Red Hen Studios: May 2010

5.30.2010

Fostering creativity

Bet you are wondering why I am showing you

a bunch of stuffed animals, aren't you?

They are "The Gaggles" comprised of
Whitester, Pinkster, Bluester and Snowman.
The guy in the middle is their manager.
His name is Cotton Candy, the bunny.

(The names may not be so creative,
but, heck, we had Blackie and Snowball
our pet rabbits when I was a kid.)

If you have young children,
you probably know about Webkinz,
the genius marketing idea that gives
stuffed animals their own online presence.

My boys often play with the stuffed animals
offline too - hence "The Gaggles."
The four critters that make up this band
could be described as platypus-like
but are called googles, like the search engine.

Get it? A gaggle of googles, kind of like geese!
That is where my boys' creativity starts.
They are writing songs, creating staging
and bringing them on a world tour
via a large metal toy tractor trailer.

Look for them at a venue near you.

5.27.2010

Working in the yard

These are tiny Siberian irises

tucked into a far corner of our backyard.

I "borrowed" from my Etsy store.

Mini milk bottles and apothecary jars

and a poppyware plate are great

for coleus and euonymus cuttings.

All of the bearded irises that came up after

this first big bloom were much smaller and paler.
Love them with sprinkler drops!

Our veggie garden is still in shambles

but for now I am enjoying how much

the store-bought strawberry plants have spread.

5.26.2010

Thrifting neckties

When I find vintage neckties while out thrifting

I can tell when they once belonged to the same man.

It is easy to pair them up by color for my necktie scarves.

This photo doesn't show how well these ones coordinate.
I'll be adding to the ones listed on Etsy already
plus making scarves from these ones and others for a friend.