Here Comes the... Bridal Shower

There are some really great bridal shower invites out there. So, when my friend asked me to create one for the shower she and her mom are putting on for their future sister/daughter-in-law I wanted to give them something they couldn't get anywhere else. That's why I decided to do an illustration of the Bride-to-be. For this shower they want to just give gifts for the kitchen so that provided a great theme for the invite.

(Personal information on this invite were altered for the web)

Humans That Fly

I wasn't planning on blogging about this today but when I saw this video I had to share it with you.

I'm always in awe of highly skilled dancers, no matter their expertise. Whether it's a ballerina, delicately leaping across the stage, or a b-boyer, seemingly levitating over the ground. It's as if they're saying to gravity, "You don't own me!" I love it.

So of course, there are tons of videos out there of amazing dancers, but this one particularly caught my eye and led me to share with you because of the artistry in the filming. Really beautiful with the lighting, which seems to turn the dancer's shadow into a character all it's own.

Enjoy.

Brazing Ballet

THE INSPIRATION?

... these pointe shoes (literally these exact ones, they were my template).

THE TASK?

... to take this raw material, mold it, shape it, and form it into these.

HOW?

... here's how Wikipedia explains it.

TRANSLATION?

Wear some sweet goggles and bulky gloves, bend and shape your metal, get your torch going (yeah, FIRE!), place filler material at the joints you want to connect, and melt the filler material. Keep it going and watch and see what you can create.

HERE'S THE CREATED FRAME

FINAL PRODUCT

I used newspaper to create the "skin" of the slipper (good 'ole paper mache) with one layer of white tissue paper over that to achieve the delicate look. I then took the exact ribbon and string from my inspirational pointe shoes and attached them to the sculpture. I sewed the ribbon on just the way you would on real pointe shoes.

OneWord... go.

Just stumbled upon a very interesting site. It's called "OneWord."
They show you a word, and you type for sixty seconds. Simple enough.
After your time is up what you wrote is posted and you can see what others wrote about the same word. It's intriguing to see what one word prompts in different people.

My word was POLICY, and here's what I wrote (don't judge).
"rules and guidelines: here's what to do. Obey, black and white, not blue. Say yes, say no, here's where to go."

Check it out and give it a try.

http://oneword.com/

"Get Outta Your Mind"

When I was young my mom put me in dance lessons; the usual ballet and tap and then I did a year of jazz before quitting. I enjoyed dancing but unfortunately when I was young I was at times painfully shy and I suppose being in front of lots of people in a leotard became a bit too much and I quit. Luckily as I got older I gained confidence in myself and while at college I rediscovered my love for dancing after joining a Step Team. Now, I'm no master dancer but I have rhythm and I'm not ashamed to bust a move. There's nothing like getting in your groove and really feeling the music and just letting go, a very freeing experience. I love dancing with people that aren't afraid to embarrass themselves, because truly that's the key to it all. It's about not being afraid or worried about what others might think. I love seeing that person who has no rhythm, and they know it, but they don't care and they just get lost in the music. So, much fun.

I'm a big fan of the show "So You Think You Can Dance" on FOX. They highlight amazing dancers from different backgrounds and styles. The contrast of seeing the ones raised taking classes and classically trained to the ones who are self taught is really great. They have some of the top choreographers created these masterpieces each week, so in an hour you'll see ballroom to b-boying and ballet to bollywood.

I want to leave you with one of my all time favorite performances from last season. Choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon (a.k.a. Nappytabs) and danced by Twitch (hip hop dancer) and Alex Wong (ballet/modern) to the song "Get Outta Your Mind" by Lil Jon and LMFAO. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLtSfYX8tJk

Then after Alex got hurt SYTYCD had a special guest recreate the epic dance for the finale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkDqDrDPDRw&feature=related

Sherlock Hound

Saw this video on "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen, and thought it was so cute and funny. Of course it's cute to see the big floppy dog in the costume but what I thought was funny was all his extra skin going up and down as he ran. It's like his own little game of "Peek-a-boo."

Time For a Makeover

It's time to re-do this blog. Breathe some life into it and make things interesting.
So, that's on my "To Do" list for tomorrow. I just haven't been on my computer as much as I used to be and I have to say the break has been nice but I suppose it's time to get plugged back into the Matrix. Looking forward to focusing more on laughing, dancing, and creating.