She be sprinklin' sunshine from here to Texas!

I have a friend. Many actually, but this friend is very special. Not just because I have known her for almost 20 years but because she is very giving, creative and she be sprinklin' sunshine from California to Texas!

Amy is setting out on a quest to visit Texas and along her journey she plans to drop little pieces of handmade art for people to find, keep and enjoy. Why is she doing this? Amy's Facebook page, I be Sprinklin' Sunshine states that this is "a venture into spreading some miscellaneous art and love out into the globe" and that her "hope is that in turn it creates a global wave of sprinklin' sunshine".

She leaves on February 4th, in just 3 days! I encourage you to follow her along the journey and connect via the Facebook page I be Sprinklin' Sunshine. Here are a few pictures of the little gifts she will be gifting (Amy gave me permission to use these images, all three belong to her.)...

This is so delightful, I would love to find this in some random place!

 

Sprinklin' Sunshine

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I love this idea and it is not too far from a little sunshine sprinkling I did this summer. Did anyone see this hanging around town?

Yep, that was me! Some of them did not hang on too long. I hope I got at least one person to do this :)

August/September Creative Corner - Gary Swenor Photography

One thing you may not know about me is that I am a sucker for photography. I love all images in all forms and of all subjects. One of the things I love about photography is that the art captures a person’s perspective at a certain time and place that inspires them. Which is why Gary Swenor grabbed my attention.

Gary has been a loyal customer of my husband’s for a few years now and when I found out Gary was a photographer I knew that I could reciprocate the support by featuring him for my Creative Corner. Upon visiting his website, it was immediately clear that he knew photography and loved it. After reading Gary’s bio, my assumptions were correct; photography has been a rather large part of his life.

Gary began his love of photography back when cameras were loaded with film. Remember that? I do! He earned his master of Arts degree at San Jose State University and his undergraduate degree from CSU Chico. He has also attained both a single and multiple subject teaching credentials AND administrative credentials. On top of his wedding photography business , he teaches English at Yuba City High School where he is an adviser to the photography club.

Gary’s work has been featured in many different local publications and is an active member of the creative community here in Nevada County. When Gary does a photo shoot he teams up with his wife, Sue, who brings a feminine perspective and a knack for detail.

In his bio it states that, “throughout his distinguished teaching career, a camera has always been close by.” Now that is true passion!

Check out Gary and Sue’s work at http://www.garyswenor.com/. You will be pleasantly amazed!

May/June 2012 Creative Corner - Rocksntwigs by Judy Daly

Reduse, Reuse, Recycle

As I mentioned in a previous blog post that I joined Nevada County Makes. I joined to not only have an outlet for my hobbies but I joined because I wanted to be part of a creative community. What I did not know when I joined was that this community of extremely supportive of each other and extremely talented. 

This community also creates with passion. They create what makes them happy, not what people want. The energy of the item they have created then becomes nothing less than pure.

That is why I chose this month’s Creative Corner, Rocksntwigs by Judy Daly. What first caught my eye was the Toad Houses that she makes. The idea is very unique and creative. As I read more about the things she makes I was elated to see that Judy reuses items that would have normally gone to the dump. Wood, PVC pipe, plastic, Styrofoam moss, sticks and stones are all on Judy’s supply list. I admire and try to stick by the reduce, reuse and recycle way of living so this really resonated with me.  

Judy also creates candles and birdhouses, among other things. You can click on the image below to visit her store on Nevada County Makes. 

Thank you Judy for sharing your passion and your creations with us! 

I joined Nevada County Makes!

I just can not shake this need to make earrings and create. I try to keep it as just a hobby but honestly, I make more pairs than I can wear! That is why I was excited to join Nevada County Makes. It is a online store for crafty people who live in Nevada County. It allows the artisans of this cosmically creative community have a presence on the web at a very low cost. As you know, websites are expensive to launch and maintain so this concept is huge!

There is something for everyone at NCM! You can find seamstresses, jewelry, woodwork, metal work, creative one of a kind gifts, walking sticks, handmade soap...the list really does go on.

Here is the URL for the home page:
www.nevadacountymakes.com

Here is the URL to my shop on NCM:
http://www.nevadacountymakes.com/maker_store/crandalls-creations

Y'all stop on by now, ya hear!

March/April Creative Corner -- Faith McCloud

 Spirituality. Enlightenment. Balance. All things we strive for in this life. Why? Well, I believe that we all have our own egotistical reasons but on the larger scale, outside of ego, we are all children of the Divine seeking our purpose. Some of us are here to inform, some of us are here to lead and some of us are here to share. I think Faith McCloud is here for all of those reasons.

Faith, the artist that I chose for Creative Corner this time around, has dedicated a great portion of her life to the divine. When I met Faith in 1989, we were in the fifth grade. Then, it was very apparent that God was a huge part of her life. Time passed, high school started, real life started and we lost touch. It was Facebook which connected us together just a few years ago. Thank goodness for Facebook, right?!

We were able to reconnect and I found something out about Faith that I did not know; she is an artist! Not just any artist, but an artist of collage. It takes a talented person to do what Faith does with tiny pieces of paper and paint. I was first drawn to her nature inspired work because it is colorful. It pops! As I looked further into Faith’s work I noticed that it takes an ancient subject (religion) and interprets it in a modern way. To me, Faith’s art is relatable; religious or not, everyone can relate to and be touched by her art in some way or another. 

There is more about Faith that you should know! Not only is she a master of collage but she is also a Master of Divinity. So, she knows God, real well. She knows art, real well. She knows prayer, real well. I love that! I have always thought highly of Faith, from fifth grade on. I am not sure if it is her thick, beautiful red hair or if it is the fact that her name is Faith and she lives life with faith or if it is now based upon her accomplishments; possibly it is all. Either way, I am excited to share her works with you! Meet Faith everyone!