The Bowerbird is an intriguing creature, and it’s nest even more so. The male birds of this species have a passion for collecting, and build extravagant nests or “bowers” to attract females. Some bowerbirds especially like the color blue, so their nests contain various modern day treasures like straws and soda bottle caps and other colorful “trash.” Other birds collect berries, nuts, shells, colorful leaves, and more.
Collection of white shells
I first learned about the bowerbird several years back, when I saw a fashion spread in Zink magazine that featured the work of this master collector bird. I’ve been hunting for those images recently, but alas they must be long gone. I thought the concept of the bower’s decor was fitting for Ladybird’s Nest inspiration, as I personally love to see the beauty and creative potential in discarded bits of color and texture. If you want to see more, watch the video below to see a bowerbird in the middle of building his nest.
I just happened to be browsing etsy and noticed the term “steampunk” used in several descriptions. As I had never heard of this before, I was intrigued by my subsequent google search…..I found some interesting videos and images of people who create works of art that fall into this genre….sort of a Victorian-era translation/interpretation of modern day technogarb.
(From Wired.com)
Here is a great video about a guy who makes Victorian-looking modern day computers:
Peak into a Steampunk Workshop
Today was a most productive and creative snow day.
I’m very pleased with myself at the moment. I just finished making myself a new shirt, which turned out to be very cute, as well as fit great! The best part is, I used materials that I’ve been collecting for years but not using for anything. I love it when projects evolve, like when I got the basic shirt together and then decided I needed some trim…..to find the perfect colored trim in my scrap box in just enough length…down to the inch!! Then I needed 3 buttons…of which I found on an old button card in one of my button jars (3 matching buttons can be hard to come by in my collection of odd, old buttons!)
So there you have it. I’ve been determined to start making stuff on a more regular basis, especially since I have been such a collector for years and have plenty of materials to work with! I have also decided that blogging is going to be one of my creative outlets…this is my first ever post and I can’t wait to figure this all out and start uploading pictures and such (which means I need a new camera more than ever!!)
Now….I’ve got a ton of paper scraps just waiting for a collage session….maybe that will be my next project.
