Yarn and Knitting and Crocheting, OH MY!

So,

I have *never* been able to knit or crochet well

(as in, I can make a scarf, the end)

It's always been something I've wanted to learn, though... 

so I'm puttin' the ol' nose to the grindstone and trying to figure it out.

So far... I have some tools of the trade,

and I'm going to see about getting some lessons.

These crochet hooks make me think of dental picks...

Which makes sense, because right now, trying to knit or crochet is as torturous as a trip to the dentist.

The yarn sure is beautiful, though.

Joining in on the fun in the month of November

I'm sure you've all heard of NaNoWriMo...

but have you heard of SkADaMo and PiBoIdMo?

SkADaMo is "Sketch A Day Month" put on by Sketched Out.

No pressure, no rules (other than you should try to make a sketch a day)

and no pre-made themes. Just doodle!

You can also follow Sketched Out's blog to see what she doodles every day!

Want to join in?

Click on the "Sketched Out" link above,

or the button below to find out how:

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Next up is PiBoIdMo,

or "Picture Book Idea Month"

hosted by Tara @ taralazar.com

Every day your task is to come up with a new picture book idea.

It doesn't have to be a full story... it can just be a title, or character name,

or anything simple that could *BE* a story someday.

Every day on Tara's blog, there will also be an awesome guest post by someone

in the Children's book/publishing industry.

How cool is that?

If you're interested in participating,

signups are open until Nov. 7th,

just click the link to Tara's blog above,

or the image below:

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Finally, there is NaNoWriMo,

National Novel Writing Month.

If you're unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo,

it's a way to encourage budding (and in full bloom) writers to write,

by setting goals for the month of November.

If you're interested in joining in, click the link above,

or the image below:

 

 It looks like I've got a busy month ahead of me!!!

Drawings from pre-made color palettes: Cold Stare

I love Design Seeds,

everyday they come out with a new color palette...

so I thought I'd do a quick little drawing from the color palettes

during the week.

The palette I used today is Cold Stare:

http://design-seeds.com/index.php/home/entry/color-stare2

and here's the image I made:

I found this quote and wanted to save it in some way,

so I figured it would be a good candidate for the color palette illustration.

Where the other was all computer generated,

I decided this week to try a sketch.

I've been wanting to work on my drawing skills for a while,
so a daily sketch might not be too bad an idea.

The image above is a web quality png,
please feel free to use it

for web purposes,

but let me know if you do...

(just cause I'd like to see how you use it :) )

If you're interested in using this image

for a print project,

please contact me:

littlebearries@yahoo.com

A Giveaway and some help for a friend

Good Morning, everyone!

First up...

I have been following these kitties for quite a while:

And recently, poor Ginko has developed seizures and needs rather pricey medicine

to help keep them at bay.

Having had a dog with severe seizures,

this is a matter close to my heart...

nevermind that I LOVE reading about these kitties on the internet!

They have their own website HERE!

Also nevermind that their owner, Chun (aka Puppy52)

is one of the sweetest folks you'll ever come across.

ANYWAYS, to help gain some funds for Ginko's pricey meds,

Chun has created this lovely illustration of Yoshi

that you can buy through Zazzle on things like shirts and bags.

BUY BAG HERE:
http://www.zazzle.com/yoshi_doodle_on_a_bag-149049736594645579

You can also opt for the "Photo-quality Yoshi"

LOL... aka, a photo of him...

A brother has to do his part to help his sister out!

I opted for the illustration...

because I believe in the cause

(100% of the proceeds go to Ginko's meds)

but also because... look at it!

It's a lovely illustration!!!

You can have a kick ass, cute as heck bag

(which you'll love even more if you check out Ginko & Yoshi's blog)

AND you'll be helping a kitty out!

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Next up is a giveaway that I thought might interest you... it's an "our scale"

decorative item from the very talented Mijbil Creatures.

If you've never checked out Mijbil Creatures...

DO IT NOW!

Such cute stuff :)

You have a chance to win this tiny squirrel, and it's box of tasty macaroons!

You should check out the blog post with the giveaway anyways,

for a tutorial on how to make your own squirrel!!

The giveaway ends when there is a random drawing at the beginning of November!

Handmade Hats... a preview

Here's a little hat I made,

modeled by a Neemo...

I've made many more hats... 

but I haven't photographed them yet -_-;;

Drawings from pre-made color palettes: Happy Harvest

I love Design Seeds,

everyday they come out with a new color palette...

so I thought I'd do a quick little drawing from the color palettes

during the week.

Today's palette is Pie Tones:

http://design-seeds.com/index.php/home/entry/pie-tones

and here's the image I made:

A little bit fall, a little bit Halloween :)

The image above is a web quality png,
please feel free to use it

for web purposes,

but let me know if you do...

(just cause I'd like to see how you use it :) )

If you're interested in using this image

for a print project,

please contact me:

littlebearries@yahoo.com

Spooky Imagery of Abandon Homes

 Check out these images by Dutch photographer Niki Feijen of abandon rooms in old farm houses and such, perfect for setting an October atmosphere!

©Niki Feijen

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316987/Photographer-Niki-Feijens-eerie-images-abandoned-farm-houses.html

Public Service Announcement

Ghoultide Gathering 2013

Waaaay back in 2009 I went to an event called

Ghoultide Gathering...

and I had a TERRIBLE time.

The venue was too small,

and the ladies who were there to buy stuff were rude as HECK.

Pushing, pulling, jabbing...

both my Mom and I got pushed (literally) out of the way

on several occasions, 

and had things actually snatched from our hands.

It was shocking... and awful...

and I wrote to the folks who organized it and told them our experience,

and said we wouldn't be returning unless they,

at the very least,

got a bigger venue.

Well... at some point they did...

but I still wasn't ready to go back...

until this year!!

I have to say, the 2013 Ghoultide Gathering

was a COMPLETELY different experience.

It was AWESOME. :)

©GhoultideGathering

Click the image above to go to Ghoultide's website!

One of the most revered artists there was Scott Smith

of Rucus Studio (he's also one of the organizers)

©RucusStudio

Click the image above to go to Scott Smith's blog!

His stuff was amazing, and almost completely sold out just 15 minutes after the show opened.

I had taken my little Neemo, Samantha,

the first Neemo I ever bought, and one of the Witches of the Majokko Shop

with me, and she had a blast!

Here are some of our pictures!

Can you spot Samantha in the picture above? XD

Can you spot her again?!