let's make: a wallpaper, a book, a vote & a song

happy monday, sweeties.

well... poor, poor monday.
it always seems to get a bad rap. so i've rounded up 4 fun things for us to do today! let's have some fun!

{and don't forget to enter my kootsac reusable bags giveaway on now here on the blog! one more fun thing to do!}

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#1. let's make: wallpaper
love designing?
love playing with colours?
love patterns and shapes?
ME TOO!

the other day i came across Alluminare, a fun & fabulous wallpaper design site! drop everything and go directly to this fabulously interactive workshop (BEWARE: i found it wonderfully addictive!) where you can design & colour your own fun wallpapers, patterns, etc. for your home or office, and then, if you wish, have the company make them for you! fun fun! {editors note: i didn't buy any paper... i just delighted in playing with the patterns!}

i found this site thru the fabulous designhole who is having a great wallpaper contest on her blog {where you can win 20 square feet of the wallpaper you just designed!}... so head on over there, too!

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#2: let's make: a song
i heard that today launches cbc radio2's fun new contest: the great canadian song quest ... to answer the question: what place in canada deserves its own song?

you can nominate your fave canadian place... and the winning places will have songs commissioned for them, handcrafted by amazing canadian songster superstars we nominate! yay!

good golly! love it!
go canada!

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#3: let's make: a book
thought you might like the fabulous artmind's great tutorial on how to make fabulous little scrap paper books - it's sooo fun! and highly highly addictive! let's go make one! heck... let's make 20!

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#4 : let's make: a vote
last but not least, the wonderful TransCanada Etsy Team has launched our very first monthly challenge... it's a fun Autumn theme! so come on over to the Team blog, check out all of the fabulous handmade entries, and vote for your favourite!

ahem.... #1 sure is cute, eh?
hint hint.... pinecone eco bib... hint hint...
#1...
thanks! :)

see you tomorrow, sweeties! have a great making monday! Pin It

playlists: with jesse danger

i just love a great playlist. i think it stems back to those glorious mixed tapes days where i'd either make, sometimes receive and always always covet a fabulous collection of tunes by various great artists! *bliss!* ... so i've asked some wonderful artists if they'd make up a little playlist on a theme for this new rikrak studio series. i thought we might get a glimpse into what musically inspires these fabulous folks... i'm thrilled to present the next in the series. today it's playlists: with jesse danger: songs for a rainy thursday.

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mix tape in ash gray by uncommon

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dj: jesse danger
theme: songs for a rainy thursday

Radiohead- Video Tape
Modest mouse - Gravity rides everything
Sigur Ros - ny batteri
Decemberists - eli the barrow boy
Arcade Fire - my body is a cage
Fiest - my moon my man
Godspeed you black emperor - dead flag blues
Explosions in the sky - your hand in mine
Dead Confederate - the Rat
Failure - another Space song
Notwist - this room
Radiohead - ideoteque

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"I'm really into dramatic and dynamic songs, a lot of music that's considered post-rock, or instrumental rock. I don't listen to music while I'm working for the most part. I've always lived aways away from where I work and do a lot of driving and that's where I listen most the time, or sometimes when I'm at the computer. I enjoy so many types of music, but these listed are some of my favorites for a rainy Thursday." - Jesse

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thanks so much, jesse. great songs for the rainy thursdays so many of us are swimming thru today. i just adore jesse's amazing ecometalsmithing. such beautiful lines, such gorgeous shapes, and so very wonderfully eco-forward, working with recycled gold, silver & platinum. hope you enjoy a delightful escape into his lovely, lovely shop.

have a great rainy thursday, lovelies!
& tune in tomorrow for a fabulous new giveaway from another gorgeous shop.

* nicies: tell us what song would have to be on YOUR playlist for a rainy thursday & i'll try to include
as many as i can in the followup post! * stay dry!

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playlists: by mchen {& a giveaway, too!}

i just love a great playlist. i think it stems back to those glorious mixed tapes days where i'd either make, sometimes receive and always always covet a fabulous collection of tunes by various great artists! for me, a personal playlist is a magical grouping of songs. *bliss!* ... so i've asked some wonderful artists if they'd make up a little playlist on a theme for this new rikrak studio series. i thought we might get a glimpse into what musically inspires these fabulous folks... i'm thrilled to present the first: playlists with mchen: songs to howl along to!

mixed tape pouch by BraveMoonman

ever meet someone and feel instantly musically kindred!?
i'm fortunate to say that about mchen... she's golden! & i first came to know her thru her wonderful love & support of live music...

let's start with her delightful playlist (just click the titles to hear!):

dj: mchen of mchenwears
playlist: songs i love to belt out - loudly!

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1. Light of the Moon by Joel Plaskett
2. Deep Red Bells by Neko Case
3. Rhythm & Blues Alibi by Gomez
4. Oh, Alberta by Elliott Brood
5. I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues by Elton John (guilty pleasure)
6. Robots by Dan Mangan
7. See You on the Moon by Great Lake Swimmers
8. Winter by Tori Amos
9. One Two Three Four by Feist (also the Sesame Street version)
10. Black Boys on Mopeds by Sinead O'Connor
11. Shelter by Ray Lamontagne
12. Don't Be So Mean Jellybean by Justin Rutledge

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"I'm a music-head. I love going to live shows, hearing new tunes, witty lyrics, and finding songs that I can relate to. My brain ties memories to music strongly; I often relate songs to specific moments in time or people. I often turn to music, whether I need a pick-me-up, a calm-me-down, a distraction, or good company.

While compiling this, I realized I like belting out slow tunes. It's these kinds of songs I play while doing illustrations: moving enough to keep the creative juices flowing but calm enough for me to keep the pen steady!
Maybe one day, I can give you my go-go-go silkscreening playlist :)"

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thanks so much, nicey!

i've gotta tell you.. Emily Chen of mchen is one fabulous soul! we started to get to *know* of one another thru twittering this year, and i soon came to adore her lovely blog. i noticed that her fabulous posts would often include a musician i myself adored, or one that she would introduce me to that i would shortly LOVE! isn't that a wonderful thing!

as the merriment of life would have, it was soon discovered that not only did we live in the same city, love lots of the same music, but that we lived... that's right, on the SAME street! we soon met for a delightful teaparty, and as the afternoon slipped by, i was smitten! what a genuine, real life sweetie mchen is! i've gotta say... she's really really wonderful.

i just adore her kind heart, fun personality & artistic brilliance! and super excitingly - she's just launched her newest line of handmade silkscreened shirts: the re{verb} line! so be sure to visit her wonderful shop and check them out for yourselves! and she now has adorable kids wear, too! woohoo! i've seen the shirts first hand and they're gorgeous!

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and... for even more fun...
AN MCHEN GIVEAWAY!!
emily has kindly offered to give
ONE lucky rikrak studio blog reader
their choice of ANY mchen tshirt in her shop! WOW! so fun!!!

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so here's how it works:

1. there will be 2 possible entries per person.
a) one entry: leave a comment in this post with a link to your favourite item from mchen's gorgeous shop. www.mchen.etsy.com

b) 2nd entry: leave a comment in this post with a song YOU'D have on your own playlist of songs to howl along to. what song do you love to belt out & sing?

2. please leave each entry as it's own individual comment.

3. i will draw one winner via random.org on tuesday may 26th @ 9pm EST.
please make sure i can contact you thru your comment post.

thanks so much! and happy singing-along-to!

{ps: i'll be drawing the winner of my OTHER giveaway tomorrow (friday) evening..
there's still time to enter that giveaway, too!}

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