Artist: alleluja

Gah, these tiny porcelain pin cushions and kitty yarn spools are amazing! They are by alleluja (etsy store and flickr). I absolutely love how quirky and cute they are. The minty green glaze is gorgeous and the tiny bit of needlefelted wool adds just the right pop of color. My fav is the little badger in the last pic, but you just gotta love those kitty spools!

Artist: Felicia Piacentino of Catwalk Paper Works

I'm loving these collages by Felicia Piacentino of Catwalk Paper Works. Felicia's collages are created from vintage and everyday paper ephemera. Every piece is one of a kind and each one is gorgeous! See more in Felicia's etsy store and flickr.

More pics from Foot in the Door 4

This weekend I went back to the Foot in the Door 4 show with my friends. It was great, no lines, and we actually could see the work. Above are our entries and a tiny selection of others that I liked. There was so much work in the show that it was completely overwhelming! There were three whole rooms full of art like in the bottom pic.
My friend's art:
pic 1 - my kitty
pic 2 - Peter's skull painting
pic 3 - Chrysa's foxy painting
pic 4 - Kent's landscape photo
pic 5 - Jon's legs photo
pic 6-10 more of my favs!

Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Foot in the Door 4

Yesterday evening a few of my artist friends and I went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts "Foot in the Door 4" once every decade show. Anyone from Minnesota could submit a piece as long as it fit within a 12"x12"x12" box. And it sure seemed that all 5,000 or so people that submitted a piece were there. It was craziness. You had to wait in line for hours just to get in the gallery spaces. We decided that we weren't going to wait and would just go to the show later in the week when we could enjoy it without all the people (I'll share better pics of the show then). But we did manage to find a couple of our pieces just from peaking in which I thought was a pretty impressive feat. In the second pic, the arrow is pointing to my friend Peter's painting and in the third pic, you can see my fuzzy kitty sitting on the table! So all in all, even though we didn't get to go in all the way, it was still a fun experience. Afterwords we went and had margaritas and talked about capivaras (last pic). Yeah, don't ask.

Artist: Colin's Creatures

Gah! These are so darling! These sculptures by Colin's Creatures are made out of porcelain, cast stone and wool. How cute would that last guy be sitting by my computer? VERY! See more in the Colin's Creatures Etsy store.

Artist: Lilla Jizo

When I was little I would walk around outside for hours looking for the perfect rock to paint into an animal. It had to be just right and when I found it I knew it just had to be an owl or a squirrel. Because of that, I feel like I have a real connection to these pieces by Lilla Jizo. They are made out of Scottish pottery that was washed up by the ocean and then made into these lovely pieces of art with acrylic and charcoal. Of course I love the kitty, but that little girl with the flower is calling me too. To find out more about these works and how they were created check out the Lilla Jizo blog and Etsy store. And next time I visit my parents I'll see if I can find some of the rocks I painted when I was little to share with all y'all.

Artist: Erin of Coco Boudoir

Look at these accessories by Erin of Coco Boudoir. They are pieces of art for sure. I love her fabric roses with all the pearls, and gorgeous color combinations. Check out more lovelies in the Coco Boudoir Etsy store.

Artist: Amanda Wachob

I have tattoos on the brain again people! I don't have any of my own, but it's still on my "do before I die" list. I I have a feeling that I may be giving the wonderful Amanda Wachob a call sometime. Her tattoos are so painterly and unique. I haven't seen anything like them before. To check out more of Amanda's tattoo work, click here. And to view her painting portfolio, click here.

Artist: Tashera's Niche

Tashera of Tashera's Niche makes the most lovely wooden art ornaments out of vintage cards and ephemera. Each one is one of a kind and equally darling. I would love to fill an entire wall with Tashera's ornaments, or maybe next year's Christmas tree! See more in the Tashera's Niche Etsy store.

Artist: Dahlia House Art Studio

I've been busy making new product for the No Coast Craft-o-Rama and all I can think about is Christmas Christmas Christmas! So in the spirit of Christmas I'll share these gorgeous cards today that I saw on Etsy. They are by Dahlia House Art Studio and are actually manipulated photographs. Don't they look like paintings! I (of course) adore the two with kitties in it. See tons more artwork in the Dahlia House Art Studio Etsy store.