Home Christmas Light Displays

Have you ever seen lights dance to music?  You might have been to the Macy's light show in Philadelphia, but what about everyday families creating free entertainment on their front lawns?  All for the love and joy of Christmas.  Go! and be inspired.

(Lawlor Lights - Pittsgrove NJ)

My favorite Christmas light displays - NJ

Park Avenue (Maple Shade)

Bridgeboro Rd & Henry Street (Riverside)

18 Silver Birch Rd (Turnersville)

182 Porchtown Rd (Pittsgrove) - "Lawlor Lights" video above.

6 Glennforge Drive (Sicklerville)

11 Lynch Rd (Voorhees)

58 & 72 King Ave (Marlton)

Fulton Drive (Mt Laurel)

16 Howell Ave (Mt Ephraim)

(Riverside, NJ)

Get your hot chocolate, bundle up, and take a drive to some of these spectacular light displays.  Some houses play music from their porches, while others require you to tune in your car radio to their own station.  Enjoy!


-Moni

The Next Level of Christmas Lights

Well... It's the most wonderful time of the year!  My favorite part of the season is seeing the marvelous christmas lights sparkling in the night.  Well, I have come across some very artistic displays and I would love to share them as well as inspire you to show your holiday spirit in a new and inventive way as well.

Before you could purchase miles of christmas lights from your local store, people lit their homes for the holidays with candles.  The Christmas tradition began during the 18th century in upperclass German homes.  In the mid 20th century christmas lights became a custom.

As many know, Rockefeller Center in NYC has become one of the most well-known lit Christmas Trees.  This tradition began in 1933. In 1989, Christmas Vacation showcased a family that decorated every square inch of their home in twinkle lights.  But, how do you decorate your home to draw crowds and celebrate the beautiful holiday?  The new level of decoration entertainment is here: decorations that dance to christmas music!

How is it done?

There are three systems available to make your lights work in sync with music:

1. light o rama  :  The vendor for most residential lights displays. It is, however, pretty complex, and can take as much as four hours per minute of song to program 32-48 channels.
2. Animated Lighting  :  More expensive, but easier to program. Some residential light displays and most commercial ones choose Animated Lighting.
3. D Light Designs  :  The least expensive of the bunch, but you need to have some passing familiarity with and knowledge of control systems and electrical engineering.

Here's a great example of a Christmas light display:

(Located in the Macy's of Philadelphia -FREE)

Next, I will showcase all of the best lit entertainment in the area.  You can get some tips for decorating in your own way, or find a great place to see some free entertainment during the holidays.  These artists absolutely love what they do, as most of these houses are decorated as a hobby and run on their own money or kind donations.  It's really spectacular, so stop back!

My Book Cover Design Process

I was blessed to have the opportunity to design the book cover for first-time author, Reynold J. Levocz. The novel is entitled: "The Spear of Longinus", and takes place during the time of Christ.  It follows the man who speared Jesus on the Cross and his burden.  The story is based on an event from the Bible, but goes on to tell the story of a character's life, struggles, love, and adventures.  Here is the cover I designed, and the process I took.

Step 1: Research & Inspiration

I spent a lot of time walking through book stores and libraries, just taking notes and pictures of books that caught my eye.  I reserached the currently most successful books, and books of the historical fiction/religious fiction genres.  Every book has it's own style, but I found a few of my favorites and took notes on their similar qualities.  I kept a note of these points as my inspiration.

• Strong focal point (light source)
• Focal point of a face/eyes
• Layers/textures
• Warm-tone

Step 2: Sketches 

I drew many sketches to filter my ideas, and organize my thoughts.  I exhausted my ideas on paper first, to eliminate wasting too much time in the next step: creating the designs.  A lot of my sketches were never implemented, and I only showed my client the finished designs so I wasn't really concerned about getting my point across to anyone else but myself. 

Step 3: Design

I initially designed the following covers.  My designs were based on the synopsis, the character development, and the author's note of including Tiberius (Main character) Helena (love interest) and the spear.

After meeting with the author and going over the designs, I had a much better understanding of the author's wants and interested style.  From there, I was able to create more designs.

All of these cover designs were considered for the final print.  The cover that was chosen was then tweaked in several ways.  The woman was changed, the title was altered, the spear was given a blood stain, and the tagline: "A historical saga of love and courage" was changed to "A historical saga of courage and love" to match the left/right graphic of the cover.

I really had a great time working on this project.  Reynold J. Levocz has already asked me to design the cover of his second book: Constantine the Great.  It should be released in 2015.

If you want to read more about The Spear of Longinus or purchase it visit: rjlevocz.com

You can also learn more, and review the book at: goodreads.com

The Art of the Cover

"Don't judge a book by it's cover" well.. I'm going to introduce you to a few artists whose careers revolve around how to get you to pick up the perfect novel solely based on the cover.

My first job was to put the books away in my local library.  I spent so much time around the books, and became familiar with several book cover artists, as well as some really awful designs.  I felt as thought I was in an art museum every day, and loved looking at the covers.  I was highly inspired by this.

Book Cover Artists:

Richard Hollis:

Issac Tobin: 

Anna Dorfman: 

Susan Walsh:

Next Time:

I was lucky enough to design a book cover for a first-time author (Reynold J. Levocz).  Check back next time to see my book cover design, and my process in creating something to convey the story properly and to catch the viewer's eye.

Acorn Delight

As many people are inspired by acorns to paint, draw, or create with, I was inspired to create a sweet treat.  For Thanksgiving this year I made edible acorns for the family gathering.  They were a huge hit...

Ingredients:

• Hershey Kisses (Milk Chocolate)
• Hershey mini morsels (Milk Chocolate)
• Mini NutterButters - sold at Walmart $1.

Step 1: unwrap the hershey kisses.

Step 2: Melt some chocolate morsels (I used the extra mini morsels).  Microwave on power 5 (50% power) in increments of 30-50 seconds for about 3 minutes.  Stir between each heating.

This melted chocolate acts as glue.

Step 3: Use the melted chocolate to attach the kiss to the mini nutterbutter.

Step 4: Use the melted chocolate to attach the mini morsel onto the center of the opposite side of the nutterbutter.

Step5: Allow chocolate to harden.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Artsy Acorns

Art is all around us, and during Autumn it's literally falling on us!  I wanted to bring your attention to the interesting lovable acorns we see all around during these few months. Many see acorns as their natural useful state, but there is so much more to them.  Their shape is very easily recognized, and the array of colors and textures holds a lot of interest in artists.  If you look closely at Norine Kevolic's painting you can see a wide array of colors so seamlessly creating the well known autumn item. What do you find most interesting about acorns?

Artist: Norine Kevolic

If you're not a painter, don't worry.  Acorns are very useful, and can not only decorate your home, but send messages and inspire delicious treats.  

Examples of creative acorns:

To create these, simply separate the "hat" from the bottom. Paint the bottom part with glue. Press on a swatch of fabric (gathering at the top).  Then, glue the "hat" back on.  A great way to use left-over fabric.

These are wooden acorns, but you could paint natural acorns as well.  These little messages make a great encouragement treat for your loved ones, children, or even reminders for yourself.  If you're feeling really creative, you could make a game out of them (think charades).

Who says ornaments are only for a Christmas tree?  These acorns are painted and hung with string. The twig used represents a real fall-bare tree extremely well.  

Bringing some nature into your home is fairly simple, and adds a nice touch.  Nature allows us to stop for a moment, gather ourselves, and put our lives into perspective against the daily rush.

Let nature inspire you this season!

Next time I will be making an acorn-inspired dessert =)

-Moni

Al Hirschfeld - Inspirational Artist

"You always feel the drawing you are working on is the best you've ever done... I am only interested in the present."

-Al Hirschfeld

Al Hirschfeld - Self Portrait

Al was a great cartoonist most well-known for his caricatures in New York Times, as well as many works of film/theater artists.  He used a line to portray a person as well as their personality.  He let the line speak like no one else.

His Work:

Nina:

Hirshfeld was also known for hiding treasures in his work.  Every piece has his daughter's name, "NINA" hidden within the lines.

I hope you find some inspiration from Al Hirschfeld. I absolutely love his work, and how unique it is.  I came across an entire wall in Philadelphia of his work... It is amazing! 

Prince Music Theater (Philadelphia, PA)

-Moni

Inspirational Artist - Monet

Paintings envelop you in a feeling portrayed by the artist.  My favorite paintings that evoke a lovely feeling are by Claude Monet.  If you're not familiar by his work already, enjoy the colors and scenes of the impressionist era.

Claude Monet

Claude Monet was born in Paris Nov. 14th 1840.  At age 11, Monet entered Le Havre secondary school of the arts.  He studied under Jacques-Francois Ochard,  and was later mentored by Eugene Boudin.

Painting by: Jacques-Francois Ochard

Painting by: Eugene Boudin

Impressionist Paintings:

Impressionism was actually named after one of Monet's paintings: "Impression, Soleil Levant" (Impression, Sunrise).

Impression, Soleil Levant (Monet)

Characteristics of Impressionist paintings:

• Small,Thin, yet visible brush strokes
• Open composition
• Emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities
• Ordinary subject matter
• Movement depicted as a crucial element of human perception
• Unusual visual angles

Monet's Work:

Boat Studio (Monet)

Monet used a 'boat studio' to create his pieces from the center of the pond.  His better known paintings depict waterlilies, ponds, and bridges over water, although his work spanned countries with many different landscapes and sometimes portraits as well.

Moni's Monet:

I created this for a class as an art appreciation piece.  I layered and melded together elements of myself admiring his work, with one of my favorite Monet paintings.

-Moni

My Etched Wine Glass

I used glass-etching for a graphic design class.  I wanted to make a unique marketing item.  Check out what I created and how the glass-etching process works.

The Logo:

I created this Logo in Photoshop, for a project.
("Life by the Sea" is a fake non-profit that cleans beaches and protects marine life)

Needed:

• Wine Glass - (4 for $5 Walmart) *You can use anything that's glass*
• X-acto Knife
• Contact Paper - (Large roll for $6 Walmart)
• Armour Etching Cream - (Small bottle for $13 Michaels)

The Template:

I used contact paper and an X-acto knife to cut out the logo.  To do this, I printed the logo in the appropriate size, and carefully cut through the printed page, and contact paper on top of a cutting pad.

Text was very difficult to create a template for, because the space in the center of some letters would have to be manually placed onto the glass (example: "e" and "a"), not to mention it is very thin at times.

I also used a hole puncher to create bubbles going up the side of the glass.

Placement: 

Contact paper is like a gigantic sticker.  I carefully detached the backing, and placed it onto a clean wine glass.  It was imperative that each border was stuck tight to the glass to prevent the cream from etching beyond the template.

Etching:

Armour Etching Cream was very simple to use.  I simply painted it on with a standard paint brush, let it sit for 60 seconds, and rinsed it lightly with warm water in the sink. This is not a frost paint layer, this solution is actually interacting with the glass. (Once the glass is dried, you will see the etching much clearer)  It begins to work instantly, so there is no way to fix a mistake. 

*Notice: Etching cream is highly dangerous and children should never be near it.  Take precautions.  Use gloves, protective eyewear, and an apron or old clothes.  The cream is highly corrosive and can burn your skin.

My Results:

Hints:

• Because my design was very intricate and had delicate edges, the cream did expand the perimeters in some instances.  I suggest using a slightly simpler design, and a flatter glass.  (Wine glasses curve from top to bottom making it difficult to place the stencil correctly).

• I also tried frosting majority of the glass and having only parts clear, but it didn't come out the way I was hoping.  I think it would be fine with several rounds of etching, but placing an identical stencil in the exact spot again would be difficult.  It left brush strokes. 

• Definitely use the cream generously.  You want a thick layer to cover it well.

I hope you are inspired to give this a try.  It really looks professional, and will last forever.

Enjoy! 

-Moni

Glass Etching

This is an artistic medium that is very unique.  I was introduced to glass etching while looking for marketing techniques for a graphic design project.  What's amazing to me, is how quick the whole process is.  With the right design, anyone can do this.

What is glass etching?

Glass etching is the technique of creating art on the surface of glass by applying acidic, caustic, or abrasive substances.  It gives the glass a frosty look.

In History

This technique began before the 1860's, and in the 1920's glass etching became more easily accessible when manufacturers used moulds to etch glass which reduced the cost.

The Process

If you would like to learn how to do this.. check out this tutorial:

etched glass tutorial

Check next time to see my version of this Artspiration.  If you decide to give it a go, please share your results.

-Moni