Today's prompt is all in the name of LOVE: Share your love for someone in a non-verbal way.

I loved this flickr pic by catklein. So simple and so unexpectedly sweet at the same time. Perfect for kids, or adults!

Happy Heart Day!

Eileen

I know the popularity of specific animals can be traced back to popular culture. Granted there are some staples—birds, monkeys, cats, dogs, horses—but clown fish and penguins have certainly been in the spotlight in recent years. I don’t know if this is because of all of the merchandising that accompanies movies, or because the audience is made aware of the attributes of the species. For example, when Disney’s 101 Dalmations was released a few years ago, I knew it was a safe bet that I would soon see plenty of spotted puppies in the neighborhood.

However, not since the arrival of Sega’s Sonic have I seen such an interest in the spiny mammals known as hedgehogs. I’m not sure what brought this interest in hedgehogs, but I think it has something to do with its cuteness factor. I uttered many “awws” while I looked at some very charming crafts featuring hedgehogs on Etsy. It seems the cute creature can be incorporated into a variety of projects including jewelry, cards and softies. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Beautiful earrings from NBDesigns

AmyGaines adorable amigurumi design

Cards by MewPaperArts

Softie by appleandeve

So what animal do you think is ready for the spotlight? What creatures from the animal kingdom inspire you? Stop by the forum and let us know.

Robin

Welcome to the Inspiration and Creativity group of MyCraftivity.com. We have a great group of moderators for this group, who are all excited to bring you projects, prompts and general conversation to get your ideas flowing. We're glad that we are in a group that encompasses all of the crafts represented at MyCraftivity.com. We welcome all: painters, fiber artists, fashionistas, mixed-media artists , papercrafters, quilters. We hope you stop by whether you fall into one, two, all or none of these categories. Creativity is creativity, no matter how you choose to express it.

A quick introduction to your moderators. I'm Robin. I dabble in many crafts, but my favorites are knitting, crocheting and papercrafting. I'll post pieces of mine from time to time, if I feel you'll find them inspiring. I love words—spoken or written. So I'll tend to post written prompts to get you thinking. I'm also a very tactile person. If I can see it or touch it, I like it. If I can see it and touch it, I love it. I think that's why I love knitting and crochet; the yarns are beautiful to look at and wonderful to touch.

I'm a little weak in the visual/ thinking in abstract area—I can follow a pattern or a recipe, but creating one from scratch is tough. Luckily for me, my moderator counterparts balance me out nicely. You'll meet Eileen and Ginger in the upcoming weeks. I'll let them tell you all about themselves. They're both very visual and talented in papercrafts. Hmmm...maybe there's a connection.

Now for your viewing pleasure, Kotori, a stop-animation short film by Yves Geleyn. Watching this made me think I could create a stop-animation short with some of my crafts. I quickly realized that I usually don't remember to take work-in-progress shots, so this might not be the best venue for me. I'll leave it to the experts, like Yves Geleyn.

Kotori did make realize that projects can be simple and still beautiful—and that what may seem simple can require a lot of hard work. Enjoy the video, then stop by the forum and tell us what you think.

See Kotori here.

Robin