Bioartography (my job as art)

When I'm not running my shop on Etsy my full time job is as a graduate student. I study developmental biology. The goal of my research is to better understand how the skeleton develops so that new strategies can be designed for bone healing and repair.

One thing that I really love about my work is the overlap of science and art. I spend a lot of time looking at tissue sections under the microscope to examine the expression of specific proteins. This is an image that I captured of a section that shows the neural tube, kidney, and somites (what will become vertebrae). It is amazing to me how beautiful biology is.

This image is part of the bioartography collection from the University of Michigan's Center for Organogenesis. Scientists from the university submit photographs that they have taken during the process of their research and a panel of artists and professors chooses the most remarkable and beautiful images to be sold. All proceeds go towards funding graduate students and post docs.

You can take a look at the rest of the collection here https://bioartography.myshopify.com/

Gastric Rainbow

(my favorite bioartography piece)

Cupcakes!

Super cute, adorable, delicious... who couldn't love cupcakes? Today my day is all about cupcakes because my cupcake iPhone cases have been so popular that I need to make more.



I thought I would share these and some other great cupcakes from across Etsy.

Tutorial - Crochet Face Scrubbies

I love these super simple crochet face scrubbies. They are perfect for washing your face in the morning and removing makeup at night. You can make a few to keep for yourself and they also make great gifts.

What you will need:

100% cotton yarn (I'm using Lily Sugar n' Cream)
Size H crochet hook
Yarn needle

Directions:

1. Chain 4.
2. Insert your hook into first chain stitch forming a ring.
3. Yarn over hook and draw through stitch and loop.



4. Chain 3, 12 double crochet into center of the ring.
5. Complete the circle by putting your hook through the first double crochet.
6. Yarn over hook and draw through stitch and loop.
7. Chain 3, 2 double crochet in each stitch of the first round.
8. Close circle as before and use your yarn needle to weave in ends.



I made a few face scrubbies and some washcloths and added them to a basket with homemade soap I got from Etsy. I think this will make a great Mother's Day gift.

Pamper Yourself!

Recently I have been on a handmade soap kick. I bought my first bar from an Etsy seller a few months back and now I'm hooked. I love the fact that they are handmade and you can find just about any scent you can imagine. Plus there are all sorts of other bath and body items I can't wait to try like bubble bath dough and sugar scrub cubes. I've been experimenting with making homemade sugar scrubs and I will share that soon but for now here are a few great bath products from Etsy: