Posts Tagged ‘365 Project’

A pretty unproductive week this week in terms of blogging, what with fighting a mild case of the flu. I’m even behind seeing what’s going on the net. But I did find some cool ones…..

50 Places You Can’t Reach Without Climbing – and wow, are these ever gorgeous!!

Again, some helpful hints from 365 Project: 5 Classic Composition Tips To Improve Your Photography.

From Dumb Little Man comes 5 Ways to Overcome Mental Blocks.…timely for me this week! Some good stuff here!

Very disturbing, but necessary to watch – the perils – and death – in plastic……

A collection of video on the meteorite from Russia:

You may have already seen this video of an iceberg calving – this is the LARGEST ever. Nature is absolutely amazing!!

Guess the Spot – how well do you know landmarks? A fun quiz.

Love this commercial for the Lottery, and I am such a dog lover!

Love this next – you have to be very good to make yourself look very bad! An ode to gymnastics……

And finally – this has been making the rounds for a while, but the message is a good one.

Sometimes it takes two weeks to collect everything, but I always find some gems – I LOVE the internet!

From the 365 Project comes another gorgeous set of photos…some of them very subtle and delicate.

Untitled, by Anna

One of the amazing people I adore – Sidney Poitier, from Letters of Note:

From Raymond Houston comes a free download for a circular Celtic knot. This would make a great Christmas wreath, and I LOVE the fact that he analyzed a blog post that was very popular to see what people were looking at. I gotta try this in marbled fabric next year!

Since most of us are dealing with cold weather right now (in the desert it was 18 F today – REALLY cold for us!), here’s an interesting video of boiling water freezing almost instantly…..and the accompanying science article to explain it.

A teacher friend of mine is looking for some online lessons to help teach punctuation……and here’s my absolutely favorite one. Some of you will remember this – the immortal Victor Borge….

Another cool artist and how he does it – disappearing into the background……The link will take you to Liu Bolin – can’t seem to embed this one…..then go to this new link to see some additional photos of his work. (Look for his shoes at the bottom….)

 Very clever idea on creating a photo booth – would be great for kids’ parties! From Alisa Burke, who does very cool things!

Readers of these posts know I love the 365 Project. They have a post up on motivating and organizing yourself to participate in the project. Some great ideas for photographers.

I LOVE flash mobs – even if they are commercials – I nearly always get teary eyed. Here’s one from T-Mobile….

And finally, Star Trek fans – did you know Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a fan? Think of how the series would have changed if he had not talked Uhuru into staying…….

Have a great week! Send me cool stuff you find online!

It has been a bit, what with the holidays and all, but I am slowly getting back to being regular with the blogging. Mostly I’ve found some really cool videos that I hope I can get up here. Enjoy, and send me what you find on line.

First up is eye candy from the 365 Project. I’ve actually been to this spot – during the day, but it is gorgeous at sunset.

Old Point Loma Lighthouse by Jerry Plume

Also from 365 Project are their theme winning photographs for the year. The math person in me loves this geometry winner.

From Cool Hunting comes a look at a paper artist, Irving Harper. I love the texture that he is able to create.

Here is a pretty amazing video of driving in Norway along the Atlantic Coast. How would you like the job of building this road?? The road is built on several small islands and reefs, and is crossed by eight bridges, several roads and overpasses. This road is a view of the open sea, which is rare on the roads along the Norwegian coast. You can see fjords and mountains near the road. The spectacular road quickly became a tourist attraction, insofar precautions should be displayed while driving, because of the attendance of the road by the local population and visitors.

This is reminiscent of the art of Andy Goldsworthy, but even more fleeting. This is the balancing art of Michael Grab, from NPR.

 Ice palaces in Harbin, China – really gorgeous…..and oh, so cold!

I LOVE Chris Jordan, and he has some new work available on his website. He uses common objects to depict waste of one type or another to tell a story. He is amazing. Be sure to zoom in on each picture.

School Dropouts…..done in blocks

New video from recreational mathematician Vi Hart – whom I absolutely love – use her videos in college algebra a lot! Here’s a look at fractals….

Speaking of math, I thought this was pretty cool: (If you know the source, please let me know….)

And finally, one of my favorite math videos on how easy it is to misunderstand some of the basics of mathematics……

Have a great week!

A long, hard week, but we can always count on the internet to provide something interesting. Enjoy!

A really cool look at some Photoshop work from The Best Article Every Day:

Things maybe you never knew about cleaning and organizing….and might want to – some very clever ideas here!

From the 365 Project, once again some amazing photos:

NYC Has Big Balls by Michael Elliot

This is a dance performed at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. The dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, is making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. All 21 of the dancers are complete deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring. Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. But it had long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries.  Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival.

From the TED Blog – 100 Websites you should know and use…..when you want to surf……

A great dance video – will make you feel good all over!

From Buzzfeed, 26 images from the year that will make you believe in humanity again:

Some color for your enjoyment….this is one continuous picture, so click and be sure to scroll…..from The Best Article Every Day.

A lace comeback? Really interesting look at a possible resurgence of interest in lace from Surface Design Association.

And for us fiber junkies….3-D fabric with laser printers.…..

Have a great week surfing – let me know what you find!

I cannot get over just how quickly this year is flying by. It’s nearly the end of November.I enjoy doing these posts because all the great stuff I find is now in one place where I can easily get at it! Here’s this week:

Some hints for pattern writing – something I’m very interested in, as I finish us two new ones.

From The Best Article Every Day comes an interesting look at past and present: World War II photographs superimposed on the present. Quite intriguing.

Also from The Best Article comes their Thanksgiving offering on “humanity.” Wonderful pictures.

Now here’s a mom with a great idea for a gift….not that I believe in zombies. From The Best Article Every Day, which you must read to see the whole transformation process of basic sweets……

From Dumb Little Man – advice about protecting yourself while working from home – not quite what you think!

From Design Seeds, another great color combination – this one is so restful. And I would love a quilt out of this.

I love Morgan Freeman. The Shawshank redemption is my absolute favorite movie. Here he is in a new add for marriage equality – very eloquent.

From the 365 Project, yet another set of gorgeous pictures.

Balluminaria 2012 by Cathy Donohoue

Wonderful little piece of history from the civil rights movement from Letters of Note. Short, succinct, and in your face…..

And…finally, in honor of holiday food season, one of my favorite videos by Vi Hart, recreational mathematician. How CAN you optimize your potatoes and gravy?

Have a great week! Let me know what you find online that’s really cool.

Another week and we’re half-way through November….goodness, where does the time go? Here’s some goodies from the week.

For all of us creatives, here’s an interesting little video from Behance about what we do:

In light of Veteran’s Day is this beautiful, heart-wrenching letter about loss.

Ode to our neighbor to the north, Canada – some spectacular scenery in Travel Alberta.

And who doesn’t love magic? This is an interesting twist on the typical duo in an act.

And another video – this one about kites….which I could NEVER get off the ground! “One kite is controlled by his right leg, the other two by his hands.  Ray Bethell, a resident of Vancouver, BC is one of the most famous kite flyers in the world. He controls three kites in a ballet set to “The Flower Duet.” When you see two tails together, he’s flying two of the kites next to each other. At about 3:00, all three are together. Notice at the end where he lays two of the kites down, one on top of the other and the third —-well, you just have to wait to see what he does with that one.”

Here’s a book I need to get, since all things about the brain fascinate me. Found this on the TED blog: Brain Power. Looks absolutely fascinating.

A great fiber art find – love her stamps! “GinaVisione works and plays in San Francisco, CA., a re-transplanted native.  Her primary work is focused on maximizing the available rehabilitation service and independence options to all persons with visual impairments and blindness, however, this often spills over into her artwork.  She is a printmaker with linoleum carvings and monotype image techniques, but she is also very active in the MailArt (including arti-stamps!) and letter writing networks around the world (SF Correspondence Co-op, Letter Writers Alliance, PostCrossing, to name a few).  Gina really enjoys the amazing levels of creativity that artists share in her mailbox daily! Check her out on Flickr:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ginavisione/“

Once again from the 365 Project, some really gorgeous photography.

Foggy Start by Alison Tomlin

From Cool Hunting comes the work and an interview with a very interesting artist, Jen Stark – lots of color here!!

Jen Stark

And finally, from JPG Magazine, the simple fork……

Bouquet of forks by Marco Verheul

Have a great week! Let me know what you find on line that’s cool!

Another week, and this time not as much time spent on line, as I really felt the urge to get back to sewing. Lots going on, and I have at least three projects to start. But I did find some interesting things.

First up from Cindy Needham, pictures of a quilt show she attended in Australia. Really amazing eye candy!

From Letters of Note, a wonderful letter about reading from the amazing Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird – one of the best books EVER. Toward the end of the letter, you find out how the title fits.

From Cool Hunting comes some interesting laser-cut wood vases.

from the 365 Project comes more great eye candy.

Deep Blue by Aaron

So today the Facebook account was evidently hacked, and as I was going through Google Reader, I found a post by wonderful Tara Reed about protecting your account.

Here’s the headline to Emily Hauser’s blog post: “The best video on human sexuality ever – my 13-year-old son. You can’t resist a headline like that….and it’s a great video.

Best quote from the video: But what’s really important is that we trust ourselves and we understand ourselves, and we love and respect ourselves, and we grant that same understanding and respect to the people around us.

From TEDx – we are used to TED talks, but this link takes you to 14 different TED presentations, all with movement. And here’s Anudori – a contortionist since age 6.

If you like TED talks, here’s a link to the 20 Most Watched TED Talks So Far.

And with the last entry you are bound to find at least three most talks to inspire you! Have a great week!!

I keep getting behind in my surfing!

The 365 Project always has great photography, and here’s another great set of examples.

Seven by Arielle

And some more photography – this time taking pictures with smoke. The Art of Smoke Photography. Kinda cool – would like to try this.

Here’s a cool app for photography called DScan from Cool Hunting – let’s you shift reality – methinks I need to get this for my iPad…….

From The Best Article Every Day comes this wonderful graphic that puts another slant on a recent political controversy:

Here are some really cool ideas for around the house, again from The Best Article Every Day.

This next is just a feel-good video….

And…for those of you wishing we were still following Neil Armstrong to the moon, here’s a great look at what it takes to get to Mars….amazing what we can do……

I very much admire Leah Day and everything she has done for the quilting community when it comes to free motion quilting. Her Sunday posts are un finishing UFOs – unfinished quilts and the like, and her photos of two pieces she completed are just spectacular, and they are motivating! Every time I look at something she has quilted, I am inspired. I too am finishing up projects – three in fact that just haven’t made it on line, and it is certainly freeing. Take a look at her amazing work. You need to go to the link and see this stitching up close and personal.

This next is a letter from a mother to her 16-year-old daughter on the day before her execution in Prague in 1950. It is incredibly moving, especially given the political circumstances. Letters of Note always has something of interest, and this is heart-wrenching.

 And finally, are you stuck creatively and can’t seem to get moving? Lyric Kinard has a great series on her blog called Baby Steps, little things to do that can just get you started moving ahead. Try one or two and see what it does for you.

Have a great week – let me know what you find online that’s cool, unique, weird, different……….

Slowly getting caught up on blogs, as well as working on a class at Quilt University. If you are interested in online learning in quilting and other fiber art techniques, check out QU. This is my 5th class with them, and I have been very pleased with every single class. I mostly focus on the design classes, and right now I’m doing a class on design with Elizabeth Barton, whose work I really like. Pretty great stats, wouldn’t you say?

I discovered a new photography blog, Sun Gazing. Great list of resources. Actually this is more a New Age site, and a lot of Buddha images, but the photography is amazing.

Look at this amazing photo!

Once again from the 365 Project, some glorious photography.

Oh My God, It’s Full of Stars by Alexis Birkell

I’ve just discovered Alison Schwabe’s blog, and this post on making samples was very good. One other blog has talked about stitching things out ahead in samples, and I think I’m looking at a new piece of my process. Should at least keep me from pulling out several inches of thread……

Readers of this blog know I love TED talks, and on the TED blog today is a list of the top 20 TED talks. There are a bunch here I haven’t seen, so I have some fun stuff to watch this week!

Discovered a new quilting blog this morning, with examples of some of the motifs being used for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Inspired patchwork! The blog is With Heart and Hands by Michele Bilyeu.

Animals Talking All in Caps is exactly what it says. Folks send in a picture with animals in it, and our moderator does a caption. Some are hysterical – well, most of them are. And some are very poignant.

Well, it has been a while, what with projects and a few days in San Diego. I have loads to work through on my blog list, so I am thinking there’s at least three posts here!

First up, from the 365 Project, some amazing photography yet again. In honor of beach time in San Diego……

Beach Sand by Michael Elliott

From the ArtBizBlog and Alyson Stanfield comes some organizing ideas. I just happened to see her Evernote mention, and I have just started using that on my iPad, so I want to go into this post more in depth….organizing lately has been off, to say the least!

Studio Art Quilt Association (SAQA) does an auction of artwork every year as a fund raiser. This is the first year I have contributed a piece. One thing members are doing to promote the auction is doing 6-piece “collections” around a theme. I pleased to say my “Hotwired” has made it into two collections.

Here are a few more samples of SAQA collections, put together by Kathy York.

Here’s a quick video from Freida Anderson with some fusing tips, something I am just getting in to:

Jane LaFazio interviews Leslie Riley. I’ve admired both for a long time. Jane is a very successful water color, mixed media, and art quilter, and Leslie Riley is quite the motivator. Enjoy the interview!

Alisa Burke has a fabulous post on tools for sketchbooks and frequently asked questions. Lots of “I wants” in this list…it’s probably a good thing I don’t do a lot of sketching……

Thanks to Rachel of Rayela Art and The Textile and Fiber Art List, here’s a cool look at a new tool called PicMonkey for editing pictures easily. Rachel did some fun playing around with pictures of her own.

Here’s a wonderful sense of humor video from YouTube about European shopping bags. Some very clever designs!

A very “enterprising” story of a 10-year-old who has started her own sewing business. You go, Lizzy!

And finally, a piece of honesty and courage from an Eagle Scout from The Best Article Every Day.

Have a great week! Let me know what you find that’s cool.

It’s been a while since I’ve written about some of my daily go-to blogs. I’ve discovered a lot of new ones over the last year, both art-related and not, so here’s an update of blogs you don’t want to miss.

365 Project – aside from the fact that there are amazing photographs each week, the site has you start your own daily photo journal.

365 Project homepage

Waiting, by John

Elizabeth Barton writes a blog with tips, inspirations, art work, and wonderful pondering thoughts on your own art. If I could choose a mentor for a few months, it would be Elizabeth.

The Art Biz Blog is essential. Alyson Stanfield gives you spectacular advice for managing and promoting your art business. Start reading her if you aren’t already.

I love Larkin Van Horn. Not only does she create amazing work, but she likes using our fabrics! I had a chance to reconnect with her this past March at StashFest for the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum.

I follow the C&T Publishing blog for two reasons: I like to see what’s new….and they do giveaways, and one time I actually won! If you’re in the business, you need to keep up with trends,

Dale Anne Potter got me started last year on positivity and the Law of Attraction. She is a great artist, and she has been helping others achieve their dreams.

Vicki Welsh does some of the most amazing hand-dyes, with color gradations to dye for (pun intended)!

Generation Q Magazine just made it into print, after a year of online articles and features. Lots of potentially great stuff here!

Insights from SewCalGal is my go-to site this year for machine quilting. My skills have improved tremendously, I did a tutorial for Darlene, and there are great giveaways – fantastic site!!

And last, but certainly not least, the Textile and Fiber Art List, a group of over 300 artists from 30 countries. Amazing eye candy! Take a trip through blogs and Etsy stores for artists in everything “textile and fiber” you can imagine! A wealth of awesome information.

Another interesting week – and the blogs are getting ahead of me – but I keep finding so many interesting ones! What did you find this week?

An interesting look at how we use fonts, especially in the fiber area, from SewCalGal.

A look at urban exploration, with an interview from the 365 Project, called “Capturing Decay.” There’s something really beautiful in decay.

FortyThreePhotography.co.uk

Here’s a really lovely story about passing on our skills and love to a new generation.

From Letters of Note comes an interesting exchange of two lawyers concerning trying to collect a debt. There’s a whole new meaning to “Middle East…..”

From The Creativity Blog comes AWE: Arts from Waste Experience – a very clever idea for sustainability. Really good article, with some great ideas.

This next from The Best Article Every Day is weird in a cool way – just study it for a few…….

Once you’ve finished with that, then get the tissues from this posting from The Best Article – a beautiful story in three pictures.

Timely, from the 365 Project: Tips for photographing sunrises, in preparation for the solstice.

From JPG Magazine comes a selection of “grin” photos. Fun stuff here!

The Man at McDonalds by Phonesvanh Siharat

I finally, Jaws turns 37. I remember seeing the movie and flying back to my teaching job on Maui. I didn’t spend a lot of time in the ocean that year. And then, at Cape Hatteras one year, we are actually swimming with sand sharks. I hate sharks. Love learning about them, but hate them.

Find good stuff this week!

A really interesting artist, I saw his portfolio on Behance. Alberto Seveso…..doesn’t it look like the most luscious silk?

From Bill Moyers comes a really interesting graphic on social media as our main source of news.

From Cool Hunting comes TED-ED – what looks to be some REALLY great lesson plans and ideas for teachers to really expand what’s happening in the classroom.

From Joen Wolfrom – the most used colors in the world – Tones.

From Letters of Note comes a very timely letter from one of my favorite authors,  John Steinbeck. Very interesting in light of what is happening in current affairs in Arizona. “American Democracy Will Have Disappeared.”

Also from Letters of Note, the incomparable Harper Lee, with words that ring true today:

“Early-1966, believing its contents to be “immoral,” the Hanover County School Board in Virginia decided to remove all copies of Harper Lee‘s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, from the county’s school libraries. As soon as she was alerted, Lee responded perfectly by way of the following letter, written to, and later published in, The Richmond News Leader.
Also sent, as mentioned in the letter, was a contribution to the Beadle Bumble Fund — a project set up by the newspaper in 1959 to highlight/compensate for “official stupidities,” and which subsequently gave away copies of the banned book to all children who asked.”

From the 365 Project, another set of gorgeous pictures.

End of the Rainbow by Richard Tyson

4 No-Cost Etsy Shop Promotions from Handmade-ology….since I didn’t get much on yesterday’s marketing post.

From Cool Hunting – really cool tables from the Milan Design Show. Love the texture and grain lines in this first one.

And finally, some pictures from a place most of us know nothing about…..except as a country in the news, Iran. These are gorgeous. From The Best Article Every Day…..

Be sure to look at all the pictures – Iran looks to be a very beautiful place.

And that’s it for this week – let me know what you find surfing over the next few days!