Final Post ... here

Dear Reader,

We're not gone, we've just moved this blog to join our main website, please click here for more!

Thanks for your continued support :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Pumpkins for Squirrels!

Dear Reader,

With our Halloween clip getting closer and closer to being finished, there's a real sense of the season in our house right now. And I'm happy to report, my eldest felt the need to share the joy with our resident squirrels :)

Inspired by a new kit we're developing, she decided they needed a little halloween scene of their own, complete with pumpkin!

I love how pleased with her results she was, and I love the results themselves!!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS the squirrely Halloween clip should be ready to share by next week, so stay tuned :)

Prototyping for Halloween

Dear Reader,

The Natural History Museum has asked us to participate in another of their fantastic museum events. So in a couple of weeks we'll be celebrating the "haunted museum" with another crafting extravaganza.

The theme they are working with is `Dia de los Muertos' so that's been on my mind for a couple of weeks.

I'm happy to share our exciting ideas :) The main event will be bright skeletons with big skulls and colorful teeth!

And just to have on hand, I figured out how to twist up some tiny skulls too. Hope to see some of you at the museum on the 25th!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Reflections

Dear Reader,

Schools can be amazing places, and our local one is one of the best I've seen. Beyond the superb education, the extra curricular activities always abound.

This week was "Reflections" week, and those who took part were tasked with crafting something that reflected what they felt would make the world a better place. I was actually coaching my youngest on the soccer field while my eldest built this wonder!

I love that nature is so high on her wish list. I also love the way she expressed that wish! Truly Squirrel King as another parent remarked to her :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS Perhaps camping this weekend paid off more than just the rejuvenating effect I felt!

Whimsy from Oakoak

Dear Reader,

I stumbled across Oakoak a couple of months ago and was struck by the beauty, simplicity and lovely juxtapositions of his work.

The images are always arresting and often surprising in their inspired use of what's lying around.

Hope you have a great weekend and perhaps see some new and whimsical possibilities in the world around you :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

P.S. Oakoak's website has plenty more images.

Just Trucking Along

Dear Reader,

One of the joys in life is getting glimpses into the myriad possibilities the world offers. So yesterday, how fun to be a trucker for a day :)

Our big shipment of new card deck instructions finally arrived and I was on the bill of lading to pick it up!

Having visited the warehouse to pick up the goods - which was the size of at least a couple of football fields - I now want a turn with the forklifts!

Keep an eye out for fun new opportunities yourself and share what you know with someone else; this morning I'm going to open my daughter's eyes to Pascal's triangle and the amazing world of binomial coefficients :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Halloween Shoot Continues

Dear Reader,

The squirrels have entered the graveyard and the Halloween shoot continues.

Over the weekend, my wonderful and talented friend Tom Clancey (the cinematographer, not the resurrected writer) stopped by for a couple of days to lend a hand on the graveyard shift. What ensued was a master class in photography for me :) Learning is such a joy and learning from a good friend is all the more fun!


Then yesterday, I watched Boxtrolls with my youngest, and at the end of the movie there was a little piece showing the makers moving the individual characters shot by shot. It was pretty cool, and it made me want to share a couple of images of the concentration that goes into making our little pieces - here's a couple of images my lovely wife caught of me :)

Yes, that's a candy bag in my hands :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims