The Postcard Project: Update #1

Good news: 20 of 50 postcards sent already.
The bad news: I just realized that the content of my postcards is rubbish. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I totally fell for quantity over quality. I feel like I never finish anything so when I conceived of this project, I was too eager to get 'er done than to do it right.
Sure, everyone likes getting mail, but I failed to put anything of value on the other side of the majority of these 20 cards (e.g., a meaningful quote, a memory, a personal note of what I appreciate about the recipient, etc.).
So now what?
Well, I have no other option but to harrass these same 20 individuals who have already received cards by resending them new cards with real, meaningful messages. As for the other 30 I have yet to send, I'll start now with being more intentional when I write them.
Why don't you just stop?
Because 1) I have tolerant friends who thus act as passive enablers 2) I have to finish something for once, 3) selfishly, I'm learning something about myself here, even if that something is, so far, mostly unflattering, and 4) despite my 20-card epic fail, I do have some pleasant things I want to share with the people I know/love and it's okay if even the second set postcards end up in people's trash bins with the other junk mail so long as I get a chance to pass on something potentially encouraging.
So keep you eye on the mailbox and don't hesitate to send your mailing address to megschudel@gmail.com if you'd like a card—admit it, you can't resist the ringing endorsement I've given myself in this update...

The Postcard Project

What: The Postcard Project--50 cards in 100 days (deadline June 6)
Who: 50 people I know
Where: All over, even international
Why: Because I've watched Julie & Julia too many times and wanted a project
What else?: Send me your address and you'll get one
meg.m.schudel@gmail.com

Everyday Ordinary

I threw together this graphic because I loved this quote from Woolf, a woman who saw the extraordinary in the most banal of objects and circumstances.

I stumbled upon these photos of what someone did with chain link fences and I wondered what that person had to do to get permission to alter the fences, how much work went into them, was that person hansomely paid? Or did he or she do it for peanuts just to beautify something plain? Regardless, how much time went into these? I don't know the origin or the story behind these but I sort of prefer it that way. It's enough to see that someone took something prohibitive and harsh and wove it into inviting, delicate lace.

Turn On

I didn't know lighthing could be this gorgeous. This is not even remotely Halloween related but I had to share these lovelies from Yellow Goat Design.

Chaos Theory

200 Drop Pendant
...or 100 drop pendant or 150 drop pendant or whatever size you require. The unit pictured is 2400mm in diameter with 200 drops as the name implies. Each drop can vary in length and each drop consists of a 600mm long x 40mm diameter crystal glass tube with a frosted band around the outside (optional) and a bi-pin inside.

Angels & Demons

Besa
12 oval shaped polished metal hoops dripping with crystal strands, each hoop suspended inside and above the other. Finally a shower of 90mm diam solid glass balls containing a 12V bi-pin or LED light source completing the illusion of frozen rain.

Celeste
There is an elegant twist in this combination of long crystal strands. Each is built and weighted to create a deceptively simple helix and is lit by unseen downlights set off to one side.

Fireflies
These beautiful wings in 6mm clear acrylic with edges that glow in the dark are best hung in clusters.

Frills

Salsa

Koolstick Chandelier

Object Orange

I can't take any credit for this whatsoever, I found this on my friend's blog, Jerry. Jerry is a new friend of mine; he's the best tango dancer I've found in Lincoln so far but he only moonlights as that, in real life, he'a an architect with a really cool Web site and blog. Here is a recent post about art students in Detroit who, sick of looking at all the dilapidated houses in the area, decided to paint them bright orange. Find out why by clicking here, I thought it was an awesome story. Thanks Jerry!

Monsters and Post-Its

Oh my, I have found a fabulous new blog. Don Kenn Gallery is a blog by a man who draws monster scenes on post-its. Here's his blurb from the blog:
"born in Denmark 1978. I write and direct television shows for kids. I have a set of twins and not much time for anything. But when i have time i draw monsterdrawings on post-it notes... it is a little window into a different world, made on office supplies."
The only thing that makes me sad is that I've been working on a post-it portfolio for ages and ages and not much has come of it. Also, I have no theme to what I draw on my little 3x3 stickies so I'm very jealous.
Don also did a short film and posted it to Vimeo, please enjoy.

Said the Shark - True Love from Iwave records on Vimeo.

Scintillation

SCINTILLATION from Xavier Chassaing on Vimeo.

One Great Thing Friday

If you haven't seen this video yet, it's time. This makes me pretty emotional, and I typically pride myself on being uninfluenced by trend youtube vids. Enjoy, I think this is immensely creative and quite beautiful. It's an interpretation of Germany's invasion and occupation of Ukraine during WWII.
Also, not that it would matter who created the sand art, but how outrageously gorgeous is the woman performing too?
Shown to me by my good friend Blake, thanks for always sending me inspiration snacks!



The words at the end mean "always near," as in always remembered/close at heart. (Not that I speak Ukranian, but I looked it up.)

Show Me a Day

"Show me a day when the world wasn't new." Sister Barbara Hance (1928-1993)

I stole my aunt's new year's resolution.
"I resolve to be more playful and spontaneous...now that I'm turning X years old, I don't want to lose that," Aunt Sarah said.
Little did she know that this exact sentence would be my new motto for 2010 inserting my age for hers (no, I won't tell you how old she is, suffice it to say that she looks about 30).

Another dear friend, Laura, sent me a very spontaneous Web site in and of itself: stumbleupon.com—I could spend a week "stumbling" upon new Web sites that remind me that, indeed, "everything you can imagine is possible." (Thank you Pablo Picasso.)

Here are some AMAZING things that stumbleupon found for me:

Hilarious

A reminder that we have seen so little of what can be seen in this world

Play

Create (speaking of Picasso...)

Work with what you've got

Beautify (I like the wheelbarrow best.)

Five Great Things Friday

We're going to start a new tradition of "Five Great Things Fridays" where I will divulge five things I think are pretty great. This week, I'm going to share five finds on Etsy.com that have inspired me to be more creative:

1) Cutest robot since Wall-e, his name is Max.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27933524

2) The room is over-the-top, and I'm not sure why there are feather boas trying to escape from under the bed, but I LOVE this canopy bed.

http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/home-and-garden-showcase-on-sale-thursday-july-30-2009-at-12-4450/

3) I enjoy this piece not just for its subject, but because it shows how effective it is to layer different media. It takes one out of the flat canvas mentality and expands the possibilities.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16303672&ref=cat2_gallery_13

3) The artist who did this pillow wants more than $100 for it, but after successfully creating a felt fascinator last week, I have a suspicion that I might be handy with other felt crafts too; I fully intend to try my hand at something similar to what you see here.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27038479

4) Something I cannot and will not attempt but admire nonetheless; these sea urchin bowls are painstakingly handmade and I think they're amazing. In San Diego, we have restaurants that serve cooked sea urchin still in its deep purple spiny shell. I'm going to try some before the year is out.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25644359

5) Finally, my favorite, I would give up chocolate for life to have this chair and ottoman; it's sort of Charles Eames meets Andy Warhol and I'm in love with it.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21902703&ref=sr_gallery_7&&ga_search_query=eames&ga_search_type=category&category=furniture.chair.wood&ga_page=&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title

Have a great weekend!

As anyone reading this knows, I'm a coffee fiend, but if someone were to give me coffee that looked like this, I'd at least pause a moment before ingesting the delicious cuppa (don't hold the foam!).

A lot of us have seen coffee art like this...

...but I found the others to be pretty unique.







These were made using different strength brews like one would use watercolor paints. Can you find the coffee cup in each picture? (If you can't, I'd consider a visit to the optomotrist.




That's all! This is Meg Schudel, bringing you art in all it's unusual forms.

As an aside, I'm reading Rebecca and Screwtape Letters in case you were wondering which summer reads come first.

Meg-o Likes Legos

I used to always play with my brother, Michael's legos. He never minded because I could be trusted to grab 1) the green grass mat, 2) the biggest, longest blocks I could find, and 3) the window pieces that had a plastic hinge (they were my faves). Yes, I would proceed to create the most creative of all lego structures; the four-walled house.
While I made wildly creative, um, pre-fab homes, Michael made fantastic spaceships, shuttles, and starcruisers, usually utilizing all the black pieces I'd thrown over my shoulder b/c they didn't match the plastic daisies on my house's front lawn.


So you can see why I'm totally and utterly in awe of the sheer ingenuity of the following pieces made entirely of lego pieces!



The white Jesus is my favorite, it was recently revealed on Easter day at a Swedish church, it took a little over a year to make and is constructed of all white legos on the exterior, but its interior is made up of thousands of different colored pieces. Way to go Swedes!

I would date one of these guys, but not the blue one, he's a total square.
I'm also loving the Edward Hopper "Nighthawks" diner scene.

I'm dedicating this post to my brother, Mikey.

I Like my Mocha with MoCA

Two weekends ago I treated myself to an afternoon downtown to play at MoCA San Diego (Museum of Contemporary Art). The exhibits varied from genius, to provocative, to utterly laughable. But I adore contemporary art; art is to me as a battery charger is to a cell phone. Though, I admit, my favorite part was the museum store. I get sort of sad when I'm in an museum because I know I can't take my favorite works home with me, but in the museum store, it's art you can buy, keep, and touch without a security guard giving you the stink eye (or an escort out of the facility).

I followed up my excursion with a stop at a fabulously modern coffee shop here called Influx, where I dined on a decadent apple-smoked ham, swiss, and pineapple baguette paired with a mocha.

I encourage you all to go exploring sometime soon, especially a museum as they're always changing and your experience there promises to never be the same twice. Adieu to you!