Inspire me NOW! – Tina Kraus

Drop what you’re doing. Right now. Just drop it. You HAVE to visit Tina Kraus’s blog and site, at this very minute. I promise you, it’s going to take your breath away!

Tina is a super talented (and really nice!) young German paper artist. She creates delicate and beautiful pop-ups, paper cuts and illustrations. I love them all, I think she’s a star.

Do yourself a huge favor and take a stroll in Tina’s wonderland:

faltmanufaktur Site

faltmanufaktur Blog

If you’re not German speaking, worry not! She usually writes in English as well (just scroll down), and her site is definitely google-translation worthy.
Enjoy!

ShirA

Inspire me NOW! – Katie Shafer (guest blogger!)

Hi there! How’s your week been so far?

Before we begin, I have to give you some background. As I search for new inspiration on the web every day, I come across many bloggers who push the limit and create paper wonders. I love finding craft wizards and artists with magic at their fingertips, and if it’s really good – I make sure to share it with you!

A while ago I came across Katie Shafer’s blog – “Scissors, glue & paper happiness”. It’s a straight-forward blog, showcasing Katie’s wonderful talent with a an x-acto knife and a pair of scissors, transforming simple cardstock into illustrations, perfect miniatures and beautiful cards. Since I first contacted her we’ve been writing each other (and enjoying each other’s blogs), she is really sweet!

I asked her to write a little about herself and her work, and she kindly accepted! Only… that was 6 (!!!) months ago, and I’m only publishing it now… shame on me, seriously.

So, without further ado, here is Katie Shafer, telling us in her own words about her work, her background and where she finds inspiration:

“Most of the time I get my inspiration from others. Their lives. Their memories. Their Stories. It is a rewarding experience to make a card or a piece of artwork for someone and have it relate to them so personally. The best part about starting a blog has been sharing the background to the fun (and sometimes sad) reasons for the art.

I have only taken one art class which happened to be way back in high school. We never worked on any paper related projects (or ever allowed near a set of X-acto knives) but through other mediums I uncovered my confidence as an artist. Throughout my life many of my family members, friends and teachers have received many forms of my paper beginnings and I have to thank them for graciously accepting and complimenting work that was probably less than impressive. I am very picky about my work now, and can if I think an eyeball is not round enough or a whisker is not thin enough, you can be sure that will l cut and slice until I get it just right (a time when the gift patience and focus is greatly appreciated).

My full time job does not include any arts and crafts, so I spend my sparse free time cutting paper and creating designs. I am grateful to have discovered my skill for this artform and use it as both a reliever of stress and (for now) a hobby. My style, ability and techniques have changed over time and I can’t wait to watch my work evolve as I learn new things and find new inspirations! I am currently working on my first wedding save the date, so stay tuned for more paper projects on my blog: katieashafer.wordpress.com.

Cheers!
Katie”

Thank you very much for sharing, Katie! I totally owe you one 😉
ShirA

Inspire me NOW! – Helen Musselwhite

Happy Saturday everybody!

For those of you that celebrate Christmas, I wish you a wonderful holiday, I hope it’s really festive and exciting wherever you are!

I would like to introduce a very talented artist. Her name is Helen Musselwhite and she creates the most magical, gorgeous, delicate and moving scenes with paper. The layers of hand-cut paper are laid in box frames to create depth and drama. I love the woodland works, it makes you feel as if you’re peeking through a dense, mystical forest. You also HAVE TO check the Glass Domes! So beautiful.

Most recommended! Check out Helen’s site here.

Happy holidays!

ShirA

Inspire me NOW! – Zim and Zou

Ok, be ready to be blown away!!!

The amazing artists at Zim and Zou create the most brilliant paper art. Their work is so detailed and creative, it’s unbelievable!

It’s all paper, but it’s pure magic. Be sure to check out their work and get inspired at: zimandzou.fr

ShirA

Inspire me NOW! – Pattern Matters

I came across “Pattern Matters“ almost by accident, and I gotta tell you – it was an instant crush! This crazy and innovative project is based on an interesting manifest, but even if you’re not into reading the theory, you got to admit – it’s super cool! The amazing calendar and awesome 3D posters are the result of brilliant minds and great talent.

So check it out at:

www.pattern-matters.com

ShirA

Inspire me NOW! – A Little Hut

Hello everybody!

I have to tell you about this lovely blog I visit quite often – A Little Hut. The owner of this creative blog is Patricia Zapata, a graphic designer, crafter and writer. She has a clean, chic style, a sensitive eye and imaginative mind. Her work is simply beautiful. There are plenty of cool tutorials and lots of ideas. There is a strong emphasis on recycling throughout her site, which is refreshing in our consuming, big-spenders modern scrapping community.

These days she’s doing a lot of cutter-machine creations and experiments, which made me wish I had one myself…

Check out Patricia’s blog:
alittlehut.blogspot.com

She also has an on-line store, where you can purchase hand made designs as well as original cutting files (if you’re lucky and you own a cutting machine):
alittlehut.com

Have a nice week!

ShirA

Inspire me NOW! – Luxirare

This product just blew my mind! I love it! The idea is absolutely awesome – edible crayons, a (supposedly) healthy and tasty colorful kid’s toy! I love it when things are being taken out of context in a bright, humorous way.

I found this great pack of joy at the Luxirare site, check it out.

Hope I made you smile!
ShirA

Stylish!

Well… we’re back from New Zealand, still confused and uneasy at times, and a little bit jet-lagged… Checking my e-mail when I arrived home from the airport, I was happy and surprised to be invited to Adiya’s blog, where I was nominated one of the 8 most stylish blogs on her list! Such a treat!

The deal is as follows: each blogger that was chosen, also nominates his/her 8 most stylish blogs (scrapbook or scrapping related blogs), and tells 8 things about him/her that the blog readers don’t know yet. It’s a bit like chain letters- if you were chosen, you pass it forward and nominate blogs of your choice, preferably ones that weren’t picked before.
I have to say that a lot of the blogs I love here in Israel were already introduced, so I’m going to name both Israeli and international blogs. I hope that the bloggers mentioned below will join in this fun opportunity to be exposed and discover new creative blogs!

This is my 8 stylish list, starting with the Israeli blogs:

* Hagit’s blog – Gam veGam veGam

* Anat’s blog – Anat Bentov Designs

* Keren’s blog – Parparim

* Elizabeth’s blog – Dear Lizzy

* Mary Jo’s blog – Beauty Lies Within

* Jessica’s blog – How About Orange

* Ronda’s blog – Help Me Ronda

* Karen’s blog – Karenika

And as for the 8 things readers don’t know about me… Hmmm… Hard to pick…

1. I’m very fond of summer shoes, with very high heels and sexy straps. I have lots them. Nevertheless, I eventually spend all summer in my worn, rubber flip-flops. Seriously, I wear them all the time…

2. I tend to sing the second voice or background vocals when listening to songs on the radio, specially in the car. My husband thinks it’s funny and weird.

3. I love robots. They’re awesome. I own a few, drawn a few and even ate some.

4. I take TV shows and movies way too seriously. I KNOW it’s just acting, yet I get sick to my stomach in very violent scenes, anxious in thrillers and lost, well, in LOST… It came to a point we can’t watch certain shows or movies just before going to bed, because I get so energetic or stressed- I can’t fall asleep (and as a result- neither can Ari).

5. I collect PEZ dispensers. I don’t display them at home in any way, but I always have plans of doing so…

6. I’m seriously scared of zombies. Vampires and werewolves are fine, but I just can’t go past the whole I’m-a-living-dead-brain-eater thing.

7. I illustrated an anatomy book written by Maayan Rivkes Spectorman, called “Anatomy – A voyage to the discovery of the human body” (published by the Tel Aviv University). I learned a lot in the process and was very proud of the finished result.

8. I remember almost all of my dreams in detail when I wake up, they are so vivid that sometimes it takes me over an hour to shake them off. In other words, if I dreamed that my husband did something that upset me, I would be pretty grumpy and bitchy towards him the next morning…

That’s it, folks!
ShirA

Inspire me NOW! – Paper Donut

Another post from across the sea… New Zealand rocks! I love it here.

You just have to check out the Paper Donut site. I love their creative minds and flawless execution. The Curious Breakfast is one of those exiting projects, it made me so happy- I thought it’ll be only fair to share it with you guys. These paper made food products are so well made and so awesome, I wouldn’t mind having such a breakfast myself…

Enjoy!
ShirA

Inspire me NOW!

It’s going to be a CRAZY week for me, lots of work and very little time for crafting my day away… Sooo, there will be no fun card today, instead – another inspirational and creative site for you:

This week’s artist is Yulia Brodskaya. She creates magical swirly paper-graphics, that tricks the eye (and the heart).
At her site you can admire her beautiful illustrations, typography and more: www.artyjulya.com

ShirA