Found It Friday - Water

I cannot believe that it is Friday already! I must confess, I had to do some scrambling to get my Found It Friday post ready, as puppeteering and painting have taken up most of my week.

For those new to Found It Friday, I'd love for you to come in and join in on the fun! Read here on how to get involved and please link up up your Found It Friday post below. (And really, please please please link up! I would like to really get this meme going!)

Our theme for inspiration this week is water, so here goes:

1. Since it's summertime, I thought I would include something showing water in its solid form. You can get ice cube trays in just about any shape. I think this Tetris ice cube tray is genius and would be a perfect party conversation starter! (ice cube tray by ThinkGeek)

2. Even something as simple as water can inspire fantastic works of art. I was captivated by this pixelated street art piece and had to share it! (artwork from WebEcoist)

3. Apparently you can also make art with nothing but water and a smooth surface. Somebody with much more talent and a much steadier hand made these ultra-cute water pictures. (simple water art by dunn of my interesting files)

4. Nutrition experts say we should drink at least eight glasses of water a day. But let's face it - water is boring and not nearly as fun to drink as soda or iced tea! Flavored water can help, but it can get expensive too. I found an interesting article on how to make your own flavored water, even using chocolate syrup, jell-o mix, or coffee flavor syrups. (full article by Kristie Leong at Lifestyle)

5. Just had to include one of my favorite activities with the kiddos. Give them some old paint brushes, a few buckets of water, and let them "paint" away outside. My kiddos have painted sidewalks, driveways, railings, tires, and more with this extremely inexpensive activity. It dries, and then they start all over! I couldn't find a pic of my kiddos painting with water, so I (ahem!) borrowed this one from QuatroMama to illustrate my point. (check out her blog, folks, it's inspiring and a great read!)

So link up folks with your water-themed posts!

and next week's theme will be: stars.

Thanks for participating!

Found It Friday - Surf and Sand

Ever get just a little bit excited about a great item you find at a thrift store or garage sale? Get giddy over a fabulous one-of-a-kind necklace or purse you find on the internet? Get inspired by a well-written tutorial on making paper cranes or cute stitched felt magnets? This is the place to share our finds and get inspired! Read all about Found It! Friday here and please link up with your post. This week, we are inspired by sand and surf.

1. Wear the blue of the ocean with this stunning sundress. I love the oversized hibiscus flower appliques on the brilliant blue background. (ocean breeze sundress by ishkabibbles designs)

2. Instead of bringing home a baggie of shells and beach rocks, jazz up your beach finds by bringing some Plaster of Paris to the shores and make a souvenir to keep for always. (sandy hand mosaic by Family Fun)

3. Spending a day in the surf and sand makes me hungry! What better treat than something right from the sea - my favorite is shrimp. I am eager to try this recipe for coconut fried shrimp with orange marmalade/honey sauce. (coconut fried shrimp recipe by Taste of Home)

4. Aren't these hand-painted surfboards gorgeous? They are proof that just about anything can be made into art. (surfboard art by Mike Losness)

5. And who can resist a "sandy" cake lavishly covered in creamy frosting, graham cracker crumbs, candy sea shells, and gummy fish? I made this fun cake for the Spud for his first birthday last summer. (instructions)

C'mon, y'all! Link up your beachy posts below and share the inspiration:

And the inspiration for next week's Found It Friday is: detective TV shows (a la Psych, Monk, Columbo, The Pink Panther, CSI, etc.) I can't wait to see what your creative brains cook up for this one!

Hey all you peeps from Follow Me Chickadee! Welcome!

Found It Friday - First Edition

I told you all I had a meme in the works, and here it is! Let me introduce you to:

I am always inspired by the things around me. Sometimes those things inspire my artwork and shop merchandise, and other times they inspire my own home decor or sewing project. I want to share my inspiration with you on my "Found It! Fridays."

Here's how it works: I will give you the source of inspiration before each Friday. It may be a specific item, a photograph, a certain color, a celebrity, etc. Then you come up with 5 things that are inspired by the source. For example, the source of inspiration might be 'magenta." You may come up with a lovely photograph of the petunias growing in your hanging planter, a fantastic dress on sale at The Gap, your current favorite lipstick, and so on.

Each Friday you will be able to come here and link up with your Found It! Friday post.

Since today is the first edition of Found It! Friday, I'll just play all by my lonesome.

The source of inspiration today? This custom set of wall letters that I recently did for a customer:

As I painted all those colorful stripes and polka dots, I was reminded of the vibrant colors of the circus. Wouldn't it be fabulous to do a kids' room in a bright, fun circus theme?

1. These bright polka-dotted branches do look fantastic in a vase, as pictured, but I imagine them fastened all around the mirror of a vanity. (branches from janejoss)

2. I love prints and have several from different artists in my home. This whimsical circus ringmaster would be adorable on the walls of a kids' bedroom or playroom. (print from inventorysupply)

3. Brighten up the room with these bold circus wall graphics! You get to pick the color, but I personally love the glorious red. (wall graphics from ellynelly)

4. I just adore the simple pinwheels and cute elephant on this quilt. It can be hung on the wall, but I would rather see my kiddos snuggled under it reading a book. (quilt from bumblebeequilting)

5. The big finale for the room would definitely be this circus elephant chandelier! The details are amazing, from the tiny painted clowns to the party hats on the elephants. (chandelier from whimsicalcollections)

Hmmm. . . suddenly I'm craving some cotton candy and circus peanuts!

Next week's source of inspiration is: Summer Picnics

Hope to have some of you play along then!

I Need Your Help!

Hey readers!

One of the items in my Etsy shop has been chosen as a finalist in the 3D artisan contest at Blockhead Radio. My Felt Birthday Cake Picture Centerpiece is waiting for your votes! Please go and vote here at Blockhead Radio for my felt cake - if I win, I get a free audio commercial and banner ad on the site. And I can use all the advertising I can get!

I recently purchased a Nikon D60 SLR camera to take better pics of my artwork, and while I feel it was a necessary business purchase, I need to sell more of my artwork to pay off that camera. I love my new toy, so please help me out! Vote vote vote and spread the word - thanks!