Twig and Leaf

Here's a quick glimpse at what I'm working on next! :)

Etsy Lush...Again!

I just went to Etsy Lush and saw my red bike on the first page of their "Best Of Etsy" :: yay! A sweet ending to a long and tiring day!

Ink Swirl

I stumbled upon this a few weeks ago and have watched the short video several times since. Watching the ink mix and swirl with the water is completely mesmerizing...
Hope you enjoy and are having a pleasant week!

Words to Pause By

pic taken by yours truly

Oh Happy Day

Ruth over at hello7arts wrote a super nice post after receiving my Vino print in the mail yesterday. What a nice surprise! Thanks again Ruth, I hope you're enjoying the print!

Inspirational Artists :: The Invisible Man

Chinese artist Liu Bolin takes photos of himself painted so that he blends into his surroundings :: talk about unique camouflage! It can take him up to ten hours for him to complete a single shot! No trick photography, no photoshop...he just paints himself!

images by CATERS NEWS and Liu Bolin

Etsy Lush

My Vino print was featured on Etsy Lush! I went to their website this afternoon to just poke around...and there was my print...staring back at me! Anyway, thought I would share the exciting news. :)

Great Minnesota Get-Together

Today is the first day of the "great Minnesota get-together" :: the Minnesota State Fair, Yay! One of the things I love about the fair is all the creative and crazy foods it promises to dish out :: some newbies this year that I'd love to try...

Chocolate Covered Jalapeno Peppers

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Breakfast Lollypop - a sausage patty on a stick with a side of maple syrup (yum!)

Anyway, this year's fair looks like it'll be a good one. Good food, excellent people watching... :) 

artwork by Steve Thomas

Fresh Ink :: Roman Holiday

I'm really happy with how the vespa print turned out! I printed it on a 8 x 10" piece of Rives paper in a nice and bright kelly green ink :: photographing it proved to be a bit of a challenge, but the pic below is darn close to how the colors look when viewed in person...however, the green is still a bit brighter and the paper a bit whiter...ah well, I'll settle for close enough. :) 

:: Don't forget to check out my Etsy shop for more prints ::

Drumroll Please...

Congratulations! Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to enter. It was so nice reading everyone's comments, thanks for all your kind words! I hope some of you new followers stick around because I'll definitely be doing other giveaways in the future!

Last Day to Enter Giveaway!

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway. Winner will get to choose one of the three prints shown below. Follow this link for instructions on how to enter! :) 

Inspirational Artists :: Ink Swirl

In his series Disastro Ecologico, Italian artist Alberto Sevaso captures these stunning images by taking high-speed photographs of ink mixing with water. I love how it looks like chiffon in water :: so ethereal and dreamy! 
You can download the full series as desktop wallpaper for free here.

pics by Alberto Seveso

**Also, just a friendly reminder :: I'm having a giveaway of 

one of my linocut prints :: click here to learn how to enter!**

1000 Smiles Per Gallon

For my next print, I'm carving a little Vespa! Tim and I lived in Italy a couple years ago, and I can still hear the sound of these little scooters zooming over the cobble stone streets below our apartment! :) 

Vespa always has cool marketing slogans...my two favorites are: 

"We have one word for gas prices. Ciao." 

&

"Just what we need around here. More beautiful Italian models."

I hope you're having an enjoyable week, it's almost the weekend! Yay!

**Plus, if you haven't entered my giveaway yet, 

you still have time...ends Monday!**

First Etsy Sale!

In other news, I am happy to announce that I had my first sale on my newly opened Etsy shop, YAY! :) I hope the new owners of my little Vino print will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it!

mnartists.org

The sand dollar print I did last week was on the mnartists homepage this morning. Yay! Hope you're having a good week! 

**Don't forget to enter my giveaway, I wouldn't want you to miss out!**

Lovely

I really enjoy French music albeit the fact that I know very little of the French language. The video is shot in Venice and has some really beautiful imagery of the watery city...makes me long to go back! 

:: :: ::

Did you miss yesterday's exciting post? 

I'm having my first giveaway in conjunction with opening my Etsy shop! 

Would be a great gift for a friend....or better yet, treat yourself! :)

Open for Business and a Giveaway!

Spinning Wheels, Turning Heads

Red Red Wine

At Woods Edge

I'm celebrating the opening of my Etsy shop 
by offering a giveaway of one of my prints! 

The winner will have the option of choosing one of the three prints pictured above. To enter my giveaway, you may do one or both of the following options listed below. By doing both, you'll double your odds of winning! :)

1. Become a follower of this blog by clicking 'Join this Site', (if you're not doing so already) and leave a comment on this post about which of the three prints you would prefer and why. Please make sure that your name links back to an email address so I can contact you if you're name is chosen. If you're already a follower and would like to participate, simply leave a comment at the end of this post.

2. Become a follower of @WoodenSpoonEdns on Twitter and retweet my post about the giveaway. If you're a winner, I'll DM you for your contact details.

:: This giveaway will last one week ::

The winner's name will be randomly chosen using the random number generator and posted on my blog next Tuesday, August 23.

The above prints measure 5 x 7" and will fit in any standard 5 x 7" frame or mat.


All packaging and shipping will be paid for by me!

Good luck to all!

**If you would like to enter the giveaway and are having trouble 

becoming a follower of this blog and/or leaving a comment, 

you can click into my profile at the top and email me!** 

Fresh Ink :: Down By The Seashore

This little print was made with one of my dear friend's in mind :: she's having her first baby in just a couple months and is decorating the nursery with a beach theme. I had a crazy hard time getting the ink color right for this print. However, after printing it eight times - I finally got the gray I was envisioning. That said, I'm really happy with how it turned out in the end! 

Happy Friday to you all, I hope you have a good weekend planned!

:: Don't forget to check out my Etsy shop for more prints ::

Suzie Sells Seashells...

I finished carving my next print late last night of a few sand dollars. Make sure to check back later to see the finished result! Hope you're having a good week!

Coffee Art

3,604 cups of coffee and 564 pints of milk, were used to recreate the world's most iconic painting in history :: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The varying tones were created by adding different amounts of milk to each cup of black coffee. Measuring an impressive 20 feet high and 13 feet wide, it was created for Sydney, Australia's, The Rocks Aroma Festival, a one-day coffee-lovers event. Love this! 

pic via The Design Crowd

mnartists.org

My paddle print was on the homepage of mnartists the other day! Oh for fun! :)

Our Art, Art Hour

A little something funny to start your week off right :)

THE Weekend of Minneapolis Art Fairs!

This weekend, Minneapolis will be showcasing works of over 650 regional, national, and international artists. If you have a few hours to spare this weekend and are in the Twin Cities, I highly recommend checking out at least one of the three art fairs mentioned below. It's what everyone will be talking about...and you don't want to feel left out, do you?  :) 

The 48th annual nationally acclaimed and award winning Uptown Art Fair, and the largest of the three art fairs this weekend, is my personal favorite. You'll see everything here :: printmaking, fiber, ceramics, jewelry, painting, glass, photography, furniture...the list goes on. Make sure to stop by and stroll the many artist booths, enjoy live music, tasty food, wine tasting, & art activities for families.

Friday :: 12pm - 8 pm

Saturday :: 10 am - 8 pm

Sunday :: 10 am - 6 pm

The 20th annual Powderhorn Art Fair is a family friendly, multi-cultural event set in a 66-acre city park. This years fair offers artists of varied disciplines, children's activities, & live music! 

Saturday :: 10am - 6pm

Sunday :: 10am - 5pm

The Loring Park Art Festival has a variety of regional and national artists in a variety of media including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking, etc. There will also be good food and beverages!

Saturday :: 10am - 6pm

Sunday :: 10am - 6pm

:: :: ::

Lastly, don't stress about parking...download a free Metro Transit ArtPass 

for a FREE ride between the three art fairs! BONUS!

Click here and then print

Fresh Ink :: Paddle Oar Row

I'm really happy with how these prints turned out, although...I don't think I'm quite finished with them. I'm interested in experimenting with some other mediums to introduce another color or two into these prints. Has anyone tried using watercolors on Rives paper? If so, what were the results like? Hope you're having a good week :: almost FRIDAY!!!

:: Don't forget to check out my Etsy shop for more prints ::

Travel by Paddle

My next print will be of a few canoe paddles. I hope to be finished carving by early this afternoon and possibly printing before dinner...we'll just have to wait and see! Check back soon to see the final result! :) 

Swedish Stairs

Love this! Thought I would share :)

:: also ::

I've started work on my next print and will post progress soon!

From the Land of Sky Blue Waters

Our annual trip to Minnesota's Northwoods was everything we hoped it to be :: peaceful, restful, & restorative. I've vacationed at this lake with my family ever since I was a baby.....and it's also where Tim proposed! :) That said, it holds a pretty special place in my heart. Coming home is always hard, but then we remember we'll be returning again next year! 

:: Some Highlights ::

Our little cabin ♥

LOTS of time spent reading and relaxing

3rd annual Blind Root Beer Tasting

:: This year's selection included :: 

Iron Horse, Mason's, Route 66, Triple XXX, Buckin' Rootbeer, & Dog n Suds

Picking wild blueberries =

a YUMMY blueberry pie!!!

Boating, exploring, hiking, swimming, napping...

The evenings would bring splashes followed by shrieks...

Rock jumping at our favorite spot

LOVE being on the water

Roasting marshmallows to make the perfect...

S'more  :)

A thunderstorm rumbling and echoing across the lake

&

Beautiful sunsets

all pics were taken by me using Instagram