DIY: Yarn Bombing

Did you know that yarn bombing is a real thing? Like, a legitimate art form?!

My good friend Kristy has been yarn bombing around her neighborhood in NYC and everywhere else that she visits (from California to Iceland) for years now. When she visited our family two years ago she yarn bombed my street sign and a rock in our front yard. BAM! I was hooked.

I am game for anything that I can make with my own two hands and is colorful. Let it be known that I do not know how to knit or crochet. However, that didn't stop me from my yarn bombing exploits! I simply went to our local Goodwill and neighborhood thrift shops and picked up various multi colored afghans and scarves. I chopped them up, attached them to a tree in my back yard (sewing them up with simple needle and thread) and voila! New life given to the faded glory of a thrift shop blanket!



Here is a tree in our backyard. There are afghans, knitted scarves and colorful skeins of wool covering this tree. I also found an adorable already yarn bombed bird feeder from Target (from their Christmas ornament collection last year). I mean...totally fun, right?!

Here is another view of this beauty...



ANYONE can do this. If you are looking to add a little color to your landscape, yarn bombing could be for you. Have at it; you can't go wrong with this art form!



Full disclosure: Over time, yarn will fade outside. The elements will do a number on your brightly colored patchworks of yarn. BUT. You should be able to get 2-3 years of life out of a yarn bomb project. If you live in an area with a lot of rain (sadly, here in the Bay Area we are in a drought so yarn bombs stay regrettably pristine) you may get your colors washed out faster.

Color Blind

I received my latest CB2 catalogue last week and found this print:



I LOVE it.  Big fan of Lincoln...plus the whole color treatment on the piece.  Yours at CB2 for only $179 but hurry because it is a part of their limited edition series (there are only 300 made of this print).

Art for Children: Jackson Pollock

Last September, I started an art program at our school along with another parent.  I write all of the curriculum and teach some of the classes, my partner arranges the complicated teachers schedules and parent volunteers and makes sure our art supplies are in good shape.  Between the two of us and this team of volunteers we have made it work this year.  The kids LOVE the program (we are a K-8 school); so do the teachers and parents.

The program has been a labor of love and hugely time consuming...especially for a volunteer.  I am hoping to have the program standardized next year as a paid part time position for one person handling the teaching responsibilities as well as everything else that comes with an art class.  It all comes down to the school budget.  I hope it works out but unfortunately there are no guarantees.  I wish that the current climate in education was more favorable towards the arts.  Alas, it isn't so we have to make it work where we can.



Today I taught the 3rd graders a lesson on Jackson Pollock.  First of all, a lesson in a 3rd grade class on Jackson Pollock should not be undertaken by the faint of heart.  That said, it sure if fun to watch 30 3rd graders have at it with flying paint.  When I asked my daughter what her favorite art lesson of the program was this year (and they have had 7) she immediately shouted,

"JACKSON POLLOCK!"  Why, I asked.  "Because I could get down on my knees or walk around the canvas and just make paint fly everywhere".

Truth.



The kids did an amazing job.  See that canvas up there.  That's the mark of 30 kids.  Freakin' awesome.  I have a feeling Mr. Pollock would be proud.

BE AMAZING

I just saw this print via Pinterest and decided on the spot to buy it.  Perfect for every home.  I've already got a spot picked out upstairs for this one...

Tattoo

I love me a good tattoo. This is one of the more original I've seen yet:

Tiny Homes

These are so enchanting. I came across these little clay houses in a post on Apartment Therapy and when I clicked over to the artists website on Etsy found even MORE I was in love with.

I especially like the ones that are on necklaces... So creative.

A New Way to Store Books...

Stumped on a way to store your books? Bored with the same old bookshelf situation? Well, how about this architectual/artistic wonder:

I wish that I had the URL for this but I found it on Pinterest and then repinned it - anyone want to claim it properly for me????

Isn't it magnificent? I like the lounging among the books option best of all :)

Crown your Dreams...

Perhaps if you slept in this bed, your dreams would always be magical...

Artwork

Found this fresh piece of artwork in a lovely room and had to share. Isn't the room so pretty? I wish I knew who the artist was... (image courtesy pink wallpaper)

The Accidental Carpet

By far, THE COOLEST carpet I have ever laid eyes on. Oh, how I want it. I love how it looks like multiple cans of paint spilled and pooled together to create a gorgeous MESS! A beautiful carpet makes a room. And good carpets, nay, GREAT carpets are created by artists. Look at the detail on this carpet:


This sublime piece was created by artists Atelier Remy and Veenhuizen. According to the Droog website where I found it, the carpet was originally created for children who are epileptic to cheer up their surroundings. How genius and heartfelt is that?!

Does this carpet inspire you? If you had it, where would you put it?

Stick your Own Furniture - Whatisblik

Whatisblik is pretty brilliant. I wish that I had known about them back in my early apartment rental days of NYC...like when we literally did NOT have furniture :) They would have totally saved the day! Check out this amazing "headboard" decal in an array of colors and even SIZES!

WOW! Seriously, this would have been so awesome since we didn't have a headboard for the first 4 years of our marriage.

Here's a "wrought iron" version, again in multiple sizes and colors:

And then of course there are some shelves...

The furniture is just the tip of the iceburg - there are so many lovely, smart decals on the Whatisblik site - take some time to browse!