electric ph-ursday

here are a couple of photos i took at the ontario science centre a few years back. (they were having a super hero exhibit). (the iceman's hands were actually made of snow).

otters are one of my favourite animals at the zoo

just a wee doodle. new doodles in Hilldebrande's Land too!

if only polygamy were legal...

if polygamy were legal, i would add two new wives to our family:

these disgustingly sexy shoes i bought the other day

...and my disgustingly sexy dog ;)

travel tuesday on wednesday :)

didn't get a chance to write yesterday, so here is a quick glimpse at the next trip i took, which was to mexico and belize...

Chichen Itza (mayan ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula)

Isla Mujeres (the island of women)

Punta Gorda (fat point): the southern most town in Belize

:(

been soooOOOoo busy. missed a whole day of blogging :( no time to post today either, but i promise that there will be a few new posts around 7pm this eve! 

much love,

P.S.A.

welcome to you and the horse you rode in on

[photo from jcosmas.com]
what a luxuriously lovely weekend i just had! i had the privilege of spending some time with great friends and great food in the comforts of a beautiful new home where we toasted the recent engagement of two wonderful human beings; my dog rudy came calling with us, and made a new friend as well; i purchased a pair of shoes that i wish to marry [were i not already married to a wonderful man]; and two very warm and wonderful close friends of ours gave birth to a healthy bouncing baby boy! i am filled with glee! welcome little man whose name i probably shouldn't say without permission! and one further announcement: the first five responses to the prezzie post below have all come in! these five people can email their mailing addresses to me at looseleaftigers@hotmail.com, and expect a homemade sumthin-sumthin in the mail any time between now and december 31st! :D

Lotte Reiniger - paper genius

having written about papercut illustration earlier this week, i thought this to be the perfect video-vendredi to pay tribute to Lotte Reiniger, the great German animator who created more than 70 paper animation films in her lifetime. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) (arguably Reiniger's masterpiece) was the world's first feature-length animated film. However, given that Prince Achmed was made in Germany, and that it wasn't cartoon animation, Walt Disney was quick to snatch that distinction for Snow White, eleven years later. unfortunately, i was unable to find any suitable clips from Prince Achmed today. i did find it available for sale on dvd here, and i highly recommend that you buy, borrow or steal a copy. for you today, i have instead, a short documentary about Lotte's work which gives us a peek at her process; an example of the many advertising films she made (this one for the post office); and Jack and the Beanstalk, one of numerous fairytales that Lotte brought to life. I hope you enjoy these as much as i do!

The Art of Lotte Reiniger (1953-1971)
Uploaded by baraqueafritz

it's a sign.

somewhere in Memphis

mo titi, mo problems (tee hee hee...i'm an idiot.) - somewhere in Vietnam

yikes. somewhere in Kentucky

first 5 people to respond to this post get homemade prezzies!

a fun, fabulous friend of mine put up this awesome note on facebook yesterday, which i responded to, and i wanted to do something similar here at LLT. her note went something like this:

"Oh fun.The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.

- What I create will be just for you.

- It'll be done this year (2009).

- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a mixed CD. It may be a poem. I may draw or paint something. I might bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! And frankly, neither do I."

it went on to say that all you have to do is post the note on your own page and keep it going, but given that not everyone who visits here has a blog, all you have to do is be one of the first five people to respond! just leave a comment on this post and, if you like, tell me something about yourself so's i can tailor your prezzie. (no need to leave your address, i'll let you know where to email that later).

Yipeee! i love makin' stuff!

what the sh*t?!?

strangest creature ever. those two dots above its mouth are nostrils. the big green balls inside his transparent head are his eyes. woah. click here to read more. you wanna.

sublime paper cuts

as soon as my tiny hands could wield a pair of nub-nosed, orange-handled scissors, i was obsessed with cutting things out. for hours at a time i would snip images from old greeting cards and the dusty stacks of my oma’s discarded magazines. tiny things mostly. little cupcakes and puppy dogs, all trimmed with meticulous attention to detail, then carefully pasted into my paddington bear, brown paper scrapbook (which i still have). thirty years later i have not lost my fascination with the paper/scissor arts. i still make collages and cut-outs whenever the mood takes hold, and i am filled with the deepest appreciation for artists who use this medium. here are two of my favourites:

Amy Earles of wool & water is a gifted artist in just about every medium. i adore everything she does, but am particularly enamoured with her jointed paper dolls. amy has a blog, flickr site and etsy shop, all of which are wicked-awesome.

Jayme McGowan's 3D papercut work is so delightful and full of whimsy. the imagery is so romantic, and i feel so compelled to touch each piece. jayme has a marvelous blog, which i follow, as well as a flickr and etsy site.

hump day doodles - new doodles in hilldebrande's land

good morning muffin cups! it feels a bit like friday already but it's only the camel's hump of the week. i felt the need to write that, because three people now have inquired as to what "hump day doodles" means. "is that the day that you guys...do it?", a friend asked. to clarify:

'hump day' refers to wednesday as the middle of the working week; the top of a hill that you need only climb down. though my husband and i have certainly been known to 'do it' on a wednesday whenever we see fit, we most certainly do not do it exclusively on wednesdays, nor does the coming of wednesday require us to do it.

there. so. hump day doodles:

the first 8 pages of Hilldebrande's Land, vol. one are now available. please take a peak and feel free to comment!

xo

the rock pulpit

for today's travel tuesday entry, i'd like to take a wee break from tales of where i've been and turn to where i'd like to go. there are very few places on earth, if any, that i don't wish to see, but this particular morning i'm dreaming of somewhere clean and brisk, with dizzying views. check out this slide show of Preikestolen, Norway. it looks a little crowded for my liking, but it's easy to see why it would be. gorgeous.

Preikestolen En

View more presentations from Bruce .

that'll do, pig.

my husband has often expressed his desire to someday own a pig.
in the house.
i thought it was a cockamamie idea.
until i saw this:

always play with your food

speeking of feeling like a kid again... i want these! now, these are technically for actual toddlers, not six foot tall big-boned adults with too much whimsy on the brain, but how awesome are they?! i am a strong believer in food-play.

loose leaf cows

go on, have a laugh.

t.g.i.video vendredi! i think i'd like schedule some serious laughter this weekend :)

you can always live on mittens and potatoes

look at this magnificent pair of homemade mittens my marvelous friend sent me from Nova Scotia! they're so warm and soft and i love the form of them! they make me feel like Bonhomme!

my Nova Scotian friend also turned me on to a most inspirational tune.  the artist is Old Man Leudeke and this song makes my eyes well and my smile so big it hurts a little.  do listen to the words.  listen to 'em good.

obligatory doggie portraits

i wouldn't be a dutiful dog owner if i didn't use at least one phursday to post some virtually edible portraits of my gorgeous little dog. world, meet Rudy. my husband took the lovely photo above, and the bottom two are mine. don't you just wanna eat her?!

Hilldebrande's Land

this hump day doodles day, as per #1 on my 33 things to do in my 33rd year list, i am happy to announce the unveiling of the Hilldebrande's Land blog!!  the previously self published first volume of my crummy little comic will be posted one page at a time here, followed by the second volume and so on...         

please have a peak :)

i hope you enjoy!