Inspired by...Dr Seuss

First things first...the winner of the February Inspired by...The Solar System by random draw from all of the out-of-this-world entries is.....................

I will send out your prize, the necklace Nebulae right away! Congratulations! And here is a peek at one of Silver Parrots' luscious space inspired designs entitled Moonrise Over a Desert Planet.

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.” ~ Dr. Seuss

I am sick of winter. White snow, gray skies, such a blandness everywhere.

I think it is time for some color. How about you?


I could think of nothing more colorful to be Inspired by... in March than Dr. Seuss books. And today, March 2nd, is Dr. Seuss' birthday. So what better inspiration than the beloved books of Dr. Seuss!

I loved them as a child. One Fish, Two Fish. The Cat in the Hat. Fox in Socks {particularly that part about the beetle battle in the bottle with paddles on a poodle}. Inspired lunacy, that's what they are. They were catchy little ditties that had me excited about reading. And then when I had my own children I made sure to read these treasures to them as well.

“And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!”

Theodore Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904. He came from a loving family that was very pro-American during WWI. Before his mother married his father, she worked in a bakery and would chant the pies of the day to her customers. When Ted couldn't sleep she would chant those pies, a silly little comfort that gave young Ted his rhythm and playfulness.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose. "

Ted went to Dartmouth and eventually landed the editor position at the school's humor publication. But being a mischievous college student, he got kicked off that paper for participating in a party that was not approved by the school. That is when he started submitting under the pen name Seuss, which was his middle name and the maiden name of his mother.

After college, he worked in various advertising jobs, including drawing cartoons for The Saturday Evening Post, Life and Vanity Fair. During WWII Geisel was too old to be drafted, so he requested a commision with Frank Capra's (It's a Wonderful Life) Signal Corps (US Army) and was part of some of the films made during that time, notably the Private Snafu cartoons that were a big hit with young recruits even if the top brass didn't care for them.

"If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good."

Ted was making a good living as an illustrator and had published one book And To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street after having that manuscript rejected 27 times. There was a magazine article about why children were not excited to read which blamed primers as being bland and antiseptic. Ted was given the challenge of creating a fun and lively primer using 220 new-reader vocabulary words. The Cat in the Hat was an instant success with kids, parents, teachers and librarians. Over the many decades to come, and I would argue to this day, Dr. Seuss is revered the world over for encouraging playfulness, imagination and a love of language and words.

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!”

So now it is your turn...the March Inspired by...Dr. Seuss challenge is on...what kind of things can you think up? I am hoping there will be a whole lot of color, whimsy, and playfulness going on. I could use that right about now.

How it works:

• Create a piece of jewelry (earrings, necklace or bracelet) using the inspiration of the Dr. Seuss {Pick your favorite book, the characters, the words, the colors, the playful attitude...whatever makes you think of Seuss.. Be creative!}
  


• Post your picture to the Flickr account here.


• If you are so inspired {and I hope you will be!}, feel free to create as many pieces as you like for challenge and post to the Flickr account, but your name will only be entered once. (For extra BONUS ENTRY opportunities, see below). You have until 11:59 pm CST on Wednesday, March 31st to post to the Flickr account.
  

In the description of your picture be sure to add the following:

• Title of the piece
• Short description of your inspiration {be sure to include what Seuss inspired you!}
  
• Your Name
  
• Your email address
  
• Your blog or website

BONUS ENTRY OPPORTUNITIES:

• If you use an art bead in your piece {art bead is defined as a bead or component created by yourself or another artisan}, be sure to point that out in your description {with a link to the appropriate artisan’s website, shop or blog} and you will have TWO extra entries.
  


• If you blog, Facebook, Twitter, sky write or take out a billboard to publicize each week’s challenge, be sure to let me know {leave a comment on that week's challenge} and your name will be in for ONE extra entry.
  
  
• That's a total of FIVE ENTRIES!

And now for the prize...
I purchased three of Esther Ramos' book charms in early February. After I got them and swooned for days while fondling... I mean, examining each of them, I knew that there would be no better prize than to gift one of these to the random winner. If you haven't checked out sweet Esther's jewelry please do. And here is the book charm that you could win.


Now...go and get inspired!

What was your favorite Dr. Seuss book?
Was there a character that captivated you?
What about the whimsical drawings of imaginary creatures?
Or maybe it was the words that Seuss wove that are hard to get out of your head even now?
Do tell!

Check It Out::Seussville

Enjoy the day!