fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

Get up and shake your rump! That's right, today is the first National Dance Day , thanks to Nigel Lythgoe, the executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance. The NappyTabs duo choreographed the routine below to let anyone celebrate the event, whether it be in a huge group or alone in a living room. I dance every day, even if it's just to practice my shimmy while brushing my teeth. I'm no professional - just a girl that likes to shake it like a salt shaker. I am thankful to have discovered two amazing women that offer classes in Delaware's Cape region, hip-hop with Sasha Westray and belly dancing with Viviana Matthews . Both styles are extremely fun ways to exercise and clear your head. If you haven't been enthralled by So You Think You Can Dance yet, you must get "outta your mind" and see my favorite hip-hop routine ever, choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon and rocked out by Alex and tWitch. Then follow my lead, because I'm getting out of thi...

My Nightmare Before Christmas wallet from Hot Topic loyally haunted my purse for six years ... but when my ID began jumping out of its torn window, I knew it was finally time to lay Jack and Sally to rest. I decided to treat myself to a handmade wallet instead. After scouring Etsy, I was hypnotized by the dozens of pop culture wallets from Custom Wallets . It was tempting to check out immediately with a Nintendo, Smurfs, Wonder Woman or of course, Nightmare Before Christmas design. Then I read the shop announcement and discovered I could request any theme. Would it be Strawberry Shortcake, Jem or She-Ra? The Last Unicorn or Rogue and Gambit? Oh, the possibilities were endless. And then it hit me with silly string - why not order a wallet of my very own art? And behold, Jeremy worked his magic with duct tape and clear tape to create a classic bi-fold style with flip out ID and two credit card slots crawling with my creatures.

Twirl into the glimmering night with Fantasy Artist of Etsy , Amanda of Spiral Moon. My Star Stretch magnet has gravitated into her homage of that mysterious orb in the sky. "Moons and Junes and ferris wheels, the dizzy dancing way you feel as every fairy tale comes real; I've looked at love that way." -Joni Mitchell

Stop and roll to this Etsy Twitter Team treasury, sprinkled together by Jewelry Drops . My Peridot dragon pinback button is having a staring contest with the gorgeous girl modeling Mandizzle's silk flower hair clip in sage. Wonder who will blink first?

Tracy of A Fabulous Flair has been going color-happy since she discovered the joys of making Etsy treasuries. Last week I shared her Guess that's why they call it the blues... theme, but this rosy-cheeked collection was actually her first born back on June 28th. It features a pinback button of the tree fairy that watches over my blog. "Yes, painting the roses red! Not pink, not green, not aquamarine! We're painting the roses red! " -Alice in Wonderland

It's rough to fathom that I didn't crank out a single metallic cent for these stunning "Runs Like Clockwork" earrings from Etsy shop Clockwork Jungles . My unearthing them as an utterly free SNS secret back in June felt like fate, as it coincided with the astounding Steampunk Tree House being forged a mere three miles from my home in Delaware. The steampunk genre had been swiveling slowly upon the edges of my thoughts for months, then came unbolted and propelled itself resonantly into my world that week. I hope to soon incorporate that style into an art piece or two of my own. I shall certainly draw inspiration from these dramatic earrings that are described by the jewelry artist as "not for the faint of heart. A set of long and ornate black clock hands make up the body of the earring. They are accented on the top with wire wrapped crystals in red and a golden gear that dangles from an antiqued brass chain. The crystals are accented with a tiny gear worked int...

Anyone that's spied my art (or just my handwriting) could guess I adore lines that curl and twist. I'm giddy that Nancy's Romance swept my Peridot dragon magnet off its coiled tail and into this spectacular collection.

The Steampunk Tree House has clawed its way to the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, a mere three miles from my house. Contrary to how it surfaces in my daydreams, this 40' tall sculpture of metal and gears did not spring up from the dirt overnight. The tree was originally cultivated by Sean Orlando and over 60 other artists from the Five Ton Crane (5TC) group back in 2007. It debuted at the Burning Man music festival in 2008, and has been disassembled and put back together several times. It spent a lot of time in costly storage in between appearances, so when Dogfish Head agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars to ship it from California to Delaware, 5TC sold the structure for only $1. After two weeks of heavy construction, the tree will now get plenty of sunlight and water in its new home. I was lucky enough to attend the "ribbon-cutting" ceremony on Friday, June 25th. It was smashing - and I mean that, literally - they swung a bottle of Dogfish Head Life & Li...

A few hours ago, I squawked happily when I realized I was at 99 blog followers. I flapped my wings straight to twitter and unashamedly begged for another one. My fellow Etsy Twitter Team member PunkyJane answered my plea faster than a peregrine. So though I appreciate each and every one of you (I really, really do), she gets a special caw out tonight! PunkyJane specializes in handcrafted sterling and fine silver jewelry and accessories ... aren't her designs simply beautiful? The best part is that she offers personalized hand stamped items that make thoughtful and unique gifts.

If you're feeling glum, spend a moment to admire this fantastic collection finessed by Tracy of A Fabulous Flair . I smile every time I see that magnet of my Ashley fairy , based on a bubbly blond roommate of mine from college, and hope you will, too. "Live for each second Without hesitation " -Elton John