Carving the Nit Wits Pumpkasso!
Posted October-31-2007
Crazy Cubist Pablo Pumpkasso
You knew it was eventually coming, didn't you? I mean, first it's the Nit Wits PUNKin, and so what could possibly be next? Yay, and Happy Halloween! •

The Art Rat Blog is Here! Posted October-29-2007
Revisiting Chewy Lewy
All of the Halloween Scare-rots joking going on this week made me remember the last good joke I pulled on family and friends on April Fool's Day earlier this year with my Art Rat book. If you haven't had the chance to see the infestation of rodent watercolor paintings or read the Official Art Rat Blog, now's your chance! •

How to Grow Halloween Scare-rots, Scarrots, Carrots
Posted October-29-2007
This Franken-mangled carrot crop was the result of my totally green gardening skills.
Okay, so you know how "they" say you have to "thin the carrots" when you're gardening? Well, that's one step you can't ignore because when you don't thin the carrots, you'll end up with freakish twisted orange root matter things resembling the above. More »

P.S. Speaking of carrots, you gotta see the online World Carrot Museum. Lots o' crunchy orange fun!

Visiting Tombstone's Haunted Bird Cage Theatre
Posted October-25-2007
"The wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast." — New York Times, 1882
One night in 2006 I saw an episode of Ghost Hunters on the Sci-Fi Channel that had TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society) investigate Tombstone's famous Bird Cage Theatre. Since then, I've visited the Bird Cage Theatre on three occasions. ...

Image courtesy of Paperboxworld

Creative Papercraft: Paper Box World
Posted October-24-2007
Boxy Fun Paper Model Characters
I am totally a fan of innovation and clever design. So you can imagine how much I grinned when I learned about Dré San's Paper Box World, a cute little Web site featuring "box" paper models of animals, cars, and other whimsical characters you can download for free as a PDF file and then print and assemble for some creative boxy fun. Clever, cute, and well... totally square! •

#5: Explore EVERYTHING that Interests You!
Posted October-23-2007
26 Ways to Nurture Your Creative Life
Whether the exploring you do is in the realm of subjects (engaging in new quests of knowledge) or activities (engaging in new types of experiences, or a mixture of both, here's three good reasons why ‘exploring everything that interests you’ is so important to nurturing your creative life. ...

Print Your Scare-rots 'Carrotus scareotus' Halloween Joke Seed Packet! Posted October-21-2007
These Franken-Carrots REALLY Grew in My Garden!
I'll grate up the story soon on how these vegetable monstrosities somehow hacked themselves together in my innocent backyard garden just in time for Halloween. Meanwhile, getting to the root of the matter, I absolutely couldn't resist taking photos and designing a Halloween joke seed packet for these unimaginable bizarre carrots SCARE-ROTS!

If you'd like to download and print your own Scare-rots seed packet, it's now available in the ghastly garden section on the Creative Slush Web site. •

A Self-Coaching Journey: SARK's Make Your Creative Dreams REAL Posted October-17-2007
A Creative Dream-Altering Book, 3-Years Strong
I had the privilege of meeting author/artist SARK in 2004 while attending her workshop and book signing event on her "Make Your Creative Dreams REAL" book tour in Chicago. What I learned at the workshop and since then through her book have been timeless tools that continue to serve me well today. ...

The Heart of the Matter Posted October-16-2007
What a new day really means.
My personal life has been in such transition over the last month that I haven’t even turned the page over on my SpongeBob SquarePants wall calendar to the current month. Today is October 16 and the calendar still shows September 2007. ...

Scary Christmas! Printable Halloween e-Playbook by Chris DunmirePosted October-15-2007
38 Pages of Halloween Activities, Projects & Creative Fun
If you've watched me "suffer" through my annual bout of October Pumpkinitis before, then you won't be surprised to know that I've been in creative overdrive this month finishing my newest Creative Slush e-Playbook, Scary Christmas! Printable Halloween Creativity, now available for instant download on the Creative Slush Web site.

“The most powerful form of defense
against quitting or discouragement
is your strength of desire.
If you want the dream badly enough,
desire opens up
your reservoirs of passion.
Desire can create a creative flow
so forceful that it washes away
anything that stands in your way.”
— Jill Badonsky,
The Muses Hire a Bodyguard

Halloween is the beginning of Christmas

"Scary Christmas" Tree Halloween Pumpkin Ornaments or Gift Cards Posted October-10-2007
Free Printable Project by Chris Dunmire
I don't mind that Halloween is the official start of Christmas. In fact, I know that many people are having a lot of fun decorating their homes and yards for the holidays. A lot of suppressed creativity is being expressed through these activities, maybe because they are sanctioned and “safe.” Whatever the case, it reinforces the idea that being creative and playful truly has its place in our lives. Happy Halloween and Scary Christmas to you! ...