Thursday, August 21, 2014

Metalwork Class


Recently my Aunt Leigh and I went to a metalworking class and got to make a bracelet and earrings.  It was pretty fun and we got some interesting jewelry out of it. 


Throughout the class we learned things such as how to use rivets, eyelets, metal stamps, and how to work-harden copper.


There were quite a few steps involved in the process and just about as many tools to use!


The building the class was held in was really neat as well.  It was an old screw factory that has been converted into artist shops and businesses offices. 


Here are a couple shots of my finished pieces:




I think I like the way they turned out, I can't wait to wear them.  I had a good time hanging out with my aunt (as usual) and I felt like I learned a few things.  If nothing else I got two pretty cool pieces of jewelry out of it!
(thank you Aunt Leigh for taking the pictures of me working :)

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Ann Arbor: Round 2


On our second day of the craft fair there was still tons to explore. The first thing we saw that caught my eye was this alley that was completely covered in graffiti.



It was really fascinating to look at all of the different quotes and drawings that people have put up over the years.


My Aunt Leigh and I both added our own small quotes to the walls, it was fun to contribute to the chaos.


It was interesting to see the unkempt street art on the sides of the buildings and then go back to the main road where everything looked orderly and structured.


There were quite a few street performers as we walked around.  We saw some that were there the day before and we ran into some new ones that we hadn't seen yet.  My favorite was the two photos above.  This random couple on the street started dancing to the guys singing and I just thought that was so spontaneous and fun to see.  They were actually really good dancers!  I wondered if they took classes together or something.



After we were done at the fair we stopped in at Zimmerman's, the best bread bakery in Ann Arbor, and got some great sour dough bread as well as a few pretzel rolls.



It was a fantastic weekend and I'm so glad I got to spend time with some of the awesome women in my family. Not to mention seeing all of the art was fun and I really enjoyed walking around Ann Arbor.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Ann Arbor Art Fair: Round 1


A couple of weeks ago my mom, my Aunt Leigh and I went to see my Aunt Melodie in Ann Arbor.  While we were there we got to go to the Ann Arbor Art Fair. 


This is Melodie's adorable Whipit Sam.



There's a lot of neat architecture in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


For lunch the first day we had some great pizza.



I got to talk to a few of the artists and this one let me look at all of his oil pastels.  He told me all about how he takes his pastels everywhere, to the beach, woods, and meadows.  He likes having them all travel ready in a convenient case.


There was a lot of fun street art as well throughout the festival.


A lot of the buildings were covered in vines and moss, I think it looks neat how nature can coincide with buildings in that way.


These are three of my favorite women in the world. My mom, my Aunt Melodie, and my Aunt Leigh.




One time when my Aunt Leigh and I were taking a break from all the art we met an artist who was feeding a squirrel.  He had been feeding the squirrels with nuts all week so the squirrel was pretty okay with coming up to people to be fed which meant I got the chance to feed a squirrel! It was very cute and surprisingly tame.




There were lots of jewelry vendors as well as painters and sculptors and practically every other kind of artist you could imagine.




All of the plants and flowers were in bloom at the time and it was so nice to see the world in color.


There were also quite a few street performers around the fair.  This one let me take a picture of him playing his guitar, his name was Mike.


The streets looked cool when all the lights were turned on and the fair was shutting down.


Overall the first day of the art fair was wonderful and I'm glad I got to go.
I'll make another post about the second day of the fair in the very near future so keep your eyes open for that. And if you haven't yet, go sign up to get email alerts every time I make a post so you can't miss any of the fun!