Are you "feeling" me?

Hey guys...KB here...long time no type...I am super excited to be back to the challenges and even more excited about our prompt and guest designer this time.

We are trying to step outside the box here at TAIF and our prompt is:

TEXTURE

They are so many ways to interpret this prompt...so take a picture and use a texture over it, use texture in your home decor, scrapbooking, or how our guest designer did by taking photos of the interesting textures around you. Have fun!!

And without further ado...I would like to introduce Will Vastine. I ran across his work via flickr and immediately loved his eye for detail and interest in photography. We are honored to have him. Welcome Will!

Hello friends, I'm a photographer based out of the Southwest Missouri area, and I am really excited to be the guest designer for TAIF this week! Not only am I the first guy to be featured, but I think I am the first only photography based artist to be involved! I got really excited when Kimberly contacted me about taking part in this because its something that I have never had the pleasure of doing before and it really helped me push myself to look at the world around me in new and creative ways. I was asked to play around with the prompt "texture" and it gave me a unique challenge... take a three dimensional concept and some how convey it in the two dimensional world of photography. With other forms of art such as scrapping, painting, sculpture, you can easily create depth and texture by adding different materials and elements, but it's sometimes harder to convey that in a photo. So I started looking around my world, and began to see an incredible amount of beautiful examples of texture in some very simple places. The sides of buildings, the ground that I walked on, nature, weather-worn paint... it just kept going and going. So I decided to shoot some very simple photos, straight on and pretty geometric, so that I could allow the texture to be the main focus of the photos. I hope that as you look at my photos, you are inspired to look at the world around you and observe the simple beauty that it provides. I bet if you just took some time and walked around your house or neighborhood, you'd find something new that will completely inspire you. Have fun creating!

You can find Will's websites here:

blog: willvastine.blogspot.com

flickr: flickr.com/photos/emergentphoto

Kimberly's take:
"I have always been inspired by Ansel Adams photography even before I became a photographer...they always have a variety of textures. This was my attempt at that style of photography. I loved the texture in my couch with the landscaping and the second photo is the actual fabric."


Dani's take:Kara's---


Check back throughout the week for everyone's creations.


Our sponsor is Smarty Pants Art, the winner gets the Christmas kit, and the Christmas mini-kit goes to the runner-up.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5051967

http://www.smartypantsart.blogspot.com/

How cute is this RAK?
Have a great time with textures and don't forget to link your work...we love to see it!

Hello Hello :)

Hello. It's me, Debee. Welcome back everyone for yet another fabulous serving of art. Get your game on. Literally. And play it! The prompt is going to be "playing cards". Freestyle or just do your thing- layout, mini, altered, painting, polaroid photographs, cards, random project. Playing cards can be interpreted how ever you'd like. Vintage cards, new cards, UNO cards, whatever!

And now I'd like to introduce you to this prompts fabulous artist: Elise Blaha

My name is Elise Blaha. I collect paper, clutches and coffee mugs. I wish very much that I had an at home photo printer. I love to read and bake cookies. When I grow up I am going to be a letterpresser. I am obsessed with rainbow order and quite recently decided the tape runner might be better than the gluestick. I had a hard time figuring out how to use playing cards and finally just stopped focusing on the cards and instead focused on the message I wanted to convey.

Here's Elise's take on the playing cards prompt:



Mandi used the cards from the game "A Question of Scruples."



Rhi <3



dani


Ashley made little people icons out of cards:

The rest of the gang will upload their art soon! So come back, link us up to your art and play!

Hey all! Kara here. Wow. Where has time gone? Like, seriously. I can't believe October is almost over.

Anyway. I'm super excited to post on here again, it's been awhile hasn't it? I'm looooving our prompt and Guest Designer.

The random winner for the October Q-Tea Kit goes tooooooo--- Patty!

Email me at karahaupt [at] gmail.com and I'll get that taken care of!



So. Now. I'll get on wit' it. The prompt is---

Board Games

Totally fun, right? Take a part an old game, use the pieces. Take inspiration from one....Write a story as if you were following a board game. Take some artsy photos with your kids playing their fav. game. Frame your favorite game as a cool piece of art. Scrap about a childhood game. Go crazy, y'all. I'm thrilled to have the ever amazing and crazy-talented Danielle Thompson.

Thank you Kara and TAIF girls for inviting me to be a guest designer! I'm so excited to be here! I'm a big fan of the blog and the inspiring artwork that comes out of it. :-)

A little background info on me... I'm a part-time graphic designer and I also design digital scrapbook/art supplies for Two Peas in a Bucket, called Kitschy Digitals. I also have an Etsy shop called Tiny Bazaar where I sell unique crocheted jewelry, prints of my photography and other paper goods. I really just love dabbling in all kinds of art and crafts whether it be sewing, embroidery, photography or interior design.. that is why I love this blog and how open it is to so many artforms!

For this project, I borrowed some of my Mother-in-Law's vintage board games for inspiration. I ended up using this board game.. I'm not sure what game it is, but I loved the Mod colors and geometric shapes! I'm so into the Mod look right now, whether it be fashion (I'm watching the first season of Mad Men on Netflix lately and I LOVE the early 60's fashion!) or in interior design. The colors and shapes are permeating my creations lately, and it's so fun.

I applied the same color palette and Mod design from the board game to this project. I took an old jean skirt and recycled it by attaching brightly colored felt shapes to it with embroidery stitching. I love how it turned out.

I can't wait to see what the other artists did with the board game concept!

Here is her awwwesome project!

Awesome, right?

Another totally cool way to interpret these prompts!

Now onto the girls.

Mandi--


Kara--

(I used some vintage Scrabble for Kids game pieces to spell out a little love note for my sister's birthday today!)

Ashley--


I'm super excited to have the ever lovely Danielle Stussy host a sweet RAK from her Etsy shop!

Here's what you could get!

The rest o' the girls will be having their's up later!

Have a fabbbulous Monday!!

xoxo.

Kara.

The Donkey

Album Art

Kinda ambiguous in terms of aN inspiration point, right? Well I think you can see the many ways it can be interpreted by what the girls did. Home decor, mini albums, random stuff, mail...

Our ridiculously talented Guest Designer this week is none other than Sarah Bowen.

She epitomizes the quote from the previous post in my mind. We all love her. I want to be her when I grow up. Her art this week, is just that. Art. Stand alone, display it on a wall to admire, art.

Without further ado, Sarah B:

Kara made a postcard inspired by Joanna Newsom,

Mandi turned a classic album into a decorative piece of home decor, as she said, and I quote, "I just couldn't cut up the dang thing. It felt sacriliges."

Dani made a beautiful love note-esq mini album out of a Jack Johnson album sleeve, for his (being her boys eyes ;) eyes only. But she is kind enough to share a couple of pages.

Rhi (yes I'm talking about myself in the third person) took inspiration from a Kimya Dawson album, and created a plushy quotable,(that I have on good authority will be up for grabs on her blog soon!)

Ashley took inspiration from the newest Kanye West album cover, thats a balloon!

All the projects will probably be viewable on the respective TAIF girls SIStv accounts and blogs.

As usual, comment us up with your creations! Whatever they may be, we want to see them!

FYI

Its rhi to the oh! here!
The Cardboard winner is Patti h! Congrats, lady! Beautiful eco friendly mini book!
If you email Kara at karahaupt [at] gmail.com with your mailing details and you will recieve the goodies!

If anybody would like to sponsor an upcoming prompt, just drop a line to the above email address. You will be loved and adored and pimped forever more.


The prize this time around comes from the delightful Qtea etsy! The sign alone makes me happy!
This is the booty:




So are you all excited? Are you ready? Are you chomping at the bit?
You know you are.

But this is just the carrot, you are all going to have to wait till Friday for...the donkey? I don't know how that analogy works... The TAIF girls have been unusually busy, and need that little bit longer this time round. But we've got an extra special challenge up our sleeves.
No hints. Nope. I'm good at keeping secrets.
Okay. Maybe this...

A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.

-Diane Mariechild

Wooooot!

Kara here!

All your cardboard projects are rocking already!

Just wanted to let you know that The Sequined Shoe is hosting this RAK. I've had so much fun putting together my Etsy shop and I am super exicted to sponsor this prompt with one of my favorite new pocket journals!

So. Get onto those cardboard projects and upload up for a chance to win!

Have a lovely weekend!

Cardboard Love

Hey everyone!!!

aw here!

Happy Monday to you - hopefully you aren't having a case of the Mooooondays this morning (as said like the lady in Office Space)...

And if you are - this week's prompt is sure to cheer you up.

We are talking about the ever versatile CARDBOARD.

A million gajillion ways to incorporate it...

So let's find out a bit about our Guest Designer Alex Michiardi - and peep the amazing way she rocked the cardboard prompt....

I feel so honoured to have been asked to guest design for this week prompt. It’s my very first time guest designing! Thank you so much girls (especially Rhi and Kara) for giving me this unique opportunity and for your interest in my work.

Today (the 22nd), Damien and I will be celebrating our 6th anniversary together. So I designed something special for the occasion. I had a lot of fun doing this project! “Cardboard boxes”.

I took a small cardboard box I had. Not very original for the moment… I sewed a zipper on it, layered some paper + Gesso to cover the entire box. I finished by adding a piece of felt + button, and I had my box “6 years” done. Then, to fill this box, I took another cardboard box which I cut into small squares. I assembled them in column by stapling pieces of felt. In total, I have three different columns. I chose some pictures of us and added them in chronological order to the cardboard pieces. I also recycled slide frames that I painted and used as embellishments. In the example, I hang the 3 columns on a bamboo stick, but you can think of other cute ways to display this project.

Have fun!

and last but not least...the TAIF ladies.

Mandi Mandi she's so fine...she's so fine she blows my mind - Hey Mandi! (so original huh?) This amazing piece of goodness will be posted in its entirety in Mandi's portfolio.

Dani California:

Debee the Magical

Ashlicious

(I made cardboard letters for my son Sandler - I made # and lowercase too!)

Rhi-Rhi---the firefly

The glittery Kimmie (I used a cardboard sewing board that's used to cut patterns...I made a bulletin board for my kids room for their art work and the scrapbook pages they make...sorry for the photo...this board is HUGE so it was hard to get a good shot)

and the Queen Bee Kara will post throughout the day - so keep checking back!

If you choose to play along - which we all hope you do - you will get a chance to win something extra special fabulous from The Sequined Shoe etsy shop.

We love girls that play along!!!

Just ask this cutiepie who won the RAK from Oh, Hello Friend...for the last prompt! (yes Susan - its true!! you won!)
Have a perfect week!!! Reduce Reuse Recycle - tear up some cardboard - and get artsy, crafty, painty, inky!!!

xo...

aw.