Miniature Flowers

Dear Reader,

Careful cutting followed delicate rolling ..

.. behind the scenes a little glue licked the two together, and pots for miniature flowers were made!




The dried flowers from the visit with grandma and grandpa to the LA flower district were dipped in paint.





The distinct elements were carefully pieced together, and ... Voila! We have the potted flowers for Ed's house (which is still under construction).

House soon :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

The Joys of Aging

Dear Reader,

Today is my birthday, and we're off to a most wonderful start!

Actually, it all started last weekend when the Trouble and Strife took me for a magical weekend getaway while the Aliens overnighted with a good friend. So the first joy of aging: appreciation of celebrations.

The second joy happened this morning: woken by the Aliens (not counting Alien Two's foot in my lower back throughout the night) to lovingly made birthday card and books (above photo on the card, rainbow the final page of the book). The classic "Raining to Rainbow Sight" is a true Alien One special, including the lines: "The sun is coming out, I hope a rainbow will sprout", "The sun, the sun. I can't wait."

And finally, checking my computer to find so many of you sending messages ... it's my first real year on Facebook :) "Like" The Squirrel King as a birthday present to me ;)

Big Squirrel King hugs to all!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

References: Part 9 (Wind-Powered Mechanical Creatures)

Dear Reader,

I'm not sure where it fits into The Squirrel King yet, indeed it might not be until a future season, but from the moment I saw these wonderful mechanical creatures I knew they would have to be used somewhere. I'm sure you'll agree as soon as you see this:

Animaris Umerus walking - June '09 from Strandbeest on Vimeo.
Also, check out Theo Jansen's site for other cool creations, and a even a mail-order kit to build your own (I'll let you know how fantastic that is when ours arrives).

I can't wait to examine the cogs and gears with the Aliens :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS Don't forget that our contest starts this Friday, make sure to check back then for the inspiration clip!

Youtube Squirrel King Central

Dear Reader,

A few of you have asked about past videos on the blog, so to save you trolling through past entries, we've collected some of the the highlights in one place! Check out the newly created: Youtube Squirrel King channel.

To start things off, give yourself a chuckle watching Alien One's early cinematic efforts as she gives Mr. Clock an energetic tour of The Squirrel King facilities, or simply warm your heart with the explanation of where the foil birds came from :)

Have a great weekend!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Ed's House

Dear Reader,

Some time ago, Alien One noticed a doll's house while visiting with a friend. Of course we immediately committed to making our own ... and then other projects side-tracked us.


... Until we came across some fabulous fabric for a roof!


Cue some glue ..


And our top-down design is now well underway. Stay tuned for updates on what will double as Ed's house.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Inspiration from a Cool Advertisement

Dear Reader,

We've all seen, at some stage or other, the wonderfully inventive (if a little unsettling) faces of the 16th century Italian artist Arcimboldo.

Assuming you, like me, liked those vegetable and flower creations, then you might also get a kick out of a human made of humans.

And just to bring it right into the 21st century the advertisement below has that human in motion!



I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.

Chin chin Ruthless Whims

PS If you like this blog, please take the time to like us on Facebook - just click the button on the right at the top of this post :)

Inspired By Alien Artistry

Dear Reader,

Yesterday afternoon rained watercolors per the Aliens' request. And with my supervision a little on the lackadaisical end of the spectrum (those pine needles were being deliberately used to texture), the outcomes were among the most wonderful ever!





Inspired by the Aliens' efforts I was reinvigorated to work on the holes that ultimately befall Robin's Mango Goddess (her Butterscotch colored MG).

Beware the damage an errant acorn might cause!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims