Posts tagged ‘arts’

TED-Technology, Entertainment, and Design-is a yearly conference where the world’s leading thinkers & doers speak on ideas that are shaping our future.  I’ve seen many of the talks online (most are absolutely insightful & amazing!), and just learned about the independently run TED event in Cleveland.  I already ordered my ticket.  But if you’re not in the Ohio area, here’s a list of TEDx events around the world.

Here are the TEDxCLE details:

Who:
Creators, catalysts, entrepreneurs, artists, technologists, designers, scientists, thinkers and doers.

What:
At TEDxCLE, TEDTalks video and live speakers spanning topics such as health care, urban revitalization, art, and product development will combine to spark deep discussion and connection amongst speakers and attendees alike.

Where:
The Capitol Theatre
1390 West 65th Street
Cleveland, OH 44102

When:
Friday, February 26, 2010 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Why:
Share Cleveland innovation, development and positive change with the world.

How:
Tickets for TEDxCLE can be purchased for $20 at The Capitol Theatre ticket booth or online.

I’ve got a date to teach my Journal Class coming up in the next couple of weeks. I’ve had a quite a few people interested in taking it so I want to make sure you all get the memo.

We’ll be at Craft Akron working on our handbinding skills on Thursday, February 18th, from 2pm to 4pm.

You can even sign up for the class online here. Isn’t that convenient? I’m really looking forward to the class, hope to see you there. Oh, and bring a friend!

Lots of great items were brought to our first swap!

Clever Nesting is hosting our second Art Supplies Swap in February.  Bring your art & craft supplies, books/magazines, plus anything else that may be repurposed or reused creatively. This is an opportunity to clear out unused supplies & get some new ones, plus network with other creatives. Extra supplies will be donated to local nonprofits.

Immediately following the swap, you’re welcome to participate in a handmade gift exchange.  You’ll share your creative work & take home a gift as well. All you need to do is bring an original handmade item with your contact info included.

Event Info:  Saturday February 20 1-2:30pm at Craft Akron.  Cost is $5 which covers refreshments & room rental.

Considering my baby girl’s due in early April, we’re looking for a couple guest bloggers to write posts and/or tutorials for a few weeks while I’m adjusting to life with two kids.  It’s an opportunity for you to gain blogging experience, exposure for your work, and to reach new readers.  Plus, it’d be a privilege for me & Devona to get to work with you as well!  If you’re interested, let me know a little about yourself and what you’d like to write about and email me at Colleen@clevernesting.com.

If you care about good design in what you create and what you purchase, you must see the film Objectified.  It’s part of the design trilogy that began with Helvetica, and is specifically about manufactured items and the processes of making good design decisions.  It teaches us to think about the objects we use each day.  Why do we use them?  Do they add value to our lives?  What were the designers thinking when they created them?  Do they care only about money or will they think long & hard about the users’ needs?  And, are they thinking sustainably?

No only does this film push me think critically about the design, value, and sustainability of what I buy, but also about the items I create.  I don’t want my life cluttered with wasteful junk and short-lived objects destined for the landfills.  I think it’s great to spend our time, money, and resources on things that are of greatest value.

Today I browsed the new releases & best sellers books in Amazon’s Crafts & Hobbies section.  I want to stay on top of what’s new and continue building my personal library.

For my next purchase, I’m considering Photojojo, 100 Flowers to Knit & Crochet, or Chain Style.   What artsy/crafty books do you recommend?  What new or old books are must-have’s for your bookshelf?

images from Amazon.com

I really enjoyed shopping at Oddmall this past Saturday.  I went to support Devona & Jenn, plus to connect with other talented local artists/sellers.  The event was really charged & had a fun, quirky vibe.  It was well-attended.  And I loved the variety & uniqueness of the handmade items…no grandma crafts and lots of adventurous art.    I’ll definitely go to Oddmall next time around (sometime in May).  Here are some of my fav’s:

Eve of Rats Live On No Evil Star made gorgeous velvet butterfly & flower pins which are hand-sewn & beaded.  They’d be perfect on a sweater, coat, purse, or scarf.

Sarah of SpaceDog Studios sold hand-bound notebooks where each page is a different recycled paper (some coloring book pages, graph paper, maps, math equations, and various scrapbook papers).  My husband bought one for his creative musings.  He thinks blank pages are daunting and liked the idea of working around the uniqueness of each page.

The husband-wife team, Melissa & Lew, of Whimsical Wonders turned old kitchenware & utensils into wind chimes.  Lew hammers the utensils flat, and Melissa drills & assembles the chimes…recycling, art, and gentle metallic sounds for the neighborhood!  (Their website isn’t working today, but perhaps it’ll be up soon.)

Plus I really liked Devona’s wild yo-yo headbands, and Jenn’s crazy monster buttons, which were perfectly appropriate!  Sorry, I didn’t get any photos to share…perhaps you’ll find these items in their Etsy stores soon though.

Here’s a street view of the Renegade Craft Fair.  It took me about three hours or so to weave my way around both rows of tents.  There were just so many fabulous things to look at!  Plus it was pretty crowded.

I discovered my friend Mandi of Squeaky Queen had a tent at the fair.  (Aren’t her hat & apron darling?)  Mandi recently quit her day job to persue Squeaky Queen full time!  Her soaps & perfumes are so well-rounded…they bring together visual, verbal, & tactile art & her love of quality ingredients & good perfumery.

I love these journals made from recycled books by Overdue Industries.    The outside is the book cover, and there are blank pages and book pages throughout the journal.

Finally, for an honorable mention, I didn’t get pics but grabbed a business card for Catia Chien, Her fine art prints are deep, thoughtful, and somewhat other-worldly.  I can’t help but wonder what’s going on in the characters’ lives.

The only problem for me at the craft fair was shopping.  See, we left our car home and depended entirely on public transportation and walking.  So everything I bought we needed to be able to carry on our long commute back to the Amtrak train station, along with our bags, Ian & his stroller.  Needless to say, we didn’t buy much, and by the end of the trip we were even looking through our bags for things we could leave behind!

I’m so excited & thankful to go to Renegade Craft Fair this past weekend!  There were over 300 artists, and the streets were jam-packed with shoppers.  I found so many wonderful handmade items to share, and here are a few favorites.

Vintage-inspired pottery by Pink Kiss Pottery.  I enjoy the combination of colors, story-book feel, and practicality of the pieces.

Typewriter Key Jewelry by The Weekend Store.  Here, the stylish jewelry displays caught my eyes.

Contemporary Art with a Southern Accent by Dolan Geiman.  The guitar here is a wood cutout!  I love the colors, collage designs of all the elements, and how each piece is perfectly interesting.

And finally, I found these greeting cards by Circle Street.  I enjoy the combination of feathers, sewing, and type-written elements.

I’ll share more pics later…I need to snag them from my hubby’s camera.

The Swap was a blast!  We had 12 adults plus many kids.  Everyone was really friendly, and it was great meeting more local creative people.   We had a fun time digging for useful items, and everyone was very generous with what they brought to the event.  All the leftovers were donated to the library in Highland Square.

For the handmade gift exchange three people brought items.  Devona received this purse from Martha.  Martha received my bracelet.  I received Devona’s apron.

We’ll have our next swap in February.  So plan ahead for items to swap and an item for the handmade gift exchange as well.  Looking forward to doing this again!