The Elephant in the room

Been working on this painting for a couple days. I don't think it's done yet but I like the direction it's going in. When I paint it either takes me a couple hours or a couple weeks. I always end up having to sit back and look at it for a while. Well anyway.

ENJOY!

Tiny Chair

So since I've been a little slow with the posts recently, when I came across this book I decided I had to buy it. It has lovely little prompts to draw from each day so that I wont have an excuse not to be inspired :)

Today it mentioned making something that can fit into the palm of your hand, so I made this, a tiny chair. Made from masking tape and acrylic paint.

ENJOY!

Family Photo

I got to see my wonderful family this week for Thanksgiving. Me and my sister Bonnie both live in Chicago and so the 5 other people in our family flew and drove in to be with us! My mom was awesome enough to give me one of her sewing machines for future project and my "soon-to-be-brother-in-law"Guillaume had an extra camera laying around that he so graciously donated to my cause. So I have more tools to execute my creative schemings. I'm so thankful for them.

Here's a little peep into my family's process of taking a Family Photo.

Family Photo from Leigh Culbertson on Vimeo.

Enjoy!

Doodles, Muffins and Chocolate Cat Tongues.

So while I didn't make this, I did pick it up from Gene's Sausage Shop on Lincoln Square today, a place that sells lot's of German candies. This, to me, was hilarious. The words on the packaging are all in German and there are KITTENS on it with what looks to me like kitty poo. I couldn't resist, I had to buy it if only to get a couple giggles out of Ryan and any others that visit my home. Upon further investigation they seem to be "kitten tongues" or "Katzenzungen".

Enjoy THAT!

I have this coloring/doodling book by Taro Gomi (author of Everybody Poops, The Gas We Pass etc.) It has little doodles on some pages with instructions. This one was "Give them arms and legs and pretend they're having a battle". Childish and fun.

ENJOY!

Adam has a lot of different kinds of blocks and I was bored during his nap. It was fun cuz it was kind of like solving a puzzle since there were only so many blocks in each color category... Seriously a puzzle. I feel like I could get even more creative with all the block opportunities Adam's house provides. Also childish and fun.

ENJOY!

Me and Adam made Banana Muffins since the Yue's had a couple banana's that were on their last leg. They were yummy. Me and Adam ate a couple...

ENJOY!

Little Leigh and Grace in the Sandbox

This is a painting I've been working on from some time. I actually started it while living in Ohio about 2 years ago and when I moved back to Chicago I ended up leaving it there unfinished. I finally brought it back on a recent trip home and started working on it again. I wouldn't say it's finished but this is what's been done so far.

Enjoy!

P.S. I apologize for the crappy images, I'm stuck using only the camera on my phone. The Chords for my digital camera have gone missing. Also, if anyone has a DSLR they want me to have let me know hahaha ;)

My Big Face

My Big Face from Leigh Culbertson on Vimeo.

Sorry it's been a couple days since I "made" anything to put on here. I've been sick and lazy. Here's something I made today after looking in the mirror while "waking up my face".

Enjoy!

Dinner

So I recently learned how to make really awesome breading. I recently used it on pork chops but tonight I breaded and fried up some chicken breasts for Ryan and I's dinner tonight.

Fried Chicken Breasts with bacon, spinach, Colby cheese, and a fried egg with a side of yellow squash and green beans sauteed in butter and garlic, yummmmm.

As requested by my sister, the breading recipe.

Planko Bread crumbs (I added a little sour cream and chedder potatoe chip crumbs as well)

egg

flour

spices

Oil

In one bowl mix you're flour and spices

In another beat your egg(s)

In yet another put your bread crumb mix

In a pan heat up your frying oil

Take your meat of choice and cover it best you can in your flour and spice mixture, Then on to the egg bowl where you cover it with egg then on to your bread crumbs where you cover it completely. Put the breaded meat into your oil over med/low heat making sure half of it is submerged, wait till the breading is a nice brown color than flip until the other side is done. If you find that the middle is still pink but the breading is to a crisp toss it in the oven for a few minutes on *350.

Any questions?

Enjoy!

Ziggy Played the Guitar.

Ok, so basically it's the same outfit as Buddy Holly only with different, pants, hair and subtract the glasses and add the make up. But I figured it's pretty f-ing awesome given that I thought of it the day of Halloween.

Leigh - "Now, if only I didn't have these boobs".

Ryan - "Please don't say stuff like that".

I love androgyny, it's usually something I strive for in my style, so it's nice to be able to go full blown on Halloween weekend. That being said I find myself to be very feminine, just walk into our apartment and you'll agree, not to mention the pedicures and Manicures I get every Month and the sweet smelling everything everywhere. But there is something to be said about feeling "Dapper" a word most women don't get to utter about themselves.

So in the spirit of Halloween and Two Dapper Gents that I greatly admire for their style and music, I will proudly dress up like a gent :)

oo ee oo I look just like Buddy Holly

Kind of.... There's only so much you can do with your own wardrobe and a timed 3 second camera. But yeah!

Enjoy!

Bubblegum Wrapper Chain

Ok, so I made it out of Magazine strips, but you get the idea. I've wanted to learn how to make one of these since high school, but for some reason never did. Thanks to www.ehow.com. I now have a new thing to occupy my hands on my commutes to and from work!

Enjoy!

The Sketchbook Project

I got my Notebook in the mail today. I signed up to participate in this project last week after mulling over the decision for a week or so. I got my very talented older sister Grace to do it too. When I finish my sketchbook and send it in in January it will be part of a tour (coming to a city near you) where people can come and flip through note books done by artists, bloggers, mothers and their children and everyone in between. When it's a part of the tour I'll get e-mails and text messages letting me know that some one has flipped though it. Pretty cool huh. Not to mention it'll be digitally cataloged into the Brooklyn Library website so people all over the world can view it for years to come.

I got to pick a theme and now I can't wait to dive in and get to sketching!...although I can't decide if I should just start sketching or really think about what kind of creation I want to make with in the confines of this sketchbook...hmmm.

You can still sign up here until October 31st. Join me!

Clothing Swap!

This isn't so much something I Made today as something I've been planning for a while and was executed with grace yesterday.

Me and a good handful of my girlfriends had a clothing swap held at mi casa! It was great fun, everyone brought some very fashionable items and everyone went home with a good amount of fabulous new loot for their closets! There was wine and cheese and a strange looking cat and so many hilarious stories that were told. I plan on doing this again after the holidays, so ladies wait until my signal before doing your post Christmas loot purging!

Enjoy!

(Splendiferous photos courtesy of Darcie Young http://darcieyoung.blogspot.com/ )

My Bed

Yes, I made my bed.

I'm putting this up here because I'm behind in my posting because I've been cleaning and organizing for the past couple days to get ready for the clothing swap I'm holding at my apartment tomorrow. I'm Stoked. And my cat looks so cute curled up on the bed.

Enjoy!

Talking Bird

The large roll of Cork I had was not staying up well, and not wanting to nail anything else to my wall I decided to cut it down and tap it up. So far it's working!

Enjoy!

Newspaper cube.

I had a busy day away from my computer yesterday so I couldn't get to this until now :)

But it is a structure I built for Adam out of rolled up newspaper. He put a lot of stickers on it and used many a tool to "fix" it. I tried to introduce the concept of using it as a fort and putting a blanket over it, but he would have none of it. The main purpose of this make is to get his imagination gears going. I hope that's what I accomplished :) I actually plan on adding to it (if the Yue's don't toss it) and make it more elaborate with Red Eye's and Readers that I bring home.

Since when I Nanny I'm with Adam for approx. 12 hours during the day, whatever I make that day most likely will have to do with him some how. Recent developments see that I am only with him twice a week now so that will be less so.

Apple Cookie

I made a small batch of Apple cookies today, they are quite yummy. They have chopped apples, walnuts, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and yummyness. Let me know if you want the exact recipe.

Enjoy!

P.S. I put a bunch in a bag and when I went to get one out to photograph they had all molded into one giant yummy cookie save for this one...ah well.

Button Bracelet

Hey guys!

Hope the weekend was good for everyone, I myself had a pretty eventful one. The bracelet is made from buttons taken from a sewing kit my Mom passed down to me, thanks Mom!

Enjoy!

Truck!

Well some of it.

Today when I was nannying Adam asked me to put together this truck. Now when I say "Put together" I mean follow steps 1 through 25 of a 50 something step instruction manual to put this thing together tiny piece by tiny piece, when Adam (who is 3) has been throwing around and crashing through these pieces for the last month or so...needless to say some were missing so I had to improvise.

I should have the back half of the truck done by next week :).

Enjoy!

Flowa.

I wish I had a beautiful long haired lass to model this for me.

What are ya gunna do.

Made from some fabric I found at a thrift store a while back, a found button and some elastic from an old fitted sheet. HA!

Enjoy.

THE THE

After making this blog yesterday I realized that is both daunting and exciting to assign something like this to myself (which is just what I needed). Even today I was thinking "Gosh, what the heck am I going to make today?!". So when I came home from work I made this little collage. Mainly made up of old post cards. I have tons of post cards from all over the world, even little promotional ones that I'll pick up from window sills at coffee shops just because I like the art on it, and then I'll use them for shit like this. There's also a gum wrapper in there and some orange thread.

I really need to find the cables for my camera because this is kind of a crude way of photographing visual art. Ah well.

ENJOY!

Dancing With Adam.

Look what I made 10/11/10

Dancing With Adam from Leigh Culbertson on Vimeo.

Thank You Card

"BLAH!"

I have about 3 hours during my time Nannying to myself when Adam is napping. Recently I got some help from a contact in pursuit of a job at Pixar (hence all the Toy Story stickers) so I made him a thank you note. Obviously it's not finished yet since I haven't written most of the note. :)

Hey World.

This is my new blog.

I'm dedicating it to posting one thing that I've made that day at least 5 days a week.

It will involve anything created like short films, doodles, songs and everything in between.

Enjoy!