Thursday, November 18, 2010

POP-UP Gift Shop

This holiday season Trish Supples and Nicole McGee encourage Clevelanders to "get local, get green, get creative and get gifts by putting your money where your Cleveland heart is." Pop-Up Gift Shop is a temporary retail space full of local and environmentally-minded art & gifts. Fortunately, I'm able to participate in Pop-Up Gift Shop where my owl mobiles, owl stuffies, and collages will be sold. I hope to see everyone there...

The following are some items that will be sold at Pop-UP Gift Shop...

Owl mobiles are 100% hand-cut from upcycled scraps of textured cardstock and hand-assembled. Approximate size is 6"x7". Brass screw hook included. See all five different designs. Mobiles come fully assembled and ready to hang.

Archival quality print of George's collage assembled from images handcut from vintage magazines and design magazines. Printed on 8 1/2"X10" premium semigloss photo paper. Frame size is 8"X10". Actual image size is 5"X7".

Owl mobiles are 100% hand-cut from upcycled scraps of textured cardstock and hand-assembled. Approximate size is 6"x7". Brass screw hook included. See all five different designs. Mobiles come fully assembled and ready to hang.

Child's Play (Collage, 2008)

Archival quality print of Marina's collage assembled from images handcut from vintage magazines and design magazines. Printed on 8 1/2"X10" premium semigloss photo paper. Frame size is 8"X10". Actual image size is 5"X7".

The Grand Opening will be Friday, Novemeber 19, 2010 at 5pm!!!

HOURS:
Thursdays - Sundays November 18-December 19, 2010
Thursdays & Fridays: 10am-7pm
Saturdays & Sundays: 10am-5pm
(closed Thanksgiving)

LOCATION: Trinity Commons, 2242 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115
(FREE PARKING in the Trinity Church lot off Prospect & E.22nd St.)

For updates, artists, community art & caft workshops & special events, go to: popupgiftshopcleveland.com

Friday, April 23, 2010

Red Umbrella's Spring/Summer 2010 Children's Fashion

red umbrella's spring/summer 2010 line consists of a unique selection of 100%organic fabrics. Organic knit combed cotton jersey dresses, t-shirts, pants, skirts, and shorts. This collection was inspired by Natural History. All clothes designed by Marina Marquez and consists of playful, modern, and comfortable printed, dresses, tunics, pants, shorts, and tees.

All items made sweatshop free in Lakewood, Ohio. Each item is made to order and come in the following sizes:

3-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m, 18-24m, 2T, 3T, 4T and 5T.

Luna wearing the "Stegosaurus" tunic with the "Strata" pants
Material: Organic Cotton Jersey
Size: 2T

Luna wearing the "Stegosaurus" pants
Material: Organic Cotton Jersey
Size: 2T




Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Cardboard Rocket Ship



Here is the rocket ship that I made for Conor & Cormac. Luna & I tested it out and took a trip to the moon (ha, ha, ha). We are hooked on imaginative play...

INSTRUCTIONS:
STEP 1: Materials and tools
To make this you will need;
- A large bike box.
- Misc. tools (box cutter, tape measure, straight edge, pencil)
- A little imagination

STEP 2: Construction
Begin by cutting and laying the box flat. My dimensions were based on the size of my box so you may have to make adjustments.

Using a straight edge, mark and cut out the top angles and tabs. Each panel is 20" wide because my box was 120" total.

The tabs are 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. The receiving side is 2 inches wide. I made the receiving slot cuts by just eyeing up the tab locations when I stood it up. Widen the slots a little bit to make it easier to insert the tabs.

Run a blunt tool down the cardboard to help make the folds where you want them to be.

Using any circular object you like, trace and cut out any windows you would like.

The fins are about 2 feet high with one tab the same as above. (Sorry no picture)

STEP 3: Exterior Design
I'm encouraging the boys to use their imagination to decorate the outside of the rocket. This will empower them and let them take ownership over it. Once the boys complete the exterior design, I will post photos of the final step.

For extra points I went online and found a website with a drawing of a real lunar module's cockpit. I "borrowed" a few images and printed them out.

I hope this impromptu project will give you ideas to do something with cardboard boxes. Before recycling them of course!

Monday, January 11, 2010

The Butterfly Circus

My new favorite short film: The Butterfly Circus


THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS
A review by Anoray

Joshua Weigel's short film The Butterfly Circus packs in more emotion during its twenty minutes than many films do in two hours. Created for the 2009 Doorpost FilmProject competition, the film beautifully captures and shares its theme of hope without becoming maudlin or melodramatic.

Set during the Great Depression, the touching story (written by Joshua and Rebekah Weigel) concerns the plight of Will (Nick Vujicic). Born without arms or legs, Will lives in despair as the "star" performer of a sordid, traveling circus sideshow.

Will's life changes when he meets Mr. Mendez (Eduardo Verastegui), the enigmatic and charismatic Showman for the renowned-- and far superior--Butterfly Circus. Intrigued by Mr. Mendez's kindness to him, Will stows away in one of Mr. Mendez's trucks in the hopes of becoming part of his sideshow.

The only problem: The Butterfly Circus has no sideshow. The performers are meant to inspire and awe the audience, not elicit shock or contempt because of disfigurements. Mr. Mendez allows Will to join them, but he refuses to put Will in the show. Watching the amazing feats of escape artist, Otto (Doug Jones), George the Strongman (Matt Allmen), and Anna the Trapeze Artist (a graceful Lexi Pearl), Will's eyes are filled with joy...and a longing to escape the sidelines.

Sensitive to all his performers' needs, Mr. Mendez realizes it is time to roust Will out of his self pity. He reveals to Will that most of his Butterfly Circus performers have tragic pasts--but each has managed to discover his or her self worth. He challenges the limbless Willwith these words, "The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph."

During a near tragedy, Will must save his own life or drown. This event, along with the help of his compassionate circus colleagues, results in a dramatic turnaround for Will. Fueled by his ability to be more independent, Will carves out a niche for himself in the Butterfly Circus with a daring, spectacular performance. His achievement earns the respect and admiration of his co-workers and audience alike. The most poignant moment in the film occurs when an inspired, crippled boy embraces Will ... and Will uses his cheek and neck to tenderly return the embrace.

Shot on a shoe string, The Butterfly Circus looks anything but. The photography is atmospheric, rich with shadows that underscore the performers' moods and expressive faces. The music of Timothy William is lush and haunting, emphasizing the eloquence of certain key scenes. The period sets, vehicles and costumes are wonderfully authentic with a "lived-in" look, plunging the viewer into the gritty 1930's era. Clearly, cast and crew alike put their hearts into this project and all their talented contributions show up on the screen.

Newcomer Nick Vujicic's lead performance as Will is sensitive and very moving. He possesses a natural integrity and dignity that is vital to the film's tone. As Mr. Mendez, Eduardo Verastegui's accent and gallantry evoke positive comparisons to Antonio Banderas. Standouts in the supporting cast are Doug Jones, whose unique, elegant physique and soulful eyes bring life to Otto, while Matt Allmen provides some welcome comic relief in his turn as the good natured George the Strongman. As keeper of the symbolic caterpillar, little Connor Rosen is unaffected and innocent as Anna's illegitimate son, Sammy.

Although the film references transformation via its frequent use of butterfly imagery, the story actually emphasizes positive internal change (rather than external physical change) to create hope in one's life. Will's character does not magically grow arms and legs. Instead, he undergoes a major inner metamorphosis, realizing he has the power to change his self-perception and how he lives his life.

In this day and age where the media focuses so intensely on "extreme makeovers," it is refreshing to see an uplifting, artistic film devoted to how much beauty we can achieve on the inside.

Anoray
Los Angeles, 30th August, 2009

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Owl Mobiles

The Owl Mobiles have been added to Etsy!

In response to the lack of wooden owl mobiles available, I decided to make these mobiles for my daughter. Daily, the owl mobile brings her joy and uncontrollable laughter. The mobiles are a whimsical addition to a nursery, a child's room, or a classroom.

Owl mobiles are handcut from upcycled plywood. Stained with non-toxic acrylic paint. Approximate size is 6"x7". Brass screw hook included. See all four different designs.

$40/each



http://www.etsy.com/shop/redumbrelladesign216