So, here it is... the bare bones beginnings of a creative mom-specific wish list (reference in many previous episodes and finally coming into play in Episode 21). Think of this as a collective creative wish list where you can point people who might need guidance or pointers in buying something small that you’d like and that supports your creative spirit… think stocking stuffers or “just because” or “I love you and believe in you” or “I recognize how much being creative means to you..."

Leave additions to the list via the "Comments" link. We'll try this format and see how it goes.

I'll get us started...

• Twinkling H2O's (watercolor paints)
• Standard black Moleskine sketch books (or watercolor or storyboard or Japanese...)
• Special edition color Moleskines
• LAMY Safari (special edition or regular edition)
• A la carte watercolor pencils or sets
• Anything by Danny Gregory (be sure and tell your gift-giver what you already have)
• Or try Dan Price
• Or, Live Out Loud!
• The Dot and Ish(for the artist and child in you)
• Yarn Harlot books (if you are a knitter)
• Watercolor paints (if you love a brand, say so)
• Alphabet Stamps (or pick from these)
• Books by Sabrina Ward Harrison (be inspired!)
• Origami papers (can use them in many, many ways, especially if you are a visual journaler or collage artist)
• Pigma Brush Pens
• Coluzzle templates (scrapbookers have them; great for envelope or shipping tag making, too!)
• Gelly Roll pens (lots of fun; great flow; go for waterproof ones)
• Pitt Brush Pens
• Crossword Pencil
• Retro 51 Sudoku Pencil
• The Illuminated Lettering Kit: Materials, Techniques, and Projects for Decorative Calligraphy
• A waterbrush

Posted by Amy at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

~ wishing I was more "portable" for podcasting (thoughts after hearing the "Ella is Born" episode of Two Boobs and a Baby
~ we see innovative self-portraits on the bulletin boards at school
~ a blocky cut-paper person from last year
~ a chubby paper doll figure with slits for weaving [funky hair, cool clothes, etc.]
~ rigid heddle weaving in the house [but not me!]
~ integrating weaving into your journals and sketchbooks [that's me!]
~ warp and weft explained with paper weaving
~ notthe template I talk about, but a few doll templates...
~ cute little monster-like, rubber-band powered "Poppers" from Rob Ives' Flying Pig Paper Animation site
~ Paper Forest site
~ Math Curse (brilliant in terms of math content and execution of design/illustration) ["On Monday in math class, Mrs. Fibonacci says, 'You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem.' On Tuesday, I start having problems."]
~ Thinking with Type
~ stories for kids with an "art" theme... All I See, Emily's Art, and Matthew A.B.C
~ ATC exchange reminder [deadline is December 31] and information on the CMP Circle ATC 1 album [kudos to Ryan for being first to post his memory-evoking cards to the album!]
~ Matthew shares a Jack-O-Lantern song
~ quote from well-known song and one seen on the JeffSketch blog
~ and more... (show length: 1 hr, 2 min)





Featured Podsafe Music:
Shane Jackman ~ Simply Put [magnatune.com]
Kelly Mueller ~ Always Be Your Butterfly [PMN]
Intro Clip: Jim Fidler ~ All I Really Wanted [PMN]

Posted by Amy at 10:20 AM | Permalink

~ the boys play "ant spies" and Mom bonds with a bottle of Windex
~ a birthday card for his teacher (and a "green" envelope)
~ Gramma came to visit... and we spent time finding a workable (and easy to use) recycled greeting card box pattern
~ Gramma gets a lot of knitting done, and I struggle with my gauntlets and a cable gone awry
~ we find the "perfect" fabric flowers for knitted hats
~ the "art board" at school shapes up on the second go-around with the stack of tissue paper
~ two brilliant stories about creativity by Peter H. Reynolds: The Dot and Ish (brought to my attention by Ryan)
~ "backfilling" in the Moleskine and thoughts on starting a new blank sketchbook... and trusting that "good work" will appear in it, too
~ Twinkling H2O's watercolor pots with a "shimmer"
~ a chunky switchable lead colored pencil by Pentel (not the one from my childhood, but could be cool)
~ knitted ant named "Adam" (pointed out by Jessica)
~ and more... (show length: 1 hr, 2 min)





Featured Podsafe Music:
Monique Rhodes ~ Under the Sun [PMN]
Shane Jackman ~ Early Frost [magnatune.com]
Intro Clip: Jim Fidler ~ All I Really Wanted [PMN]

Titles Mentioned in Episode 20 and related titles... (and other relevant highlights)

Posted by Amy at 10:26 AM | Permalink

~ with a day of rain come the ants
~ dragon curtains are finally hung and a Zen cutting experience
~ a car conversation about an artist as someone with paint on their hands
~ stamps, stamps, stamps... even some Kanji ones
~ I retreat to the sketching equivalent of comfort food (for me) ... sketching from photos
~ an amazing Rubber Stamping book
~ a great book introducing expressionist art to kids and full of great and well-executed projects
~ French Toast Girl's awesome blog (and cool experiments with paint, salt, Windex, etc.
~ The Drawing Club (collaborative blog)
~ Mom and me socks at the Naptime Knitter
plus, as always, great music from the podsafe music network.
~ CraftSanity Podcast Episodes 27 (artist Amy Karol of the Angry Chicken blog) and 28 (interview with Debbie Stroller)
~ ScrapCast talks about portable scrapbooking
(show length: 1 hr, 3 min)





Featured Podsafe Music:
Tracy Jane Comer ~ Take Me To the Mountain [PMN]
Graeme Hindmarsh ~ Sea Dragon [PMN]
Intro Clip: Jim Fidler ~ All I Really Wanted [PMN]

Titles Mentioned in Episode 19 and related titles... (and other relevant highlights)

Posted by Amy at 01:37 PM | Permalink

~ lots of basic stapled paper books under development
~ The Giving Tree -- a bittersweet read
~ color wheels at school
~ cutting brown paper trees... and a (queasy but) heroic effort cutting dragons (for the curtains)
~ Moleskine hacks (and David Allen's Getting Things Done) [general, numbered pages, tabs, spines]
~ a fish out of water at the Art Committee meeting
~ early (elementary school) art memories (including the chubby wooden pencil with the numerous colored leads)
~ assignments for the first CMP artist trading card exchange have been sent out ~ and more...
plus, as always, great music from the podsafe music network.

(show length: 46 min)





Featured Podsafe Music:
Katy Pfaffl ~ As She Stands [PMN]
Mike McGill ~ Pink Balloons [PMN]
Sherby ~ Fish Out of Water [PMN]
Intro Clip: Jim Fidler ~ All I Really Wanted [PMN]

Titles Mentioned in Episode 18 and related titles... (and other relevant highlights)

Posted by Amy at 01:12 PM | Permalink

~ we go to Treasure Island to watch the Dragon Races and we get lost for a while in "Dragon Land" but end up too far away to get a good look at the dragon boats themselves
~ Matthew and I trade the camera back and forth and an admission that I'm really bad at actually printing or ordering prints - despite the thousands of pictures I take
~ thoughts on the boys' expectation that TV should always be "fast-forwardable"
~ a cool new animated show, Jane and the Dragon (she's a great redhead!) [based on the book by Martin Baynton]
~ preliminary no-sew work on a dragon-themed curtain remake for the boys' room and a wonderful stack of fat quarters
~ an excellent, lyrical, and inspiring book, Landscape Meditations, by Elizabeth Mowry
~ Moleskines are in color! The Moleskine Van Gogh series!!
~ a "bag" series takes shape in my Moleskine sketchbook, and I play a bit with the kids' oil pastels
~ learn to follow a map with X Marks the Spot from the Math Matters series of Readers
~ the "ologies" series
~ a good kids photography book
~ join the CMP FLICKR pool and start sharing your photos
~ two quotes from Cornelia Funke, author of Inkspell, Inkheart, and Dragon Rider
~ great photography on January One blog and Ramblings of An Ever-Hungry Mind blog, and check out her photo galleries
~ awesome painted "skins" on semi-trucks
~ sign-ups for the first CMP artist trading card exchange are closed ~ and more... (show length: 1 hr, 3 min)





Featured Podsafe Music:
Jennifer Richman ~ Flowers of Gold [PMN]
Celtic Reboot ~ Aufbruch -- Am Fuerer [PMN]
Alyssa Hendrix ~ Sudden Slant of Light [PMN]
Intro Clip: Jim Fidler ~ All I Really Wanted [PMN]

Titles Mentioned in Episode 17 and related titles... (and other relevant highlights)

Posted by Amy at 05:04 PM | Permalink