On this day in 1962 one of my favourite poets, e.e. cummings, died.  To commemorate his life I’ve decided to dedicate this Friday Fancies to his poems. For those of you not familiar with his work this is probably his most famous poems:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

a.  e.e.cummings print b.  Nobody Not Even the Rain has Such Small Hands – Silver Pendant & Necklace c.  Interwine. Sterling Silver Ring and Keychain d.  e.e.cummings silver poem pendant necklace e.  e.e.cummings quote handmade notebook f.  e.e.cummings “I Love You Much” Vinyl Wall Sticker

Today’s image love is for Ben Heine an artist who I found through another artist.  I love the playfulness of these images and the combination of skills it must take to produce them.  These are just four of many that he has made.  If you intrigued by what you see here be sure to click through and check out what else he has on offer.

1. Pencil Vs Camera – 24, 2. Pencil Vs Camera – 12, 3. Pencil Vs Camera – 30, 4. Pencil Vs Camera – 27

This week has been all about the egg.  I thought it might be nice to have a Friday Fancies that show cases some of the wonderful egg-centric items that are out there and available on Etsy.  I hope you enjoy!

a.  Nest, eggs and bird. Handmade Polymer Clay Sculpture.   b.  Translucent Porcelain Egg Votive Soy Candles.   c.  Mr and Mrs Eggs.  d.  I want to keep this one – ACEO Print.  e.  Modern Sterling Silver Egg Ring.  f.  The Golden Egg Myth – Print.  g.  Sterling Silver Birds Nest Necklace with Freshwater Pearls.  h.  Organic Egg Necklace.

I like to daydream about decorating.  I’m weird, I know.  But when I daydream about decorating I like to go and find items that I would include in the room I’m daydreaming about.

A few months back I was daydreaming about what our nursery would look like and so I went hunting for images on Etsy.  I stumbled upon Cabbages & Kings Art and fell in love immediately.

I was over the moon to find out that there was a blog associated with the Etsy store and I rushed over to gobble up all the wonderfulness that is Cabbages & Kings.

Stephanie is the master mind behind this wonderful collection of whimsical images and glimpses into the life of an artist.  Not only does Stephanie share her new designs as she launches them, she also shares from her crafty projects.

One of her latest projects, the scrappy blanket, has inspired me to try and make my own rainbow blanket goodness.  I just love the colour against the white background.  It’s wonderful.

I’ve also been eying off the collection of monster prints that Stephanie recently finished.  I just love them.  They would make a great gift for someone who has children, or as I’m hoping they’ll look wonderful in our nursery.

Stephanie also produces some of my favourite Flickr Faves as part of ArtMind’s Tuesday challenge.  I love seeing how she interrupts the challenge each week.  I’ve especially enjoyed the last few where Stephanie announced her pregnancy.  Yay!

I can’t wait to see more of what Stephanie has to offer, especially as she gets ready for the arrival of her first child.  It’s going to be something amazing to see the evolution over the coming months, not just of her art but of her life.  So get on board now, it’s going to be a wonderful ride!

I’m crushing on stars at the moment, and not the Hollywood kind.  There’s something just whimsical and wonderful about them.  I think it’s because to me they always remind me of fun times, like parties, dressing up or decorating school posters.  Here’s six star items I wouldn’t mind adding to my collection.  Enjoy.

1. Destini Necklace 2. Galileo Gingerbread Necklace 3. Moroccan Star Kitchen Towel in Ruby 4. A Song for Deep Space 5. Twinkle Earrings 6.  Tiny Silver Star Necklace

Today I’ve been given the marvelous pleasure and honour of guest posting over on Maken Art.  It’s my first guest post ever, so I was rather nervous.

Maken Art is run by the uber fabulous Jess.  Jess describes Maken Art as

“… a place to create, try new things and not be afraid (or embarrassed) by the end result. Maken Art is a place to participate in projects and connect with all the wonderfully creative people on the interwebs. So pick up a pencil, get paint on your hands, and start Maken Art!”

Jess and I attended the Problogger Event, but alas didn’t meet.  We did however meet via Twitter just after the event and it turns out that Jess is in Canberra as well and shares so many of the same interests.  Sometimes the internet is such a small and fabulous world!

Anyway, you can check out my guest post here – it’s about my top 8 artist crushes.   Leave me a comment as I’d love to know what you think about the post and whether you found a new artist to love.

A few weeks ago on the drive home I happened to see a fox running along side the road diving in and out of bushes. And ever since then I’ve been obsessed with all things fox.

Unfortunately in Australia foxes are an introduced pest.  However, today’s selection of wonderful from Etsy are not pests and can be safely introduced into your home environment without worry about destroying anything other than your bank balance!

A.  Sleeping Foxes Gocco Print.  B.  Little Red Fox in Silver and Concrete Necklace.  C.  Tiny Fox and Forrest Stud.  D.  Little Fox with Leather Cord. E.  Fox Field Bag.  F.  Rose Print.  G.  Nikoart Arctic Fox Necklace.  H.  Girl in Blue Cardi with Fox Print.

I love it when a little bit of web surfing yields something amazing.  To announce the birth of his son Ty Mattson of Mattson Creative designed the most amazing birth announcement. In his own words:

When I found out that we were going to have a boy, I started to think about my own childhood and all of the things I loved when I was a kid. So I wanted to design an announcement that celebrated those things and captured that particular idea of boyhood wonder and adventure. I created this illustration and worked with the incredible team at Studio on Fire to have it letterpressed on 220lb. Lettra paper. They did a fantastic job on the printing. It really turned out great. I think it’s safe to say that this is my favorite project of all time. And definitely my favorite client.

Here is just a sample of the birth announcement, if you want to see more (and you do) check out the Mattson Creative Blog.

Image source: Mattson Creative

I have been following Suzanne’s blog, an open [sketch]book, for over a year now and every time I visit I’m in awe of the wonderful talent and amazing outlook on life.  Not to mention Suzanne understands the love of a good beagle.

Image source: an open [sketch]book

Suzanne shares her art, which draws (no pun intended) on the everyday items in her world.  She has such a simple aesthetic that belies the inherent skill needed to be an artist.

Image source: an open [sketch]book

I would love one day to be able to purchase some of Suzanne’s art for our house.  I would love to see a greeting card line that featured Suzanne’s work.  It would be wonderful for any occasion!  But until that day I’ll just have to content myself with enjoying her work and life via an open [sketch]book!

Today’s a stealth Friday Fancies.  It’s all about ninja’s.  Sometimes I’m sure my HUBBY thinks he’s a ninja and I’m convinced our beagle has some ninja training when it comes to stealing food.  Regardless, these ninja inspired items made me smile and I’m sure would bring enjoyment to anyone lucky enough to receive one as a gift.

1.  Chihi Warrior (Little Ninja) Crane Poster & Chibi Warrior (Little Ninja) Training Poster 2.  Amigurumi Ninja 3.  Ninja Bunnies Tote Bag 4.  I heart ninjas 2pc magnet set.  5.  Customizable Wedding Ninjas Kokeshi Doll Set.