Gluebooks

Don't Stitch Where you Eat has a post about gluebooks.

Gluebooks are a cross between art journals and collage. Collect the paper fallout from your daily life, and turn it into art!

Gluebooks seem to be what scrapbooks used to be, before the commercialism. Funny how things that really do last can overcome the hype and get back to what they really were, the basic essentials.

I kept a gluebook (formerly known as a scrapbook) when I was a kid. Just things I clipped out of the newspaper or magazines. One was all pictures that caught my eye for whatever reason. The other were all clippings about paranormal things. I don't still have any of those old books.

Worldwide Women Artists

http://www.worldwidewomenartists.com/

A History In Rust: August 29- September 22

Meet the artist, September 6th in Creemore, 2 - 5:00 PM. Visit Pistol Dave's photos on Flickr

Abandoned Art

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” - Leonardo da Vinci

I really like this quote. Both the art aspect and as related to photographing the abandoned houses. They do have a feeling of being unfinished, or in the stages of un-evolving, becoming a different kind of art than architecture.

The Art Personality Test from the BBC.

Your favourite type of art is Northern Renaissance. In the personality profile you had a high intellectualism score, which suggests you like to think about abstract ideas and have a creative imagination.

I found this through the Subtle Oasis blog. Try the test on the BBC website.

Scrapeteria

Scrapiteria is made up of collagists who work in the traditional cut and paste method. Each week, one of the members posts a new theme which we all intrepret in our own way.

Urban Life in Miniature

Life in Miniature has a post about an urban artist who sets up small toys and makes it appear as if they are living in the full sized real world. I have seen the artist's site before but had forgotten the link. It really is fun to look at the photos.

Anyway, the challenge is to diy (do it yourself). Can you find some little dolls, toy soldiers, or some tiny human or animal figurine and pose them in the much bigger world around them?

Outside the Envelope Bloggers

Gave it a space of its own on Outside the Envelope. Will see how it goes.

I thought about doing this as an award but... that makes it seem everyone who gets it should actually be professional, polished and really good at it. I don't want to exclude people like myself who don't have any real skill just blundering along and having fun trying. So anyone who tries is welcome as well as those who really are good at creating, coding, drawing and illustrating and make people like me jealous or at least very wishful.

So, this is here for anyone who wants to join up a group of creative bloggers. Every Monday (not for any good reason) create a blog entry which uses some other art form, not the standard typed post. Think along the lines of mail art, anything you can stuff into or onto an envelope. But, in this case it has to fit into a blog post.

I think it's a step in the direction of re-making blogs as they once were. Long ago in the dinosaur age when blogs were about fun, creativity and trying it out in order to learn HTML and testing your own power as someone who can bring their own ideas and adventures to the Internet through web publishing.

Just let me know so we can build a list, visit back and forth and roll it up into a blogroll when it's more than just me talking to myself.

Flickr: Handwritten Blogs

Flickr: Handwritten Blogs

There is a new thing to try. Maybe on Sunday. Too tired tonight. Might be meeting someone before I go into work. Have to get to the bank so I can pay my taxi fare to get home from work for the rest f the work week. It costs an extra dollar to use the debit machine in the cab and the fare each night is expensive enough.

I had another review tonight. One down and one still outstanding with the quality patrol thing. It is starting to get me down, well no, it did that already. Last week I was really annoyed and down and job weary. I think I am better today. Maybe I can just let go and be fake as they seem to want (in spite of what they say).

I hate being fake and lying though. Yet every job I have it ends up being the same story. People want you to lie to them.

Going to bed. Night night.

Thursday Thirteen #10: Beat the Creative Blahs

Writer's block isn't phony. You can get in the way of your own creativeness. Whether you are a writer, photographer, illustrator, fashion designer or some other creative and art type everyone can get to a point where they feel out of ideas or lacking in a way to bring the ideas in their head out into the world.

1. Give yourself a break, know you are a little burned out right now and stop forcing yourself to come up with something brilliant and original. Get some physical, real distance from the burned out area.

2. Pick something else to do, creatively. Set the table for dinner, take the time to be fancy, glamorous or kitschy. Google a few favourite foods and see what interesting recipes come up, try one of them.

3. Do something practical, think of an errand or household task you have been putting off cause you were just too busy. Finally sew on that button. Take that stack of books to the second hand bookstore.

4. Pamper yourself. Try a new hair colour or style. Spend time in the tub with a good book. Sleep in with the radio on low and don't rush starting your day.

5. Retail therapy. What's your store of choice? I like the bookstore, coffee shop and the thrift store. Or window shopping and online catalogues for those who don't want to be tempted into spending.

6. Enjoy your day. Do something you really want to do, only you know what that is. I'd go on a road trip and take more photos of abandoned farm houses.

7. Exercise. Go for a walk. Try yoga, pilates or something else new, different or more extreme.

8. Stop being so perfect. Let a few mistakes happen. The world won't spin out of orbit if you burn the toast. But you might feel less pressured to perform up to some unrealistic standards you set for yourself.

9. Unclutter. We have so much stuff and only so many drawers, closets and floor space. Tidy up, throw it out or give it away. Once you can see the surface of your desk/ work space again you might find what you were looking for.

10. Be an angel for the day. Kids love getting something in the mail just for them and Grandparents love to feel they are still included in your life. Make a batch of cookies or muffins for a single parent you know.

12. Laugh along with life. Watch a movie that made you laugh before. Call a friend who can look at things with fresh perspective and laugh about what seemed so important before.

13. Spend time with people. Take the kids to a movie. Meet a friend for coffee. Join a new group involved in some kind of hobby or interest you haven't had much time for lately.

Rustic Bentwood Chair

It's a mini chair but I liked the idea of using old fence slats as part of the chair back. Those rustic chairs are great anyway, this was just that touch of something old and recycled.

Garden Angel

Hard to see it but she is holding a sundial above her head. Looked really good in the store but way more than I could spend on something non-essential. I did take her picture though.

Toronto Sites I Found Today

Reading Toronto - Looking at the city through the eyes of the many designers, architects, writers, and artists in the city.

Imagining Toronto - A local exploration of culture and place, a lived geography of the city and region.

Imagining Toronto, the blog. -
Amy Lavender Harris- A geographer and environmental phenomenologist. Occasional rabble rouser. Known to be fiercely independent, curious, principled, persistent.

Jennifer Burns: Local Ruins - Abandoned and reclaimed buildings in Toronto.

Toronto Psychogeography Society - A loose collection of relentless flâneurs, explorers and walkers. Participants step out of their daily routine and explore the city's overlooked corners to imagine the dynamics of a better future urban environment.

Murmur Toronto - An archival audio project that collects and curates stories set in specific Toronto locations, told by Torontonians themselves.

Canadian New Media Awards - To recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and companies in the Canadian new media industry.

I Like Postcards

I'm writing a post for Lockergnome about postcards. It has evolved to include mail art and letter writing. I found a two good sites for mail art: The Postman Always Rings Twice and Kiyotei's Den.

I found a Journals and Letters group on Flickr that I joined. Another called Letters Lives that I added to the Lockergnome article.

Pink Raygun

Pink Raygun is a webzine for the modern fangirl. It’s a smart and savvy place to discuss and read about science fiction, fantasy and horror in all of their forms, be it television, movies, books or comics.

Every day at Pink Raygun, you’ll find interviews with the women (and some men) who make genre film and television awesome: writers, costume designers, hair and make-up artists, and special effects crew. We’ll also talk to women (and some men) who are working in manga, comics and fiction.

Other features of Pink Raygun include genre news, a message board forum, opinion pieces addressing issues within scifi, fantasy and horror and an extensive section dedicated to reviews of print and visual media, events, websites and music.

The artist of the ray grrl above is Travis Hanson of Beanleafpress.com. The Pink Raygun graphic was sent in email by the site owner to add a linkback graphic for their site. Pretty nice, eh?

Blogger tip: Find more colours and their codes on the web. Type them in as three number, just as Blogger does. This way you can use colours not available on Blogger, so far. I needed the right neon pink to link to Pink Raygun, Blogger only had a faded pink I couldn't read.

Thursday is The Day

Creative Thursday

Penny Postcards - Old photos of the US. Some nice historic ones. I liked Nebraska which has an old courthouse being moved on a locomotive train.

So what is the point of any of this?

I'm finally moving on Thursday. It may be awhile before I have an Internet connection again. I should be up and running by November at the least. But, I know how plans fall through the cracks, having much experience with that these past months.

Cartoon Grrls

Friends of Lulu - national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry.

Do You Know a Knitter?

I'm not a knitter. But I think this is adorable. I'd want one if I were a knitting type. I do have a charm bracelet. There aren't any knitting things on it, that I can remember. I like to crochet. At least I can make a pretty good granny square. Found at 4Knitters.com

Virtual Drawing

Virtual Drawing:

"VirtualDrawing.com! Use the drawing device to express your creativity and show off your artistic talents... After you're done, we automatically send an email to your friend, informing him/ her about the Virtual Drawing(tm)! This person in turn comes to this page, clicks the 'pick up' tab, and views your drawing and the additional message if you wrote one. Simple enough, huh? Well, it's time you try it out! This is something different from the boring pre-made web card for once."

Nice idea on the virtual greeting cards theme.

75 mg

75 mg: art from the asylums

Paintings of old, abandoned buildings. I really like these. Captures some of the feelings I get when I see and sometimes explore an old place.