Kirk's Blog

Did you know that my hubby, Kirk, has a blog? Well, he does, and you should follow it... www.kirksheppardtattoos.blogspot.com
It's about his tattooing, his motorcycle, and whatever else interesting he might have going on.

My Favourite Blogs, Pt. 3: Wonderful, Inspiring and Weird

You may have noticed, perhaps, that I am a bit of a blog-fiend. One of my favourite things to do every morning is to open up my blog reader and see what's new. I might find an inspiring piece of art or design waiting for me, discover a new vegan recipe, or hear a great story from a friend. Maybe there's a craft fair or fun event happening in Vancouver next weekend. Whatever it is, I want to know!

To finish out My Favourite Blogs series, here's an alphabetical list of some more standout blogs that I follow regularly that didn't make it into the previous two posts. Thanks to all you fabulous bloggers out there who inspire me on a daily basis.

3627 Design Tricks

It's nice to be reminded of ways to shake up your work. This blog is full of great ideas and inspirational design.

art = love = life

Melissa Sue Stanley has so much talent! I'm always thrilled to see one of her new monsters or sketches.

Caustic Cover Critic

A nearly daily dose of one man's incredible book collection. It's hard not to get excited over all those fabulous retro paperback covers!

Domestic Affair

Vegan recipes, product reviews and all-around goodness from cookbook author Jae Steele.

ftw//tcb

Matt Brotka is really bad at updating his blog, but really good at painting and tattooing. His paintings simultaneously make me want to get better at painting myself and to throw out my brushes and never try again.

Missed Connections

Artist Sophie Blackall scours New York Missed Connections websites for inspiration for her fabulous, poignant, and often humourous paintings.

My Zoetrope

Michelle paints the cutest critters out there. She also has fabulous taste in food!

Pink Tentacle

A fantastic source for Japanese ephemera of all kinds.

The Non-Consumer Advocate

Katy and her family are rejecting consumerism by trying not to waste money on anything new. This is a great resource for those trying to lessen their debt and their environmental impact.

The Urban Housewife

No one makes me drool on my laptop like Melisser! Her blog is full of vegan recipes and ideas, as well as restaurant reviews and travelogues.

U-Create

Kari has transformed her love of crafting into this amazing resource for online tutorials. I have bookmarked SO many pages from this blog, with every intention of making everything!

Vegan Dad

I love this blog! His recipes are simple, inspired and fabulous!

My Favourite Blogs, Pt. 2: Friends with Blogs

I have so many wonderfully talented and creative friends who blog. As we are all scattered across the world and unable to talk on a regular basis, it's really wonderful to be able to keep up with their work, thoughts and adventures through their blogs.

What the Coma Girl Designs and The Streets I Know

 

My friend Melanie is a graphic designer and crafter in Toronto. She is also a blogger extraordinaire, keeping up two great blogs! What the Coma Girl Designs is a celebration of all things vegan, crafty, DIY and artsy fartsy. The Streets I know is a fabulous vegan fashion blog that I'm pretty sure Melanie started just to try to ruin my carefully planned budget!

Simon & Fran's Andalucian Adventure

Just over a year ago, Simon and Fran followed their dream and and moved from busy North Vancouver to rural Spain. This blog is a chronicle of their Andalucian adventure: learning Spanish, finding a place to live, and adjusting (rather nicely!) to life in the Spanish countryside. I only wish they had more regular access to the internet so we readers could get updates more often.

Gearing Down to First

Another of my globe-trotting friends is Jill, who has been traveling through Australia and Asia for most of the past year. This blog is worth reading for so many reasons: the adventure, the gorgeous photography, and Jill's beautiful writing style. I really think she has a future in travel writing!

Dobell Designs, The Tales of s*dOwG and Caps 'n' Cannons

 

  

Chris and Stu Dobell are two of the most talented people I know. They're musicians, sign painters, designers, fine artists, muralists and graffiti artists. They're also two of the nicest people I know.
Dobell Designs is a showcase for the art they produce together in Victoria, mostly sign painting, with a few barrels and beer fridges thrown in for good measure! The Tales of s*dOwG is all Stu, who is currently in Australia trying to convince the Canadian government to let him back in. Caps 'n' Cannons is a collection of nomad Stu's photographs of street art from all over the world.
Also, check out their crazy-talented Dad's work on his very own blog, Bill Dobell Artist.

Work the Angle

Matt is an artist in Victoria and his blog features his sketchbook pages, awesome finished paintings and lots of his favourite music.

Clock & Compass

This is a chronicle of Chris' tattoo apprenticeship in Victoria, and features paintings and drawings, as well as musings on tattoo art and history.

My Favourite Blogs, Pt. 1: Top 5 Desert Island Blogs

Tonight, after spending WAY too much time on the internet, I feel the need to give props (Can I pull off using that phrase? Sure, why not?) to some of my favourite blogs.

1. Design*Sponge

This is one of the first blogs I started following regularly, and is still my favourite. It's chock full of art, craft tutorials, DIY projects, cooking, interior design, basically anything creative. I absolutely love the Before & After series, which features photos of refinishing and redecorating projects sent in by readers. Another great feature on D*S is Small Measures with Ashley English (I also follow Ashley's own blog), which is comprised of fantastic articles on living simple and green while still living fabulous.

2. Poppytalk

Poppytalk is a Canadian (based in Vancouver!) design blog dedicated to collecting inspiration and promoting emerging design talent. I've made more than one print purchase because of their Affordable Art feature! I am inspired by (and sometimes intimidated by) artists featured on Poppytalk on a daily basis. Also check out the related online marketplace, Poppytalk Handmade, which showcases an amazing rotating roster of beautiful handmade goods.

3. Creep Machine

If you're interested in keeping up with alternative, underground, outsider, lowbrow or pop surrealism art, Creep Machine should be first on your list. It features daily updates about new original and print releases and upcoming gallery openings from amazing established and up-and-coming artists.

4. Twig & Thistle

Kathleen at Twig & Thistle compiles an amazing and inspiring collection of graphic design, art and craft projects. I like to think of it as all the stuff on the internet that I would like to find if I spent all my time surfing around. Thanks for finding it for me!

5. Print & Pattern

Print & Pattern gives me a daily dose of inspiration. It's awash in pattern, textiles, paper, any surface that can have a design on it. I only started reading it recently, but already I have so many ideas swirling around in my head! Now, to put some of them into action.