Here’s a little “Uptown Funk” to jazz up your otherwise dreadful time on the treadmill.
Wonder if we could add this into the CrossFit rotation next week?!… if nothing else, purely
for entertainment value as I can’t do much more than go forward without falling off!!!

Click here for the video by Carson Dean on YouTube.

And no, just for the record, I will NOT be adding this to my workout routine.
But in case you missed it the first time…
Click here for the video by Carson Dean on YouTube.

If you respect the Original, the Personal, the Authentic – You are a CITIZEN too.
Declare yourself… and tell everyone “I AM NOT A LEMMING.”

Click here for more information about “Citizens of Craft.”
A website & group, both under construction…. growing, evolving & becoming
a community of Citizens! Are YOU a lemming or a Citizen of Craft?!

For those who want a quick glimpse, here is their simple 10-point manifesto…
of course their website if more fun & visually-inspiring, so go there. But if not…

#1 – YOU ARE NOT A LEMMING.
You’re not a follower; you trust your own tastes and live by them.\

#2 – WE VALUE THE UNIQUE & ENDURING.
As an authentic human being, you appreciate things that don’t scream assembly line.

#3 – OBJECTS SHOULD INHABIT, NOT INTRUDE.
You believe objects with personal, tactile histories engage with your world better than the anonymously mass-produced.

#4 – YOU ARE NOT AUTOMATED, MANUFACTURED, OR CLONED.
You weren’t made in a factory, so you prefer not to bury your life with things that are.

#5 – YOU BELIEVE IN 10-DIGIT TECHNOLOGY.
You connect more strongly with things made by a pair of hands – the original 10-digit machine.

#6 – ONE SIZE SHOULD NOT FIT ALL.
You prefer objects that mirror your individual taste, rather than fit some monster demographic.

#7 – NOTHING IS NEWER THAN TRADITION.
You are as much a fan of time-honored techniques as you are of their contemporary interpretations.

#8 – COOKIE CUTTER DOESN’T CUT IT.
In a me-too world, you appreciate that Craft brings different cultures and perspectives into your space.

#9 – VASES ARE PEOPLE TOO.
Craft objects evoke their makers, letting you surround yourself with not just things, but personalities.

#10 – WHILE WE ALL MARCH TO DIFFERENT DRUMS, WE MOVE TOGETHER.
You value how each maker’s unique expression bonds us as a richer community.

Please click here for their website. Declare yourself a Citizen.
Appreciate, engage & encourage the Arts. Whether making art yourself,
patronizing the Arts or encouraging your favorite Artists to follow their passion.
Be Original. Be Personal. Be Authentic.

Be a Citizen of Craft.

So what’s better than one ping-pong ball and one mousetrap?…

More than two thousand of each!!!… all cocked, lined up and ready to go…

Now everyone’s gotta love a good chain reaction.
And when one ball hits one mousetrap… pure entertainment pursues.

As seen on ViralNova.com…
Ahead of the 2014 New Year’s Eve celebrations, Pepsi Max helps its fans get in the party mood with a vibrant video that brings to life the sentiment of the social season. Instead of the traditional fireworks, Pepsi Max created its own explosion of colour using 2,014 mousetraps and 2,015 Ping-Pong balls to set off a spectacular and mesmerising chain reaction.

Okay. Sure it ends up being a commercial plug endorsement.
But it’s pretty cool nonetheless. Here’s a little “hint” of the fun to come…

Click here to see the full video on YouTube.

Good to know that the LEGO Company was so forward thinking way back in 1973.
Encouraging kids to make whatever they want. To become whatever they want.
Such a wonderful message to share this holiday season. Let kids be kids.
Give them the toys. Give them the tools. To make, and be, whatever they desire.

Yes, this was indeed the “instruction sheet” that came with LEGO blocks back in 1973.
Now if more Companies could just catch up…

One of my Holiday Elves at the “glitter gig” brought in a bag of pears from her Uncle’s house. Apparently, his tree is producing a bumper crop so she brought some in to share. Of course the one I pull out has a face. Go figure… kinda hard to eat your food when it’s looking back at you!!!

Okay, so there’s been some talk about Ghouls of late.
Yes, I’ve been in the studio making this year’s addition to the holiday collection.
Said “Ghoul” is currently in the kiln trying to be fired for the second time. The “plan” is to debut the new Ghoul here once I know that the kiln actually worked. Here are the characters currently in the “Ghouls Collection” from previous years. There is a VERY limited quantity of some of these left before the get “retired.”

If my kiln ever gets fired, the newest addition will debut at “Art In The Barn”
and be first come, first served. No dibs. No saves.

“Can we talk?”…

Another comedian gone too soon.
Another sad day with the passing of comedy legend Joan Rivers.

She was one of my favorite comedians. Always telling it like it is.
I’m pretty sure I wore out my cassette tape of “What Becomes A Semi-Legend Most.”

From her early days of stand-up, to hosting “The Tonight Show”, to one of my favorite guilty-pleasures “Fashion Police.” With a sharp tongue, a quick wit and an infectious laugh, she could always make me smile. Whether making fun of a celebrity, politicians or herself, Joan could always make it real – and would always say what your were already thinking!!!

•  “I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I’d look like without plastic surgery.”

•  “I hate housework. You make the beds, you do the dishes, and six months later, you have to start all over again.”

• “I was born in 1962 … and the room next to me was 1963.”

•  “I have no sex appeal. If my husband didn’t toss and turn, we’d never have had the kid.”

•  “I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die, they will donate my body to Tupperware.”

•  “A study says owning a dog makes you 10 years younger. My first thought was to rescue two more, but I don’t want to go through menopause again.”

•  “Half of all marriages end in divorce – and then there are the really unhappy ones.”

•  “My breasts are so low, now I can have a mammogram and a pedicure at the same time.”

•  “Don’t tell your kids you had an easy birth or they won’t respect you. For years I used to wake up my daughter and say, ‘Melissa, you ripped me to shreds. Now go back to sleep.”

•  “I was dating a transvestite, and my mother said, “Marry him, you’ll double your wardrobe.'”

•  “At my funeral, I want Meryl Streep crying in five different accents.”

We will miss her dearly…
and no matter what people say, she looked pretty darn good for eighty-one!!!
She should. She paid enough for it.

For those who need a little more Joan…
check out the documentary about her life & comedy “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.”
It’s a wonderful look into her world, her dedication to her craft and so much more.

Okay, so I couldn’t wait any more…
I was trying to get all of “my” work done before I opened up the bin of Cory’s collaboration pieces that she gave me last night. But temptation got the best of me… and YOU get another sneak peek too…

That’s my Cory… she’s a “sly” one…

And another hint into what she’s been working on for “Art In The Garden.” Mark your calendars for the last weekend of August to stop by in Glenview to see our Limited Edition collaboration come together!!!