait for the wind to perform its job, start blowing and spread the pigment across the earth. Lasting only a few hours before the wind scattered the pigment too far or smudged it off in a different direction, the paintings were time stamped and Verschueren would do his best to document them.

The Wind Paintings were the result of three factors - the direction and strength of the wind; the landscape and its relief; and finally the hand of the sower and the color of pigment. Verschueren must have understood that he only played a minor role in the creation of these transient works of art. He was there to bring the pigment, lay it on the ground and step back and watch. At that point the end result was all in the hands of the Wind.

[Bob Verschueren]
{via Design*Sponge}

Texture Inspiration: Aerial Photography of Stephan Zirwes

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:52:00 +0000

Four days ago we got 6 inches of snow. It's only October and there's no way I'm ready for winter, but I'm way into these snowy landscapes by Stephan Zirwes. The aerial photographer has shot a variety of landscapes - from fields, to industrial buildings, parking lots, seascapes, to ski resorts. It's white and black with textures created by sweet powder dreams. More pics after the jump.

[Stephan Zirwes]
via Public School

Inspiration of the Day: Fall Fog & Bright Yellow Aspens

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:23:00 +0000

There might be four inches of snow on my deck, but I'm gonna hold on tight to this image and hope it gets me through the winter. Thanks Matt for going out and taking pictures the other day or else I would have never seen this stirring image and gotten totally inspired.

Image ©Matt Meinhold

2011 Kimball Art Center Member's Pin Up Show

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:26:00 +0000

If you can find where I pinned up one of my paintings at the Kimball Art Center, I'll bake you some cookies. On display now through the end of the October for their annual member's pin up show is this little gem - Spring Through the Fog #2. While you're there, be sure to check out all the amazing talent from local artists. I wouldn't at all mind if I spend all of October baking cookies.

[Kimball Art Center]

Amazing Recycled Bottle Cap Self Portrait

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:08:00 +0000

As a great admirer of Chuck Close, I'm blown away by this amazing portrait done with recycled bottle caps. Read more about this self portrait by Mary Ellen Croteau in my article on Inhabitat.com.

How to Steal Like an Artist & Other Inspirations

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:44:00 +0000

I'm sorta in between projects. Long story short - I was kinda bored earlier this week. How, might you ask, could I be bored? Especially where I live, with all the fun things to do, my studio, etc. I don't handle not being busy well, so when the schedule frees up too much, I go a bit bonkers. And then I start scheming up my next project. My other problem, was small deficit of inspiration. I started to fix that issue yesterday with a plein air session on Old Ranch Road. Then this morning, I found this blog post - How to Steal Like an Artist. Very wise words.

Austin Kleon is an artist of many varied talents - drawer, writer, speaker. It's inspirational stuff, so much so that he has given Ted Talk, which in my opinion is the equivalent of "making it". (If you get on The Daily Show or you give a Ted Talk, in my mind, you're successful.) Anyways, the gist is that art is about doing good work, putting it out there, living the life you want and not stressing the rest of it. His 10 tips on how to be a good artist have given me the extra little push I needed to get started again. So thanks Austin.

Even before I read his blog post this morning though, I made an effort to get out of the rut. I had no idea what I wanted to paint, or what I "should" have been doing, so I decided to just go somewhere different and paint. Although it was threatening rain all day, I loaded up the Coop and my plein air bag and drove down to Old Ranch Road in Park City. There, I found a lovely little field that had just been cut and was waiting to be made into bales. The mountains in the background were blue with some exceptional shadows from the quickly moving clouds overhead. It also didn't hurt that there was a darling John Deere tractor down at the end begging to be included in the painting. Although the painting on the canvas doesn't quite match up to the one in my head, it was a good afternoon well spent. And today, I'll do some more of the same.

[Austin Kleon]

Inspiration of the Day: Amazing & Beautiful Bike Parkour Video

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:30:00 +0000

This has nothing to do with my art or writing, but I was blown away by this video. Not only are the feats of this trick biker, Danny Macaskill, amazing, but I think the video is stunning. Enjoy.

Guess What This Is A Picture Of

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Totally in love with the texture and color of these pictures by German photographer Julian Faulhaber. I was pleasantly surprised though, when I found out what they were actually of. Can you guess?

They're pictures of tulip fields!! Faulhaber took an amazing series of photographs for the New York Times earlier this year for a photographic essay on the Dutch tulip market. Stunning pictures. Fantastic texture. Gorgeous colors.

[Julian Faulhaber for the New York Times]
{via DudeCraft}

Shipping Pallet Coffee Table

noreply@blogger.com (Bridgette) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Last Friday I got it in my head that it was time for a new coffee table. As you might expect though, I had specific requirements - it needed to fit a specific space, have a bit of storage and allow me to sit next to it with my legs underneath. So I decided to make it myself. Much to the chagrin of my husband who didn't even know I could operate his power tools, I built a coffee table out of recycled shipping pallets. I have to say - I'm pretty proud of the results.

Since I've lived in the cabin, we've always used an antique steamer trunk covered in a tapestry as a coffee table. The trunk was the hubby's grandma's who used it when she traveled to one of the Olympics to compete in shot put. Needless to say, the trunk is sentimental and comes with a ton of history. But it doesn't really open anymore and in a 600 sq ft A-frame cabin, which is sorely lacking in storage space, it was taking up precious room.

I headed to our local recycling center, Recycle Utah, and picked up 5 shipping pallets for $5 - 4 small guys and 1 medium one. It probably would have been more resource efficient had I gotten the larger ones, but they were heavy and I didn't feel like slinging them around. Besides, I really dug the color of the small ones, which had some good weathering.

Deconstruction of shipping pallets is not as nearly easy as you might think it is. These things are almost bomb-proof and it took me a good 2 hours to get them taken apart. I used a hammer, crow bars, cats paw, nail pullers and a circular saw to get the pallets down to the sizes I needed them. I'm sure there is an easier way to dismantle them, but I'm not exactly sure what that is. If you have any tips - let me know!

After cutting all the pieces to the exact size I wanted, I set to work on putting it together. I wanted my table 40" long, but didn't have any boards that long, so I decided on a design that would use interlocking slats and would also create partition in my shelf below - perfectly sized for magazines, the remote controls and my computer when not in use. Then I grabbed the trusty nail gun and starting putting things in place. I used 2 1/2 in finish nails, but probably could have used longer ones, had I known we had them. But when you put in as many nails as I did, it really doesn't matter.

I'm no woodworker and my husband is far more talented and skilled than I am, but he seemed stoked on it when he got home from work. Personally, I think he was just happy that I decided to build it so he didn't have to himself.