a gorgeous giveaway with artist darrin davis of crazy uncle art studios!

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have i got a treat for you today, nicies!

it's with great pleasure that i celebrate the launch of a wonderful new handmade fine art shop that's very near and dear to my heart.  hip hip hurray! & three cheers for one of my favourite folks in the whole wide world, my fabulous & talented brother, darrin davis, and the opening of his boutique Crazy Uncle Art Studios.

darrin says it best: "Crazy Uncle Art Studios "Balances Fine-Art Snobbery & Greasy Kids Stuff!"  - i create handmade art from the heart, ranging from vibrant, engaging fine-art Nursery Paintings and Prints for the kiddies to dramatic, breath-taking Black and White nature photography for the non-diapered! :)  This shop is like a favourite family diner for the eyes, providing nourishing treats to young and old, with the added bonus of a 100% no-heartburn guarantee!"

indeed, this shop is a veritable wonderland of fabulous gifts for everyone on your Holiday list!  

• how about an adorable personalized animal painting on canvas for your favourite little ones?  
• or a giclee print from his evocative "men wearing hats, crying" series for a favourite art-loving friend?  
• or ordering a few sets of his ever-expanding & mesmerizing "wanderlust" nature photograph notecards as the perfect everyone-will-love-them gift for co-worker gift exchanges, teachers, neighbours and more this gift-giving season!

on a personal note: darrin is the gosh-darn best brother around. his amazing talent in so many creative spheres always inspires me - among his many talents he's also a brilliant musician - isn't almost home so lovely? and remember his fabulous canadian playlist here?  

and... he's a true nicey! he's the most hilariously fun & funny person in the world and i love how you can sense his fabulous being in every piece of art he crafts from his amazing eye for colour-play to his captivatingly rich photography. love you, brother!

so be sure to visit darrin around the web, and read on to
WIN a $50 gift card to crazy uncle art studios! woohoo!

darrin davis
crazy uncle art studios shop | facebook | twitter | the darrin davis band
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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one way to enter is to grab one of my rikrak studio buttons,

like this one for YOUR BLOG! here they are!

<center> <a href="http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="the rikrak studio" src="http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/rikrakstudio/therikrakstudiorectangle.jpg" /></a></center>

<center> <a href="http://rikrakstudio.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="the rikrak studio" src="http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/rikrakstudio/therikrakstudiosquare.jpg" /></a></center>

and add it to your blog!

{ ... just copy & paste the text in the box above onto your blog sidebar! thanks! }

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:: RULES ::

a) it is possible to have numerous entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as its own comment. thanks!
c) using random.org, 1 winner of this  giveaway will be chosen on nov.8th @ 12:01 am EST.
d) open to contestants worldwide.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.

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paint chip love

 

 

above

embroidered paint chips :: lisa solomon

fabric paint chip placemats :: avril loreti
 origami butterflies :: laylaloustudio

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oh the infinite possibility that lies in a paint chip!

a chance for domestic change &  newness &amp in a pretty little swath of colour.

i'm obsessed with paint chips these days. we've repainted the guest room here {stay tuned for fun DIY before and afters soon!} , and  up next is  my mom's bedroom for a little colourful pick-me-up! 

so it's paint-chips-taped-to-walls-in-every-room!

i saw avril loreti's gorgeous new paint chip placemats earlier this week (yet another brilliant fabric design by that superstar!) and thought a round-up of paint chip art & projects was inspiringly in order!

why not live with beautiful paint chips everyday!?

have a paint colour you're lovin' lately? 
i'd love to hear.

have a colourful weekend, sweeties.

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below

notebooks :: magnusjournals

 art :: Zipper8Designs

 flag bunting :: natashaearly

art print :: paperstories

DIY mobile: homemadesimple

DIY card holder :: designverb

DIY poster project :: kitschy-boo

stitched card :: daniellehope Art

 clock :: oh and the world spins madly on

magnets :: crab apple design

DIY wall project :: sally tv

 colourful wall :: pinterest

 

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the ekphrastic challenge *revealed* : part six

:: row 1 :: RouDesigns : skinnerstudio : VerreEncore : vadjutka 

:: row 2 ::  theshagbag : ThePeachTree : buckscountyframes : 
chelsea3349

:: row 3 :: IKABAGS : elliven : sharlee39 : ettaandbillie

:: row 4 :: slightlyaskew : wildhare : asilart : sidhe filz

 

wonderful imaginings, nicies!here's what you all came up with, inspired by lawren harris'
beautiful *winter landscape with pink house* painting.  

love the tones and hues you all incorporated in this 6th round of the ekphrastic challenge! 

don't you just love great art inspiring other great art!

gorgeous! just gorgeous!

wishing you a day filled with gorgeous tones! 

have any colours inspiring you today?

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the ekphrastic challenge { part five } : signac

paul signac's pointillist superstar: Sandy Seashore, 1890

via the Pushkin Museum, Russia.

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bravo, superstars!
the 4th round of the ekphrastic challenge was met with fabulous nominations and suggestions! i just loved seeing your artistic interpretations of the art & the tones that create it!

so as requested: round #5!

today we're lounging at the beach  with a painting full of late summer lure: Paul Signac's pointillist superstar Sandy Seashore.

 oh how it reminds me of one of my favourite summer beaches: sandbanks provincial park here in southern ontario! just love those gorgeous sandy grey tones, the textured dots, and those dunes-o-delight!

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so, here's the challenge for you:
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using the idea of ekphrasis , a "graphic or artistic description/representation of a visual work of art" ,  study the colours of the painting above, and/or the colour palette generated to match it (see above) . leave a link here to a handmade item of yours, (or another's) that is inspired by these colours + tones!

in about a week, i'll compile the suggestions and post them as our 5th collective *ekphrastic response.* 

---> just keep in mind, i'm looking for handmade works that fit the colour-palette of this piece! thanks.

so show me your late summer signac, nicies!
can't wait to see what you come up with!

and may your day be filled with gorgeous tones!

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the ekphrastic challenge *revealed* : part three

gorgeous! just gorgeous!

i put forth a new creative challenge last week- and you nicies rose to it!
and so part three of the ekphrastic challenge began: suggest handmade works that are ekphrastically inspired by the colour palette of a famous piece of art. this time i chose Monet's La Promenade! i love seeing what you come up with... so here we go...

row one

tialey vintage , dbabcock , pulp & paisley

row two
bethtastic , lil fish studios, davie and chiyo

row three
golly bard , lucindas nice things, random pretties

row four
alex keller vintage , KbOriginalsetc , charlotte hupfield ceramics

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just lovely, nicies! while we anticipate the next ekphrastic challenge, don't forget to show me what you're wearing to my springtime TEAPARTY looks in the latest funfun event here.

AND.... tune in monday for the WINNER of the green couch designs wall pockets
& the karen meyers purse giveaways!
(still time to enter karen's! it closes today!)

have a most colourful weekend, nicies!

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the ekphrastic challenge { part three } : monet

La Promenade by Claude Monet. 1875

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bravo, superstars!
the 2nd round of the ekphrastic challenge was met with fabulous nominations and suggestions! i just loved seeing your artistic interpretations of the art & the tones that create it!

so as requested: round #3!

today we're oohing and aahing at a painting i've long loved for it's springtimey lure: Claude Monet's La Promenade.

i just love those gorgeous hues, the textured brushstrokes, the spring wind gently rushing thru that gorgeous blue sky, and the spring green grasses rustling. thought it might be perfect for today's spring weather!

.........................................
so, here's the challenge for you:
.........................................

using the idea of ekphrasis , a "graphic or artistic description/representation of a visual work of art." study the colours of the painting above, and/or the colour palette generated to match it (see above) . leave a link here to a handmade item of yours, (or another's) that is inspired by these colours + tones!

in about a week, i'll compile the suggestions and post them as our 3rd collective *ekphrastic response.* just keep in mind, i'm looking for handmade works that fit the colour-palette of this piece! thanks!

so show me your springtime *monet*, nicies!
can't wait to see what you come up with!

and may your day be filled with gorgeous tones! Pin It

a lilttle rikrak birthday party: abstract art -making

top row
turtle birthday party pack | by piggytailsstationary
birthday cupcake notecard | by creativeapples
happy birthday banner | by meringuedesigns
yellow cupcake wrappers | by BusyIzzyBakery

2nd row
tub of homemade playdough | by ItsMadeAtHome
ocean party cupcake toppers | by PartiesByHardie
personalized artwork stickers | by LittlebeaneBoutique
(so helpful all year round!)
felt crown | by NiftyKidstuff

3rd row
pencils print | by paperpatternsilk
handmade pencil crayon holder | by LilSticks (great idea!)
artist monkey apron | by oneredpanda
modeling beeswax | by twinkleofmyeye (so fun!)

4th row
monkey thank you cards | by badinage (i love children's thank you cards!)
reusable sandwich pouch | by cottontopquilts
(wouldn't these be fun reusable goodiebags?)
paint your own wood family | via gemmielou
Little boy blu photo | via TSelena's photostream

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happy monday, sweeties! hope you had a great weekend!

the past few weeks we've been celebrating a wonderful thing @ the rikrak home...
little rikrak's birthday. we're so lucky to have such a little sweetie!

now... mr. rikrak & i am of the firm belief that birthday parties & celebrations are important wonderful things! how about you?

so in this year's birthday partying brainstorming, one of the fun ideas that came up was a modern art-making party! everyone was so excited about it! little rikrak is an avid artist in various forms, so it seemed like a fabulous, interactive, handmaking kind of party that he'd adore!

for the event, our family & a group of little rikrak's fabulous little friends headed to our gorgeous national art gallery here in ottawa (gosh i love that place!) and with the help of a fun & enthusiastic guide, we funly explored some of the abstract art @ the gallery. highlights were certainly discussing movement & balance with the alexander calder sculpture jacaranda (seen below), and form & function with brian jungen's vienna plastic chair sculpture.

it was so wonderful to hear the children's ideas and wonderful insight into the sculptures & paintings! afterwards, we headed into the studio to make some of our own art: abstract art tshirts with fabric paints! gosh: aren't children the best artists? and the tshirts are such fun party keepsakes!

i've included some fun handmade goodies above that would have gone perfectly with our theme for that party! wouldn't handmade modeling beeswax or handmade playdough be fun to take home in reusable sandwich/goodie bags! fun!

so thanks to the fabulous gallery for a wonderful event! still a couple more little rikrak birthday parties to come!
(the only benefit of not living in close proximity to our fun families = lotsa parties! :)

i never tire of celebrating that wonderful little soul!
have a festive day! hope it can be filled with some beautiful little celebrations!

calder's beautiful jacaranda @ the national gallery of canada

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